Six months after the establishment of the Museum, Civil War hospital doctors were saving material for it.
U.S.A. General Hospital No. 1,
Frederick, MD., Jany 27 1863
Doctor.
I will endeavor to pl[ea]s[e] also [illegible] to take Davis place & at any rate the specimens “shall be preserved”. Enclosed please find corrected bill.
Respectfully,
R.F. Weir
Asst Surgeon, USA
Dr. J.H. Brinton, USA
Surg. Gen’l Office
Washington, DC
Curiosity over this letter leads me to transcribe the earlier one:
U.S.A. General Hospital No. 1,
Frederick, MD., January 25 1863
Doctor.
Enclosed find your vouchers for expenditures for whiskey to preserve pathological specimens. Will you please have them settled as the money had been advanced by Dr. Davis who has recently left for England & me, heir to bones & [illegible – whiskey?] collections. When may we expect to see the new Catalogue[?]
Respectfully,
R.F. Weir
Asst Surgeon, USA
Dr. J.H. Brinton, USA
Surg. Gen’l Office
Washington, DC
The Museum’s eventual transformation into a pathology institute is foreshadowed…
Numbered Correspondence 1956
January 26, 1897
Captain John L. Phillips,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Fort Walla Walla, Wash.
Dear Doctor:
The specimen of testicle referred to in your letter of January 9th has been embedded and examined microscopically, with the following result: Marked fibroid thickening of the normal covering of the testicle together with such extensive interstitial change in the structure of the testicle proper as to render it extremely difficult to even make out any of the remains of the spermatic tubules, which are here and there seen as narrow crevices lined by low epithelium. The diagnosis, therefore, would be chronic interstitial orchitis, which may have had a syphilititic origin. There is no appearance, whatever, of any malignant disease.
A slide will be forwarded by to-day’s mail.
Very sincerely yours,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator
This letter followed immediately after one thanking a Colonel C. Sutherland for his donation of two Indian arrowheads.
January 25, 1869
General:
It appears to me right that the contributors to the section of Indian Curiosities etc., should be notified of the transfer of their donations to the Smithsonian Institution, and I would therefore respectfully submit the enclosed “Memorandum,” and suggest that it be printed, or some modification of it, and distributed in the form, if you approve, of the Memorandum of Sept. 1868.
Very respectfully,
Your obd’t servant,
[George A. Otis]
Ass’t Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator, A.M.M.
Bvt. Brig Gen’l C.H. Crane,
Ass’t Surg. General, US Army
-782881.jpg)
Here’s a letter showing both how the Museum expanded its interests and influences after the Civil War, and how the photographic collection grew. By the way, this was a very rare operation even through the Civil War. When a surgeon performed one, the case was named after him.
Surgeon General’s Office
Washington City, DC
January 22nd, 1868
Doctor:
I am instructed by the Surgeon General to acknowledge the reception of your interesting letter of the 20th inst. A photograph of the patient on whom you operated eighteen years ago, and who has so long survived so dreadful a mutilation, would be a very interesting addition to our collection. In a few days, I will send you a picture we have secured of Dr. Morton’s patient taken nearly a year after the photograph from which the plate in Circular No. 7 S.G.O., 1867, was copied.
I should be glad to secure a picture of your patient of about the same size. The expence (sic) will be defrayed from the Army Medical Museum Fund.
Please instruct the photographer to print four or five copies and to send them with the negative to me at the Army Medical Museum, No. 454, Tenth Street, Washington, together with the bill.
The Surgeon General is much gratified that you and other surgeons of practical experience, in the operation of amputation at the hip-joint, commend the report he has published on the subject.
I am, Doctor,
Very respectfully,
Your obt. servant,
By order of the Surgeon General:
[George A. Otis]
Ass’t Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator Army Medical Museum
Dr. Washington T. Duffee
N.E. corner of 18th & Wallace Sts.
Philadelphia, Penna
Embryology was a new science in 1905 – and the museum was apparently back in the business of taking ‘bottled monsters. Liz Lockett of our embryology collection notes that embryology dates from the 17th century, but the large systematic collections were done at the turn of the twentieth century.’
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 8084
January 21, 1905
Dr. J. J. Repetti,
404 Seward Square, S.E.
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir:
I am directed by the Surgeon General to express his thanks for the specimen of monstrous foetus received from you on this day. It will be added to the collections with a properly inscribed card.
Will you have the further kindness to furnish the Museum with a history of the case?
Very respectfully,
C.L. Heinzmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division
The Museum has an extensive numismatics collection – this letter shows how it was built up.
January 20, 1897
Dr. H. R. Storer,
Newport, R. I.
Dear Doctor:
Your letter of the 17th inst. Has been received. I shall be glad to purchase the medals you offer at the prices quoted, viz:
You may send them by Adams Express, freight to be paid here. We have Howard, Am. Jour. Num., #688.
The famine, Germany (Danket dem Herrn) seems to be identical with Pfeiffer u. Ruland #157, but ours has “Ps. 116,” and I can notice no defacement.
Very sincerely,
D. L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army
In charge of Museum and Library Division
Colleagues:
The 12th annual meeting of the Southern Association for the History of Medicine and Science-SAHMS- will be held in Louisville, KY March 5-6, 2010. There will be over 70 papers presented in these two days, along with a tour of the first U.S. Marine Hospital built on an inland waterway. Registration for all students is only $75.00. All meeting, registration, and hotel information can be found at:
http://www.sahms.net/HTML/2010.htm
Please share this information with your faculty and graduate students.
Thank you for your assistance.
Jonathon Erlen, Ph.D.
SAHMS Program Committee
History of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
412-6488927
"Health and Medicine on Display: International Expositions in the United
States, 1876-1904."
Julie K. Brown
Independent Scholar
International expositions, with their massive assembling of exhibits and
audiences, were the media events of their time. In transmitting a new
culture of visibility that merged information, entertainment, and
commerce, they provided a unique opportunity for the public to become
aware of various social and technological advances. This presentation
examines how international expositions, through their exhibits and
infrastructures, sought to demonstrate innovations in applied health and
medical practice.
All are welcome.
Note: The next history of medicine seminar will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 2-3:30pm in the NLM's Lister Hill Auditorium. In aspecial program celebrating African American History Month, NIH scholar Sheena Morrison will speak on "Nothing to Work with but Cleanliness: The Training of African American Midwives in the South."
Sign language interpretation is provided. Individuals with disabilities
who need reasonable accommodation to participate may contact Stephen
Greenberg at 301-435-4995, e-mail greenbes@mail.nih.gov, or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339).
Due to current security measures at NIH, off-campus visitors are advised to consult the NLM Visitors and Security website:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/visitor.html
Stephen J. Greenberg, MSLS, PhD
Coordinator of Public Services
History of Medicine Division
National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
301-435-4995
greenbes@mail.nih.gov
Stealing the idea from another museum’s blog - http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20100117_ahoy.html - it seems like it might be interesting to look at 150 years of museum history, one day at a time by transcribing letters in the collection. Here’s one from 101 years ago, showing that ordering office supplies never gets any easier. This is page 1 of Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 3629.
Washington, January 19, 1899
Bausch & Lomb Optical Co.
Rochester, N.Y.
Gentlemen:
I have received through the Medical Purveyor at New York, 4 dozen stender dishes, Cat. No. 4075, D. They are altogether too small for our purpose and I have this day returned them to you, by express, to be exchanged for 4 dozen No. 4075 B. If you will examine your Catalogue you will see that the illustrations of No. 4075 do not at all agree with the figures given as to sizes and proportions, an error which misled us in ordering the goods.
Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator.
B&L sent the correct order a week later.
I was given a couple of cds of AFIP poster sessions by the IT department guy who puts them together. I got 83 attached to the online catalogue today – barely catalogued themselves, but still findable, and not dependent on cd technology, or the hard drive of one computer.
| Fort Detrick to inherit medical museum http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyid=99997 |
Fort Detrick will bring a renowned medical museum under its control, as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington prepares to close and scatters its resources to local military installations.... |
From the Kindred notebook. An interesting end of career project. For all you students out there this is a great example of what a lab notebook should look like.While cleaning out boxes that hadn’t been looked at in a while, I found a 2-ring binder of notes and drawings done by James E. Kindred in 1959. He was a Ph.D. in the Anatomy Department at the University of Virginia and the binder is a record of some studies on vestigial tail (embryology). This is a kind of find we call “Found in Collection.” When I googled his name to find out more about him, it looks like he had a long career: I found articles published as early as 1929. If his name rings a bell, please let us know.
I’ve been busy uploading PDFs of our scanned curatorial logbooks to our in-house database (and to a lesser extent to the Internet Archive, although they will all be eventually put there too), and came across a few entries in the logbook with the above title. I mean, how could you not open this one up for a look, with a title like that?
“One foot of submarine telegraph cable. It is made of copper wire, coated with gutta-percha cased in tarred [coke?] and spirally wrapped with twelve strands of iron wire in one layer. Believed to have been laid by the Rebels between forts Gregg and Sumter and Charleston, and to have been contributed by Acting Assistant Surgeon H.K. Neff.”
“Four arrows pulled from the bodies of men slain in the massacre at Ft. Phillip Kearney December 1866. The one with a head is an ordinary hunting, showing that they are also sometimes used in war. Contributed by Bvt. Lt. Col. H.S. Schell, Asst. Surg. USA.”
“A crudely fashioned strap, two inches wide made of Army cloth and fastened with two buckles, which was successfully used by a malingerer to induce atrophy of the right leg. Private Ira A. Davidson. E. 13 Connecticut at Knight U.S.A. General Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut.”
“A carved soapstone pipe from the West Coast of America. Presented by Mr. J.B. McGuire.”
$25.95 / $30.95 Can | Non-Fiction Hardcover | 6x9 | 272 pages
September 2009
ISBN: 978-1-932961-86-7http://unbridledbooks.com/our_books/book/cranioklepty/
This is an entertaining book about the posthumous history of the skulls of a few select famous people, as well as those individuals involved in keeping the skulls and parts thereof above ground. The skulls of Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig Beethoven, Emmanuel Swedenborg and Sir Thomas Brown are each discussed in detail. Dickey does an excellent job retelling the stories of each skull and his historical details contextualize the stories quite nicely.
Dickey claims that phrenology, the 19th century pseudoscientific belief that personality and mental ability could be determined via skull morphology, was the main reason for acquiring these skulls. While he does a good job summarizing the history of phrenology, he places an unnecessary emphasis on using it as the rationale for the collecting of famous skulls rather than the more likely rationales of some form of fetishism or for keeping a personal souvenir of a revered person (think along the lines of the purported remains of saints and religious figures).
While phrenology may have had a role in the creation of large collections of some early craniologists, it does not sufficiently explain the singular thefts of opportunistic grave robbers. Admittedly some of the thieves held the then-popular belief that the shape of the skull revealed the high character of its owner, but that is flimsy evidence that they carried out their secret deeds to further the science of phrenology. Non-academic collectors of human remains still exist, even today, though phrenology is thoroughly discredited.
The stories of the skulls are interesting on their own, but the justification of ‘the search for genius’ subtitle is lacking. Overall, I recommend the book for its historical interest, but as a practicing physical anthropologist, and as such, an admittedly biased critic, I was under whelmed by the contextualization of the stories within the framework of early studies of cranial variation. Such studies, broadly referred to as craniology, were common during the mid 19th century and were part of a search for anatomical basis for intelligence, but unfortunately do little to illuminate the histories of the skulls of these famous men.
-Brian Spatola
The publisher provided the book gratis to Bottled Monsters for the purpose of review.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE TO
RELOCATE TO SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
Museum to construct new facility on U.S. Army post known as Forest Glen Annex
December 23, 2009, Washington, D.C. – The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology will relocate to a new state-of-the-art facility in Silver Spring, Maryland, built by Costello Construction of Columbia, Maryland. The relocation is a result of the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission decision to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
“The Museum is ready for this exciting phase in our relocation,” said Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., Director of the Museum. “We’re encouraged by the warm welcome we’ve received as we engage the local and state community about the Museum’s move into Montgomery County, Maryland. And we’re especially pleased with the support we’re receiving from Ft. Detrick as we look forward to working with them on the Forest Glen Annex campus.”
Staff are actively working on prospective exhibit and interpretive plans while, at the same time, working to best integrate the Museum’s vast collections, all with an eye on maintaining and amplifying the Museum’s mission. As plans for exhibit development and public access become more certain, information will be posted to the Museum’s Web site.
The Museum’s new facility will include collections management space as well as public exhibitions and offices. A construction schedule has yet to be set but the building is scheduled to be fully functional as of September 15, 2011.
Today, a bit of history from the Forest Glen Annex is on display at the Museum. Restored to its original condition is a painting by Jack McMillen, depicting life at the hospital annex during World War II when the facility housed a major U.S. Army rehabilitation facility. The painting, entitled “Psychiatric Patients at Forest Glen,” is an incredible 7 feet by 10 feet and is hanging at the Museum near artifacts related to Major Walter Reed.
All questions and comments may be directed to Tim Clarke, Jr., NMHM Deputy Director for Communications, phone (202) 782-2672, email timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil.
About the National Museum of Health and Medicine:
###
This article is quite interesting in its own right, but also mentions “Perhaps the best-known pioneer of such whole-brain sectioning is Dr. Paul Ivan Yakovlev, who built a collection of slices from hundreds of brains now kept at a facility in Washington.” The facility is our medical museum and we’re busy digitizing slides and records from the collection.
Building a Search Engine of the Brain, Slice by Slice
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/health/22brain.html
December 22, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/12/AR2009121202705.html
DAVID T. ARMITAGE, 70 ; Medical officer served at Walter Reed
| Matt Schudel | Washington Post |
Sunday, December 13, 2009
National Museum of Health and Medicine, Classroom
Who:
Students grades 5-8 (space is limited; pre-registration required; click here to download the registration form.) Students under age 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
What:
Participate in hands-on activities to learn about the history of medieval medicine and diseases of the time. Activities will include making a plague mask, creating a mini medieval herb garden, and designing a pomander. The program will include a tour of OUTBREAK. Presented in conjunction with OUTBREAK: Plagues that Changed History, on display through January 22, 2010.
Cost:
FREE.
For more information:
On the Web or call (202)782-2673 or nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil
Tim Clarke, Jr. (Contractor, American Registry of Pathology)
Deputy Director (Communications), National Museum of Health and Medicine
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Building 54, Washington, D.C. 20307
Phone: (202) 782-2672 -- Mobile: (301) 814-4498 -- Fax: (202) 782-3573
Email: timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil
Website: www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum
NMHM on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MedicalMuseum
NMHM on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MedicalMuseum
Mailing Address: NMHM/AFIP, PO Box 59685, Washington, D.C., 20012-0685
NOTE: We may be experiencing technical difficulties with email; if you have not received a reply, call (202) 782-2672 to follow-up.
Winter Break Workshop: Scientific Illustration Using a Microscope
When:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Where:
National Museum of Health and Medicine, Classroom
Who:
Ages 15 and up (space is limited; pre-registration required; click here to download the registration form.)
What:
Want to try your hand at scientific illustration? The museum hosts a hands-on workshop on how to use microscopes to view germs and "animalcules" and to teach you how to draw what you see. We'll be drawing with pencils but if you have a favorite media bring it along. There will be a brief discussion of the history of illustration using microscopes, and a brief demonstration of how to use a scope. Presented in conjunction with OUTBREAK: Plagues that Changed History, on display through January 22, 2010.
Cost:
FREE.
For more information:
On the Web or call (202)782-2673 or nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil
Tim Clarke, Jr. (Contractor, American Registry of Pathology)
Deputy Director (Communications), National Museum of Health and Medicine
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Building 54, Washington, D.C. 20307
Phone: (202) 782-2672 -- Mobile: (301) 814-4498 -- Fax: (202) 782-3573
Email: timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil
Website: www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum
NMHM on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MedicalMuseum
NMHM on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MedicalMuseum
Mailing Address: NMHM/AFIP, PO Box 59685, Washington, D.C., 20012-0685
NOTE: We may be experiencing technical difficulties with email; if you have not received a reply, call (202) 782-2672 to follow-up.
Lecture at the NMHM: Investigating Emerging Diseases
When: Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
| What: Dr. Michael Turell, a research entomologist with the Virology Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute on Infectious Disease, will discuss the institute's role in investigating several outbreaks including Hantavirus, Ebola, and West Nile virus. |
Cost: FREE.
For more information: (202)782-2673 or nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil
The following lecture is presented by the National Museum of Health and Medicine
Date/Time: 09 Dec 09/1100am
Location: Dart Auditorium
Speaker(s): Franklin Damann
Curator
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Title: Human Decomposition Ecology
Details: The museum Curator discusses recent research exploring the regulation of human decomposition at the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility. One goal of this research is to assess the potential the microbial community to estimate time since death.
Department of Medical Education
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
6825 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20306-6000
Ph: (202) 782-2596
Navy Medicine in the Last Campaigns: Iwo Jima and Okinawa
The presenter is Jan Herman, M.A.
Historian of the Naval Medical Department
Special Assistant to the Navy Surgeon General
http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=7b8b1494-f99f-4726-8177-46b28a75bd7f
The brain of Henry Molaison, who could not form memories after his brain surgery, is being dissected – you can read about it in this article - Dissection Begins on Famous Brain, By BENEDICT CAREY, December 3, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/health/research/03brain.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=brain%20memory&st=cse and view it live here - http://thebrainobservatory.ucsd.edu/hm_live.php
We have a very large brain collection in our Neuroanatomical Division.
A nice article on the Museum is at http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/HarvardGazette12.03.091.pdf
The Art and Science of "OUTBREAK: Plagues that Changed History"
with the artist Bryn Barnard
When: Saturday, December 5, 2009, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Feel free to drop in; no reservations required.)
| What: Bryn Barnard, author and artist of "OUTBREAK," will host three exciting programs on Saturday, December 5, 2009, including an illustration workshop and a special session aimed at younger audiences. Free, open to the public, no reservations required. See the schedule below for more details. Questions? Call (202) 782-2673 or email nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil. Schedule: (Come for one program, or stay for the whole day!): 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.: Book Signing (limited quantity of books available for sale in the Museum gift shop) 1:00 p.m.: “OUTBREAK: Plagues That Changed History”—Join Bryn Barnard for a discussion about several diseases represented in his book, including the plague, cholera, tuberculosis, and toxoplasmosis. 2:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Book Signing and Coffee Break with the Artist 3:00 p.m.: Family Program: Children will enjoy this special presentation on illustrating science books, including a demonstration by the artist! Presentation will be followed by a book signing. |
Lecture at the NMHM: Investigating Emerging Diseases
When: Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
| What: Dr. Michael Turell, a research entomologist with the Virology Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute on Infectious Disease, will discuss the institute's role in investigating several outbreaks including Hantavirus, Ebola, and West Nile virus. |
Cost: FREE.
For more information: (202)782-2673 or nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil
We have the Alfred J. Suraci (1911-1993) Collection in the archives, which includes the papers and two photograph albums Dr. Suraci made of his World War 2 patients at Northington General Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Later Dr. Suraci was the chief of plastic surgery at Providence Hospital, Prince George's Doctor's Hospital, and Sibley Memorial Hospital. Here are scans of the cover of one of the albums and a title page.
