Letter of the Day, March 12 (3 of 3)

There are letters before this about the missing ambulance bag, but none afterwards so it will forever remain a mystery.

 

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1717

 

COPY

 

Consulate of the United States of America, Christiania [Denmark] March 12/97

 

His Excellency

G.B. Ferguson, Esq.

U.S. Minister, Stockholm

 

Dear Sir:

 

Referring to former letters in relation to the Ambulance matter shipped by me in April last year to Washington via New York, I have now received the following communication from the agent here of the ‘Thingvalla” S/S Line.

 

“The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has written to us thus: Replying to your favor of the 6^th inst. Relative to 2 packages of military ambulance matter ex S/S “Thingvalla” April 1896, shipped by the U.S. Consul at Christiana, I have to advise, that we have received advises from our Agent at Washington D.C. that this property was delivered to the U.S. Army medical Museum April 16^th 1896, and signed for by F. W. Stone. This shipment ws forwarded from New York to Washington [illegible] in bond.”

 

After this explanation I do not well understand, how it could be said in Washington as late as in December last year, that the goods had not yet been received. On the contrary, everything relating to this shipment had been done as promptly as possible.

 

Yours very truly

 

Gerhard Gade

Letter of the Day, March 12 (2 of 3)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1325

 

March 12, 1896

 

To the Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Washington, D.C.

 

General:

 

I have the honor to forward herewith for your signature a letter to the Honorable Secretary of War, requesting that the Spanish Minister of War be thanked for the donation of a Bolsa de Copania to the Army Medical Museum.

 

Very respectfully,

 

D.L. Huntington

 

Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,

In charge of Museum and Library Division.

 

Here’s the enclosed letter…

 

March 12, 1896.

 

To the Honorable,

The Secretary of War,

Washington, D.C.

 

Sir:

 

I have the honor to state that the following article of Sanitary Corps Equipment of the Spanish Army has been received at the U.S. Army Medical Museum:

 

1 Bolsa de Compania.

 

As the article was presented, on the part of the Spanish Government, by his Excellency, the Minister of War of Spain, to this Department free of charges and expenses, I would respectfully suggest that a letter of thanks be sent to his Excellency.

 

The Bolsa was received through Captain J. H. H. Peshine, 13^th Infantry, Military Atttache at Madrid (Despatch No. 163, Legation of the U.S., Office of the Military Attache, Madrid, January 13, 1896.)

 

Very respectfully,

 

Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Letter of the Day, March 12 (1 of 3)

Both our Museum and the Mutter still survive, although I don’t think most of these specimens that they sent us do.

 

College of Physicians of Philadelphia

13^th and Locust Streets

March 12^th 1868

 

George A. Otis, M.D.

Asst. Surgeon U.S. Army.

 

Dear Sir,

 

I have this day forwarded by Express to Washington two (2) boxes containing specimens for the Army Museum.

 

They are sent as exchanges. It being understood that you will send in exchange duplicates from the Army Museum collection.

 

The boxes contain

 

25 specimens of Urinary concretions, [human], analyzed.

8 specimens of Biliary concretions

7 specimens of concretions from stomachs of lower animals (horse and cow)

2 Ovarian Tumors [one a unicolular, one a mulitlocular cyst]

5 Casts of Club Feet [one of valgus [corrected to varus] one of valgus [corrected to varus] cured, one of Equinus, one of Equinus cured , one of Equinus [corrected to varus] in plaster.

 

The following cast of Bones

 

4 Femurs with absorption of head.

4 Femurs with fracture of neck.

1 Femur with Fracture of shaft.

1 Humerus with fracture of anatomical neck.

1 Ilium with a secondary acetabulum occasioned by an unreduced luxation.

 

The following Horse Bones.

 

1 Vertebrae having exostosis [in one box]

A portion of vertebrae with some ribs attached.

1 Pelvis

1 Portion of Pelvis

2 Scapula showing bony deposit in cartilage occasioned by age

97 Diseased bones of the extremities of the horse.

 

The urinary calculi have all been carefully analyzed and each specimen marked accordingly.

 

The unilocular cyst of R. Ovary was not adherent. The tumor was removed March 21 1866 by ovarectomy. The patient was 19 years old. Duration of disease 7 (seven) years. She first menstruated at 12 years of age, after which he had an attack of mumps which suddenly disappeared and was followed by the appearance of the ovarian tumor. The operation was performed by Dr. Washington L. Atlee and was successful.

 

The multilocular ovarian tumor was taken from a patient 20 years old, unmarried, Duration of disease was one (1) year. She was tapped April 16 1866 and a deep chocolate coloured fluid drawn off. The operation for extirpation was performed May 23 1866 by Dr. Washington L. Atlee. The tumors had strong adhesion and the operation was unsuccessful.

 

Very respectfully

Thomas Hewson Bache, M.D.

Curator [Mutter Museum]

 

Note on letters says: Acknowledged March 16

The Biliary Calculi & gastric collections was turned over to Dr. Woodward.

Photo of the day, March 12

From our Clark J. Hollister, DDS, Collection. He was an early dental hygiene advocate who established & directed the dental division of the PA Dept. of Health, 1920-1933.

Just think about this many kids being cavity-free in 1925, in pre-fluoride days. How'd they do it?

100 percent perfect condition of teeth. Sixth grade. 03/12/1925. Photos of Hollister and his office, 1908 - 1940's; Hollister Collection; OHA 193.

Not a Letter of the Day

We are in the throes of scanning our accession records, the documentation that accompanies specimens and other items that were, at least, at one time in the museum. Once scanned, they have to go through a review and I've drawn the short straw; it can be mightily boring. But every so often I find a record that I have to pause on. Here's one of them now:

Dr. W. Ashby Frankland,
916 Eighth Street N.W.

Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 1900

Office Hours:
8 to 10 a.m.
3 to 5 p.m.

Dr. D.S. Lamb,
U.S.A. Medical Museum

Dear Dr. Lamb:

The history of the fetus I left with you on Nov. 27th is as follows:

Mrs. A.F., married, age about 30, mother of five (5) children. Menstruation Aug. 29, lasted 3 days, flow intermittent.

About Oct. 15 having had no menstruation in Sept. and experiencing almost constant nausea patient tried to induce abortion by passing into the [uterus?] a straightened button hook and a hairpin, making many such attempts within the following four weeks. Three haemmorhages occured lasting about an hour and a half each; one about Oct. 18 and one on Nov. 13th and 14th respectively.

After tamponade of vagina and a hot douche a foetus was born on Nov. 18, apparently three months advanced.

An interesting feature of this case is that both Fallopian tubes were tied with silk on Aug. 1 during an operation for appendicitis, menstruation being then in progress.

The ligation of the tubes was done with the purpose of preventing further pregnancies.

Very truly yours,
W. Ashby Frankland

Letter of the Day: March 11

Some now-amusing counterpoints in a donation. The bold notes indicate the disposition of the specimen – Dr. W is presumably Dr. Woodward, who was in charge of the medical (ie disease) section.

 

Post Hospital

Fort Duncan, Texas

March 11^th, 1875

 

To the

Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Washington D.C.

 

Sir

 

I have the honor to inform you that I have this day turned over for transportation to the A.A.Q.M. of this Post the following specimens.

 

6534 Surg Sec. The hand and wrist joint of Clayton Mathews. Amputation previously reported.

 

Dr. W. The heart of ______ Trenchard, citizen, who died under my observation of double pneumonia.

 

Dr. W. A kidney from bullock (furnished for beef,) with kidney concretions.

 

I am Sir

Very Respectfully

Your Obdt Servant

C.C. Gray

Surgeon U.S. Army

Post Surgeon

 

Photo of the day, March 11

World War 2. 116th Medical Battalion. Philippine Islands. Clearing Station (Beach). Patient receiving treatment. 03/11/1945. (Higher resolution available on Flickr.)

Representing contemporary medicine in museums -- Copenhagen 16-18 September 2010

Here's a conference announcement from our colleague Thomas Soderqvist (whose blog was the inspiration for this one).

How do museums today handle the material and visual heritage of contemporary medical and health science and technology? How do curators wield the increasing amount and kinds of more or less intangible and invisible scientific, medical and digital objects? Which intellectual, conceptual, and practical questions does this challenge give rise to?

We're aiming for two intensive days with visually enhanced presentations, good discussions and excellent food in beautiful surroundings.

 Read the full call here:

http://tinyurl.com/ylx5atx or here:
http://www.corporeality.net/museion/2009/12/09/contemporary-medical-science-and-technology-as-a-challenge-for-museums-copenhagen-16-19-september-2010

 

Further information here: http://www.mm.ku.dk/sker/eamhms.aspx.

 Send proposals for presentations, panels etc. to ths@sund.ku.dk, not later than Monday 29 March.

Program committee:
Ken Arnold, Wellcome Collection, London
Robert Bud, Science Museum, London
Judy Chelnick, National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Mieneke te Hennepe, Boerhaave Museum, Leiden
Thomas Soderqvist, Medical Museion, University of Copenhagen (chair).

Changes on the Museum floor

The Human Body, Human Being exhibit was closed last month to make space for the beginning of packing the collections to move. Due to the closing and moving of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in September 2011, the NMHM will be moving to a new building in Silver Spring, MD. The necessity to inventory, pack and move the collections in 2010-2011 means that we need additional space to take objects out of cabinets, check the catalogue record, photograph them and pack them for moving.

Some of the iconic items in the exhibit are being put in a new exhibit being prepared by the exhibits staff.

Letter of the Day: March 10

We’d like to again thank COL Barnes and Mr & Mrs Weaver.

 

MEDEM-MM 

Presentation of Instrument to Medical Museum

10 March 1959

AEM/caw/64770

 

Col F M Townsend, USAF (MC)  Deputy Director, AFIP

Capt W M Silliphant, MC, USN  The Director, AFIP

Col Joe M Blumberg, MC, USA  Deputy Director, AFIP

IN TURN (copy for each)

 

1.       Mr. B. Woodruff Weaver, a Washington lawyer, and his wife would like to present on behalf of their uncle, Colonel Theodore Barnes, USA (Ret), now living in Florida, a signed, 16-blade scarificator to the Museum.

 

2.       The circumstances which led to this presentation are:

 

a.       Mrs. Weaver first saw this instrument at the Antique Show at the Shoreham Hotel and telephoned to ask if the Museum would be interested in having it and, if so, she suggested that a representative of the Museum examine this instrument. If it would make a worthwhile addition to the Museum’s collection, and if the price seemed to be fair, to so inform her and she would take steps to purchase it.

b.      A member of the staff of the Museum examined the instrument. It was found to be a signed model and unlike any other in the Museum. The price of $35.00 seemed reasonable and Mrs. Weaver was so informed.

c.       As Mr. Weaver had been asked by his uncle to procure rare or unique items for museums, he took immediate steps to purchase this instrument for the Medical Museum.

 

3.       It would be very much appreciated if Captain Silliphant would formally accept the scarificator and Colonel Townsend and Colonel Blumberg could be present. As Mr. and Mrs. Weaver seem interested in donating rare and unusual items to Museums, formal acceptance of this scarificator might be the opening wedge for them and for other philanthropic persons to take a more active interest, in a material way, in the Medical Museum.

4.       Assuming Captain Silliphant would be willing to accept the scarificator, information is requested as to whether he would be available on any of the dates indicated in the following table or whether he would have a preference for any particular one. These dates are all satisfactory to the Weavers. The time would be either at 1030 or 1430 hours. [TABLE NOT RETYPED]

5.       It is also suggested that Colonel Townsend and Colonel Blumberg indicate their intention of presence.

6.       All of the scarificators in the Museum’s collection will be on display in the Curator’s office.

7.       No luncheon is planned, but tea and coffee will be served.

8.       A press release will be sent to LCdr Parker with the request that he and a photographer be present at the ceremony.

 

Albert E Minns Jr, Col, MSC

Curator

Letter of the day, March 9

Arthur Hill Hassall's work in public health led to reforms in water purity and to the Food Adulteration Act of 1860 in the UK and subsequent laws against the practice. Woodward may have gotten the title of his book wrong. It might be Food and Its Adulterations. Woodward, this letter's author, was a pioneer in photomicroscopy. Henry, its recipient, was head of the Smithsonian. The history of federal American food quality control begins a decade after this letter was written.


March 9, 1875

Professor J. Henry.

Respectfully returned. Beautiful plates of the microscopical appearances of various kinds of milk can be found in the Atlas of the "Cours de Microscop[i]e," of A. Donné, Paris, 1845, Plates XVII, XVIII, and XIX, and very good woodcuts, with an excellent account of the subject, in the article on "Milk and its adulterations," in Arthur Hill, Hasslin [Hassall] "Adulterations Detected," 2nd Edit, London, 1811, p. 205.

Very respectfully,
J.J. Woodward

Accession of the day, March 9

I'm pretty sure that 6 years part can't be true.

A.M.M. [Army Medical Museum] No. 10156
Pathological Section

Washington, D.C.
March 9, 1891

Robinson Dr. C.B.
Veterinary Surgeon



Foetal bones, said to have been discharged from the uterus of a mare, about 12 years old. Owned by Senator J.S. Barbour of Virginia.

It is stated that she had not been put to a horse for 6 years.

History received verbally
Specimen received Mar. 8, 1891

Letter of the Day: March 8

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 553

 

Memorandum:

 

March 8, 1895, Mr. S. B. Taylor, No. 1626, 7^th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. presents a specimen of oyster blenny (Chasmodes boscianus).

 

A.M.M. No. 10813 Pathological Section.

 

Some info on card 10813

 

Given that this is a species of fish that lives in mangrove roots in warm water, I have no idea why we gave it a pathological section number. It was undoubtedly for the Comparative Anatomy section.

 

Accession of the day, March 7

We have been scanning our accession records, which makes browsing them a whole lot easier. This letter is dated November 14 but I'm taking liberties with the date as it was received at the Museum on March 7. I don't know if we still have this item; if so, I'd love to see it.

Dispensary received Mar. 7, 1901

Extract from Letter of Ludwig Rosenthal, filed in the Library Branch, Mus. & Lib. Division.

Munchen,
Hildegard - Strasse 16
Nov. 14, 1900.

To the Library of the Surgeon General's Office,
Washington, D.C.

I beg to report if not sold meanwhile:

Little house-dispensary with contents, XVI-XVIIth century. The little shrine, worked in black ebony is inlaid and ornamented with ivory and marble. Lock, angles, rings, etc. in gilt iron with artfully worked heads and foliage. The opened (lead) lid shows 15 divisions, in which are kept little glasses with brass clasps and two engraved little silver boxes. One division is empty; the narrow sides form pushers opening little drawers and secret panels, wherein are remnants of pills and three colored tablets with the impressed inscription "Terra Sigillata" 1851 and the monograms K. B with a crown. In another secret panel a tin box with old salve. At the lower part of the shrine are two drawers, where the instruments may have been kept.

This little shrine is artistically and carefully worked and well kept. H. 16.4 cm, L 27 cm depth 16.5 cm.

Price M. 250.

Letter of the Day: March 7

Nobert was known for making microscopical lines (or rulings) on glass slides to a very high tolerance, so researchers used his slides to calibrate their microscopes. The machine was bought by the museum but was transferred to the Bureau of Standards, which is now the National Institute of Standards and Techology.

Bhootan
Whitehorse Road
Croydon, near London
Mar. 7 .99

To Dr. J. S. Billings
Washington

Dear Sir

You may recollect some years ago having some correspondence with my father (the late Dr. John Mayall jun.) regarding the acquisition of Noberts Ruling Machine, but that it was not then for sale.

After my father’s death I acquired the machine, but now owing to serious domestic troubles I am closing up my home, & am writing back if you would like to purchase the machine for your museum.

My father looked upon it as one of the wonders of the mechanical world which it undoubtedly is, & thought it should be in a museum where it could be seen & appreciated.

The machine has been preserved with the utmost care, all accessories, the diamonds for the rulings, Noberts original notes, together with a translation, are all intact.

The price of the machine is L200, & if you decide to purchase it, I will have it most carefully packed.

I enclose a set of photographs showing different views of the machine, accessories etc, also a copy of the Soc. Of Arts Journal containing the paper read by my father before that society.

I am Sir
Yrs faithfully
(Mrs.) L.C.E. Taylor

[the photographs were given the numbers CP 3770-3773]

Letter of the Day: March 6 (2 of 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1315

Washington, March 6, 1896

My dear Doctor:-

I hardly think it worth while to purchase a new Ruhmkoff coil for the purpose of making experiments with the Roentgen rays. Very active experimental work is going on in different parts of the country and it is not probably that any experiments that you would find time to make would add anything of importance to our knowledge of these rays and their practical application in medicine. I judge that neither yourself nor anyone else at the Museum competent to make such experiments has the time for original research work, and it is hardly worth while to experiment simply for the purpose of verifying that is done by others. Later, when the exact practical value of photography by these rays has been determined, we may want the necessary apparatus in order to assist in the diagnosis of cases occurring in the District, to which the new method may be applicable.

Have you seen the last number of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences containing a number of photographs and an account of experiments which have been made in Philadelphia?

Very truly yours,

Geo. M. Sternbertg

Lieut. Col. D. L. Huntington,
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army
Washington, D.C.

Letter of the day, March 6 (1 of 2)

You can see some examples of these medical illustrations on our Flickr site, as well as the Lyster bag, developed by the Colonel Lyster mentioned in the letter, in 1915. The Lyster bag was a means of purifying water with the treatment of calcium hypochlorite and was used for decades for field and camp water treatment.

Yale University
The School of Medicine
Affiliated with the New Haven Hospital
on the
Anthony N. Brady Memorial Foundation

Laboratory of
Pathology and Bacteriology

New Haven, Connecticut
March 6, 1919

Colonel Charles F. Craig,
Army Medical Museum
Washington, D.C.

My Dear Colonel Craig:

I am sending you, under separate cover, four illustrations of the lung in influenza, which were done by artists from the Army Medical Museum. The autopsy numbers of these cases is on the illustration, and there is attached an anatomical diagnosis of the case. I have, besides these four illustrations, eight colored drawings of more or less similar lesions of the respiratory tract in influenza. They are as follows:

Aut. No. 1. Trachea showing an accute hemorrhagic inflammation.
" " 2 &3. Pleural surface and cross section of lobular pneumonia in influenza.
" " 4 &5. Pleural surface and cross section of the lobar type of inflammation.
" " 6. Fibrinopurulent pleurisy
" " 7 &8. Cross sections of subacute and chronic necrotizing and organizing pneumonia.

There are besides these illustrations of influenzal pneumonia, one hundred and thirty-eight gross and microscopic drawings and photo micrographs of the lungs of animals that have died or were killed after exposure to one of the following poisonous gases; chlorine, phosgene, chloropicrin, mustard, cyanogen, chloride, bromide, arsene, organic arsenic compounds, and superpalite.

The monograph which includes these illustrations is in the hands of the Yale Press. A complete list of the illustrations has been furnished to Colonel Lyster of the Chemical Warfare Service, and I have no other list of them to submit at the present time. Of course, it can be made if you feel that is is absolutely necessary.

Very truly yours,
[Major M. Winternitz]

Letter of the Day: March 5

I wonder what cardiac dropsy is? Probably congestive heart failure, I'd guess.

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 542

 

Memorandum:

 

March 5, 1895, Lieut. Col. W.H. Forwood, Dep. Surgeon General, U.S.A., Attending Surgeon, U.S. Soldiers’ Home, Washington, D.C., contributes specimens from case of cardiac dropsy. John Crinian, Co. “E”, 4^th Infantry.

 

Need not ask for history.

 

A.M.M. No. 10822 Path. Sect., 3318 Prov. Path Sect. and 822 Prov. Anat. Sect.

Timothy O'Sullivan at American Art museum

O'Sullivan isn't really a medical photographer, but he was a Civil War photographer, and apparently he and William Bell knew each other so we have some of his stereographs here. We also have information on some of the other western expeditions. The exhibit should be good, and Toby's speaking on it as well.

 

Wednesday March 17, 2010

Gallery Talks with Toby Jurovics
6:00 PM

Meet in the G Street Lobby
American Art Museum

Curator Toby Jurovics expands on several of O'Sullivan's photographs taken for topographic surveys led by Clarence King and Lt. George M. Wheeler, describing how the photographer recorded the rugged emptiness of the western landscape with an unsentimental eye that continues to influence and inspire contemporary artists.

 

 

Thursday April 22, 2010

Gallery Talks with Toby Jurovics
6:00 PM

Meet in the G Street Lobby
American Art Museum

Curator Toby Jurovics expands on several of O'Sullivan's photographs taken for topographic surveys led by Clarence King and Lt. George M. Wheeler, describing how the photographer recorded the rugged emptiness of the western landscape with an unsentimental eye that continues to influence and inspire contemporary artists.

Letter of the day, March 4

We still have many wax models, showing just the kinds of things he's asking for in this letter.

GRC/mj

War Department
Office of the Surgeon General
Army Medical Museum and Library
Washington

March 4th, 1919

Circular Letter No. 121.

Subject: Reproduction of Interesting Lesions in Wax.

1. There is present at the Army Medical Museum an expert in the reproduction of various lesion of the skin in wax. A considerable number of models have been made during the war and it is desired to make this collection as excellent and as representative as possible.

2. The following types of cases can be well represented in wax: chronic or unhealed ulcers following various types of wounds; unhealed lesions resulting from gas burns; unusual scar formations; and unusual skin diseases. Such lesions can be most naturally reproduced by wax models and it is believed that many of the hospitals receiving cases from overseas have cases of this nature which should be reproduced for permanent record.

3. As it is impossible for the one worker in wax models to travel from place to place, it is requested that when such cases occur at any Army hospital they be reported to the Surgeon General’s office, attention the Laboratory Division, with a brief description of the case and probable permanence of the lesion at the time, accompanied by a rough unmounted photograph if possible to obtain the same.

4. It is intended to order especially interesting cases of this character to the Walter Reed Hospital for further treatment and for the production of the model which will be a permanent exhibit in the Army Medical Museum.

By direction of The Surgeon General:

C.R. Darnell,
Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S.A.
Executive Officer

Copy to:
Commanding Officers of all
Base Hospitals,
General Hospitals,
Embarkation Hospitals