While we haven't been linking to them as often, the Archives is still posting pictures on the Museum's Flickr site and we put up two images of Civil War soldiers yesterday. Stop in and check them out - 930,000* other viewers can't be wrong.
*but I can - it's 971,000 viewers as of today. 5 new pictures for this afternoon too.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 15 - census questions
Museum curator John Shaw Billings also did a lot of work on the US Census, directing the medical parts of it.
1811 Spruce Street
My dear Dr. Billings,
For my Address next May, as President of the Climatological Society I propose to give a discussion of phthisis in Pennsylvania, considered statistically and in reference to race, occupation and topography.
Will you kindly inform me, though I fear I should not trouble you with this question, what is the present status of the volume of vital statistics and the Statistical Atlas of the Census of 1880.
Have they been published or if not can you tell me when it will be likely that they will be published.
Yours truly,
William Pepper
6-15-85
Pages 128-135 of Table XIII Census Rep sent June 20.
1811 Spruce Street
My dear Dr. Billings,
For my Address next May, as President of the Climatological Society I propose to give a discussion of phthisis in Pennsylvania, considered statistically and in reference to race, occupation and topography.
Will you kindly inform me, though I fear I should not trouble you with this question, what is the present status of the volume of vital statistics and the Statistical Atlas of the Census of 1880.
Have they been published or if not can you tell me when it will be likely that they will be published.
Yours truly,
William Pepper
6-15-85
Pages 128-135 of Table XIII Census Rep sent June 20.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Museum staff on WNYC's Radiolab show
The brief visit to the medical museum is online now and can be listened to at the following link:
Famous Tumors
May 7 2010
To start, Robert tries to touch--literally touch--the tumor that killed President Ulysses S. Grant. But will its keepers (Dr. Adrianne Noe and Brian Spatola) let him?
Famous Tumors
May 7 2010
To start, Robert tries to touch--literally touch--the tumor that killed President Ulysses S. Grant. But will its keepers (Dr. Adrianne Noe and Brian Spatola) let him?
Letter of the Day: June 14
June 14, 1880
Sir:
I have to acknowledge your communication of the 12th inst., and to return to you the specimen of the foetal calf accompanying it, you were good enough to forward to the Army Medical Museum, but which is not regarded as a desirable acquisition for the section of comparative anatomy of the Museum.
I am Sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant
George A. Otis
Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator Army Med. Museum
Stabler, James R.
Department of Agriculture
Sir:
I have to acknowledge your communication of the 12th inst., and to return to you the specimen of the foetal calf accompanying it, you were good enough to forward to the Army Medical Museum, but which is not regarded as a desirable acquisition for the section of comparative anatomy of the Museum.
I am Sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant
George A. Otis
Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A.
Curator Army Med. Museum
Stabler, James R.
Department of Agriculture
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The NY Times as a history of medicine primer
A front page article on the current state of military medical evacuation -
As Afghan Fighting Expands, U.S. Medics Plunge In
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: June 12, 2010
Nearly nine years into the Afghan war, the pace for air crews that retrieve the wounded has become pitched.
an obituary dealing with 20th century neurology -
Fred Plum, Neurologist Who Helped Coin ‘Persistent Vegetative State,’ Dies at 86
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Published: June 11, 2010
Dr. Plum’s influential research improved the diagnosis and treatment of patients who lose consciousness from head injuries, strokes, metabolic disorders and drug overdoses.
The country's last tuberculosis sanitarium -
In Florida, a Lifeline to Patients With TB
By DAMIEN CAVE
Published: June 12, 2010
Sixty years after it opened for tuberculosis patients, A.G. Holley State Hospital in Florida is both a paragon of globalized public health and a health care anachronism.
And the difficulties of genomic medicine ten years later -
A Decade Later, Genetic Map Yields Few New Cures
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: June 12, 2010
The primary goal of the $3 billion Human Genome Project — to ferret out the genetic roots of common diseases and generate treatments — remains largely elusive.
As Afghan Fighting Expands, U.S. Medics Plunge In
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: June 12, 2010
Nearly nine years into the Afghan war, the pace for air crews that retrieve the wounded has become pitched.
an obituary dealing with 20th century neurology -
Fred Plum, Neurologist Who Helped Coin ‘Persistent Vegetative State,’ Dies at 86
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Published: June 11, 2010
Dr. Plum’s influential research improved the diagnosis and treatment of patients who lose consciousness from head injuries, strokes, metabolic disorders and drug overdoses.
The country's last tuberculosis sanitarium -
In Florida, a Lifeline to Patients With TB
By DAMIEN CAVE
Published: June 12, 2010
Sixty years after it opened for tuberculosis patients, A.G. Holley State Hospital in Florida is both a paragon of globalized public health and a health care anachronism.
And the difficulties of genomic medicine ten years later -
A Decade Later, Genetic Map Yields Few New Cures
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: June 12, 2010
The primary goal of the $3 billion Human Genome Project — to ferret out the genetic roots of common diseases and generate treatments — remains largely elusive.
Letter of the Day: June 13
June 13, 1881
Sir:-
I am instructed by the Surgeon General to acknowledge the safe reception on the 10th inst. of the section of skull in the case of a negro named Wood. It was forwarded by Surgeon G. Perin, U.S. Army Medical Director, Dept. of Dakota, and will be placed in the Surgical Section of the Army Med. Museum and numbered 7073. The specimen will be credited to you in the Museum Catalogue, and the Surgeon General requests me to thank you for this contribution to the collection.
Very respectfully,
Your obt. servt.
D. L. Huntington
Surgeon, U.S.A.
Mattocks, Dr. B.
St. Paul, Minn.
(Thru the Med. Director
Dept. of Dakota,
Fort Snelling, Minn.)
Sir:-
I am instructed by the Surgeon General to acknowledge the safe reception on the 10th inst. of the section of skull in the case of a negro named Wood. It was forwarded by Surgeon G. Perin, U.S. Army Medical Director, Dept. of Dakota, and will be placed in the Surgical Section of the Army Med. Museum and numbered 7073. The specimen will be credited to you in the Museum Catalogue, and the Surgeon General requests me to thank you for this contribution to the collection.
Very respectfully,
Your obt. servt.
D. L. Huntington
Surgeon, U.S.A.
Mattocks, Dr. B.
St. Paul, Minn.
(Thru the Med. Director
Dept. of Dakota,
Fort Snelling, Minn.)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 12
Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D.C., June 12, 1880
Chief of Army Medical Museum
Dear Sir:
The accompanying “mummified calf” was taken from the womb of a cow which had not calved for three years.
If it is of any value please accept it as a donation from Mr. E.R. Stabler, writer of inclosed (sic) letter. He can give you additional particulars & anything he says may be implicitly relied on.
If you do not care for the specimen, please inform me, and retain it until I can ascertain what further disposition he may desireo make of it.
Respectfully
Yours +c
James P. Stabler
Enclosure:
Brighton, MD
Montgomery Co
June 10th
James P. Stabler
Dear Cousin
I send you by Mr. Wilson a “Dried Calf” which is just as it was taken from the womb of a healthy cow. It is a curious specimen as it remained in the womb 2 years after maturity without decaying in the slightest degree. It has been at least a month since the cow was killed + except for the mould (sic) which you can see on the surface I believe it is just as sound as when it was first removed. I send it to you because I think it ought to be reserved from insects. I have not time to write more just now but will try to see you on Sunday.
Your Affec
Edward R. Stabler
Friday, June 11, 2010
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR NEW MUSEUM BUILDING
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR NEW MUSEUM BUILDING AT FORT DETRICK-FOREST GLEN IN SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
Maj. Hugh Darville (left to right), Deputy District Engineer, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Col. Judith D. Robinson, Commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Detrick; Dr. Florabel Garcia Mullick, Director, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; Dr. Adrianne Noe, Director, National Museum of Health and Medicine; and David Costello, President, Costello Construction; prepare to break ground May 21 on the museum's new facility to be built on the Fort Detrick’s Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Photo by Dave Rolls, Visual Information, US Army Garrison Fort Detrick
Washington, D.C. – June 8, 2010
A groundbreaking ceremony for the National Museum of Health and Medicine was held on May 21, 2010, on the site of its new building at Fort Detrick-Forest Glen in Silver Spring, Maryland. Construction is set to begin within weeks with completion due in summer 2011. NMHM is a Department of Defense museum and an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, located on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The brief ceremony was led by three speakers, including Dr. Florabel Mullick, Director, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; the Museum’s director Dr. Adrianne Noe; and Colonel Judith Robinson, Commander, US Army Garrison, Fort Detrick of Frederick, Maryland. Representing the project management team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District was Major Hugh Darville, Deputy District Engineer. David Costello, owner of Costello Construction Management of Columbia, Maryland, also participated in the program. In attendance were Museum staff and volunteers, commanders and directors of tenant agencies at the Forest Glen Annex, as well as personnel from the various organizations and agencies central to the building project.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the 148th anniversary of the founding of the Army Medical Museum, which was remarked upon by Dr. Noe:
"One hundred forty-eight years ago to this day the Army Medical Museum was founded—not merely to examine anatomical specimens and medical instruments for teaching, but to assemble and study objects to improve the care of the wounded and sick in novel ways. That persistent role sets us apart from every museum and research institution in the land. The only tri-service [Department of Defense] museum, our function as a military medical research asset transcends the familiar legacy role to embrace a collections-based agenda with a purpose that is uniquely valuable to the Department of Defense and the nation. But as old as we are, our orientation is squarely toward the future. We collaborate with complex research organizations and collect prospectively. We explore our collections with the tools of supercomputing. And we partner with educational organizations to help design the artificial organs and the imaging technologies of the future."
"The museum has had a long history . . . but it’s not just a museum," said COL Robinson of Fort Detrick. "It’s about groundbreaking research that takes the past and brings it into the future."
"We are creating a new home, and a beautiful one, for one of our most visionary museums," said Dr. Mullick of the AFIP.
The USACE Baltimore District awarded a design/build contract to Costello Construction of Columbia, Maryland in December 2009.
All questions and comments may be directed to Tim Clarke, Jr., NMHM Deputy Director for Communications, phone (202) 782-2672, e-mail timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil.
Maj. Hugh Darville (left to right), Deputy District Engineer, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Col. Judith D. Robinson, Commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Detrick; Dr. Florabel Garcia Mullick, Director, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; Dr. Adrianne Noe, Director, National Museum of Health and Medicine; and David Costello, President, Costello Construction; prepare to break ground May 21 on the museum's new facility to be built on the Fort Detrick’s Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Photo by Dave Rolls, Visual Information, US Army Garrison Fort Detrick
Washington, D.C. – June 8, 2010
A groundbreaking ceremony for the National Museum of Health and Medicine was held on May 21, 2010, on the site of its new building at Fort Detrick-Forest Glen in Silver Spring, Maryland. Construction is set to begin within weeks with completion due in summer 2011. NMHM is a Department of Defense museum and an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, located on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The brief ceremony was led by three speakers, including Dr. Florabel Mullick, Director, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; the Museum’s director Dr. Adrianne Noe; and Colonel Judith Robinson, Commander, US Army Garrison, Fort Detrick of Frederick, Maryland. Representing the project management team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District was Major Hugh Darville, Deputy District Engineer. David Costello, owner of Costello Construction Management of Columbia, Maryland, also participated in the program. In attendance were Museum staff and volunteers, commanders and directors of tenant agencies at the Forest Glen Annex, as well as personnel from the various organizations and agencies central to the building project.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the 148th anniversary of the founding of the Army Medical Museum, which was remarked upon by Dr. Noe:
"One hundred forty-eight years ago to this day the Army Medical Museum was founded—not merely to examine anatomical specimens and medical instruments for teaching, but to assemble and study objects to improve the care of the wounded and sick in novel ways. That persistent role sets us apart from every museum and research institution in the land. The only tri-service [Department of Defense] museum, our function as a military medical research asset transcends the familiar legacy role to embrace a collections-based agenda with a purpose that is uniquely valuable to the Department of Defense and the nation. But as old as we are, our orientation is squarely toward the future. We collaborate with complex research organizations and collect prospectively. We explore our collections with the tools of supercomputing. And we partner with educational organizations to help design the artificial organs and the imaging technologies of the future."
"The museum has had a long history . . . but it’s not just a museum," said COL Robinson of Fort Detrick. "It’s about groundbreaking research that takes the past and brings it into the future."
"We are creating a new home, and a beautiful one, for one of our most visionary museums," said Dr. Mullick of the AFIP.
The USACE Baltimore District awarded a design/build contract to Costello Construction of Columbia, Maryland in December 2009.
All questions and comments may be directed to Tim Clarke, Jr., NMHM Deputy Director for Communications, phone (202) 782-2672, e-mail timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil.
Letter of the Day: June 11
Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C., June 11 1878
Sir:
We have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of “a tattooed head of a Maori, or New Zealander,” transferred to this Institution, where it originally formed part of the collection of the Wilkes Expedition.
Very truly yours,
Spencer F. Baird
Sect. S.I.
Dr. George A. Otis,
Curator Army Med Museum
Washington, D.C., June 11 1878
Sir:
We have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of “a tattooed head of a Maori, or New Zealander,” transferred to this Institution, where it originally formed part of the collection of the Wilkes Expedition.
Very truly yours,
Spencer F. Baird
Sect. S.I.
Dr. George A. Otis,
Curator Army Med Museum
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 10
Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, June 10, 1870
Dear Sir;
We are in receipt of a letter from Prof Quatrefages, of Paris, announcing the transmission to us of casts of the celebrated Cro-magnon crania, that has excited so much interest in France during the last few months, and hope, ere long, to have the pleasure of adding these important archaeological specimens to the Museum under your charge. We are promised full series of similar objects and are allowed to hope even that, in time, we will be possessors of some originals. We find an excellent feeling towards the Institution on the part of the archaeologists of Paris and disposition to place us in the first rank in the distribution of collections.
The Professor asks whether we can send him crania from our American races, definitely named by tribes, and also those of the mound builders, and if you can spare any specimens of the kind I am sure it would be a gratification to Prof. Henry to have you supply them; a satisfactory return will, certainly, be made for whatever may be sent. We are just packing our boxes for Paris and if you will forward to us a few such objects for the Ethnological Cabinet of Paris it will give us pleasure to forward them at once.
We are at present, prosecuting an exploration of Mounds in Tennessee from which we have reasonable grounds for expecting a number of crania. We have given injunctions to those in charge of the exploration to spare no pains in securing specimens and in preventing their being injured by digging..
I am,
Very truly yours,
Spencer F Baird
Asst. Sect. in charge.
Dr. Geo: A. Otis,
Army Medical Museum
Washington
Washington, June 10, 1870
Dear Sir;
We are in receipt of a letter from Prof Quatrefages, of Paris, announcing the transmission to us of casts of the celebrated Cro-magnon crania, that has excited so much interest in France during the last few months, and hope, ere long, to have the pleasure of adding these important archaeological specimens to the Museum under your charge. We are promised full series of similar objects and are allowed to hope even that, in time, we will be possessors of some originals. We find an excellent feeling towards the Institution on the part of the archaeologists of Paris and disposition to place us in the first rank in the distribution of collections.
The Professor asks whether we can send him crania from our American races, definitely named by tribes, and also those of the mound builders, and if you can spare any specimens of the kind I am sure it would be a gratification to Prof. Henry to have you supply them; a satisfactory return will, certainly, be made for whatever may be sent. We are just packing our boxes for Paris and if you will forward to us a few such objects for the Ethnological Cabinet of Paris it will give us pleasure to forward them at once.
We are at present, prosecuting an exploration of Mounds in Tennessee from which we have reasonable grounds for expecting a number of crania. We have given injunctions to those in charge of the exploration to spare no pains in securing specimens and in preventing their being injured by digging..
I am,
Very truly yours,
Spencer F Baird
Asst. Sect. in charge.
Dr. Geo: A. Otis,
Army Medical Museum
Washington
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 9 - Whiskey?
Headqurs: 26th R.P.V.[26th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers]. 1st Brig: 2 Div 3 Corps
Camp near Falmouth June 9th 1863
Doctor:
Today I sent through Med: Purveyor Dr. McMillan a small box containing some of the pathological specimens refered (sic) to in your letter of the 6th inst:
I regret that the specimens are in such a bad condition and so few. The barrel containing the same was broken open and contents buried, my Asst. Dr. Dewling exhumed those I sent, further search is now instituted. The impression is that the barrel was mistaken for whiskey.
I prepared several interesting specimens during my leisure expecting to be the bearer of the same to Washington, as I received orders to report to the Department of the Cumberland in April last, but retained here by Genl: Sickles. I hope soon to present the balance in person.
I have the honor to be
Your obedient servant
S.J.W. Mintzer
Surgeon in Chief 1st Brig, 2 Div, 3 Corps
J.H. Brinton
Surgeon U.S.V. + Curator
Army Medical Museum
Camp near Falmouth June 9th 1863
Doctor:
Today I sent through Med: Purveyor Dr. McMillan a small box containing some of the pathological specimens refered (sic) to in your letter of the 6th inst:
I regret that the specimens are in such a bad condition and so few. The barrel containing the same was broken open and contents buried, my Asst. Dr. Dewling exhumed those I sent, further search is now instituted. The impression is that the barrel was mistaken for whiskey.
I prepared several interesting specimens during my leisure expecting to be the bearer of the same to Washington, as I received orders to report to the Department of the Cumberland in April last, but retained here by Genl: Sickles. I hope soon to present the balance in person.
I have the honor to be
Your obedient servant
S.J.W. Mintzer
Surgeon in Chief 1st Brig, 2 Div, 3 Corps
J.H. Brinton
Surgeon U.S.V. + Curator
Army Medical Museum
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 8 - Vivisection?
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1523
609 Third St.,
Washington, D.C.,
June 8, 1896.
Surgeon Walter Reed, U.S.A.,
Curator Army Medical Museum,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Sir:
In reply to your letter of June 5, 1896, enclosing an extract from the Report of the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia on the subject of vivisection, I would say that a very wonderfully distorted, inaccurate and false description has been given of work conducted at the Army Medical Museum some twenty years ago. Those who were practically engaged in the Microscopical Division should know better than any one else the character of the work that was performed, and that all animals experimented upon were under the influence of an anesthetic. One who was not in any manner connected with the Microscopical Division of the Museum, as was the case with Dr. L.E. Rauterberg, could draw upon his imagination very satisfactorily, and write a vivid description of what might have been done with animals, the remains of which he saw under alcohol in specimen jars. I, however, testify that at no time during my connection with the Army Medical Museum, from about 1870 to the end of the year 1895 have any experiments been performed upon animals in which an anesthetic was not used, unless some of the ordinary inoculation experiments, which are practically painless, nor were animals kept in a mutilated condition.
Very respectfully,
Dr. J.C. McConnell
Letter of the Day: June 7 (2 of 2) - the Navy's medical museum
[The US Navy had a short-lived medical museum too.]
Museum of Hygiene
Bureau of Medicine & Surgery
Cor. 18th & G Streets, N.W.
Washington June 7 1884
Surgeon,
D.L. Huntington,
Acting Surgeon General, U.S.A.
Washington, D.C.
Sir:
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of a colored drawing of a Cremation Furnace, designed by Surgeon Charles Smart, U.S.A., and by him presented to this Museum.
The contribution is very acceptable, and the courtesy of Surgeon Smart is gratefully recognized.
I am, very respectfully, +c.
J.M. Browne
Medical Director in Charge
Monday, June 7, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 7 (1 of 2) - Cuba! Yellow Fever! Sea Sickness!
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 4638
War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington,
June 7, 1900
Lt. Col. Francis B. Jones,
Quartermaster’s Department, U.S.A.
Army Building, 39 Whitehall St.
New York, N.Y.
Sir:
Per Special Orders No. 122, Par. 33, A.G.O. May 24, 1900, Actg. Asst. Surgeon James Carroll and I are ordered to proceed from New York City to Havana, Cuba. I have this day been informed by Col. Bird, of your Department, that the transports Crook and Sedgwick will probably sail from New York for Havana about June 20th, and I, therefore, request that you will kindly reserve accommodations for Dr. Carroll and myself on one of these vessels. As both of us suffer very much from sea-sickness we would be glad to give state rooms amidships, if possible, and on the transport that is considered the steadiest sea-going boat.
Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon,
U.S. Army
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Letter of the day, June 6 (2/2)
Surgeon General's Office
Washington City, June 6th, 1868
Dear Doctor,
I have met with very few "Flatheads" in my excursions through Oregon, and those few seemed to be as intelligent as any other Indians.
I know nothing about their qualifications for membership in a "smelling committee", but hope for their own sake, that they may be deficient in this "special sense", as they live in an atmosphere of "stinks", to which the far famed "City of Cologne", cannot "hold a candle".
Yours very truly,
C.H. Crane
Dr. Geo. A. Otis
U.S. Army
P.S.
The Surgeon General knows no more about them than myself.
Washington City, June 6th, 1868
Dear Doctor,
I have met with very few "Flatheads" in my excursions through Oregon, and those few seemed to be as intelligent as any other Indians.
I know nothing about their qualifications for membership in a "smelling committee", but hope for their own sake, that they may be deficient in this "special sense", as they live in an atmosphere of "stinks", to which the far famed "City of Cologne", cannot "hold a candle".
Yours very truly,
C.H. Crane
Dr. Geo. A. Otis
U.S. Army
P.S.
The Surgeon General knows no more about them than myself.
Letter of the day, June 6
Controlling health care costs is not a new idea or concern, nor is the idea of universal health care. Also, I wonder if this is the beginning of the movement to have decisions about a patient's care made by hospital administrators?
John R. Mannix, the recipient of this letter, authored another article in the journal Hospitals (April 1944) where he states, "It has been confirmed and emphasized by every competent survey to date, including the Fortune poll, which showed that three-quarters (74.3 per cent) of all Americans believe the federal government should collect enough taxes after the way to provide for medical care for everyone who needs it."
From OHA 287, Registry of Noteworthy Research in Pathology
June 6, 1944
Mr. John R. Mannix,
Michigan Hospital Service,
Washington Blvd. Bldg.,
Detroit 26, Mich.
Dear Mr. Mannix:
Thank you for sending me the reprint of your article in the J.A.M.A. and also for having sent copies to Mrs. Bolton. I have read with considerable care your article on the Blue Cross. I particularly like the material under the heading Emergency is Here. I also favor the idea that such services should be interchangeable in the different parts of the country. I warmly approve your emphasis on the voluntary aspects of the proposal. There is one thought about your proposal which seems to me to deserve further consideration. You indicate that the provision of laboratory services and drugs, as well as the subscriber's stay in the hospital, should be left to the discretion and control of the physician. You know our experience here from your personal acquaintance with it. The selection of drugs should be made with care as to their exact purposes and relative costs. The exploitation of free laboratory services by the attending physician has been a real danger. The physician may also prolong the stay of a patient in the hospital for a variety of reasons not directly connected with medical care. Just how to control these possible disadvantages is a troublesome matter but that some sort of control should be exercised is certain. As you know, the vast majority of physicians are wholly considerate of their responsibilities to the organizations whith which they are connected but a few who allow other motives to influence their decisions may do harm. The greatest harm is not merely in their excessive requirements but rather in the influence brought to bear upon patients in their relations to other physicians. To delegate authority in this connection to administrative officers of the hospitals is not entirely without objection. There should, however, be some responsible group in the professional staff organization with authority to exercise control whenever necessary.
With best wishes, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Howard T. Karsner
John R. Mannix, the recipient of this letter, authored another article in the journal Hospitals (April 1944) where he states, "It has been confirmed and emphasized by every competent survey to date, including the Fortune poll, which showed that three-quarters (74.3 per cent) of all Americans believe the federal government should collect enough taxes after the way to provide for medical care for everyone who needs it."
From OHA 287, Registry of Noteworthy Research in Pathology
June 6, 1944
Mr. John R. Mannix,
Michigan Hospital Service,
Washington Blvd. Bldg.,
Detroit 26, Mich.
Dear Mr. Mannix:
Thank you for sending me the reprint of your article in the J.A.M.A. and also for having sent copies to Mrs. Bolton. I have read with considerable care your article on the Blue Cross. I particularly like the material under the heading Emergency is Here. I also favor the idea that such services should be interchangeable in the different parts of the country. I warmly approve your emphasis on the voluntary aspects of the proposal. There is one thought about your proposal which seems to me to deserve further consideration. You indicate that the provision of laboratory services and drugs, as well as the subscriber's stay in the hospital, should be left to the discretion and control of the physician. You know our experience here from your personal acquaintance with it. The selection of drugs should be made with care as to their exact purposes and relative costs. The exploitation of free laboratory services by the attending physician has been a real danger. The physician may also prolong the stay of a patient in the hospital for a variety of reasons not directly connected with medical care. Just how to control these possible disadvantages is a troublesome matter but that some sort of control should be exercised is certain. As you know, the vast majority of physicians are wholly considerate of their responsibilities to the organizations whith which they are connected but a few who allow other motives to influence their decisions may do harm. The greatest harm is not merely in their excessive requirements but rather in the influence brought to bear upon patients in their relations to other physicians. To delegate authority in this connection to administrative officers of the hospitals is not entirely without objection. There should, however, be some responsible group in the professional staff organization with authority to exercise control whenever necessary.
With best wishes, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Howard T. Karsner
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Letter of the day, June 5 (2 of 2)
Department of State
Washington, 5 June 1877.
To Dr. George A. Otis,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A.
Dear Sir:
Many thanks for your attentive note of this date, with respect of the "Salmo Fontinalis", sent to you by my excellent brother. Having been much of an angler, and lover of the gentle art, it would certainly afford me great pleasure to take a look at him but, I must beg you not to to defer the opening of the box, as you have very kindly proposed, for my coming, as it will be impracticable for me to leave here this morning. With many thanks, repeated, for your attentions.
I am, very respectfully yours,
Your obedient servant[?],
A.H. Clements
Washington, 5 June 1877.
To Dr. George A. Otis,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S.A.
Dear Sir:
Many thanks for your attentive note of this date, with respect of the "Salmo Fontinalis", sent to you by my excellent brother. Having been much of an angler, and lover of the gentle art, it would certainly afford me great pleasure to take a look at him but, I must beg you not to to defer the opening of the box, as you have very kindly proposed, for my coming, as it will be impracticable for me to leave here this morning. With many thanks, repeated, for your attentions.
I am, very respectfully yours,
Your obedient servant[?],
A.H. Clements
Letter of the Day: June 5 (1 of 2)
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1515
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
June 5, 1896.
Major Walter Reed,
Surgeon U.S. Army,
Washington D.C.
My dear Doctor:-
Your kind favor is very much appreciated and I am glad I awaited the result of your examination before I entered into a controversy with the officials as to the presence of Anthrax.
The dried specimen of blood was sent me and I had no chance to take precaution against accidental contamination and it remained for me to determine whether among other organisms the anthrax was there. I am curious to know what the rod shaped organism was, which was spore bearing and which not only liquefied gelatin, but showed the feathery growth in slab culture and which was non-motile.
A stained specimen showed segmental chains not unlike anthrax.
I shall abide your decision of course and keep quiet as to positive diagnosis.
I am,
Very respectfully,
J. Hamilton Stone,
1st Lieutenant and Asst. Surgeon U.S. Army
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
June 5, 1896.
Major Walter Reed,
Surgeon U.S. Army,
Washington D.C.
My dear Doctor:-
Your kind favor is very much appreciated and I am glad I awaited the result of your examination before I entered into a controversy with the officials as to the presence of Anthrax.
The dried specimen of blood was sent me and I had no chance to take precaution against accidental contamination and it remained for me to determine whether among other organisms the anthrax was there. I am curious to know what the rod shaped organism was, which was spore bearing and which not only liquefied gelatin, but showed the feathery growth in slab culture and which was non-motile.
A stained specimen showed segmental chains not unlike anthrax.
I shall abide your decision of course and keep quiet as to positive diagnosis.
I am,
Very respectfully,
J. Hamilton Stone,
1st Lieutenant and Asst. Surgeon U.S. Army
Friday, June 4, 2010
Letter of the Day: June 4 (3 of 3)
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 702
Boeckmann’s Sterilizer, etc.
June 4, 1895
To the Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
Washington, D.C.
General:
Referring to your letter of June 3, 1895, I beg to state that the Boeckmann’s Steam Sterilizer and metal box for sterilizing catgut was received by me on June 8, 1894. I would further state that, as far as the records of this office show or as my recollection bears me out, no report was requested concerning the merits of this sterilizer. Since the date of its receipt, however, it has been in constant use in the Laboratory of the Army Medical School, and has given complete satisfaction. The inventor’s effort to supply an inexpensive sterilizer for saturated steaming, low over-steam, appears to have been perfectly realized in this apparatus. I first saw it in St. Paul, in the spring of 1893, and was at that time favorably impressed with its superiority as a steam sterilizer. I have not tried the sterilization of catgut since its receipt at the Laboratory, but will do so at once if this is desired.
I very much regret that I should have been under the impression that no report was required concerning the merits of this apparatus.
Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator.
Boeckmann’s Sterilizer, etc.
June 4, 1895
To the Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
Washington, D.C.
General:
Referring to your letter of June 3, 1895, I beg to state that the Boeckmann’s Steam Sterilizer and metal box for sterilizing catgut was received by me on June 8, 1894. I would further state that, as far as the records of this office show or as my recollection bears me out, no report was requested concerning the merits of this sterilizer. Since the date of its receipt, however, it has been in constant use in the Laboratory of the Army Medical School, and has given complete satisfaction. The inventor’s effort to supply an inexpensive sterilizer for saturated steaming, low over-steam, appears to have been perfectly realized in this apparatus. I first saw it in St. Paul, in the spring of 1893, and was at that time favorably impressed with its superiority as a steam sterilizer. I have not tried the sterilization of catgut since its receipt at the Laboratory, but will do so at once if this is desired.
I very much regret that I should have been under the impression that no report was required concerning the merits of this apparatus.
Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator.
Letter of the Day: June 4 (2 of 3)
Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., June 4, 1887
Dr. Billings,
Dear Sir:
The bearer, Mr. J. Z. Rogers, who I have known for some time as the keeper of an eating house near the Government Printing Office, desires the privilege of serving lunch in the Medical Museum.
He has had years of experience in the Lunch business, and I have no doubt he would give satisfaction should you grant him the privilege he desires.
Very respectfully,
E.W. Oyster,
Foreman, Specification Room, G.P.O.
Washington, D.C., June 4, 1887
Dr. Billings,
Dear Sir:
The bearer, Mr. J. Z. Rogers, who I have known for some time as the keeper of an eating house near the Government Printing Office, desires the privilege of serving lunch in the Medical Museum.
He has had years of experience in the Lunch business, and I have no doubt he would give satisfaction should you grant him the privilege he desires.
Very respectfully,
E.W. Oyster,
Foreman, Specification Room, G.P.O.
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