Letter of the Day: August 15

Shelton, Hanley, Staff. [United Kingdom]

Aug. 15, 1875

My dear Sir,

A long time is elapsed since I wrote you last, above a year now, and it is still longer since I received your polite letter on the subject of the craniological collection of your museum.

I have wondered whether the Congress had authorized the publication of the second Catalogue of Crania, which you told me you had prepared. I think you told me that the only reason for the delay of this important publication arose from the indifference of the Chairman of the Committee to which this subject was referred. I trust this strange and culpable indifference has at last been overcome, and that your Catalogue is now printed, or at least on the press. Pray tell me it is.

I some time since decided to put my “Supplement” to the press, and the whole is now printed except the preface and title page. The printers, who have a great deal of very important work to do, have delayed the compile thus for a long time, but I think it will soon be ready for distribution. It will contain some short account of about 300 skeletons and skulls which have been added to my collection since my “Thesaurus” was issued. Perhaps the most noteworthy of the additions consists of a fine skeleton of a Tasmanian man. This is now an extinct race, at least there is only one woman living. This skeleton struck me as so important an acquitision that I was induced to write a short memoir upon it, which was printed in English in the Transactions of the Dutch Society of Sciences of Haarlem for 1874. I am sorry to say that I have not a copy to send you, but you will find my memoir, entitled “On the Osseology and Peculiarities of the Tasmanians, a race of man recently become extinct,” if you refer to any of the Libraries in Washington which exchange with the Haarlem Society.

(Examining?) the recent accessions to my Collection I am sorry to say that there are no skulls of the Tribes of North America.

I regret that death should have deprived the world of Profs. Agassiz and Jeffreys (sic Jeffries) Wyman, both most excellent men. The latter was a good craniologist and would have done much for our Science had he lived longer.

I remain, yours faithfully,
J. Barnard Davis

Geo A. Otis, Esq.

Letter of the Day: August 14

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 94

Specimens from Dr. R. B. Bontecou.

August 14, 1894

To the Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
Washington, D.C.

General:

Referring to the letter of Dr. R. B. Bontecou, of Troy, N.Y., dated August 8, 1894, herewith returned, I beg to report that the vials containing the so-called parasites have been received at the Museum, and the specimens have been subjected to careful examination. As I was unable myself to come to any conclusion concerning the nature of the specimens, I referred the matter to Dr. Stiles of the Department of Agriculture. I am to-day in receipt of a letter from Mr. Albert Hassall, of the Bureau of Animal Industry, who informs me that, with the help of Mr. Smith of the Division of Vegetable Pathology, he has determined that the so-called parasites consist of vegetable tissue, and that they are without doubt, seed of some kind. Transverse sections of the specimen show clearly a dicotyledonous arrangement, but owing to their altered condition it is impossible to say what seeds they really are.

Very respectfully,

Walter Reed
Major and Surgeon, U.S. Army.

Forest Glen featured by Washington Examiner

The Forest Glen was featured by the Washington Examiner yesterday, but surprisingly they didn't mention the big new tourist attraction moving in - our museum in 2011. The building is starting to rise on a former parking lot.

Letter of the Day: August 13

Fort Riley, Kansas.

August 13^th 1874

 

Ass’t Surg. Geo. A. Otis U.S.A.

 

Dear Sir,

 

On the 27^th day of June last, Major Compton 6^th U.S. Cavalry engaged in a fight with a band of the Kiowa Indians about forty miles south from Fort Dodge. Several Indians were killed in the engagement. I succeeded in procuring the skulls and a greater portion of the skeletons of two noted warriors slain. One, in particular, known in the tribe as “Cunning Jim”, a most notorious horse thief and desperado generally.

 

Do you receive such specimens into the museum? And if so, shall I ship by express? I made a special trip, sometime ago, to what was once called “Sheridan” then the terminus of the K.P.R.R. and not far from Ft. Wallace to obtain the remaining cervical vertebrae of the body from which I obtained the double Axis I forwarded you over a year ago but was unable to find the grave by reason of the head boards having been burned and carried away by hunters for fuel.

 

Do you also receive into the Museum such specimens as I enclose samples of  - I mean fossil remains of any or all kinds of animals?  No. 688 Sec. VI

 

Doctor I have another matter to broach which, perhaps, might better be done in another communication but I trust you will pardon me if it is too unofficious or asking too much trouble at your hands.

 

The Hospital Steward on duty at the Post, John McKenzie, is anxious to return East on duty, on account of his wife’s rapidly failing health since their arrival at this Post. Mrs. McKenzie is certainly and surely declining – the cause is obscure. I cannot think that it is a disease of nostalgia – although she is constantly entreating to return to their eastern home. From a robust woman, the patient has become so emaciated as to excite the comments of all. I suspicion incipient phthisis [ie tuberculosis] as there is a slight “hacking” cough, a result, however, I imagine, of some other more serious difficulty. The Steward has been in the service over thirteen years, and as the request is made at my hands, solely on account of his family, I have determined to present the case to you – feeling that your influence might procure him the consideration asked for. He is, moreover, an invaluable man in the Corps, and unless the change can be made for him he will be forced – although loathe to do so – to resign his position. If you will lend your influence towards consummating the change of station requested, I will consider it most decidedly, a personal favor as I esteem the Steward highly.

 

With Respect,

Yours Sincerely,

M.M. Shearer

A.A. Surg. U.S.A.

Museum open for business on Friday, Aug 13

Yesterday's power failure was apparently caused by the utility, so we've got lights today and will be open as usual at 10 AM. The Archives is closing at noon because I'll be speaking on the museum at the Society of American Archivist's Government Records section.

Museum branding project preliminary sketches

very enthusiastic about the opportunity to work on this project,  

please leave comments. arigato

Aug 12: Museum closed this afternoon

A bad early morning thunderstorm flooded parts of the building, including the entrance to the archives, but thanks to my co-workers, nothing was damaged as they moved books out of the way. No important collections were ever in danger. At lunchtime the power went out, and the building was closed for the day. Hopefully we'll be open again tomorrow.

Letter of the Day: August 12

REEVE 001551-1 Anatomy, comparative. Opossum skeleton, Australian, front view. [Bones.]

United States National Museum
Washington, D.C.
Aug 12/85.

Dear Sir.

I trust that you will kindly overlook the delay in calling for the balance of skeletons transferred from the Army Medical Museum to the U.S. National Museum. This delay arose from several causes, the principal being lack of accommodation – until recently at the U.S.N.M. Then too I have but one assistant to do all the osteological work and the arranging of specimens in the Museum. Trusting that I may have caused no serious inconvenience I remain

Very respectfully

Frederic A. Lucas.
Ass’t. Dep’t. Comparative Anatomy

W. Matthews M.D.
Asss’t Surgeon U.S.A.




REEVE 001561-1 Anatomy, comparative. Ornithorynchus, duck-bill mole, side view.
[Bones.]



REEVE 01558-1 Anatomy, comparative. Salamander from Japan, sirboldia maxima[?], side
view. [Bones.]

"Faber Hour" Weekly Drop-In Sketching Sessions

 “Faber Hour” Weekly Drop-In Sketching Sessions

 

When: Every Thursday in August and September, beginning Thursday, August 12, 2010 (tomorrow!)

Time: 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

 

Cost: Free!

 

Where:

The National Museum of Health and Medicine

6900 Georgia Ave., NW

Washington, D.C. 20307

 

What: Join the National Museum of Health and Medicine each week for “Faber Hour.” Hermann Faber was an Army Medical Museum illustrator during and after the Civil War and is widely known for his meticulous anatomical sketches. “Faber Hours” are drop-in sessions for persons interested in spending directed attention on anatomical, historical or art objects in the Museum. “Faber Hours” will be led by a Museum staffer with a background in medical illustration. Free, no reservations necessary. Bring a small sketchbook and pencils.

 

 

NMHM  is located in Building 54 on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Limited visitor parking is available in the driveway in front of the museum. Additional free parking is available throughout the campus on weekends. Adults are required to present photo ID to gain entry to Walter Reed.

 

For more information about this program, visit www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum or call 202-782-2673. For specific information about directions and parking, visit www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/about/directions.html.

 

NMHM on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MedicalMuseum

NMHM on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MedicalMuseum

 

 

 

A blast from the (recent) past: Windows 1996

It’s been a while since I last wrote. I have been working on creating a different layout for the Awesome (or was it Exciting?) Intern Project. The computer that we have running the web site program runs on Windows 1996. That took me back a few years. Fourteen I believe – pause and take a short trip down memory lane.

Back to the topic at hand: The Awesomely-Exciting Intern Project. The project is going well, it seems like every thing that I am currently doing is related more to the design of our site (and how to manipulate the program used to create it) than the information on it. But I like designing and fiddling with programs, so its fun. The most challenging part since Rebecca left has been figuring out the new program. I think the buttons gave me the most trouble. All I wanted to do was make a back and forward button to make the site cyclical, or at least add another “table of contents-like button menu” (which I eventually did figure out how to do). But before I figured it out, I had tried the “just-copy-and-paste-pages-in-attempts-to-make-links-to-everywhere-that-the-page-should-be-linked-to” method (this method does not work). I was tempted to give up on the program and just write a (very) basic HTML coding for the site, and no, I didn’t consider looking at the giant user’s manual Liz gave me. Where would the fun have been in that? My next challenge will be figuring out how to get rid of the blue background on some of images we are using with Photoshop.

I usually have an image. I can’t show you the site so far and Liz has moved her Wednesday Lunch Time Art to Thursday afternoons, but I do have the organic structure of Vitamin A that I drew. That doesn’t really count does it?

Letter of the Day: August 11

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 99

 

August 11, 1894

 

Dr. Wm. C. Woodward,

Health Officer, District of Columbia,

Washington, D.C.

 

Sir:

 

I beg to report that a careful bacteriological examination has been made in the Laboratory of this Museum of a sample of water received on Monday, August 6^th, from the well corner of Sixth and O Streets, N.W.

 

All plates made from this water contain numerous colonies of faecal bacteria. Two of the organisms have been carefully worked out, and one is identified as the Bacillus Coli Communis, -- the other as Lactia Aerogenes.

 

As the result of the bacteriological examination I am of the opinion that this water is of bad quality.

 

It is probable that a further report will be submitted concerning this water during the coming week.

 

Very respectfully,

 

Walter Reed

Major and Surgeon, U. S. Army,

Curator Army Medical Museum.

Letter of the Day: August 10

Fort Brady, Mich.

Augt. 10^th. 1875.

 

My dear Doctor,

 

Having returned from the cruise which I had determined upon making when I last addressed you - I hasten to give the result of my labors. I left on one of the Canadian Steamers on Thursday, the 1^st Inst., for Killarney, 150 miles from Ft. Brady on the north shore of Lake Huron. I there hired a Mackinac boat + two men + started for my hunting ground – an island called “Dead Island”, 45 miles East of Killarney, near the north of French River, in the extreme north east of Lake Huron. I reached Dead Island at 9 a.m. on the 3^rd, after an exciting sail of 18 hrs. from Killarney – the coast is rocky + dangerous, +, as there are no lighthouses, the nocturnal portion of our journey was somewhat hazardous. The rocks extend many miles into the Lake, some just under water, + it is difficult to keep clear of them, with a small open sailboat. We had many narrow escapes, + if any accident had occurred, help is so remote that one wd [ie would] surely starve on one of these barren rocks before being discovered. However my men proved themselves skillful sailors, + we suffered no serious mishap.

 

I then commenced my explorations. Dead Island is situated 8 miles east of the north of French River, + about 2 miles from the mainland. It consists of one huge granite rock, flat + irregular in shape, being perhaps 3/2 of a mile across it, covered here + there with spruce + some underbrush – tamarack +c: it is rather pretty but a very lonely spot being seldom visited even by the Indians, + far removed from any line of travel.

 

The place where the Indians are buried is on the north east side, of the island, on an elevated ridge of rock – their remains have been collected together, covered with birch-bark, + then small rocks heaped on the birch-bark. These small rocks I am sure had never been disturbed, for they were moss-grown + every thing indicated they had thus lain for ages – or rather years. I removed the stones with my own hands (my men were so superstitious that I cd [ie could] not induce them to assist me) + discovered any quantity of minute fragments of bones (human) – too small I am sorry to say to be of any value – there was not a perfect skull – time + the elements had almost made an end of them. I gathered two parietal bones – one frontal - + one half of the vault of a cranium, which is fractured near the parietal eminence + looks like a wound from a tomahawk. I also secured a few other bones, a knife, two old iron pots, + a small glass vial, marked “King’s Essence Peppermint” on the glass – apparently showing that event took place during the reign of an English King. This vial doubtless fell into Indian hands from some Hudson’s Bay Co. Post.

 

I was fearfully disappointed in not obtaining more bones, having heard accts. Which justified me in supposing that I might almost fill my boat. It was very interesting examining the place, but you can imagine my feelings after getting nothing at the end of such a long journey.

 

I had a tedious sail back to Killarney, head-winds +c. 90 miles in an open boat on these waters is quite enough for one trip.

 

I have many more places to examine thoroughly + trust that I will, before the close of the season, make a good bone-harvest even yet.

 

Will you please tell me if there are any birch-bark curiosities in the Museum. I wd [ie would] like to send a few specimens of our Indian work here, if there are none.

 

Yrs. Faithfully,

J.T.H. King

 

P.S. I will send which bones I now have immediately.

 

Dr. G. A. Otis

U.S. Army

Our Public Affairs Specialist's Dad works at National Archives

Melissa J. Brachfeld is the Museum's Public Affairs Specialist, and her father is in the business too, and featured in this article, as is my old friend Mitch Yockelson -


Guardians of the nation's attic
The National Archives keeps watch over 10 billion historical records. And its treasure hunting team keeps watch over collector shows and EBay for the scraps of valuable history that have been stolen.
By Faye Fiore, Los Angeles Times
August 8, 2010

WAMU's Metro Connection on museum exhibit

Wounded in Action: Art at Walter Reed
August 6, 2010

Two new art shows have opened at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C. and at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. It's all part of a traveling exhibit called 'Wounded In Action' put on by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Ginger Moored reports...

The Wounded in Action art exhibit is on display at Walter Reed and the University of Maryland in Baltimore through November 11th.

Letter of the Day: August 9 (2 of 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 88

 

August 9, 1864

 

WJ McGee,

Ethnologist-in-charge,

Smithsonian Institution,

Bureau of Ethnology,

Washington, D.C.

 

Dear Sir:

 

Your letter of August 8^th, addressed to Dr. Billings, now in Europe, has been referred to me for reply.

 

We will be pleased to receive the triple trephined skull referred to for deposit in the Army Medical Museum, and would state that the specimen will be at your service at any time for further examination.

 

Very respectfully,

Walter Reed

Major and Surgeon, U.S. Army,

Curator Army Medical Museum

 

 

Letter of the Day: August 8 ( 2 of 2)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 88

 

Smithsonian Institution

Bureau of Ethnology

Washington, D.C., August 8, 1894.

 

Dear Sir:

 

Your inquiry of the 14^th ultimo concerning the triple-trephined skull found near Cuzco by Dr Maneul A. Muniz and designated by him for presentation to the Army Medical Museum has been received. This skull, together with other specimens in the Muniz collection, remains in the Bureau pending the receipt from Dr Muniz of photographs of drawings of certain other trephined crania in Cuzco; when it is the purpose to prepare a detailed description of the entire collection for publication in one of our annual reports. Until advices are received from Dr. Muniz, it is inexpedient to fix a date for the final disposition of the collection; but should you feel anxious to have this specimen at an early date, I will undertake to put it in your hands by the end of the present month with no condition than that you will afford facilities for further examination in the Museum should occasion arise.

 

Yours with respect,

WJ McGee

Ethnologist-in-charge.

 

Dr. J.S. Billings,

Deputy Surgeon General,

U.S. Army.

Letter of the Day: August 9 (1 of 2)

 

Camp Letterman

Gen’l Hospital

Near Gettysburg, Pa.

Aug. 9^th/65

 

Dear Doctor,

 

I have numerous specimens for you – have put them in ale barrels with some whisky + chlorinated soda upon them + have buried barrels and all in the ground. What shall I do with them? We will have more every day for a month to come.

 

Truly yours

H.K. Neff

Surgeon 3^rd Div.

Gen’l. Hos.

 

To Surgeon Brinton

Washington

Letter of the Day: August 8 (1 of 2)

The life of a crack Civil War surgeon was less glamorous after the war.
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 94

Copy

82 Fourth St.
Troy, N.Y.,
August 8, 1894

Surgeon General, U.S. Army.

Sir:

Pardon the liberty taken in sending you by mail this day, a small package directed to Museum of Surgeon General’s Office, containing four small phials of a strange parasite, great numbers of which have been voided from the bowel of a young lady patient whom I was attending for injury to the spine. Bloody and slimy evacuations occurred, presumably from having much of berries. Oil and terebinthin was administered for some days; masses of transparent jelly was voided, and in a few days these bodies were voided with each evacuation, but more especially after taking turpentine and oil. The patient is about twenty years old, of small, slim stature, and light weight; there is no abdominal tumor, distention or pain, but a feeling of fullness and oppression in the left hypochondrium. The nervous system is much upset. Flushings alternated with cold clammy extremities and frequent paroxysms of voluntary respiration; for the past five days since some calomel and santonin was administered for a few nights no perfect specimens have been voided; but the jelly like substance with fragments of the spiders continue to be voided. When the objects were first voided before the administration of the santonin they were noticed to move, and the appendages which had for some time while in water a tremulous, vibrating movement.

If consistent please inform me what the animal is. I am unable to find in the books any description of them, and greatly oblige,

Your obedient servant,
R. B. Bontecou, M.D.

The original of the above letter was sent informally to Surgeon Walter Reed U.S.A. by Surgeon Charles Smart, U.S.A. by direction of the Surgeon General, with the request that an examination be made of the parasite.

J. F. Longhean

Letter of the Day: August 7

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1642

August 7, 1896

R. H. Cooper, Esq,
City Clerk,
Palatka, Florida

Dear Sir:

Your letter of August 5th inquiring in regard to an examination of the water used for drinking purposes, etc., at Palatka, is received.

We will endeavor to make the desired examination, and inform you of the result.

Please forward to the Army Medical Museum about a gallon of the water referred to. It had better be sent in a glass demijohn which has previously been thoroughly cleaned, rinsed with boiled water and then with alcohol, the latter being allowed to evaporate. The water should flow directly into the demijohn from the source of supply in order to avoid contamination from any substance whatever. The cork stopper should be charred in the flame. The sample should be sent at once by express in order that it may reach here as soon as possible.

Respectfully,
D.L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
In charge of Museum and Library Division

Letter of the Day: August 6

Fort Custer, M.T. [Montana Territory]

Aug. 6^th, 1880.

 

Major G. A. Otis,

Surgeon, U.S.A.

 

My dear Sir;

 

I have just received your “List of the Specimens in the Anatomical Section of the U.S. Army Medical Museum.” I notice on p. 118 that the Museum has only two crania of Crow Indians.

 

I think I can obtain a number of specimens of this tribe for you, and also one or two complete skeletons. 

 

If you will send me, from time to time, similar catalogues you may publish, I will gladly supply any deficiencies in my power.

 

Besides the skeletons of mammals and birds sent you recently from Fort Shaw, I have already a number of species new to the collection, that I have obtained in this locality, but as I am constantly adding to them I will not forward them at present.

 

I am, Sir,

Very truly yours,

James C. Merrill

Capt. + Ass’t. Surg. U.S.A.