Due to BRAC, the Museum will be moving in 2011 along with all of the rest of Walter Reed medical center. The exhibit floor will close this spring. Researcher access to collections will end this spring, as we begin packing the collections for the move which will take place over the summer. There will be no access for research at least through September 2011 and possibly longer. A new Museum building is being constructed at the former Walter Reed annex in Forest Glen, MD.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Reminder about Museum closing and moving
Letter of the Day: February 25
War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
February 25, 1902
Dr. Wm. C. Mitchell
608 California Building
Denver, Col.
My Dear Doctor:
Replying to your letter of the 22nd inst. I regret to say that I have no culture of Xerosis bacillus (Neisser), nor do I know just where you can obtain a culture, but I would suggest that you address a letter to Dr. A.C. Abbott, University of Pennsylvania, either of whom would be more apt to have a culture of this organism than anyone else in the country, I think. Regretting that my letter should be so unsatisfactory,
Sincerely yours,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon, U.S. Army
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
February 25, 1902
Dr. Wm. C. Mitchell
608 California Building
Denver, Col.
My Dear Doctor:
Replying to your letter of the 22nd inst. I regret to say that I have no culture of Xerosis bacillus (Neisser), nor do I know just where you can obtain a culture, but I would suggest that you address a letter to Dr. A.C. Abbott, University of Pennsylvania, either of whom would be more apt to have a culture of this organism than anyone else in the country, I think. Regretting that my letter should be so unsatisfactory,
Sincerely yours,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon, U.S. Army
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Letter of the Day: February 24
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02047
February 24, 1897
Captain W. C. Gorgas,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Fort Barrancas, Florida.
Dear Doctor:
The very small fragment of warty growth from beneath the tongue of Commissary Sergeant Kieffer, has been received and examined microscopically. While a larger piece of the tumor would have enabled us to arrive at a more positive conclusion, I feel quite safe in saying that the microscopical structure of the aforesaid small fragment is that of a mixed cell sarcoma having a dense fibrous capsule.
A slide containing two or three small sections is sent to you by this mail.
Very sincerely,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator
February 24, 1897
Captain W. C. Gorgas,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Fort Barrancas, Florida.
Dear Doctor:
The very small fragment of warty growth from beneath the tongue of Commissary Sergeant Kieffer, has been received and examined microscopically. While a larger piece of the tumor would have enabled us to arrive at a more positive conclusion, I feel quite safe in saying that the microscopical structure of the aforesaid small fragment is that of a mixed cell sarcoma having a dense fibrous capsule.
A slide containing two or three small sections is sent to you by this mail.
Very sincerely,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rediscovered photographs
Today I've been stabilizing and doing some research in the Crynes Collection (OHA 143.02). This collection documents the life, and particularly the military career, of Major Sylvester F. Crynes MC, a pathologist with the 217th General Hospital during WWII.
Before donating his papers, Major Crynes' family digitized 400 35mm slide from his time in northern France during WWII. They are uniquely beautiful and I wish I could post them all, but I'll settle for a just a handful.
Before donating his papers, Major Crynes' family digitized 400 35mm slide from his time in northern France during WWII. They are uniquely beautiful and I wish I could post them all, but I'll settle for a just a handful.
Letter of the Day: February 23
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 08162
War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington
February 23, 1905
To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army
Sir:
Referred to your endorsement of the 14th inst. I have the honor to inform you that my letter of the 9th inst. recommending the discharge of Patrick M. Kelly, Clerk, Class I, in this office, was based upon the following facts:
1st. Mr. Kelly came to this office on the morning of November 19, 1904 in an intoxicated condition, was totally incapacitated for work, and I sent him home. He remained absent until December 10, 1904, and upon his return was forgiven on his promise that the same condition would not occur again.
2nd. On the morning of February 6, 1905, Mr. Kelly reported for duty in a state of intoxication. He was again sent home and has been absent ever since that time.
Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division
Witnesses:
Col. C.L. Heizmann, Asst. Surg. Genl. U.S.A.
M.W. Bayliss, Clerk, Class IV, S.G.O.
Convis Parker, Asst. Mess., &Supt. Building
War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army Medical Museum and Library,
Washington
February 23, 1905
To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army
Sir:
Referred to your endorsement of the 14th inst. I have the honor to inform you that my letter of the 9th inst. recommending the discharge of Patrick M. Kelly, Clerk, Class I, in this office, was based upon the following facts:
1st. Mr. Kelly came to this office on the morning of November 19, 1904 in an intoxicated condition, was totally incapacitated for work, and I sent him home. He remained absent until December 10, 1904, and upon his return was forgiven on his promise that the same condition would not occur again.
2nd. On the morning of February 6, 1905, Mr. Kelly reported for duty in a state of intoxication. He was again sent home and has been absent ever since that time.
Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division
Witnesses:
Col. C.L. Heizmann, Asst. Surg. Genl. U.S.A.
M.W. Bayliss, Clerk, Class IV, S.G.O.
Convis Parker, Asst. Mess., &Supt. Building
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Letter of the Day: February 22
Fort Columbus, N.Y.
Feb. 22, 1895
Hoff, John Van R.
Maj. and Surgeon, U.S.A
Post Surgeon
Reports that 1st Lieut. Fremont P. Peck, Ordnance Dep't., U.S.A. was fatally injured at the Ordnance Proving Grounds, Sandy Hook, N.J., Feb 19, 1895, by the explosion of a 4 7/10 inch Hotchkiss Rapid fire gun which he was then testing, furnished an account of accident, and autopsy and states that he forwarded, by mail, to the Army Medical Museum the pieces of metal removed from Lieut. Peck's body.
Feb. 22, 1895
Hoff, John Van R.
Maj. and Surgeon, U.S.A
Post Surgeon
Reports that 1st Lieut. Fremont P. Peck, Ordnance Dep't., U.S.A. was fatally injured at the Ordnance Proving Grounds, Sandy Hook, N.J., Feb 19, 1895, by the explosion of a 4 7/10 inch Hotchkiss Rapid fire gun which he was then testing, furnished an account of accident, and autopsy and states that he forwarded, by mail, to the Army Medical Museum the pieces of metal removed from Lieut. Peck's body.
Monday, February 21, 2011
New book on craniology collectors is out
The Skull Collectors: Race, Science, and America's Unburied Dead
By Ann Fabian
University Of Chicago Press (October 15, 2010)
Judging from Amazon's Look-Inside feature,while the Army Medical Museum is discussed regularly, the author did not actually use the Museum's archives, instead working from the Surgeon General's Office records in the National Archives, and correspondence transferred to the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archives.
Available in the Museum's archives are Curatorial Records which cover the subject especially
OHA 13
* Curatorial Records: Incoming Correspondence (Loose), 1862-1894
* 2.5 cubic feet, 5 boxes.
* Finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Correspondence, arranged alphabetically, from the first two decades of the Museum's existence. The series ends when the Museum began a correspondence numbering system (see Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence). Includes letters sent to curators John Brinton, George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, John S. Billings, and Walter Reed. Most of the incoming correspondence from this period is currently missing.
OHA 15
* Curatorial Records: Letterbooks of the Curators, 1863-1910
* 8 cubic feet, 17 boxes.
* Finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Bound volumes of outgoing correspondence by curators John Brinton, George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, John S. Billings, Walter Reed, James Carroll, and F.F. Russell. See Curatorial Records: Outgoing Correspondence (Loose) for other outgoing correspondence that was not recorded in these books.
OHA 25
* Curatorial Records: Smithsonian Correspondence, 1867-1887
* .5 cubic foot, 1 box.
* Finding aid available, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Incoming correspondence, mostly from Smithsonian Secretaries Joseph Henry and Spencer Baird, relating primarily to the exchange of specimens between the Museum and the Smithsonian. George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, and John S. Billings were curators of the Museum during this time. See Museum Records: Accession Records and Curatorial Records: Letterbooks of the Curators for related correspondence.
OHA 26
* Curatorial Records: Special Correspondence, 1862-1887
* .75 cubic foot, 2 boxes.
* No finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Box 1: Correspondence relating to photography and photographic services at the Museum between 1862 and 1885. Includes correspondence of curators George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, and John S. Billings and Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes. Box 2: Correspondence relating to the craniology collection and craniometric/anthropometric measurement at the Museum between 1862 and 1887, mostly sent to curators Otis and Billings.
By Ann Fabian
University Of Chicago Press (October 15, 2010)
Judging from Amazon's Look-Inside feature,while the Army Medical Museum is discussed regularly, the author did not actually use the Museum's archives, instead working from the Surgeon General's Office records in the National Archives, and correspondence transferred to the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archives.
Available in the Museum's archives are Curatorial Records which cover the subject especially
OHA 13
* Curatorial Records: Incoming Correspondence (Loose), 1862-1894
* 2.5 cubic feet, 5 boxes.
* Finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Correspondence, arranged alphabetically, from the first two decades of the Museum's existence. The series ends when the Museum began a correspondence numbering system (see Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence). Includes letters sent to curators John Brinton, George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, John S. Billings, and Walter Reed. Most of the incoming correspondence from this period is currently missing.
OHA 15
* Curatorial Records: Letterbooks of the Curators, 1863-1910
* 8 cubic feet, 17 boxes.
* Finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Bound volumes of outgoing correspondence by curators John Brinton, George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, John S. Billings, Walter Reed, James Carroll, and F.F. Russell. See Curatorial Records: Outgoing Correspondence (Loose) for other outgoing correspondence that was not recorded in these books.
OHA 25
* Curatorial Records: Smithsonian Correspondence, 1867-1887
* .5 cubic foot, 1 box.
* Finding aid available, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Incoming correspondence, mostly from Smithsonian Secretaries Joseph Henry and Spencer Baird, relating primarily to the exchange of specimens between the Museum and the Smithsonian. George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, and John S. Billings were curators of the Museum during this time. See Museum Records: Accession Records and Curatorial Records: Letterbooks of the Curators for related correspondence.
OHA 26
* Curatorial Records: Special Correspondence, 1862-1887
* .75 cubic foot, 2 boxes.
* No finding aid, arranged, inactive, unrestricted.
* Box 1: Correspondence relating to photography and photographic services at the Museum between 1862 and 1885. Includes correspondence of curators George A. Otis, D.L. Huntington, and John S. Billings and Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes. Box 2: Correspondence relating to the craniology collection and craniometric/anthropometric measurement at the Museum between 1862 and 1887, mostly sent to curators Otis and Billings.
Letter of the Day: February 21
Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 08159
War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army medical Museum and Library,
Washington
February 21, 1905
To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army
Sir:
I have the honor to invite attention to the recent occurrence of two leaks in the ceiling of room 7 on the 3d floor of this building. These result from some obstruction to the carrying off of melted snow from the roof of the attic. The evil should be remedied at once, if possible, in order to prevent the occurrence of serious damage to the building in the future.
Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division
War Department,
Office of the Surgeon General,
Army medical Museum and Library,
Washington
February 21, 1905
To the Surgeon General,
U.S. Army
Sir:
I have the honor to invite attention to the recent occurrence of two leaks in the ceiling of room 7 on the 3d floor of this building. These result from some obstruction to the carrying off of melted snow from the roof of the attic. The evil should be remedied at once, if possible, in order to prevent the occurrence of serious damage to the building in the future.
Very respectfully,
C.L. Heizmann
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum and Library Division
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Letter of the Day: February 20
U.S.A. General Hospital,
Davids’ Island, New York,
Feb 20th, 1863.
General,
I send by today’s mail the histories of all the interesting surgical cases that I have been able to collect since the establishment of this Hospital, the preparation of which I undertook at the request of Surg. Simons, U.S.A. The morbid specimens accompanying the cases are few in number, owing to the fact that the man, who formerly had charge of the dead house, stole the majority of then, when he was discharged from the Hospital. Means were taken to have the man arrested, but they proved unavailing. Prof. James R. Wood, however, has some of these specimens in his museum, and I have written to him regard to them, but have received no answer. The box containing the remainder of the preparations will be expressed to you on Monday inst.
I am, General, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
S.W. Gross,
Surgn U.S.V.
Brig Genl. W.A. Hammond,
Surgeon General, U.S. Army
92 1046
94 1047
279 1048
Davids’ Island, New York,
Feb 20th, 1863.
General,
I send by today’s mail the histories of all the interesting surgical cases that I have been able to collect since the establishment of this Hospital, the preparation of which I undertook at the request of Surg. Simons, U.S.A. The morbid specimens accompanying the cases are few in number, owing to the fact that the man, who formerly had charge of the dead house, stole the majority of then, when he was discharged from the Hospital. Means were taken to have the man arrested, but they proved unavailing. Prof. James R. Wood, however, has some of these specimens in his museum, and I have written to him regard to them, but have received no answer. The box containing the remainder of the preparations will be expressed to you on Monday inst.
I am, General, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
S.W. Gross,
Surgn U.S.V.
Brig Genl. W.A. Hammond,
Surgeon General, U.S. Army
92 1046
94 1047
279 1048
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Letter of the Day: February 19
Genl. Field Hospital, Bridgeport, Ala, February 19, 1864
Surgeon General U.S.A.
Washington, D.C.
Sir
I have the honor to report that I have sent today to the Army Medical Museum by Adams Express two (2) morbid specimens with histories.
Very respectfully
your obedient servant
H.T. Agler
Asst. Surgeon U.S.V.
Surgeon General U.S.A.
Washington, D.C.
Sir
I have the honor to report that I have sent today to the Army Medical Museum by Adams Express two (2) morbid specimens with histories.
Very respectfully
your obedient servant
H.T. Agler
Asst. Surgeon U.S.V.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Letter of the Day: February 18
Fort Bridger Wyo.
February 18. [18]84.
To
Major D.L. Huntington.
Washington, D.C.
Dear Sir:
I have this day mailed to you a microscopic specimen of some epidermas[sic] scales in a case I have diagnosed as chromophytosis.
This specimen was prepared after one application of chrysophanic acid and green soap according to Piffard in Wood's Library. I sought for the parasite withe[?] a 1/4 objective before any applications were made, but was unable to satisfy myself of its presence.
I regret that it did not occur to me to mount a slide before treatment was commenced. The slide is poorly mounted but represents the earliest specimen prepared.
To all appearances the disease which has existed since 1878 has entirely disappeared after five or six applications of the above treatment.
Will you have the kindness to forward me the results of your examination.
Very respectfully
Your obdt servt.
W.C. Shannon
Asst Surgeon, U.S.A
Post Surgeon
February 18. [18]84.
To
Major D.L. Huntington.
Washington, D.C.
Dear Sir:
I have this day mailed to you a microscopic specimen of some epidermas[sic] scales in a case I have diagnosed as chromophytosis.
This specimen was prepared after one application of chrysophanic acid and green soap according to Piffard in Wood's Library. I sought for the parasite withe[?] a 1/4 objective before any applications were made, but was unable to satisfy myself of its presence.
I regret that it did not occur to me to mount a slide before treatment was commenced. The slide is poorly mounted but represents the earliest specimen prepared.
To all appearances the disease which has existed since 1878 has entirely disappeared after five or six applications of the above treatment.
Will you have the kindness to forward me the results of your examination.
Very respectfully
Your obdt servt.
W.C. Shannon
Asst Surgeon, U.S.A
Post Surgeon
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Folger Shakespeare Library's medical exhibit tour tomorrow
I saw this a couple of nights ago and it's an excellent exhibit. This bit is clipped from their e-newsletter.
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Exhibit update. A single cell
(for those who haven't seen the exhibit, this is updated with new text written by the Human Developmental Anatomy Center staff, one of whom can be seen here).
NMHM joins History of Medicine Finding Aids Consortium
The History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce the latest release of its History of Medicine Finding Aids Consortium (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/consortium/index.html), a search-and-discovery tool for archival resources in the health sciences that are described by finding aids and held by various institutions throughout the United States. As with the initial release the new content crawled consists of finding aids delivered as EAD, PDF and HTML from a diverse institutional cohort. NLM is the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health.
The site now indexes over 1,600 finding aids from 12 institutions.
The new content contributors are:
- Drexel University College of Medicine Legacy Center, Archives and Special Collections
- Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Center for the History of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Boston Medical Library
- Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine
- University of Pennsylvania Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing
- Washington University, St. Louis School of Medicine
- Yale University Library, Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
These institutions join the original consortium members:
- NLM History of Medicine Division
- Columbia University Health Sciences Library
- Medical Archives, Johns-Hopkins University Medical Institutions
- University of California-San Francisco
- University of Virginia Health Sciences Library
- Virginia Commonwealth University
For more information about the project or requests to join the Consortium, please contact John P. Rees, Archivist and Digital Resources Manager, NLM, at reesj@nlm.nih.gov.
Exhibit update. A single cell
So this is actually 2 years in the making
it started as an concept to update the current exhibit
with some relevant current research on this old dusty
section of out of date cases cursed with this hospital blue
color
i wind up using that to inspire a color pallette
its really a section of curiosities we have at the museum.
skeletons, conjoined twins, cyclops baby and so
these specimens could and did serve as this section
of human dev anatomy
of human dev anatomy
called a single cell...
but
but
there was not much info, label text, which was fine, but no supporting
information, one of my colleagues, Emily Wilson, an anthropologist in the
human developmental anatomy section had a great research topic
that dealt with the limb development, and also co wrote other areas of the exhibit, these panels
contain her
contain her
research which I believe was presented at last years Mayo Clinics Symposium.
Congratulatons to her on a great job. Here Ms. Wilson (pictured below) is preparing
the specimens for redisplay in the exhibit.
hopefully
this redesign can elevate this exhibit to another level.
More to come...
the specimens for redisplay in the exhibit.
hopefully
this redesign can elevate this exhibit to another level.
More to come...
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