Dave Lounsbury one of the editors and authors wrote to me today saying:
I recv'd a letter today informing me that "War Surgery in Afghanistan & Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007" has won a national book award.
The American Medical Writers Association in Rockville, Maryland announces that "War Surgery": "is the winner of the distinguished 2009 AMWA Medical Book Award. AMWA's annual book awards "were established more than 30 years ago to recognize the very best in ... non-fictional medical writing." The textbook was "1 of 18 submitted ... and was evaluated by a panel of 4 judges."
The award will be formally presented in October in Dallas at the AMWA's 69th Annual Conference ... which may explain why notice of this award is not presently noted on its website www.amwa.org.
[For the record, the textbook was also nominated last spring for a Sidney Hillman Foundation Award, but in the end was not selected.]
The book has received uniformly favorable reviews from deployed medical officers (British & American) and in both lay (NYT, New York Review of Books, and The Economist) and peer-referenced (JAMA, NEJM, and Environmental & Wilderness Medicine, the journal of the Wilderness Medical Society) literature, as well as in the open media (BBC, NPR).
This is an excellent book, in the grand tradition of military medical publications, dating back to the Medical & Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. You can download the whole thing for free at the link above, or order the book from the Government Printing Office.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Flickr picture statistics
I spoke to someone who's writing a paper on Flickr use by archives the other day, so here's our most recent stats:
View counts
So far today Yesterday All time
Photos and Videos 295 689 1,049,485
Photostream 205 461 843,269
Sets 41 192 66,807
Total 541 1,342 1,959,561
View counts
So far today Yesterday All time
Photos and Videos 295 689 1,049,485
Photostream 205 461 843,269
Sets 41 192 66,807
Total 541 1,342 1,959,561
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research photographic collection
WRAIR~D1784Photo by HOCH, January 1977. BRAZIL~ANIMALS MARABA FISH.
In the 1960s and 70s (and possibly longer), doctors trained by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) were sent out to investigate tropical medicine while given cameras and film to document what they found. WRAIR had many photographs including film teams, all over the world including in Vietnam. The Vietnam still photos went to the National Archives when WRAIR moved into its current building, and the Medical Museum got 1/2 of the other still pictures that were left. We're now scanning WRAIR's third (thanks to their providing funding) and our third to create a digital collection that can be used by WRAIR and our researchers.
WRAIR D1783. Photo by HOCH, January 1977. BRAZIL - HIGHWAYS MARABA T-AM GOSLOS BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.
I put these samples of the first test batch of scans on Flickr. The captions are limited because they're being taken from a printout of an early computerized catalogue. As you can see, not all of the pictures deal directly with medicine.
WRAIR D1762. January 1977. BRAZIL~UPPER TORSO MARABA BLACK FLY BITES CPT HOCH.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
I'm in IMDB?
Well, this was weird - I'm especially disappointed at being down 48%.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2657374/
STARmeter:
Down 48% in popularity this week.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2657374/
Michael Rhode
Overview
STARmeter: 
Down 48% in popularity this week. Filmography
Thanks:
- "Nova" (special thanks) (1 episode, 2004)
- Life and Death in the War Zone (2004) TV episode (special thanks)
Museum's scanning statistics
So far, the Museum's had about 722,000 pages scanned, which doesn't work out to quite that many images since some of these are books that are then compiled into pdfs. Others are case files which the average person won't be able to see due to medical privacy restrictions. Overall it's a pretty impressive number though, and is still due to grow by 111,000 before the end of fiscal year 2009.
AFIP's online continuing medical education
I was in a meeting today on the digitization via scanning of the AFIP's records, and one part of that project is AskAFIP which provides courses for Continuing Medical Education credits. Doctors need CMEs to maintain their license. In June, AFIP provided about 2500 hours online at http://www.askafip.org
You can also buy some of the Museum's photographs there - notably the McGee Russo-Japanese War collection which we haven't gotten online anywhere else yet.
You can also buy some of the Museum's photographs there - notably the McGee Russo-Japanese War collection which we haven't gotten online anywhere else yet.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Embryo Models Found
Jim Curley has been in contact with an anatomy professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School. It seems they are moving to new digs and a closet full of anatomical models had been found. Would the museum like them? Jim got some pics of the contents and were we excited. Not only were there what looked to be some Zeigler wax models, but there was a model that had originally been part of the Carnegie Collection. Beth, Jim and I went up today for a look and there were lots of Zeigler and Carnegie models! This is the kind of fun treasure hunt I expect most museum people live for, finding beautiful things thought the be lost. 
By popular demand: second Medical Illustration class added at NMHM, July 25th.
“An Introduction to Techniques in Medical Illustration”
When: Saturday, July 25, 2009 (1:00 – 4:00 p.m.)
**Note: The July 11th class has been filled to capacity. Spots for the July 25th class are filling quickly (only 9 left)—register today!
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine
What: This workshop will explore the delicate beauty of traditional carbon dust illustration. While working from real specimens, participants will learn about the careful observation and drawing techniques required to create beautiful and accurate drawings using carbon dust, colored pencil, and ink. Ages 13 to adult. All levels welcome.
Course leader: Elizabeth Lockett, Scientific Illustrator and Collections Manager of the Museum’s Human Developmental Anatomy Center
Pre-registration is required by July 8, 2009: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2673. Class limited to 15 students.
Cost: FREE!
Photo ID required.
Information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2673
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Are you up for some weirdness?
In one of those strange, how-did-I-get-here moments on the internet, I came across the abcnews website that shows some oddball x-rays. As they say, Viewer Discretion is Advised.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New collection available in Archives
Guide # OHA 227.05 - Personal papers - [McGrath Notebooks]
Two notebooks from Thomas McGrath with course notes on Experimental Physiology and Physiological Chemistry from classes at Albany Medical College, 1906-1907.
Two notebooks from Thomas McGrath with course notes on Experimental Physiology and Physiological Chemistry from classes at Albany Medical College, 1906-1907.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
NY Times on cancer research
Today's Times has a very interesting article on how cancer research grants now go to the cautious - quite a change from the way Bert Hansen described late 19th and early 20th century medical research in his book.
Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe
By GINA KOLATA
Published: June 28, 2009
A major impediment in the fight against cancer is that most research grants go to projects unlikely to break much ground.
Bert's book has quite a bit on antitoxins, serums and therapies derived from attenuated germs in animals. So much so that I was planning on writing to him and asking if he knew why nobody was using these types of methods anymore, in favor of relying on vaccination and antibiotics. At one point he noted that there were over 70 different tuberculosis serums - if drug-resistant TB continues to evolve, and by definition it will, one would think this earlier cure holds new promise.
However, this article from tomorrow's paper harks back to the future, and again, Bert's book can shed light on these historical techniques being rediscovered.
New Treatment for Cancer Shows Promise in Testing
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: June 29, 2009
A new method of attacking cancer cells, developed by researchers in Australia, has proved surprisingly effective in animal tests.
Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe
By GINA KOLATA
Published: June 28, 2009
A major impediment in the fight against cancer is that most research grants go to projects unlikely to break much ground.
Bert's book has quite a bit on antitoxins, serums and therapies derived from attenuated germs in animals. So much so that I was planning on writing to him and asking if he knew why nobody was using these types of methods anymore, in favor of relying on vaccination and antibiotics. At one point he noted that there were over 70 different tuberculosis serums - if drug-resistant TB continues to evolve, and by definition it will, one would think this earlier cure holds new promise.
However, this article from tomorrow's paper harks back to the future, and again, Bert's book can shed light on these historical techniques being rediscovered.
New Treatment for Cancer Shows Promise in Testing
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: June 29, 2009
A new method of attacking cancer cells, developed by researchers in Australia, has proved surprisingly effective in animal tests.
Medical exhibit at Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is going on this week, and in the Wales section is a small exhibit on the history of medicine.
Wales turns out to be a major source for medicinal leeches, sold by Biopharma.
There is also a small display of historical pharmaceuticals.
Pill rollers aren't all that uncommon even now, but that's a nice ledger and some good ephemera in the labels.
The largest section was a medical garden.
The exhibit is up through July 5th
Friday, June 26, 2009
I hate flies
Liz was in the archives today, looking at some of our original medical illustrations in preparation for her class on doing, um, medical illustrations. You might think we know every scrap of paper we have in the archives but that's just not the case. I know for a fact that even Mike doesn't know everything. That's just so refreshing to say.
Anyway, she found two pen-and-ink drawings made by the Medical Illustration Service for disease prevention that I'd never seen before. The originals are much better than what's reproduced here, but they're a great example of one kind of work the Medical Museum illustrators did.
Typhoid Mary prepares food
From the barnyard to your plate
Anyway, she found two pen-and-ink drawings made by the Medical Illustration Service for disease prevention that I'd never seen before. The originals are much better than what's reproduced here, but they're a great example of one kind of work the Medical Museum illustrators did.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO draws on Otis Archives
My friend Bert Hansen's got an excellent new book out, PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO: A History of Mass Media Images and Popular Attitudes in America that includes a minuscule amount of research from the Medical Museum (and cites me in the acknowledgments, but don't buy it just because of that). I'm about 1/3 of the way through and learning about the history of both medicine and cartoons.I'm really enjoying his look at the graphic history (including editorial cartoons and comic books) of medicine. Bert's explanations of the shifting cultural view of medicine resulting from mass media, especially regarding both the transmittal of knowledge to a wider audience than ever before, and, as he points out most convincingly in this book, for the public support of science and medicine, is wildly overlooked in the field at large. His website has reproductions of some of the cartoons and he's planning on adding to it.
Here's the official PR:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO
A History of Mass Media Images and Popular Attitudes in America
Bert Hansen
“Bert Hansen’s rich exploration of the intersection of popular culture and the history of medicine opens wide a window on a time between the 1880s and the 1950s when physicians, nurses, and scientists were highly regarded warriors against disease and human suffering. It is a major contribution to our understanding of how medicine’s cultural authority was established and expanded in the United States, vital to scholars and valuable to those who hope to spark a renewed enthusiasm among Americans for the study of science and medicine.”
—Alan Kraut, professor of history, American University
Today, pharmaceutical companies, HMOs, insurance carriers, and the health care system in general may often puzzle and frustrate the general public—and even physicians and researchers. By contrast, from the 1880s through the 1950s Americans enthusiastically embraced medicine and its practitioners. PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO (Paper $37.95, ISBN: 978-0-8135-4576-9, July 2009), by Bert Hansen, offers a refreshing portrait of an era when the public excitedly anticipated medical progress and research breakthroughs.
PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO is a unique study with 130 archival illustrations drawn from newspaper sketches, caricatures, comic books, Hollywood films, and LIFE magazine photography. This book analyzes the relationship between mass media images and popular attitudes. Bert Hansen considers the impact these representations had on public attitudes and shows how media portrayal and popular support for medical research grew together and reinforced each other.
“This book is analytical, nostalgic, sensitive, and just plain fun. Bert Hansen's meticulous privileging of the visual is a pathbreaking achievement for methods in the social and cultural history of medicine. You can be rewarded simply by looking at the wonderful pictures, but you will ‘see’ so much more in his lively prose.”
—Jacalyn Duffin, Hannah Professor, Queen's University, and former
president of the American Association for the History of Medicine
“Even as a long-time collector of medical prints, I learned a lot from this extraordinary book. Hansen's digging has turned up many discoveries, providing a new perspective on graphic art in popular culture. The images are wonderful, but this is not just a picture book; it's a great read as well, filled with remarkable insights.”
—William Helfand, trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
“PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO is an authoritative, well-written account that will be a significant contribution not only to the history of American medicine, but to the history of American popular culture.”
—Elizabeth Toon, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Manchester
BERT HANSEN, a professor of history at Baruch College, has published a book on medieval science and many articles on the history of modern medicine and public health.
PICTURING MEDICAL PROGRESS FROM PASTEUR TO POLIO
A History of Mass Media Images and Popular Attitudes in America
Bert Hansen
Paper $37.95 | ISBN 978-0-8135-4576-9
Cloth $75.00 | ISBN 978-0-8135-4526-4 | 350 pages | 7 x 10
Publication Date: July 2009
AFIP: Supplemental Appropriation Bill signed by President with moratorium language
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2009
The President released a statement after signing HR 2346 in the Oval Office:
"I want to thank the Members of Congress who put politics aside and stood up to support a bill that will provide for the safety of our troops and the American people. This legislation will make available the funding necessary to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, defeat terrorist networks in Afghanistan, and further prepare our nation in the event of a continued outbreak of the H1N1 pandemic flu."
Final Moratorium Language for Public Law No: 111-32
“Sec. 1001. None of the funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be used to disestablish, reorganize, or relocate the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology , except for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner and the National Museum of Health and Medicine, until the President has established, as required by section 722 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 122 Stat. 199; 10 U.S.C. 176 note), a Joint Pathology Center , and the Joint Pathology Center is demonstrably performing the minimum requirements set forth in section 722 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.”
The President signed the supplemental yesterday afternoon, with the moratorium language in it.
Florabel G. Mullick, MD, ScD, FCAP
Senior Executive Service
The Director
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
AFIP's Armed Forces Medical Examiner featured on Fresh Air
Slain Soldiers Offer Clues To Protect The Living
Fresh Air from WHYY, June 24, 2009 · In previous wars, fallen soldiers rarely received post-mortem examinations, but that changed in 2001, when the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology began conducting autopsies on all slain service men and women. In 2004, the examinations were expanded to include CT scans.
CT Scans help show the pathway of wounds caused by bullets or shrapnel so that a less invasive autopsy can be conducted. While this improves the work of doctors, the data has a grim upside.
Captain Craig T. Mallak, a pathologist and lawyer who is also the chief of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, describes how the physical and sometimes virtual autopsies of soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan have not only assisted in the design of body armor, helmets and vehicle shields, but medical equipment as well.
One specific example is the recent improvement of chest tubes used buy combat medics. By examining 100 Ct Scans and measuring wounds, doctors found that because soldiers were in better shape than civilians, they needed longer tubes and needles to penetrate the chest wall and reach the collapsed lung.
Combat medics now carry the improved equipment on the battlefield.
Fresh Air from WHYY, June 24, 2009 · In previous wars, fallen soldiers rarely received post-mortem examinations, but that changed in 2001, when the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology began conducting autopsies on all slain service men and women. In 2004, the examinations were expanded to include CT scans.
CT Scans help show the pathway of wounds caused by bullets or shrapnel so that a less invasive autopsy can be conducted. While this improves the work of doctors, the data has a grim upside.
Captain Craig T. Mallak, a pathologist and lawyer who is also the chief of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, describes how the physical and sometimes virtual autopsies of soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan have not only assisted in the design of body armor, helmets and vehicle shields, but medical equipment as well.
One specific example is the recent improvement of chest tubes used buy combat medics. By examining 100 Ct Scans and measuring wounds, doctors found that because soldiers were in better shape than civilians, they needed longer tubes and needles to penetrate the chest wall and reach the collapsed lung.
Combat medics now carry the improved equipment on the battlefield.
Brush your teeth
Here's a pretty neat super-zoom of the surface of a tooth.
Just ignore the flat-stomach ad off to the right of the video - they're not talking to you.
Just ignore the flat-stomach ad off to the right of the video - they're not talking to you.
Seminary tours
The Seminary at Forest Glenn, the former’s girl school turned Army base, turned condos, has a tour this weekend:
http://www.saveourseminary.org/schedules.html
Visitors to the Museum can see a mural by Jack McMillen of how the Seminary appeared during World War 2.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
NYTimes on traumatic brain injury research
The Museum has an extremely large collection of brains and slices thereof that can be used in this type of research. For information on current research in other places, see A Chance for Clues to Brain Injury in Combat Blasts
By ALAN SCHWARZ
Published: June 23, 2009
Twenty members of the military have donated their brain tissue upon death to help scientists determine the effects of blast injuries on the brain.
By ALAN SCHWARZ
Published: June 23, 2009
Twenty members of the military have donated their brain tissue upon death to help scientists determine the effects of blast injuries on the brain.
FW: Interested in medical illustration? Register today for NMHM's FREE medical illustration class, July 11th.
“An Introduction to Techniques in Medical Illustration”
When: Saturday, July 11, 2009 (1:00 – 4:00 p.m.)
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine
What: This workshop will explore the delicate beauty of traditional carbon dust illustration. While working from real specimens, participants will learn about the careful observation and drawing techniques required to create beautiful and accurate drawings using carbon dust, colored pencil, and ink. Ages 13 to adult. All levels welcome.
Course leader: Elizabeth Lockett, Scientific Illustrator and Collections Manager of the Museum’s Human Developmental Anatomy Center
Pre-registration is required by July 1, 2009: (202) 782-2673. Class limited to 15 students.
Cost: FREE!
Photo ID required.
Information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2673
Monday, June 22, 2009
And here I thought no one read us
Mike sent this email around today. I don't know why he didn't post it here already - I know he's not shy so that can't be the reason.
The Medical Museion blog mentioned their blog rank and put a link to a blog ranking site - so I checked it out.
We’re #6, right above them, and higher than any art museums whom I expected would fill the top tier.
To be honest, I have no idea how they figure this out and looking at individual stats further down makes our whole ranking look fishy, but it was neat to see.
The Medical Museion blog mentioned their blog rank and put a link to a blog ranking site - so I checked it out.
We’re #6, right above them, and higher than any art museums whom I expected would fill the top tier.
To be honest, I have no idea how they figure this out and looking at individual stats further down makes our whole ranking look fishy, but it was neat to see.
National Dental Museum in Baltimore seeks director
Here’s the announcement –
Director - National Museum of Dentistry - Baltimore, MD
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
User-friendly syringes
From Core77, a design blog, comes news of a disposable syringe designed by the kitchen-tool people, OXO, for people with rheumatoid arthritis. I love ideas like this. The top of the picture shows the 5 newly-designed areas, plus they added easy-open packaging.
NMHM staff member attending cadaver prosection course
This local Indiana online news network talks about the cadaver prosection course that an NMHM staff member attended last year, and another is planning to attend this year.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Smithsonian anthropologist profiled in Post
Doug Owsley is profiled in "Old West Mystery, Solved in D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Forensic Anthropologists Unravel Buffalo Soldier's Story," By Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 16, 2009 .
Monday, June 15, 2009
Eadweard Muybridge - an anniversary
Wired.com reports that on this day in 1878, Eadweard Muybridge used "high-speed stop-motion photography to capture a horse's motion." It just so happens we have a few samples of Muybridge's work. Here's (a scan of a photocopy of a copy print) of one of them from our collection.
Friday, June 12, 2009
David Macaulay at Medical Museum
David Macaulay spoke for 50 minutes at the Medical Museum today. He covered a few sections of his new book on the human body (of which originals are on display), showed some artwork and sketches that didn't go into the book, and it was a very good talk. He's speaking again twice on Saturday, June 13th so cruise 16th St and check it out.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
TB Sanatorium records donated today
Charlotte Perry donated George Ellis Mills' records to the archives today. Mills, Charlotte's grandfather, was Director of the Boehne Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Evansville, Indiana, in the 1920s, until his untimely death in 1929. We received annual reports (no, no, not the boring, all-number kind; these have a lot of interesting narrative about the hospital with some great photos as illustrations), typewritten manuscripts about the rules and regulations there, more transcripts about tuberculosis, and 5 panoramic photos of staff and patients. I'll be making a finding aid next week, which will give me more time to read everything and scan some of the photos from the annual reports.
2057 new computer catalogue records added in Emu today
Catalogue records for 2057 files/folders from the Archives’ Medical Ephemera collection of clippings, brochures and pamphlets were imported as titles into our new computer catalogue EMU today. These are from 3 series – biographical, organizational and subject files. An example would read as: Ephemera - Trade Literature - folder - Barton, Clara (1821-1912) [Medical Ephemera] so when we eventually get the catalogue online you could search on *Barton in the titles, and you’ll get this file. In the meantime, you can still use this static (and sorry, out of date) finding aid at http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/collections/archives/asearch/afinding_aids/ephemera/ephemera.html
Eye Prosthetics at Walter Reed
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center has a weekly newspaper, Stripe. This article is from last week's edition.
Interactive talk on human anatomy with David Macaulay at NMHM tomorrow, 6/12 & Sat., 6/13
©2008 David Macaulay
“The real beauty of the human body, as it turns out, has little to do with outward appearance. It is displayed in and beneath the skin in a remarkable demonstration of economy and efficiency.”
— David Macaulay from The Way We Work
“David Macaulay: Author Talk & Book Signing”
When: Friday, June 12, 2009 (1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Saturday, June 13, 2009 (10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00-2:30 p.m.)
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine
What: Join David Macaulay for an interactive and lively discussion about his new book, “The Way We Work,” as he illuminates the most important machine of all -- the human body. Your body is made up of various complex systems, and Macaulay is a master at making the complex understandable. He shows how the parts of the body work together, from the mechanics of a hand, to the process by which the heart pumps blood, to the chemical exchanges necessary to sustain life. A book signing will follow the discussion.
Cost: FREE!
Bring your kids along! This is a great opportunity to teach children about the human body.
Photo ID required.
Information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2200
David Macaulay bio: Born on December 2, 1946, Macaulay was eleven when his family moved from England to the United States. An early fascination with simple technology and a love of model-making and drawing ultimately led him to study architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He received his degree in 1969 after spending his fifth year with RISD’s European Honors Program in Rome. Macaulay is probably best known for a very thick book called “The Way Things Work” (1988), an exhaustively researched compendium of the intricate workings involved in almost anything that functions. It was followed by “Black and White,” winner of the 1991 Caldecott Medal. Over the next decade, Macaulay published eight additional books, and in 2003 he began a volume about the workings of the human body—the results of which comprise this exhibition. In 2006, Macaulay was named a MacArthur fellow.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Andrea Seabrook of NPR is interested in us
Andrea Seabrook of NPR came by yesterday to look at our photograph collections and is planning on doing a story on the pictures. More to come as we find out about it, but we talked for about 2 1/2 hours.
National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM), Forest Glen, Maryland presolicitation construction bid online
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b43052fd9f26a0270e9d70c957876ea0&tab=core&_cview=1
Y--National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM), Forest Glen, Maryland
Solicitation Number: W912DR-09-R-0070
Agency: Department of the Army
Office: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Location: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore
Office: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Location: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore
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Influenza photo used by New York Times
Our most published photograph, influenza cases at Camp Funston during WW1 (NCP 1603) was published again yesterday in the New York Times. You can see the story at
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/health/09docs.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/health/09docs.html
Is This a Pandemic? Define 'Pandemic'
After decades of warnings about another influenza pandemic, health officials have failed to make clear to the public what they mean by that word.
New Posts of Old Daguerrotypes
Not a history of medicine thing, but here's a very nice online collection of daguerreotypes from the American Antiquarian Society.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Forensic Bone Histology Course offered by Museum
Description from the AskAFIP website. The website can be found by following the “Education” tab on the left-side column at www.askafip.org .
Forensic Bone Histology Course (5197) July 13, 2009 - July 15, 2009 COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Mass fatality incidents such as acts of terrorism and mass transit accidents often leave human remains fragmented and burned, making identification efforts problematic. Fragmentary remains prove difficult to identify as human, not to mention estimating the biological age, sex, ancestry and stature from those fragments. Due to the small size of skeletal fragments, important macroscopic indicators used in establishing a biological profile may be lost.
With advancements in bone microscopy, researchers have developed techniques that mitigate these problematic cases, as well as improve the overall evaluation of human remains when fragmentation is not an issue. Through the analysis of bone microstructure it is possible to differentiate human from non-human bone tissue, estimate age-at-death, and identify potentially individuating characteristics, such as dietary deficiencies and disease processes.
This course addresses the application of bone histology to forensic case work through lecture and hands-on activities utilizing bone slides and microscopes. After attending this course the participant will be familiar with basic microscope instrumentation and bone histomorphology. This knowledge leads to an understanding of how to differentiate human from nonhuman fragments of bone, estimate age-at-death, and evaluate biasing factors of bone microstructure, such as taphonomic effects.
NOTE: Each participant will be given the syllabus on CD. There will be no printed syllabi.
| CME CREDITS: 19 |
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- Bone cellular biology
- Basic microscope instrumentation
- Slide preparation techniques
- Bone histomorphology and histomorphometry
- Differentiate human from nonhuman bone
- Estimate age-at-death
- Evaluate taphonomic effects on bone microstructure
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Anthropologists, Pathologists, Forensic Scientists and anyone interested in bone mircostructure LOCATION:
The course willl be held at Building 53 (Radiologic Pathology Center), located on Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus, across from the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM). For directions to the facility, visit the museum's website at http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/about/directions.html
RECOMMENDED LODGING:
Crowne Plaza Washington DC/Silver Spring
8777 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-589-0800
Rooms have been reserved at a reduced rate of $149 single/double or the prevailing government per diem until 6 July 2009. Reservations received after this date will be filled on a space available basis. When contracting the hotel to make your reservation to make your reservation, inform them that you are attending the Urological Pathology and Radiology Course.
Complimentary Shuttle is available to and from the campus.
FACULTY DISCLOSURE:
In accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the authors involved in this continuing medical education activity are required to complete Disclosure Declarations. The authors of this course do not have any financial interest, arrangement, or affiliation with organizations that may have a direct or indirect interest in the subject matter of this course. U.S. CITIZENS:
US citizens must provide, PRIOR TO THE COURSE, a clear copy of your birth certificate or the first two pages of your passport. You will be unable to attend the course without this information. You may receive the syllabus and related material, but no refunds. NON-U.S. CITIZENS:
PRIOR TO THE COURSE, non-US citizens must mail or fax a one of the following: (1) a clear copy of the first two pages of your passport with number showing (2) a clear copy of your green card with number showing (3) a copy of your visa and the DS-2019 form Send to: Department of Medical Education, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 6825 16th St, NW, Washington, DC 20306-6000 Fax: (202) 782-5020. You will be unable to attend the course without this information. You may receive the syllabus and related material, but no refunds. If you are sponsored by an ECFMG organization, please verify your status as current and active by including a letter from the program director with your registration form. If you are affiliated with your country’s government/military, please write to the Office of the Surgeon General, DASG-HCZ-IP, 5109 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041-3258 [FAX: (703) 681-3429] and provide: (1) a copy of the application from the course announcement and (2) a letter from your personnel office certifying full-time employment. All non-US citizens must make checks or international money orders payable to the American Registry of Pathology. All payments must be in US dollars and be accompanied by the course application. Send to the Department of Medical Education at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC 20306-6000.
Steampunk Anatomy
From the blog e-l-i-s-e, a different take on anatomical illustration. Make sure you click through to the original blog for more.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Obituary for AFIP's Dr. Scofield ran in Post
Henry H. 'Hank' Scofield Navy Oral Pathologist, Professor
-- Matt Schudel
Washington Post (June 6 2009)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060503549_5.html
After several postings in the Dental Corps, Capt. Scofield received a doctorate in oral pathology from Georgetown University in the late 1950s. He was chairman of the oral pathology department at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology from 1963 to 1966.
Darn! Missed this for BAW
Lecture by Kazuo Kawasaki this week in Washington, DC
While we have artificial organs and devices related to extra-corporeal circulation in the Historical Collection of artifacts (ranging from the Kolff-Brigham artificial kidney currently on display to a heart-lung machine), we don't yet have examples of Kazuo Kawasaki's stellar medical designs.Most are familiar with his eyewear, but I am tracking his work integrating medical science (in which he has a Ph.D.) and product design.
Although we might be as likely to see his 1989 titanium wheelchair in a modern art museum than rolling down the sidewalk, I am interested to learn how Kawasaki approaches the subject of personal experience, design and disability. Kawasaki himself uses a wheelchair and has heart trouble.
Hear Design Made in Japan: from Eyeglasses to the Artificial Heart this Thursday, June 11th, at 6:30 at the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, in Washington, DC. The lecture is free, but reservations are required.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Andrea Seabrook's been twittering us
http://twitter.com/RadioBabe - for a story on NPR she says. I noticed because we're seeing a spike in interest in the Flickr photos again, and some atypical ones too. As of this afternoon: 1,407 items / 819,807 views.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Another upload to the Internet Archive
We uploaded another document to the Internet Archive yesterday: Proceedings of the Seventh Saranac Symposium on Pneumoconiosis. It's an important part of the 250+ boxes of the Arthur J. Vorwald Collection. Vorwald was an industrial medicine investigator who pioneered in asbestosis research.
Sour Candy Body Fluids
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Microscopes, illustrated
Monday, June 1, 2009
Dissection book interview on NPR
Curator and author Jim Edmondson writes in about his book of dissection photographs, noting:
Check out the interview on Dissection, with Ira Flatow of NPR's Science Friday:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/about/listen/
The book has been getting amazing press coverage:
http://www.case.edu/origins/news/edmonson.htm
And within the last month it soared to #162 on Amazon.com...
Boxing and bones?
This photograph made me chuckle. This NCP image dates back to 1870 and displays soldiers from the Medical Detachment, U.S. Army Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas. The soldiers "boxing" (obviously a not-so-candid shot) in the foreground first intrigued me, but it wasn't until I scanned the background that I really had to "lol", if you will. On the laps of two soldiers sits a human skeleton, whose skull has been positioned in a way that allows for him/her to watch the match. Why the skeleton on the lap, you ask? Well, perhaps the mysterious "guest" is the loser of the last boxing match (cue in the "mwah ha ha" courtesy of Vincent Price.) Or, perhaps sheer proximity to the hospital compelled the soldiers to shoot this interesting photo. Either way, it's a keeper. 
Friday, May 29, 2009
Theresa Butler retiring today
Long-time Museum Staff Assistant Theresa Strong-Butler is retiring today after 40 years of government service, almost 20 of that at the Museum. Theresa filled one of those behind-the-scenes rolls that every museum needs, but you don't hear about. She ordered keys, supplies, and the like for the Museum and handled other administrative tasks. We wish her well as she pursues a new career in 'retirement'.
"Red Cross Work on Mutilés at Paris - 1918"
We just uploaded this 1918 film to the Internet Archive. Everything says it uploaded fine, but as I can't actually view it from work, I'll have to take their word for it.
See it here.
See it here.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
DAVID MACAULAY: Author Talk & Book Signing
When: Friday, June 12, 2009 (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Saturday, June 13, 2009 (10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) & (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Where: National Museum of Health and Medicine
What: Join David Macaulay for a discussion about his new book, "The Way We Work," as he illuminates the most important machine of all -- the human body. Your body is made up of various complex systems, and Macaulay is a master at making the complex understandable. He shows how the parts of the body work together, from the mechanics of a hand, to the process by which the heart pumps blood, to the chemical exchanges necessary to sustain life. A book signing will follow the discussion.
This event is being held in conjunction with NMHM's temporary exhibition, "David Macaulay Presents: The Way We Work, Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body," which features the famous author's original artwork for the book.
Bring your kids along! This event, as well as the exhibit, is great for teaching children about the human body.
Cost: FREE!
Parking is available. Photo ID required.
Information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2200
David Macaulay bio:
Born on December 2, 1946, Macaulay was eleven when his family moved from England to the United States. An early fascination with simple technology and a love of model-making and drawing ultimately led him to study architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He received his degree in 1969 after spending his fifth year with RISD's European Honors Program in Rome. Macaulay is probably best known for a very thick book called "The Way Things Work" (1988), an exhaustively researched compendium of the intricate workings involved in almost anything that functions. It was followed by "Black and White," winner of the 1991 Caldecott Medal. Over the next decade, Macaulay published eight additional books, and in 2003 he began a volume about the workings of the human body—the results of which comprise this exhibition. In 2006, Macaulay was named a MacArthur fellow.
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