Letter of the Day: March 17 (1 of 3)

Vicksburg, Miss

March 17^th 1869

Dear Col:

I shall forward to you tomorrow a box of specimens from a mound near Jackson Miss and a few articles from the great Seltsentown [spelling?] mound. As soon as I hear from you I will also forward in the manner you shall direct the specimens of skulls with their retained earth in the condition of the two I have already sent to you, or I will clean and varnish them.

The matter will soon be sufficiently settled for me to renew explorations and to this end I desire again to call your attention to the rich fields unexplored in this and the adjoining states all around me. Prof. I. Jones has recently given me some very valuable information in regard to mounds in Tennessee and near Hickman, KY which contain skeletons implements etc. entombed in a kind of rude sarcophagi constructed of large flat stones. These, or but few of them have been ever disturbed. Should some one else be interested with this duty I will cheerfully furnish you all the information afforded me by Dr. Jones. I fully concur with him in the urgent necessity for these explorations. As the specimens are protected by stones the work of exhuming will be easy as well as rapid.

Some specimens of value await me at Shieldsborough and at a point above, or north, of Yazoo city.

Respectfully yours etc

Ebn Swift

Surg etc U.S.A.

To Bvt. Lt. Col. Otis

Curator Army Med. Museum

Washington D.C.

Accession of the day, March 17

Accompanied by an article from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, April 1886 entitled Inca Eyes, from which this illustration was extracted:


A.M.M. 247 Sect. VI.

(Inca Eyes)

Crystalline lens of eyes of Cuttle fish, probably a species of octopus, used by the ancient Peruvians as artificial eyes for the Embalmed dead.

Recd. Mch 17, 1886.

Presented by Asst. Surg.
Washington Matthews, U.S.A.

Photo of the day, March 16

Don't ask me why we have this. I have no idea.

Diplomas, citations, commissions. General Raymond Bliss, 1946. "Our Brother Raymond Whitcomb Bliss to whom we have granted these letters was admitted to the Third Degree of Masonry in Star of Bethlehem Lodge on 03/16/[?]."

Letter of the Day: March 16

Over 110 years later, we’re still using formalin to preserve our specimens.

C. Gottlob Kolb.

Carl F. Steifel

Schering & Glatz

Importers of Drugs and Chemicals

No. 55 Maiden Lane

New York,

March 16, 1896

Major Walter Reed, Surgeon U.S. Army

Curator Army Medical Museum, Washington, D.C.

Dear Doctor:-

We desire to call your attention to FORMALIN, i.e. a saturated 40% solution of chemically pure Formaldehyde, which we have introduced to the medical profession during the last three years.

Presuming that you can use the fluid as a preservative of anatomical and botanical specimens as well as a hardening medium, we take pleasure in sending under separate cover our pamphlet on Schering’s Chemicals and would particularly refer you to an abstract of Prof. Dr. F. Hermann’s article on Page 42, from the “Anatomischer Anzeiger” Dec. 11/93 in which the author stated, that solutions of Formalin preserved the normal translucency of the living tissues and that tissues hardened in Formalin retained their natural colors. We also beg to enclose a copy of our latest circular on Formalin and would refer you to the abstract of the report of Prof. F. Cohn of Breslau, who speaks of the advantages of Formalin as compared with Alcohol, etc.

We quote Formalin in 1 lb. bottles at $.75 per lb. incl. less 10%

In 5 lb. bottles at $.70 per lb. incl. less 10%

In lots of 25 lbs or more, we will allow you a discount of 10% and 5%. If quantities of several hundred pounds are desired, we can make a further reduction.

We should be pleased to hear from you, and remain,

Yours very truly

Schering & Glatz

[Note:] Circular referred to not received for Doc. File – P.

Another Archives collection scanned

They are the cartes-de-visite of Medical Museum specimens. Labeled and arranged by specimen number, they were used as illustrations in the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion (online and downloadable from the Internet Archive). Taken by museum photographers William Bell and E.J. Ward. There are a little over 700 of them.

Here's an example:

Letter of the day, March 15

Harvard University
Medical School

Anatomical Department

Boston, March 15, 1887

My dear Dr. Billings,

I have made three more corrosion preparations for your museum. The first is a left human lung [A.M.M. No. 2432 Anatomical Sect.] – vein red, artery blue. It is decidedly better than the one that was broken and which it is sent to replace. It shows the shape of the lung including the curve cut out to make room for the heart. There is an extravascetion[?] at one place but it does not show very much. I have made also a human liver in four colors. Portal vein red, hepatic vein (and cava) blue, artery yellow, bile duct green. It is the best preparation of the kind that I ever made. The only defects are that the acid has affected the green which has unfortunately become very bluish and that the yellow [section of page torn off] I think the preparation [torn] called one of the first class. The kidney which I sent [illegible] had rather a weak injection of the vein. This is perhaps as well as it shows more of the rest but I have now a preparation which is its complement.[A.M.M. No. 2434] Namely a full injection of the vein in blue, the ureter in yellow and no artery.

The lung is sent to replace the other one. The price of the liver is fifty dollars and the kidney is thrown in. The lung and liver are mounted elastically on cushions covered in white silk. I hope you will send a man for them as it would break my heart if the liver were broken.

I intend now to give up corrosions. They take too much time and should be made by demonstrators not professors. A visitor just came in to see the liver. I think it has changed shape a little by its weight. It is worth sending for anyway and if it deteriorates you can pay what you please.

Yours very sincerely,

Thomas Dwight

[Specimens of lung & liver received Mar. 28, 1887
Kidney Apr 1 ‘87
Liver broken when received and not placed in A.M.M. Could not be repaired.]

Letter of the day, March 14

A day late. Oops!

Fisk & Arnold,
Manufacturers of
Artificial Limbs, &c.
No. 3 Boylston Place,
Boston, Mass., March 14, 1899.

Dear Sir:
We ship to-day by Adams Express the samples of old devices requested in your favor of March 7th. The steel skeleton is that of the “Drake” [A.M.M. No. 2503 Misc. Sect.] leg manufactured between 1840 & 50 and the small model is a perfect miniature of the “Palmer” [A.M.M. No. 2504 Misc. Sect.] leg manufactured between 1860 & 70. The skeleton we willingly give to the Museum but for the model we charge you just what it cost us.

Yours very truly,
Fisk & Arnold

To Dallas Bache
Col. & Asst. Surgeon General U.S.A.
Washington, D.C.

[Specimens received March 15, 1899.]

Letter of the Day: March 13

This actually occurred until 1968 when we were tossed out again and the building demolished to make way for the Hirshhorn Museum. It's too bad paragraph 4 wasn't taken into account in recent years.

WMS/AEM/caw

13 March 1959

SUBJECT: Relocation of the Medical Museum of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology

THRU: The Surgeon General
Department of the Army
Washington 25, D.C.
ATTN: Chief, Medical Plans & Operations Division

TO: Chief Space Management
Management Office, OSA
Room 3D 732, The Pentagon
Washington 25, D.C.

1. Ground breaking cremonies for a new building for the National Library of Medicine are now planned for this coming June. Therefore, the normal progress of construction will make it possible for the Library to occupy its new quarters in a relatively short time thereafter.

2. In view of the above, it is requested action be taken that the building now occupied by the Library on Independence Avenue at 7th Street, S.W., when vacated, be allocated to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology for the use of the Medical Museum.

3. Attention is invited to the fact that the Library building was originally built in 1886 for the joint needs of the Army Medical Museum and Library. Both agencies occupied it simultaneously for more than 60 years. During this time the Army Medical Museum expanded into a major diagnostic and research center. In 1946 it was reorganized as the Army Institute of Pathology to better reflect its major activities. At this time the Museum became one of its four departments, but the tremendous growth of the Institute meanwhile had made it necessary to move the Museum Department ot other quarters, and Chase Hall was selected. The Museum has occupied Chase Hall ever since, with a steadily growing number of visitors. Last year close to a quarter of a millions persons visited the Museum. In 1955 the Intitute of Pathology was relocated to its new building on the grounds of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but when the Institute moved, the vacated space was needed for the expanded facilities of the Library, and the Museum remained in Chase Hall.

4. The Museum has a mission of service and interest to the public. Therefore, of necessity, it must be maintained in an area readily accessible to the visitor to the Nation's Capital and to the public in general. The present Library building having been built originally to house the Museum would need no structural changes to again accommodate it. For museum purposes its location, interior adequacy, and arrangement are ideal. The allocation of this building would preclude the necessity of any further action for new quarters or a new building for many years to come.

5. Chase Hall now is programmed tentatively for demolition during the latter part of this year to make way for the Southwest Redevelopment. Consequently, assuming the above request will be approved, it is further requested that action be taken to postpone demolition of Chase Hall and allow its retention by the AFIP for Museum purposes until such time as the Museum can be moved into the Library building across the street.

W.M. Silliphant
Captain, MC, USN
The Director

COORDINATION:

FRANK M. TOWNSEND
Colonel, USAF (MC)
Deputy Director

ALBERT E MINNS JR.
Colonoel, MSC
Curator, Medical Museum

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

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

 

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1717

 

COPY

 

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

 

His Excellency

G.B. Ferguson, Esq.

U.S. Minister, Stockholm

 

Dear Sir:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Yours very truly

 

Gerhard Gade

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

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1325

 

March 12, 1896

 

To the Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Washington, D.C.

 

General:

 

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

 

Very respectfully,

 

D.L. Huntington

 

Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,

In charge of Museum and Library Division.

 

Here’s the enclosed letter…

 

March 12, 1896.

 

To the Honorable,

The Secretary of War,

Washington, D.C.

 

Sir:

 

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

 

1 Bolsa de Compania.

 

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

 

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

 

Very respectfully,

 

Surgeon General, U.S. Army

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

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

 

College of Physicians of Philadelphia

13^th and Locust Streets

March 12^th 1868

 

George A. Otis, M.D.

Asst. Surgeon U.S. Army.

 

Dear Sir,

 

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

 

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

 

The boxes contain

 

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

8 specimens of Biliary concretions

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

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

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

 

The following cast of Bones

 

4 Femurs with absorption of head.

4 Femurs with fracture of neck.

1 Femur with Fracture of shaft.

1 Humerus with fracture of anatomical neck.

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

 

The following Horse Bones.

 

1 Vertebrae having exostosis [in one box]

A portion of vertebrae with some ribs attached.

1 Pelvis

1 Portion of Pelvis

2 Scapula showing bony deposit in cartilage occasioned by age

97 Diseased bones of the extremities of the horse.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Very respectfully

Thomas Hewson Bache, M.D.

Curator [Mutter Museum]

 

Note on letters says: Acknowledged March 16

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

Photo of the day, March 12

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

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

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

Not a Letter of the Day

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

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

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

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

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

Dear Dr. Lamb:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very truly yours,
W. Ashby Frankland

Letter of the Day: March 11

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

 

Post Hospital

Fort Duncan, Texas

March 11^th, 1875

 

To the

Surgeon General, U.S. Army

Washington D.C.

 

Sir

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

I am Sir

Very Respectfully

Your Obdt Servant

C.C. Gray

Surgeon U.S. Army

Post Surgeon

 

Photo of the day, March 11

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

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

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

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

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

 Read the full call here:

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

 

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

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

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

Changes on the Museum floor

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

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

Letter of the Day: March 10

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

 

MEDEM-MM 

Presentation of Instrument to Medical Museum

10 March 1959

AEM/caw/64770

 

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

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

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

IN TURN (copy for each)

 

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

 

2.       The circumstances which led to this presentation are:

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Albert E Minns Jr, Col, MSC

Curator

Letter of the day, March 9

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


March 9, 1875

Professor J. Henry.

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

Very respectfully,
J.J. Woodward

Accession of the day, March 9

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

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

Washington, D.C.
March 9, 1891

Robinson Dr. C.B.
Veterinary Surgeon



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

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

History received verbally
Specimen received Mar. 8, 1891