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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

FW: Rhode leaving medical museum

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is with distinct melancholy that I will be resigning my post as chief archivist and leaving the National Museum of Health and Medicine on September 9, 2011 for a promotion as archivist in the US Navy Bureau of
Medicine's Office of Medical History (which is also in Washington, DC). It has been a pleasure and an honor to have built and led the Otis Historical Archives for the Museum and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology over the past twenty-two years. I trust I have lived up to museum curator George Otis' inspiring example.


Michael Rhode, Archivist
Otis Historical Archives
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Washington, DC 20306-6000
202-782-2212
http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum
http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/collections/archives/archives.html

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Nature on 'Death of a pathology centre'


 
Death of a pathology centre: Shelved
Nature.com
It was the beginning of the Army Medical Museum ( see slideshow 'A diary of death & disease'). Hammond wanted to collect and catalogue the specimens that ...

Nature.com


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Thursday, August 4, 2011


City Paper on Walter Reed's closing

Fast Times at Walter Reed

by Lydia DePillis on Aug. 4, 2011

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/08/04/fast-times-at-walter-reed/

 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011

Creative use of Museum's Civil War photos at Flickr

Here's a nice research use of the Civil War pictures we've been putting online -

 
From: Brendan Hamilton

 
I've recently been looking through the fantastic gallery of Civil War medical photographs you and your colleagues have been putting up on Flickr, and I got the idea of writing up brief profiles of the soldiers in them and posting them on my blog: http://vanishedhand.blogspot.com/

As a Civil War geek and poet, I'm more interested in the human side than the clinical info., so I thought I'd dig through the muster rolls, census info, etc., to try to paint some picture of who these people are. A macabre effort but that's what grabs me. I've only written up one soldier so far but I intend to do more in the coming weeks.

- his one soldier is Frederick Bentley.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Medical Museum Science Café, featuring author Matthew Algeo

When: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: Silver Spring Civic Center, Fenton Room
One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910
http://www.silverspringdowntown.com

What: In "The President Is a Sick Man," author and journalist Matthew Algeo offers the first full account of a monumental political scandal that shook the Gilded Age. In July 1893, President Grover Cleveland boarded a yacht somewhere off Long Island Sound and seemingly vanished for five days. What the American public did not know was that a dream team of surgeons had been assembled on the boat to remove a cancerous growth from Cleveland’s jaw (the Museum has histological slides with samples of the tumor). When a reporter attempted to expose the truth behind the president’s disappearance, he was immediately discredited by White House staff who had decided Americans could not know the truth.

Join this discussion about public perception and presidential health. Copies of the book will be available for purchase; a book signing will follow.

Presented by the National Museum of Health and Medicine

Cost: Free

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

July 13: NLM History of Medicine Seminar - Cassedy Memorial Lecture


NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
History of Medicine Division Seminar
Fourth Annual James H. Cassedy Memorial Lecture
Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Lister Hill Auditorium
NLM Building 38A
Bethesda, MD

"The Image of Modern Medicine: Aesthetic Belonging and the American Doctor, 1880-1950."
John Harley Warner, Yale University
Distinguished scholar John Harley Warner, Avalon Professor and Chair, History of Medicine, and Professor of History, Yale University, has long studied the cultural and social history of medicine in 19th and 20th century America.  This presentation will examine clinical practice, orthodox and alternative healing, the multiple meanings of scientific medicine, and the interactions among identity, narrative, and aesthetic in the grounding of modern medicine.

All are welcome.
For future programs, consult the NLM History of Medicine Division Seminar webpage:

www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/happening/seminars/index.html

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Yakovlev Collection Day One Packing

 

Where are we?

Blog posts are getting fewer and further between because the packing of the museum for its move to Forest Glen, MD is well under way. Historical Collections is largely packed up, as is the Human Developmental Anatomy Center. Anatomical Collection’s specimens in formalin are about half packed, and the Archives is due to be packed mid-month. We’re moving to a new command so our email and Internet addresses all are changing too. So our access to everything is lessened for a few months, but please bear with us.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 28

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 04678

War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library,
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
Washington,June 28, 1900.

Capt. Edgar A. Mearns
Asst. Surgeon, U.S. Army,
(Through Chief Surgeon Dept. of the East)

Sir:

The Surgeon General directs me to acknowledge receiveing a specimen of aneurism of the aorta, case of Sgt. John F. Walsh, Batty. "I" 7th Arty., and the history of the case dated 25th inst., in making contributions to the Museum of such illustrations of pathology is always much appreciated.

Respectfully,
[Lieut. Col. A.A. Woodhull]

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

New Civil War pictures added to Flickr

 

We’re finally away from the images of shattered bones, and you can see living men surviving their wounds at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/medicalmuseum/

Monday, June 27, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 27

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 05310

War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library.
Corner of 7th and B Streets S.W.
Washington, June 27, 1901.

To the Post Surgeon
Columbia Barracks,
Quemados, Cuba.

Sir:

At the time of my departure from your station I left on hand in Pathological Laboratory one incubator, under the impression that it was not part of the property for which I was responsible. I now find, however, that this incubator is borne on my annual return and I, therefore, enclose herewith the proper invoices and request that you will be kind enough to receipt me for the same.

Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
major & Surgeon, U.S.A.

(3 Enclosures)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 24

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 05301

War Department,
Surgeon General's Office,
U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library.
Corner of 7th and B Streets SW.,
Washington, June 24, 1901.

Dr. M.P. Overholser,
Harrisonville, MO.

My Dear Doctor:

In compliance with your request of recent date, I have mailed to your address a copy of the paper which was read at the Pan-American Congress in February last. A previous paper on the same subject appears in the last Vol. of Transactions of the American Public Health Association; a later paper was read at the meeting of the Association of American Physicians, held in this city May 2-5, 1901, and will shortly appear, I hope, in American Medicine (Dr. Gould's new journal).

I regret to say that I know of no recent literature on the transmission of malaria by the mosquito in either the French or English language, nor anything relating to the propagation of yellow fever, except what I have mentioned above.

Very truly yours,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon, U.S. Army.

[hand notation]
Letter of Dr. O. not received for file. P.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 23

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02342

June 23, 1897

Mr. Albert Worsham
National home, D.V.S.
Hampton, Va.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of the 20th inst. has been received and in reply I would say that the eight-legged kitten referred to is not desired for this Museum. It has no commercial value.

Very respectfully,
D.L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,
In charge of Museum & Library Division.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 22

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02340

June 22, 1897

Major Sam Q. Robinson,
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Fort Reno, O.T.

Dear Sir:

In answer to your inquiry of the 17th inst. I would state that the 7 inch centipede, mounted dry, is not desired for the Museum collection. Thanking you for your kind offer, I remain,

Very respectfully,
D.L. Huntington
Deputy Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 21

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 03961

June 21, 1899

1st Lieut. C. B. Millhoff,
Asst. Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Comdg. U.S. Genl. Hospital,
Camp Meade, Pa.

Sir:

The sample of blood sent by you on the 20th inst. in the case of Private Frank Gallay, Co. I, 2nd U.S. Vol. Infty., has been examined and gives a positive reaction. The case appears to be one of typhoid fever. Box returned herewith.

Very respectfully,
Walter Reed
Major & Surgeon,
U.S. Army

Monday, June 20, 2011

Letter of the Day: June 20

AEM/caw

20 June 1960

Mr. Isidore B. Meyer
Coordinator of Exhibit
Civil War Centennial
Jewish Historical Commission
1109 Fifth Avenue
New York 28, New York

Dear Mr. Meyer:

Reference is made to your letter of 10 June relative to the loan of operating instruments for incorporation in your Centennial Exhibit.

These insturments, presently on loan to the B'nai B'rith Museum in Washington, will be made available to you on or about the 15th of October 1960.

As these items are not insured, it would be appreciated if you could have them insured for five hundred dolares ($500.00).

If we can be of any further assistance to you, please feel free to write.

Sincerely yours,

Albert E Minns Jr
Colonel MSC
Curator, Medical Museum

Letter of the Day: June 20

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 06780

Army Medical Museum,
June 20, 1903.

Circular Order.

Hereafter no employs of the Surgeon General's Office, except commissioned Officers connected therewith, Dr. Fletcher, Dr. Hodge, Dr. Garrison, the Principal Clerks of the Divisions, Mr. Stone, Mr. Myers, Mr. Clark and Mr. Hardy of the Library, will be admitted to this building on Sundays. Also Dr. Lamb [handwritten note]

The night watchman must remain on duty until 8 A.M. The Superintendent of the building will instruct the watchman and see that these orders are strictly complied with.

Calvin DeWitt
Col. Asst. Surgeon General, U.S.A.
In charge of Museum & Library Division.

June 27, 1903.
Besides the persons above mentioned, Dr. D.S. Lamb and Mr. B Israeli will also be admitted on Sundays.
By order of Col C. DeWitt, Asst. Surgeon General U.S.A.
Coj[?] Myers