An unofficial blog about the National Museum of Health and Medicine (nee the Army Medical Museum) in Silver Spring, MD. Visit for news about the museum, new projects, musing on the history of medicine and neat pictures.
Monday, October 19, 2009
More Agent Orange news
Acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy
AL amyloidosis
Chloracne
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Diabetes Mellitus (type 2)
Hodgkin's disease
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Prophyria cutanea tarda
Prostate cancer
Respiratory cancer
Soft tissue sarcoma other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma
Here's a link to the Washington Post article about Agent Orange and the new diseases.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Morbid Anatomy in Time Out New York
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/halloween/79539/morbid-anatomy-library
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Blog tip - Civil War Medicine (and Writing)
Trade literature additions
Blotter - Phedros eases spasmodic and irritating bronchial coughs due to colds.
Blotter - Agarol for Constipation, William E Warner & Co.
Blotter - Alcaroid, an effective alkalizer and digestant, American Ferment Company.
[American Ferment Company? An honest name at least.]
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Dr. Paul Cannon's vision of the future
But he ended with his vision of the future. I think he'd be pretty disappointed to see what little progress has been made.
--Vaccinations for leukemia and cancer
--Control of population explosion
--Control of atherogenic elements [having to do with cardiac disease, if I read Google correctly]
--Control of air pollution
--Control of water pollution
--Control of factors of mental health
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Another museum selling collections to pay bills
Widow of Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum founder works to save husband's legacy
By Joan Mazzolini, The Plain Dealer
October 05, 2009, 6:29PM
NARA on MSHWR
National Archives
9th and Penn Ave, NW
Tuesday, October 27, at 11 A.M.
Room G-24, Research Center (Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue)
Civil War Medicine
Archives specialist Rebecca Sharp and reference librarian Nancy Wing discuss The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. This published source contains details of Civil War medical and surgical procedures, and information about individual patients. (This lecture will be repeated at the National Archives at College Park, MD, in Lecture Room B, on Thursday, October 29, at 11 a.m.)
This one looks relevant too:
Tuesday, October 6, at 11 A.M.
Room G-24, Research Center (Enter on Pennsylvania Avenue)
Documenting Death in the Civil War
John Deeben, genealogy archives specialist at the National Archives, explores death records created during and after the Civil War by the War Department, examining how they documented personal circumstances of soldiers’ deaths in various situations, including the battlefield and military hospitals and prisons. (This lecture will be repeated at the National Archives at College Park, MD, in Lecture Room B, on Thursday, October 8, at 11 a.m.)
*The Army Medical Museum (ie us) wrote the book and we retain original records and specimens that were used to compile it.**
**We also scanned it for you all.
More good stuff from the Registry
James Carroll was a Major in the Army who worked with Walter Reed on his yellow fever research. He volunteered to be bitten by a mosquito that had previously bitten three others who had yellow fever. He contracted the disease and several years later died of cardiac disease that was attributed to his bout of yellow fever.
Here's a letter from the President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, petitioning a Congressman to grant a special pension to Carroll's widow.
Page 1
Page 2
And here is the Congressman's reply.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought being a Major in the Army meant you were in military service to your country.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Red Cross selling items from Archives to close budget gap
Red Cross to Auction Off Little Pieces of Its History
By STEPHANIE STROM
Published: October 3, 2009
To help address a $50 million budget deficit, the American Red Cross will sell some of the memorabilia it has squirreled away over many years.
This is a trend we're seeing more and more of.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Garfield autopsy letter
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
You never know what you'll find in the archives
Two pictures from 1898
SKIN LESIONS OF HOG CHOLERA. AMM 489
SENDING CARRIER PIGEON FROM RELIEF (DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR). AMM 64
More new pictures will go up on our Flickr site tonight as I browsed and picked some using the new software.
Museum's scanning software upgrade adds thumbnails
Feed the Dawgs
Here's Mike's email:
Just wanted to pass this along to all my "dog friends." I know things are tight all around but if your are looking to support our troops (both 2-legged and 4-legged) this may a good choice. More info at their site http://feedthedawgs.com/FeedtheDawgs.aspx If you get a chance, check it out.
ARF!
Mike
Vaughn,
Will you forward my email to the other VDHA Unit Directors and have them pass it on to the members of their units. The Feed the Dawgs guys are doing a great thing for today's dogmen and women. They can use our support if any of the guys can afford to make a donation.
Thanks,
Jim Stewart 377 SPS Unit Director VDHA
377 SPS K9 9/67-9/68 Dobe 7X49
Guys,
I just received an email from our brother 377 SPS dogman, Jon Hemp. He is involved with Feed the Dawgs, to which I have just made a donation, and they could use some additional donations to keep going. Jon explained their upcoming project like this.
Just about every time it looks like we're running out of fuel and headin' for the ditch, someone steps up. No money from donations has ever been spent on anything BUT the new troops. A big piece of your donation will go towards feeding 82 3rd Marine Division Dawgs at 29 Palms on 7 November. Best guess is that the event will cost us approximately $700 to $800 once we have a final headcount including family members, vet detachment, PAO personnel and the Base Commander - estimated now at 130 people.
The Feed the Dawgs web site is at: http://feedthedawgs.com/FeedtheDawgs.aspx
If you can help this group of guys feed some of today's MWD handlers send your donation in the name Jon Hemp to:
Jon Hemp
1437 Revelation Way
Redlands, CA 92374
Sunday, September 27, 2009
"New" Civil War picture found
The text says, Eugene Shaw M.D. Written up in New York Herald for bravery and skill on the battle fields of the Civil War - 21 years old when he was made Ass't Surgeon, 116th NY Regiment.
Rec. Feb. 1939.
Ac. 52965.
Digital archives
One thing that gives me the heebie-jeebies, though, is where the author says, "We horrify archivists when we talk about digitizing things and then throwing them away. Of course, one need not destroy the physical object after making a digital copy, but one of the most enjoyable aspects of Total Recall is the reduction of clutter; it is especially satisfying to shred one's papers and eliminate rows of filing cabinets and shelves. When curators come to deal with our archives, they will surely find hundreds fewer physical objects because of Total Recall. But they will have hundreds of thousands of additional digital artifacts. Whether you agree that is a highly positive trade-off, it is surely coming."
Archivists are fascinated by having/handling the real thing. I'm a big fan of not keeping multiple copies of some journal article but no way is some one-of-a-kind document going through the shredder because we've scanned it. Will I pitch my uncle's handwritten pages of his poetry because I have 600 ppi scans of them? I'll keep that clutter, thank you.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Darwin Symposium: Finished Proofs? A symposium to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species (1859)
The History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine and the Office of History at the National Institutes of Health are pleased to announce a symposium:
Finished Proofs? A symposium to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species (1859)
Location: Lister Hill Auditorium, National Library of Medicine (NIH)
8600 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 38A
Bethesda, MD
Date: 1 October 2009
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:15 PM
SPEAKERS:
Janet Browne, Harvard University
Eric Green, National Human Genome Research Institute
Michael Ruse, Florida State University
Barry Werth, Independent Author
Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
COMMENTATORS:
Nathaniel Comfort, Johns Hopkins University
Alan E. Guttmacher, National Human Genome Research Institute
Joe Palca, National Public Radio
Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution for Science
All are welcome.
Michael J. North, northm@mail.nih.gov
Head of Rare Books & Early Manuscripts
History of Medicine Division
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
(301) 496-9204 * fax (301) 402-0872
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Inventor of medical ultrasound has died
Civil War Reenactment at NMHM next Saturday, 10/3, 10am-5pm
“Civil War Reenactment at the Medical Museum”
When: Saturday, October 3, 2009, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where: The National Museum of Health and Medicine
Building 54
What: The grounds of the nation’s medical museum will be transformed into a living history experience of Regular Army life during the Civil War. Displays on Civil War medicine and the role of the Sanitary Commission will be available along with exhibits on camp life, infantry drilling exercises and 19th century weapons displays. Children will enjoy hands-on activities such as building a replica of the hospital ship USS Red Rover, making a medical unit flag and creating a pin-hole camera.
Performances by the Federal City Brass Band at 10:00, 11:00, 1:30 & 2:30.
The reenactment is made possible by members of the 3rd U.S. Regular Infantry Reenactors. AFIP’s very own YN2(AW) Kelly Cochran is a member of the 3rd U.S. and will participate in the program!
While visiting the reenactment, visitors are encouraged to tour the Museum's permanent exhibition "To Bind Up the Nation's Wounds: Medicine During the Civil War." NMHM was founded in 1862 to study battlefield medicine in order to improve the care of the soldier.
The event will take place on the west grounds of the museum and in the museum galleries. This family event is open to the Walter Reed community and the general public.
Cost: FREE
Free parking available. Photo ID required.
For more information: nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil or (202) 782-2673
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
NY Times on insurance falling behind medical technology
By ASHLEE VANCE
Published: September 15, 2009
Devices like iPhones and netbook PCs that can help the speech-impaired are not covered by Medicare or insurers.