THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL MUSEUM

OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE

     C. EVERETT KOOP, M.D.
THE COUNCIL OF MEDICAL SPECIALTY SOCIETIES

CHICAGO, IL

MARCH 3,199O


THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL MUSEUM

OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE

      C. EVERETT KOOP, M.D.

THE COUNCIL OF MEDICAL SPECIALTY SOCIETIES

         CHICAGO, IL

         MARCH 3,199O


FOR EIGHT YEARS I HAD AN OFFICE ON THE 7TH FLOOR OF THE

HUMPHREY BUILDING FROM THE WINDOWS OF WHICH I COULD

LOOK OUT ON THE MALL. TO THE RIGHT WAS THE CAPITAL. FAR

TO THE LEFT, IF I GOT WELL OVER TO THE RIGHT I COULD SEE

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. JUST BEFORE ME WAS THE

REFLECTING POOL.


IN THE SPRING TIME, WHEN WASHINGTON ATTRACTS LITERALLY

MILLIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKING THEIR JUNIOR OR

SENIOR TRIPS TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL, I USED TO WATCH

THOSE YOUNGSTERS LINE UP OPPOSITE THE REFLECTING POOL


ON MARBLE STEPS TO HAVE THEIR PICTURES TAKEN BY A

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. INCIDENTLY, I ALWAYS

WONDERED HOW HE GOT THE CONCESSION.


WHAT USED TO GO THROUGH MY MIND ON THOSE OCCASIONS

WAS NOT THAT MY HIGH SCHOOL NEVER MADE A TRIP TO

WASHINGTON. NOT THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO ACCOMPANY SOME


OF MY GRANDCHILDREN WHEN THEY CAME.


BUT RATHER THAT THOSE YOUNGSTERS, EAGER,

IMPRESSIONABLE, AND LOOKING FOR A GUIDING LIGHT IN THEIR

LIVES HAD NO OPPORTUNITY IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL TO BE

STIMULATED TO ENTER A FIELD OF             , HEALTH, OR

MEDICINE.


INSTEAD THEY WOULD BE STIMULATED TO THINK OF CAREERS IN
              /VA we

ANYTHING FROM THE FBI TO THE#U%@&l OF CURRENCY AND

FROM JOINING ONE OF THE ARMED FORCES TO BEING PART OF

THE CONQUEST OF SPACE.


IN 1981, WHEN I LOOKED OUT ON THE REPETITIVE PHOTO

OPPORTUNlTlES THESE YOUNG PEOPLE PROVIDED, THERE WERE

NOT A NUMBER OF OTHER INDICATIONS THAT MY CONCERNS

WERE LEGITIMATE. SCIENCE TEACHERS ABOUNDED.


GRADE SCHOOLS, JUNIOR HIGHS, AND HIGH SCHOOLS HAD NO

DIFFICULTY IN FINDING TEACHERS OF BIOLOGY OR HEALTH

SCIENCES. MEDICAL SCHOOLS HAD A COMFORTABLE TEN

APPLICANTS FOR EVERY SLOT IN THE AGGREGATE CLASSES.


BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED. LAST YEAR WHEN I HAD THE

PRIVILEGE OF ACCEPTING AN AWARD FROM THE COUNCIL OF

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY PRESIDENTS, I WAS STRUCK BY THE FACT
            0 FyTzE$9

THAT SO MANY OF THOSE m CAME TO ME AND SHARED

THEIR CONCERN OVER THE DIFFICULTIES # THEIR PARTICULAR

SCIENTIFIC BODY WAS HAVING IN ATTRACTING PROPER YOUNG

PEOPLE TO CARRY ON THE TRADITION.


LAST YEAR THREE AMERICAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS ADVERTISED IN
    IQ Pfw/tAi73
APRIL FOR - TO ENTER MEDICAL SCHOOL WITH THE

STUDENTS STARTING IN SEPTEMBER. THIS YEAR THERE ARE NOT

TEN BUT 1.6 STUDENTS APPLYING FOR EACH SLOT IN THE

AGGREGATE MEDICAL SCHOOLS.


IN SHORT, CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE PROVEN THAT MY CONCERN

NINE YEARS AGO WAS A LEGITIMATE ONE,THAT CONCERN IS

CALLING THOSE OF US IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS AND
fica LcrdC

TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE RECRUITERS. WE

HAVE A DIRE NEED TO A'ITRACT YOUNG PEOPLE TO TAKE OUR

PLACES.

10


HOW CAN SUCH A STATE OF AFFAIRS IN THE UNITED STATES BE

AFFECTED BY ACTIVITY IN THE NATIONS CAPITAL. .

LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO A FEW YEARS BEFORE 1966. THE

WEALTHY PHILANTHROPIST, JOSEPH H. HIRSHHORN HAD

ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 5500 ART TREASURES AND HAD AN

EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS FOR ADDITIONAL ACQUISITIONS TO A


MUSEUM.

11


I AM TOLD, ON RELIABLE AUTHORITY, THAT HE PLANNED TO RUN

ROUGH-SHOD OVER ANY OPPOSITION TO BUILDING A MUSEUM


FOR HIS COLLECTION ON THE MALL. HE ALSO WANTED THE


MUSEUM TO BE IN THE SHAPE OF A HUGE BAGEL. ONE

WONDERS HOW THE SAME INDIVIDUAL COULD HAVE COLLECTED


5500 WORKS OF ART AND HAVE SUCH REMARKABLE


ARCHITECTURAL TASTE.

12


IT WAS ARGUED THAT THE ONLY AVAILABLE SPACE ON THE MALL

WAS A TRACT ON INDEPENDENCE AVENUE BETWEEN 7TH AND 9TH

STREETS AND EXTENDING THOUGHT TO MADISON DRIVE.

ONE WONDERS WHERE THE TERM "AVAILABLE" CAME FROM

BECAUSE THAT TRACT WAS OCCUPIED BY WHAT WAS CALLED

THE ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM OR AS IT WAS AFFECTIONATELY

KNOWN IN WASHINGTON, "THE OLD RED BRICK BUILDING."

13


STAN>OPE BAYNE JONES, A RETIRED BRIGADIER GENERAL AND

MICROBIOLOGIST CONTENDED THAT THE MUSEUM AND ITS

RESEARCH CENTER SHOULD NOT BE SEPARATED, THAT THE

MOVE WOULD BE COSTLY AND THAT SliCH A MOVE NO MATTER


WHERE IT WENT WOULD SHORT CHANGE THE FACILITY AND


DELAY RESEARCH PROJECTS.

14


THERE WAS AT THAT TIME A SURGEON, DURWARD G. HALL,
SERVING IN CONGRESS AS A REPUBLICAN FROM MISSOURI. HE
CONTENDED THAT THE PROPOSED MUSEUM SHOULD NOT BUMP

15


UNFORTUNATELY, THROUGH KEY COMMITTEE MEMBERS,

LEGISLATION PROVIDING FOR THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM TO BE

ERECTED AS PLANNED BY THE WHITE HOUSE, B
&If ~9%&7 juf 3%5-y/T &J/7& /fw &+Ymaw/72-E CudfficY h"ldhf;
S. DILLION RIPLEY, SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN, UNDER

WHOSE JURISDICTION THE MUSEUM WOULD FALL, ARGUED THAT

THE SIGHT OF THE RED BRICK BUILDING WAS THE ONLY ONE OF

APPROPRIATE SIZE AND LOCATION FOR DISPLAYING THE

VALUABLE HIRSHHORN COLLECTION.

16


IN RESEARCHING THIS EPISODE IN WASHINGTON HISTORY, I

CAME ACROSS A HAND WRITTEN NOTE ON A DOCUMENT DATED
                    /H 7t4f H-bA+-d

JUNE 6TH 1971 SIGNED BY AN UNKNOWN PARTlClPAN>THAT SAID,
"I HOPE A WHOLE IN THE EARTH OPENS UP AND SWALLOWS

RIPLEY AND HIRSHHORN.

17


I AM IMPRESSED WITH DURWARD HALLpWHOM I NEVER KNEW.
ON ONE OCCASION HE SAID, "I HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE DO NOT

MAKE THE MISTAKE AT GLORIFYING THE ARTS AT THE EXPENSE

OF AN ART ITSELF-MEDICINE-AND I FEEL THAT IS WHAT WOULD
       k=fw

HAPPEN IF WE- THE SPECIFIC SIGHT RECOMMENDATION

PROPOSED."

18


AS THE ARGUMENTS HEATED UP BETWEEN 1966 AND 1971, THE

HISTORY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE OLD RED BRICK BUILDING WERE

BROUGHT TO THE Al-l'ENTlON OF CONGRESS OVER AND OVER

19


SOME OF YOU REMEMBER THE NAME DR. JOHN SFAW BILLINGS,

THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE ARMY AND THE MUSEUM'S

FOURTH CURATOR DURING THE YEARS OF 1883 TO 93. HE

AMASSED THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE

MICROSCOPES, STILL IN OF THE ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF

PATHOLOGY.


IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT
            /tJ OHN SHAW BILLINGS HELPED

HERMAN HOLLERITH DEVELOP AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO SORT
   cp

PUNCH DATA CARDS FOR ?HE NATIONAL CENSUS. THIS WAS THE

FOREkJNNER OF THE IBM CORPORATlONb CONTRIBUTING TO

THE REVOLUTION WE HAVE HAD IN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL IN

THIS CENTURY.

20


ANOTHER SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY DR. BILLINGS BECAME THE

INDEX MEDICUS, AND THE LIBRARY STARTED BY THE MEDICAL

MUSEUM WHICH WAS THE ORIGINAL ARMY SURGEON GENERAL'S

LIBRARY DID BECOME THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE.

21


IT WAS ALSO IN THAT BUILDING THAT THE INITIAL EXPERIMENTS
      -?se-      pw-&J
WERE DONE ON,$TAINING ANDRHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT BOTH

OF WHICH MADE POSSIBLE MICROBIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY AS

WE KNOW IT TODAY.

IN THE EARLY 1900s WALTER REED AND HARRIS ASTERDE
     P     G#
GRAMONDE, DISCOVER THE MODE OF YELLOW FEVER

TRANSMISSION. THE PANAMA CANAL COULD NOT HAVE BEEN

BUILT WITHOUT THAT KNOWLEDGE.

23


NOT LONG AFTER, FREDERICK RUSSELL, MUSEUM CURATOR AT

THAT TIME, DEVELOPED A TYPHOID VACCINE THAT PROTECTED
                   -TlrA 7

AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS AGAINST DISEASE DURING

AND AFTER WWI.

24


I HAVE AN ESPECIALLY SOFT SPOT IN MY HEART FOR BlLLlkGS

BECAUSE IT WAS HIS RECOMMENDATIO~ON THE MARINE
                         ?ldE

HOSPITAL SYSTEM THAT LED DIRECTLY TO ESTABLISHMENT OF
         th

THE COMMISSION CORPS OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC

HEALTH SERVICE, WHOSE UNIFORM I WORE WITH PRIDE FOR

EIGHT YEARS.

22


NOW I AM NOT OPPOSED TO ART IN ANY WAY AND I AM GLAD

THAT JOSEPH HIRSHHORN HAD THE FORESIGHT TO LEAVE HIS

TREMENDOUS COLLECTION AND ASSOCIATED FUNDS TO THE

UNITED STATES IN ORDER THAT THESE PRECIOUS, UNIQUE

OBJECTS COULD BE VIEWED BY ALL OF OUR CITIZENS.

25


1 DON'T EVEN MIND THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HIRSHHORN

ALTHOUGH I DO HAVE A LITTLE DIFFICULTY STOMACHING HIS

EXPRESSED DESIRE TO BUILD A HUGE BAGEL ON THE MALL,

PARDON THE PUN. WHAT I DO FRET AGAINST IS THE SHORT

26


v THE MEDICAL MUSEUM WAS LOCATED IN FORD'S

THEATRE AND IT MOVED IN 1887 TO THE OLD RED BRICK

BUILDING, ARCHITECTURALLY DESCRIBED AS ROMANESQUE

REVIVAL. THE STRUCTURE HAD BEEN LISTED ON THE NATIONAL

REGISTER OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS UNDER THE ANTIQUE ACT OF

1906 BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR .REDEFINED ITS STATUS,

CLAIMING IT WAS THE COLLECTION OF MEDICAL SPECIMENS

WHICH CONSTITUTED THE BUILDINGS IMPORTANCE, NOT THE

BUILDING ITSELF.  /B-Lc &F W&iCLf ewJEJ ~bm~

27


YOU ALL KNOW THAT COLLECTIONS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH

ARCHITECTURE LANDMARKS. IT WAS THE PERSONAL URGING OF
       km 7Af y'/@J~ 4wv

LWDON JOHNSONjN 1968 THAT GOT THE SMITHSONIAN

OFFICIALS TO ACCEPT AS THE ONLY POSSIBLE SIGHT FOR THE

NEW HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, A PLACE

WHERE THE OLD RED BRICK BUILDING STOOD.

28


THE ORIGINAL ARMY SURGEON GENERAL'S LIBRARY WHICH WAS

ALSO HOUSED IN THE FORD THEATRE BECAME THE NATIONAL

LIBRARY OF MEDICINE AS I'M SURE MOST OF YOU KNOW, ITS

COLLECTION OF BOOKS FORMED THE NIDUS AT THE NATIONAL

LIBRARIES' ANTIQUE COLLECTION TODAY.

29


FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS THIS BUILDING HOUSED SOME OF THE

MOST POPULAR AND OF COURSE BAZAAR EXHIBITS OF

WASHINGTON. EVEN TODAY SOME OF THEM STILL ATTRACT THE
   p/ Ivr')

SAME -OF ATTENTION WHERE THEY ARE PRESENTLY

HOUSED AT'THE ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY ON

THE GROUNDS OF WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER-

31


f J C&+- -Ii-r UUJ #
          THE BULLET, THE PROBE, AND THE BITS

OF SKULL FROM PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S FATAL WOUND.

SPEAKING OF ASSASSINATIONS, IT WAS CURATORS OF THE

MUSEUM WHO PERFORMED THE AUTOPSY ON PRESIDENT JAMES

GARFIELD FOLLOWING HIS ASSASSINATION IN 1881.

32


m BRINGS TO MIND ANOTHER INTERESTING ARCHITECTURAL
                          G/v 7tiE pwh~

CONTROVERSY. THE NATIONAL GALLERY TODAY STANDS ON THE
                  #                    /\
SITE OF THE OLD BALTIMORE4 POTOMAC RAILROAD STATION. IT

WAS IN THE MAIN LOBBY OF THAT STATION THAT PRESIDENT

GARFIELD, Iid OFFICE BUT FOUR MONTHS, WAS FATALLY SHOT BY

AN ASSASSIN IN JULY OF 1981.

33


I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT IT WAS A GOOD TRADE TO GET THE

NATIONAL GALLERY FOR THE RAILROAD STATION BECAUSE IN

THE BACK OF THE STATION ITSELF, HANDSOME THOUGH IT

MIGHT HAVE BEEN, THERE WAS A TRAIN SHED THAT STRETCHED

HALF WAY ACROSS THE MALL AND THERE WERE PILES OF COAL

FOR THE ENGINES THAT HAD BECOME A SOURCE OF

CONSIDERABLE ANNOYANCE IN WASHINGTON.

34


THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRADE OFF OF A STATION FOR

THE NATIONAL GALLERY AND THE OLD RED BRICK BUILDING FOR

THE HIRSHHORN WAS THAT THEY BUILT THE UNION STATION TO
                    SW(b d

REPLACE THE BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC. ANYONE WHO HAS

SEEN THE REFURBISHED UNION STATION KNOWS THAT IT IS A

BUILDING THAT HAS LIFTED STANDARDS FOR RAILROAD

STATIONS INTO AN ENTIRELY NEW WORLD.

35


WHEN THE OLD RED BRICK BUILDING WAS RAISED IN 1968 IT WAS

ATTRACTING A MILLION VISITORS A YEAR. 36 MiLLION VISITORS

A YEAR COME NOW TO WASHINGTON AND WHO KNOWS HOW

MANY OF THEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED BY AN UPDATED

SERIES OF EXHIBITS? WE KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE MORE THAN

A MILLION, DON'T WE?

36


THE SAD FACT IS THAT LAST YEAR FEWER THAN 40,000 VISITORS

FOUND THEIR WAY TO THE SITE OF THE PRESENT MUSEUM

HOUSED IN THE BUILDING OCCUPIED BY THE ARMED FORCES

INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WALTER

REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER. YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE

MOTIVATED TO JOURNEY NORTH ON GEORGIA AVENUE TO GET


THE AFIP.

37


IF YOU LIKE NUMBERS LISTEN TO THESE. THERE ARE STORED IN
VARIOUS PLACES AROUND TOWN 325,000 HISTORICAL OBJECTS,
15,000 ANATOMICAL SPECIMENS, AND 2.2 MILLION ARCHIVAL
PHOTOS, FILMS, AND DOCUMENTS. THE VALUE OF THE
COLLECTION IS NEARLY HALF A BILLION DOLLARS. LESS THAN
2% OF THE COLLECTION IS ON DISPLAY DUE TO LACK OF SPACE
IN THE CURRENT FACILITY.

38


LET IT BE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT JUST THE DISLOCATION OF

EXHIBITS THAT WAS DISHEARTENING, IT IS THE FACT THAT IN

1968, IN AN ABSOLUTELY UNPRECEDENTED ACTION, AT TIMES I

THINK RATHER SLEAZY IN CHARACTER, THAT THE AMERICAN

PEOPLE LOST THEIR NATIONAL HEALTH MUSEUM.

39


IN THE NEW SITE AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE SPACE WAS LOST,

STAFF WAS LOST, EXHIBITS AND COLLECTIONS DETERIORATED,

VISITORS DECLINED IN NUMBER. IT IS INDEED SAD THAT 90% OF
                           PC

THE COLLECTIONS ARE FUNCTIONALLY INi#fCESSABLE TO
     /WDKPL

PHYSICIANS, SCIENTISTS, AND SCHOLARS IN RESEARCH OR TO
     \

THE PUBLIC FOR EXHIBITION AND EDUCATION.

40


I DON'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT THE MUSEUM IS IDLE. OUR AIDS

EDUCATION EXHIBIT WON THE FIRST PLACE AWARD FROM THE

ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL ILLUSTRATORS. MORE RECENTLY WE

EXHIBITED ART WQRK BY HEADACHE SUFFERERS SPONSORED BY

THE SAND02 COMPANY. THAT COLLECTION IS NOW ON LOAN, -

TRAVELLING ABOUT THE COUNTRY. FINALLY WE HELPED CHANGE


THE NOTION OF HOW BONES HEAL THANKS TO THE RESEARCH

ON THE MUSEUM SKELETAL COLLECTI'ON.

41


CURRENT EFFORTS PROJECTED FOR THE NEAR FUTURE INCLUDE.


THE MOVING THE AIDS EXHIBIT DOWN TO THE HUBERT


HUMPHREY BUILDING WHICH HOUSES HEALTH AND HUMAN

SERVICES, WORKING WITH THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH

ORGANlZATiON TO PRODUCE A TRAVELLING EXHIBIT ON HEALTH


AND MEDICINE IN THE NEW WORLD FOR THE COLUMBUS

QUINCENTENNIAL IN 1992, AND BUILDING A HIGH TECH, VISUALLY

ORIENTED, EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE

PREVENTION INCLUDING ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND TOBACCO AIMED

AT KIDS, TEENS, YOUNG ADULTS.

42


AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, WHEN I LEFT THE OFFICE OF -

SURGEON GENERAL- I HAD INNUMERABLE REQUESTS TO

DO WHAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A CONTINUATION OF MY

PUBLIC SERVICE. I ACCEPTED VERY FEW SUCH OPPORTUNITIES

BUT I DID WANT TO BE INVOLVED WITH THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE.

43


VVHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME TO CHAIR THE FOUNDATION'S  /fg7 Qfcfi
            d6ti Nftibffd, ;;:;es,

BOARD I JUMPED AT IT. I'M JOINED BY PEOPLE LIKEnTED    0 r- IJ tJ -r;

COOPER, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND NOW

CHAIRMAN OF UPJOHN, DR. CAROLYNE DAVIS, NATIONAL AND
                              i5rw~~ (i

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE ADVISOR FOR m YOUNG,

w YOU WILL RECALL SHE CAME IN WITH THE REAGAN

ADMINISTRATION AS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HEALTH CARE

FINANCING ADMINISTRATION.

44


I ENVISION A MUSEUM THAT IS GOING TO BE MORE THAN A

CURIO CABINET SUCH AS WE HAD IN THE 19TH CENTURY. I WANT

A STATE OF THE OF THE ART, INTERACTIVE, AND PARTICIPATIVE

MUSEUM THAT WILL EXCITE KIDS TO DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO

     MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE.

45


WE'RE JUST AT THE STAGE OF GETTING PEOPLE TO

UNDERSTAND THE NEED. OUR 1990 GOAL IS $350,000 DOLLARS.

WE RAISED $125,000 DOLLARS IN 1989. WE ARE PLEASED THAT

SOME MAJOR DONORS HAVE CONTRIBUTED $10,000 OR MORE /+m$)

INCLUDE THE COLLEGE OF AMERICAN PATHOLOGISTS, THE

AMERICAN REGISTRY OF PATHOLOGY, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, THE

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, HOFFMAN-LAROCHE, AND
              /=bQC@iK TJa!wa fl OF PFfP
COLONEL & MRS. MCMiKIN WITH A MATCH FROM IBM.
            4

46


I ENVISION A MUSEUM WITH ALL THE OLD THINGS THAT YOU

WANTED TO SEE STILL THERE, BUT WITH AT LEAST FOUR
INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT CLASSROOMS. THESE WILL BE IN

SIMULTANEOUS USE, USING INTERACTIVE VIDEO DISCS AND
COMPUTERS ENABLING A PROPER TEACHER TO CALL UP AS
MANY AS 64,000 EPISODES, TO ILLUSTRATE HIS TEACHING WITH A
DELAY OF NO LONGER THAN 10 SECONDS.


DO YOU THINK I AM ENTHUSIASTIC, I AM. IF YOU THINK I WANT

YOU TO JOIN WITH ME, I DO. LETS STRIKE A BLOW FOR HEALTH

AND CORRECT THE INJUSTICES OF THE PAST. THANK YOU VERY


MUCH.

48