Evening star., 1925-06-07
YOU AND UNCLE SAM
Series Of Educational articles Telling How Federal
is Organized and Hou 1t Functions-W ritten
Expressly for School Children.
No. 6O-America' Great Medical Museum

The entire medical profession OF the
United States is in close cooperation
with and derives direct benefit from
the Army Medical Museum through
, the American Congress of Physicians
and Surgeons which meets every three
years i'm Washington: The only two
other medical museums in all the
world at all comparable with the Army
Museum are the Musee du Val de
Grace in Paris and the German War
Museum in Berlin. But the Wash.
ington museum is the only institution
in the world which has the books of
reference and the LESSONS" or material
illustrating diseases under one roof in
such large quantities for convenient
study.
This museum. UNSURPASSED any.
where in importance of service rem.
dered to all the people. was started in
1852 under the direction of Surg. Cen
William A. Hammond, for the purpose
of collecting specimens of morbid
anatomy for the study ot those dis
eased conditions, medical and surci.
cal. occurring during the Civil War,
The Government had in view the edu-
cation of medical officers to better, mn.
derstand and cope with diseases To
which the military are particularly
liable. and thereby increase military
efficiency.
The finest collection, of material
representing the injuries of war and
a great many medical conditions has
been made, and these are considered
10 nave been the greatest single fac.
tor In advancing our knowledge of war
injuries and disease. The officers In
charge at the Army Medical Museum
were largely responsible for produc.
tlon - the Medical and Surgical His
tory OF the War of the Rebellion. ~
recognized as a standard work.
Ihe physicians in civil life with
whom the Army medical officers oh
tam their training are concerned with
the diseases of more or less definite
localities, changing little from time 10
tl1ne, ana they can therefore constant
ly see at post mortems the LESSONS"
or Visualization of the conditions thew
are called upon to treat. Wars occur
Dut seldom and in order to prepare
the medical officers of the Arn,y to
treat the injuries and diseases most
prevalent during hostilities, ii is neces
safy that there be preserved sneci
mems illustrating the morbid anatomy
whenever the opportunity affords. Al
tne present time our military surgeons
are constantly placed at stations in
foreign countries and distant possAs
'''SI y NhHVS1SSS ludl are almost
unknown in the United States are en-.
denlc. Physical Illustrations of these
diseases must, therefore, be brought
70 the Army medical center for in
structlon of student officers.
tnder our new National Defense Act
the Medical Department OF the Army.
IL actively concerned in the education
VI an tnose medical officers. present or
potential tstudents in the medical
schoois or the United States), and so
is endeavoring to obtain sufficient
specimens both of distinctiyelv war
diseases and those other preyaIen+
elsewhere in the world, but not readily
accessible 10 the medical schools in
tnls country. No other national or.
sanlzation is as well eouipped 10 col.
Iect and distribute this material so
lHdt IL may come within the reach Of
the medical profession of our co,ntrv
Army medical officers are sent n
every place where any disease known
10 theolcai science may be met with
An international exchange undar
the auspices OF the InternafionaI A.
sociation of Medical Museunsl for
erhlsnlns pathological departments
OF medical schools with materials
from distant fields. in which all the
eminent pathologists of the world were
cooperating through the curator of
the Army Medical Museum was in an.
Grafton when the World War broke Off
communication between many of the