National Museum of Civil War Medicine

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is a U.S. historic education institution located in Frederick, Maryland. Its focus involves the medical, surgical and nursing practices during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

History

The museum, which was originally proposed by Dr. Gordon E. Damman, a private collector of Civil War-era medical artifacts, was incorporated in 1990 and first opened to the public in 1996.^[1] The museum moved into its current location – a three-story 19th century brick building that was home to a furniture maker/undertaker operation during the Civil War – in October 2000.^[2]

Focus

The 7,000-square-foot (650 m²) museum consists of five immersion exhibits that recreate aspects of Civil War medical issues: life in an army camp, evacuation of the wounded from the battlefront, a field dressing station, a field hospital and a military hospital ward. The exhibits incorporate surviving tools and equipment from the war, including the only known surviving Civil War surgeon’s tent, surgical kits, and items pertaining to veterinary medicine.^[3]

In 2006, the museum, in cooperation with the U.S. National Park Service, began operating the Pry House Field Hospital Museum at the Antietam National Battlefield.^[4] The same year, the museum made its first foray into book publishing with the release of Robert G. Slawson’s Prologue to Change: African Americans in Medicine in the Civil War Era.^[5] The museum is also the organizer for an annual national conference on Civil War-era medicine.^[6]

References

1. ^ "Museum History". National Museum of Civil War Medicine. http://civilwarmed.org/information/MuseumHistory.aspx. Retrieved 2009-03-11. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "National Museum of Civil War Medicine Reopens Oct. 21 in Maryland". Civil War News. October 2000. http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/articles/natmus-cwm.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-11. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Museum of Civil War Medicine Examines How Medics Worked". Wheeling News-Register. September 10, 2007. http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/52870.html?nav=608. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
4. ^ Karen Gardner (May 25, 2008). "Pry House opens to public". Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/archives/display_detail.htm?StoryID=82874. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
5. ^ Nicholas C. Stern (February 1, 2009). "Civil War author researches early African-American doctors". Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/archives/display_detail.htm?StoryID=92829. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
6. ^ Karen Gardner (October 02, 2008). "Conference focuses on Civil War Medicine". Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/archives/display_detail.htm?StoryID=88046. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 

External links

• National Museum of Civil War Medicine web site