National Museum of Health and Medicine
The National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM), originally established as the Army Medical Museum in 1862 by Surgeon General William A. Hammond, holds one of the world's most significant collections of medical and pathological specimens. For over a century, the museum operated as a division of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
Origins and Evolution
In 1862, amid the Civil War, Hammond directed Army surgeons to collect "specimens of morbid anatomy, surgical or medical, which may be regarded as valuable" and forward them to Washington. What began as a wartime medical intelligence effort grew into the nation's premier pathology research institution.
The museum underwent several name changes reflecting its expanding mission: Army Medical Museum (1862), Medical Museum of the AFIP (1949), Armed Forces Medical Museum (1974), and finally National Museum of Health and Medicine (1989). Each transition marked a broadening of scope — from military surgical documentation to comprehensive medical heritage preservation.
Collections
The NMHM embodies five major collections comprising approximately 25 million artifacts:
In the early 1990s, the museum acquired two internationally significant research collections: neuroanatomical specimens from the AFIP and the Carnegie Institution of Science's developmental anatomy collection from its Department of Embryology.
Notable Artifacts
The museum's most renowned holdings relate to President Abraham Lincoln. On display are the bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth's derringer, the surgical probe used by the Army Surgeon General to locate the bullet during the post-mortem examination, fragments of Lincoln's skull and hair, and the autopsy surgeon's shirt cuff stained with the president's blood. A cast of Lincoln's life mask and hands, made by Leonard Volk in 1860, is also displayed.
The collection ranges from a circa-1660 Robert Hooke microscope to a two-ton MRI magnet — spanning the full arc of medical technology. Archival holdings include personal papers of physicians, nurses, and scientists; records from military medical organizations; and extensive photographic documentation of Civil War medicine, industrial health, forensic pathology, and the effects of the atomic bomb.
The Otis Historical Archives
The museum's Otis Historical Archives contain primary source materials documenting the history of military medicine, forensic science, and public health. Collections include medical illustration portfolios, institutional records, and the papers of notable figures in American military medicine. These materials constitute an irreplaceable record of how forensic and diagnostic practices evolved from the Civil War through the twentieth century.
Current Status
Following AFIP's decommission in 2011, the museum transferred to the Defense Health Agency and relocated to Forest Glen Annex in Silver Spring, Maryland. It continues to serve its dual mission of preserving medical heritage and supporting education, providing researchers and the public with access to materials that document the evolution of medical science across more than 160 years.