American Defenders of Land, Sea & Sky
A Young Nation Divided The Civil War (1861-1865)
We documented advances in medicine.
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American Defenders of Land, Sea & Sky A Young Nation Divided The Civil War (1861-1865) |
We documented advances in medicine. |
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National Museum of Health and Medicine Union Army surgeon General William A. Hammond established this fascinating museum in 1862 as a national center for the study of injuries and disease. He ordered doctors on battlefields to send limbs and specimens--packed in whisky as a preservative--so they could be dissected for educational purposes. Today, if you visit the museum you can see surgical implements from the Civil War period, including a bone saw. You can also see 19th century dental instruments, including a wind-up tooth drill and a twist-and-pull extraction tool. In all, the museum houses almost 17,000 anatomical specimens and 12,000 historical artifacts. |
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