Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Cache

Health.mil has undergone a recent update. For the best user experience we recommend clearing your browser cache.

Military Medical Museum Celebrates 160th Birthday with Mobile App

Image of National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, visitor uses the NMHM mobile app while looking at objects from the Innovations in Military Medicine Gallery. (National Museum of Health and Medicine photo by Ian Herbst). National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, Maryland, visitor uses the NMHM mobile app while looking at objects from the Innovations in Military Medicine Gallery. (National Museum of Health and Medicine photo by Ian Herbst)

On May 21, 1862, Army Surgeon General William Hammond issued Circular No. 2: "As it is proposed to establish in Washington, an Army Medical Museum, Medical officers are directed diligently to collect…all specimens of morbid anatomy, surgical or medical…; together with projectiles and foreign bodies removed, and such other matters as may prove of interest in the study of military medicine or surgery."

From the development of the typhoid vaccine to the invention of the photomicrograph for the study of pathological specimens, the museum has been involved in the forefront of military medical research. Now, 160 years later, the Army Medical Museum is still collecting, researching, and informing on the study of military medicine as the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

As a repository detailing the history of military medical innovation and research, NMHM engages visitors with specimens and artifacts from the Civil War to modern-day combat support.

"Few of the nation's more than thirty thousand museums reach the century mark; fewer still have had the privilege of caring for a collection as remarkable as this for 160 years," museum director Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., said. "But this museum, even from its earliest days, was not one that focused exclusively on interpreting the past. Learning from it, of course; preserving it, always; but contributing it to the future of military medicine? That's something that we are uniquely well-positioned to do, and we look forward to accomplishing that for the visitors and researchers for many more years. We'll continue to do this with a dedicated professional staff and a cadre of generous and creative volunteers."

In honor of the museum's 160th birthday, NMHM will release a mobile app.

The museum experience has transformed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, compelling museums and other cultural institutions to adapt to the continually changing atmosphere in visitor engagement. One such change is the inclusion of a virtual environment. With the offering of virtual opportunities, to include events, tours, and exhibits, NMHM continues to engage visitors.

The app can be accessed on any mobile device and will provide viewers with additional content about the museum's collections.

For example, the fractured tibia and fibula (lower leg bones) from Civil War Union general, Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles, and the type of cannonball that injured him are on display at the museum. The app will showcase supplementary imagery and link to articles and other resources to provide further context and enhance the visitor experience.

According to Andrea Schierkolk, museum public programs manager, "The mobile app will provide visitors with a more universal approach toward exploring the museum onsite or from remote locations. This hybrid approach will improve the visitor experience by making the museum's exhibits, collections, and programs more accessible to a wider audience. App users will be able to listen to stories, watch videos, and look at images that will allow them to explore innovations in military medicine from a variety of perspectives."

Plan your visit to NMHM today, and explore the app on May 21, 2022.

You also may be interested in...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Alan Hawk, collections manager of the historical collections at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, presents a talk titled, ”’Cotton Mather, You Dog, Damn You,’ a History of Vaccine Hesitancy.” Hawk was one of several speakers talking about vaccine hesitation among service members at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium on Aug. 17.

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

U.S. Air Force Major William Davis, with the 59th Medical Wing, Defense Health Agency, accepts an honorable mention award in the poster sessions at the 2023 MHSRS in Kissimmee, Florida on Aug. 17. David received the award for research on “Reliability of Continuous Noninvasive Hemoglobin Monitoring in Healthy Participants During En Route Care Training. ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Alan Hawk, collections manager of the historical collections at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, presents a talk titled, ”’Cotton Mather, You Dog, Damn You,’ a History of Vaccine Hesitancy,” Hawk was one of several speakers talking about vaccine hesitation among service members at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium on Aug. 17.

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Anna Adetona, with the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, accepts an honorable mention award in the poster sessions at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida on Aug. 17. She received the award for research on “Force Health Protection: Understanding Emerging Health Risks in the Arctic and the Threat of ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

U.S. Air Force Capt. Zahari Tchopev, with the 959th Medical Group at San Antonio Military Medical Center in Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston, Texas, receives second place in the 2023 MHSRS Young Investigator Award for his presentation titled “Incidence and Clinical Features of Nightmare Disorder and Trauma Associated with Sleep Disorder in U ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Lauren Hurtado, with the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, presents her talk about why service members are hesitant in receiving vaccinations, including the COVD-19 vaccination. Her talk was titled “Examining Associations Between Perceptions of Leadership and covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Sailors,” during the DOD’s annual four-day 2023 ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

U.S. Army Capt. Margeaux Auslander, presents her talk about why service members are hesitant about receiving vaccinations, including the COVD-19 vaccination. Her talk was titled “COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes, Intentions, and Uptake among U.S. Soldiers: Trends over Time and Associations with Demographics Leader Behaviors, and Intentions to Leave Service, ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Ian Stanley, with the department of emergency medicine at Anschutz Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield, University of Colorado School of Medicine, receives first place in the 2023 MHSRS Young Investigator Award for his presentation titled, “Lethal Means Safety Counseling Among Firearm-Owning U.S. National Guard Personnel: Hyperarousal Symptoms ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Danielle Ali, biologic scientist with the Naval Medical Research Command Biological Defense Research directorate, accepts an award for second place in the poster sessions at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida on Aug. 17. She received the award for research into high-efficacy assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. ...

Photo
Aug 17, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Andrew Clark, with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Services, receives third place in the 2023 MHSRS Young Investigator Award for his presentation titled ”Combating Volumetric Muscle Loss: An Investigation of Two-Staged Treatment Strategy Utilizing an Acute Muscle Void Filler Followed by Delayed Definitive Treatment” at the 2023 ...

Photo
Aug 16, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Heather Mahaney, with the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, gives a presentation titled, “Demographic Characteristics and Outcomes of Active Duty Service Members with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 2020 – 2023,” during the DOD’s annual four-day 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, on Aug. 15.

Photo
Aug 16, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Shawn Eagle, with the department of neurological surgery at University of Pittsburgh, gives a presentation titled, ”Identifying Potential Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Early Trauma-Related Neurodegeneration in Military Personnel,” during the DOD’s annual four-day 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, on Aug. 15.

Photo
Aug 16, 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Military Health System Research Symposium 2023

Members of the Defense Health Agency research and engineering team welcome several senior leaders at their booth at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium on Aug. 16 in Kissimmee, Florida. Pictured are, from the left; U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Troy Brown, command senior enlisted leader to the DHA assistant director of support; U ...

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 16, 2024
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery