You Have to Have a Sense of Humor!

     Every morning before the museum opens, I walk through the galleries to check on the artifacts and to ensure that the exhibits are ready for our visitors.  I never know what I am going to find.  Most times all is well, sometimes there are issues I have to address, and sometimes I find little “surprises” left by the visitors!  This morning I took along my camera to document a typical walk-through.

Here's where I start, at the entrance to the exhibits on the second floor of the museum. The lights are on already, but I still need to turn on the monitor for our Faces of Civil War Medicine, and sound system.

A couple of times a week I also duck into our conference room and check on the flags that fly from the second floor windows. If they are tangled, I lean out the window and straighten them. Our Deputy Director refers to this as “Doing a Barbara Fritchie impression!”

This is one of our interactive displays, which allows visitors to identify various bones. I make sure everything is in its proper place. I also have to keep an eye on the (nonfunctional) light fixture above it. Every once in a while someone decides to turn it upside down.

 Of course, I check all the artifacts in the exhibits. This one in our Recruitment gallery contains a bass drum and bugle. Regimental bands were sometimes used to "drum up" recruitment. 

I also check the sound stations in the galleries, and change the batteries as needed. This one is for the “Sick Call” display in our Camp Life gallery.  The doctor here is heard ordering treatments of arsenic and the “blue pill”, which contained mercury, for the soldiers.

If I am going to find anything out of place, it is usually here in our Ambulance Evacuation gallery. People love to put on the wounded soldier’s (reproduction) kepi. It makes for some interesting footage on our security tapes! We have taken notice of this though, and are currently discussing a possible new interactive display in which visitors could try on various pieces of a soldier’s uniform.

     That concludes the walk-through of the second floor, next we go downstairs to the first floor of the museum.

This display is a recreation of a Field Dressing Station on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Notice the reproduction of a medical knapsack. Visitors sometimes leave more modern medicines in the empty slots – I’ve found travel-sized bottles of over-the-counter pain relievers and even packets of Mylanta inside!

Drat! I couldn’t get through this walk-through without spotting a burned out light bulb. I’ll have to change that before the museum opens.

A few people like to pull back the sheet on the “corpse” in our embalming display. Sometimes I am tempted to put a real person there instead, who could open their eyes and say something when the sheet was moved!

Here is part of our final exhibit which shows how modern medicine has been influenced by Civil War medicine. Pictured here is Sam (Soldier At Museum), a more modern Combat Medic than the one shown on the Gettysburg Battlefield. I have to secure the various pockets and pouches on his uniform fairly regularly. People seem to be curious as to whether the actual medical gear is stored there. I imagine they feel pretty sheepish when they discover blocks of wood!

     That concludes today’s walk-through of the museum.  We’re all ready for visitors now.  I hope that their surprises are in what they learn here!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

A Look at Displays

     Normally my role in creating the exhibits focuses more on the specific artifacts involved – if they are suitable to exhibit, if they require any conservation done, if they require any special environmental conditions, and if the mounts used are appropriate for them.  I do get to create some small displays though.  One display I do on a regular basis is located at Fort Detrick, which is not far from the museum.  A theme for the display is suggested to me, then I have to find items which fit the theme, are available, and which will fit into the display case.  Sometimes a little research into the artifacts is required, then labels have to be printed, and mounts or supports located or made for the artifacts.

This display was on Soldier Care (click on the photo to enlarge). Starting on the left there is a wooden ankle splint, a wooden stethoscope, a piece of canvas from a Confederate hospital tent at Gettysburg, an illustration of a Civil War hospital tent, a reproduction bandage roll, a small wooden box which carried the personal medical supplies of a soldier, and an illustration of a Civil War ambulance wagon.  I should add that I took the photo before I secured the top back on the case - the artifacts are not left out in the open!

     Since the display space is limited I generally use a mixture of smaller artifacts and photographs of larger items.  This also makes it easier for me to transport the artifacts, since they generally fit into one or two boxes.  I do have to be careful about the types of boxes I use.  Of course they are always acid free and have reinforced corners, and the lids are always tied on to prevent accidents.  Last time I was delivering artifacts though, I discovered an issue I hadn’t previously considered.  I had all the artifacts packed into one large, shallow, rectangular box.  As I carried it toward the building, I noticed a young soldier who was watching and grinning broadly.  I thought that perhaps he’d heard there were new artifacts coming in and he wanted to see them first.  However, as I came closer to him he asked excitedly, “Are we getting cake?”  It hadn’t occurred to me before, but it did look quite a bit like a cake box!  I felt a little bad for getting his hopes up, but it certainly wasn’t intentional!

This is the current display.  It shows some Civil War medicines which are not used today or are not used for the same purposes.

     

     Let’s take a closer look at the current display.  At the far left is a medicine bottle which contained lead acetate, also called sugar of lead.  Lead acetate was used in the Civil War as a pain reliever, to promote sleep, to quiet coughs, to reduce spasms from tetanus and colic, and as a gargle for throat lesions.  As with other lead compounds, it is toxic, and it is no longer in use.   

     Next is a prescription for opium.  Opium was used in the Civil War in various forms to relieve pain, control diarrhea, and to alleviate spasms.  Although opium is still used today, it is certainly not used as a remedy for diarrhea!

     The small green bottle is Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup and behind it is a reproduction of a Mrs. Winslow’s bottle label.  This remedy, which contained 65 mg of morphine per fluid ounce, was used for a variety of complaints, but it was mainly marketed as an aid to relieve teething pain for babies.  Unfortunately, its “soothing” properties sometimes had fatal results in young children.  It was sold in the U.S. until the early 1900s.

     Sometimes doctors and soldiers used local plants which were thought to have medicinal properties.  Some were actually fairly effective.  In the center is a description of some herbal remedies used at the time, along with pictures of the plants.  Pictured in the display are ginger, hops, horseradish, mayapple, pomegranate, and sassafras.

     At the back of the display are a bottle of silver nitrate and a syringe.  Silver nitrate was used to treat sexually transmitted diseases, and the large syringe next to it was to inject it into the urethra.  (I know you guys are cringing now!)  Sexually transmitted diseases, mainly syphilis and gonorrhea, were common in both armies in the Civil War.  Rest, diet, and injections of various metal or mercury compounds were typical treatments.  None of these treatments are used today, as they are ineffective.

     The book on the right side of the display shows a diagram of an apparatus designed to produce mercurial vapor, to which a patient’s skin would be exposed.  The photograph next to it (see below) shows the unfortunate results of a patient treated with mercury.  During the Civil War, various mercury-based drugs were used as laxatives, to combat liver disease, typhoid fever, diarrhea, venereal disease, skin diseases, and more.  This is certainly another reason to be glad we live today and not back then!

In 1862, eighteen-year-old Union soldier Carlton Burgan was treated for pneumonia with a drug called calomel – a chloride of mercury. His upper maxilla bones, one eye, and part of his nose were destroyed by the resulting mercury poisoning. He eventually had surgery which partially repaired the damage. He married, had a large family, and lived to the age of 71.

     This display usually is changed every few months, so it’s nearly time for me to think about updating it.  Perhaps this time when I deliver the artifacts I should bring along a cake as well!

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Doesn’t Every Museum Need a Mummy?

     The museum received a very interesting donation last week – the mummified forearm of a Civil War soldier!  I always ask for as much history as the donor can furnish for donated artifacts, and this fellow has quite a story!

This is how the arm arrived at the museum.  It was transported inside a wooden display case.  You can see that the arm fell off the supports while in transit.

     The arm was discovered on the Antietam Battlefield about three weeks after the battle, by a farmer who was plowing his field.  The farmer thought it would make a good souvenir, so he picked it up, took it home, and placed it in a container of brine solution.  Six months later he reportedly changed his mind about wanting to keep it.  I do wonder if perhaps his wife put her foot down and told him to “Get that thing out of my house!”  He gave it to the town’s doctor, who then put the arm in a formaldehyde solution.  So, after being subjected to the sun in the farm field, and then to the brine and formaldehyde soaks, the arm is pretty well preserved.

     After the doctor’s death, the arm was found in his attic, now simply wrapped in a piece of cloth.  There is a gap in the history here, but by the early 1960s the arm belonged to the owner of a small museum on the Battlefield.  It was displayed there for many years in a back room, and was billed as “The Arm of the Unknown Soldier.”  That museum eventually closed and the arm’s ownership passed to other people.  Fortunately, its previous owner decided to donate it to the NMCWM. 

Tom and Kyle were as eager to get a closer look at it as I was!

     It was also reported that the arm was once examined by a pathologist who stated that it had belonged to a 19-year-old male.  Unfortunately, that’s the only piece of identification we have for its original owner.  It is apparent though that the arm was blown off, not amputated.  I would imagine that the soldier did not survive.  It is a rather sobering thought, and one that I keep very much in mind when I am handling the arm.

Here you can clearly see that the arm was not amputated.

     When the arm was delivered, I was concerned to see that it was housed in a pine box, and that the interior of the glass cover showed signs of mildew in some spots.  The first order of business was to remove it from the case and rehouse it in something more suitable.  A polystyrene box with a lid was obtained for temporary use.  The plastic will not off-gas harmful compounds as pine wood can, and it provides protection from water damage as well.  The box was lined with polyethylene foam and acid-free tissue paper to further protect the arm.  I added some desiccant packets to the container as well, to keep the relative humidity lower which should help prevent the growth of mold or mildew. 

     Another factor to consider is that the arm itself may still contain harmful materials.  The “formaldehyde” used by the doctor was not the same compound we know today.  It probably contained arsenic or mercury, which were used in embalming at the time.  Until we can have it tested, it will not be handled without latex or nitrile gloves!   

     Eventually the arm will be put on display.  I’m sure that crafting a suitable display case for it will be the topic of a future post!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Acquiring Artifacts

     How do museums end up with the items in their collections?  Most people seem to assume that we buy them, and that is certainly one way to acquire artifacts.  Smaller museums tend to have smaller budgets though, and generally can’t afford to buy a large number of artifacts.  In our case, usually only some smaller items are purchased.

This Civil War era tin bedpan was my first purchase for the museum. It is currently on display in our hospital exhibit.

    Many times artifacts are donated to a museum.  Usually the donor wishes their items to be preserved for future generations and displayed for all to learn from and enjoy.  It doesn’t hurt that their gift is tax deductible too!  So really, donations benefit the donor, the museum, and the people who come to the museum.

     Donations can arrive at the museum in different ways.  In some cases a museum staff member picks it up from the donor.  Sometimes the items are shipped, and in a few cases donors have simply mailed them.  In other cases the donor delivers the item in person – sometimes with an appointment and sometimes not!  It isn’t unusual for me to be called to the front desk to look at an item which someone has just brought into the museum.  Sometime wonderful artifacts have simply “walked in” to our museum.  At times though, I have to break it to people that their items are not what they thought they were, or are simply items that we cannot use.  I really never know what I’m going to find when I get these calls!

This is a Harper's Weekly newspaper from August 17, 1861 that was donated to the museum. You can see it has a very nice front illustration of a wounded Zouave in a hospital at Washington, D.C.

     Items can also be donated to museums through bequests, when the ownership of the item is transferred to the museum after the owner’s death.  So far I have not dealt with receiving a bequest, and I am happy that our donors are still with us!

     I have mentioned in previous posts that we sometimes borrow artifacts we need for our displays.  These artifacts can come from individuals or from other museums.  Sometimes too, loaned items are eventually donated to the museum.

This two-piece wood and brass pill roller is on loan to the NMCWM, and is currently displayed in our pharmacy wagon.

     I don’t have the final say on which artifacts become part of the museum’s permanent collection though.  As much as we’d like to collect every possible Civil War item, the reality is that we also have to consider our storage space and the cost of caring for the artifacts in the collection.  So each new acquisition must be reviewed by the Accession Committee.  This committee considers whether each new acquisition fits the museum’s scope and mission, and if the museum has the resources to properly care for, store, and display it.  Items which are not accepted into the permanent collection can be used by the museum’s education department, returned to the donor, sold, or donated to another museum.   

This is an 1862 Colt Police Pocket Pistol which belonged to Brigadier-General Gustavus A. Sniper. Though at first you might not see the need for a firearm in a museum which deals with Civil War medicine, it was approved to be accessioned into our collection. It will be used in a future exhibit which will show what types of wounds were inflicted by the various weapons used during the war.

     Once an artifact becomes part of the museum’s permanent collection, it is my job to ensure that it receives the highest possible level of care.  Though it can be challenging at times, on most days I think I have the best job in the world!

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Conservation Work

     An important part of being a collection manager is keeping track of the condition of the artifacts.  Over time, all items deteriorate.  When I spot an artifact with an issue I can make some minor repairs as needed, or if the job is beyond my expertise I can recommend conservation work done by a professional.  A professional conservator will be able to stabilize the artifact and minimize future deterioration.  Note that I did not say that the artifact is “restored”.  Restoration is a different process, in which the goal is usually to make the item look as much like new as possible.  The aim in conserving an artifact is to preserve the item and its history, but not necessarily to make it look as it did when new.

 

I was greeted by this disturbing sight in an exhibit during my daily walk-through one morning. This Union Surgeon’s wool frock coat appears to have an issue with its hem. 

     After spotting the coat in the photo above, I immediately conferred with the museum’s director to determine our best course of action.  It was decided that I could make the necessary repairs.  The first step was to take the coat off display and lay it flat to prevent any further damage.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the coat’s hem was intact, but that the silk lining was splitting and hanging down below the hem. This was partly due to deterioration of the fabric, and partly due to the fact that while the coat was on display there was too much weight being placed on the silk.

     I then spoke with a conservator who advised me to insert netting behind the lining and to use long stitches perpendicular to the rips to prevent the silk from ripping further.  I measured and cut the netting to fit and was able to roll it loosely and insert it behind the lining through the larger rips.  Then I hand-stitched parallel rows of thread along the ripped area, and extending to more stable areas.  The silk was black, but I used blue thread in order to make it easy to see in case it was necessary to remove it later.  It is important that any repairs done be reversible.  It was a very slow and tedious process, but I was pleased with the final result.



Here’s a section of the lining after the repair. It’s not a “pretty” repair, but it does its job to stabilize the area.



And here’s the coat back on display, looking much better!

     Now from the exterior there is no evidence of the ripped lining or of the repair work to the coat.  What’s more important is that the lining now has some support, which should prevent it from ripping further. 

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Cleaning Daze

     Every January the National Museum of Civil War Medicine closes for several days in order for the staff to do an in-depth cleaning, and to tackle any changes or repairs to the place.  It is a productive but exhausting process!  Today is the fourth and final cleaning day for 2012, and the place is looking great!

     My part in the process included moving artifacts and display cases out of areas which were being painted and recarpeted, then moving them back later, cleaning the insides of the glass exhibit doors in all the galleries, painting display cases, cleaning the galleries, helping to paint the museum store, installing two new displays, and replacing the pest strips in the galleries.

The base of a vitrine, or display case, which needs to be moved from its temporary storage place on the second floor, back to the newly carpeted and painted store/lobby area on the first floor.

Here it is back in place, and updated with different artifacts.  Since this year is the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Antietam, we are featuring artifacts associated with that battle here.

Here's a display of hospital items in one of the cases we got from the National Building Museum.  I just had to paint the base and replace the fabric in the interior.

And here's a new display at the entrance to our galleries, featuring some "myth-busting" items.  Two of the biggest myths we like to dispel are that Civil War doctors were butchers, and that patients had to bite bullets during surgery.  Civil War doctors were actually well educated and did the best job they could under the circumstances and with the knowledge they had at the time.  "Biting the bullet" is just false.  Chloroform and ether were both used at the time, and in the very few cases when anesthesia was not used, the patient would NOT have been given a bullet to bite.  Think about it; if you had a patient lying down for surgery, would you really want to give him something he could so easily aspirate or choke on?

The store got a facelift too!

And here's the museum's new entryway!  Doesn't it make you want to come and visit?

   
     It was a lot of hard for everyone on the staff, but the improvements are well worth the effort!


Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

How Many Collection Managers Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb?

     Recently I had to change a light bulb in a hard-to-reach area of an exhibit, which is why today’s post will be about lighting.  I will confess up front that dealing with the lighting in the museum is probably my least favorite task.  That old adage about not being able to please everyone was probably created by someone trying to light an exhibit!  Visitors to the museum tend to comment about the general light levels being too low, or about certain artifacts not being spotlighted.  It also seems at times that I hear from everyone else in the museum whenever there’s a burned-out bulb!

This is the case with the burned out bulb – you can’t see the lights because of the diffusers in the ceiling of the case. Notice that there are a number of fragile artifacts in the case, and that there is not enough room inside for a ladder.

        So, why don’t I just add more lights to the galleries?  I’ve touched on the subject of lighting previously in the post on the collection room.  Exposure to light can damage many materials, including textiles, leather, wood, and paper.  The damage done is not reversible.  The simplest method of reducing the amount of light and thus the amount of damage done to the artifacts is to lower the light levels.  Displaying artifacts involves walking a pretty tight line between maintaining relatively safe levels of light for the artifacts versus keeping the artifacts visible to the museum’s visitors.

     There are also other methods of helping to reduce light damage.  Exterior windows can have special UV filtering films placed on the glass.  Light diffusers can be used over interior lights.  Fiber-optic projectors can be used to illuminate displays while eliminating UV light.  Exhibit cases can utilize motion sensors which turn on lights only when there are people nearby.  In a more low-tech approach, items can be placed behind doors or curtains which visitors can open.  Generally, a combination of methods is utilized in order to best display and protect the artifacts.

           Protecting the artifacts from too much light seems to ensure that the lights are difficult to reach though, especially for collection managers of a somewhat shorter stature!  It’s not as simple and straightforward as changing a light bulb at home.  The use of a ladder is always required, plus many times artifacts and risers need to be moved out of the case so that nothing (or no one!) falls on them, plus the job ideally should be completed before the museum opens to eliminate the possibility of the artifacts being vandalized or stolen.    

Here the artifacts and a riser in the area below the burned out bulb have been removed to protect the artifacts and to make room for the ladder. The artifacts were carefully placed on a padded cart and moved a safe distance away from the work area.

     In this situation, I needed to enlist some additional help (thanks Tom!) in changing the bulb.  One lesson I have learned at the museum is to ask for help when needed.  I was fortunate in learning this without injuring anything but my pride!  Dangling from a sprinkler pipe when a ladder slipped out from under me was an experience I don’t want to repeat, so in the more difficult areas I now ask for assistance.

Here’s Tom changing the light bulb – he assured me that he was smiling for the photo!

Success! The bulb has been replaced, the risers and artifacts are back in place, the doors are secured again, and the artifacts and staff members involved are safe.

     I’ll bet you never knew that changing a light bulb could be so complicated! 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.