More Museums: National Museum Of Medicine And Health

This afternoon I visited the National Museum of Medicine and Health, tucked away on the Walter Reed military base. I would have never known it existed but for a tip off from my old roommate, Mosquito Man (thanks, man). It was incredible. The best part by far was the display of embryos and fetuses, at all stages of development and even showcasing uncommon deformities! (Keep in mind I have a thing for embryology). I got to see preserved fetuses showing cyclopia, sirenomelia and anencephaly. I'd read about these conditions but seeing them was much better.

I also got to see a special exhibit on leprosy, which in correct medical terminology is called Hansen's disease. I didn't know leprosy was caused by a bacillus similar to tuberculosis in certain ways (Mycobacterium leprae)-- in fact it was the first bacteria to be identified as causing disease in people. Or that the antibiotics that are used to treat it were first used at an unusual marine hospital called Carville in Louisiana which was devoted entirely to caring for patients with leprosy. I think I might have known at one point in my laboratory animal vet tech class that armadillos provide a good model for leprosy, but I never fully understood that armadillos are so far the only reservoir that has been identified for leprosy and that a high percentage of them exhibit the clinical signs of the disease in the wild. In fact, it is probably not unrelated that most of the very few human cases of leprosy that are endemic to the US occur in the Louisiana region for this reason. However, it is a mystery how leprosy is transmitted from armadillos to people, if that is even the case.

I thought it was also interesting that the one of the most debilitating things about leprosy in addition to its creepy disfigurement of the face and hands is that it causes peripheral nerve damage not unlike diabetes in its effects. If leprosy didn't cause irreversible peripheral nerve damage it would be just a skin disease and not nearly as remarkable medically.

There was an extensive exhibit tracing the evolution of microscopes that made me think of my dear friend L back in CA, for I know she would really enjoy seeing it.

And last of all, I saw an exhibit on battlefield medicine. It touted an innovative new stretcher that features a ventilator and defibrillator, basically all the key components of a modern ICU compacted into a stretcher. They also showcased a new kind of bandage for severe bleeding in battlefield situations that achieves homeostasis in roughly a minute by having the proteins that compose fibrin clots embedded in the bandage. Alternatively, for gunshot wounds, they are working on developing a spray like WD-4o that can be used to fill the hole made by the bullet with these same proteins and stop internal hemorrhaging that cannot be reached quickly using sterile technique and conventional bandages.

I could have spent a lot longer in this museum than I did. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area, too bad it is so hidden.