Maryland is a very historical place to visit, so when you do make it there you need to explore everything you possibly can to take it all in. One of the places that must be on your things to do list is a visit to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. At this museum you will learn all about the medical history from the War Between the States. The museum studies and interprets the history in order to glean more information from the past. Some of the studies focus on determining how medicine practiced during the Civil War affects how medicine is practiced today. Medical artifacts, documents, books, and the like are collected and exhibited at the museum. Basically, anything that relates to 1861-1865 may be found at the museum, especially if it has something to do with medicine.
Amazingly, the museum has collected and now houses more than 1,500 artifacts that are original pieces. They relate to medical care during this important time during our country’s history and they are fascinating to learn about. Not all of the artifacts belong to the museum, but many of them do. The ones that belong to the museum have been donated over the years and the others are on loan from museums or private collections.
Perhaps some of the most interesting artifacts to see in this museum are the medical instruments used during the war. There is an exhibit that shows some of the surgical instruments both the medical staff of the Confederate and Union Armies used. There are also stretchers and litters that are on display in addition to dental tools, medicine bottles, panniers, knapsacks, prosthetic devices, drums, doctors’ frock coats , and much more.
You will also see uniforms from hospital stewards, flags that flew over Army hospitals, an amputation table from Cedar Creek’s field hospital, and much more. You must visit the museum in order to see everything that has been collected over the years and to gain a better understanding of how medicine was practiced during the Civil War. You are sure to learn some things and you are likely to be a bit surprised.
