Ql-JH US*. /9cV^
Af<Y\y Tn-^j-
Army
thology
Army Medupil Museum
 
 
ARMY  INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY
                          ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM

     This brochure  has been prepared in response  to  requests  for in-
formation about the Army Institute of Pathology:  what it is,  what  it
does, and what  facilities  it  provides for  study  and research.

     The Army Institute of  Pathology  is  the central laboratory of
pathology for  the entire United States Army.  It  comprises four
departments:  the Laboratories of Pathology, the American Registry  of
Pathology,  the "Army Medical  Illustration Service,  and the Army Medical
Museum.   These four departments are administratively coordinated by
the Director, who is a colonel  In the Medical Corps of the Regular
Army.  The professional staff consists of more than thirty officers
who have been selected on the basis of specialized knowledge.  Tech-
nical and clerical  aid is rendered by a detachment of 30 enlisted men
and WACS and 62 Civil Service employees.

     The  Institute  is a division of the  Surgeon General's office.
It is housed,  together  with the Army  Medical Library, at Seventh
Street and Independence Avenue,  S.W., Washington, D.  C.  The present
building, which was erected in  1887, is no longer adequate for the
needs of either organization and plans  for  new  and separate buildings
are now  being  prepared.

                               FUNCTIONS
     The Army Institute  of Pathology has  three principal  functions:

     a.   It  furnishes a consultation service for  the diagnosis of
pathologic tissue for the  entire Army;

     b.   It conducts investigation and research on diseases of medico-
military importance;

     c.   It  supplies instruction In pathologic  anatomy to Medical
Department  officers.

     a)   DIAGNOSIS OF PATHOLOGIC TISSUE.  Army  regulations  require
that the pertinent tissues  from all the more  important operations, 
and particularly  all  tumors or suspected  tumors, be sent to this
laboratory for  diagnosis,  for  consultation, or for review and  final
opinion.  Also  sent for review are the  records and material from
every postmortem examination performed on military personnel.  This
material  includes representative  portions of various organs,  or
sometimes entire organs of especial significance  or  interest.  All
of this material,  surgical and postmortem,  is  examined  by competent
pathologists, and reports are returned to  the  submitting stations.
Thus soldiers,  as well as the  Government, are protected against
errors in diagnosis;  surgeons are aided in their operative work;
internists in the  investigation of the condition of the  patient, and
all medical officers  in the  diagnosis,  treatment,  and prevention of
diseases and injuries.   To an  increasing  degree medical  officers in
military Installations  throughout  the world are making use of the
facilities  provided  by this  laboratory by sending  in pathologic
material, especially from biopsies on tumors,  by  air mail; reports
returned by radiogram insure the prompt  institution of proper methods
of treatment.

     The advantages of this central laboratory of pathology to medical
officers  are obvious,  but there  are  other important  reasons for
bringing this material  together under one  roof.  By analyzing the
collected data,  it is possible to furnish information to the Surgeon
General regarding current trends of disease in the many  localities
occupied by troops.  Furthermore, this central  organization is daily
consulted as to  the pathologic findings in previous operations; this
is of particular value to the Army, in which  it is often necessary
to move patients from one  hospital to another.

     b)   INVESTIGATION  AND RESEARCH.  By regulation, the Army Insti-
tute of Pathology is  required  to conduct  investigation  and research
on diseases of  medico-military importance.   The  assembling of all
significant pathologic  material in one central laboratory is unique
in the history of  military medicine, and furnishes the U. S. Medical
Department with  an unequalled  opportunity to gain needed information
on disease processes  prevalent in  men of military age.   In contrast
to the abundance of knowledge  of diseases at other times of life —
infancy, childhood, middle life and  old age  — information about
those prevalent at the military age (18 to 38  years) is scanty.   A 
carefully planned and executed study of pathology  characteristic of
this age period will yield lasting and significant benefits to the
Army and  to  the Nation.  All research in the Institute has been
centered  around diseases of  the soldier.  Several  comprehensive
studies have been  completed  and others are  in progress, which are
of immediate use to  the  Medical Department,  and  will also be part
of the Volume on Pathology which the Surgeon General has directed
the Institute to prepare for the Medical History of the War.   Studies
already completed deal with the comparative pathology of scrub typhus
and other  rickettsial diseases,  with trench foot,  fat  embolism,
epidemic hepatitis, gynecomastia, brain lesions following extractions
of teeth,"  coronary disease,  heat  stroke, teratomas of the mediastinum,
and odontogenic tumors.  Other studies are in progress,  both by
members of the staff and by distinguished  civilian pathologists who
have made  valuable contributions to the Institute  by serving as
Resident Consultants.   It  is  anticipated that such investigations
will give  a  clearer  insight  into the  "pathology  of  the soldier".

     c)   TRAINING OF MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OFFICERS  IN PATHOLOGIC
ANATOMY.   It Is imperative to keep medical officers throughout the
Army informed about the pathology of diseases  prevalent  in this war.
When possible,  officers  in charge of laboratories are  brought to the
Army Institute of  Pathology  for temporary duty, but  the far flung
distribution  of  the Army has made it  essential to adopt other methods
of instruction.   The members  of the staff  of the Institute  have
prepared study sets,  consisting of slides  together with illustrated
and descriptive syllabuses and  atlases covering special  fields in
pathology.  Sets of 100 slides cover comprehensively the pathology
of such important  specialties  as ophthalmology, otolaryngology,
orthopedics,  neurology, dermatology, gynecology, urology, and dental
and oral surgery.   They are used not  only by Army and civilian patho-
logists, but  also by medical  officers and clinicians preparing for
the board  examinations.  Smaller sets,  of 25 slides  each, demonstrate
lesions of the lymph nodes, the thyroid gland, epidemic hepatitis,
interstitial  pneumonitis, fungus diseases, the encephalitides, and
certain tumors, such as  those of breast, skin, bones, and brain.
This instructive material is  available on  a loan basis.  Within the
last year  over  1000  borrowers in Army medical installations  alone
have used  these sets. 
     Other teaching devices furnished consist of lantern slides and
material for clinico-pathologic conferences.  In addition, the Army
Institute of Pathology has  supplied  all  the medical schools of the
United States and Canada with tissues from cases of tropical disease,
in an  effort to increase  the  effectiveness of the teaching  of  a
subject which has become so  important in this war and may be expected
to be equally important in the postwar period.  The medical schools
have also been sent sets of colored lantern slides showing the clinic-
al and pathologic features of all  the more important tropical diseas-
es.  Through the facilities  of  its departments the  Institute is also
able to  give  assistance  of many kinds to medical  officers  who are
conducting special studies.

            DEPARTMENTS  OF THE ARMY  INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY

     The Laboratories of Pathology are  the  heart of the  Institute.
To these laboratories  come  all  the pathologic material from military
sources; from them emanate the reports on tissue sent for consulta-
tion,  and  here  are made  most  of the definitive studies on diseases
encountered  in  the Army.  At present the number of "cases" received
for diagnosis,  consultation, or review,  is between 3,500 to 4000  a
month, approximately equally divided between postmortem  and surgical.
There is a great amount of work involved in preparing such quantities
of material for  histopathologic study, and beside  this, all records
and reports must be filed  and  the cases properly indexed.   These
processes require a staff of competent pathologists,  histopathologic
technicians  (of which the  Institute  has  17), clerks trained in ac-
cessioning,  record clerks,  and  index clerks.   The return  of the
Army to  peacetime status will  decrease the work  of the  Institute
but little, since it is  contemplated that it will serve as a central
pathologic  laboratory for the Veterans* Administration  as well as
for the  Army.

     The American Registry of Pathology, operating under the  auspices
of the National Research Council,  is housed  at  the  Army Institute of
Pathology by  authority of  the  Surgeon General.  The purpose of the
American Registry of Pathology is comprehensive  investigation in
specific fields, which at present  comprise:   ophthalmic, otolaryngo-
logic, orthopedic,  dental and oral, neurologic,  dermal,  geriatric 
and veterinary pathology,  and  in the pathology of neoplasms, with
special  consideration  to those of the endocrine glands,  lymph  nodes,
the kidney, the urinary bladder, the prostate gland and the  lungs.
Through close cooperation with various national societies, records
and material are brought together at the Army Institute  of Pathology
for systematic study.   Tne number of specimens received is consid-
erable;  for example, there  are on hand for investigation approximately
18,000 enucleated  eyes, including 2000 with  malignant melanoma,  and
5,000 tumors ©f the urinary bladder.   All material and records of
the Registry are available to medical officers, graduate students,
specialists,  and other qualified students and investigators.

      Certain  sections of the Registry  have proved to be of great
value to military  medicine.  For example, the experience gained from
the Registry of Ophthalmic Pathology  has  contributed to the  under-
standing  of missile injuries of the  eyes.   The facilities of the
Registry of Otolarynologlc Pathology have been  found admirably  suited
to the study of wartime diseases affecting the internal  ear, such as
aerotitis in flyers.  Since tumors have been found much more prevalent
in men  of military age than had been  suspected,  all  of  the Tumor
Registries have furnished important basic  and supplementary data in
the  study of the pathology  of the soldier.

      Through the  American Registry of Pathology cordial  relations
have  been established between  many leading  members of  the  civilian
medical profession and the Medical  Department, and the  Army has been
provided  with unexcelled consultation service in the special  fields
of pathology.

     The Army Medical  Illustration  Service,  as organized at  the Army
Institute of Pathology, consists of two independent  sections.   One of
these,  the Photographic Laboratory, was started shortly after  the
Civil War by Woodward, a pioneer  in photomicrography.   It  has  become
widely known for the high quality of its work and  through  the years
has amassed a collection of approximately 100,000 negatives of medical
interest.  During August  1945,  an average month, the Laboratory
prepared more than 2,800 prints,  1,000 colored lantern  slides, 2,600
photostats and 27,000 offset prints. 
     The other section, organized  at  the  beginning of this war, is
known as the  Medical Museum and Arts Service.  Its  purpose is to
secure  illustrative records, photographs and drawings of wounds,
injuries, and diseases peculiar  to  the countries in which our troops
are stationed;  also to train men,  already expert in the  lines of
rredical photography and art,  to  adapt  their skills to the conditions
of work  in the field.  Every Theater  of Operations has  one or more
detachments of medical photographers  and  artists  which  send a vast
amount of pictorial material  to .their  headquarters at the Institute.
These illustrations are invaluable  for instruction and will serve as
a record of the medical activities of this war.  The Medical Museum
and Arts Service also  supervises and  clinical photographic depart-
ments of over 60  general hospitals in this  country,  and receives from
them  an average of 5,000  photographs  a  month,  as well as  moving
picture film.  This  wealth of material is carefully classified and
arranged for use by  the  Army  Medical  Department.

     The Army Medical Museum is the parent organization of the Army
Institute of Pathology and its  several  departments.   It was estab-
lished during the Civil War to  house collected specimens of gunshot
wounds and other  war  injuries  that were to be used for  the instruction
of Army surgeons.  In the  course of time the Army Medical Museum has
grown  to be  the largest museum of its kind  in the world.   It  has
famous  collections of microscopes,  from  the earliest  to  the most
modern models,  of ophthalmoscopes,  stethoscopes,  and other diagnostic
instruments,  and comprehensive collections  of medical coins, medals,
and stamps.   Its material also includes the famous  Huntington  collec-
tion of comparative anatomy.   The number of items cannot be stated,
for even before this war lack of space made it necessary to store a
large  part of the collections.  The  exhibits on view illustrate
wounds of war, from those  caused by Indian  tomahawks to those of the
latest  explosives,  and also present  specimens of  all diseases that
afflict man and the animals of use to man.  Although Europe has had
several  notable medical museums open to  laymen,  the Army Medical
Museum is the only one in  the United States which admits the  general
public.  That such a Museum fills a need is plain from the  number of
interested visitors  ----  in a year  as many as 200,000.
November,  1945 
CURATORS OF THE ARMY  MEDICAL MUSEUM
"%»
J. H. BRINTON
 1862 - 1864
 GEO.  OTIS
1864 - 1881
D. L. HUNTINGTON
   1881 - 1883
J.  S. BILLINGS
 1883 - 1893
E. R. WHITMORE
 1913 - 1916
G. R. CALLENDER
  1920 - 1922
  1924 - 1929
WALTER REED
1893 - 1902
^
    '**.
I '
c. c.  Mcculloch
  1915 - 1916
f
-~  *a
JAMES COUPAL
 1923 - 1924
V.  H. CORNELL
 1933 - 1935
JAMES CARROLL
 1903 - 1907
W. 0.  OWEN
 1916 - 1919
J. E.  ASH
1929-1931
1937-
R. 0  DART
1935-1936
F.  F. RUSSELL
 1907 - 1913
C.  F.  CRAIG
1919 - 1920
 P.  McNABB
1931 - 1933 
A corner  of the Accession Room.   Here the material is recorded and
distributed for review to the officers by  specialty.
Corner of one of the Histopathologic  Preparation Laboratories. 
Corner of the Preparation Room.   Here  appropriate material  is  mounted
as  Museum specimens,  "wet  tissue" is cut for  the histology laboratory,
and the remainder  is prepared  for permanent storage.
One of the Photographic Laboratories. 
Corridor on  third  floor of Army Institute of Pathology,
slides and paraffin blocks are filed.
Here the
The main floor of the Museum,  as  seen from the -allery. 
.w
J
  aiiiil«>



■iniffii-HI
\
.;.<»&%*¥£&;
i*
%: fcv
^ K 1—	*.*§,** i
iiiimMMMWm	
i^inm*****	
~~ " " a* .i*em . p& it**.-*	
few ? ■J	^^^__ i
.Iwwam	
li tin ^	
	
Typical Army  Institute of Pathology exhibit at  a  medical convention.
Conference Koom.   "Refresher" class in session. 
Officers  and Enlisted  Personnel.   Army Institute  of Pathology.
jLttf/ £*nweet, ®)l&H6t>aut'/<?33~/<?M