Mobile Medical Museum

12/22/2025

During the Jim Crow era, Dr. Goode was a staff physician at Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital, the only hospital in Mobile where Black patients could be attended by a Black physician. The hospital was a Catholic institution administered by the Sisters of Mercy. Its rapid growth and quality of service drew international attention, though there were never enough beds to adequately serve the community. This picture shows Dr. Goode standing to the left of Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers of Ghana, who visited the hospital in 1952. They are surrounded by sister nurses and hospital administrators. Image courtesy of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Mobile.

12/18/2025

Man with head wrapped in a gauze bandage, c. 1895. In the late nineteenth century, medical bandages were made of gauze, muslin, flannel, rubber, and elastic webbing. "In applying dressings to wounds of the head and neck...[one] make[s] a few turns over the upper part of the chest and around each shoulder, which prevents the turns of the bandage from slipping, and holds the dressing in place, so that it cannot be disarranged by movements of the patient." From Minor Surgery and Bandaging, by Henry R. Wharton, M.D. 4th edition (Philadelphia: Lea Brothers & Co.), 1899.

12/15/2025

This Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) was planted by a groundskeeper before the Robert Thrower Medicinal Garden was established, but it has become an important part of our educational programming. In Japan, the tree is called momiji. It has a long tradition as a cultural symbol, prized for its beautiful red leaves. It appears in landscape paintings by Sakai Hōitsu and other well-known artists, representing longevity and peace. This time of year, tourists flock to Kyoto for momijigari (leaf peeping) season. Maple leaf tea, or momiji tea, is rich in polyphenols and low in caffeine.

12/12/2025

It's time to start wrapping presents for the holidays.

For Toy Safety Month, remember that toys with small parts pose a significant risk to children, especially those under the age of 3. This X-ray shows the esophagus of a child who swallowed a small object while playing.
Have a safe holiday season!

Image: X-ray of foreign body in esophagus, a cog mechanism from child's toy swallowed while playing, 98th Army Hospital, Munich, Germany, June 13, 1951. MIS 54-22776-2

12/11/2025

Some recent tour groups:
Biloxi High School
Clark-Shaw School of Math, Science and Technology
Connie Hudson Senior Center

We're so glad you visited us! Come again soon 🤩

12/09/2025

"By triggering a cool and overcast period in the Mediterranean, the eruption started a domino effect that led to a downturn in agricultural production, which required merchants to import grain — and the bacterium Yersinia pestis that causes bubonic plague — via the Black Sea."

A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.

12/05/2025

Third graders from UMS-Wright Preparatory School toured the Museum this week. We learned about Native American and colonial medicinal practices, germs and disease, and how your center of mass changes with different body movements so that you can stay balanced. We enjoyed our time with you and hope you'll be back soon!

12/03/2025

Gebauer's Ethyl Chloride is a local anesthetic that has been used ever since the 1890's. Before the development of Novocaine in 1905, it was the most widely used local anesthetic in the world. Ethyl chloride (also known as chloroethane) is a colorless, flammable gas or liquid. It acts as a vapocoolant--when it is applied to the skin surface, it will evaporate and produce a cooling sensation for about sixty seconds. Originally, a glass ampoule at the end of a canister would be filled with ethyl chloride. The tip would be broken off for manually applying the anesthetic to the body of the patient. An aerosol spray was patented by the Gebauer Company in 1901, and today the anesthetic is delivered through spray bottles and cans. It is most often used for the short-term relief of pain associated with injections, IV's, venipuncture, minor surgeries and sports injuries.

12/02/2025

Giving Tuesday: Support our work in the coming year - https://mailchi.mp/1dc28f60bbe4/we-have-a-big-project-planned-for-2020-but-we-need-your-help-6426754

11/28/2025

11/27/2025

that the turkey is not what is making you drowsy on Thanksgiving?

It is a well-known myth that the Thanksgiving turkey is the culprit for the post-Thanksgiving nap, but why is that? The most common argument is that turkey contains a large amount of tryptophan. The body converts this amino acid into serotonin and melatonin, brain chemicals that help regulate and calm the body. While turkey is a good source of tryptophan, so are other foods such as chicken, cheese, fish, and pumpkin seeds. The main reason people feel drowsy after the Thanksgiving meal is due to the large amount of food consumed during the holiday, which affects the body's glucose and insulin balance, impacting the brain and digestive system.

Whatever and whenever you eat today, proper nutrition and sleep are essential to nourish the body to be strong, healthy, and ready for any situation. This Thanksgiving, be thankful for time with family and friends, enjoy the food, and take a nap!

Happy Thanksgiving from us here at the National Museum of Health and Medicine!

Navy Lt. j.g. Caldie Green assists Marine Corps Cpl. Richard R. Hollander with his Thanksgiving Day dinner aboard the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Repose, Inchon, Korea, Nov. 27, 1952, BUMED 09-5085-30.

11/26/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month so let's take a look at an herb from the Native American bed of the Robert Thrower Garden, Prairie willow (Salix humilis). Prairie willow is native to the eastern region of North America, from Florida to Newfoundland. It was used to make dyes, drums, and baskets, and its bark was chewed to clean the teeth and relieve toothache, or brewed to make a medicinal tea for relieving pain and reducing inflammation. The Creek Indian name for willow is "akwahnv." They would soak willow bark in water and bathe in it. Someone who has lost a loved one or is feeling lonely would take a hot or cold medicinal bath before bed for ten or more days. Source: Creek Indian Medicine Ways: The Enduring Power of Mvskoke Religion, by David Lewis, Jr. and Ann T. Jordan (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press), 2002.