Dittrick Museum of Medical History facts for kids
The entrance to the Dittrick Museum.
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| Established | 1898 1926 (current location) |
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| Location | 11000 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106 |
| Type | Medicine |
| Public transit access |  Adelbert Road |
The Dittrick Museum of Medical History is a fascinating museum in Cleveland, Ohio. It is part of Case Western Reserve University and is dedicated to teaching the history of medicine.
The museum has a huge collection of rare books, old medical tools, and historic photos. It started in 1898 and is now located inside the Allen Memorial Medical Library. It's a place where students and visitors can learn how medicine has changed over the centuries.
Contents
History of the Museum
The Dittrick Museum began as a small collection about doctors and their work. Over time, it grew as people donated old medical instruments and other artifacts. These items helped show how much medical technology has advanced.
Today, the museum looks at more than just tools. It explores how the relationship between doctors and patients has changed.
A key person in the museum's history was Dr. Dudley Peter Allen, a surgeon in the late 1800s. When a committee was formed in 1894 to create the museum, Dr. Allen became a major supporter. He donated many items to the collection throughout his life.
After he passed away in 1906, his wife, Elizabeth Severance Allen, continued to support the project. She gave money to build the Allen Memorial Medical Library in his honor, which also became the museum's home. The museum officially opened to everyone in 1960.
People Who Shaped the Museum
Dudley Peter Allen
Dudley Peter Allen was born in Ohio on March 25, 1852. Medicine was in his family, as his father and grandfather were also doctors. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1879 and became one of the first doctors in Cleveland to specialize only in surgery.
Dr. Allen had a very successful career. He taught surgery at Western Reserve Medical College (now part of Case Western Reserve University) for many years. His passion for medicine and history led him to help create the museum.
James Edmonson
James Edmonson was the chief curator of the Dittrick Museum until he retired in 2017. A curator is like the manager of a museum's collection. He was an expert in medical history and wrote several books on the topic.
His books include American Surgical Instruments: An Illustrated History and Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine. He also wrote about the Dittrick Museum in a book called Medical Museums: Past, Present, and Future.
What Can You See at the Museum?
The museum's collections include thousands of artifacts, documents, and images that tell the story of medicine.
One of the most famous exhibits is the Blaufox Hall of diagnostic instruments. Diagnostic instruments are the tools doctors use to figure out what is making a patient sick. This hall shows how these tools have evolved, from simple stethoscopes to more complex machines.
The museum has many galleries, including:
- A doctor's office from the 1870s
- A doctor's office from the 1930s
- Exhibits on hospital and laboratory medicine from the 1800s and 1900s
- A huge collection of microscopes
- A pharmacy from the 1880s
- Galleries showing the history of surgery and medical art
Because the museum has so many items, not everything can be displayed at once. You can see more of their collections, like exhibits on smallpox and skin diseases, on the museum's website.
