The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM/AFIP) is one of the few museums in the United States that collects and displays human remains. Founded in 1862 to document the effects of war wounds and disease on the human body, the museum has a long history of collecting and preserving human remains from military and civilian sources.

Today, the Anatomical Collections is comprised of four types of materials: anatomical and pathological skeletal specimens; fluid preserved gross anatomical and pathological specimens; medical research collections containing slides, tissue blocks, and related documentary materials; and miscellaneous material. The Anatomical Collections also serves as a repository for historical and medically significant specimens, including remains of Lincoln, Booth, and Garfield. This collection provides a rich source of data for researchers in forensic medicine, anthropology, pathology, paleopathology, and military medicine. Since the Civil War, the collections have formed the basis of hundreds of studies by museum staff, AFIP staff, and outside researchers.

The specimens comprising the Anatomical Collections are available for research, exhibition, and other educational purposes. The collections are open for research from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Access to the collections is by appointment only. The historical and scientific value of the Anatomical Collections requires that we carefully balance the needs of continued scientific, historical, and forensic investigations with our responsibility to preserve the past for future generations. Therefore, we require that researchers talk with collections staff about their research before arriving at the museum. Researchers interested in scientific studies in the Anatomical Collections should contact the collections manager by calling (202) 782-2200 or sending an e-mail to nmhmweb@afip.osd.mil.