EXHIBIT FEATURING BULLET THAT KILLED LINCOLN OPENS AT
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE
February 12, 2008, Washington, D.C. – "Abraham Lincoln: The Final Casualty of the War," a new exhibition at the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM), features artifacts related to the assassination of President Lincoln including the bullet that killed the president. The exhibit is part of the Museum's celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. NMHM is open to the public and is located on the campus at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in northwest, Washington, D.C.
On the night of April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was shot while watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Surgeons from the Army Medical Museum (the progenitor of today's NMHM) treated the president until he died and later performed the autopsy, during which they recovered the bullet. The bullet, along with several small shards from Lincoln's skull and locks of Lincoln's hair, are featured in the exhibition. Another rare item will be on display: the Museum has installed the remaining portion of a flag that decorated the state box the night Lincoln was shot, on loan from Ford's Theatre/National Park Service.
"President Lincoln's legacies are being celebrated across the nation this year, and here at the Museum, we are proud to be an everyday reminder of his presidency," said Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., the Museum's director. "It was during Lincoln's presidency that the Army surgeon general established the Army Medical Museum in 1862. Just three years later, Museum staff played a vital role in treating the president and preserving the record of his death. Army Medical Museum staff assembled these one-of-a-kind objects for study and exhibition, so that future generations would be able to understand, from the point of view of these few men in 1865, their role in one of the most important moments in our nation's history. Preserving these artifacts and safeguarding them for future generations is part of the public trust central to the mission of this Museum."
"We are thrilled that the Museum can participate in the national bicentennial with this revamped presentation of Lincoln artifacts," said Andrea Schierkolk, Museum public programs manager and curator of the exhibit. "For decades now, visitors to our Museum have been able to marvel at these rarest of artifacts. People from all over the world come here to look at these last remnants of one the world's greatest leaders. We look forward to inspiring another generation of Lincoln-philes, and possibly future physicians and surgeons, too."
The exhibit is just one part of the Museum's celebration of the Lincoln bicentennial. The Congressionally-chartered Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission endorsed a Museum symposium on the health of President Abraham Lincoln, which will be held in April. On Saturday, April 18, 2009, lectures on genetics and the neurologic death of the president will be offered followed by a keynote lecture by noted Lincoln historian Frank J. Williams, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. On Sunday, April 19, the program will feature a look at the history of the Museum's exhibitions on Lincoln and other illnesses he suffered over the course of his lifetime. (Speakers, topics and schedule are tentative and subject to change.) Seating for the two-day symposium is extremely limited and free registration is required. Interested parties should phone (202) 782-2673 to inquire about registration.
For more information, contact Tim Clarke, Jr., the Museum's Deputy Director for Communications, phone (202) 782-2672, email timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil
MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES: Media interested in viewing the exhibition must RSVP by calling Tim Clarke, Jr., at 202-782-2672 or by emailing timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil at least 48 hours in advance. Information needed from media outlets for Museum access include: names of all attending, license plate number, make, model, year and color of the vehicle. Parking is available.
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About the National Museum of Health and Medicine
The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, established in 1862, inspires interest in and promotes the understanding of medicine—past, present, and future—with a special emphasis on tri-service American military medicine. As a National Historic Landmark recognized for its ongoing value to the health of the military and to the nation, the Museum identifies, collects, and preserves important and unique resources to support a broad agenda of innovative exhibits, educational programs, and scientific, historical, and medical research. The Museum is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), a tri-service Army, Navy and Air Force agency of the Department of Defense with a threefold mission of consultation, education and research. The Museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Visit the Museum Web site at www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum or call (202) 782-2200.
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