NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE HOSTS
"NATIONAL HAIRBALL AWARENESS DAY" EXHIBIT AND PROGRAM ON APRIL 27, 2009
Temporary display of human and animal hairballs on display from April 25 – May 4, 2009
April 13, 2009, Washington, D.C. – The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM) will commemorate National Hairball Awareness Day on Monday, April 27, 2009 at 12:00 p.m., with a special presentation and hands-on activity for the general public. Visitors will learn why hairballs develop in the stomach and will have an opportunity to handle an actual hairball. The Museum is located on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
From April 25 – May 4, the Museum will offer a temporary exhibition of nine hairballs (also called "trichobezoars") from the Museum’s collection of 24 veterinary and 3 human specimens. The exhibition will inform the visitor about the myths and realities of these medical curiosities.
Bezoars are masses of non-digestible material that collect in the stomach, such as hair, food particles, and medicine, found in humans and some animals, such as cows, horses and cats. From the 11th through the 18th centuries, bezoars were popularly used in medicinal remedies as antidotes to any poison.
Human hairballs occur most often in children and young women who have behavioral disorders such as trichotillomania (chronic hair pulling) or pica (compulsive cravings to eat nonfood items). Other types of bezoars are rare in people with normal digestive tracts, but occur more often in adults with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis, renal failure, or partial gastric resection. In both humans and animals, bezoars occur because matter is not able to pass through the narrow opening between the stomach and the large intestine.
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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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