The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 47, November 21, 2004, Article 4

U.S. ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM MEDAL COLLECTION

  One of the full-text articles found by the Google Scholar
  search was a July 1917 article in the Bulletin of the Medical
  Library Association by Albert Allemann, M. D., titled "THE
  COLLECTION OF MEDICAL MEDALS IN THE ARMY
  MEDICAL MUSEUM AT WASHINGTON, WITH NOTES
  ON NUMISMATIC METHODS."  Here's an excerpt:

 "A collection of medical medals has considerable medico-
  historical and general artistic value and is an ornament
  to any medical library.  The Army Medical Museum at
  Washington possesses one of the finest and most complete
  collection of medical medals in this country. I have lately
  been put in charge of it and as it has never been described
  anywhere, I want to make a few remarks concerning it.

  Soon after Col. Billings began to collect books for the
  Surgeon General's Library, a number of medical medals were
  presented to it by various physicians. As the number of
  medals increased Col. Billings thought it best to make as
  complete a collection as possible aid during the 25 years
  he worked in the Library he constantly bought medals from
  numismatic dealers in this country and in Europe. As
  Billings was also in charge of the Medical Museum, both the
  Library and the Museum being in the same building, he
  considered the Museum Hall the proper place for exhibiting
  the medals and they are still there. After Billings left
  the Library in 1895, his successors continued to buy medals
  occasionally.

  The collection now numbers well over 3000 pieces which
  Were practically all acquired by Billings. There are some
  ancient Greek and Roman medals, especially of Aesculapius
  but they are not numerous. By far the larger number belong
  to the last three centuries.  The great majority of medical
  medals are, of course, struck in honor of distinguished
  physicians and men of science and of these the collection
  at Washington has a very fine selection. An interesting
  series are the jetons of the old French Academy of Medicine
  extending from 1638 to 1793, when the Academy was
  abolished by the Revolutionary government of France."

  [Would any of our readers be aware of the status of this
  collection?  Is it still intact?  Has a catalogue ever been
  published? -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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