Medical History of Washington D.C. Heritage Trail

Entries on This Tour

1. Doctor Charles Richard Drew's Home- Historical Marker

A small marker designates this modest Arlington house as the home of the late Dr. Charles R. Drew, a physician and researcher who is credited with the discovery of blood banking-- a method of containment and delivery that saved countless lives. The first African American to graduate Columbia University with a Doctorate in Science, Drew was also the first African American to join the American Board of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. His work saved countless lives in World War II and some of his methods are still used today. He later served as a director of the Red Cross Society and taught at Howard University. Throughout the 1940s and until his death in 195, Drew protested the policies of exclusion that kept African American students out of medical schools and even restricted Black blood donors. When the Red Cross announced in 1941 that they would only accept blood from white donors, Drew pointed out that this policy meant that he could not donate blood despite leading the work to discovery and implementation of the life-saving procedure he helped create. He later protested against the Red Cross and others when they adopted a policy of separating blood donations by race.

2. Spanish-American War Nurses Memorial

The Spanish-American War Nurses Memorial is a monument located in Arlington National Cemetery, installed on May 2, 1905. This monument, made of granite, was created to pay tribute to the nurses who died during the Spanish-American War, which took place in 1898. The Spanish-American War marked the first time that females served in any capacity in the United States Military; prior to this, military nurses were male. The monument resides in Section 21 of Arlington National Cemetery, the same section in which the Spanish-American War Nurses are buried.

3. National Academy of Sciences Building

Founded in 1863 through an Act of Congress signed by Abraham Lincoln, the National Academy of Sciences is a non-profit private organization that serves to further scientific research and knowledge. Currently, the National Academy of Sciences is part of the International Council for Science, and is headquartered in its main building in Washington, DC. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 1974.

4. Army Medical Museum and Library (1888-1969)

The Army Medical Museum and Library was one of the earliest federally appointed research institutes combining medical and military science. Founded in 1888, the building served as the Army Medical School and library of the Surgeon General of the Army (which would later become the National Library of Medicine) until the 1960s, when different locations were chosen for its services. Despite becoming a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, the building was demolished in 1969. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden can now be found on the site. The museum's collections are now held by a variety of institutions, including the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Maryland.

5. Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum

The Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum is located in the building where Clara Barton, nurse and founder of the Red Cross, lived during and after the Civil War. From 1865 to 1868, Barton operated an office at this property to handle correspondence concerning soldiers who went missing during the Civil War. In 1996, Richard Lyons of the General Services Administration rediscovered the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office when the building was slated for demolition. The General Services Administration, which owned the building, partnered with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in 2007 to save this unique historic site. The Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum opened in 2015, giving the public access to preserved rooms and exhibits.

6. Administration Building, Carnegie Institution for Science

The Carnegie Institution for Science was one of many organizations to develop from the mind and fortune of Andrew Carnegie. It was formed for the purposes of scientific discovery. It was endowed in 1902. The building was designed by the architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings. The building, a Beaux-Arts style, has a neoclassical façade. It was completed in 1908. It was declared by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

7. Howard University Hospital (Freedmen's Hospital Historical Marker)

A small historic marker at the entrance of Howard University Hospital commemorates Freedman's Hospital which was established near this location in 1862. The first hospital was located at 12th and R Street and seven years later, a new hospital was constructed at this location. A teaching hospital, Freedman's Hospital trained nurses, physicians, and surgeons who upon graduation established practices and worked at hospitals throughout the nation. A new building was completed in 1908 and this third version of Freedmen’s Hosptial was in operation from 1908 to 1975. That facility, located on Bryant Street, closed when Howard University Hospital opened this facility and the building now houses the Howard University School of Communications.

8. Howard Medical College

Howard Medical College dates back to November 9, 1868, when the Medical Department of Howard University held its first classes with five faculty members and eight students. Seven of the eight students were African Americans, and as the department grew along with the university, a rising number of Black physicians joined the ranks of Howard graduates. The founding faculty members included four white and one African American professor, Dr. Alexandra Augusta. Augusta was the forebearer of many African American physicians whose career served African American communities at a time when they were denied service in many doctor's offices and hospitals. And like Augusta, these graduates became leaders in the military, civil service, business, and community organizations.

9. Children's Country Home / Hospital for Sick Children

The cornerstone of this children's hospital building was laid in a ceremony attended by First Lady Lou Hoover in 1929. The hospital was completed the following year and served as the third location for a children's hospital that was established in the late 19th century and was designed by the architectural firm of Wyeth and Sullivan. The building's cottage-style design and connected corridor plan reflected the influence of the Progressive era and the hope for improving the treatment of children by offering ample light and fresh air for patients along with a more home-like atmosphere. The original core of the building has been preserved and serves as part of HSC Pediatric Center.

10. National Museum of Health and Medicine

In the midst of the American Civil War, the National Museum of Health and Medicine was founded as the Army Medical Museum in order to house specimens for use in army medicine and surgery research. The Museum always held a focus on research, and its topics of research continually branched out over the years. Today, the Museum still conducts research and is home to numerous exhibits on pathology, anatomy, the advancement of military medicine, and other exhibits dedicated to advancing public understanding of military medicine.

11. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) is one of the largest and most prestigious military hospitals in the country. It is named after U.S. Army doctor and researcher, Walter Reed (1851-1902), who proved that yellow fever is transmitted through mosquito bites. The original building of the complex, which is known as Building 1, was erected in 1942 and features a 20-story tower and a pair of "L"-shaped wings. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The facility, which has grown over time, was first known as the National Naval Medical Center. In 2011, it combined with the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center to form the WRNMMC.

12. Tree of Hippocrates, National Library of Medicine

This tree along the Bethesda Trolley Trail near the National Library of Medicine building is a clone of the tree on the island of Cos, Greece, under which Hippocrates, the "father of medicine" is believed to have taught his students. In 1961, the Greek Ambassador gave a cutting from this parent tree to the National Institutes of Health on the occasion of the opening of the new National Library of Medicine Building. That tree died in 2013, but the NIH planted a new clone of the parent tree at the same site in 2014. A second clone of the Cos tree was planted in front of the NIH Clinical Center at the same time.

13. National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine began as a small collection of medical texts in the office of the U. S. Army Surgeon General in 1836. This collection grew into a library for use by military personnel until a 1956 act of Congress established the library under civilian authority. This library building on the National Institutes of Health's campus in Bethesda was completed in 1962 and reflects the Cold War environment with foot-thick limestone walls, underground book storage, and a collapsible roof. In addition to maintaining a massive print collection, the library has been at the forefront of computer innovations in medical information sharing, including MEDLINE, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov. The National Library of Medicine is the world's largest biomedical library.

14. Clara Barton House and Historic Site

Located along the Potomac River in Glen Echo, Maryland, the Clara Barton House and Historic Site is the best place to learn about Barton's lifetime of activism including her role in the founding of the American Red Cross. Visitors to the home and historic site will find many artifacts and exhibits related to her many causes and the early history of the American Red Cross. The Museum was founded in 1974 and has offered free daily tours from that time to the present.

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

Medical History of Washington D.C. Heritage Trail

Created by Clio Admin on December 16th 2020, 12:35:12 am.

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Description

This trail begins at the home of two pathbreaking physicians and a memorial dedicated to nurses and continues on to a variety or organizations dedicated to the study of science and medicine along with historic hospitals. The tour concludes at the National Library of Medicine, the National Museum of Health, and the Clara Barton House and Historic Site.

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine

Entries on This Tour

Medical History of Washington D.C. Heritage Trail

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