Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Army Medical Department, Netley / by Sir William Aitken.

  • Aitken, William, 1825-1892.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Army Medical Department, Netley / by Sir William Aitken. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. [1845.] The earliest attempt by Medical Officers of the Army, to form a colleotion in Morbid Anatomy, was made in 1810, under the superintendence of the present Dii'ector-General (Sir James MeGrigor), then Inspector of Hospitals at Portsmouth. That effort, howeyei, was only of short duration, and produced not more than fifty Preparations—a result no doubt to be ascribed, in a great measure, to the removal to the Peninsula of its originator and chief promoter. After 1811 nothing appears to have been done till 1816, when a second effort was made b^' desire of the original projector, then Director-General; and the York Hospital, Chelsea, was selected as the place where the Preparations were to be deposited. Here a few specimens were acquired ; but it was not till after the removal of the infant collection to Chatham, where the only General Hospital continued to exist after the conclusion of the war, that the forming of the collection so anxiously desired by the Chief of the Department was serioufdy undertaken. The I'eqnests and recommendations issued at that time from Headquarters to the Medical Officers of the Army generally, were honourably responded to almost immediately, and the same spirit which was evinced, now seventeen years ago, has continuously prevailed ever since; and the result has been the acquirement of an extensive, a varied, and a valuable collection of Morbid Preparations, The present volume is intended to communicate to the Officers of the Department, in as few words as possible, the natures and number of the Preparations in the collection, which has been effected principally by their zeal, and thus to enable them to understand what yet requires to be supplied by their further exertions. The names of the contributors of Preparations, it will be observed, are regularly given in the body of the work; hence it is only necessary here to remark, that the Department is greatly indebted to the exertions of the several able Officers who have successively superintended the Hospital Establishment at Chatham, viz., the late Dr. Forbes,—Drs. Skey, Clarke, Davy, and Smith, and to the successive Curators,* for the able * The late Mr. J. J). Millar, Mr. Ford, Dr. i^uslie, Mr. GuUirer, Mr. Fagg, Dr. Caw, Dr. M'Crae, Mr. Oalder, Mr. Atthill, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Staunton, and Dr. WiUamson.