Upcoming Events at the Indiana Medical History Museum
Saturdays from June 5 – September 25, 2010, 11am
Walking Tours of the Medicinal Garden
These tours are free and open to the public, but do not include a tour of the building.
The Indiana Medical History Museum is excited to offer new programming this spring and summer. Beginning in June, the museum will offer guided tours of our Medicinal Plant Garden. Each Saturday in June through September, a tour guided by one of our Master Gardeners will be offered at 11am. Tours will include information on plants in the garden, their past and current uses as remedies and their contributions to the growth of pharmaceutical science.
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Friday, June 5 – Saturday, July 31, 2010
Resurrectionists: Body Snatching in Indiana
This exhibit was developed by the Indiana State Archives.
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
Explore the history of grave robbing in Indiana while learning new research skills from the Indiana State Archives!
In 1902, a series of grave robbings in Indianapolis prompted Detectives Adolph Asch and Chauncey Manning to begin an investigation of these mysterious disappearances. Their discovery and the media coverage that followed, led to the arrests of Rufus Cantrell, his “Gang of Ghouls,” and a number of Indianapolis physicians. It also led to the establishment of the State Anatomical Board and the Indiana State Anatomical Education Program, whose aim is to “ensure the quality of education for medical, dental, allied health students.”
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Wednesday, August 4 – Saturday, October 9, 2010
John Zwara
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
Austrian-born water color painter, John Zwara, came to Indian-apolis around 1933. Zwara spent several years living on the streets of the city, selling his artwork in order to buy more painting supplies. A friend of Zwara’s, Alexander Vonnegut, recognized that he needed psychiatric help and had him committed to Central State Hospital in 1938. There he was diagnosed with dementia praecox (schizophrenia.) Zwara spent six months at the hospital before his escape. He died a pauper in 1951. This exhibit will feature many of his works that were completed at Central State and will also highlight what little is known of his fascinating life.
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Friday, August 6, 2010, 7pm
The Art and Life of John Zwara
This lecture is free and open to the public. Seating is limited.
Rachel Berenson Perry, Fine Arts Curator at the Indiana State Museum will talk about the life and artwork of the Austrian-born water color painter John Zwara. Zwara came to Indianapolis around 1933. He was a wanderer and spent several years living on the streets of Indianapolis, selling his artwork in order to buy more painting supplies. A friend of Zwara’s, Alexander Vonnegut, recognized that he needed psychiatric help and arranged for his commitment to Central State Hospital in 1938. There he was diagnosed with dementia praecox (schizophrenia). Zwara spent six months at the hospital before his "escape." He died a pauper in 1951.
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010 7pm
A Lady Alone
A one-woman play by N. Lynn Eckhert MD, Harvard Medical School with Linda Gray Kellet as Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman to receive a medical degree.
This performance is free but requires advanced regisration at faculty.medicine.iu.edu
Presented by the IUSM Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, the IUPUI Office for Women, and the Indiana University School of Medicine Library.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 4-5:15pm
Fall Forensics Lecture
Pathology & Forensic Science: Then & Now
This event is free and open to the public.
At this year's Fall installment of the Forensic Science Lecture Series, John E. Pless, M.D., retired Head of Forensic Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine and current Indiana Medical History Museum Board President, will review the history and development of forensic pathology and discuss the ways advancements in science and technology have changed the field.
The Forensic Science Lecture Series (FSLS) was established in 2004 to help educate the public in the forensic sciences and related fields as well as to spotlight the fascinating stories that scientists have to tell. The lecture series is sponsored jointly by the Indiana Medical History Museum and the University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory.
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Wednesday, October 13 - Saturday, November 6, 2010
Analysis & Deduction: The History of Forensic Criminology
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
Explore the history of how advancements in scientific knowledge have been used to identify remains, track down criminals, and solve crimes, including collection and analysis of fingerprints, documentation of crime scenes, estimating time of death, use of toxicology, and more! Also compare the real science of forensic criminology to the fictional investigations of Sir Arthur Conana Doyle's well-known character, Sherlock Holmes.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010, 2-4pm
6th Annual Wizards Academy
This program requires advanced registration.
Visit with magical creatures from the Indianapolis Zoo and explore the science behind your favorite wizard’s magical world through hands-on experiments! Parents are invited to attend a special presentation about encouraging early science education, while their young wizards are in class.
Recommended for grades 3-8. Participants are encouraged to dress up in their favorite wizardly attire.
Register Here
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Friday, November 12, 2010
A Progressive Affair: The Threat of Unsafe Food in the Early 20th Century
This event is part of the Spirit & Place Festival. Event is free but requires advanced registration.
A quiz show about food additives, an exhibit of Indiana public health posters (some drawn by Indiana native Gaar Williams), and a discussion by Jeff Bennett of IUPUI’s School of Liberal Arts of two men who were instrumental in establishing the pure food and drugs laws, Dr. John Hurty, Indiana State Health Commissioner (1896-1922), and Dr. Harvey Wiley, Head of the US Bureau of Chemistry (1883-1912.) Also, Stephen Jay, M.D., professor of Medicine and Public Health at Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Public Health will discuss our nation’s history of food adulteration, his own work to spread awareness on Capitol Hill.
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Friday, November 12, 2010 - Saturday, January 29, 2011
Food Fight! Dr. John Hurty’s Battle for Public Health & the Indiana Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1899
This exhibit corresponds to our Spirit & Place Festival event.
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
Dr. John Hurty, Indiana State Health Commissioner (1896-1922), wrote the first comprehensive state food and drug law in the nation, which passed in 1899. This exhibit will feature drawings commissioned by John Hurty for use in public health pamphlets and posters. Several of these works were created by Richmond, Indiana native Gaar Williams, a political cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star and the Chicago Tribune.
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Saturday, December 18, 2010 10am to 3pm
12 Days of Indy Christmas
This open house event is free and open to the public.
Come visit the nation's oldest surviving pathology laboratory. Browse the museum and talk with staff and volunteers.
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Past Events
Wednesday April 7 – Saturday, May 29, 2010
Great Apes: The Biology & Culture of Our Closest Relatives
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
Apes are arguably the most recognizable animal in the world and are often in the top three attractions in zoos that keep them. But they are also often misunderstood and misrepresented in popular culture. In their best light, they are often depicted comically, wearing clothing, smoking cigars, or mimicking human beings in other ways. At the other end of the spectrum, apes are often portrayed as violent and blood thirsty. In reality, apes are complex, resourceful, social animals. They are closely related to us and yet very different.
By learning about their biology, culture, and behavior, we can develop a better understanding and appreciation for these incredible animals who share 95 to 98% of their DNA with us and get a unique insight into our own biology, culture, and behaviors.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 4-5:15pm
Recovery and Analysis of Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas: Non-Human Forensic Anthropology
This lecture will be given by Amandine Eriksen & Dr. Stephen Nawrocki.
In the summers of 2008 and 2009, University of Indianapolis graduate student Amandine Eriksen and Dr. Stephen Nawrocki traveled to Rwanda, Africa as part of an international team assisting on the Mountain Gorilla Recovery and Preservation Project. Gorillas that have died during the past 20 years represent a valuable scientific resource for conservationists trying to bring this endangered species back from the brink of extinction. This presentation details the process of locating and excavating gorilla skeletons using archaeological methods and shows how forensic anthropology techniques developed for use on humans can be applied in very different contexts.
The Forensic Science Lecture Series (FSLS) was established in 2004 to help educate the public in the forensic sciences and related fields as well as to spotlight the fascinating stories that scientists have to tell. The lecture series is sponsored jointly by the Indiana Medical History Museum and the University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory.
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Wednesday, January 20 through Saturday, April 3, 2010 Rustic Remedies: Cures from Granny's Garden
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
This exhibit highlights a few of the many medicinal plants that were available in Pioneer Indiana. Learn more about these plants and their uses, and get a preview of the museum's own Medicinal Garden which is lovingly maintained by IMHM board member Kathleen Hull, M.D. and the Purdue Master Gardeners of Marion County.
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Saturday, December 19, 2009 10am-3pm
12 Free Days of Indy Christmas Open House presented by the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association
This open house event is free to the public.
Come visit the nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory. Browse the museum and talk with our staff and volunteers from 10am to 3pm.
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Friday, November 6, 2009 through Saturday, January 15th, 2010
Temples of the Future: Laboratories of the 19th Century
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
The title is taken from Louis Pasteur’s 1878 statement: "Take interest… in those sacred dwellings called laboratories. Demand that they be multiplied…these are the temples of the future, temples of well-being and of happiness. There it is that humanity grows greater, stronger, better.” The exhibit will focus on the Old Pathology Building and other laboratories in the nation that were established around the same time; places that were created in the spirit of improving lives everywhere.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009 4-6pm
First Annual Glenn B. Mather, MD Lectureship* Old World Diseases in the Americas: The Plight of Native Americans and European Conquest presented by Dr. Mark Braun
This lecture is free and open to the public, but does require advanced registration.
When Christopher Columbus made landfall on that fateful day in 1492, he didn't discover a 'New World.' Rather, he found an old and established world; one with people, societies and culture. What Columbus unknowingly did was create a new world by establishing a link between Europe and the Americas, a connection that proved to have apocalyptic significance for Native Americans. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the important infectious diseases that were so devastating to Native Americans following European and African contact.
Dr. Mark Braun received his undergraduate degree in biology from Purdue University in 1970. He attended Indiana University Medical School, graduating in 1975, and following medical school pursued a residency in pathology. After completing his residency, he joined the medical staff of Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Indiana, and began teaching part-time at the Indiana University School of Medicine. In 1994, he returned to school to get a masters degree in anthropology and in 1995 joined the faculty of Indiana University in a full-time capacity. His research interests include the study of Native American health issues, particularly the period of early European contact and the introduction of European infectious diseases into New World populations. He has published articles in the area of medical education as well as the field of diagnosis of human disease, including the identification of fragments of ancient tuberculosis DNA in Native American skeletal remains dating from 1000 AD. He has been recognized repeatedly for his teaching abilities.
*Respected pathologist and Indiana Medical History Museum Board member, Glenn B. Mather, MD, passed away in June of 2009. The Glenn B. Mather, MD Lectureship has been established in his honor.
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Friday, November 13, 2009 7-9:30pm
Temples of the Future: Laboratories of the 19th Century
Movie and Discussion
This Spirit & Place Festival event is free but requires advanced registration.
The film Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet will be shown in the amphitheater followed by a discussion about the contributions of laboratories, past and present, as well as their role as a supporter, or opponent, of social, political, and religious beliefs. The discussion will be lead by William Schneider PhD, Director of the Medical Humanities-Health Studies program at IUPUI and Richard Gregory, PhD Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the IUPUI School of Medicine.
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September 2- October 17, 2009
Disease & Tyranny: the Muncie Smallpox Epidemic of 1893
This exhibit is free with regular museum admission.
This exhibit about the Muncie, Indiana Smallpox Epidemic of 1892 was developed with the help of Kelly Hacker Jones, who received her masters degree in history at Ball State University and wrote a thesis on the same topic, entitled Vaccination: Who Should Decide When Doctors Disagree.
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Wednesday, October, 14, 2009 4-5:15pm
Fall Forensic Lecture
This lecture is free and open to the public.
Eleanor D. Kinney, JD MPH will reflect on the Muncie smallpox epidemic in 1893 and talk about current public health laws and the governments role in responding to bioterrorism, epidemics, and other health crises.
The Forensic Science Lecture Series (FSLS) was established in 2004 to help educate the public in the forensic sciences and related fields as well as to spotlight the fascinating stories that scientists have to tell. The lecture series is sponsored jointly by the Indiana Medical History Museum and the University of Indianapolis Archeology & Forensics Laboratory.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009 2-4pm
5th Annual Wizard’s Academy
This program requires advance registration. Children $6; Adults $4; max $20 per family. Please note that registration is not confirmed until payment is received.
Visit with magical creatures from the Indianapolis Zoo and explore the science behind your favorite wizard’s magical world through hands-on experiments! Parents are invited to attend a special presentation about encouraging early science education, while their young wizards are in class.
Recommended for grades 3-8. Participants are encouraged to dress up in their favorite wizardly attire.
Allergy Alert: Those allergic to latex products should be aware that latex balloons will be used in one experiment.
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Saturday, July 18, 2009, 4-5:30pm
The Pandemic Plus 90: 1919-2009
This lecture is free and open to the public.
The Indiana Medical History Museum is hosting this Marion County Historical Society program. The topic will be the influenza pandemic in Marion County, 1918-1919, and the possible return of a pandemic in 2009.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30pm
IMHM celebrates the second printing of From Under the Cloud at Seven Steeples by Lucy Jane King, M.D.
This event is free and open to the public.
The IMHM will host a book signing by Dr. Lucy Jane King. At 7pm, Dr. Charles Hazelrigg will present Waiting for Anna: 1848-1900 at the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane, a pictorial early history of the hospital that awaited Anna Agnew’s admission in 1878. At 7:30pm, Dr. King will present Finding Anna: Researching Anna Agnew and her Personal Reminiscences of Insanity.
Dr. King will be available beginning at 6:30pm and after the presentations to sign copies of her book. Copies of the softcover book will be available for $18.00 at the museum.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 4-5:15pm
2009 Spring Forensic Lecture Series
This lecture is free and open to the public.
Raising the Dead: When Our Ancestors are Evicted will be presented by forensic anthropologist Stephen Nawrocki, Ph.D. of the University of Indianapolis. In 2007, the University of Indianapolis assisted in the excavation of 33 burials from the 19th century Wright Cemetery, located at the intersection of I-69 and I-465 on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Impending roadwork necessitated a wholesale removal of the cemetery. The University of Indianapolis Archaeology & Forensics Laboratory conducted a detailed analysis of the skeletons prior to their reburial. This lecture will detail the process and issues involved with a project of this nature.
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Saturday, December 20, 2008, 10am-3pm
IMHM Open House
Admission is free.
The Indiana Medical History Museum will have an “Open House” from 10am until 3pm. Full tours will not be given, but staff and volunteers will be stationed throughout the museum to answer questions. This event is part of the “12 Days of Christmas” sponsored by the Indiana Convention and Visitors Association. More information is available by visiting the ICVA website.
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Sunday, November 9, 2008, 2pm
Center for Bioethics and Center for Inquiry Panel Discussion
The museum will be partnering with the Center for Bioethics and the Center for Inquiry to host an extraordinary panel discussion or the Spirit & Place Festival. Panelists include Eric M. Meslin, Ph.D., Director, Indiana Center for Bioethics; Kimberly Quaid, Ph.D., Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics; and David Flockhart, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, IU School of Medicine. The topic of discussion will be The Ethics of Predictive Genetic Testing and the Search for Personalized Drugs.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Fourth Annual Wizards Academy
$6 for children; $4 for adults
Inspired by books about your favorite boy wizard, Wizards Academy is where students will learn science by exploring principles of physics, chemistry, and electricity. Costumed volunteers will conduct demonstrations in the Great Amphitheater. These demonstrations and a special visit from animals mentioned in the books will make this a fun and educational afternoon.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 4pm
Fall Forensic Lecture Series
This lecture is free and open to the public.
Presented by Jay Siegel, Ph.D., the Director of the Forensics & Investigative Sciences Program and the Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at IUPUI, will discuss The Role of Observer Bias in the Analysis of Pattern Evidence.
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Saturday, June 14, 2008
Extra Innings! Festival
Celebrate the Extra Innings! Festival on the grounds of the Indiana Medical History Museum, where some of the movie Eight Men Out was filmed. The day begins with a tour of Indianapolis sites used in the filming, including Bush Stadium. Afterwards you can watch vintage baseball games, hear baseball historians speak about the 1919 Black Sox scandal, then watch the film outdoors at dusk.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis Meeting
Sherlock Holmes fans- The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, the city’s oldest Sherlock Holme’s society, will meet at the Indiana Medical History Museum, and you are welcome to join them. Please contact the Society to reserve your chair as this event is limited to those registered through it. Please let them know you heard about this event through the museum.
For more information: http://www.illustriousclients.org
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 3pm
Unearthing Belle: Exposing the World’s Most Prolific Female Serial Killer
This lecture is free and open to the public.
In 1908, LaPorte county resident Belle Gunness was found dead in her burned out house, along with the remains of her three children. In the investigation that followed, police discovered the bodies and dismembered remains of multiple victims buried on Belle’s farm. Questions have surrounded the identification of Belle’s body, which lacked a head. Did she fake her death, substituting a female victim for herself? Did she have an accomplice? Fearing the discovery of her crimes, did she skip town and live out her remaining days in California? For the first time, this famous case has been reopened by actual forensic scientists. Andrea Simmons, attorney and forensic anthropology student at the University of Indianapolis, will report some of her findings. She will describe her scrutiny of the historical documents and her 2007 examination and re-analysis of the body presumed to be Belle’s.
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March 2-April 2, 2008
Talking Heads: Coaxing Information from the Skull
This exhibit is free with regular admission.
This new exhibit focuses on examinations of the skull in medicine and anthropology, from obsolete notions to cutting edge research using novel technologies to gain new knowledge. The exhibit will also give examples of the skull in art and popular culture.
The opening program will feature Dr. Richard Ward, Professor of Anthropology and Dentistry at IUPUI, who will speak at 4pm on Sunday, March 2nd.