History of the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection

The idea of arraying biological specimens in a museum exhibit in order to instruct medical students and foster research first arose during the Enlightenment period in Europe. One of the pioneer innovators in this area was John Hunter (1728-1793), a Scottish-born anatomist who amassed a collection now known by his name. Some of Hunter’s students came to America and formed the first faculty of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  In the early 1800's Jared Potter Kirtland, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, brought Hunter’s ideas to the Western Reserve.  He helped found both the Western Reserve Medical School and the Arkites - the precursor of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Because the institutional resources were not yet in place in Cuyahoga County, medical specimen collections from this time period were mostly the work of isolated practitioners. The collections were small, and not well documented. Examples from this time period can be seen in the collections of Drs. Dudley P. Allen and Reginald G. Thorpe which are now sub-collections within the Museum’s Hamann-Todd Collection. Further information on this time period can be found at the Dittrick Medical History Museum at Case Western Reserve University.

Carl A. Hamann
Dean of Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Thomas W. Todd
Professor of Anatomy, Western Reserve University

Hamann Museum Comparative Anatomy and Anthropology
Medical specimen collection at Western Reserve University

Hamann-Todd Collection at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Physical Anthropology Lab at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Bibliography

Brown, K.L. ed. 1977. Medicine in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County: 1810-1976.
Academy of Medicine of Cleveland: Cleveland, Ohio

Moore, W. 2005. The Knife Man: The Extraordinary Life and Times of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery. New York : Broadway Books

Waite, F.C. 1946. Western Reserve University Centennial History of the School of Medicine. Cleveland: Western Reserve University Press