New Forensic Sciences Exhibition Opens At National Museum Of Health And Medicine

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM) is proud to announce the public opening of "RESOLVED: Advances in Forensic Identification of U.S. War Dead." RESOLVED highlights the underlying forensic sciences that have evolved to fulfill our nation's commitment to the identification of U.S. service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice. NMHM is open to the public and is located on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

RESOLVED features dynamic presentations on milestones in forensic identification, including the development of tools such as dog tags and DNA analysis. The exhibit discusses the six lines of evidence critical to a positive scientific forensic identification: material evidence, fingerprinting, forensic dentistry, forensic anthropology and forensic pathology, and DNA analysis. Visitors can examine a variety of objects on display - including a portable dental x-ray device, an FBI Disaster Squad fingerprinting kit, and astonishing new "virtual autopsy" technologies - while photographs immerse the visitor in the working environment of today's forensic anthropologist and DNA technician.

Historical case studies detail the events that precipitated the development of new policies and technologies. DNA analysis, for instance, was critical to the positive identification of U.S. Air Force pilot Michael Blassie, identified in the 1990s as the Vietnam Unknown Soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A timeline informs the visitor on the progression of policies, technologies and other developments from the time of the Mexican-American War (the first instance of an organized repatriation of American service member remains) to the present with the establishment of a centralized mortuary conducting medico-legal scientific identifications for all combat-related fatalities.

"Telling the story of these sciences enables our visitors to understand the underlying efforts involved in the speedy identification of America's war dead today, and how over the course of the last two centuries that imperative has been addressed in this country," Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., Museum Director, said.

RESOLVED was made possible through the generous contributions of numerous Department of Defense agencies, including the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner/AFIP, Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory/AFIP, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, and federal agencies such as the FBI Disaster Squad Latent Print Operations Unit.

The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except December 25). Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit here or phone (202) 782-2200.

Links

* National Museum of Health and Medicine Web site
* Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
* Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
* Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory

About the National Museum of Health and Medicine

The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, established in 1862, inspires interest in and promotes the understanding of medicine-past, present, and future-with a special emphasis on tri-service American military medicine. As a National Historic Landmark recognized for its ongoing value to the health of the military and to the nation, the Museum identifies, collects, and preserves important and unique resources to support a broad agenda of innovative exhibits, educational programs, and scientific, historical, and medical research. The Museum is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), a tri-service Army, Navy and Air Force agency of the Department of Defense with a threefold mission of consultation, education and research. The Museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Visit the Museum Web site at http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum or call (202) 782-2200.

National Museum of Health and Medicine