Explore Medical History at a Museum

The Dittrick Medical History Center is dedicated to studying the history of medicine through a compilation of rare books, artifacts, and archives. The original name of the museum was the Dittrick Museum but took on the current name in 1998 to more accurately reflect the diversity of the collections (artifacts, rare books, archives, and images) that are located here. The museum established in 1898 today functions as an interdisciplinary learning center. The museum is housed in the Allen Memorial Medical Library on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio's University Circle. The Dittrick Museum of Medical History is a division of the Dittrick Medical History Center of the College of Arts and Sciences of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. There is no charge for visiting and exploring the museum. The Center is closed on weekends and Holidays.

The museum contains one of the most wide-ranging collections of surgical instruments and medical apparatus in all of America. The displays comprise everything from bloodletting to nursing attire. The reproduction of doctor's offices from the late 1800's and early 1900's are considered the most prominent exhibits in the museum. A human skeleton can be seen hanging eerily in the corner of 1875 office reproduction.

The museum contains nearly 60,000 rare medical related books, rare books including Freud and Darwin, and close to the same amount of museum artifacts, and a collection of approximately 10,000 images. The museum is considered one of the most significant medical history collections in the United States. The museum serves as a global source for the education on the history of medical knowledge. The collection of books and archived data serves as research information for studying specialty areas of medicine for local and international medical organizations and associations. These books date from the late 14th century into the 20th century. The Center is even open for individual research gatherers from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The museum houses a wide range of items that chronicle the history of man-made organs. Some of the items on display to just name a few are the Hopkins Closed Chest Defibrillator from 1957, the Morris Clinical Defibrillator from 1955, and the Beck-Leighninger from the late 1940's. Visitors will also see a collection of over 50 heart valve prosthesis including the Barnard-Goosen Aortic Valve.

The galleries that can be toured include Diagnostic instruments, Hospital Medicine and Laboratory medicines from the 1860's to 1920's, Obstetrics and surgery instruments and many more. Visitors will want to see the striking assembly of microscopes on the second story. The Diagnostic Instrument Gallery located just above the main gallery displays progresses in technology from stethoscopes to X-ray machines.

Some of the more unusual and interesting medical items from the past are surgical instruments dating back to Roman times and saddle bags of pioneer doctors from out West.

The museum hosted the annual meeting of the American Association of the History of Medicine in 2009. The museum conducts lectures several times each year which are open to the public.

This is truly a collection to be valued not only by the medical profession, but by anyone having the good fortune to stop by for a visit.