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Edit in/Save to Microsoft WordMuseum of Science and Industry
Institutional Collections
Chicago, Illinois 60637-2093
United States
Fax: (773) 684-0026
Collections in the Institutional Archives of Museum and Science and Industry of note to researchers studying the history of medicine include: photographs (both prints and digital copies), Progress articles, ephemera, curatorial papers, and exhibit design files of current and former medical and biological exhibits, including Prenatal Development, Body Slices, The Evolution of Resuscitation, Here is Your Heart, The Human Cell, Microworld Theater, Sickle Cell Anemia Exhibit, Skin Deep, AIDS: The War Within, two pharmacy exhibits, and Body Worlds. The Archive of A Century of Progress Corporation includes materials about medical exhibitions at A Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-34). In addition, the Archivist has charge of a few select historical artifacts, one of which is the 2nd TAM (Transparent Anatomical Manikin). Access to the Archives is by appointment only. Both the Registrar’s Accession Files and artifacts under curatorial watch are also in the Collections Department, but access to them is highly restricted.
The archival inventory is an ongoing process. Unlike with the U-505, which merits an artificial collection encompassing nearly everything related to the submarine, medical exhibit files are widely distributed throughout collections organized by department and era. In some cases, there is only one file or one document case full of materials on an exhibit. The largest collection of materials on a medical exhibit would be AIDS: The War Within, which is contained within the Dr. Barry Aprison Papers. The latter would be measured in several feet, not including a conceptual diorama of it. Making an appointment to do research in the history of medicine would be worthwhile to someone studying particular exhibits of the Museum’s or the history of medical exhibits at science museums.