﻿THE 
  INDIAN 
  MEDICAL 
  EXHIBIT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIVISION 
  

   OF 
  MEDICINE 
  IN 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  

  

  MUSEUM 
  

  

  By 
  Charles 
  Whitebread 
  

  

  Assistant 
  Curator, 
  Division 
  of 
  Medicine, 
  I 
  nihil 
  States 
  National 
  Museum 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION 
  

  

  This 
  paper 
  is 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  :i 
  previous 
  article 
  1 
  descriptive 
  of 
  

   the 
  history 
  of 
  medicine 
  exhibits, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Museum 
  to 
  meel 
  

   the 
  demands 
  of 
  visitors 
  for 
  information, 
  copies 
  of 
  labels, 
  and 
  pic- 
  

   tures 
  of 
  specimens 
  of 
  these 
  exhibits. 
  The 
  exhibit 
  of 
  American 
  In- 
  

   dian 
  medicine, 
  herein 
  described, 
  was 
  arranged 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  James 
  

   M. 
  Flint, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  who 
  was 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  honorary 
  curator 
  of 
  

   the 
  division 
  of 
  medicine, 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  and 
  cooperation 
  of 
  

   representatives 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  American 
  Ethnology, 
  department 
  

   of 
  anthropology, 
  and 
  others. 
  The 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  exhibit 
  is 
  to 
  illus- 
  

   trate 
  original 
  medical 
  practices 
  of 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

  

  Acting 
  upon 
  the 
  suggestion 
  of 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Holmes, 
  then 
  head 
  

   curator 
  of 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  anthropology, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  division 
  

   of 
  medicine 
  was 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  a 
  unit, 
  Doctor 
  Flint 
  arranged 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  history 
  of 
  medicine 
  exhibits. 
  Magic 
  and 
  psychic 
  medicines 
  were 
  

   given 
  first 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  series; 
  then 
  followed 
  exhibits 
  illustrating 
  the 
  

   medical 
  practices 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  Egyptians, 
  Greeks, 
  and 
  Romans. 
  

   The 
  Egyptians, 
  who, 
  according 
  to 
  Pliny, 
  were 
  the 
  originators 
  of 
  

   the 
  healing 
  art, 
  named 
  mythological 
  deities 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  physicians. 
  

   The 
  Greeks 
  and 
  Romans 
  also 
  assigned 
  to 
  medicine, 
  as 
  its 
  founders 
  

   and 
  supporters, 
  ever-ruling 
  gods 
  and 
  goddesses, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  remedies 
  

   of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  these 
  countries 
  were 
  "magic." 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  surprising, 
  

   then, 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  also 
  associated 
  the 
  technique 
  of 
  medicine 
  

   with 
  the 
  offices 
  of 
  religious 
  worship; 
  that 
  the 
  physicians 
  of 
  this 
  

   race 
  were 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  priesthood; 
  or 
  that 
  their 
  remedies 
  

   were 
  principally 
  magic. 
  

  

  Medical 
  practices 
  were 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  among 
  the 
  various 
  tribes. 
  

   While 
  nothing 
  attaining 
  to 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  a 
  science 
  existed, 
  still 
  in 
  

   medicine 
  the 
  Indians 
  used 
  faculties 
  as 
  discriminating: 
  and 
  arrived 
  

  

  1 
  Proc. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus., 
  vol. 
  65. 
  art. 
  15, 
  no. 
  252S. 
  1024. 
  pp. 
  1-44, 
  figs. 
  1-24, 
  pis. 
  1-5. 
  

  

  No. 
  2582. 
  Proceedings 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  67, 
  Art. 
  10. 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  