Case studies in pathology from the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine was founded as the Army Medical Museum during the American Civil War to document the effects of war wounds and disease on the human body. Since then, the Museum has created a collection of documented pathologic specimens that can be used to study the gross and microscopic appearance of disease conditions. The Museum's collections are a vital link to the past and the future of medical research and form a unique national medical repository that is used continuously for research, education, and exhibit purposes. Today, the Museum in association with its parent institution, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, provides access to over 130 years of documented medical specimens. These specimens allow the unique opportunity to re-examine historical classification systems and disease diagnoses. The case of subacute chronic osteomyelitis with cortical sequestration of Private J. Potter from the Civil War is presented here.