Historical context
About this institution
Founded during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, the National Museum of Health and Medicine preserves objects, archives, instruments, anatomical and pathological specimens, and research collections that document the changing practice of medicine. Today the Defense Health Agency museum in Silver Spring continues the federal institution’s military-medical and scientific mission while making selected galleries and research resources available to the public.
Why it matters to Medal of Honor research
The museum connects Medal of Honor research to material culture in military medicine. The Walker kit attribution is especially useful because it separates a documented personal medical object from assumptions about her medal or current gallery placement.
Collection guide
What to look for
The following highlights summarize the strongest verified reasons to include this institution in the archive. They are a planning guide, not a promise that every object is on view at all times.
◆Federal military-medical collections founded during the Civil War
◆Medical kit attributed to Mary Edwards Walker in an institutional publication
◆Medical instruments, archives, specimens, and research collections
◆Public galleries and appointment-based research access
Verified connections
Medal of Honor relationships
1 total
Personal artifacts
A National Museum of Civil War Medicine article captions a medical kit used by Mary Edwards Walker and credits the object to the National Museum of Health and Medicine. The record establishes an artifact and collection association, not current public display.
Verified 2026-10-11 · Historical
Evidence sources and scope
Collection focus
Historical specialties
Military medicineMedical instruments and archivesCivil War medical historyBiomedical research collections
Service connections
U.S. Army · U.S. Armed Forces
Conflict connections
U.S. Civil War
