Indiana Medical History Museum

09/05/2026

JOIN US TOMORROW! In person or online!
2026 George H. Rawls, MD Memorial Lecture on the History of Minorities and Medicine
Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 1pm (Eastern)
“Rehumanizing People of the Past: Bioarchaeology, Medical Museums and Archives, and the Human Remains Trade”
presented by Kristin LaFollette
FREE for Current IMHM Members* (donations of $35 or more in the past 12 months)
$5 for NonMembers
*Member tickets are only available for current active IMHM members. Member status will be confirmed.

2026 George H. Rawls, MD Memorial Lecture on the History of Minorities and Medicine
Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 1pm (Eastern)
“Rehumanizing People of the Past: Bioarchaeology, Medical Museums and Archives, and the Human Remains Trade”
presented by Kristin LaFollette

FREE for Current IMHM Members* (donations of $35 or more in the past 12 months)
$5 for NonMembers
*Member tickets are only available for current active IMHM members. Member status will be confirmed.

09/05/2026

The 1954 medicine prize changed the course of history.

John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins discovered how to grow the poliovirus in human tissue cultures – the breakthrough that made Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine possible. Their work set in motion the near-eradication of polio, one of the greatest public health victories of the 20th century.

Despite this, virus outbreaks still occur in parts of the world, but ongoing global vaccination campaigns continue to advance us toward the goal of complete eradication. The legacy of this prize reminds us that science and international cooperation are our strongest tools – whether against polio, pandemics, or the next emerging threat.

Learn more: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1954/summary/

09/03/2026

2026 George H. Rawls, MD Memorial Lecture on the History of Minorities and Medicine
Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 1pm (Eastern)
“Rehumanizing People of the Past: Bioarchaeology, Medical Museums and Archives, and the Human Remains Trade”
presented by Kristin LaFollette

FREE for Current IMHM Members* (donations of $35 or more in the past 12 months)
$5 for NonMembers
*Member tickets are only available for current active IMHM members. Member status will be confirmed.

09/02/2026

“Henrietta Lacks: What Her Cells Saved and What Science Took” from the CF Reynolds Medical History Society blog.

Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine By Kadir Nelson (1974- ) Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery Henrietta Lac...

09/01/2026

"The term ‘magic bullet’ once just meant a targeted drug."

The term 'magic bullet' once just meant a targeted drug

08/28/2026

"Dark Tourism: Dealing with Ghosts and the Past at the Indiana Medical History Museum" By Rebekah Turner, Intern Indiana DNR, Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology

08/27/2026

The brain is one of the first organs to begin decomposing after death. Yet archaeologists have discovered more than 4,400 preserved human brains around the world, some of which have remained intact for the last 12,000 years. In hundreds of cases, the brain was the only soft tissue left among otherwise skeletal remains.

But how—and why—do brains sometimes persist for millennia while all other types of soft tissue disappear? https://bit.ly/4cdwr9f

📸: Alexandra Seviour

08/26/2026

"Inside the Indiana Medical History Museum, Danielle Thomas created an exhibit about her grandfather. 'Polio has fallen out of common memory,” said Thomas, 31. “I wanted to show people what this looked like in a child at that time.'"

A staff member created an exhibit for her grandfather, who had polio.

08/25/2026

Looking for a volunteer opportunity in Indianapolis?

Check out the Indiana Medical History Museum Volunteer Program! We are always looking for people who have a passion for learning and sharing knowledge. Our volunteer program has two main roles that volunteers can fill for us:

Docent:
Trained docents provide IMHM visitors with a thematic one-hour tour of the Old Pathology Building to both scheduled groups and drop-in visitors. Docents create an engaging educational atmosphere for museum visitors and effectively communicate the emergence of modern medicine at the turn of the 20th century, not to mention science, mental health care, architecture, local history and much more!

Greeter:
The Greeter admits visitors, performs check-in duties, and answers general inquiries. Because he/she provides the initial impression of the museum, we are looking for someone who is comfortable with handling money, enjoys interacting with others, and is enthusiastic!

Do either of these positions sound like something you'd enjoy? If so, please visit our website at https://imhm.org/volunteering to get more information about volunteering and to fill out an application. You can also email the Museum Operations Manager, Danielle Thomas, at [email protected] if you have questions or would like more information.

08/24/2026

"'A new era is rapidly dawning upon the world’s locomotion.' This is the exhilarating first sentence of an 1881 editorial, 'The Bicycle and Tricycle for Physicians,' published in the Atlanta Medical Register."

Joining in national celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, Circulating Now is publishing a series of posts throughout the year dedicated to…