Article ID: CBB000954220

Skulls, Science, and the Spoils of War: Craniological Studies at the United States Army Medical Museum, 1868--1900 (2009)

unapi

Beginning in 1868, the United States Army Medical Museum issued a request to Army medical personnel situated in `Indian country' for specimens of skulls from Native Americans. The purpose of this collection was to promote the study of craniometry, a branch of racial science commonly used to delineate the different varieties of mankind and to rank them according to their perceived intellectual attributes. Yet, as this paper argues, the efforts of Army surgeons in amassing hundreds of crania for the Army Medical Museum were not matched by a similar level of commitment on the part of racial researchers. In examining why this seemingly impressive collection fell rapidly into disuse, this paper explores the creation and abandonment of one of the largest craniological collections formed in the United States in relation to the trajectory of craniometrical studies during this period. It also questions the link between the interests of racial researchers in the late nineteenth century and those of government policy makers, arguing that the two might not have been particularly closely aligned in the case of craniological research in Washington.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB000954220/

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Authors & Contributors
P. Willey
Douglas D. Scott
Stiles, T.J.
Gary Plank
Katie Cohan
Colleen Cheverko
Concepts
Medicine
Medicine and the military; medicine in war
Cavalry
Craniometry
Skeleton
Museums
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
21st century
20th century, late
20th century, early
20th century
Places
United States
Padua (Italy)
Western states (U.S.)
Pennsylvania (U.S.)
Institutions
United States. Army
University of Padua
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