Introduction

The history of medicine tells different stories and different truths depending on the questions we ask and the concerns we raise. That's why there is always something new in the past.

This exhibition explores some of the multiple meanings people have found in the history of medicine within the United States. We see how, during the last two hundred years, the history of medicine has been created and used as weapon, as inspiration, as edifice, as politics, as profession, and as today's news. Physicians have used medical history to increase their understanding, to unify their profession, to develop a vision of the future of medicine, and to provide better medical care to their patients.

History is like a kaleidoscope. It provides different meanings and different content to different viewers as they adjust their focus to find answers to ever changing questions. People are thus continually creating and recreating history.