GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M KIM PELIS, DIRECTOR OF THE
OFFICE OF NIH HISTORY IN SAI INN
MUSEUM AND I WELCOME YOU TO AN
END OF AN ERA.
MICHELE LYONS, NOW OUR SENIOR
CURATOR AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
IS RETIRING AT THE END OF THE
MONTH.
BUT TODAY, BEFORE SHE GOES, SHE
PLANS TO GIVE US A GIFT.
THIS PROMISES TO BE QUITE A
SPECIAL GIFT.
MICHELE IS BLESSED WITH A
CALLING, QUITE LITERALLY,
OBJECTS CALL TO HER AND SHE
LISTENS.
OVER A 30-YEAR CAREER OF
COLLECTING OBJECTS ON NIH
HISTORY, OF TELLING THEIR
STORIES, AND OF FOLLOWING BOTH
OBJECTS AND STORIES WHEREVER
THEY HAVE LED, SHE HAS
TRANSFORMED THE HISTORY OFFICE
AND NIH'S HISTORICAL RECORD
ALIKE.
HER GIFT TODAY IS HER LECTURE.
IN IT, SHE OFFERS A CURATED TOUR
OF SELECT OBJECTS, ARRANGED TO
TELL NIH'S HISTORY FROM FOUNDING
TO PRESENT.
I MENTIONED THIS WAS AN END OF
AB ERA, AND ENDINGS, AS T.S.
ELLIOTT NOTED, CONTAIN WITHIN
THEM THEIR BEGINNINGS.
MICHELE ENDS HER TIME AS
CURATOR, HAVING LAID THE
FOUNDATIONS, SOLID YET FLEXIBLE,
FOR A PROMISING FUTURE FOR NIH
HISTORY.
AND NOW TO TELL YOU MORE ABOUT
THOSE BEGINNINGS AND HOW THEY
SHAPED THE BRILLIANT CURATOR
MICHELE HAS BECOME IS OUR
OFFICE'S FOUNDING DIRECTOR AND
DISCOVERERRER OF MICHELE'S MANY
TALENTS, DR. VICTORIA HARDEN.
[APPLAUSE]
>> HAVING KNOWN MICHELE LYONS
LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE HERE
TODAY EXCEPT PERHAPS HER
HUSBAND, SHAWN, AND HER BROTHER,
I WAS PLEASED TO BE ASKED TO
INTRODUCE HER.
IN 1988, WHEN I WAS THE SOLE
PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER OF THE
OFFICE, AN EARNEST YOUNG WOMAN
THEN NAMED MICHELE CANHAM CAME
TO ME AS A SUMMER INTERN FROM
THE MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAM AT
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.
I HAD HOPED FOR INTERNS, BUT IT
SEEMED THAT MOST MUSEUM STUDY
STUDENTS WANTED TO HANG ART ON
WALLS, NOT PRODUCE EXHIBITS OF
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS.
BUT HERE WAS ONE WHOSE FATHER
HAD BEEN A MILITARY RESEARCH
PHYSICIAN, AND SO INSTRUMENTS,
OUR INSTRUMENTS, DID NOT
INTIMIDATE HER.
MY GUESS IS, IN HER INTERNSHIP,
THAT SHE HOPED TO PREPARE FOR
HER PROJECT A MAJOR EXHIBIT LIKE
ONE YOU MIGHT SEE AT THE
SMITHSONIAN.
I WILL EMBARRASS HER BY
RECALLING THE LOOK ON HER FACE
WHEN I SHOWED HER THE THREE WALL
INSET AREAS ON THE WAY TO
LIPSETT AUDITORIUM, EACH MAYBE Y
1-FOOT DEEP.
SPACE GIVEN TO US FOR HER
PROJECT.
BUT SHE WAS A TROOPER.
SHE CHOSE THREE SMALL
INSTRUMENTS DEVELOPED BY
INTRAMURAL SCIENTISTS AND
CREATED AN EXHIBIT CALLED AN
IMPACT ON THE WORLD.
AND FOR SHOW AND TELL, I BROUGHT
A COPY OF THE PUBLICITY CARD FOR
THAT EXHIBIT, WHICH I'LL SHOW
YOU AFTERWARDS IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED.
IN 1990, AFTER SHE HAD HER
MASTER'S DEGREE IN HAND, WE WERE
ABLE TO HIRE HER AS A CONTRACT
CURATOR FOR AN EXHIBIT
COMMEMORATING DR. SCOTTY PRATT'S
CAREER.
TITLED COMPUTERS IN MEDICAL
RESEARCH.
WE WERE NEXT ABLE TO HIRE HER IN
1992 TO CURATE AN EXHIBIT ON DRK
TOWARDS A NON-ADDICTING OPIATE.
I NOTE THAT BY THEN, SHE HAD
BECOME MICHELE LYONS, HAVING
MARRIED SHAWN IN 1991.
BUT AFTER THIS, THERE WAS A
SERIOUS BREAK IN THE STETTEN
MUSEUM'S ASSOCIATION WITH
MICHELE, WHO WORKED, IF I RECALL
CORRECTLY, AT THE BUILDING
MUSEUM FOR A WHILE AND ALSO AT
USAID.
THEN MY PHONE RANG ONE
AFTERNOON, AND I HEARD HER
VOICE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY WORK YOU CAN
GIVE ME?
MY BRAIN IS TURNING TO MUSH.
[LAUGHTER]
WELL, ONE DOESN'T PASS UP
ENTHUSIASM LIKE THAT.
BUT WE ALSO DID NOT NEED HER TO
WORK PRO BONO, AND WE WERE ABLE
TO HIRE HER AS THE CURATOR FOR
THE EXHIBIT GENETICS IN MEDICAL
RESEARCH.
AND FINALLY, LATER THAT SAME
YEAR, 1995, WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE
HER ON AN ONGOING HALF-TIME
CONTRACT, ESSENTIALLY TO DO
EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THE
MUSEUM COLLECTION.
SO SHE HAS OVERSEEN MULTIPLE
MOVES OF THE INSTRUMENTS.
SHE HAS CATALOGED MOST OF THE
MORE THAN 4,000 OBJECTS.
SHE HAS COAXED SCIENTISTS INTO
DONATING AND CREATED A WIDELY
USED ARCHIVE OF INSTRUMENT
MANUALS AND TECHNICAL BULLETINS.
EVERY TIME, SHE HAS BEEN COURTED
BY ANOTHER MUSEUM AND OFTEN
TEMPTED BY A MUCH LARGER SALARY.
SHE HAS ASKED ME WHY SHE SHOULD
STAY AT NIH.
AND EVERY TIME MY ANSWER IS THE
SAME.
BECAUSE THE SAI MA STETTEN MUSES
YOUR BABY.
AND SHE ALWAYS STAYED.
FOR THE NINE YEARS BETWEEN
DIRECTORS OF THE OFFICE
MOREOVER, MICHELE WAS THE PERSON
IN THE OFFICE WHO KEPT THE
DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AFLOAT,
AND THE OFFICE OF NIH HISTORY
AND STETTEN MUSEUM MOVING
FORWARD WITH OF COURSE CHRIS
WANJEK AND MICHAEL GOTTESMAN'S
SUPPORT.
AS A TRAINED HISTORIAN, SHE HAS
ALSO WRITTEN A HISTORY OF NIH'S
BETHESDA CAMPUS CALLED 70 ACRES
OF SCIENCE.
SHE IS MY LONGEST AND CLOSEST
COLLEAGUE IN THIS ENDEAVOR TO
BUILD HANS STETTEN'S VISION OF A
MUSEUM AND HISTORY OFFICE, AND
TODAY, SHE WILL TELL US HOW
OBJECTS MAY BE USED TO TELL THE
HISTORY OF NIH.
MICHELE.
[APPLAUSE]
>> WOW, THAT WAS ME!
OKAY.
WELL, SO I'D LIKE TO THANK
EVERYBODY WHO'S WORKED SO HARD
TO MAKE TODAY HAPPEN, AND
WELCOME TO EVERYONE ELSE.
SO NOW LET'S HAVE A LITTLE FUN.
OBJECTS TELL STORIES.
WHY SOMETHING WAS MADE, WHEN IT
WAS MADE, HOW IT WAS MADE, WHAT
IT WAS MADE FOR, WHO MADE IT,
WHO INVENTED IT, WHO USED IT,
WHAT THEY USED IT FOR, AND WHAT
WAS THE END RESULT OF THEIR
WORK.
SOMETIMES THE STORIES THAT THE
OBJECTS IN OUR COLLECTION TELL
ARE PRETTY TECHNICAL SCIENTIFIC
AND MEDICAL DISCOVERIES, BUT
THEY ALWAYS HAVE A HUMAN
ELEMENT, BECAUSE FUNDAMENTALLY,
NIH HISTORY IS A STORY OF HOW
PEOPLE HAVE WORKED TOGETHER
TOWARD ONE END.
SO, SOME CAVEATS ON THIS
PRESENTATION.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO REPRESENT ALL
OF ONE'S HISTORY OF NIH IN ONE
LECTURE, SO THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A
SUBJECTIVE HISTORY, AND YOU
WOULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING
DIFFERENT, AND I PROBABLY WOULD
ON ANOTHER DAY TOO.
WHILE I LOVE ALL THE OBJECTS,
THE ONES I'M SHOWING YOU ARE NOT
NECESSARILY MY FAVORITE ONES.
I'VE SELECTED OBJECTS THAT
REPRESENT IMPORTANT MOMENTS OR
THEMES IN NIH HISTORY.
BUT I DO SHOW MY FAVORITE ONE AT
THE END, SO STAY TUNED.
AND THE DISCUSSION IS LIMITED
BECAUSE OF THE ITEMS IN OUR
COLLECTION, AND BECAUSE AS MUCH
AS WE'D LIKE TO, OUR COLLECTION
DOES NOT REPRESENT EVERY
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT AT NIH.
SO HERE IS A HISTORY THAT I
THINK ABOUT WHEN I SEE THESE
OBJECTS, SORT OF
CHRONOLOGICALLY.
SO A WATCH FAB IS A DECORATION
FOR YOUR POCKET WATCH CHAIN.
IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, GREEN
RIVER WHISKEY GAVE THEM AWAY AS
ADVERTISING.
THE COMPANY'S BIGGEST
ENDORSEMENT WAS THAT IT WAS THE
OFFICIAL WHISKEY OF THE MARINE
HOSPITAL SERVICE.
THE MARINE HOSPITAL SERVICE WAS
ESTABLISHED BY PRESIDENT JOHN
ADAMS IN 1798, TO TAKE CARE OF
SICK SAILORS.
KEEPING SAILORS HEALTHY WAS OF
PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE BECAUSE
THEY MOVED PEOPLE, GOODS AND
INFORMATION ACROSS OCEANS, DOWN
RIVER, AND TOLU THROUGH CANALS.
THEY WERE THE HIGHWAYS,
TELEPHONE SERVICE, AND THE
INTERNET OF THE TIME.
THEY ALSO CARRIED DISEASE.
HERE'S ALITTLE TONGUE IN CHEEK
VIDEO ABOUT THE EARLY STATE OF
MEDICAL CARE FOR SAILORS.
>> HAVE A SHOT OF WHISKEY.
>> SORRY, I THINK I'VE GOT THE
POX.
>> OH, WELL, HAVE A SHOT OF
WHISKEY.
>> MY HAND HAS BEEN BLOWN OFF BY
A CANNON.
>> OH, I THINK I'LL HAVE A SHOT
OF WHISKEY.
[APPLAUSE]
>> PLEASE NOTE THAT NO SONS IN
LAWS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING
OF THIS VIDEO.
BUT THE WATCH FAB LEADS US TO
DR. JOSEPH KINYOUN, WHERE NIH
BEGAN WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN
1887 BY THE MARINE HOSPITAL
SERVICE.
NOTICE THE MICROSCOPE.
IT'S THE SYMBOL OF WHAT WILL
KINYOUN BROUGHT, WHICH IS
TRAINING IN BACTERIOLOGY OR GERM
THERAPY WHEN IT WAS A NEW IDEA.
HIS FIRST ACT WAS TO TAKE THIS
MICROSCOPE AND PROVE THAT
CHOLERA WAS THE CULL PRET CULPRT
SICKENING PEOPLE ON A SHIP IN
THE HARBOR.
HE ALSO HELPED BRING BACK
VACCINES PARTICULARLY FOR
DIPHTHERIA AND RABIES TO THE
UNITED STATES AND MOST
IMPORTANT, HE GOT LABORATORY
SCIENCE RECOGNIZED AS A TOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH.
HE WAS SO SUCCESSFUL THAT
CONGRESS MOVED THE HYGIENIC
LABORATORY TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,
FROM NEW YORK.
RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM
THEM, WHERE HE COULD DO STUDIES
ON THE AIR QUALITY IN THE
CONGRESSIONAL CHAMBERS, WHICH
WAS REALLY POOR BECAUSE OF ALL
THE CIGAR SMOKE AND POOR
VENTILATION.
AND ALSO DID STUDIES ON THE
SAFETY OF WATER IN D.C. .
THIS IS DR. JOSEPH GOLD BERGER'S
DIARY FOR 1915, WHEN HE TREKKED
ACROSS THE AMERICAN SOUTH
THROUGH ORPHANAGES, LUMBER
CAMPS, FARMS, ASYLUMS, PRISONS
AND HOSPITALS, TO INVESTIGATE
THE CAUSE OF PULAGRA.
THEY ASKED HIM TO RESPOND TO THE
RISING NUMBER OF CASES WHICH
CAUSES THE THREE Ds.
DIARRHEA, DEMENTIA AND DEATH.
IT KILLED ABOUT 100,000
AMERICANS IN THE EARLY 20TH
CENTURY, MAINLY IN THE SOUTH.
KEN YO YON HAD DONE HIS WORK SO
WELL THAT IT WAS ASSUMED TO BE
INFECTIOUS.
BUT GOLDBERGER DEMONSTRATED THAT
IT WAS CAUSED BY POOR NUTRITION.
A DEFICIENCY OF THE B VITAMIN
NIACIN WAS LATER IDENTIFIED AS
THE SPECIFIC CAUSE.
THIS DIARY IS THE ENTRY POINT
INTO SO MANY OTHER STORIES TOO,
BECAUSE HYGIENIC LABORATORY
RESEARCHERS SUCH AS GOLDBERGER
WERE FIELD WORKERS AND
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, GOING WHERE THE
OUTBREAKS WERE TO STUDY
TULAREMIA, TI TYPHUS, ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FEVER.
RESEARCHERS SELF-TESTED TOO.
GOLDBERGER, WITH THE BODILY
SECRETIONINGS OF SICK PEOPLE, TO
SEE IF HE GOT SICK.
GOLDBERGER'S WORK ALSO
ENGENDERED POLITICAL BACKLASH.
SOUTHERN LEADERS THOUGHT IT CAST
A POOR LIGHT ON THE ECONOMIC AND
RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THEIR
STATES.
WHICH HAD DID.
WHICH IT DID.
AND IT ALSO OPENED UP A WHOLE
NEW AVENUE OF RESEARCH.
NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES.
AND GOLDBERGER'S WORK IS AN
EXAMPLE OF ALL THE OTHER NEW
AREAS OF RESEARCH THE HYGIENIC
LABORATORY AND THEN THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF HEALTH STARTING IN
1930 WERE INVOLVED IN DURING THE
FIRST DECADES OF THE 20TH
CENTURY.
THEY DID STUDIES OF THE HEALTH
OF TOLLTAKERS BECAUSE OF THE AIR
PLAWTION THEY WERE EXPOSED TO,
OF ANAPHYLAXIS, CAME UP WITH A
CURE FOR MERCURY POISONING,
INVESTIGATED THE BENEFITS AND
PROBLEMS OF FLUORIDE AND
SELENIUM, ADDED ANOTHER NEW
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY DISEASE WITH
A LACK OF RIBOFLAVIN,
INVESTIGATED TRICHINOSIS AND
MALARIA, AND LOOKED AT NEW
VECTORS AND RESERVOIRS OF
DISEASE LIKE RABBITS AND DEER,
MOSQUITOES AND TICKS.
IN 1938, NIH BEGAN ITS MOVE FROM
WASHINGTON, D.C. TO BETHESDA,
MARYLAND, AND MORE ON THAT IN A
MOMENT.
THESE ARE THE ELECTRICAL WALL
PANELS FROM BUILDING 2.
THEY'RE ON THE LEFT.
INSTALLED IN 1937 WHEN IT WAS
CONSTRUCTED AS A
STATE-OF-THE-ART LABORATORY ON
THE NEW CAMPUS.
THE PANELS GAVE SCIENTISTS
FLEXIBLE CONTROL OF ELECTRIC
OUTLETS FOR THEIR EQUIPMENT.
THEY ARE THE PRECURSORS OF
INTERSTITIAL SPACES IN BUILDINGS
TODAY.
SO MANY STORIES FLOW, LIKE
ELECTRICITY, FROM THESE PANELS,
AND OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST STORY
IS, WHAT WAS THE STATE OF THE
ART LABORATORY IN THE LATE
1930s?
WHEN NIH MOVED TO BETHESDA FROM
ITS CRAMPED INADEQUATE BUILDINGS
IN WASHINGTON, D.C., IT WAS A
BIG DEAL TO HAVE THESE WATER AND
GAS AND ELECTRICITY LINES, LARGE
AND EASILY CLEANED LABORATORIES,
ROOM FOR EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS,
AND TELEPHONES IN THE LOBBY OF
EVERY BUILDING.
OR YOU COULD ASK, WHAT KIND OF
WORK WENT ON WITHIN THESE WALLS?
WELL, BOOKS COULD BE WRITTEN.
THE FIRST SIX BUILDINGS WERE
DEVOTE TODAY RESEARCH ON
INDUSTRY HYGIENE, BIOLOGICS SUCH
AS VACCINES AND ANTITOXINS,
HEALTH SURVEY, ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY, CANCER, AND
INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC
DISEASES.
AND THERE'S THE STORY OF HOW
THESE LABS CAME TO BETHESDA IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
THAT WAS COURTESY OF LUKE AND
HELEN WILSON, MEETING IN A HALL
NAMED AFTER THEM AND THESE
PORTRAITS ARE HANGING ON THE
WALLS RIGHT NEXT TO US.
THEY WANTED THEIR ESTATE TO BE
USED FOR GOOD BUT THEY HAD
TROUBLE GIVING IT AWAY.
THEY TRIED TO DONATE IT FOR A
COUNTY PARK, A PROGRESSIVE BOYS'
SCHOOL, A TEACHERS' SCHOOL, A
THINK TANK.
BUT THEY DIDN'T LET THE GREAT
DEPRESSION, WHICH DESTROYED
THESE PLAN, KEEP THEM DOWN.
THEY WROTE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN
ROOSEVELT AND FINALLY SOMEONE,
FUTUFUTURE NIH DIRECTOR DR. LEWS
THOMPSON TOOK NOTICE AND THE
REST IS HISTORY.
IT'S NEW DEAL HISTORY.
NIH BECAME THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF HEALTH, SINGULAR,
OUT OF THE HYGIENIC LABORATORY
IN 1930, RIGHT AFTER THE
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT
DEPRESSION.
ROOSEVELT'S ADMINISTRATION,
BEGINNING IN 1933, WAS KNOWN FOR
ITS NEW DEAL TO GIVE PEOPLE
RELIEF AND RECOVER THE ECONOMY
AND REFORM THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
AND THE NIH WAS PART OF THAT
PLAN.
THE MARINE HOSPITAL SERVICES
FOCUS ON SAILORS, EXPANDED TO
CONCENTRATE ON THE GENERAL
PUBLIC'S HEALTH, AND NIH TOOK ON
MANY NEW RESPONSIBILITIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, DURING THE
DEPRESSION, THEY DID A STUDY OF
UNHOUSED PEOPLE TO SEE WHO WAS
AFFECTED AND WHAT THEY NEEDED.
THEY ALSO CONDUCTED A NATIONAL
HOSPITAL SURVEY, DISCOVERING
THAT MOST RURAL AREAS WERE
UNDERSERVED AND THAT MOST PEOPLE
ONLY WENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR
EMERGENCIES.
AN EXAMPLE OF THE MORE THINGS
CHANGED, THE MORE THEY STAYED
THE SAME.
SOME OF NIH'S RESPONSIBILITIES
EVENTUALLY BECAME THE PURVIEW OF
OTHER AGENCIES.
OSHA AND NIOSH TOOK ON THE
HEALTH OF WORKERS, EPA
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH,
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL WORK AND HEALTH
SURVEYS IS DONE BY CDC, AND FDA
TOOK OVER VACCINE AND DRUG
REGULATION AND LICENSING.
THE NIH WAS A REALLY SMALL PLACE
FOR SO MANY RESPONSIBILITIES.
SO WE HAVE THESE DOZENS OF
DENTAL INSTRUMENTS IN OUR
COLLECTION FROM DR. H. TRENDLEY
DEAN, THE FIRST DENTAL SCIENTIST
AT NIH, STARTING IN 1931 AS PART
OF THE DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY.
HE'S BEST KNOWN FOR HIS STUDIES
OF MODEL TEETH AND FLUORIDE THAT
RESULTED IN THE FIRST CITY-WIDE
EDITION OF FLUORIDE TO DRINKING
WATER IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
IN 1945.
DURING WORLD WAR II, THE U.S.
MILITARY DISCOVERED THAT NEARLY
9% OF RECRUITS WHO WERE YOUNG
MEN DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR SERVICE
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE SIX
OPPOSING TEETH IN EACH JAW.
AND APPALLED BY THE IMPACT OF
DENTAL DISEASE ON THE U.S.
MILITARY CAPABILITIES AND ON
AMERICANS IN GENERAL, CONGRESS
CREATED THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF DENTAL RESEARCH IN 1948, AND
DEAN BECAME ITS FIRST DIRECTOR.
THAT'S JUST ONE AMAZING STORY
THESE DENTAL TOOLS REPRESENT,
HOW NATIONAL NEEDS, FOR EXAMPLE,
SOLDIERS WITH TEETH, CAN MAKE
SOME RESEARCH AREAS IMPERATIVE.
BUT TO ME, THE MOST POWERFUL
STORY THESE DENTAL TOOLS TELL IS
THE POWER OF ONE.
THE POWER OF ONE PERSON, LIKE H.
TRENDLEY DEAN, AND CERTAINLY
JOSEPH KINYOUN, THE PROBLEM OF
ONE DISEASE, ONE OUTBREAK, ONE
CONDITION THAT CAN SPUR NEW
KNOWLEDGE AND WHOLE NEW FIELDS
OF RESEARCH, AND THE POWER OF
ONE LEGISLATIVE ACT, BECAUSE
WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL BACKING,
NOT MUCH OCCURS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE LEGISLATIVE
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NIH
CLINICAL CENTER IN 1947 WAS A
SEMINOLE MOMENT FOR CLINICAL
RESEARCH ACROSS THE GLOBE.
AND SIX CURRENT NIH INSTITUTES
TRACE BACK TO A FLURRY OF
LEGISLATION IN 1948.
NIDCR, NHLBI, NIAID, NIAMS,
NIDDK, AND NIMH.
AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ALPHABET
SOUP.
SO IN 1948, THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF HEALTH BECAME THE
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
OUT OF ONE CAME MANY.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO SWITCH TO
SOME BIG THEMES IN NIH HISTORY.
THIS DEVICE WAS DEVELOPED BY DRN
AT THE ENGINEERING AND
INSTRUMENTATION BRANCH.
INSTEAD OF USING A SINGLE FILTER
TO SEPARATE OR PRECIPITATE
SEDIMENT FROM A LIQUID CARRIER,
THEY HAD 45, PULLED SAMENT
SAMPLES THROUGH THE FILTER SO
THE SEPARATION PROCESS BECAME SO
MUCH FASTER WHEN YOU COULD DO 45
SAMPLES INSTEAD OF JUST ONE AT A
TIME.
SO IMAGINE THAT SOMETHING THAT
YOU INVENTED WAS USED BY NOT ONE
BUT TWO PEOPLE WHO BECAME NOBLE
LAUREATES.
NUREMBERG USED TO HELP DECIPHER
THE GENETIC CODE.
WHERE WOULD TODAY'S SCIENCE BE
WITHOUT GENETICS?
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE.
AND MARTIN RODBELL USED IT IN
HIS WORK, RESULTING IN THE
DISCOVERY OF HOW CELLS SIGNAL
EACH OTHER.
SO MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR
BAYOLOGY WOULD NEVER BE THE SA
SAME.
THE MULTI-PLATER ALSO SPEAKS TO
THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER AT NIH.
THEY HELD A PATENT ON THE
MULTI-PLATER BUT INVENTERS AT
NIH DIDN'T ALWAYS GET TO PATENT
THEIR INVENTIONS.
AND A WHOLE POLICY AND PROGRAM
HAD TO BE INVENTED TO
COMMERCIALIZE SUCH DISCOVERIES
AT NIH.
THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER.
FROM ACCUTECT TO ZILVER,
HUNDREDS OF INVENTIONS FROM NIH
HAVE GONE COMMERCIAL.
THIS IS AN ARTIFICIAL HEART
VALVE.
THEIR ASSISTANT HAND SEWED ONTO
IT.
BRAUNWALD IMPLANTED IT INTO A
WOMAN IN 1960.
IT WAS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL
MITRAL VALVE REPLACEMENT.
OUR DEEPEST COLLECTION IS
CARDIOLOGY-RELATED.
HEART VALVES, CARDIAC SURGERY
EQUIPMENT, ARTIFICIAL HEARTS,
VENTILATORS, HEART MODELS AND SO
ON.
AND LIKE ALL OF THESE ARTIFACTS,
THIS LITTLE PIECE OF
POLYURETHANE IS THE ENTRY POINT
INTO SO MANY STORIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, MOST PEOPLE DON'T
KNOW THAT HEART PROBLEMS USED TO
AFFECT MORE CHILDREN, BECAUSE
RHEUMATIC FEVER, WHICH CAN
DEVELOP FROM STREP THROAT, SAY,
DAMAGED THEIR HEARTS.
ONCE THERE WERE ANTIBIOTICS,
HOWEVER, HEART PROBLEMS BECAME
THE DOMAIN OF THE ADULT.
NIH DID A LOT OF STUDIES ON
RHEUMATIC FEVER, HEART PROBLEMS
IN CHILDREN STARTING IN THE
1930s, AND OUR SURGERY PROGRAM
IN THE 1960s INCLUDED MANY
CHILDREN.
OR YOU COULD TALK ABOUT HOW NIH
IS IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO SET
STANDARDS, LIKE THEY DID FOR
HEART VALVE SURGERY.
ONCE THE HEART LUNG MACHINE MADE
SUCH SURGE SURGERY POSSIBLE, EY
SURGEON DESIGNER WAS MAKE HEART
VALVES OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND
OUT OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS.
THIS HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS
HISTORIANS OF THE WILD WEST OF
ARTIFICIAL HEART VALVE RESEARCH.
BUT NIH TOOK A SYSTEMATIC
APPROACH AND TESTED MOST OF
THESE VALVES AND CAME UP WITH
STANDARDS FOR ARTIFICIAL HEART
VALVE DESIGN FOR WHO SHOULD GET
THEM AND FOR WHEN THE
REPLACEMENT SHOULD BE DONE.
FINALLY, THE FDA WAS GIVEN
REGULATORY AUTHORITY OVER
MEDICAL DEVICES, BUT A GOOD DEAL
OF THE WORK FOR HEART VALVES AND
CARDIAC SURGERY IN GENERAL HAD
ALREADY BEEN DONE AT NIH.
BUT THAT'S NIH.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN OTHER HOSPITALS,
BLOOD BANKS OR PATHOLOGY LABS OR
DIAGNOSTIC LABS ARE STRICTLY
SERVICE-ORIENTED, BUT AT THE NIH
CLINICAL CENTER, THEY CONDUCT
RESEARCH TOO.
SO THEY ARE ABLE TO HELP SET
STANDARDS FOR THESE DISCIPLINES.
DR. HARVEY ALTER, THE DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSFUSION MEDICINE, ALSO
KNOWN AS THE BLOOD BANK, WON A
NOBEL PRIZE IN 2020.
IN THE COURSE OF CONDUCTING HIS
PRIZE-WINNING RESEARCH ON
HEPATITIS, HE HELPED SET
NATIONAL STANDARDS OF ALL KINDS
TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF OUR
BLOOD SUPPLY.
WE'VE DONE AN EXHIBIT ABOUT HIM
IN THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR.
IN THIS PHOTO, DR. NINA
BRAUNWALD IS PE PERFORMING SURG,
THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE BOARD
CERTIFIED IN THORACIC SURGERY.
WHICH LEADS US TO ANOTHER OBJECT
AND ANOTHER STORY.
THE QUESTION OF WHO WORKS AT
NIH.
THIS TEXTBOOK BELONGED TO GLEND
LIN COOPER WHO ATTENDED LANGSTON
UNIVERSITY IN LANGSTON,
OKLAHOMA, RECEIVING HER B.S. IN
1960.
SHE RECEIVED HER M.S. IN
BIOCHEMISTRY IN 1956.
THIS BOOK WAS PRINTED ON EVERY
OTHER PAGE THAT STUDENTS COULD
WRITE THEIR EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
ON THE BLANK PAGES, WHICH YOU
CAN SEE THAT SHE DID HERE.
SHE JOINED NIAID'S LABORATORY OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN 1957, AND
THEN WORKED WITH DR. SHELDON
DRAI AND ROSEMAGE IN THE
LABORATORY OF IMMUNOLOGY.
SHE WAS CO-AUTHOR ON THEIR FIRST
RECOMBINANT DNA PAPER.
ALTHOUGH SHE WAS A TECHNICIAN,
SHE WAS TREATED AS A SCIENTIST
AND RECEIVED FIRST AUTHORSHIP ON
PAPERS, WHICH IS UNUSUAL.
LIKE MANY BLACK STAFF, SHE GOT
INVOLVED IN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
DUTIES AND WAS AWARDED THE FIRST
NIAID SPECIAL EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN
1975.
MS. YOUNG COOPER IS AN EXAMPLE
OF THE LARGER STORY OF WHO WORKS
AT NIH, AND WHAT THEY DO.
SHE REPRESENTS THE COMPLICATED
AND NOT ALWAYS FLATTERING
HISTORY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR AND
WOMEN HERE.
THERE WAS SEGREGATION AT NIH.
THE PHYSICAL SEGREGATION OF
PEOPLE NOT BEING WELCOMED TO EAT
OR GO TO THE BATHROOM OR JOIN
THE SAME BASEBALL TEAM AS
OTHERS.
AND THE INSIDIOUS DISCRIMINATION
OF WHO WAS HIRED TO DO WHOLE
CATEGORIES OF JOBS AND WHETHER
THEY WERE PROMOTED OR HAD
OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME LEADERS.
NIH DID GET SOME THINGS RIGHT,
THOUGH, IN GENERAL.
UNLIKE MANY UNIVERSITIES, NIH
HAD NO QUOTA ON HOW MANY JEWISH
PEOPLE COULD WORK HERE.
SO THAT MANY MADE SEMINOLE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELDS THAT
THEY TRAINED FOR.
THERE WERE ALSO NO NEPOTISM
RULES SO THAT BOTH PARTNERS IN A
MARRIED COUPLE COULD FIND
MEANINGFUL WORK, UNLIKE AT
UNIVERSITIES, WHICH USED SUCH
RULES TO KEEP WOMEN OFF THE
FACULTY.
ONE PERSON WHO EXEMPLIFIES BOTH
OF THESE POLICIES IS DR. RUTH
KIRSCHSTEIN WHO DID IMPORTANT
WORK ON POLIO VACCINES AND
BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN INSTITUTE
DIRECTOR AT AND SERVED AS NIH
ACTING DIRECTOR TWICE, ALTHOUGH
EVEN SHE COULDN'T BREAK THAT
GLASS CEILING AND BECOME
DIRECTOR.
SHE AND DR. ALLAN RABSON WERE
MARRIED, JUST TWO OF SEVERAL
POWER COUPLES AT NIH.
KIRSCHSTEIN PAID IT FORWARD,
ESTABLISHING PROGRAMS FOR
MINORITIES WHO WERE INTERESTED
IN SCIENTIFIC CAREERS.
NIH HAS ALSO BEEN WELCOMING TO
IMMIGRANTS.
PEOPLE MIGHT FLEA THEIR
COUNTRIES, OR JUST FIND THEY
DIDN'T HAVE A PATH FORWARD IN
THE SUBJECT AREA THEY WERE
TRAINED FOR IN THEIR HOME
COUNTRY.
SO AT NIH, THERE WERE AND ARE
PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE
GLOBE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE CHINESE
EXCLUSION ACT WAS REPEALED IN
1943, NIH BEGAN HOSTING NIH
SCIENTISTS AND HIRING PEOPLE WHO
HAD ESCAPED FROM THE CIVIL WAR
IN COMMUNIST TAKEOVER THERE.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS DR. THEODORE
COLIBO, WHO ESCAPED THE NAZIS IN
HIS NATIVE HISTONE YA AS A BOY
AND ENDED UP AT NIH AFTER WORLD
WAR II.
HE HELPED INVENT THE VENTILATOR,
AND WAS THE FOUNDER OF ECMO,
NEVER CAN SAY THAT, EXTRA
CORPORIAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION.
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED OVER
THE PAST THREE YEARS OF A
RESPIRATORY PANDEMIC WITHOUT
THESE THERAPIES?
AS I TALKED ABOUT RUTH
KIRSCHSTEIN, NIH HAS BEEN
ATTEMPTING TO BRING IN MORE
DIVERSE PEOPLE FOR OVER 50
YEARS.
TO SOME EXTENT, HISTORICAL
CONDITIONS NOT UNDER NIH'S
CONTROL.
AND TO DOCUMENT ALL OF THE
STORIES OF THE PEOPLE OF COLOR,
WOMEN, IMMIGRANT, JEWISH AND
OTHER RELIGIOUS MINORITIES, WE
HAVE -- NOT MUCH.
FOR A LONG TIME, THE STETTEN
MUSEUM CONCENTRATED SOLELY ON
SCIENCE AND NOT THE PEOPLE WHO
CONDUCT IT OR MAKE IT POSSIBLE
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO MAKE
UP FOR.
WE ASK FOR YOUR HELP TO DOCUMENT
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST AND
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY.
THIS BRIEFCASE BELONGED TO AN
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF A REVIEW
SECTION IN THE CENTER FOR
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW.
SHE CALLED THE BRIEFCASE THE
ESSENTIAL POSSESSION THAT WE HAD
TO HAVE FOR THE STUDY SECTION
MEETINGS.
IT WAS MAINLY USED TO CARRY ALL
THE CONFIDENTIAL MEETING
MATERIALS, GRANT APPLICATIONS,
FILES TO GO WITH REVIEWERS' KRE
CRITIQUES SUBMITTED BEFORE THE
MEETING, PINK SHEETS KNOWN AS
SUMMARY STATEMENTS, ROSTERS,
REVIEWER FOLDERS, MEETING
SUPPLIES, PLASTIC HARD NAME
TAGS, ET CETERA.
IT WAS BEFORE THE COMPUTER OR
WORD PROCESSOR'S TIME AND
EVERYTHING WAS DONE IN A HARD
COPY.
I GAVE UP THIS LEATHER BAG
BECAUSE IT WAS QUITE HEAVY FOR
ME TO LIFT IT.
WE WERE LUCKY THAT SHE TOLD US
HER STORY ABOUT THE BRIEFCASE,
WHICH COULD LEAD US DOWN A
RABBIT HOLE ENTITLED "HOW THINGS
WERE DONE IN THE OLD DAYS."
SUCH AS CREATING YOUR OWN CORK
STOPPERS FOR TEST TUBES, USING
SMOKE TO RECORD RESEARCH
RESULTS, DRAWING AND LETTERING
YOUR OWN GRAPHS AND TABLES, AND
WRITING LETTERS TO SHARE
INFORMATION.
IT ALSO HELPS ANSWER THE
QUESTION, HOW DO YOU COLLECT
ACTIVITIES THAT DON'T CREATE A
LOT OF OBJECTS?
REVIEWING GRANTS IS NOT AN
OBJECT-HEAVY ACTIVITY, LIKE SO
MUCH OF OUR WORK NOWADAYS.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF COMPUTERS.
THE KRAI SUPERCOMPUTER WAS THE
FIRST ONE DEDICATED TO
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH.
IT COST A MILLION DOLLARS, AND
ARRIVED AT NCI'S LABORATORY OF
MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY IN 1986, TO
BE USED VIA NETWORK BY
SCIENTISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
IT HAD 128 MEGABYTES OF MEMORY
AND A WHOPPING 38 GIGABYTES OF
STORAGE.
NOW IT IS IN THE B3 ELEVATOR
LOBBY OF BUILDING 31, AWAITING
FUNDS TO REATTACH ITS PANELS AND
BENCH AND MAKE A PROPER EXHIBIT.
OF COURSE WE HAVE A LOT OF
COMPUTATIONAL STUFF IN OUR
COLLECTION.
AN AB CUSS, SLIDE RULES OF ALL
SHAPES, CALCULATORS, CIRCUIT
BOARDS, ANALOG TO DIGITAL
CONVERTER, MANUALS FOR PROGRAMS
WRITTEN BY THE CIT PEOPLE,
LAPTOPS, AND A FEW DESKTOPS.
I'M PRETTY SURE I DON'T HAVE TO
MENTION HOW IMPORTANT COMPUTERS
HAVE BEEN TO RESEARCH IN
MEASURING AND RECORDING DATA,
STORING AND ANALYZING
INFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATING
IN SO MANY WAYS.
COMPUTERS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN
PATIENT CARE, TO ORDER LAB TESTS
AND STORE RECORDS.
BUT IF ALL THE COMPUTERS GO DOWN
TOMORROW, WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW IT
USED TO BE DONE.
ON MAY 21ST, 1990, ABOUT 1,000
PEOPLE DESCENDED ON THE NIH
CAMPUS.
THEN WITH NO FENCE.
BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.
THEY WERE LED BY THE AIDS
ACTIVIST GROUP, ACT UP.
THEY CLIMBED ON THE BUILDINGS,
PERFORMED SKITS AND SONGS, AND
STAGED A MASS DIE-IN ON THE LAWN
OF BUILDING 1.
THE EVENT WAS SCHEDULED AT THE
SAME TIME AS AN ADVISORY COUNCIL
MEETING DISCUSSING RESEARCH
DIRECTIONS.
A PROTESTOR DROPPED THIS SIGN
AND AN NIH EMPLOYEE PICKED IT UP
AND GAVE TO US.
AIDS RESEARCH AT NIH STARTED
EARLY IN THAT PANDEMIC, AND RAN
THE GAMUT FROM BASIC SCIENCE TO
TREATMENTS TO VACCINES.
BUT ANOTHER IMPORTANT OUTCOME
WAS THE REALIZATION OF THE
BURNING URGENCY OF NIH'S
MISSION, THE HUMANNESS OF IT.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI INVITED
DISCUSSION WITH THE LEADERS OF
ACT UP, AND PEOPLE WITH AIDS,
LEADING TO THE CREATION OF
ADVISORY BOARDS THAT INCLUDED
PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
PATIENTS BECAME PARTICIPANTS IN
RESEARCH.
IT'S A STANDARD PRACTICE NOW.
AND ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE STORY
OF HUMAN SUBJECTS AND CONSENT
WAS WRITTEN.
ANOTHER MAJOR STORY THAT THIS
SIGN EMBODIES IS JUST HOW WRONG
WE CAN BE.
WE THOUGHT WE HAD INFECTIOUS
DISEASES CONQUERED THROUGH
SANITATION, VACCINES, AND
ANTIBIOTICS.
BUT NOW WE KNOW IT'S A
NEVER-ENDING BATTLE WITH DEADLY
GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES.
DO IT YOURSELF TECHNOLOGY AND
INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT MEET IN
THESE 3D PRINTERS AND PROSTATE
MOLDS.
DR. MARSLY KNOW BERNARDO AT NCI
GOT THE IDEA FROM A NATIONAL
PUBLIC RADIO SHOW ABOUT HOW TO
USE OPEN SOURCES TO BUILD HIS
OWN 3D PRINTER.
HIS TEAM'S GOAL WAS TO CREATE
PATIENT-SPECIFIC PROSTATE MOLDS
THAT CO-RELATED WITH THEIR MRI
FINDINGS OF CANCER LOCATION AND
STAGE WITH HISTOPATHOLOGIC
SPECIMENS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO COLLECT NEW
TECHNOLOGIES AS PEOPLE
INCORPORATE IT INTO THEIR
RESEARCH.
NOT JUST TO TALK ABOUT THEIR
RESEARCH, BUT ALSO TO ANSWER
HISTORICAL QUESTIONS.
HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY USE SPREAD?
WHAT HELPS IT SPREAD?
WHAT MAKES GOOD TECHNOLOGY AND
NOT JUST FADS?
AND WHERE WILL IT TAKE PATIENT
CARE?
AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO THE MARINE
THEME.
YOU COULD MAKE A GOOD CASE FOR
THIS MASK WITH DR. FAUCI'S FACE
ON IT AS THE ARTIFACT FOR THE
NIH'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
AND BELIEVE ME, WE HAVE MANY OF
THEM IN OUR COLLECTION.
BUT THIS PERSONAL CALENDAR OF AN
NIH STAFF MEMBER SPEAKS TO
EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCES.
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY HAVE
BIRTHDAYS, ACTIVITIES WITH
FRIENDS, TRAVEL, DOCTORS'
APPOINTMENTS, A 5K RUN, AND HAIR
APPOINTMENTS NOTED.
TRIPS ARE SCHEDULED FOR THE
YEAR.
BUT IN MARCH COME THE NOTATIONS
FOR WHEN CERTAIN THINGS SHUT
DOWN, LIKE THE SMITHSONIAN AND
RESTAURANTS, AND COVID.
TELEWORK DAYS ARE NUMBERED TO
BEGIN WITH, BUT THAT WAS QUICKLY
GIVEN UP.
THE STAFF MEMBER BEGAN STICKING
ON SCREENING TAGS FROM THE NIH
CLINICAL CENTER FOR EVERY DAY
WORKED THERE.
THEY WENT FROM STICKING IN THE
WHOLE STICKER TO CUTTING THEM
INTO SQUARES SO THEY FIT BETTER,
TO CUTTING LIPS OUT OF THE PINK
ONES, AND GIVING HALLOWEEN SOME
TEETH.
BUT ALL OF THOSE LOVELY PLANNED
TRIPS ARE CROSSED OUT.
I THINK THAT THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC WILL BE REMEMBERED AS
NIH'S FINEST HOUR.
UNLIKE AIDS, COVID IS EASY TO
GET.
YOU JUST BREATHE.
THE MILLIONS OF DEATHS, THE FEAR
AND DISRUPTION TO OUR FAMILIES,
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, ECONOMY, AND
POLITICS IS STILL WORKING OUT IN
A NEW NORMAL.
THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED EVERYONE.
AND EVERYONE AT NIH SHOWED UP.
CERTAINLY THE SCIENTISTS AND
CLINICIANS AND NURSING STAFF,
BUT ALSO THE ANIMAL CAREGIVERS,
GRANTS ADMINISTRATORS,
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SPECIALISTS, FACILITY AND
UTILITY STAFF, MAINTENANCE
WORKERS, SHUTTLE DRIVERS,
HOUSEKEEPERS, PROCUREMENT
SPECIALISTS, MENTAL HEALTH
EXPERTS, FIREFIGHTERS AND
POLICE, AND EVEN THE HISTORY
STAFF.
SO THIS IS WHERE THE MORE THAN
12 OBJECTS COMES IN.
ON THE LEFT ARE SOME MAGNETIC
BEADS USE AT THE NCI PROTEIN
EXPRESSION LABORATORY TO PURIFY
LARGE QUANTITIES OF SARS-COV-2
PROTEINS.
FOR BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH.
SARS-COV-2 IS THE VIRUS THAT
CAUSES COVID-19.
AND THE AMOUNT OF THE BASIC
SCIENCE RESEARCH DONE AT NIH IS
AMAZING.
IT INCLUDES THE VISUALIZATION OF
THOSE SPIKE PROTEINS DONE AT
COULD REMOUNTAIN LABORATORIES,
DISCOVERIES ABOUT HOW THE VIRUS
GETS IN AND OUT OF THE CELLS,
AND THE ROLE THAT VARIOUS
ENZYMES AND GENES PLAY DURING
INFECTION.
THE LEUM NARE ON THE RIGHT WAS
WORN OUT, RUNNING TESTS TO
DETECT SARS-COV-2 IN SERUM AT
THE CLINICAL CENTER.
THE TEST, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED AT
NIH, WAS US AD IN MANY STUDIES
TO GAUGE THE EXTENT OF THE
OUTBREAK EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC
IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS.
THEN TO FIND OUT WHO MIGHT HAVE
WORSE OUTCOMES FROM THE
INFECTION.
AND THEN TO DISCOVER HOW VARIOUS
VACCINES HELD UP TO DIFFERENT
VARIANTS OF THE VIRUS.
AND IN THE CENTER, TAKING A SPOT
IN THE LONG HISTORY OF NIH'S
CREATIVE RESEARCH INVENTIONS, A
RECYCLING BIN WAS TURNED INTO AN
INSTRUMENT TO STUDY THE AEROSOL
TRANSMISSION OF SA SARS-COV-2 VY
EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC.
THESE RESEARCHERS SHOWED HOW
DROP LETS SPREAD IN THE AIR
DEPENDING ON FACTORS SUCH AS
HUMIDITY.
THEY THEN SHOWED THE VIRAL LOADS
THAT COULD BE CARRIED BY THE
DROP LETS BY DIFFERENT VARIANTS
OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS.
THEY ALSO TESTED DIFFERENT TYPES
OF FACE MASKS.
BUT COVID REQUIRED NIH TO RISE
TO OTHER CHALLENGES, NOT JUST
THE SCIENTIFIC AND CLINICAL.
THIS PARTY HAT ON THE TOP LEFT
WAS MADE TO WEAR AT A ZOOM
BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ONE OF OUR
VOVOLUNTEERS.
IT IS EVIDENCE OF THE
DISRUPTIONS IN EVERYDAY LIFE AND
THE STEEP LEARNING CURVE MANY OF
US HAD IN TRANSITIONING TO NEW
METHODS OF COMMUNICATION.
THE CHALLENGE COINS ON THE
BOTTOM ARE EVIDENCE THAT TODAY'S
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES OFFICERS
ARE AS BRAVE AS THOSE IN THE
PAST.
THEY STILL DEPLOY TO OUTBREAKS.
ONE COIN, THE ONE ON THE LEFT,
IS FOR THE TEAM THAT TOOK CARE
OF AMERICANS ON THE DIAMOND
PRINCESS CRUZ SHI CRUI CRUISE S.
THE OTHER FOR VARIOUS SITES IN
MINNESOTA SUCH AS NURSING HOMES
THAT NEEDED HELP.
SOME PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
OFFICERS EVEN DEPLOYED WITHIN
THE NIH'S OWN CLINICAL CENTER AS
PART OF EFFORTS AT THE
VACCINATION CLINIC.
AND THE PAINTED ROCK IS JUST ONE
EXAMPLE OF HOW NIH STAFF COPED
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THROUGH ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
IT WAS CREATED BY AN EMPLOYEE OF
THE NIH DIVISION OF VETERINARY
RESOURCES AS A PART OF A MORALE
BUILDING EXERCISE DURING THE
EARLY MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC.
THIS ARTIST WAS AN EXPERIENCED
ROCK PAINTER, BUT IT HAS BEEN
WONDERFUL TO SEE THE DIVERSE
TALENTS AND PROJECTS THAT NIH
STAFF TOOK UP OR POLISHED DURING
THIS TIME.
AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC FOUND
NEW HEROS.
LIKE DRS. BARNEY GRAM AND
CORBETT, IN ADDITION TO THOSE
ALREADY KNOWN WITH HIGH PUBLIC
PROFILES.
SO DR. GRAHAM RECEIVED THE
BOBBLEHEAD TREATMENT, AND
DR. CORBETT INSPIRED FACE MASKS
TOO.
THEY WORKED ON WHAT WOULD BECOME
THE MODERNA VACCINE.
SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME
PATIENTLY WAITED FOR.
TRUSTING THAT THE HUNDREDS OF
NIH STAFF WORKING ON VIABLE
VACCINES WOULD COME THROUGH FOR
US.
COLLABORATION AND COMMITMENT
DEFINED NIH AT THIS TIME.
WE STILL NEED OBJECTS TO
DOCUMENT NIH'S RESPONSE TO THE
PANDEMIC.
FROM AUTOPSY EQUIPMENT TO
SEQUENCING INSTRUMENTS TO
PATIENT CARRY TEMS TO YOUR
EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE AT NIH.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO OUR
COMMERCIAL.
IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS, WILL THE
NEXT CURATOR HAVE ENOUGH
ARTIFACTS TO CRAFT A HISTORY OF
NIH DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE
21ST CENTURY?
THE ANSWER IS NO.
SO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE
THAT DOCUMENTS YOUR WORK.
IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT YOU
CREATED, OR JUST SOMETHING THAT
EVERYONE USES AND SO IS MUCH
MORE LIKELY TO BE SURPLUSSED.
I'M NOT NAMING NAMES.
ADVANCED LIGHT MICROSCOPY,
CLINICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY CORE,
OR THE NCATS EARLY TRANSMISSION
BRANCH, OR DR. MATTHEW HALL OR
DR. CHILD'S.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING, AND AS
YOU HAVE SEEN IT DOESN'T HAVE TO
BE A RESEARCH INSTRUMENT, THAT
YOU THINK THE NEXT CURATOR WILL
WANT FOR HER HISTORY, EMAIL US.
THAT BRINGS ME TO THE PEOPLE WHO
MAKE HISTORY HAPPEN AT NIH, THE
PEOPLE WHO DONATE THEIR
ARTIFACTS, DOCUMENTS AND
PHOTOGRAPHS TO THE HISTORY MU Z
THANK YOU FOR SAVING NIH'S
LEGACY.
FOR THINKING AHEAD ABOUT WHAT
FUTURE PEOPLE WILL WANT OR NEED
TO KNOW, ABANDONS FOR JUST
LOVING HISTORY.
I'VE MET HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND
HEARD THOUSANDS OF STORIES FROM
THEM ABOUT THEIR OWN OR THEIR
COLLEAGUES' OR THEIR FAMILY
MEMBERS' WORK.
OFTEN YOU SHARED THESE STORIES
WITH ME DURING THE HARDEST TIMES
OF YOUR LIFE.
I'M PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL FOR
THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE INCLUDED
ME IN YOUR MOST VULNERABLE TIME,
THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE.
I HOPE THAT KNOWING THAT WE CARE
ABOUT THEIR LIFE HELPED.
NOW I'M GOING TO DO
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, AND THEN MY
FAVORITE OBJECT.
SO I'M GOING TO PARTICULARLY
CALL OUT DR. VICTORIA HARDEN,
WHO FOR SOME REASON TRUSTED ME
STRAIGHT OUT OF GRADUATE SCHOOL
TO TAKE CARE OF A WHOLE MUSEUM.
AND SHE'S BECOME A GOOD FRIEND
OVER THE PAST 36 YEARS.
AND I HOPE I HAVEN'T
DISILLUSIONED HER.
AND NOW, MY FAVORITE OBJECT.
THESE FLOWERS WERE CREATED BY
THE NIH CLINICAL CENTER
DEPARTMENT OF NUTRITION STAFF
MEMBER DURING THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
SCREENING TAGS WERE ISSUED TO
EVERYONE ENTERING THE CLINICAL
CENTER.
THEY HAVE THE DATE AND THEY
CHANGE COLORS EVERY DAY.
YOU STUCK THEM IN A CIRCLE ON
HIS DASHBOARD AT THE END OF HIS
SHIFTS, AND THEY STARTED TO
CURL.
HE SAID, I SOON STARTED TO SEE
SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL HAPPENING
DURING THIS TRYING PANDEMIC.
IT HAS SHOWN ME THAT THERE IS
REBIRTH HAPPENING AMONGST THIS
TRAGEDY.
AND ISN'T THAT NIH'S MISSION?
TO TAKE SOMETHING PAINFUL AND
DISHEARTENING AND TRANSFORM IT
INTO SOMETHING BENEFICIAL OR
BEAUTIFUL FOR EVERYONE?
THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF
PRESERVING YOUR HISTORY.
THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>> SO HI, I'M CHRIS WANJEK.
I WAS ASKED TO MODERATE THE Q &
A, BUT I HAVE A FEW THINGS TO
SHARE AS WELL.
IT'S GOOD YOU'RE SITTING AND
OUTSIDE OF STRIKING DISTANCE.
SO I HAVE A HISTORY OF MICHELE
LYONS IN ABOUT 12 OBJECTS.
SO AGAIN, THAT WAVELENGTH THAT
WE'VE ALWAYS HAD GOING, THE
COINCIDENTAL TITLING, I THINK IS
REMARKABLE.
SO I'LL JUST MOVE ALONG HERE.
SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU, THIS IS
A FASCINATING OBJECT.
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL MOVING VAN
OF THE OFFICE OF NIH HISTORY AND
STETTEN MUSEUM.
IT ALSO SERVES AS MICHELE'S CAR
BECAUSE WE HAVE NO OFFICIAL
MOVING VAN OF THE OFFICE OF NIH
MUSEUM, STETTEN, WHATEVER.
SO THIS REMARKABLE VEHICLE,
WE'RE ESTIMATING 147,000 MILES
JUST MERELY GOING BACK AND FORTH
FROM NIH TO OFF-SITE STORAGE
WITH ALL THESE COLLECTIONS,
THESE MATERIALS THAT SHE WOULD
GET, JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
EFFORT THAT MICHELE WOULD PUT
IN.
AND SHE WAS DOING IT ESSENTIALLY
ALL BY HERSELF.
SIMILARLY, THIS IS WHAT THE NIH
MOVERS WOULD USE TO COLLECT
OBJECTS FROM VARIOUS BUILDINGS
AROUND CAMPUS, AND THEN BRING
THEM ALL THE WAY OVER TO
BUILDING 60, WHICH I THINK YOU
KNOW IS CLOSE TO THE WEST
VIRGINIA BORDER.
AND BY MOVER, I MEAN MICHELE,
BECAUSE THERE WAS REALLY NO ONE
TO HELP HER.
SO SHE WAS THE ONE THAT HAD TO
MOVE ALL THESE THINGS ALMOST
EVERY DAY, COLLECTING THESE
OBJECTS.
THIS IS HOW THE STUFF AS SHE
SHOWED GOT DONE.
I LOVE THIS IMAGE BECAUSE IT
REALLY SHOWS MICHELE IN HER
ELEMENT.
THAT'S A REAL SMILE SHE'S GOT ON
THERE.
SHE JUST LOVED WORKING WITH NIH
OBJECTS.
JUST NOTE THE WHITE GLOVES.
YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE THAT.
THAT'S THE DEDICATION THAT SHE
PUT IN.
AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT
THOSE LAST THREE IMAGES JUST TO
SHOW YOU THE MANUAL LABOR THAT
GOES INTO THIS, AND JUST THAT
DEDICATION AND THE FINE JOB THAT
SHE WOULD DO EVERY DAY IN
BRINGING ALL THESE OBJECTS TO
LIFE.
THE STORAGE, I HAD NO SINGLE
IMAGE THAT COULD CAPTURE
EVERYTHING, BUT THAT'S JUST, YOU
KNOW, ONE TINY WOMAN AND LIKE
ROW AFTER ROW AFTER ROW, MANY
INCREDIBLY HEAVY, SHE WOULD HAVE
TO SWEET TALK THE FORKLIFT
OPERATOR WHEN SHE NEEDED TO GET
SOMETHING OFF THE TOP SHELF.
IT WAS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE.
AND THEN YOU PROBABLY RECOGNIZE
ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, THESE ARE
THOSE MOVING SHELVING UNITS TO
MAXIMIZE THE SPACE.
AND EVERY ONE IS FILLED.
THERE MUST BE 20 OR 30, AND EV
ONE IS FILLED FROM BOTTOM TO TOP
WITH THESE ARCHIVES.
JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT.
ALL THIS HAD TO BE MOVED IN 2021
TO GAITHERSBURG, WHICH MICHELE
COORDINATED, DIDN'T LOSE
ANYTHING, DIDN'T BREAK ANYTHING.
IT'S JUST -- I MEAN, WE
ORGANIZED THAT AND DIDN'T LOSE
ANYTHING ALONG THE WAY, WHICH IS
JUST TREMENDOUS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THAT
IS IN THE MIDDLE, BUT IT'S THE
OBJECT ITSELF SOMETHING THE
CATALOG.
VICKIE MENTIONED THIS A LITTLE
BIT.
THESE TRAY CATALOGS AND MANUALS.
MICHELE WAS ABLE TO ASSEMBLE
ESSENTIALLY ONE OF THE LARGEST
COLLECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF
THESE TRAY CATALOGS.
THEY'RE OF INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE
TO RESEARCHERS, HISTORIANS,
JOURNALISTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
THESE INSTRUMENTS WERE THROUGH
THE YEARS, A DESCRIPTION OF
THESE.
IT'S VERY HARD TO GET.
AND WE HAVE THEM HERE ENTIRELY
BECAUSE OF MICHELE'S DEDICATION
TO THIS.
BY DEDICATION, I MEAN BEGGING
SCIENTISTS NOT TO THROW AWAY
JUNK OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS.
SHE WOULD DO THIS REPEATEDLY AND
WAS ABLE TO COLLECT ALL THESE
THINGS.
THIS IS HER OFFICE.
AND I SNUCK IN JUST THE OTHER
DAY.
NOW FORTUNATELY I DID THIS
BEFORE THE MANDATORY HARASSMENT
AND E ETHICS TRAINING SO I DIDNT
KNOW ANY BETTER.
THERE'S NOTHING REALLY IN HERE
TO EMBARRASS HER, BUT THERE ARE
A COUPLE THINGS IN HERE I THINK
ARE JUST QUINTESSENTIAL MICHELE.
SO YOU CAN READ THAT.
PILES OF IDEAS.
THIS IS ON HER DESK.
PILES OF IDEAS.
AND THAT'S SO TYPICAL OF HER.
SHE WAS CONSTANTLY COLLECTING
IDEAS.
SHE WAS JUST FILLED WITH IDEAS
THAT SHE WOULD BRING IN, AND
ENERGIZE THE OFFICE AND GET IT
TRANSLATED AROUND THE CAMPUS.
THIS MONSTROUS FILING WARDROBE
THING, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S OUT OF
A FAIRY TALE -- A HORROR
STORY -- I MEAN, AS SOON AS YOU
WALK IN, IT'S REALLY IMPOSING.
IT'S ACTUALLY BLOCKING OUT THE
WINDOW.
BUT AGAIN, OF COURSE SHE HAS A
LOT OF HER FILES IN THERE, AND
I'M INCLUDING IT, IT'S KIND OF
WEIRD TO SAY, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS
COULDN'T FIT ANYWHERE IN THE
OFFICE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH SPACE.
AND AGAIN, IT'S THE KIND OF
SACRIFICES SHE WOULD MAKE FOR
THE OFFICE.
I MEAN, IT TAKES UP ABOUT A
THIRD OF THE OFFICE AND MAKES IT
KIND OF CLAUSTROPHOBIC, BUT SHE
WAS WILLING TO HAVE THAT IN
THERE BECAUSE THERE WAS REALLY
NO OTHER PLACE IN THE OFFICE TO
KEEP THAT KIND OF THING.
I LOVE THE HATS HERE.
YOU'D HAVE TO KNOW, SHE
ALTERNATED BETWEEN THESE VERY
CUTE HATS AND A HARD HAT.
I JUST
LOVE THAT ABOUT HER.
SHE WOULD HAVE TO WEAR THE HARD
HAT SOMETIMES BECAUSE SHE WOULD
GO TO PLACES THAT WERE
ESSENTIALLY CONDEMNED BUILDINGS.
YOU KNOW, PLACES THAT WERE GOING
TO GET TORN DOWN AT ANY MOMENT,
SHE WOULD HAVE TO RACE IN TO
MAKE SURE THEY WEREN'T THROWING
OUT ANYTHING AND SHE WOULD PUT
ON HER HARD HAT AND COME BACK
AND PUT A CUTE HAT.
GOTTA LOVE HER FOR THAT.
THAT YELLOW -- THE TAPE MEASURE,
THE INDUSTRIAL SIZED TAPE
MEASURE, AGAIN, JUST A FRIEND OF
ANY LEGITIMATE MUSEUM CURATOR.
I MEAN, THAT THING GOES OUT
WHAT, 30 FEET?
SO WHAT DID SHE DO WITH ALL
THESE IDEAS AND OBJECTS?
WELL, SHE WOULD FIND SPACES FOR
THEM ALL AROUND CAMPUS, AND YOU
MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND YOU
THINK, WELL, IT'S A NONDESCRIPT
SPACE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
PAINTING, IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS
STOLEN FROM A RED ROOF INN UP IN
GERMAN TOWRNTION BUT SHE WOULD
SEE THAT AS ACTUAL, YOU KNOW,
EXHIBIT SPACE.
AND SHE WOULD TURN IT INTO THESE
BEAUTIFUL AND EDUCATIONAL
EXHIBITS LIKE THE MOST RECENT
ONE.
THESE ARE ALL AROUND CAMPUS.
THERE'S DOZENS OF THEM.
AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT
PILE OF IDEAS THAT SHE HAD ON
HER DESK.
AND IT GOT TRANSLATED INTO
SOMETHING VERY TACTILE, VERY
EDUCATIONAL, VERY INSPIRATIONAL
FOR THE STAFF, I THINK, AND IT
ALL ORIGINATED WITH MICHELE.
THERE SHE IS IN THE MIDDLE, OF
COURSE.
AND THAT MAKES SENSE.
A COUPLE MORE THINGS.
SO THIS IS ONE OF OUR
VOLUNTEERS.
THE OFFICE REALLY DEPENDS ON
VOLUNTEERS.
THEY DO INCREDIBLE WORK THAT
WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET DONE
WITHOUT THEM.
DAN WAS ONE OF THEM, A VERY
UNIQUE GUY WHO CAME IN 2006,
WHEN HE WAS JUST A WILD-EYED KID
IN THE 70s.
AND AS HE GOT OLDER, HE HAD
TROUBLE GETTING TO CAMPUS, BUT
HE STILL WANTED TO VOLUNTEER.
SO MICHELE, FOR YEARS, WOULD
DRIVE TO HIS HOUSE WITH
MATERIALS FOR HIM TO SCAN, SO HE
COULD STAY INVOLVED AND WE WOULD
BENEFIT FROM THE WORK.
BUT I JUST LIKE THAT ABOUT
MICHELE, HOW SHE COULD KEEP THIS
GUY INVOLVED IN LIFE ITSELF IN
HELPING THE MUSEUM, BUT WEEK
AFTER WEEK, SHE WOULD GO BACK
AND FORTH TO HIS HOUSE AND
EXCHANGE MATERIALS.
A WONDERFUL MAN AT THAT.
WE MENTIONED 70 ACRES OF SCIENCE
IN PASSING, BUT SHE HAS THIS
WONDERFUL BOOKLET THAT REALLY
NEEDS TO BE TURNED INTO A
LEGITIMATE BOOK.
WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER,
WE TRIED THAT, WITH THE LEGAL
RAMIFICATIONS OF PUBLISHING IT
AT THE NIH BUT SOMETHING I
DIDN'T WANT TO PASS UP HERE,
VERY WORTHWHILE DOING.
I'LL END WITH THIS JUST TO
REMIND PEOPLE THAT SHE DID START
HERE WHEN SHE WAS 14 YEARS OLD.
[LAUGHTER]
I'M EYEBALLING IT BUT I THINK
THAT WAS ABOUT RIGHT.
SO SHE WAS AN INTERN IN THE LATE
1980s.
AND I'M PUTTING THIS HERE JUST
SO YOU UNDERSTAND, IT'S 30-SOME
YEARS OF INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOSING
UNFORTUNATELY WHEN SHE RETIRES.
WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BUT WE WERE
VERY THANKFUL TO HAVE HER HERE.
IN GENERAL.
[APPLAUSE]
SO THERE'S REALLY NO REASON FOR
ME TO BE HERE FOR QUESTIONS.
YOU WANT TO COME BACK UP HERE
AND THEN ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO
HAVE A QUESTION, ANYTHING ONLINE
YET?
OKAY.
>> NO, BUT PLEASE TELL THEM TO
SEND IN THEIR QUESTIONS.
>> I WAS TOLD TO PLEASE TELL
PEOPLE TO SEND IN QUESTIONS.
THERE'S A "SEND LIVE VIDEO
FEEDBACK" BUTTON UNDERNEATH THE
VIDEOCAST SCREEN, I KNOW THERE'S
UP TO 100 PEOPLE WATCHING, SO
YOU CAN SUBMIT QUESTIONS THAT
WAY, JUST PUSH THE BUTTON EAND
TER IT.
AND
ENTER IT.
>> WHAT IS THE ODDEST OBJECT
YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
>> HE ASKED ME WHAT THE ODDEST
OBJECT I EVER RECEIVED.
THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY ODD
OBJECTS.
I THINK THE ONE THAT MADE THE
BIGGEST IMPRESSION ON ME, THO
THOUGH, FOR BEING ODD WAS A
SKULL WITH AN ELECTRODE IN IT.
AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT
THEY WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY
SINGLE OUT THE RESPONSE OF ONE
CELL IN A BRAIN, AND I THOUGHT,
IF SOMEBODY CAUGHT ME WALKING
ACROSS CAMPUS WITH THIS, THEY
WOULD PROBABLY ARREST ME.
BUT YEAH, THAT'S PROBABLY THE
ODDEST THING.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR THIS EXCITING
LECTURE.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN
HOW HISTORIANS AND SCHOLARS
AROUND THE WORLD HAVE ACCESS TO
IMAGES, STORIES AND PERHAPS
ACTUAL ACCESS TO THE OBJECTS
SOMEHOW.
>> THAT'S EASY.
THEY JUST EMAIL US AT
HISTORY.NIH.GOV, AND WE CAN
ARRANGE FOR APPOINTMENTS FOR
PEOPLE TO COME AND LOOK AT
OBJECTS OR OUR ARCHIVAL HOLDI
HOLDINGS, OUR PHOTOGRAPHS.
HISTORIANS DO THAT ALL THE TIME,
AND SO DO LAWYERS, BECAUSE
APPARENTLY THERE'S LOTS OF
PATENT SUITS.
YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT US FOR THE
MANUALS AND TRADE CATALOG
COLLECTION.
ALL OF THE MANUALS HAVE BEEN
DIGITIZED.
THE TRADE CATALOGS HAVE NOT.
THOSE ARE VERY POPULAR, THE
MANUALS.
SO BASICALLY JUST GET IN CONTACT
WITH US.
>> I HAVE A QUESTION FROM
ONLINE.
WE HAVE A QUESTION IN FROM
ELIZABETH.
FIRST OFF SHE SAYS
CONGRATULATIONS, AND THEN SHE
ASKS, WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST
ABOUT YOUR JOB AT NIH?
>> I'LL MISS MEETING ALL THE
PEOPLE.
I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY,
BECAUSE THEN YOU COULD, YOU
KNOW, YOU COULD LEARN ALL THE
COOL NEW STUFF GOING ON IN ALL
THESE DIFFERENT FIELDS OF STUDY
FROM ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
DOING IT.
THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I ENDED
UP BEING, WAS THE PRESIDENT OF
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NIH, AT
LEAST.
AND SO I WILL MISS -- I'LL MISS
MEETING ALL THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
AND LEARNING ABOUT ALL THEIR
WORK AND THEIR LIVES, BECAUSE SO
MUCH OF IT IS SO FASCINATING,
AND I HAD MET VERY FEW PEOPLE
HERE AT NIH WITH THANK WITH HUM.
THE FEW I HAVE, HAVE HAD REASONS
TO HAVE BIG EGOS.
>> AND WE ALSO HAVE AN INQUIRY
ABOUT 70 ACRES OF SCIENCE, WHICH
IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON OUR
WEBSITE.
SO I'LL BE EMAILING THEM THAT
LINK, BUT FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO
WANTS TO GIVE THAT A READ, THE
PDF IS AVAILABLE.
IF ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIEN
AUDIENCE --
>> HI, MICHELE.
THAT WAS A GREAT TALK.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE ORAL HISTORIES THAT YOU'VE
BEEN INVOLVED WITH?
YOU ARE REYOU HAVY REVIEWING TH.
>> WE DO HAVE QUITE A WONDERFUL
COLLECTION OF ORAL HISTORIES.
NOT AS BIG AS WE WISH.
BECAUSE PEOPLE GET AWAY FROM US
BEFORE WE CAN CAPTURE THEM.
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS
OF IT, DR. HARDEN DID.
IT'S INTERVIEWS WITH DIFFERENT
PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THE AIDS
PANDEMIC.
THEN BOOK ENDING THAT ARE THE
HUNDREDS OF INTERVIEWS THAT OUR
ARCHIVIST HAS DONE WITH
EMPLOYEES AROUND NIH ABOUT WHAT
THEY'VE DONE DURING COVID.
SHE'S REALLY BECOME, I THINK,
THE FACE OF THE OFFICE AROUND
CAMPUS AND HAS REALLY
REJUVENATED THE OFFICE AND SHE'S
A WONDERFUL PERSON.
WE CALL HER THE ARCHIVIST OF THE
NIH.
THEY'RE ALL AVAILABLE ONLINE
AFTER THEY'RE REVIEWED, TRY TO
EDIT THEM TO MAKE SENSE.
>> I HAVE A COUPLE MORE
QUESTIONS.
THEY'RE ROLLING IN.
WE HAVE ONE FROM KATE ASKING
WHAT'S THE MOST SURPRISING THING
THAT YOU'VE DISCOVERED WHILE
WORKING AT NIH?
>> VICKIE PROBABLY REMEMBERS
THIS UP IN THE ATTIC OF BUILDING
1.
WE WENT UP INTO THE ATTIC AND
DISCOVERED ALL THE STUFF THAT
THEY HAD MOVED IN THERE WHEN
THEY HAD MOVED UP INTO BUILDING
1 IN 1938.
SO THEY HAD CRATES OF PAINTINGS,
THEY HAD A CRATED SMALLPOX
EXHIBIT THAT IS NOW IN OUR
COLLECTION.
THEY HAD MILK PASTEURIZATION
EQUIPMENT DRAWINGS THAT'S ALSO
IN OUR COLLECTION NOW.
THE PAINTINGS, WE GAVE TO THE
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE.
THE BUNTING THAT WAS USED WHEN
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT DEDICATED
THE CAMPUS.
THERE WAS QUITE A LOT OF STUFF
STUCK UP THERE FOR DECADES AND
NOBODY TOUCHED IT UNTIL WE CAME.
>> MICHELE, FOR THE RECORD, DO
YOU HAVE AN ARCHIVED LIST OF --
OBJECTS?
-- OF MISSING OBJECTS?
>> WE HAVE VERY FEW MISSING
OBJECTS.
REALLY, VERY FEW.
WE'VE HAD ONE THEFT THAT I KNOW.
AND VERY FEW LOSSES DURING THE
EARLY MOVES, BUT THAT'S ABOUT
IT.
I THINK DR. WYATT WOULD LIKE ME
TO ASK EVERYONE OF A PORTRAIT
OF -- YES, IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE
THAT.
SO WE HOPE THAT SOMEBODY HAS IT
IN THEIR ATTIC AT ONE OF THEIR
BUILDINGS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE HAVE PLENTY MORE, MANY
PEOPLE ASKING ABOUT ORAL
HISTORIES AND SORT OF THE NATURE
OF ORAL HISTORIES, HOW THEY CAN
CONNECT STORIES TO OBJECTS AND
WHETHER OR NOT YOU GO BACK AND
LOOK AT THEM FOR THEIR ACCURACY
VERSUS THE STORIES THEMSELVES.
SO WHAT WAS YOUR APPROACH TO
ORAL HISTORIES IN THAT REGARD?
>> SO AN ORAL HISTORY IS TOLD
FROM THE MEMORY OF THE PERSON
WHO YOU'RE INTERVIEWING, AND
PEOPLE'S MEMORIES ARE NOTORI
NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT AN ORAL
HISTORY AND THINK THAT THAT'S
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED, YOU BETTER
DOUBLE-CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT
THAT'S WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
BUT WE DO GO BACK AND USE THEM
TO SEE HOW OBJECTS WERE USED, TO
SEE HOW POLICIES WERE DEVELOPED
AT NIH.
WE HAVE A REALLY NICE COLLECTION
OF ORAL HISTORIES DONE WITH
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE OFFICERS
WHO WENT TO THE AMERICAN SOUTH
AT THE BEGINNING OF MEDICARE,
AND THEY WERE CHECKING TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE HOSPITALS WERE
DESEGREGATED BECAUSE THE
HOSPITALS COULDN'T GET THE
FEDERAL FUNDING UNLESS THEY WERE
DESEGREGATED.
THEY HAD QUITE THE WILD
EXPERIENCES DOWN THERE.
YOU CAN FIND THOSE ON OUR
WEBSITE TOO.
SO THAT CONNECTS TO AN EVEN
BROADER HISTORY THAN NIH'S
HISTORY, LIKE MANY OF THEM DO.
>> WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE AT
THE END OF OUR TIME SLOT, SO
THERE ARE PLENTY MORE QUESTIONS
THAT I WILL BE RESPONDING TO IN
EMAIL FORM BECAUSE THIS IS
REALLY CAPTURING PEOPLE'S
ATTENTION.
SO I APPRECIATE IT, AND I
THINK --
>> THANK YOU.
>> ARE WE READY TO MOVE ON?
WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU, GUYS, AND
REFRESHMENTS IN THE BACK.
[APPLAUSE]
>> I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY 1769 01:01:49,605 FOR COMING.