Dittrick Medical History Center
A Showcase for Two Centuries of Healthcare Advancements
In the late nineteenth century, the Cleveland Medical Library Association opened a fledgling museum "that represented a collection of heterogeneous articles stored in boxes, not arranged systematically, and not catalogued." By the twenty-first century, the Dittrick Medical History Center was recognized as one of the foremost medical museums. Its evolution unfolded alongside not only medical advances but also the city's broader growth as a healthcare hub.
Medical history museums long existed in Europe prior to their origins in the United States, which occurred following the outbreak of the Civil War, and were initially used as educational centers for medical students. The Army Medical Museum was one of the United States’ first known medical history museums and was established to support the Union Army Medical Department’s library. Although the funding for the Army Medical Library decreased over the years, causing relocation and merging, other medical history museums in the U.S. somehow managed to survive and thrive, helping promote the continuance of medical education. For the surviving medical history museums, credit can surely be granted to institutional funding, but the real praise goes to the dedicated educators and collectors, the commitments made to their communities, and an ability to connect relevantly to an ever-changing audience.
In its origins, the Dittrick Medical History Center, like the Army Medical Museum, struggled with financing and sustainability. The Dittrick’s history begins with a small library on Prospect Avenue for members and associates of the Cleveland Medical Library Association. Dudley P. Allen, one of the founders of the CMLA, was an avid collector, educator, and surgeon who collected medical books and instruments, which he would later donate to the museum. Upon his death, Allen’s will left a fund of roughly $200,000 to support the library’s maintenance. Allen’s generosity and commitment made him a most appropriate namesake for the medical library and museum on Western Reserve University’s campus, dedicated as the Allen Memorial Medical Library in 1926.
Canadian physician Howard Dittrick came to Cleveland in the early twentieth century to work in healthcare and educate about medicine. Unsurprisingly, Dittrick connected with Allen and began researching and collecting medical instruments, tools, and practices from other parts of the world and previous time periods. Dittrick and Allen both aspired to turn the collection of “obsolete types of surgical instruments, microscopes, stethoscopes, diplomas, war material, and personal objects from prominent doctors” into a more robust museum, eventually for public audiences.
Early nineteenth-century meeting minutes from the CMLA Executive Council reveal that the museum did not always exist on a large scale. Yet due to Dittrick’s advocacy, avid collecting, fundraising, and work cataloging the artifacts, a museum eventually gained traction within the CMLA community, which decided that the new space in the Allen Memorial Medical Library would have a specific section on the third floor established for a museum space. Although an achievement for Dittrick, it was not until 1934 that the museum, initially named the Museum of Historical and Cultural Medicine, earned enough respect and praise to become its own department.
Dittrick continued to work avidly as the Director of the Museum of Historical and Cultural Medicine for about ten more years. In 1945, the CMLA decided to dedicate the Museum to Dittrick in honor of his fierce dedication and advocacy to make a museum of its kind flourish not only for the medical field but for the public. The Howard Dittrick Museum of Historical Medicine continued to grow and flourish over the years under new direction and guidance, all still with the spirit of Dittrick in mind. While museums like the Army Medical Museum were not able to sustain themselves, the Howard Dittrick Museum continued to receive donated artifacts, lend out collections, host guest lecturers, and keep its doors open for both research and public education.
Throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, the Dittrick has mounted many permanent and temporary exhibits. Many of the exhibits have been timely. For the U.S. Bicentennial, the museum presented an exhibit that depicted health and medical care in the era of the American Revolution. Other, more permanent exhibits depict the history and improvement of medical technologies, including microscopes and stethoscopes. As the museum and its exhibits continued to adapt to changing times, such as online cataloging and technologically engaging activities, the Dittrick underwent another name change in 1998 to better reflect the mission and collections of artifacts, rare books, images, and other materials. Today, the Dittrick Medical History Center has one of the most prominent collections of contraceptives in the United States, as well as one of the largest collections of antique surgical instruments.
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