Experientia et Progressus - The Story of My Life

 

 

The crest you see is that of the United States Army Medical Department (AMEDD).  It was adopted in 1862 by Surgeon General William Hammond.  The Latin text translates to experience and progress.  I first came to see this crest and understand its importance in our American culture in the fall of 2000 when I came to be employed at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine (NMCWM) in Maryland. Recently I had time to stare at it a bit and I came to realize how important these Latin words have been in my life. 

 

In many ways, these words could be the slogan of all well constructed education.  We experience things that we are exposed to and we use this experience to progress in our understanding.  This was certainly true of the experiential education I received as a Boy Scout.  Learning woods craft, outdoor survival, leadership, marksmanship, first aid and other skills by actual experience led me to be able to progress in my other studies based on the broad scope of what I had already learned. When I walked through the doors of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, I had no real idea of just how prepared life had made me for the job by seemingly unrelated experience.  It was not my historical studies at St. Louis University that made me truly prepared to be a museum professional, it was the combination of classroom education, self study and a broad range of experiences that prepared me.  The older I get, the more I lament of the lack of importance we place on broad, seemingly unrelated, experience in hiring and the workplace. 

 

When in 2003 I was promoted from the education office to executive director I began to have my eyes opened.  To that point in my life I had been a manure scooper, a soda jerk (insert snide comments here), a commercial insurance broker, a police officer, an historical interpreter, a banjo maker and a firefighter/EMS First Responder.  I can truthfully say that every single on of these past "lives" came to my rescue at one time or another as I felt my way along in my new position.  From an understanding of barns, to customer service, to loss prevention, woodworking and metal working skills, communication methodologies and emergency planning, every part of my life came to be used. 

 

What the museum board of directors saw in my, I did not see for myself.  They chose me to direct a museum at a time when nothing in my resume said I was qualified in the "professional experience" sense.  They saw my experience as a whole, not simply a degree or professional training.  I will never be able to thank them enough.  They saw a potential in me that I did not see.  They gave me opportunities to gain the education I needed, and most importantly, they allowed me to fail from time to time so that I could learn from my own mistakes! Sometimes that is the best education of all. 

 

During my time at the NMCWM I grew in both experience and understanding.  I was given the great honor of working in the collection of Dr. Gordon Dammann and under his mentorship.  I had the opportunity to develop relationships in the National Park Service, General Services Administration, United States Army Medical Department, the American Alliance of Museum and numerous other museums and organizations from around the country.  This experience will now be used to bring progress to the AMEDD museum, along with all of the combined experience of the awesome staff I am now so honored to lead. 

 

As I now re-enter the museum field after my year-long work at Mount St. Mary's Seminary, I am reminded daily of the words which have meant so much.  I now continue on to experience for the sake of progress.  I will again pick up my blog and share that experience as it happens.  I hope something I write will touch someone else and that readers will comment back that I might learn from them! 

 

 Come visit us! http://ameddmuseum.amedd.army.mil/

 

 

Another Reason to Watch Mercy Street

I have read many reviews of Mercy Street and, like most shows they cover a wide range.  Some love it, others are less enthusiastic.  Some reviewers speak of costuming and others of script writing, some look at the actors and others at story line.  Everyone has their take, but few have talked about the subject matter as it relates to our modern world.  So, with that in mind, here is my take.

It is agreed by historians that the Civil War changed America forever.  Yet, the understanding of medicine of the era is still mostly misunderstood.  The myths set forth in over a century and a half of popular history have continued to be the main source for understanding Civil War Medicine.  The suffering of the era has nearly been complete in obscuring the radical effect of Civil War era innovation on the current century.

Now a PBS production has delved into this confused world.  Fortunately, they have been willing to go into this project with a willingness to set historical accuracy as a high priority.  Many of the characters are real and are based on either their own accounts, or the accounts of those they worked with.  Others are collections of actual people whose stories might otherwise be lost.  They have even set up a nice website to allow all of us to explore the stories behind the people and places.  But they went further than that.

They also employed the help of scholars like Dr. Shauna Divine whose outstanding, award winning  book Learning From the Wounded has helped to reshape the understanding of Civil War medicine as a scientific watershed.  They also consulted with Dr. Alfred  J. Bollet, author of the famed Civil War Medicine, Challenges and Triumphs.  And they utilized the staff and volunteers the National Museum of Civil War Medicine whose has also set up a website specifically for the show.  I too, got to have input with many others.  But the question may still be asked:so what?

This show is not simply important because it will replace Downton Abbey.  It is not simply important because PBS has chosen it to bring American made shows back to the forefront of its offerings.  It is important because the issues brought up in this drama play out in our lives every day, and most of America does not even know it.

In the first episode we see nurse Mary Phinney as she struggles with her personal politics and her duties to care for "enemy" soldiers.  This struggle was real for many on both sides of the war. International  humanitarian law would be forever changed as a result of the Civil War.  Our solutions and experiences in the United States would help inform future treaties, non-governmental relief organization practices and care givers to this very day.  People like Clara Barton would go on to change how relief was delivered and organized.  Today every time we see relief in a disaster zone or battlefield, her legacy is there.

 Major Jonathon Letterman helped to organize the first truly systematic emergency response

organization in our history and his basic plan has become the world standard.  He linked evacuation, first aid, medical logistics and medical command and control and medical intelligence into a structure that cared for the wounded and sick from their first moment of need and moved them from places of danger to safety in a well supplied, highly professional medical department.  His plan can even be seen on our civilian EMS services today in every community in our country.  

We even see the role of chaplains and faith in healing process.  Empirical studies in the past few years have shown growing understanding that chaplains do indeed assist in healing process.  In an age of ever growing health care debates, more and more healthcare providers are looking at the role of the chaplaincy in making care delivery more effective for the patient.  This is not new, but also little thought in the public forum.  

There are many more current issues that were present during the war and as the show continues, I hope to blog about these issues.  The point is, this new program is not just about entertainment, it is a refection on our past that can help us illuminate our present and future. Just one more reason to give Mercy Street a chance.