Instruments & Artifacts Exhibits Gallery

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  Joseph Goldberger & the War on Pellagra

  Dr. Joseph Goldberger discovered the cause of pellagra, a disease that killed many poor Southerners in the early part of the 20th century.  His finding that pellagra was caused by a diet deficient in vitamin B was met by political and social resistance.

  Building 1

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  Margaret Pittman

  Margaret Pittman arrived at NIH in 1936, beginning a career that would span 57 years and make her an internationally renowned expert on vaccines and serums, as well as the first female laboratory chief at the NIH.

  Building 60

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  Changing Times

  Who would think that coloring books would provide a glimpse at nearly 40 years of Clinical Center history, each reflecting changing times and telling their own stories about the people who created them?

  Building 10

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  Pretty Patches

  Because employees designed these patches, they reveal how people thought about their work at the Clinical Center—sometimes as a heroic struggle and sometimes with humor.

  Building 10, 1st floor, near the hospitality desk.

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  Microscopes

  Learn about the scientists behind their microscopes and the vast array of microscopes used at the NIH.

  Building 10

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  The AMINCO-Bowman Spectrophotofluorometer

  The colorful glow of fluorescent chemicals can identify and measure tiny amounts of substances in the body. This spectrophotofluorometer invented by Robert Bowman did just that.

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  A Thin Blue Line: The History of the Pregnancy Test Kit

  Discover the history of the home pregnancy test—developed at the NIH—and examine its place in our culture.

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  Siemens 1-A Electron Microscope

  All sorts of viruses were visualized for the first time on this Siemens 1-A Electron Microscope used by Albert Kapikian.

  Building 50

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  Varian A-60 NMR

  The Varian A-60 NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer was the first low-cost instrument of its kind, producing a magnetic resonance image (MRI) that NIH scientists used to study topics such as how the brain develops as children grow.

  Building 10

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  Early Computing at the NIH

  This snapshot of some of the computing tools used in NIH labs highlights objects that are now in the NIH Stetten Museum collection.

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  Early Medical Instruments at the NIH

  See a cross-section of precision instruments from our collection used at NIH between 1945 and 1965.

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  Equal Arm Analytical Balances

  Discover one of the most important tools in furthering our understanding of human biology and medicine dating back to 5,000 B.C.