Mobile Medical Museum

09/04/2026

Happy Labor Day weekend! It takes a lot of hands to keep our hospitals running smoothly. Whether you work in environmental services, the cafeteria, shipping and receiving, or any other department, we salute you! Images of Mobile Infirmary staff, c. 1968.

09/03/2026

We gave a tour for these lovely ladies from Semmes Senior Center this week!

08/28/2026

3D-printed face mask, 2020. In the early months of the "vid" pandemic Mobile's hospitals were running desperately low on personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, business had slowed down at the Airbus assembly plant in Mobile due to the global supply chain disruption. Airbus reached out to USA Health to inquire if its workers could be of any assistance. Hundreds of these 3D-printed, bespoke face masks were made and delivered by Airbus to help protect hospital staff from the viral spread.

08/27/2026

The late Dolly Parton's philanthropy helped to fund research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on the effectiveness of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine and on plasma studies.

The country star's $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center has made an impact on the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.

08/26/2026

A staff member created an exhibit for her grandfather, who had polio.

08/24/2026

Last Friday we hosted a reception to welcome Dr. Jeffrey S. La Rochelle as the new Dean of Whiddon College of Medicine CO 2029. Guests were treated to some pop-up exhibitions highlighting our archives and collections, and a screening of our documentary, Medicine and the Movement. Dr. La Rochelle spoke of how his service in the Air Force and at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center gave him a deep appreciation for the history of military medicine and its impact across all healthcare. We are proud to have Dr. La Rochelle's leadership in Mobile!

08/20/2026

If you grew up in the 1950s, you may have heard the expression, "[he/she] has more X than Carter has little pills." This is a reference to Carter's Little Pills, one of the most popular patent medicines of all time. They were originally patented as Carter's Little Liver Pills in 1868 by Dr. John Samuel Carter, a physician and pharmacist from Erie, Pennsylvania. The pill was a laxative made from herbal medicines such as curacao aloe and mayapple resin. The "liver" in the name meant that the medicine was to clear the body of excess bile from the liver. In 1951, the company changed the name to Carter's Little Pills because the Federal Trade Commission ruled that it was misleading to suggest the medicine had any effect on the liver.

08/14/2026

Two brave interns stand where once 'twere tow'ring heaps of boxes and picture frames...Many thanks to Megan Linley and Shannan Jones for completing the Herculean task of reorganizing and preserving our archive! We can't wait to share this amazing resource with the world. Best wishes to Megan and Shannon as they continue their educational and career paths in the coming year.

08/12/2026

A prescription from Dr. Rhett Goode (1852-1911) of Mobile, Alabama, for Reed and Carnrick's beef peptonoids. This was a type of liquid food given to patients who could not digest solids. It contained pepsin and pancreatin to break down the proteins so that they could be more easily absorbed by the body.

08/11/2026

This was the site of The People's Drug Store, part of a business complex owned by the African-American businessman and political leader A. N. Johnson, from 1902 to 1907. Several Black healthcare professionals had residences or offices in that building, including Dr. Alfred D. Simington, Dr. T. H. Jones (dentist), and Dr. T. N. Harris (physician/dentist). In 1903, it was described as the "largest building occupied by colored business and professional men in Alabama." Johnson sold the drug store and his other businesses in 1907 and moved to Nashville. By 1915, the site was occupied by a fruit stand owned by George Carwie.

Building at 500 Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama, 1952. Julius E. Marx Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.