How the Human Body Works at the National Museum of Health and Medicine

Best-selling author and illustrator David Macaulay takes the complex science of the human body and breaks it down into small and easily understandable, informative and playful illustrations.

The author of several illustrated book, including The Way Things Work and How We Work, allows children to easily grasp the complexities of the human body, from our skeletons to DNA.

To create the 60+ drawings and illustrations, Macaulay spent over 6 years examining and illustrating the inner workings of the human body, using the same techniques he used to explain architecture and how machines worked in his most famous book The Way Things Work. 

Using concepts children can easily understand, such as a theme park ride to illustrate the body’s circulatory system, he covers topics from cell structure and metabolism to circulation and digestion.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine is also an overlooked tourist destination, but holds a large collection of medical and health history, much relating to military medicine.  Dating back to the Civil War, the museum documents the history of medicine on the battlefield, the evolution of medical equipment such as the X-Ray, microscope and surgical instruments with its collection of over 12,000 artifacts.

Another interesting display is the Trauma Bay II medical tent hospital from Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, complete with scuff marks and antiseptic stains on the floor from Balad, Iraq.

The Way We Work: Getting to Know The Amazing Human Body
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue and Elder St., NW, AFIP, Building 54
Washington, DC 20306  (map it)

Dates and Times – Open daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Docent led tours are offered at 1:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

Tickets – Admission is free but donations are accepted.  A government-issued photo ID is required for entrance to the Center and the museum.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Takoma Park – Red line, then a ½-mile walk to the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Parking – Free parking is available in the museum’s driveway. On weekdays, a required parking pass can be picked up at the Information Desk.

Images – Flickr – Electrical outlet, skeleton
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