Medical glimpses of the past

The National Park Service and Fort Union National Monument announces its monthly “Glimpses of the Past” presentation. The program will be held at the CCHP/Santa Fe Trail Interpretive Center, 116 Bridge St., in Las Vegas, Thursday Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.

The presentation, entitled Mid-19th Century Medicine and Surgery by Robert Mallin, M.D., discusses surgical and medicinal practices of the mid 1800s. Mallin became interested in Civil War medicine and surgery when he moved to Santa Fe, and found that a significant campaign took place in his own back yard. He has lectured at Fort Union, Pecos National Historical Park, and many different groups throughout the country. He is also a consultant on the medical aspects of the Santa Fe Trail for the Museum of the Trail and the Interpretive Center in Springer, N.M., as well as a presenter at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine's Conferences. This is a program offering an opportunity to see relics usually reserved for display behind glass in museum cabinets, and to learn from an expert.

Mallin, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a lecturer in Santa Fe Trail and Civil War Medicine and Surgery for the Pecos National Historical Park. He served in the United States Army Medical Corps during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and Air Medal, and Combat Medic Badge, for his valor under fire. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as a member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Currently, he is board president of “People Living through Cancer” and a member of The State Cancer Prevention Advisory Board.

The “Glimpses of the Past” series of programs is presented to the public free of charge, in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation. For more info call 25-8025, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/foun.