http://www.otto-schmitt.org/

Thank you, and Goodbye

The Schmitt Foundation is closing after a 10 year run

Otto Schmitt started his Foundation in 1994. He never gave it a clear direction for its purpose with specific end results. Otto died in 1998. In 1999, the Board of Directors adopted the following mission statement: “To preserve a record of the unique life and contributions of Dr. Otto H. Schmitt, and to advance his work and thought.” To fulfill that mission, the Schmitt Foundation funded the following projects:

To “preserve a record of the unique life and contributions of Otto Schmitt” the University of Minnesota (U of MN) Archives was given 2 grants to process his voluminous amount of papers, tape recordings, and photographs. These grants were supplemented with additional grant money from the American Institute of Physics to process the materials with current state of the art processing techniques which will include making many of the items available online to scholars around the world. Over 300 boxes of materials were brought to their climate controlled facility. A new Web site (http://www.otto-schmitt.org/) has been updated with many of Dr. Schmitt’s speeches and class handouts available for downloading. In cooperation with the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, a biography of Dr. Schmitt’s life by Jon Harkness was done to rave reviews. This biography is available online and a revised version will be in the special issue of the November/ December 2004 edition of the IEEE EMB magazine. In addition, 8 different museums received some of the objects from Dr. Schmitt’s lab. Originally, there was over 4000 square feet of artifacts that were sorted and dispersed according to historical or scientific value. Museums that have some of these artifacts include the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis and the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington DC. Other museums are listed in the “To Learn More” article on page 4.

To “advance his work and thought” the following projects were funded: 25 $1000 scholarships were funded to graduate students in biophysical sciences and medical physics at the U of MN to attend multidisciplinary conferences that broaden their educational experience. The U of MN Center for Spirituality and Healing received a grant to host a 3 day Otto Schmitt Symposium on “Consciousness and Healing”. The white paper from this meeting is on their Web site. The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis received several smaller grants to promote displays re: electricity and its usefulness. The Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame received a grant to continue their fine work. Otto helped them as an annual judge for many years while he was living. Other places and

programs that received grant money included the Commemorative Air Force to restore a PBY aircraft to original WW2 colors and the Como Conservatory in Saint Paul. Three large grants were also recently awarded. See below for details.

Three Large Grants Awarded

The Otto Schmitt Center for Home TeleHealth at the U of MN has been created by Dr. Stan Finkelstein to enhance health care delivery through the use of home electronics and remote monitoring. They will be hosting a 3 year lecture series, a resource Web site, workshops, and will produce annual reviews of home telehealth to be published in peer reviewed journals.

The University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing has been given a large grant to fund six lectures in two series over the next three years. The first series is called the “Otto Schmitt Anomalous Phenomena and the Metaphysical Lecture Series”. The second series is being called the “Otto Schmitt Optimal Healing Environment Lecture Series”.

The Bakken Museum has received a grant to permanently house Dr. Otto Schmitt’s Nerve Axon Simulator and to fund “The Otto Schmitt Body Electric” project with special interactive displays, lecture series designed to teach children to use science for the benefit of humanity, and to bring renowned scientists together with advanced students.

See below for how to contact these organizations directly for further information.

IEEE EMB Magazine Special Issue

A special issue of the November/ December 2004 edition of the IEEE EMB magazine features the life and science of Dr. Otto H. Schmitt. Featuring an updated version of the critically acclaimed biography by Jon Harkness, this issue also has several other articles detailing the scientific work of Dr. Otto Schmitt. This will be their first issue to feature just one scientist-Otto Schmitt. A limited number of copies of this magazine are available free of charge to individuals, libraries, and schools. Contact Tom Young for your copy.

OHS Dinner and Lecture Success

For the 6th and final time, a special Dinner and Lecture was held to honor Otto. It was the largest ever, with 50 people attending. It was a fitting end to the series that began after Otto’s death in 1998. Speakers included Ken Young, President of the Schmitt Foundation; Lois Hendrickson, of University of Minnesota Archives; University Professor Dr Stan Finkelstein discussed home telehealth; and University Professor Dr. Robert Patterson presented 4 rare videos of Otto.

New Web site On-Line @ www.otto-schmitt.org

In 2004, our web site underwent major revisions including the addition of many speeches Otto gave, classroom exams he gave students, and many more historical pictures. A completely new Web site (note the new URL!) made it simpler to start over. The Web site www.otto-schmitt.org will soon have videos of Dr. Schmitt added to it and also has a list of the dozens of articles about or quoting Dr. Otto & Mrs. Schmitt, there are also links to important organizations.

Siler’s Missing Arm is Found!

In one of those “News of the Weird” moments, Jacob Siler’s amputated, and presumed missing forever, arm has been found preserved at a museum in Washington DC.

Jacob Siler, born in 1842, was the childhood mentor to Dr. Otto H. Schmitt. In 1861, Siler joined the Union Army in the Illinois 38th Regiment, Company E. In 1862 the US Army started the Army Medical Museum to study and improve medical conditions during the American Civil War by collecting anatomical specimens for the training of its field doctors in combat trauma and disease pathology. Thousands of human parts were collected and included the effects of a cannon ball hitting a human leg, shrapnel to the torso, and bullets thru arms. In 1863, Siler was injured at the Battle of Chickamauga, and his left arm was amputated. It was presumed discarded and lost forever. In 1913, Otto

Herbert Schmitt was born. In the early 1920’s, Siler mentored Otto Schmitt in a number of areas, including science, history, therapeutic use of electricity, religion, and philosophy. In 1925, Siler died and was buried in Saint Louis MO.

Later, the Army Medical Museum changed its name to the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM). In 1998, Schmitt died and was buried in Saint Louis MO. In 2003, discussions began re: the National Museum of Health and Medicine obtaining some artifacts of Dr. Schmitt’s laboratory for their collection. In August of 2004, the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting published a biographical newsletter about Dr. Schmitt, which included a large amount about his childhood mentor of Jacob Siler. In September of 2004, Staff at NMHM read this newsletter and the name Jacob Siler was recognized. It was confirmed that this was the same Jacob Siler who had “donated” an arm back in 1863. In October of 2004, artifacts from the laboratory of Dr. Schmitt joined the arm of Jacob Siler in the collections of the NMHM.

Siler was probably unaware that his arm was saved. We have no doubt that this would have been something that would have met with his deepest approval, as he would call himself an “Amateur Historian” on printed business cards during his photographer years from about 1880 to 1905. The attending doctor was Dr. Peter Preston, and the humerus bone is NMHM Catalog # 1002818. It may be viewed by appointment only. Anatomical specimens like this formed the basis for the “Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion”, a six volume book set of the collection and tabulation of this anatomical collection published in 1879-1885 by the Washington Government Printing Office. Siler’s painful story is on page 776 of Chapter 9 of Part 2 Volume 2. For further information about the Civil War anatomical collection of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, the assistant curator Lenore Barbian may be reached at 202/782-2208 or mailto:barbican@afip.osd.mil.

To see more photographs of and by Jacob Siler and his Dog Joe, please go to the Missouri Historical Society in Saint Louis MO.

To Learn More and Contact Information

To learn more about Otto & Viola Schmitt and the Schmitt Foundation, go online to our new Web site at http://www.otto-schmitt.org/ or email the Editor of this newsletter at Region1Manager@hotmail.com or write c/o Tom Young, 1912 Como Ave SE, Minneapolis MN 55414.

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers) EMB (Engineering in Medicine and Biology) Magazine November/ December Issue 2004 is a unique special issue devoted to the life and science of Dr. Schmitt. Most major libraries will be getting this special issue. For your free issue, email Tom Young.

The University of Minnesota Archives is the main repository of Dr. Schmitt’s papers, photographs, audio and video tapes of his class lectures. This includes many photographs and includes the world famous “Rogue’s Gallery”-Otto’s Polaroid collection of over 2000 people who visited him at his laboratory. Appointments are preferred. The University of Minnesota Archives is at 218 Anderson Library, Minneapolis MN 55455 or http://special.lib.umn.edu/uarch/.

An excellent biography of the life of Dr. Schmitt was published in “Physics in Perspective” Vol 4 NO 4 2002 Issue “A Lifetime of Connections: Otto Herbert Schmitt, 1913-1998” by Jon M Harkness. This entire biography can be found online at the Web site of the Bakken Library and Museum at http://www.thebakken.org/ . Artifacts from his lab are also held at this museum and include the “Nerve Axon Simulator” with the original “Schmitt Trigger” intact. Contact them for more information at The Bakken Library and Museum, 3537 Zenith Ave S, Minneapolis MN 55416.

A special exhibit by the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in Redwood Falls includes laboratory equipment from 1978 inductee Dr. Schmitt. This exhibit runs now thru May 2005. They are at the Redwood Falls Area Community Center and they have other inventors work on display too. The Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame can be reached at http://www.minnesotainvenors.com/ or PO Box 50, Redwood Falls, MN 56283.

The incredible photographic collection of Jacob Siler, including glass plates and original prints is at the Missouri Historical Society in Saint Louis Missouri. PO Box 11940, Saint Louis MO, 63112-0040 or on the Internet @ http://www.mohistory.org/

Other museums with artifacts include the National Museum of Health and Medicine (http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum/) in Washington DC, the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting (http://www.pavekmuseum.org/) in Saint Louis Park, MN where Otto gave a video taped talk, the Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (http://www.cafsmw.org/) in South Saint Paul, MN and the American Wings Air Museum (http://www.americanwings.org/) in Blaine, MN. Dr. Schmitt items may not be on active display when you visit, contact all museums before your visit for details.

The Dr. Schmitt award is given on a triennial basis by the International Federation for the Medical and Biological Engineering: IFMBE may be reached @ http://www.ifmbe.org/

The Schmitt Center for Home Telehealth can be reached c/o Director Stanley Finkelstein, PHD, University of Minnesota, MMC 609, Minneapolis MN 55455, 612/625-6406 or by e-mail at stan@umn.edu.

A white paper of the proceedings of the February 2003 3 day “Otto Schmitt Symposium on Consciousness Research” can be found online at the University of Minnesota Center For Spirituality And Healing at http://www.csh.umn.edu/. The CSH may be reached in c/o Catherine McLaughlin at 612/626-5319.

And finally, Otto & Viola Schmitt are buried side by side near other family members at Our Redeemer Cemetery in Saint Louis Missouri.

SPECIAL OTTO SCHMITT

ISSUE IN THE

AUGUST NEWSLETTER

OF THE

PAVEK MUSEUM OF BROADCASTING

Check out the special issue of the Pavek Museum newsletter featuring “The Life and Legacy of Dr. Otto H. Schmitt” by Tom Young that includes a biographical article and many photographs of Otto & Viola Schmitt. It has been published by the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in Saint Louis Park MN. The Pavek Museum is the recipient of a $2000 grant from the Otto Schmitt Foundation. They can be reached at http://www.pavekmuseum.org/.

NEW EXHIBIT OPENS

AT NEW INVENTORS

HALL OF FAME

In Redwood Falls Minnesota. The new exhibit space is at the

Redwood Area Community Center and features previous inductees of the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, including Dr. Otto H. Schmitt. The Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame is the recent recipient of a $5000 grant from the Otto Schmitt Foundation. For more information, go thru the website of the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame at http://www.minnesotainventors.com/.

This page was last updated on 20 August 2005.