JOHN STRONG NEWBERRY. 395 



receiving his degree from Cleveland Medical College in 1848, and 

 followed that profession for a few years. But while in the West- 

 ern Eeserve College, where he graduated in 1846, Lis natural bent 

 and the influence of Professor Samuel St. John turned him more 

 and more stronglj'- toward geology; and the lectures of Brongniart 

 in Paris had a dominating influence in turning the current of his 

 effort into palaeobotany. 



After four j^ears of practice, he abandoned medicine in 1855, and 

 became the Geologist and Botanist of Lieutenant Williamson's 

 expedition to Oregon and California. His report concerning this 

 surve}^ was published in Volume VI. of the Pacific Railroad Re- 

 ports. AYhile preparing this Report, in 1856 and 1857, Dr. New- 

 berry was Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in the 

 Columbian College at Washington, D. C. 



In 1857 he started on the memorable expedition of Lieutenant 

 Ives to exi^lore the Colorado River. This expedition, which occu- 

 pied the winter of 1857-58, was followed in 1859 by that to the San 

 Juan River, in wliicli Dr. Newberry again acted as Geologist. 



While he was finishing his report on the scientific results of these 

 two fruitful exjDeditions, the course of j)olitical events culminated 

 in the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion. He entered at once 

 into the great work of the Sanitary Commission, for which his 

 medical training and his former position as Assistant Surgeon in 

 the Army rendered him joeculiarly qualified. He soon became the 

 Secretary of the Western Department of the Commission. It was 

 mainly to his capacity as an organizer and his general and medi- 

 cal scientific training that this important Department owed its 

 success in promptly extending its immense contributions to the 

 prevention and alleviation of suffering among our armies and their 

 prisoners. In his department money and hospital supplies amount- 

 ing to nearly six millions of dollars were distributed. 



After the war. Dr. Newberry resumed his scientific work, and 

 was for a time connected, as a geologist, with the Smithsonian 

 Institution. He was chosen as one of the fifty original members 

 when the National Academy of Sciences was established by the 

 government. 



Prom 1866 until his death, he filled the Chair of Geology and 

 Palaeontology in the School of Mines, Columbia College. Here 

 he exerted a strong personal influence upon the students, impres- 

 sing upon them a lasting interest in his science. It would be 

 difficult to overrate the value of this indirect contribution to the 

 development of our mineral industries. 



