REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1919. 119 



series to illustrate the homeopathic and eclectic schools of medicine 

 have been greatly benefited by the gift of a number of rare books 

 dealing with these subjects. All the books assigned to the division of 

 medicine, \Yhether specimens for exhibition or reference works, have 

 been catalogued, both by author and subject, which will greatly 

 facilitate their use by students. Where these volumes have not been 

 needed as exhibits they have been placed with the books on pharmacy, 

 materia medica, and therapeutics, which were transferred last year 

 from the Hygienic Laboratory. 



Numerous visitors made inquiry at the curator's office concerning 

 special information suggested by the exhibits, and made particular 

 use of the technical books in the sectional library. 



Mrs. Laura Allen, for many 3'ears teacher of hand-loom weaving 

 at the Mechanics Institute, Rochester, New York, spent several weeks 

 studying the textile collections and the technical books in the sec- 

 tional library. She gave valuable assistance in the construction of a 

 hand loom for demonstration purposes.. 



Mrs. George C. Zwiebel, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, devoted 

 several days to studying the collections and technical books dealing 

 with the following subjects: Artificial pearls, utilization of trade 

 waste, and dehydration of foods. 



Assistance was rendered by the curator from time to time during 

 the year to the Salvage Board, Bureau of Ordnance, War Department, 

 and the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of 

 Commerce, in furnishing special information on industrial raw 

 materials and the identification of specimens. The identification of 

 specimens of fibers, fabrics, gums, resins, seeds, and woods for nu- 

 merous individuals, both in and out of the Government service, has 

 been a regular part of the work of this division. 



The curator has furnished the identification of the cottons intro- 

 duced by the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction and Dis- 

 tribution, and for inquirers outside of the Government service he has 

 made bibliographical compilations on the hydrogenation of oils, 

 phosphorus content of foods, composition of baking powders, con- 

 servation of sugar, a list of illustrations of the use and preparation of 

 coffee in olden times, use of ozone as a disinfectant and bleaching 

 agent, use of bezoars in medicine, and the siliceous substance found 

 in bamboos. 



2. Wo7'k of fre'parators^ modelers^ etc. — Modeling. — Four models 

 were completed during the year in the laboratory of the division. 

 The most important of these is a model covering a space, 9 by 12 

 feet, illustrating the wood pulp and paper industry, on a scale of 

 one-forty-eighth actual size. This model shows the reduction of 

 logs of wood by two separate processes into mechanical and chemical 

 wood pulp, and the manufacture of this into print paper. In con- 



