In 1 kh 1 , the numbered objects in the Section's 



amounted to 1,574 entries. In the following 



year, 1,590 more specimens were added, mosl oi them 



drugs in their crude state. B) the end of 1883, the 



total collection had 037, out of which 5,240 



individual drugs in ■ I i lition wire- classified and 



put mi display. < >t these, about 500 specimens with 

 beautiful illustrations of parts of their original pi. mis 

 had been mounted for exhibition. I he drug exhibi- 

 tions also included materials transferred from the De- 

 partment of Agriculture in 1881, which originally had 

 been brought from Central America and South 

 America for the 1876 centennial exhibition, a variet) 

 of opium specimens from [urkey, and a number of 

 rare drugs listed in the official formulary which were 

 acquired from the Museum of Karachi in what was 

 then India. 



Dr. Flint commented in the Smithsonian Annual Re- 

 port for 1883 that the collection of cinchona barks was 

 especiall) complete. It was comprised of specimens ol 

 in.li u .ill tin- natural cinchona barks of South America 

 ,md ever) known variety of tin- cultivated product 

 from the British government plantations in India. In 

 addition, there were specimens from Java, Ceylon, 

 Mexico, .mil Jamaica. The Indian and Jamaican 

 barks were accompanied by herbarium specimens of 

 tin- leaf and Bower (and, in some c.iscs. the fruit) of 

 each variet) of tree from v\ hich tin' bark was obtained. 8 



In an attempt to protect specimens liable to attack 

 In insects, a small piece of blotting paper moistened 

 with chloroform was inserted underneath the stopper 

 in each bottle. Later on. bichloride of mercur) was 



found to lie a better insecticide. 



I Ins'- earl) collections of the Section were brought 

 into admirable condition and received compliments 

 for their organization and completeness. In the 



8 Other elaborate arrangements were also made to improve 

 and expand the Section's activities and services, thougl 

 have never materialized. For example, a herbarium w as 

 suggested from which specimens could be obtained for display 

 nt the actual drug with painted pictures of its plant next to it. 

 Consideration was given to displaying enlarged drawings to 

 show the minute structure of the specimen for better identifica- 

 tion. In addition, an exhibition of several 10-liter vessels of 

 the- most popular mineral waters was planned, The amount of 

 saline substances which analysis had shown to be present in 

 each vessel was to be listed in a table to !><■ attached to that 



vessel, or the same amount of minerals was t,> be put in a small 

 bottle beside it. This plan was carried out to the best advantage 

 at the Cotton States and International Exposition held in 1895 

 in Atlanta. Georgia. 



Figure 4. Dr. Henr\ Gustav Beyer, the second honorary 



curator of the Section of Manila Midi. .1 (1884 1887). 



{Photo courtesy of American Physiol) 



Smithsonian Annual Report for 1883, the collection 

 praised as "superior to an) other in the United States 

 and scarcel) excelled b) an) in Europe." 



In spite of the apparent emphasis on the displaying 



of drugs, the lust ( urator oi the Section had em isi :d 



that the exhibits eventual!) would embrace the entire 

 field of the healing arts. In the Smithsonian Am 

 port for 1883, Dr. Flint noted that "in the establish- 

 ment of a museum designed to illustrate man and his 

 environment, it is proper that the materials and meth- 

 ods used for the prevention ami i ure oi disease should 

 have a place." However, his plans were temporaril) 

 interrupted when his first term as honorar) curator 



ended in 1884. 



On June 4, 1884, Dr. Henr) Gustav Beyer w 

 tailed b) the Department oi the Navy to become the 

 second honorar) curator oi the Section of Materia 

 Medica. Asa young man. Dr. Beyer 1 1850 1918) had 

 come from Saxony, Germany, to the United s iitiv 

 and. in due course, became a naturalized citizen He 



1' AIM R 13: HISTORY I'l 1111 DIVISION I >1 Ml DIi \I si II \i IS 



275 



