192 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



4. Inorganic products are arranged according to their fundamental 

 elementary constituents, following the classification of the chemical ele- 

 ments given in Roscoe and Schorlemmer's " Treatise on Chemistry." 



In each of the four divisions, under each natural order or elementary 

 title, are brought together the drugs of that order, and each drug is rep- 

 resented in its various natural and commercial varieties and its impor- 

 tant preparations. 



The collection as actually presented for study begins with a series 

 designed to illustrate the forms in which medicinal substances appear 

 in commerce or are prepared for administration by the pharmacist. In 

 this series the effort has been made to present representative specimens 

 of each class; and what is considered to be of greater importance to at- 

 tach thereto labels giving concise and accurate definitions of the classes. 



Following this exhibit of medicinal forms is arranged the general 

 collection according to the classification given above, beginning with 

 animal products in their zoological order, succeeded by vegetable prod- 

 ucts in botanical order, &c. The succession of specimens is from left 

 to right and top to bottom of each section of the exhibition cases in 

 which the collection is presented. Each order and its limits are indi- 

 cated by symbol and name on the case. 



Succeeding the general collection is an exhibit of some of the most 

 popular mineral waters. Each of these is shown in the quantity of 10 

 liters and with it each of its saline constituents, in the exact weight 

 which analysis has shown to be present in that volume of the water ; 

 thus representing to the eye the quantity of each constituent salt in- 

 gested with a given quantity of water, and furnishing a quantitative 

 table, without the use of figures, for comparison of the different min- 

 eral waters. 



Finally is presented, as a distinct exhibit, a considerable collection of 

 Chinese drugs, which were gathered by the Chinese Imperial Customs 

 Commission for the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in the year 

 1876, and subsequently presented to the United States Government. 



The whole number of specimens, including the Chinese collection, 

 registered in the books of this department of the Museum, up to Decem- 

 ber 31, 1883, is 4,037. Of these, after rejection of duplicates and uni- 

 dentified and injured drugs, there have been classified and placed on 

 exhibition 3,240. 



The sources from which they have been obtained are, (1) contribu- 

 tions from large commercial houses engaged in the wholesale drug 

 trade, notably the firm of W. H. Schieffelin & Co., New York, and gen- 

 erously, but less lavishly, Park, Davis & Co., of Detroit ; McKesson & 

 Eobbins, of New York ; and Wallace Brothers, of Statesville, N. C. ; (2) 

 exchanges with foreign museums, as the Kurrachee, India, the museum 

 of the Pharmaceutical Society, London, and the Eoyal Gardens of Kew 

 and Calcutta ; (3) collections of cinchona barks, made under direction 

 of the English Government from the plantations in India j (4) remains 



