SECRETARY'S REPORT 6 



ably the best known part of the Museum, has developed in the decade 

 under consideration in an outstanding way. The other section, now 

 called the Museum of History and Technology, has seen an equally 

 important development. 



In 1953 there were more than 34 million cataloged objects in the Na- 

 tional Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. By 1963 this number 

 had grown to over 57 million such objects. Sometimes those who 

 do not know intimately the work of the Smithsonian ask why the 

 collections have been allowed to develop so rapidly. The answer, 

 of course, is that the scientific work of the Smithsonian depends 

 very largely upon the use of these study collections by literally 

 thousands of competent investigators. Much of the world-famous 

 scientific study of insects, of plants, of minerals, and of other areas 

 of the natural resources of our Nation that is carried out at the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, could not be performed if it were not for the pres- 

 ence of these gi-eat, and in many cases unique, assemblages of care- 

 fully documented and labeled scientific specimens. During the decade 

 under consideration the staff of the Natural History Museum has been 

 markedly strengthened so that it can more adequately perform nec- 

 essary investigations related to these collections. Much of this re- 

 search has specific applications to medicine, especially military medi- 

 cine, the effect of radiation on living cells, insect control, general 

 problems of conservation, the development of food resources, and the 

 scientific knowledge of the natural history of the earth. 



Field investigations conducted by the Museum have more than dou- 

 bled in number during this decade, and nearly all of them have been 

 conducted, not with funds appropriated to the Smithsonian, but with 

 gifts or grants made by individuals, foundations, or government agen- 

 cies. Recently the Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center was 

 established to receive, screen, sort, and distribute for scientific study 

 the animals, plants, and minerals collected in the expanding oceano- 

 graphic program of the United States. Public and private funds have 

 also made it possible for the Smithsonian to participate in the develop- 

 ment of techniques for underwater scientific study. 



Only 10 years ago most of the corridors of the great Natural History 

 Museum Building were lined from floor to ceiling with cases containing 

 the working scientific reference collections of the Institution. Scien- 

 tists were required to work on stepladders and in walled-off stairwells 

 or beliind screens in exhibition halls. In 1958 Congress appropriated 

 funds for the design of desperately needed additions to the Natural 

 History Building that had been authorized many years before. The 

 east wing, now complete, has added 214,000 square feet of space to 

 allow the proper and effective housing of scientific collections of the 

 Smithsonian. Funds have also been appropriated to allow the erection 



