34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



material uow on band is only incidentally displayed, and a considerable 

 l^ortion of it is temporarily appropriated witli the materia medica col 

 lection. 



The collections of materia medica are still under the charge of Dr. H. 

 G-. Beyer, U. S. Navy, detailed by the Surgeon-Generalof the Navy for 

 this special duty. Its increase during the year has been greater than 

 during au^- previous year except the first, when the nucleus of the col- 

 lection was formed from the collections received from different national 

 departments at the Centennial, and the gifts of W. H. Schieffelin & Co., 

 of New York, tLe accessions having been remarkable for their interest 

 and value. Amongst the most important accessions may be mentioned 

 those received from the Governments of Jamaica, Japan, and Mexico ; 

 the collection of Dr. Edward Palmer from the States and Territories of 

 the Southwest; and the gifts of F, Stearns & Co., of Detroit, Mich., 

 and W. S. Thompson, of Washington, D. C. 



There are 3,326 specimens on exhibition, to 1,457 of which are attached 

 l)rinted labels. The entire collection now includes 4,850 specimens, and 

 409 entries have been added to the catalogue during the year. A de- 

 scriptive catalogue of the collection is now in preparation and will prob- 

 ably be completed in the coming year. 



The attention of the curator has been devoted esx)ecially to perfect- 

 ing and completing the collection in accordance with the very elaborate 

 plan which is presented in Part II, of the Museum Eeport. 



In addition to the work upon the collection the curator has been 

 carryingon important investigations on the physiological action of drugs. 

 Seven original x^apers embodying the results of his investigations have 

 been published, two are in press, and others are in progress. 



Since the hall containing the fisheries collection was opened to the 

 public, in May, 1884, there has been constant improvement in the con- 

 dition of the material exhibited, and a number of important additions 

 have been made, although from the fact that the collections are already 

 so complete, its growth has been comparatively less extensive than that 

 of tbe other departments. The fisheries of North America are already 

 so thoroughly represented that there can be but little necessity for ex- 

 tending this portion of the department except by keeping it abreast of 

 the time, by exhibiting modern improvements in aj)paratus, and by the 

 building up of certain local series of slight importance, such as the 

 Chinese fishery apparatus from the Pacific coast. There are still want- 

 ing illustrations of the foreign fisheries, some of which have been filled 

 since this department has been referred to in this report. Important 

 collections have been received from the Government of Siam, through 

 Minister Halderman j from the Government of Japan ; and the exten- 

 sive collections from Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, France, Holland, 

 and Greece, acquired at the close of the London Exhibition, have been 

 since incorporated in the exhibition series. 



