SECRETARY’S REPORT 49 
York. No more than 4 or 5 inches of fabric could be woven on this 
loom in a day. Fabrics from ancient Egypt, Colonial America, 
and contemporary hand- and power-woven fabrics show the develop- 
ment of the art of weaving. Another featured exhibit is an early 
18th-century Don Quixote tapestry presented by Mrs. Kermit 
Roosevelt. 
Contract construction work on the fixtures in the south hall gallery 
of the Arts and Industries Building for display of the dyeing and 
printing of fabrics, needlework and lace crafts, and the development 
of the sewing machine was nearing completion in June 1959. Reno- 
vation of the southeast range of the Arts and Industries Building, 
which will be utilized for the display of farm machinery and other 
agricultural implements, was completed in April 1959 by the con- 
struction contractor. ‘These exhibits will trace the growth of labor- 
saving farm machines in America, with particular emphasis on the 
19th century, during which various types of machinery were in- 
vented or perfected for efficient planting, cultivating, and harvesting 
of the Nation’s rapidly expanding farm acreage. 
With the cooperation of a number of leading concerns in the petro- 
leum industry, plans have been developed for a small hall to illustrate 
the history of this important industry. 
During March and April 1959 the Atomic Energy Commission’s 
traveling exhibition “You and the Atom” was presented to the public 
in the rotunda of the Arts and Industries Building. 
On June 24, 1959, a construction contract was awarded for the 
renovation of the east gallery of the Arts and Industries Building 
in which will be installed a series of new display units interpreting 
the history of medicine and pharmacy. These display units will be 
moved to the Museum of History and Technology where they will 
comprise portions of the more comprehensive exhibits in the fields 
of medical, dental, and pharmaceutical history. The most important 
new exhibits installed in the division of medical sciences during the 
year were the two cases prepared and contributed by the National 
Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which illustrate the discovery 
and development of the Salk poliomyelitis vaccine. 
An exhibit of “World Ebonies,” selected from the Rudolph Block 
collection of walking sticks, was installed in the corridor through 
the hall of wood products; and four exhibit units displaying Ameri- 
can oaks, other important American hardwoods, fruitwoods, and for- 
eign cabinet woods are being renovated. 
A temporary exhibit was prepared to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of the birth of William Stanley. He was responsible 
for the design of the first practical electrical transformer and for 
the first demonstration of an a.c, power distribution system in the 
