REPORT ON THE SECTION OF MATERIA MEDICA IN THE U. S. NATIONAL 



MUSEUM, 1888. 



By James M. Flint, M. D., U. S. Navy, Eomranj Curator. 



The former curator of this section, Dr. H. G. Beyer, U. S. Navy, hav- 

 ing been ordered to other duty by the Navy Department in October 

 last, the section was left without an ofiBcial head until April of this 

 year, although the present Curator was requested to look after the in- 

 terests of the collection during the interregnum, and gave to it a portion 

 of his time. There has been no assistance of any kind in the office since 

 October last, and only the results of the unaided labor of the Curator 

 lor a small portion of the year can be presented, and these are naturally 

 not numerous or of great importance. 



Few accessions of any importance appear upon the register. A col- 

 lection of Corean medicines, numbering two hundred and twenty-two 

 specimens, has been obtained by purchase for a nominal sum, and fills 

 out very completely the series of drugs from that country previously 

 received from other sources. 



The whole collection has been moved during the year from the west 

 north range of the Museum to the east south range. The transfer made 

 necessary a re-arrangement of the cases to suit the changed conditions, 

 and as a consequence the systematic arrangement of the collection, so 

 far as it existed in the former location, was entirely lost. To restore 

 the classification involved the moving of the thirty-five hundred speci- 

 mens, most of them more than once. 



It was found by experiment that the appearance of the collection 

 could be improved by giving to the interior of the exhibition cases a 

 lighter color than the standard maroon. To this end the cases have all 

 been repainted, involving the necessity of again moving all the speci- 

 mens twice. Some further transfers are yet necessary to perfect the 

 systematic arrangement of the collection. 



In view of the growth of the collection, the variety in points of interest 

 and importance of the individual specimens, and the necessary restric- 

 tions as to available space for exhibition, a modification of the former 

 classification has been decided upon. Eetaining the general features of 

 classification by natural orders, the whole collection is broken into sev- 

 eral series. The first will consist of the more important drugs in gen- 

 H. Mis. 142, pt. 2 8 113 



