158 SOME AMERICAN MEDICAL BOTANISTS 



through the searching crucible of his analogical 

 mind." 



Before coming to America he spent a year in 

 Paris studying medicine and obstetrics. Cholera 

 was raging most of the time, but he had Agassiz 

 and Braun with him, and much useful scientific 

 investigation was made. 



Meanwhile, in 1832, glowing accounts of the 

 possibilities in western America had reached two 

 of his uncles in Dresden, and these resolved to 

 make land investments in the Mississippi Valley. 

 Some relations were already settled in Illinois ; 

 why not send nephew George to investigate? He 

 could botanize and perhaps found a practice. So 

 it was arranged, and the student from crowded 

 Paris " made long and lonely journeys through 

 southern Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas." In 

 his excursions through the wilds of Arkansas he 

 stopped one night at a farmer's rude cabin, and 

 while cleaning the large knife which he used to 

 dig out plants and roots, the farmer, watching 

 him closely, and thinking that Engelmann had 

 some murderous design, stepped forward and 

 said, " Look ye here, stranger, let us swap knives " 

 — at the same time brandishing a vicious-looking 

 " Arkansas toothpick." Engelmann was at some 

 trouble to convince this backwoodsman that he 

 used his knife only to dig out roots. 



He used to make notes on, and sketch the 

 plants en route, and must have had that rara avis, 



