26 Report of the President 



aging American manufacturers to independent discovery along 

 these lines. 



Another important contribution by the Museum to the cause 

 of the Allies is the model of the Liberty Field Hospital, most 



skilfully designed and constructed under the di- 

 Liberty Field rection of President Osborn by Mr. Harry F. 

 Model 3 m Beers, Superintendent of Construction. This 



model is on the unit construction principle. In 

 sanitation it comprises the latest features of British, French 

 and American field hospital designs, and approaches perfection 

 especially for winter and summer use and in provision for open- 

 air treatment. The dimensions conform to the standards for 

 field hospital wards adopted by Surgeon General Gorgas, and 

 the model when complete will be submitted to the Surgeon Gen- 

 eral and to the Red Cross. When the war is over, these model 

 hospitals can be converted into dwelling houses of any size in 

 multiples of five feet and used in the reconstruction of devas- 

 tated towns and villages. 



Among other efforts to render national service may be men- 

 tioned the part taken by the Museum in the State Military 

 Census registration, carried on by women volunteers from 

 among the Museum's employees; the establishment of a 

 Provost-Marshal's enlistment and exemption office in the Vis- 

 itors' Room of the Museum, and the drastic means adopted 

 toward the conservation of fuel by reducing the heat and light 

 supply of the institution by one-half. 



EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH 



It is gratifying to report the safe return of all the members 

 of our Arctic party which left the Museum about five years ago 

 (July 2, 1913). In cooperation with the American 

 Arctic Geographical Society and the University of Illinois, 

 the Museum undertook this expedition on the as- 

 surance by Rear Admiral Peary that a northern land existed. 

 The original estimates of cost were $50,000, but up to the pres- 

 ent time the cost has risen to $167,953, owing to the unprece- 

 dented weather and ice conditions on the west coast of Green- 



