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REPORT ON THE MATERIA MEDICA COLLECTION IN THE U.S.NATIONAL MUSEUM.
[[right aligned]] DEC.31.1883. [[right aligned]]
IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUSEUM DESIGNED TO ILLUSTRATE MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT IT IS PROPER THAT THE MATERIALS AND METHODS USED FOR THE PREVENTION AND CURE OF DISEASE SHOULD HAVE A PLACE.  MEDICINE, LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, AND HABITATION, HAS A DIRECT AND IMPORTANT RELATION TO THE WELFARE, PROGRESS AND LONGEVITY OF MAN, AND THE REMEDIAL MEASURES IN USE BY A PEOPLE MAY BE AS INDICATIVE OF THE DEGREE [[insertion]] ^[[of]] [[/insertion]] THEIR INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT, AS IS THE NATURE OF THEIR FOOD, OR THE CHARACTER OF THEIR DWELLINGS, OR THEIR SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMMS.  A COLLECTION OF MEDICINAL SUBSTANCES, OF MEDICAL, SURGICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL INSTRUMENTS AND APPLIANCES, MAY NOT ONLY BE INSTRUCTIVE TO THE SPECIALIST, PHYSICIAN, PHARMACIST OR ANTHROPOLOGIST, ^[[xxx]] BUT OUGHT ALSO TO POSSESS A GENERAL INTEREST FOR THE PUBLIC, SINCE NONE MAY ESCAPE THE OCCASION FOR THEIR USE, AND ALL MEN, WHATEVER THEIR THEORIES WHILE IN HEALTH, ARE ONLY TOO WILLING TO MAKE USE OF THESE MATERIAL WEAPONS FOR DEFENCE, WHEN APPROACHES [[strikethrough]] GAU [[/strikethrough]] GAUNT DISEASE OR GRIM DEATH.
  SO MUCH IN BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE PRESENCE OF A MATERIA MEDICA EXHIBIT IN THE U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM.
  IN THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME OF MUSEUM CLASSIFICATION WHICH HAS BEEN DEVISED, A PLACE FOR SUCH A COLLECTION HAS BEEN PROVIDED IN THE [[underlined]] DIVISION [[/underlined]]; "ULTIMATE PRODUCTS AND THEIR UTILIZATION" [[underlined]] CLASS [[/underlined]] ^[[:]] "MEDICINE, SURGERY, PHARMACOLOGY, HYGIENE, &c."
  FOR THE OBJECTS BELONGING TO THIS [[underlined]] CLASS [[/underlined]] THE GENERAL TERM "MATERIA MEDICA" HAS BEEN ADOPTED, EXTENDING THE COMMON DEFINITION TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING, MEDICAL OR SURGICAL, USED IN THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE.

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