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IN DETERMINING UPON A CLASSIFICATION FOR THIS DEPARTMENT OF THE MUSEUM IT WAS NECESSARY TO CONSIDER THE SUBJECT FROM VARIOUS POINTS OF VIEW.  1ST. THE HISTORICAL, AS RELATING TO THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS---THE EVOLUTION OF MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SCIENCE AND ART. 2ND. THE ETHNOGRAPHICAL, REGARDING THE MEDICINES AND METHODS PECULIAR TO DIFFERENT RACES AND NATIONS. 3RD. THE THERAPEUTICAL, WHICH CONSIDERS DRUGS ONLY IN RELATION TO THEIR EFFECTS ON THE ANIMAL ECONOMY.  4TH. THE PHYSICAL, HAVING REGARD TO THE SOURCES, PHYSICAL CHARACTERS AND NATURAL RELATIONS OF THE SPECIMENS. 
THE FIRST METHOD IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ADAPTED FOR A GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF A LARGE COLLECTION BUT SHOULD ALWAYS BE KEPT IN VIEW AND MAY BE EMPHASIZED, PARTICULARLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTION OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND APPLIANCES.  THE 2ND. MAY BE CARRIED OUT IN PART, AS IN SEPARATE EXHIBITS OF CHINESE AND COREAN MEDICINES AND THE MEDICINES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. [[pencil line]]
THE 3RD. THOUGH PERHAPS THE MOST INSTRUCTIVE METHOD TO THE STUDENT, PRESENTS INSURMOUNTABLE DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF ACOMPLISHMENT.  THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF A DRUG MAY SO VARY WITH THE DOSE AS TO MAKE ITS ASSIGNMENT TO A CLASS PURELY ARBITRARY, AND [[strikethrough]] INEVERY [[/strikethrough]] THE VERY CLASSIFICATION WOULD GIVE A WRONG IMPRESSION AS TO ITS PROPERTIES.  MOREOVER THE INVESTIGATION OF MANY DRUGS HAS BEEN SO LIMITED AS TO LEAVE THEIR THERAPEUTICAL QUALITIES IN GREAT DOUBT, SO WHILE THE MEDICAL PROPERTIES AS FAR AS KNOWN, SHOULD BE BRIEFLY STATED ON THE LABEL FOR EACH SPECIMEN, YET THEY CANNOT PROPERLY BE USED AS A BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION.