Evening star., 1922-02-19
SEEK HIDDEN SECRETS
I'm TROPICAL AMERICA
Numerous Exploring Parties Conducting
Inquiries In Waste Places of the ?
Western Hemisphere. =:

search of new plant life which may
hold treasure in it's medicinal proper
ties. Some seek new insect life.
others delve into the past of forgotten
races, while the peculiar climatic con-
ditions of some parts of South Amer
lea draw the interest of scientists
for experimental work. Z
The Field Museum of Natural His%
tory is now planning to send an eN-
pedition in-, the heart of Peru the
latter part of March. II will include
three biologists and -. botanistss
One member of the party will Big
exploration in Africa and other parts
of the world.
DIR. William c. Farabee. a noted eX-
plorer and archeologist. has just left
trips he has made into South America.
He also goes to Peru. where he inn
tends to study the ancient people who,
lived near Nasce.
p. c. Stanley of the National
Museum is scouting through Salvador.
| in search of strange plants. /,
l.. H. Bailey. who was great
friend of the late Theodore Roosevelt
and formerly chief of the school Of.
agriculture of Cornell University, re-
Gently resigned his post and is now
exploring in the interior of Venezuela.
DIR. n. l.. Britton of the New York.
Botanical Gardea is in Porto Rico.
searching out new species of plants:
ward Medical College and by the.
British Medical Society has just res
turned from Peru. where a study waso
| made Of the physiological changes.
which enable people to live perma-
nently at an altitude of 1900 feet.
The party, composed of five AmeriT
cans and three Englishmen, spent
about two months at high attitudes.
analyzing conditions and testing tho
effect of altitude on blood. as we'll as,
oh TO- tha -i- l..
lungs of natives who live under such
conditions permanently.
4
From Columbia University. in Ne@'
York, comes the news that DIR. Henry.
| H. Rusby, leader of the Mulford bio
logical exploration of the Amazonz
basin. has been compelled to abandon
f! the party. and after struggle
against i1ness which lasted for
| months, set out alone from the Bo-
| livfan interior for a journey of 1909
! miles across country for the nearest,
| Brazilian port e
DR.. Rusby started on his expedi-i
ton last fall. He,was director OF,
| the Columbian School of Pharmacy
( and sixty-four years old. His courage
| in braving the perils of the tropics
and hghting against the ravages Of
! q wasting disease are classed by the
American Pharmaceutical AssociaJs
ton as "one of the heroic phases of,
! modern pharmaceutical and botanical
| research"
The duties of director Of the expe-o
diuon have been turned over to Dr.
| W. NJ. Mann. an entomologist and as
sistant curator in the division OF in ~
sects OF the United States National
Museum. Under his direction the.
| party will continue its work in Bo-'.
livia and western Brazil making
| studies and collections in the valleys,
of the Rio Benz and some of its tri-.
! butaries. %
The botanical work of the expedi-r
| tton Is being carried on under the
| direction of DR.. C. z. White. repre-
senting the Brooklyn Botanical Car
dene and Harvard University, assist
ed by a Senior Cardenas. a Bolivian.
who was taken on as a member of
the party at the request of the Boss
liyian department Of agriculture. ;,
Sponsors for this expedition feet
that although it is not complete. inn"
portant contributions to medicinal
and botanical science will result
More than 5000 rare plants have
been collected and specimens of ecos,
nomic Importance are being shipped,
to the Economic Museum. New York
Botanical Garden, and other institu-&
tions. Ad
Numerous medicinal plants will be-.
distributed to cooperating colleges
and universities for examination ando
report. The collection thus far i'm,
cludes unknown drugs believed to be
Of great value. and Investigation of
!, these medicinal plants will be madeD
by cooperating scientists. In the
branch of entomology. DR.. Mann has
collected over 100000 specimens. i'm
cluding l25 different species of ants.