Evening star., 1924-07-27
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


amid filth and squalor, Joseph
+. Rock, plant explorer for the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, and botanical, biological and
anthropological scout for the Ma
tional Geographic Society, has brought
specimens of inestimable value.
Having suffered much, both in mind
and body-on his own resources among
an outland people. his life constantly
menaced, and distressed even more
by vexatious concern lest his hard
won specimens of rare seeds and his
films of value to students of geogra-
ply, botany, natural science and the
history of man should disappear
through ignorant cupidity-Dr Rock
is now receiving the plaudits of sci
entists who will profit through his
daring.
Chief among the benefactions that
will result from DR.. Rocks expedi-
tion are the establishment in tropical
America of "a dependable source of
lupply of chauimoogra oil, for the
ture OF leprosy, and the introduction
into this country of a blight-resistant
chestnut tree of particular 1mpor-
tance to the tanning industry.
But these illustrations give only
faint idea of the magnitude of his
work for his collection includes more
than 500 mammals; LOO bird speci-
mems some of which were previously
unknown here: nearly 500 specimens
of rhododendrons and some $4,000
other plants, besides copies of curious
ancient writings and picturesque lam
guages, and grains of corn garnered
along the Tibet-Burma frontier OF
China which may prove to be the bo-
tanical Rosetta stone of the earliest
American history yet recorded.
Joseph f. Rock was for some 10
wears in Hawaii, where he did great
deal OF botanical work and wrote
monographs on Hawaiian botany.
While there he became Interested in
the leper colony and the attempts to
cure leprosy by means of the chaul-
p,oorra oil. When it was found that
such treatment was successful and II
became necessary to have a rellaole
source of supply, DR.. Rock determined
to go to Burma and Siam. the natu-
raj habitat of the trees from which
this oil was secured, study tnerh III
their native cline ana gamer seeu'
to be planted in Hawaii.
The whole subject of chauimoosrd
oil was shrouded in obscurity. III
c.ns ont of the jungles in Burma,
and no one in civilization knew "ha'
+rees il came from DR.. Rock came
TO Washington in 1919 ana ehiis'eu
tho sunnort of the Department of
Agriculture. He went TO Burma III
1928 and 1921, and spent many months
there studying the sources OF chaul
Inoogra oil and harvesting seeoS- As
a result, several thousand youhs
treos were grown here at the oe-
partment's experimental farm anu
w.re sent to tropical America to be
set out.
When DR.. Rock returned from that
trip, he reported very interesting
plants in northern Burma ana e&-
pressed a desire to explore that re-
gion for new plants. He was sent
back in July, 1921, by the Depart
ment of Agriculture to conduct
three-year exploration OF 1uhhan
province, in southwestern China
In January, 1928. the direction OF
his work was transferred to the Ma
tional Geographic Society, SO tnat
for the last IS months he has been
with that organization, whose hoeral
support has enabled him to exteno
his activities as to cover "loer
range of subjects, and more terri
tory, than he was able to DO as an
explorer for the Department or Asrl-
culture.
It is through the public spirited
generohsity of the National Geo
graphic Society that the Smithsonian
Institution has received thousands
of specimens of natural history and
the Department of Agriculture has
received an invaluable collection OF
rare seeds for introduction into the
United States.
DR ROCKS first object, when he
~ sailed three years ago, was to
secure additional seeds of the chaul-
moogra-yielding trees found in north
ern Siam and Burma, as on his
earlier trip he had studied and identi-
fed several species and secured the
original seeds for planting IN the
American tropics and Hawaii.
For the first year and a half he
limited himself to the collection or
seeds likely TO have economic value
and herbarium specimens.
AS has become pretty generally
known through newspaper and maga-
zine articles, the use of chaulmoogra
oil in the treatment of leprosy has
been attended with success in
Hawaii, and experimentation by
specialists in the Department Of
Agriculture laboratories has i'm
proyed the method of extrac acting this
oil SO as to intensity it's curative
qualities. 1t seems highly probable
that medical science has at last
found. in the esters of chaulmoogric
acid, a specific for this dread
disease.
The establishment of the trees which
yield this oil in Hawaii and else
where, to make available large guam
titles Of the product, has been a mat
ter of Importance. From seeds Sc
cured by DR.. Rock, a plantation of
considerable size has already been
started in Hawaii, and during the
present year, the Office of foreign
seed and plant introduction, bureau
of plant industry, has sent several
thousand trees to the American trop-
ics. Experimental paintings are now
being made in Porto Rico, the Canal
Zone, Cuba and elsewhere.
During his second year in the field
Mr.. Rock collected many wild chest
nuts in the Province of Yunnan,
southwestern China, hoping to find
species which would be useful in re-
placing the chestnut forests of the
United States, rapidly disappearing
the NJ "a IN uf