Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 5. (Budapest 1954)

Boros, I.: The new exhibitions of the Hungarian National Museum - Museum of Natural History

We laid special stress on the right typifying of the inscriptions : every tableau has a distinct title made of plastic wooden letters ; while the main text of the theme groups set by larger, the less important texts by smaller letters. In this way, even those must notice the main points at least who inspect the exhibition but superficially. As regards themes, we worked out the material of these exhibitions, as follows : I. Fishes and Fisheries : 1. The origin and evolution of fishes, 2. the individual development of a fish, 3. the organism of a fish, 4. the life of fishes, 5. fish diseases, 6. the systematics of fishes, 7. color display of fishes, 8. the feeding of fishes, 9. the fishes of Hungary, 10.the enemies of fishes, 11 .ancient Hungarian fishing, 12. fishing in the Balaton, 13. fishing in the rivers of Hungary, 14. researches in fish biology, 15. the results of the researches, 16. socialist fish-farming. II. Insect Pests of our Agriculture: 1. Insect Pests of the wheat, 2. of our fruit trees, 3. of the grapevines, 4. of hoed plants, 5. of horticultural vegetables, 6. of papilionaceous plants, 7. of granaries and stores, 8. the useful insects of agriculture = the insect enemies of agricultural insect pests. III. Industrial Plants : This exhibition shows 23 plants in the following grouping : sugar beet, oil-seed plants, fibre plants, plants of the beer and distilling industry, spice and scent plants, medicinal herbs, plants of the canning industry. First we give a general botanical characterization of several species, followed by their origin and their industrial utilization. We sketch up also the history of their culture in Hungary : when and how their culture evolved, spread and developed in our country. We give information on their modern agrotechnics: the various methods by which crop production may be increased. We show the most frequent diseases, insect pests, the methods and means of prevention and defence against them. We demonstrate the technology of factory processes, pointing out what these plants or their industrial products mean for the supply of the population and the whole economy of the country. * *Ve publish hereby the second review of our exhibitions in our AnnalsNot~so much as to render accounts, than to give possible help to colleagues who think about, and trouble with, the organization of similar exhibitions. Close and wide ranging international connections are, in our opinion, indispensable not only with regard to scientific investigations, but also in the popularization of sciences, and, primarily, in the interchange of experiences gathered of illustrative museology. To enlighten the masses, to endow them with serious naturalscience culture — illuminating to the mind and ennobling to the feelings : — is a supreme assignment everywhere to day ; which we may fulfill much more easily mutually knowing our conceptions and methods. If we could contribute to these aims but in the slightest, we shall feel multiplicated and increased that pleasure which a successfully arranged exhibition means to us. Bibliography : l

. Boros, I. : The Exhibitions of the Hungarian National Museum — Museum of Natural History (Ann. Hist. Nat.-Mus. Nat. Hung.,.?, 1952). — 2. F il a r s z к у, N. : A növénytani osztály története és jelen állapota (in : A Magy. Nemz. Múz. múltja és jelene, Budapest, 1902). - 3. Holdhaus, К.: Über die museale Darstellung der Naturwissenschaften, insonderheit der Zoologie (Festschrift der zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, 1951). — 4. Plavilyscsikov, N. N. & Yakovlev, А. А. : Как pokazaty prirodu v krajeved-