Henry Hurd Rusby facts for kids

Henry Hurd Rusby (1855–1940) was an American scientist who loved plants. He was a botanist, a pharmacist, and an explorer. He found many new kinds of plants. He also helped start the famous New York Botanical Garden. He created important research and exploration programs there. Rusby helped build the field of economic botany, which studies how plants are useful to people. He left behind many studies and books about plants and medicines.

He went on many trips to explore from 1880 to 1921. In 1921, he led a big trip called the Mulford Expedition to the Amazon.

About Henry Rusby

Henry H. Rusby grew up in a town called Franklin, New Jersey. He showed a strong passion for plants from a young age. When he was 21, his collection of dried plants, called a herbarium, won first prize. This was at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876.

He met Dr. George Thurber, who was the President of the Torrey Botanical Club. Rusby joined this club in 1879. Around this time, he also began studying medicine at New York University.

Early Expeditions

In 1880, while still a medical student, Henry Rusby spent 18 months collecting plants. He explored areas in Texas and New Mexico for the Smithsonian Institution. This was a big national museum and research center.

In 1883, he went back to the southwest United States. This time, he studied and collected medicinal plants in Arizona. He did this for a company called Parke-Davis & Co.

In 1884, he earned his medical degree. The next year, he started a two-year journey for Parke, Davis & Co. He traveled across South America. He explored far-off places in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Brazil.

Even though he trained as a doctor, Rusby decided to follow his passion for plants instead.

Work at Columbia University

In 1889, Rusby became a professor at the School of Pharmacy at Columbia University. He taught about botany (the study of plants) and materia medica (the study of medicinal substances).

He was the Dean (the head) of the faculty for 26 years. He retired in 1930 but remained an honorary Dean until he passed away in 1940.

Helping the New York Botanical Garden

Rusby's connection with the New York Botanical Garden started even before it was officially created. As a member of the Torrey Botanical Club, he met a famous plant scientist named Nathaniel Lord Britton.

The Torrey Botanical Club had a goal to create a botanical garden. In 1888, a special committee was formed to help make this happen. Rusby and Britton were both important members of this group.

Rusby played a key role in connecting Columbia University's plant collection with the New York Botanical Garden's library. This helped both places grow and share knowledge.

On January 26, 1898, Rusby was named the "Honorary Curator of the Museum of Economic Botany." This meant he was in charge of the museum's collection of plants useful to humans.

Later Explorations

His trips to tropical places, especially the Amazon, provided many plants. These plants were used for scientific studies and for understanding economic botany at the New York Botanical Garden. His strength and exploration skills made these trips very successful.

In 1921, when he was 65 years old, he made his last big trip to South America. He was the director of the "Mulford Biological Exploration of the Amazon Basin."

Henry Rusby passed away on November 18, 1940, at the age of 85.

See also

In Spanish: Henry Hurd Rusby para niños