Richard C. Gill (c.1901-1958) was best known for an expedition to describe the preparation of curare, and bring back samples, in the 1930s. He also published a book describing his expedition. He had studied medicine, but became a rubber salesman. Unemployment in the 1920s led him to move to the

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

ian Andes, where he developed an interest in

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...

. This interest was enhanced when he developed

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. Given his experiences in Ecuador, he set up an expedition to obtain and describe the preparation of curare. The botanical specimens were sent to the New York Botanical Garden while the twenty-five pounds of crude curare were offered to

Squibb Squib or Squibb may refer to: * Squib (explosive), a miniature explosive with a very small charge ** Bullet hit squib, a practical effect simulating a gunshot wound in film and theatre * Squib (''Harry Potter'') * Squib (''Star Wars'') * Squib ( ...

for analysis.

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* Plant collectors Writers with disabilities American botanical writers Year of birth uncertain 1958 deaths People with multiple sclerosis {{US-botanist-stub