"Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) wrote this firsthand account of his experiences as coleader of the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition during its trek through unknown regions of Paraguay and Brazil from the late fall of 1913 to the spring of 1914. Instigated at the request of the American Museum of Natural History and the Brazilian government itself, the expedition was charged with mapping the 950-mile River of Doubt - a previously unexplored tributary to the Amazon River - but the scientific mission swiftly became a harrowing test of endurance from which Roosevelt was lucky to escape alive.". "The exploring party battled torrential downpours, oppressive heat, tortuous rapids, wild animals, fire ants, and jungle illness. Roosevelt suffered from jungle fever, dysentery, an ulcerated leg, blood poisoning, and heart problems; he also caught malaria, which strongly contributed to his death a few years later. Despite the ordeal, the expedition proved a tremendous success, collecting over 3,000 specimens of birds and mammals - many previously unknown to science. The River of Doubt was renamed Rio Roosevelt in his honor."--BOOK JACKET.