The Bengal quine or Bel or Belgae (Aegle marmelos) is an Indian tree, the fruit of which is not unlike an orange and is slightly aperient. A perfume and yellow dye are obtained from the rind, and a cement from the mucus of the seed. Research Bengal Quince
Byssus are the silky threads by means of which many bivalves attach themselves to a firm surface. The byssus threads are secreted in a gland in the foot which is the homologue of the mucusgland of the snail, and can be speedily renewed if severed. They are seen in very simple form in the common edible mussel (Mytilus), which is always attached to its surroundings by a tuft of golden threads. Research Byssus
The snail is an air breathing gastropod mollusc with an external shell. Snails are of world-wide distribution, found everywhere except the polar regions. There are many thousands of species, with more than 120 British species, some terrestrial and some aquatic living in fresh water. There are also marine snails, of which the Periwinkle is a familiar specimen. Snails vary in size from tiny, smaller than the head of a pin, to tropical species with shells more than twenty centimetres long. Snails love damp spots and are most active after rain. In continued dry weather they retire underground or to sheltered spots, close the orifice of the shell with a film or epiphragm of dried mucus, and aestivate (remain dormant) until the damp weather returns. During the winter most snails hibernate.
The great majority of snails are vegetarian, though several British species are more or less carnivorous. Some snails possess a remarkable homing instinct, the common snail (Helix aspersa) returning to the same spot to sleep for the entire course of its life unless displaced by an accident.
Almost all snails are nocturnal, only roaming during daylight in the rain. Snails travel slowly, by way of wave-like ripples in their muscular foot. The lifespan of snails varies greatly with species, most British species living between two and five years. Snails are mostly hermaphrodites, and lay eggs. The edible snail lays eggs about the size of a pea with a white chalky shell. Some large species lay eggs as large as a bird's egg.
All terrestrial snails are edible, and were widely eaten in Britain before the Industrial revolution. Research Snail
Stinkhorn or wood-witch (Phallus impudicus) is a British fungus of the family Phalloidaceae, of the order Gasteromycetes. It is at first about the size of a small egg, attached to the ground by a slender radicle. The egg contains a jelly, in which is the nucleus of the phallus. When the egg is ripe the skin breaks, and within a few hours the phallus rises. It consists of a lattice-work structure to allow quick development, most of which takes place in half-an-hour, and is surmounted by a cap covered with mucus, at first sweet smelling, but later becoming revolting. This mucus attracts flies which disseminate the fungus spores. Research Stinkhorn
Amebiasis is a protozoan parasitic infection caused by the ameba Entamoeba histolytica, which lives in the large intestine of humans as part of the residentflora. Humans contract the infection is acquired by ingesting food or water contaminated with faeces. It occurs most often in poor countries where the standards of public hygiene and sanitation are low. Once ingested, the incubation period varies from a few days to several months. In rare cases, the symptoms may not appear for years. Entamoeba histolytica competes with the host for food in the large intestine. It multiples by simple division. Protective cysts develop and the organism is passed out with faeces. The cysts can survive long periods before the next host acquires them. Some strains of the ameba are harmless and the people carrying them show no symptoms. Other strains invade the intestinal wall causing bleeding and mucus secretion and diarrhoea. Ulcers are formed in the intestinal wall where the ameba gain access to the bloodstream and move to the liver and/or brain. Symptoms of severe amebiasis include persistent moderate to severe diarrhoea, jaundice, abdominal discomfort and in severe cases the development of an abscess in the liver or in the brain. Research Amebiasis
Antihistamines are drugs used to treat allergies, and are particularly effective against hay fever, but may make cold congestion worse. They dry up secretions, but may also make the mucus too thick and difficult to expel by coughing up. They can also induce drowsiness. Research Antihistamines
Consumption, or Phthisis was a name formerly given for various diseases known by emaciation (serious loss of weight), debility, cough, hectic fever, and purulent expectoration, particularly tuberculosis which was unknown at the time. The predisposing causes were believed to be very variable, and around 1900 were reliably listed as: hereditary taint, scrofulous diathesis, syphilis, small-pox, etc; exposure to fumes and dusty air in certain trades; violent passions and excess of various kinds, sudden lowering of the temperature of the body, etc. The more immediate or occasional causes were thought to be pneumonic inflammation proceeding to suppuration, catarrh, asthma, and tubercles in the lungs, the last of which is was by far the most general.
The incipient symptoms usually varied with the cause of the disease; but when it arose from tubercles it was usually marked by a short dry cough that became habitual, but from which nothing was spat up for some time except a frothy mucus. The breathing was at the same time somewhat impeded, the body became gradually leaner, and great languor, with indolence, dejection, and loss of appetite prevailed. At a later stage the cough became more troublesome, particularly by night, and was attended with an expectoration, the matter of which assumed a greenish colour and purulent appearance, being on many occasions streaked with blood. In some cases a more severe degree of blood-spitting attended, and the patient spat up a considerable quantity of florid, frothy blood. At a more advanced period of the disease a pain was sometimes felt on one side in so high a degree as to prevent the person from lying easily on that side; but it more frequently happened that it was felt only on making a full inspiration, or coughing.
At the first commencement of the disease the pulse was often natural, but it afterwards became full, hard, and frequent. At the same time the face flushed, particularly after eating, the palms of the hands and soles of the feet were affected with burning heat; the respiration was difficult and laborious; evening exacerbations became obvious, and by degrees the fever assumed the hectic form with remittent exacerbations twice every day, at noon and evening. From the first appearance of the hectic symptoms the urine was high coloured, and deposited a copious branny red sediment. At this time the patient was usually costive; but in the more advanced stages a diarrhoea often came on, colliquative sweats likewise broke out, and these alternated with each other, and induced great debility.
Some days before death the extremities became cold. In some cases a delirium preceded that event. The morbid appearance most frequently to be met with on the dissection of those who had died of phthisis was the existence of tubercles in the cellular substance of the lungs, most usually at the upper and back part, or occupying the outer part, and forming adhesions to the pleura.
By about 1905 the tubercles were generally attributed to a special bacillus, and this was correctly being regarded as the originating cause of the disease, which could be conveyed from one person to another, that is, it was infectious. In fact, what had been discovered was Tuberculosis, but as it was not yet identified, various diseases were being blamed and the whole grouped under the popular term 'consumption'.
The treatment for consumption at the end of the Victorian era in Britain was based around healthy diet and fresh air, one source quoting: 'The diet should be nutritious, but not heating, or difficult of digestion. Milk, especially that of the ass; farinaceous vegetables; acescent fruits; animal soups; and, above all, cod-liver oil, etc, are usually given. It is also of the utmost importance to see that the digestive organs are in proper working order. As much open air as possible, combined with abundance of nutritious food, is at present the treatment in vogue. With regard to urgent symptoms requiring palliation, the cough may be allayed by demulcents, but especially mild opiates swallowed slowly; colliquative sweats by acids, particularly the mineral; diarrhoea by chalk and other astringents, or by small doses of opium.' Research Consumption
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disorder of the exocrine glands. The disorder affects the mucus-producing glands in the pancreas, lungs, and intestines and is marked by production of very thick mucus, excess sweating (with accompanied loss of electrolytes), more concentrated saliva, and overactivity of the part of the nervous system that controls automatic actions. It is the most common life-threatening genetic disease among anglos, affecting roughly one in 2000 births.
Cystic fibrosis is caused by a defective recessive gene. A person must inherit the defective gene from each parent before any abnormality is apparent. If a person inherits the gene from only one parent, they are a carrier and have no symptoms. Research Cystic Fibrosis
Decongestants open nasal passages temporarily, dry up mucus, and constrict blood vessels in the lining of the nose. If overused, they can produce an increase in swelling and more congestion. In some people they can increase heart rate, cause sleeplessness, and elevate blood pressure. Research Decongestants
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bengal Quince
