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LA CROSSE 390 LACTOSE ter for Western Wisconsin, Southern Minnesota, and Northern Iowa, has man- ufactories of agricultural implements, automobile parts, stoves, machinery, and lumber, shingle, and lath mills. The city contains the Asylum for Chronic Insane, St. Francis and United States Marine Hospitals, and Washburn Public Library; and has electric light and street railroad plants, National and other banks, many churches, daily and weekly and monthly periodicals. Pop. (1910) 30,417; (1920) 30,363. LA CBOSSE (la kros), a Canadian field game played with a ball and a long stick (five or six feet) of light hickory, bent at the top like a bishop's crozier (French crosse). Strings of deer-skin are stretched diagonally across the hooked portion of the crosse in different directions, forming a network — not so tightly as in a battledore or tennis rac- quet, nor so loosely as to form a bag. Only one ball is employed, made of india- rubber, and eight or nine inches in cir- cumference. Posts or poles about six feet high, with a small flag at the top of each, complete the equipment. The players are usually 12 on each side, but their number, as well as the distance of the goals apart, is nearly optional. The object of the game is for one side to drive the ball through their opponents' goal. The ball must not be touched with the hand or foot, but is scooped up from the ground with the bent end of the crosse, on which it is carried horizontally, while the player runs towarn one of the goals, trying to dodge his antagonists. If it seems prudent, he pitches the ball off his crosse toward one of his own side who may be in a better position to carry it toward the goal. It is played in the United States. LACTANTIUS, FIRMIANUS (lak- tan'shi-us fur-mi-a'nus), LTTCIUS Cffi- LIUS, or CJECILITJS, an eminent father of the Church, lived at the beginning of the 4th century. He was by some es- teemed an African and by others a na- tive of Fremo, in Ancona. He studied rhetoric under Arnobius, and by his "Symposium" he obtained such renown that Diocletian appointed him to teach rhetoric in Nicomedia. Subsequently he was appointed tutor to Crispus, the son of Constantine. He wrote many works in vindication of Christianity, from the style of which he has been honored with the name of the "Christian Cicero." His principal work is the "Divine Institu- tions," in seven books. LACTEALS, an anatomical term. The lacteals received the name of vasa lactea in 1622 from Asellius, their dis- coverer. From the specific word lactea, given to distinguish vessels of this class, came the word lacteal. The lacteals and lymphatics properly constitute one_ sys- tem of vessels which convey a fluid or fluids from various organs of the body to the veins near their terminations in the heart. LACTIC ACID, in chemistry, CaHeO* z^CHaCH- (OH) COOH. a mono- basic, diatomic acid, discovered by Scheele in sour milk, and first recognized as a distinct acid by Berzelius. It occurs in small quantity in the animal organism, especially in the gastric juice, and, under certain circumstances, is formed in the fermentation of some sugars. It is read- ily prepared by adding to a solution of grape sugar a small quantity of pow- dered old cheese, mixed with sour milk, and allowing the mixture to stand for 8 or 10 days at a temperature of 40° to 45". It is a colorless, inodorous liquid of syrupy consistence, possessing an in- tensely sour taste. Lactic acid forms salts by the replacement of hydroxylic hydrogen by metals. Zincic lactate, CoHio ZnOo3H20, is the most character- istic salt of lactic acid. It crystallizes in colorless, monoclinic prisms, slightly soluble in cold water, very soluble in boiling water, but insoluble in alcohol. LACTIC FERMENT, a minute organ- ism which, under the microscope, is seen to consist of small elliptical cells, gener- ally detached, but sometimes occurring in chains of two or three. It is developed in rnilk, when it is allowed to stand for some time, and is the cause of the milk becoming sour, the sugar of the milk changing into lactic acid. LACTOMETER (-tom'-), or GALAC- TOMETER, a species of hydrometer, gTaduated to show the comparative spe- cific gravity and consequent value of different samples of milk. The instru- ment is a good evidence of the specific gravity of milk, and the specific gravity is a probable, but not positive, evidence of quality. Taken in connection with the per cent, glass, which measures the per cent, of cream that rises, it is nearly a positive indicator of pure and watered milk. LACTOSCOPE, an instrument, invent- ed by Donne of Paris, for assisting in determining the quality of milk by ascer- taining its relative opacity. LACTOSE, in chemistry, C6H,20,-,, a sugar, isomeric with dextrose, formed from milk sugar by treatment with fer- ments or dilute acids. It resembles dex-