Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/253

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PERSPIRATION 197 PERTINAX PERSPIRATION, watery matter "breathed out," or made to expire from the system by means of the pores in the skin. The quantity varies greatly, and is affected by the amount of heat or dry- ness in the atmosphere, by the fluid drunk, by the exercise taken, by the rela- tive activity of the kidneys, by medicine, etc. Besides keeping the skin in a healthy, moist condition, and acting as a refrigerator, perspiration takes its share in carrying off superfluous or noxious matter from the system. If stopped, morbid consequences are sure, sooner or later, to ensue. The horse perspires freely all over the body; the pig does so on the snout; the cat chiefly on the soles of the feet; the dog from the same part, but not to the same extent. Rabbits, and the rodentia generally, appear not to sweat at all. It is used also of the transudation of water through pores of plants. According to Hales, the perspiration of plants is pro- portionately 17 times as copious as that of animals. PERTH, a city and royal and parlia- mentary burgh of Scotland, capital of the county of the same name, on the right bank of the Tay, and at the common junction of railways from Dundee, Aber- deen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Inver- ness. The North and South Inches, two fine public parks, and a fine bridge of nine arches lead to the suburb of Bridg- end. Perth has many handsome public and private buildings. St. John's Church, a Gothic building partly ancient ; the Episcopal cathedral, the county buildings, the municipal buildings, the penitentiary, and the railway station, the largest in Scotland. Perth is celebrated for its bleachfields and dye works. It manufactures cotton goods, ginghams, winceys, plaids, table linen, carriages, castings, etc. The river is navigable to the city for small vessels. Perth is generally supposed to be of Roman origin. Its earliest known char- ter is dated 1106; but it was first erected into a royal burgh in 1210 by William the Lion. Till the death of James I., in 1437, it was the capital of Scotland. Pop. (1918) 119,300. PERTH, the capital of Western Aus- tralia, occupies a picturesque site on the N. bank of the Swan river, 12 miles from Fremantle, its port, at the mouth of the river. Perth is the headquarters of banking for the colony, and the center of the principal railway lines, including the Great Southern railway to Albany. Pop. (1917) 130,000. PERTH, THE FIVE ARTICLES OF, a measure passed in a General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, convened at Perth by the order of James VI. in 1618. The first of these articles required com- municants to receive the elements kneel- ing; the second permitted the dispensa- tion of the communion privately in case of sickness; the third allowed private baptism on sufficient cause being shown; the fourth required that children of eight years should be confirmed by the bishop; and the fifth enjoined the observance of Chi'istmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascen- sion, and Whitsunday. These articles were ratified by the Estates in 1621, but in the Assembly held at Glasgow in 163S the assembly of Perth was declared to be unlawful and null, and the Five Articles were formally condemned. PERTH AMBOY, a city and port of entry in Middlesex co., N. J. ; at the head of Raritan Bay and the mouth of Raritan river, and on the Staten Island Rapid Transit, the Central of New Jersey, the Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley railroads; 27 miles S. W. of New York; opposite the S. end of Staten Island. Here are a high school, Old Ministers' Home (Pres.), public library, water- works, electric lights, several banks, and a number of daily and weekly newspa- pers. It has manufactories of cork, stoneware pottery, firebrick, chemicals, oil, terra cotta, hollow brick and emery. Perth Amboy was settled about 1680 by a colony from Scotland. It received a city charter in 1718. William Franklin, the last British governor of New Jersey, was captured here in 1776. Pop. (1910) 32,121; (1920) 41,707. PERTHSHIRE, an inland county of Scotland, mostly in the highlands. The Grampian mountains traverse it, Ben Lawers reaching a height of 3,984 feet, and the lakes are numerous. The rivers Forth and Tay run through scenes among the most romantic in Scotland. There is much quarrying, and in the valleys agricultural crops are plentiful. Dairy farming, sheep breeding and weaving are among the industries, but much of the land is given over to deer preserves. Capital, Perth. Pop. about 125,000. PERTINAX, PTJBLIUS HELVIUS, a Roman emperor; born in a. d. 126, the son of a freedman. He distinguished himself in the army, and attracted the attention of Marcus Aurelius, who ele- vated him to the consulate in 179. Dur- ing the reign of Commodus, Pertinax was employed in Britain and Africa, and fin- ally made prefect of Rome. After the murder of Commodus he was proclaimed emperor in 193, but in three months was murdered by the prastorian guards.