Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/363

ASCHAM 291 ASCOLI PICENO ASCHAM, ROGER, an English scholar and author, born at Kirby Wiske, near Northallerton, in 1515; graduated at Cambridge, and struggled with poverty until patrons came to his relief. He was famous for his general knowledge and acquirements in Greek and Latin, and is classed with Spenser, Sir Thomas More, and Sir Philip Sidney. Though he wrote Latin with ease and elegance at a time when custom favored the use of that language for important works, he urged and practiced the writing of English. In 1548-1550 he was tutor of the Princess (afterward Queen) Eliza- beth. His most noted works are: "Tox- ophilus," a treatise on archery (1545), and "The Scholemaster," a treatise on education (1570). He died in London, Dec. 30, 1568. ASCIAN, plural ASCIANS, in the plural, those who at midday of one or two days of the year are destitute of a shadow. Those living in the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are so at midday once a year, and those living between those circles are so twice a year. ASCIDIA, or ASCIDI^, the first order of the tunicated class of mollusca. It contains four families, the ascidiadx, or simple ascidians; the clavellinidas, or social ascidians; the boti-yllidse, or com- pound ascidians; and the pyrosomatidse, an aberrant family tending to the order biphora. ASCIDIAD.ffi, simple ascidians; the typical family of the ascidian order of tunicated mollusca. The animals are simple and fixed; they are solitary and gregarious, with their branchial sac sim- ple or disposed in 8 — 18 deep and regular folds. Their external integument is provided with two apertures, making them look like double-necked jars. When touched they squirt a stream of water to some distance. They look like shapeless cartilaginous masses. Some are highly colored. In Brazil, China, and the Med- iterranean they are eaten as food. ASCITES, an effusion of fluid of any kind into the abdomen; especially effu- sion of fluid within the cavity of the peritoneum, as distinguished from ova- rian dropsy and dropsy of the uterus. There is an idiopathic ascites, which may be of a chronic or acute form, or of an asthenic type; and a sympathetic or con- sequential ascites. Another division is into active ascites, that in which there is a large effusion of serum into the cavity of the peritoneum, after undue exposure to cold and wet; and passive ascites, that produced by disease of the heart or liver. 20 — Vol. 1 — Cyc ASCLEPIADACEiE (as-klep-e-a-das'- e-i), an order of plants closely allied to the apocynacese, or dogbanes. Shrubs, or more rarely herbs, almost always milky, and frequently twining. Leaves entire, opposite; flowers umbellate, fascicled, or racemose. Their favorite habitat is Africa. They occur also in India and the tropics generally. Fully 1,000 are known. The milk, which in some species furnishes caoutchouc, is usually acrid and bitter, though appar- ently not so deleterious as that of apocy- 7iacese. That of calotropis gigantea, the akund, yercum, or mudar plant of India, has been used with effect in leprosy, elephantiasis, and some other diseases. The roots of cynanclmm tomentosum, and periploca emetica are emetic. Gyninema lactiferum is the cow-plant of Ceylon. Pergularia edulis and periploca esculenta are eatable. Diplopepis vomitoria is ex- pectorant and diaphoretic, and is used like ipecacuanha in dysentery. Hemi' desmus indica is the Indian sarsaparilla. The leaves of cymanchum argel are used in Egypt for adulterating senna. Mar- denia tenacissima is employed for bow- strings by the mountaineers of Rajmahal, while M. tinctoria and gymnema tingens yield an indigo of excellent quality. ASCLEPIAS, a genus of plants, the typical one of the order asclepiadacese. The species are found chiefly along the eastern portion of North America, in Bermuda, etc. Though all more or less poisonous, they are used medicinally. A. decumbens, excites general perspiration without in any perceptible degree in- creasing the heat of the body. It is used in Virginia as a remedy against pleurisy. Another variety, A. tuberosa, is a mild cathartic and diaphoretic. The root and tender stalks of A. volubilis create sick- ness and expectoration. A. tuberosa (butterfly weed) and A. curassavica, sometimes but incorrectly called ipecac- uanha, are also medicinal plants, while A. Utctifera yields a sweet, copious milk used by the Indians, etc.; hence the ordi- nary name milkweed. A. aphylki and stipitacea are eatable. ASCOLI PICENO, (as'ko-le pe-cha'n5) , frontier town of central Italy, in the Marches, 73 miles S. of Ancona. It is a handsome place, well built and strongly fortified. Ascoli is the ancient Asculum Picenum, described by Strabo as a place of almost inaccessible strength. It sus- tained a memorable siege against the Romans under Pompey. Ascoli manu- factures majolica ware, glass, wax, silks, leather, hats, and cloth, and is commercially very active. Pop. about 30,000.