Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/470

BACTERIOLOGY 380 BADEATT would be as incomplete without the agency of bacterial life as it would be without the agency of plant life. Aids to Digestion. — The attention of investigators has been directed in modern times to a hitherto unknown class of bacteria which have a share in th« proc- ess of digestion in the stomach of man and the animals. It has long been known that the mouth, throat, intestines and other organs of the human system were inhabited by harmless bacteria. It was announced by Vignal that certain other microbes found habitually in the stomach possess properties similar to that of the saliva in aiding digestion. Numerous specimens were obtained and pure cultures made. With the artifi- cially bred microbes a lot of experiments were tried. At least two kinds of organism were distinguished. One promoted the digestion of stai'ch and an^.uer that of meat and albuminous substances. One acted most efficiently when it was slightly acidulated. The other needed to be a little alkaline. A third species seemed to have a special fitness for promoting the action of bile on fats. BACTERIOLOGY, that branch of biol- ogy which treats of bacteria. The study of these microscopic organisms has developed into one of the most impor- tant branches of modern biological science. BACTRIA (bac'tre-a), a province of the ancient Persian empire, lying N. of the Paropamisus (Hindu Kush) Moun- tains, on the upper Oxus. A northern branch of the same range separated it from the Sacaej, and it had Sogdiana on the N. and Ariana on the S. It thus corresponded pretty nearly with the modern Balkh. Here many scholars lo- cate the original home of the Aryan or Indo-European family of nations. Its capital, Bactra, or Zariaspa, was also the cradle of the Zoroastrian religion. It maintained its independence until its subjugation by Cyrus about 540 B. c, when it became a satrapy of the Persian empire. It was included in the conquests of Alexander, and formed a part of the kingdom of the Seleucidae until the foun- dation, about 256 B. c, by Diodotus, of the Greek kingdom of Bactria, which extended to the Indus, and which, after a long struggle, was overthrown by the Parthians. BACTRITES (bak'trites, or bak-trl- tes), a genus of fossil ammonitidse, with a straight shell, and indented, but not ramified septa. The genus ranges from the lower silurian to the devonian. BACULITES (bak-u-irtes), a genus of fossil ammonites, characteristic of the chalk, having a straight, tapering shell. BACUP, a municipal borough of Eng- land, in Lancashire, 20 miles N. of Manchester. The chief manufacturing establishments are connected with cotton and woolen spinning and weaving j there are also iron works, Turkey-red dyeing works, and in the neighborhood numerous coal pits and immense stone quarries. Pop. about 22,500. BADAGRI, or BADAGRY, a British seaport on the Bight of Benin, in the extreme S. W. corner of the southern Nigeria, Africa. Early in its history, it was a noted slave mart and contained important manufactories. BADAJOZ (ba-da-hoth'), the fortified capital of the Spanish province of Bada- joz, on the left bank of the Guadiana, which is crossed by a stone bridge of 32 arches. It is the seat of the captain- general of Estremadura and of a bishop and has an interesting cathedral. Dur- ing the Peninsular War, Badajoz was besieged by Marshal Soult, and taken in March, 1811. It was twice attacked by the English, on May 5 and 29, 1811; was besieged by Wellington on March 16, and taken April 6, 1812. Pop, (1917), province, 694,220; city, 37,600. BADAKSHAN, a province of Afghan- istan. It has the Oxus on the N. and the Hindu Kush on the S.; and has lofty mountains and fertile valleys; the chief town is Faizabad. The inhabitants profess Mohammedanism. Pop. about 100,000. BADEATT, ADAM (ba-do'), an Ameri- can military officer, born in New York City, Dec. 29, 1831; educated at private schools. He served with gallantry in the Union army during the Civil War; was on the staff of General Sherman in 1862- 1863, and secretary to General Grant in 1864-1869; and in the latter year was retired with the rank of Captain in the regular army and of Brevet Brigadier- General of Volunteers, and was ap- pointed Secretary of Legation in London. He was Consul-General in London, 1870- 1881, but obtained leave to accompany General Grant in his world tour (1877- 1878). In 1882-1884 he was Consul- General in Havana. His publications include "The Vagabond" (1859); "Mili- tary History of Ulysses S. Grant" (3 vols., 1867-1881) ; "Conspiracy; A Cuban Romance" (1885) ; "Aristocracy in Eng- land" (1886); and "Grant in Peace" (1886). He died March 19, 1895.