Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/53

ABRUZZO ABSCESS 33 variety of Gnostic and other mystical symbols, occasionally perhaps merely natural markings. They were used as amulets, and supposed to be endued with miraculous qualities. ABRUZZO, or the Abrnzzi, the northernmost division of the former kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now forming part of the kingdom of Italy, embracing the highest and wildest por- tion of the Apennines. The mountains are the home of a race -of shepherds, who are clothed primitively in untanned sheepskins, and the valleys and lowlands are very fertile. The inhabitants live in dirty huts, shared by the donkey and the pig ; their chief food is In- dian meal, boiled in water and milk ; wheaten bread is a luxury. They are musical, hospita- ble, superstitious, and revengeful. Physically they are a fine race of men, and make excel- lent soldiers, like their predecessors in Roman times, the Samnites. Fierce brigandage has long found an almost impregnable foothold in this wild region. It is divided into the following three provinces : I. Abrnzzo Citeriore, bounded K E. by the Adriatic; area, 1,105 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 339,961. The mountains of La Majella are the roughest part of the province. The chief productions are grain, oil, and rice. The greatest abundance of wine is furnished by Ortona ; the best by Ohieti and Vasto. Fruit and kitchen vegetables are chiefly grown at Ohieti; swine are reared in the oak forests, and the sea on the coast is rich in fish. The culture of silkworms and of mulberry trees has of late made great progress. The province is divided into the districts of Chieti, Lanciano, and Vasto. Capital, Chieti. II. Abrnzzo Ulte- riore I., bounded S. by the preceding, and also lying on the Adriatic; area, 1,283 sq. m. ; pop. 245,617. The Pizzo di Sevo, 7,860 feet high, is the chief summit. The province grows and exports a large quantity of grain. There are numerous plantations of olives, but the product is of an inferior quality. The culture of wine is rapidly increasing. The province is divided into the districts of Teramo and Penne. Capital, Teramo. III. Abrnzzo Ulteriore II., bounded K E. by the two preceding, K by Umbria, and S. "W. partly by the former Papal States; area, 2,126 sq. m. ; pop. 333,791. Three fourths of the area consists of sterile rocks and mountains. The number of large mountain peaks is no less than 176. In the middle of the northern frontier is the highest mount of the peninsula, the Gran Sasso d'ltalia, 9,392 feet high. Among the productions are grain, rice, wine, saffron, olives, and many kinds of fruits. The mountains are covered with ex- tensive forests of oaks, beeches, and elms, which harbor bears, wolves, and boars. On the Gran Sasso chamois are still said to be found. Madder grows wild on the Alpine heights, and is cultivated in sandy places. Hams, salted beef, and sausages are exported. The province is divided into the districts of Aquila degli Abruzzi, Avezzano, Cittaducale, and Solmona. Capital, Aquila. 4 VOL. i. 4 ABSALOM, the third son of David, his only one by Maachah, and especially distinguished for beauty. Instigated possibly by ambition, but ostensibly by the rape of his sister Tamar, he slew Amnon, his eldest half-brother, and subsequently raised a rebellion and obtained a momentary possession of the throne. By the adroit management of Joab he was overthrown and slain. With all his want of filial affection, David loved him, and mourned his death. ABSALOV or Axel, a Danish statesman, sol- dier, and ecclesiastic, born in 1128, died in 1201. He was educated at the university of Paris. He was related to the royal family, and was the chief minister and general of Walde- mar I. (1157-'82) and Canute VI. ; was elected bishop of Roeskilde in 1158, and archbishop of Lund and primate of Scandinavia in 1178 ; and was equally distinguished for piety, statesman- ship, and military skill and valor. He put down the Wendish pirates who infested the Baltic, followed them up to their island home of Eilgen, destroyed the temple of their god Svantevit at Arkona, and forced them to re- ceive Christianity. The code of Waldemar was partly his work, as also the ecclesiastical code of Seeland. On his encouragement, Saxo Grammaticus composed his history of Den- mark, the first continuous Scandinavian his- tory ever written. Later he overcame the Pomeranian prince Bogislas, and made him do homage to the Danish king. He constructed a little fort, named after him Axelhuus, for de- fence against pirates, around which Copen- hagen was gradually reared. ABSCESS (Lat. abscedere, to separate), a col- lection of pus in a circumscribed cavity of the body. This cavity is usually of new formation, produced by the separation and destruction of the parts by the matter effused, the wall con- sisting of a layer of thickened tissue. The name is given, however, to collections of pus in some of the naturally existing cavities ; e. g., that in the upper jaw. An abscess may be acute or chronic according to the character of the inflammation which produces it. The for- mation of an acute abscess is indicated by pain, often of a throbbing character ; redness, if it be not too deeply seated ; swelling ; and an in- crease in the temperature of the part. The patient also suffers from fever. When matter has formed and is sufficiently near the surface, its presence is made known by the feeling of "fluctuation," produced by placing the fingers of one hand upon one side of the swelling and with those of the other giving a smart tap upon the opposite side. The pus usually tends toward the surface, which it reaches by a grad- ual thinning of the intervening tissues ; but if these be very resisting, it may travel in other directions. It is in these latter cases that an early incision by the surgeon is especially called for, before "pointing" has taken place. If an abscess be threatened, its formation may sometimes be prevented by appropriate treat- ment, such as rest, the local abstraction of