tion was weakened, and their reputation for sobriety was damaged, by their steadfast refusal to recognize the binding force of any human laws which recognized human slavery, and even of the constitution; and their extreme demands and radical methods repelled the sympathy of many conservative men who desired that the abolition of slavery should be secured, although by expedient and legal means. Although discredited in many quarters, the abolitionists were in the end successful, from one point of view, in making slavery a national issue and in hastening the time of final decision as to its continuance. Among the most conspicuous leaders of the abolitionists were William Lloyd Garrison, a vigorous and fearless writer, Wendell Phillips, the famous orator, Gerrit Smith, a generous philanthropist, Arthur Tappan, William Goodell, and Lucretia Mott. The biographies of most of these leaders have been written, and they afford ample illustrations of the spirit by which they were governed. See Anti-Slavery Society; Garrison, William Lloyd; Giddings, Joshua R.; and Parker, Theodore.
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. See Slavery.
ABO'MA (Portug.). A boa. The term is widespread in tropical America, but lately has been more especially applied to the Central American thick-headed or singed boa (Epicrates cenchria), which is of gigantic size, and is dark yellowish-gray, having a row of dark brown rings along the back, and the sides marked with dark blotches, each inclosing a lighter crescent. See Boa and Plate of Boas.
ABOMEY, a'brt-ma'.
The capital of Dahomey, West Africa, situated about 60 miles inland, in 7° N. lat. and 2° 4' E. long. (Map: Africa, E 4). It is surrounded by a wall built of mud and a deep trench. The houses are also built of mud and are unpretentious in appearance. There are several royal palaces, once the scenes of religious rites and barbaric orgies. Before the French occupation, Abomey was an important slave market, but at present the traffic is confined to ivory, palm oil, and gold. The town was captured by the French in 1892. The population is estimated at about 20,000.
ABORIGINES, ab'.'rij'i-nez
(Lat. ab. from + origo, origin). Properly, the earliest inhabitants of a country. The corresponding term used by the Greeks was autochthones (q.v.). The Roman and Greek historians, however, apply the name to a special people, who, according to tradition, had their original seats in the mountains about Reate, now Rieti: but, being driven out by the Sabines, descended into Latium, and in conjunction with a tribe of Pelasgi, subdued or expelled the Siculi and occupied the country. The aborigines then disappeared as a distinct people, they and their allies, the Pelasgi, having taken the name of Latini. The non-Pelasgic element of the Roman population is supposed to represent these aborigines, who would thus belong to the Oscans or Ausonians,
ABOR'TION (Lat. abortio, from ab, away + oriri, to rise). The expulsion of the offspring from the womb of its mother before it is capable of living independently. Abortion occurring in a woman before the sixth month of pregnancy is generally called a miscarriage. If the fœtus leaves the womb after it is viable, and before the proper end of pregnancy, the occurrence is termed a premature delivery, Hegar considers that there is, in women, one abortion to every ten normal pregnancies; Devilliers states the ratio as one in three or four. Whitehead states that 80% of all abortions take place between the second and fourth months of pregnancy. It is therefore important that a mother should have special care during the early months of gestation. Microscopical examination is required to determine the fact of an abortion occurring within four weeks of conception. After the first month the fœtus commences to assume a recognizable shape.
Causes of Abortion. Abortion may be due to disease of the father, to morbid changes in the ovum, to morbid changes in the placenta, or to maternal causes. (1) Of the diseases of the father that may cause abortion, syphilis is the most important. Habitual abortion leads to the suspicion of syphilitic taint, although other causes may bring about this condition. Old age, tuberculosis, or kidney disease of the father may so affect the vitality of the germ at conception that, although pregnancy may occur, there is not enough strength to complete the development. (2) Causes due to disease or death of the ovum itself, apart from other causes, are rare. They are usually associated with some defect in the formation of the young embryo. (3) Placental causes are frequent. If the placenta does not have a sufficient area from which to draw a blood supply for the fœtus, the latter may die; or if the placenta is fastened low in the uterus, hemorrhage and abortion are very liable to occur. (4) The causes which are due to disease or injury of the mother are the most frequent. Diseases of the decidua of the viterus and of the other generative organs, such as tumor of the ovary, distention of the Fallopian tubes, inflammatory adhesions about the uterus, and badly formed pelvic organs, are among the local causes. Certain constitutional diseases may also cause abortion, as syphilis. Alcoholic excesses are almost as pernicious. Poisoning with metals, as lead or mercury, with phosphorus and other poisons, as coal gas and many volatile oils, and some of the acute diseases, pneumonia, yellow fever, smallpox, and peritonitis, have brought about abortion. Shock and injury are very important causes. Excessive muscular fatigue, bicycle riding, horseback riding, lawn tennis, use of the sewing-machine, and swimming are especially to be avoided. Lack of hygiene is also responsible for numerous cases. Insufficient food, contaminated air, change in climate, and tightly laced corsets, all interfere with the proper nourishment of the fœtus and thus induce abortion. After abortion has once taken place, others are very likely to occur, even in comparatively healthy women. A normal healthy mental attitude is a saving grace from this accident.
Symptoms. The cardinal symptoms are pain and hemorrhage from the uterus, these varying greatly, according to the completeness of the process. Early symptoms may be a sensation of weight, with distress or slight pain in the back, increased by standing or walking, followed by oozing or a menstrual flow, or a sudden large hemorrhage. This may occur intermittently, sometimes lasting several days, with small discharges of blood, with pain, and then a cessation of all the symptoms for a few hours or more. In later abortions, the liquor amnii, in which the
