Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/841

MAXOKY. 749 MAIPRACTICE. and Iseult, and of all the knights and ladies as known to the reader of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Caxton expressly states that JIalory re- duced his book into English out of certain French books. So far as is known, these sources were the prose ilerlin. the i)rose Lancelot and the prose Tristan (thirteenth century), which in turn were expansions of Geoffrey of Monmouth, His- tory of the British Kings (Latin prose), and the verse-tales of Chre->tien de Troyes and other French romancers (second half of twelfth cen- tury). Malory also made use of a fine English poem, known as the Morte Arthur (fourteenth century). Malory's compendium is necessarily loose in structure; but the career of King Arthur gives it a certain unity. It enjoys the distinc- tion of being the first notable English prose romance. The Morte d'Arthiir was well received from the first. Caxton's edition in black letter was fol- lowed by six similar editions down to 1634. The wcirk was not again reprinted till 1816, when t wo editions appeared. It is now accessible in the editions of Thomas Wright (London, 1856; new ed. 1897) ; Edward Strachey (modernized in spelling. Globe ed., ib., 1868, often reprinted) ; John Rhys (ib., 1893) ; the Temple Classics (ib., 1897): and Sommer (ib., 1889-91). The last, a reprint of the first edition, contains an exhaustive study by Sommer on the sources, and an essay by Andrew Lang on the style. Consult also: Selections, edited by Mead ( Bo.ston, 1897), and Inflections and Syntax, by Baldwin (Bos- ton, 1894) ; Jusserand, Le roman au temps de Shakespeare (Paris, 1888). See Arthur; GR.iiL, The Holt; Lancelot; Merlin; Tris- TR.^M : Geoffret of Monmouth. MALOT, ma'16'. Hector ( 1830— ) . A popular French novelist, born near Rouen. Though ed- ucated for the law, he turned to letters, served an apprenticeship on Didot's Dictionnaire hio- graphique and the popular Journal pour Tons, did some dramatic collaboration of no pre.sent significance, and in 1859 produced his first novel, Victimes d'amour, a book of more promise than his very first production afterwards allowed him to realize. In some sixty-five volumes he dealt with the society of the Second Empire, showing a tendency to sensationalism, a ])ower of graceful description, and a very winning sympathy for child life that made his Sans famille {No Rela- tions, 1878, translated and republished in Amer- ica) a cosmopolitan success. Other noteworthy works are: Vn beau-frcre (1869); Romain Kal- hris (1869); Baccara (1886); Conscience (1888): Justice (1889); Compliees (1893). MALPIGHI, mal-pe'ge, Marcello (1628-94). A celebrated Italian anatomist, born at Creval- euore, near Bologna. He studied medicine at Bologns under JIassari and Mariano, took his doctor's degi'ee in 1653, and was appointed pro- fes.sor at Bologna by the Senate three years later. Shortly after this he went to Pisa, where, in association with Borelli, he made numerous dissections of animals, and ascertained that the muscle fibres of the heart are of a spiral form. The climate of Pisa proving unfavorable. Mal- pighi removed to Bologna in 1659, where he re- mained three years, and became very popular. In 1662 he succeeded Peter Castelli at ilessina. In 1601 the new Pope, Innocent XII.. called him to Rome as his physician, and three years later he died of apoplexy, at the age of sixty- sis. Malpighi lived at a time when nature began to be studied rather than books. He was an orig- inal and profound observer; a man of great industry, acute intelligence, and natural aptitude for research. His investigations covered a wide range of subjects; and many of his conclusions are undisputed at the present day. He is most widely known for his efforts to place human physiology on a true basis, but his discoveries in entomology and botany were no less epoch- making. His Obserrationes Amitomicw (13olo- gna, 1661 ) contained the first published researches into the structure of the lungs with the micro- scope. Epistolw AnatomiccB (Bologna, 1661-65) record the discovery of the retp Malpiqhii. one ot the layers of the skin. His observations on the structure of the viscera and his investigations in embryology and vegetable histology, as well as his determination of the structure of glands, were equally important. MALPIGHIA, mal-pe'gi-a. A tropical fruit. See Barbadcs Cheeky. MALPLAQITET, mal'pla'ka'. A village in the Department of Nurd, France, 21 miles east of Valenciennes, and close to the Belgian fron- tier, celebrated for the blood3' defeat of the French, under Jlarshal Villars, in the War of the Spanish Succession, by the troops of the Grand Alliance, under Marlborough and Prince Eugene, September 11, 1709. The forces engaged consisted of more than 200,000 men. the Allies iiaving a slight superiority in numbers: and the loss on each side amounted to about 20,000 men. The result of the conflict was the capture of Mons and Douai. See Succession Wars. MALPRACTICE. In forensic medicine, bad professional treatment, as of disease, pregnancy, or bodily injury, from reprehensible ignorance, carelessness, or with criminal intent. In offer- ing his Fervices to the public, the doctor or sur- geon impliedij' contracts that he possesses and will employ reasonable skill and learning, will exerci.se rea.sonable care, and exert his best judg- ment to effect good results. This obligation rests on any person making a pretense of professional knowledge. Failure to do this renders him liable for resultant injuries to the patient, criminally or by way of civil suit, according to the degree of his negligence and fault. Criminal liability arises from gross negligence or lack of competency. The practitioner is not liable for error of judgment or inadvertent mis- take. But where manslaughter is charged, he cannot plead the patient's consent as a defense, only the exercise of due care and skill will pro- tect him. Where the results of a physician's fault are not so serious as to constitute an offense against the public and render him liable criminally, he may still be obliged to make com- pensation to the patient for the damages result- ing from his wrongful acts through an action at law. But a physician is not an insurer, and in the absence of express agreement he does not warrant a cure, nor is the test to be applied to his performance that of the highest order of skill and care obtainable, but that of the average of members of his profession in good standing in similar localities, considering the state of medi- cal science of the time. Thus the requirement in knowledge or skill imposed upon the frontier sur-