Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/115

MUCOUS MEMBRANE. 87 MUDGE. cretion known as mucus, which ordinarily forms an extremely thin layer on these membranes, but when they are irritated or inflamed i.s secreted in very considerable quantity. (See Cataruii.) The exact mode of its formation is still a dis- puted (luestion, but it is i;en<'rally believed to be the product of the gradual solution of the uppermost epithelial cells, liesides acting both mechanically and chemically as a shield to high- ly sensitive membranes, it has other uses, among which two may be especially mentioned; ( 1 ) It communicates to the salivary, and prob- ably to other glands, properties which are not possessed either by itself or by the pure glandular secretions: and (2) it serves to eliminate a con- siderable quantity of nitrogen from the system. This nitrogen is contained in the mucin, which forms from 2.4 to 9 per cent, of nasal and broncliial mucus. This naicin contains 12.04 per cent, of nitrogen, and is the substance which gives to raueus its viscid and tenacious charac- teT. Normal mucus is devoid of smell and taste, and faintly alkaline in reaction, and hence its constant presence in the mouth gives rise to no disagreeable sensation. MUCUNA. A genus of leguminous plants. See Cowa(;e ; LuMBituou). MU'DAB ( Hind, mndfir, from Skt. mandara, coral-tree), Calolropis. A genus of East Indian shrubs of the natural order Asclepiadaceae. The bark of the root and the thick milky juice of some species are used in the East, where they have long been credited with alterative, purga- tive, emetic, and sudorific properties which have attracted some attention from European iihysi- cians. Mudar is a very common and often troublesome weed in India. The commonest spe- cies, Calotropis gigantea, a large shrub, with steins often thicker than a man's leg. and broad, fleshy leaves, rapitjl.v attains a large size on very dry sands, where almost nothing else will grow. The short, not easily spun, silky dow'n of the pods is used for making floss and a soft, cotton- like thread, but a strong fibre, useful for cordage and fishing-lines, is obtained from the inner bark. When properly prepared it is especially well adapted to mix with various other fibres, especially silk. The thick, milky juice, collected by making incisions in the bark, is used as a substitiite for caoutchouc and gutta-percha. It bcciinics flexible when heated. MUD-CAT. See Catfi.sii. MUD-EEL. A siren. See Mud-PuppT. MUDFISH. A name given to several widely different fishes which frequent muddy waters. (1) In the United States, the bowfin (q'.v.). (2) In California, a small marine goby {OiUichtln/s mirnhilin) which lives in shallow places that are left harp at low tide, and harbors in excavations made by itself in the 7nud. (^) One of the killi- fishes (q.v. ), the mummichog, or 'mud-dabbler.' (4) Any of the lungfish or dipnoans, especially the rare Lepidonircn paradoxa of Brazilian swamps. (See Dipnoi, and Plate of Dipnoi and C'liiM.EBA.) This is a salamander-like creature which grows to a length of four feet or more, has the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins luiited into one continuous fin. and the pectoral and ventral fins produced into long joinled filaments. The head is conical, eye small, gill openings without covers, mouth small, and teeth pointed and cusped, adapted to crushing the fresh-water snails (chiefly AinpuUaria) upon which it feeds. A closely related West African fish (I'rotoplerus (iimectaiin) , sometimes si.v feet long, is very abundant in the tiainbia Kiver, where it sus- tains a torpid existence during the diy season by bur}'uig itself in the nuid, forming a sort of nest or 'case' of hardened mud about it. Many sjjccimens have been dug out and sent, each within its clod, to Europe, and kept alive in zoiilogieal gardens. They grow rapidly, are active and voracious the year round, when kept in tanks in hothouses feed upon flesh and all sorts of small animals, and frequently eat each other. In the wet season they swim and crawl about the muddy rivers they inhabit, and are sought as food by the natives. They are nocturnal and frequently rise to the surface to breathe. Their breeding habits are little known, but they are believed to be ovoviviparous. The young have ex- ternal gills. Consult Lydekker, Royal Natural History, vol. v. (London, 1895). MUDTORD, William (1782-1848). An Eng- lish writer, who as editor of the London Courier, for a time the rival of the Times, exerted great in- fluence on public opinion. Leaving the Courier — which declined in influence after his withdrawal, and presently was discontinued — he became editor and proprietor of the Kentish Observer, the organ of tlie Conservative Party in Kent. In 1841 he succeeded Theodore Hook as editor of John liitll. To Blackwood's Magazine he contributed many essays and tales, after- wards collected in part. Among his published vol- umes ai'e A Critical Enquiry into the Writings of Dr. Samuel .Johnson (180.3) ; Xubilia in Search of a Husband (1809) ; Tlte Contemplatist, essays ( 1811) ; An Historical Account of the Campaign in the Netherlands' in 1815 (1817); and Tales and Trifles from Blackwood's (1849). MUIMJE, Enoch (1776-1850). The first Methodist minister raised in New England. He was born at Lynn, Mass., was converted under Jesse Lee. the pioneer of Methodism in New Eng- land, and entered the ministry in 1793. He labored as an itinerant preacher in Maine until his health gave way, and in consequence he re- tired to Owington, Maine, in 1799. He was twice chosen State representative and had much to do with the passage of the Religious Freedom Bill. In 1816 he resumed preaching. From 1832 to 1844 he was pastor of the Seaman's Chapel at New Bedford, Mass. — His son, Thomas Hicks Mi'DGE (1815-62), was graduated at Wesleyan University (1840) and Union Theological Semi- nary (1843) ; he preached in New England, was profes.sor of sacred literature in McKendree Col- lege. Lebanon. 111. ( 1857-59), and held pastorates in Saint Louis and Baldwin City, Kan. — Zecha- RiAii Atwell Mudge (1813-88) entered the min- istry in 1840 and held various pastorates in Massachusetts. He wrote much in history and biography, including hires of Abraham Lincoln (1867) and Roger Williams ( 1871 ) . and histories of Plymouth (1869). Salem Witchcraft (1890). and Arctic voyages (2 vols., 1875). — James Midge (1844 — ). nephew of Zcchariah. was graduated at Wesleyan University in 1865, en- tered the ministry in 1868. served as missionary in India, and has held pastorates in New Eng- land. He is the author of Growth in Holiness Toward Perfection (1895) ; The Best of Brouyn-