Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/463

NEUMEISTER. 411 NEURASTHENIA. Fiinffachc Kirchoiatidachtcn (1710-17) and Zii- (jiinij :uiii (J nadfiiKl uhle (1705). NEUMES, niiiiiz (OF. ncuiiic, from ML. veu- niu. piieuma, .song, musical sign, from Gk. itwOmo, piiiuma, breath, from nvelv, piwin, to brcathe). In (irogorian music, melodic ornamcnls, es])C- ri.Tlly series of notes sung to one syllable. Also ilianK'ters in a peciliar system of musical nota- tion which was in use from tlic eighth or niiitli to tile eleventh century. The oldest preserved manuserijit written in this notation is the Anti- phonary of Saint (Jail (ninth century). Xo staff as used. The notes were rejiresented by a sys- tem of dots and hooks and their respective pitch liy the lieight at which they were placed above the syllables of the te.t. A single long note was indi- <ated by the virga ( ) ), two notes on one syllable iy tw hivirga ())), three by the /ririrjra ()))), etc. A shorter note was indicated by the ptinc- ttis {•). two by the hiptindu^ ( •• )> ^t- T'> rising and falling of the voice was marked by a corresponding higher or lower position of the signs. In order to obviate the difficulty of determining the exact pitch of the various tones, a red line was drawn horizontally across the parchment (tenth century), and the signs were written above and below this line. Any sign ujion the line denoted F. Before another century a second line was drawn above the red one. This was yellow and the note uixin it was C. But in the plainer manuscripts the dis- tinction of color was soon abandoned, and two black lines were drawn with the letters F and < ' placed at the beginning. In the course of time these letters underwent a series of conventional moditicaf ions, until they finally assumed the shape in which they are used to-day as clef-sig- natures (^, lyi ). The G clef, which was added later, underwent a similar change 8ee ]Iexsi'b.bi^ Music ; Musical Notation ; PLAiisr Chant. NEUMTJNSTER, noi'mun-ster. A manufac- tuiiiig tnwn in the Province of Schlcswig-Hol- stein, Prussia, on the Schwale, 3G miles north of Hamburg (Map: Prussia, D 1). The principal industrial establishments are woolen and linen mills, tanneries. pa]jer-mills, dye-works, machine and railway shops. Population, in 1890, 17,539; in Ifion. •27'.33.o. NEXJNKIRCHEN, noinlifrK-rn. or NEU- ENKIRCHEN. A town in the Austrian Crown- land uf l.ouur Austria, on a branch of the Danube, Mil miles south-southwest of Vienna. It has a large iron foundry, metal and textile industries, boiler works, and soap factories, and lies in an important coal-mining district. Population, in HHin. in.S31. NETJQUEN, na'uo-k."in'. A territory of Ar- gentina, situated (m the western frontier of the Republic, and bounded by Chile on the west, the Province of ilendoza on the north, and the Ter- ritory of Rio Negro on the east and south (Map: .r2e11tina. D 11). Its area is about 42.000 scjvuire miles. The greater part of the territory is covered by the ramifications of the Andes, which are drained by the headwaters of the Rio Negro. On the southern boundary is Lake Nahuel-Huapi (q.v.). The population in 1895 was 14.517, mostly Indians, though many Chileans have settled in the territory since the Vol. XIV.— 27. Inilians were -.ubjugated in 1SS4. The capital is the village of Chosmalal. NEURALGIA (Neo-Lat., from Gk. veOpoi/, neuron, nerve + iXyos, ulyoa. pain). A sensory neurosis classed as functional and characterized by pain in the course of a nerve or of nerves. Neuralgias are divided into (1) symptomatic, as when they are due to a toxin or a rellex irri- tation, and (2) idiopathic, when developing from organic disease of the nerve at the site of the pain. But the latter are cases ot neuritis in reality, and should not be classed with the neu- ralgias. Neuralgias are also divided into classes named from their causes, as gouty, traumatic, hysterical, etc., as well as from their anatomical location, as trigeminal, lumbar, crural, sciatic, gastric, renal, visceral, ccrvico-occipital, brachial, and intercostal. The trigeminal, or facial, neu- ralgia is the most freijuent, and the sciatic ranks next in frequency. Among the causes are ana'mia. gout, rheu- matism, diabetes, carious teeth, toxic agents, in- fections, exposure to cold, malaria, fatigtie, men- tal shock, and injuries. Children never suffer from neuralgia. It is most frequent between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. It is rare in old age. Women are ofteiu-r victims of neu- ralgia than men, in the proportion of five to three. The most prominent symptom is pain, which is of a sharp, lancinating character, or of a dull aching variety. (Jenerally it appears in twinges of short duration, though of great intensity. Though princii>ally following the course of the nerves, neuralgic ])ain jjervades adjacent struc- tures. Heat as well as cold generally increases it, as well as a light touch. Firm pressure some- times relieves. In many cases jiainful point*, generally corresponding to the places of exit of nerves from a bony structure, are foimd l)y test- ing with pressure. Numbness may accompany the |iain. as well as muscular spasm in rare cases. The pain of neuralgia is usually increased at night. It may return at regular intervals dur- ing the day, especially if dependent upon neu- ritis. The treatment of neuralgia includes the use of rest, catharsis, the analgesics, hypodermic ex- hibition of morphia, the use of cocaine by the gal- vanic cathode, as well as the local use of menthol, camphor, nnistard. chloride of ethyl, cliloroform. etc. Excision of a part of the aflected nerve or removal of a ganglion of the svTiipathetic may efTect a cure. In all cases hygiene, diet, regimen, and tissue-building are necessary, as well as the discovery and removal of any jxripheral irritant, lliereby stopping all nerve leaks. See NEfRlTIs. NEURASTHETSflA (Neo-Lat., from Gk. wC/>oc, neuron, nerve -+- iaBiveia, asthcneia, weakness), ner^'e weakness. Perhaps the most fre- quent of the acquired neuroses. The symptom group making up this clinical entity was first familiarized by Beard of New York in 1S09. and it is sometimes called the American disease, though now recognized as a world-wide malady. As a rule all forms of nervous energy' are reduced and fatigue (piickly appears upon the exercise of any motor, nu'ntal. or organic activity. It is es- sentially a disorder of the productive period of life, but does oeoir in neurotic children and in nervous adults of advanced years. The sexes are about equally affected. Hebrews, Scandinavians,