Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/871

CEDEMA. 741 CEDIPUS COLONETJS. seat of this affection. It is occasionally observed in the submucous and subserous cellular tissue, and in the cellular tissue of the parenchymatous viscera ; and in some of these cases it gives rise to symptoms which admit of easy recognition during life. Thus (edema of the glottis (see L.^RYXX. Diseases <if i and (edema of the lungs constitute well-marked and serious forms of dis- ease; while (edema of the lirain. though not easily recognized during life, is not uiicomnionly met with in the post-mortem examination of in- sane ])atients. A general oedema is called anasarca. ffidema may be either passive or active, the former being by far the most common. I'assit:e oedema arises from impeded venous circulation (as from ob.struction or oliliteration of one or more veins : from varicose veins : from standing continuously for long periods, till the force of the circulation is jjartly overcome by the pliysical action of gravitation; from deficiency in the action of the adjacent muscles, which in health materially aids the venous circulation, etc.); from too weak action of the heart (as in dilata- tion or certain forms of valvular diseases of that organ) ; or from an impoverished or toxic state of the blood (as in chlorosis, scury, Bright's dis- ease, etc.). By means of the knowledge derived from pathological anatomy, we can often infer the cause from the seat of the swelling; for ex- ample, (edema of the face, usually commencing with the eyelids, is commonly caused by obstruc- tion to the circulation through the left side of the heart, or by the diseased state of the blood in Bright's disease ; and oedema of the lower ex- tremities most commonly arises from obstruction in the right side of the heart, unless it can be traced to the pressure of the gravid uterus, or of accunuilated fteces in the colon, or to some other local cause. Actice wtli'ina is associated with an inflam- matory action of the cellular tissue, and is most marked in certain forms of erysipelas. It is firmer to the touch, and pressure with the finger produces less pitting than in the passive form. Anr/io-neiirotic crclcma is an affection of neu- rotic origin characterized by transient, circum- scribed swellings in different parts of the body, which come and go suddenly. They may appear on the face and involve a single eyelid or the nose. The larynx may become swollen and cause death. Malirinant ccdema is due to a .specific infection, the bacillus of which is found in earth. It is rapidly fatal. See Anthr.x. From the preceding remarks, it will be seen that oedema is not a disease, but a symptom, and often a symptom indicating great danger to life. The means of removing it must be directed to the morbid condition or cause of which it is the symptom. See Dbopst. OEDENBURG, e'den-boUrK. A royal free city of Hungary. See Odexbubg. CEDIPUS (Lat., from Gk. OJA-oif, Oidi- poiis, 0Ui-6St)g, Oidipodrs : according to the pop- ular etymology- from ol(eh'. oideiii. to swell + froi'f, pons, foot). The hero of one of the most famous Theban legends. The story was certainly told in the early epics, one of which bore the title CEdipodea, and it is briefly indicated in the Odi/ssfii. but for us it is known cliieny through the plays of the Athenian tragedians, especially Sophocles. The earlier versions, which seem to have varied in many and not unim- ])ortant details, are all lost, and though many iiints can be obtained by careful analysis of later chroniclers and conunentators, any complete re- construction of the lost poems is in the highest degree conjeetural. After passing through the hands of the dramatists, it assumed the following form: Laius, son of Labdacus, King of Thebes, was warned by Apollo's oracle at Delphi that he was to die at the hands of his son. In spite of this warning, Laius became by his wife Jocasta the father of a boy. No sooner was the child born than he fastened its ankles with a pin (whence the name 'swell-foot') and gave it to a faithful herdsman to expose on Mount CithiE- ron. Ignorant of the oracle, the man in pit)' gave the child to the shepherd of Polybus. King of Corinth, and that ruler, who was childless, reared him as his own son. The young man, tEdipus, never doubted his Corinthian origin till the taunt of a drunken companiem roused his sus- picions, and, unable to obtain satisfaction from his su])posed parents, he sought the oracle at Delphi, which did not answer his question, but warned him that he was doomed to slay his father and wed his mother. Horrified, CEdipus fled away from Corinth, and shortly after met Laius with his servants. They endeavored to force him from the road, and in the quarrel he slew them all, as he supposed. Pursuing his journey, he found Thebes harassed by the Sphinx, who propounded a riddle to every passer- by and devoured all who failed to solve it. Creon, the brother of .Jocasta. who had become King on the death of Laius, had offered the hand of his sister and the kingdom to him who, by solving the riddle, should free the city from the monster. CEdipus answered the riddle and thus slew the Sphinx. He then married Jocasta, his mother, and became King of Thebes. At first he prospered greatly, and four children were born to him, two sons. Eteocles and Polynices (q.v.), and two daughters, Antigone (q.v.) and Isniene. At length a terrible pestilence visited Thebes, and the oracle declared that the murderer of Laius must be exeplled from the country. (Edipus be- gan the search, and by degrees the truth became known. Jocasta hanged herself and (Edipus put out his eyes. The later fate of the King was told in varied form. His .sons by their deeds brought upon themselves his curse, and ulti- mately fell by each other's hand. (Edipus him- self was driven from Thebes, and, attended by his faithful daughter, Antigone, wandered over the earth, till he reached the grove of the Eumenides (q.v.), at Colonus, near Athens. Chastened by his sufl'erings, he was received by these dread goddesses, and conducted, some said, without death to the other world. For the legend in its varied forms, consult the Introductions in .Jebb's editions of the CEdipus Tiiraiinus and (Edipus Coloneus of Sophocles (Cambridge, 1893-90) ; also U. von Wilamowitz- ilollendorf, Griechischc Traijiidien, vol. i. (Ber- lin, 1899). For the epic forms, see Bethe. Thehanische Heldenlieder (Leipzig, 1891). The other extant Greek plays which touch upon the general subject are .-Esehylus, Seven Against Thi'brs ; Sophocles, Antigone; Euripides, Phoe- n issa'. CEDIPUS COLO'NETJS (Lat., from Gk. 0161- Troi'c KoAuni'ir^ Oidipous Kvloneios, (Edijnis of