RING 



5021 



RINGWORM 



are extensively worn. Until the fourteenth cen- 

 tury thumb rings were commonly worn, and 

 Falstaff boasted that although he was enor- 

 mously fat, he could in his youth "creep into 

 an alderman's thumb ring." Modern rings are 



OLD FORMS OF RINGS 



1 ) Ancient Egyptian ring 

 Jold ring from Mycenae 



(3) Egyptian signet ring 



( 4 ) Roman gilded bronze ring 

 Grecian gold ring 



(6) Gold signet of a Brahman 



(7) Anglo-Saxon betrothal ring 



(8) Jewish marriage ring 



(9) Papal ring, fifteenth century 



M" i Betrothal ring, seventeenth century 

 Ml) Wedding rings of Luther and Katharlna 

 (12) Merovingian ring 



chiefly made in London and Birmingham, Eng- 

 land ; and in Paris, Vienna and New York, and 

 are sold at prices ranging from a few dollars up 

 housands of dollars each, according to the 

 stones with which they are set. 



The ring of the Pope is of especial interest. 

 It is presented to him at his coronation by the 

 city of Rome, and bears his name and a picture 

 of Saint Peter in a boat. Every official decree 

 of the Pope must be signed with this signet. 

 When the Pope dies his ring is broken, and a 

 new one is prepared for his successor. The 

 Papal ring shown above is not the type worn 



by the Pope, but is an example of the huge 

 thumb rings given by the Popes to newly-ap- 

 pointed cardinals. 



Consult Edwards' History and Poetry of Finger 

 Rings. 



RING AND THE BOOK, THE, a remarkable 

 poem by Robert Browning, the greatest achieve- 

 ment of his genius. It was suggested by an old 

 book which he picked up on a stall in Florence, 

 and tells the story of the marriage, unhappy 

 life, and death of Pompilia, one of the loveliest 

 heroines in all literature. She was married to 

 Count Guido Franceschini, who chose her only 

 because he thought she was wealthy ; and when 

 he discovered that she was but a poor girl he 

 murdered her and her parents. The unique 

 feature is the method presentation; each per- 

 son concerned tells the tale from his own point 

 of view, and the same story is thus repeated 

 over and over, yet without loss of interest. 



RINGWORM, ring'wurm, so called because 

 it spreads in rings, is a skin disease caused by 

 a minute vegetable mold, or fungus. The af- 

 fected spots become inflamed and covered with 

 scales, and the victim suffers from constant 

 itching. A very common form of ringworm at- 

 tacks the scalp, causing the hair to break off, 

 loosen and fall out. Temporary bald spots ap- 

 pear in affected areas. Ringworm of the beard 

 is another prevalent form (see BARBER, subhead 

 Barbers Itch). A third variety, called body 

 ringworm, appears most often on the face, neck 

 and arms. To check those forms which attack 

 hairy parts of the body physicians apply oint- 

 ments or medicines which kill the parasite. 

 These include sulphur ointment, mercurial oint- 

 ments, and preparations of iodine, carbolic acid 

 and caustic potash. Before these can be ap- 

 plied affected areas must be shaved and roots 

 of diseased hairs be pulled out. Scales and 

 scabs are loosened by hot water or oil applica- 

 tions. 



All cases should have the constant attention 

 of a reliable physician, as diseased areas are 

 made inflamed and sore if the treatment is 

 continued too long, and the eruption breaks 

 out anew if treatment is discontinued before 

 the fungus is killed. The X-ray has also been 

 found helpful. Body ringworm generally yields 

 readily to treatment with ointment, the chief 

 source of danger being the patient's tendency 

 to spread the disease by scratching the spots. 

 As all forms are extremely contagious, utmost 

 care must be taken to have the victim use his 

 own comb, towels, wash cloths and other per- 

 sonal articles. 



