ABORTION. 



ABSEXTKK. 



M 



i; and thi circutnitance no doubt contributed powerfully to 

 recommend it to the authors of mny of the religions by which it wu 

 auctioned and enjoined. Ablutions, or litrati<:ni, a* they arc more 

 commonly called, eren oonBtituted a part of the Mosaic ceremonial, and 

 ractued amongthe Jews on various occasions both by the priests 

 .tixl by the people. They occupy an Important place in the Brahmi- 

 nical tad other religions of India, where the water* of the Ganges, are 

 considered as baring so purifying a power, that even if a votary, who 

 cannot go to that rirer, shall call upon it to cleanse him, in prayer, 

 while bathing in another stream, ho will be freed from any sin or 

 pollution he may harp contracted. But the religion by which ablu- 

 tion* have been enjoined most punctiliously, nnd in the greatest 

 number, is the Mohammedan. According to the precepts of the most 

 rigid doctor* of that faith, it may almost be said that scarcely the moat 

 ordinary or trifling action can be rightly performed without being 

 either preceded or followed by on entire or partial lustration. The 

 rule* laid down upon the subject by these writers are minute and 

 tedious, to n degree scarcely to be believed. The simple ceremony of 

 Christian baptism uiay be regarded as an adoption of this natural type 

 liy the Author of our faith. Although, however, that is the only 

 instance in which dipping in or sprinkling with water has been enjoined 

 under the dispensation of the New Testament, the early Christians 

 . I'peur to have been also in the habit of undergoing ablution with 

 water before partaking of the communion. The sprinkling with holy 

 water, hi use in the Roman Catholic church, may be considered as a 

 species of ablution ; and as a liturgical term it is applied in that 

 church to the wine and water used by the priest to cleanse his fingers, 

 aud the chalice, after having administered the aacratnent. In the Greek 

 church, ablution sometimes means the wine and water given to the 

 communicant, the better to be enabled to swallow the holy wafer. 



ABORTION". [IsFANTictm:.] 



ABRAHAM MEN. To 'sham Abraham' is a well-known cant 

 expression, which has reference to the practices of a large class of 

 vagabond" and cheats who were once common in this country. An 

 Abraham Man was an impostor who personated a ' Tom of lie.ll.nii.'- 

 an unhappy being who was turned out of a lunatic asylum to subsist 

 upon casual alms, incurable but harmless, without a home, but still 

 maintained by public sympathy. This class of jrersong was no nume- 

 rous at a period when there was very insufficient provision for the cure 

 or mitigation of the greatest of human calamities, that the charity of 

 the kind-hearted inhabitants of the small towns and villages was 

 largely taxed for their support; and the appeal thus made to the 

 feelings by a poor creature, fantastically clothed in tawdry rags, and 

 singing snatches of old songs, was so irresistible, that it be. 

 profitable trade to imitate such an unfortunate being. In Decker's 

 ' English Villainies,' written more than two centuries ago, there are 

 many curious particulars of the habit* of this class of impostors ; these 

 details, in great part, agree with the rich description which Shakspere 

 has given in his ' Lear/ (Act. il. seem- 3.) of a pretended ' Poor Tom,' 

 who has put on 



" The baet and most poorest shape, 

 Thit ever penury, in contempt of man, 

 Drought near to beast." 



ABSCESS, (from a Latin word, Altceilu, implying separation,) is BO 

 called, because parts which were in contact have become separated. 

 An abscess consists of a collection of the matter termed pus, in some 

 tissue, or organ of the body. Purulent matter, or pus, Is formed out 

 of the lymph separated from the blood during the process of inflamma- 

 tion. The production of pun during the progress of inflammation is 

 called suppuration. [INFLAMMATION.] 



The purulent matter constituting an abscess, properly so called, is 

 always confined within a definite space : the means by which it is con- 

 fined vary. Sometimes the purulent matter i* effused into the substance 

 of an organ ; in this case some portion of that part of the l.l..c..| whirl, 

 is called fibrin, or coagulable lymph, is effused with it ; this fibrin 

 coagulate* into a firm solid membrane, endows the pus. and no prevents 

 iU diffusion. Sometime* the effused fibrin, or coagulable lymph, becomes 

 organised ; iu this case it form* a new membrane, which is called an 

 adrentiiivm membrane, and the pus is completely enclosed in this new 

 membrane as in a bag, or shut sac or rytt .- an abscess of this kind is 

 called an cnrtjttcd abacwn, and the internal surface of this cyst is always 

 ndowed with the properties both of absorption and of secretion ; f<>r 

 large collection* of matter, enclosed in bag* of this kind, occasionally 

 disappear without any external opening ; and on the other hand, when 

 mich a bag ha* been completely emptied of it* content*, it is sometime* 

 rapidly refilled with pu*. When an opening is formed in an abscess, 

 and purulent matter continue* to be discharged from it, it loses the 

 name of ab*ce*s, and takes that of ulcer. 



Purulent matter is poured out from the blood in other modes, and 

 forms other collections of pu* ; but these latter collections are never 

 called abaoMM*. Sometime*, for example, the pus, a* it is secreted 

 from the blood, U diffused through the substance of the inflamed organ. 

 This U the caoe especially with the lung during the progrcu of inflam- 

 mation. This diffusion of purulent matter through tie substance of 

 .in inflamed organ is termed INHI.TKATIGX and, Instead of containing 

 in abtcees, the organ i* said to have pus infiltrated through it. This 

 i also seen in phlrgmonous erysipelas. 



There are few tissue* of the body, and still fewer organ- in which 

 abscesses may not form. They are found in the brain, the lungs, the 

 heart, the liver, the spleen, the uterus, the ovaria. the cellular mem- 

 brane, and the joints. In some of the** organs the disease is highly 

 dangerous, in others certainly fatal, in others comparatively unim- 

 portant JIXPLAJIIIATIOX.] 



ABSCISSA. or I.INF.A ABSCISSA, a line cut off, is a mother, 

 term, used as follows : If any two right lines A n, c n, be given, 

 meeting in o, the position of any point, r, in 

 the plane of those line*, is known whin w. 

 know, first, within which of the four angles, 



BOO, co A, A o D, DOB, It lies, and, . 



secondly, what is its din line, \ /o >. 



measured on a line parallel to the other ; or. in / 



other words, what arc the side* of the parallel- /u 



ogram o M r N. Either of these sides being 

 called the alariaa, the other is called the < 



"tta ; the straight line*, A B and c D, are called th- 

 is called tin- 'iri'tiit. It is customary to denote the lengths of tin- 

 abscissa and tin- l>-tti-r.- i and // ris]rtively. Thus O M 



being the abscissa of the point r, I 1 M is its ordinal*. All point- in tin- 

 line P M have the same abscissa; all those in r s the sai. 

 [CO-ORDINATES.] 



ABSENTEE. This is the first subject, in alpha' 

 comes under our notice in the science of |liiical uonomy. In tin- 

 whole compass of that science there IB no subject which prc... nt- more 

 difficulties in tin- way of popular explanation, il' we \iew it , 

 .-cii'iititii: question. \n absentee, a* the term is nm. 

 who derive* his income from one countrv, but resides in ai 

 country where he expends that Income. The - 

 kind says that this is an evil and an injn-li- - I 

 imperfectly cultivated, to labourers inadequately employ 

 cottages, to uneducated children, and it proclaims that ' 

 would not be if the proprietor resided irpon his estates. 1 1 

 choose to reside u]xm hi- est ii ild rather derive less, from hi- 



estates, having the liberty to spend the revenue as lie pleases. Then- 

 is no law to prevent him but the great law of moral obligation, which 

 he may obey or not. The public inconveniences of a positive law to 

 bind his person to his property would far outweigh its publj,- 

 But the common sense of mankind is right; an 



conies when neglect goes forward into general destitution. Then the 

 capital which has been abstracted from.it* fertilising local inflm : 

 forcibly driven Kn-k. to prevent miser}' becoming utter ruin. Sn. h 

 result* have been shown in large districts of Ireland. The political 

 economists of every class cannot shut their eye* to theft- fact- ; but 

 some say that these facts lie beyond the boundaries of their .- 

 they belong to the moralist to explain. They consent only to look nt 

 the absentee in his abstract capacity of a capitalist ; they admit that it 

 would be better for his own local connection- and dependants that In 

 should not be an absentee ; but they ore prejared to prove that 

 matter of indifference to the country in general ; that the wi-alt h 

 country is neither increased nor diminished whether he s|>cnd hi 

 iu Dublin or in London in London or in Home. KM n in thi point 

 of view these economists have few supiiorter.-. 1'opular opinion, without 

 pointing to the extreme moral evils of a non-resident landed propi 



-us that the amount of re\enne which the landlord s|>cnds in a 

 foreign country is so much clear loss to the DO which In 



derives his property, and so much encouragement withdrawn Mom its 

 industry; and that he ought therefon to be compelled '" -tayathome, 

 instead of draining his native land for the support of foreign rival-. 

 Some political economists reply, that this is a popular delusion, and 

 that, ill |Kiint of fact, the revenue spent l>y the landlord in a foreign 

 country has precisely the same effect upon the in 

 country as if his consumption took place at home. Tin truth . 

 lie* between these counter opinions. The argn 



runs thus : all consumers residing in their own i mmtry. and landlord 

 amongst the number, purchase marry article.- of foreign production 

 which have Ijeen exchanged for the production.- of their own country. 

 In purchasing such foreign productions they stimulate native industry ; 

 iu taking from foreigners what they produce chc.qici and Wtti 

 we can, and in sending them in exchange - lieaper 



and better than they can, we develop a wilier Held of industry for our 

 native productions, and obtain a larger store tor our 



home necessities. The coniumpt imi ot an Knt'li-li rv-id'-ni 

 state, they go on to say, produces, in principle, tin- sunn indirect 

 effect* upon English industry, a* his partial or entire cousump: 

 foreign goods in England. His consumption of foreign goods : 

 i* equivalent to an importation of foreign goods into England ; aud 



i-ii>iipti..ri. it is said, produces a MtrHpondMi '^i 



English goods to the foreigner. For why ' Then- must be an export 



of English goods to some country to the amount of the foreign goods 



ho consumes, otherwise hix r -mittanocK could not be made to 



him. For example, England owe* half a year's rent to the resident at 



Brunei* ; ho drawn a bill upon England, which a hanker discount*, aud 



ell* to a merchant at Antwerp, who want* the bill to pay for goods 



which Antwerp owe* to England ; and o, *ay the economists, England 



keep* the rent after all ; and it stimulate* industry as much as if it had 



.-tit irr F.n-1 and UUUte 



