60:! 



RECOVERY 



RECUSAXTS 



See Ayloffe'i Calrndan of Ancient Ckartrrt (1774); 

 ^lete o/ *< ParKanwiU* o/ timtland. ol. i. appendix t.> 

 pnliae ; Report! of tkt I'ulJic Retard Communont ; the 

 Record Publioatioiu preface to the earliest volume of 



Ireland. Many of the records perished during 

 the wars prior to the iiniil reduction of Ireland, 

 and those which survived these OMBBWtlOM were 

 Ion-; exposed to mutilation nnil destruction from 

 the unsatisfactory arrangements for their custody. 

 A commission was appointed in 1810 for the pre- 

 servation and arrangement of the Irish Records, 

 whose laliours, conducted with considerable success, 

 wen- terminated by the revocation of the com- 

 mission in ISM. In 1847 commissioners were again 

 appointed to investigate the state of the records, in 

 consequence of whose labours a hill for t heir safe 

 custody was prepared, but afterwards abandoned. 

 In 1867, however, the Public Records (Ireland) 

 Act was passed, and from 1809 the Reports of the 

 Deputy-keeper of the Irish Records have been 

 annually published. These include some docu- 

 ments and calendars in their appendices, notably 

 a calendar of ' Fiants ' (fault lilerie patentes) from 

 Henry VIIL 



Three volumes of a calendar of the Irish Patent 

 and Close Rolls were published in 1861-63; and 

 some other publications, including volumes of fac- 

 similes of national MSS., have been issued by the 

 Irish Record Otlice. This department since its 

 formation in 1869 has done a great work in the way 

 of collecting records from various depositories and 

 arranging and cataloguing them. The records are 

 open to sejxrchers on payment of fees, but the 

 deputy-keeper may disiiense with fees if he thinks 

 that literary profit will accrue to the public from 

 the searchers' work. One important feature of the 

 1 1 Mi Record Office is the collection of Parish 

 Registers made under Acts 38 and 39 Viet. chap. 59, 

 and 39 and 40 Viet. chap. 58. This is an example 

 which should be followed in England. 



Recovery. See ENTAIL. 



Recruit, a person who voluntarily adopts the 

 rofession of arms and enlists in the army. See, 

 or the conditions, ENLISTMENT, ARMY, REOI- 



MKNT. 



Rectifying is a process applied to alcohol, 

 chloroform, or other volatile liquid, by which the 

 last traces of impurities are removed by distilla- 

 tion. Many varieties of stills and condensers have 

 been devised for this purpose, for further reference 

 to which see DISTILLATION, and ALCOHOL. 



Rector (Lat. 'ruler'), in the Church of Eng- 

 land, is a clergyman who has the charge and cure 

 of a parish where the tithes are not impropriate, 

 and who accordingly hits the whole right to the 

 ecclesiastical dues therein ; where the tithes are 

 impropriate the parson is a Vicar (q.v.). In the 

 Kpiscopal (.'hutches of the United States and (since 

 IHWt) Scotland all incumbents are called rectors. 

 See also EDUCATION, and UNIVERSITIES. 



Rectum, the terminal portion of the intestinal 

 canal, named, from its comparatively straight 

 course, the rectum (see DKIKSTION ), is the seat 

 of various affections requiring medical or surgical 

 assistance. Some of these affections, as fistula, 

 IjsMire (see ANUS), piles, prolapsus ani, have 

 already been considered. Amongst the other 

 diseases of the rectum of sufficient importance to 

 claim notice in these pages are 



( I ) Strirture of the Rectum, which may be either 

 of a simple or malignant nature. Simple stricture 

 consists in a thickening and induration of the sub 

 mucous tissue, less often of the muscular or mucous 

 coat of the rectum, so as to form a ring encroach- 

 ing on the calibre of the tube. It is situated most 

 often about an inch from the anus, and the con- 



p 

 f 



traction is so great and unyielding that it is often 

 dilliciilt to pits* a linger through it. It may occur 

 as the result of injury or o|>eration, of old ulcera- 

 lion (e.g. from dysentery), of syphilis, or without 

 ascertamahle cause. The symptoms are const ipa 

 lion and great pain, and a straining in evacuating 

 the f.-eces, which, if not liquid, are passed in a 

 narrow, flattened, or worm-like form that is 

 very significant of the nature of the case. In an 

 advanced stage of the disease diarrhoea and pro- 

 lapsus often supervene. However great may U- 

 the constipation, strong purgatives must be alto 

 gether avoided. Soft and ntiirriiating evacuations 

 must l>e procured by such medicines a- the confec- 

 tion of senna combined with sulphur (sec Till- . 

 or injections of castor-oil or of tepid water. The 

 diet should be regulated so as to assist the action 

 of the medicines. Nutritions soups are serviceable, 

 since, at the same time, they support the strength 

 and leave little matter to lie excreted. Gradual 

 dilatation by suitable bougies often gives great 

 relief, but must lie steadily persevered with, as the 

 contraction is almost certain to recur. Maliijiiuiit 

 stricture most commonly due to the scirrhons, 

 but sometimes to the epithelial form of cancer 

 is by no means a very rare allection. Until ulcera- 

 tion sets in the symptoms are like those of simple 

 stricture, only exaggerated in degree ; but after- 

 wards there is a discharge of fetid inuco purulent 

 matter streaked with blood. In this disease the 

 treatment can, in most cases, be only palliative. 

 Sometimes, however, if the tumour is low down 

 and localised it may lie removed with at least 

 temporary relief. If" complete obstruction occur, 

 or is threatened, the surgeon may resort to the 

 formation of an artificial anus in the loin or groin 

 as a last resource. 



(2) Spasm of the sphincter ani muscle is char- 

 acterised by extreme pain in the region of the anus, 

 especially when an attempt is made to evacuate 

 the bowels. The muscle contracts so (irmly that 

 the surgeon cannot easily introduce the linger into 

 the rectum. The spasm may be caused by piles, 

 by fissure of the anus, by ulceration of the rectum, 

 and sometimes apparently by mere constipation. 

 It is often relieved by the application of the bella- 

 donna ointment of the British Pharmacopoeia. 



(3) Neuralgia of the rectum, known also as /-oc- 

 talgia, is sometimes met with, and is especially 

 prone to attack children and gouty persons. It is 

 usually relieved by the judicious use of aperient 

 medicines and such treatment an is used for other 

 forms of Neuralgia (q.v.). 



(4) Pruritus podicis, or itching of tlie minx, is a 

 very common and extremely troublesome allection. 

 Sometimes it depends on the picsencc of thread- 

 worms, of old piles, constipation, or some other 

 local cause of irritation, while in other cases it is 

 one of the manifestations of some constitutional 

 condition. The treatment must depend upon the 

 exciting cause. See works on the rectum l>y 

 Allingham, Cripps, Henry Smith. 



Recillver. a village of Kent, 1 mile from the 

 sea, and !> miles \V. of Margate, with remains of 

 the Roman station Scyii/liiinn. Pop. 298. 



Reciisnnts, persons who refuse or neglect to 

 attend at the worship of the established church on 

 Sundays and other clays appointed for the purpose. 

 The offence as a legal one may be held to date from 

 1 Kli/nbcth. chap. 2; but there were fonr classes 

 punishable under the statutes against recusancy 

 simple ' recusants ; ' ' recusants convict,' who 

 absented themselves after conviction; 'popish 

 recusant*,' who absented themselves because of 

 their lieing Homan Catholics; and 'popieh re- 

 cusants convict,' who absented themselves after 

 conviction. Protestant dissenting recusants were 



