HKHPES. 



English, our common ten-syllable couplet paaMH under this name, 

 chiefly, it should teem, because it U the measure into which tin 

 of antiquity have been most frequently translated. The AlexAii.liinc 

 of twelve syllable*, however, has been also used by our elder writer* 

 for thin purpose, a* by Chapman in liU translation of the ' Iliad.' 



HKUI'KS. The word herpei was employed in a very vague sense, 

 and applied to many eruption* of different kind), until reitricted by 

 Willan to a well-defined affection of the akin, characterised by the 

 eruption of clusters of transparent globular vesicle*, situated on a red 

 and inflamed base extending come lines beyond them. The vesicles of 

 each cluster commonly vary in sin from a millet-seed to a very small 

 pea; the clusters themselves are distinct, being separated by portions 

 uf perfectly healthy skin, and they generally rise in quick succession. 



The eruption U preceded and accompanied by a degree of con- 

 xtitutional disturbance which generally varies with the extent of the 

 local affection, being often alight and attracting no notice, when this is 

 limited and consists of a few clusters only, but very great and marked 

 by a high degree of fever, when the clusters are numerous and spread 

 over an extensive surface in a young and plethoric subject. 



The local affection is announced by a sensation of heat and tingling 

 experienced in the part, and first appears as a small bright red spot, 

 having in its centre a few very minute vesicles. These vesicles, which 

 contain a transparent colourless fluid, rapidly enlarge, and, in the 

 course of some hours, attain the size and present the form and aspect 

 of very small pearls : in the thickest part of the cluster two or three of 

 the vesicles coalesce, forming one of irregular figure and larger size. 

 There U a sensation of pricking and smarting pain experienced in the 

 part. The vesicles gradually become opaque, in the course of a few 

 days shrivel, and are succeeded by brownish scabs : the heat and 

 irritation of the portion of skin on which they are situated subside ; 

 and the scabs fall off, leaving a tender and reddened state of the skin, 

 which soon disappears. The duration of the individual clusters, from 

 their first appearance to the falling off of the scabs, varies from one to 

 two weeks. When there is a succession of clusters, they all follow the 

 same march ; the febrile state persists as long as fresh vesicles continue 

 to arise, and the affection may be prolonged to three or four weeks. 

 In gome cancB the fluid is absorbed, the vesicles shrivel, and, at the end 

 of four or five days the affection terminates in desquamation ; in 

 others, the fl uid in the vesicles becomes purulent, and they ore succeeded, 

 especially when seated on the back, by superficial ulcerations, which 

 prolong considerably the duration of the disease. 



The clusters of vesicles, though they retain in all cases the same 

 characters, and follow nearly the same march, ore sometimes conlim-d 

 to a particular locality, justifying the designation, H. labial i, If. 

 jrapuiialii, or assume a particular arrangement, giving rise to the 

 varieties, fftrptt zottcr, when they are situated on one half of the body 

 and extend in a line or band; //. phlyctenoda, when they ore 

 disseminated ; and II. circinnatus, when they occur in circles or rings. 

 In U. laUalu the clusters are disposed irregularly about the mouth, 

 generally on the external surface of the lips, in some cases extending 

 to the cheeks and alec nasi, and in rare instances occurring also in the 

 pharynx. It occasionally conies on after irregularities in diet, or 

 unusual exposure to cold winds, or to the atmosphere, as in travelling ; 

 at the termination of the hot stage, in ague ; and during the course of 

 catarrhal fevers and pneumonia. It is always a slight affection in 

 itself, requiring no treatment beyond that of the disorder which it 

 accompanies. 



Htrpa pnepulialit. In this variety there are one or more small 

 clusters of vesicles, either on the external or internal surface of the 

 prepuce. When situated externally, they follow the ordinary march 

 or terminate in desqiiamation, and require no treatment, with the 

 exception <>f the application of lint soaked in the lotion of acetate of 

 lead, for the purpose of alleviating the itching and preventing the 

 rupture of the vesicles and the consequent formation of an ulcer. 

 When they occur on the internal surface of the prepuce, the vesicles 

 are kept continually moist, break at the end of four or five days, and 

 often give rise to an excoriation or superficial ulceration, which by an 

 inattentive observer may be mistaken for a syphilitic sore. It soon 

 heals under the influence of cleanliness, the local application of the 

 lead lotion, and the administration of a few alteratives. 



In 7/07*1 sailer, Shingles, there is a succession of clusters of white 

 silvery vesicles, forming an oblique line or bond, limited to one-hall 

 of the body, and almost always occurring on the trunk. It is generally 

 ushered in by severe febrile symptoms, and by smarting or deeply- 

 Mated pains, which indicate the future course of the eruption. Knch 

 cluster follows the march we have described, and the febrile state 

 continues as long as there is a succession of vesicles. It U unattended 

 with danger, excepting in old persons, where the clusters are occasionally 

 followed by gangrenous and sloughy sores. In young and plethoric 

 subjects the treatment should consist of bleeding, saline purgatives 

 diet, and the application to the part of a sedative lotion. This treat- 

 ment alleviates the sufferings of the patient, but has very little 

 influence on the march of the vesicles. 



Herjxt pklyctnodti differs from the'preceding variety in the arrange- 

 ment of the clusters, which are disseminated, and have no particular 

 eat. When occurring extensively, the vesicles do not attain the size 

 common to more limited forms of the eruption. It is often met will 

 in children during dentition. 



In llerftt cirrinnaliu, or herpetic ringworm, the eruption in limited 

 u extent, frequently of a circular form, and consists of extremely 

 minute vesicles, which dry up and terminate in exfoliation, leaving a 

 scurfy areola. It occur* frequently on the checks in children, and in 

 women of delicate complexion, and U often confounded with a disease 

 ntirvly different in iU nature, contagious, and aUo, in popular 

 anguage, denominated ringworm. This form of Herpes soon dis- 

 appears under the influence of the local application of almost any 

 astringent solution. 



None of the varieties of Herpes are contagious, and all occur most 

 frequently in the young, during spring and autumn, and in warm 

 climates. 



The existence of distinct groups of vesicles on red and inflamed 

 bases is sufficient to distinguish Herpes from every other cutaneous 

 affection. 



HKUKING FISHERY. [FISHERIES.] 



HKRTHA, the Goddess of Earth among the ancient Germans. As 

 Hertha, she was the wife of Thor; but Roman writers sometimes 

 speak of the deity as llrrthui, a male god, and the companion of Thor. 

 Tacitus (' Mor. German.,' c. 40), who calls Hertha the mother of the 

 gods, says that she was worshipped by the Suevi, and that her sanctuary 

 was in a grove in an island of the ocean, and was served by a single 

 priest A chariot, covered by a cloth to conceal the goddess, was 

 taken out of the sanctuary on certain occasions, and was drawn by cows 

 about the country with great solemnity. This was a time of general 

 rejoicing, especially for those places which were honoured by tin 

 of the goddess. During that time a cessation of war took place, arms 

 were laid aside, and peace reigned over the land, until the priest thought 

 proper to restore the goddess to her sanctuary, where the chariot and 

 the clothing, and the goddess herself, or her image, it was said, were 

 washed in a secret pond, and the attendants who assisted at these 

 ablutions were immediately after swallowed up by the flood. The 

 report of these mysterious circumstances served to inspire the ignorant 

 people with a dread of the power of the goddess, whom no mortal 

 could behold with impunity. (Grimm, ' Deutsche Mythologie.') 



HESPE'RIDES, in Greek mythology, a family of Nymphs, of tin- 

 same parentage, and apparently the some with the Atiantides, though 

 there are differences between them, especially in number (the Atlantiden 

 being usually reckoned seven, and the Hesperidus three in number), 

 which we must leave to be accounted for by the general uncertainty of 

 mythological story. They were named .figle, Arethusa, and Hesperc- 

 thusa, possessed the faculty of melodious song, and were the daughters 

 of Atlas, by Hesperis, the daughter of Hesperus. Some traditions, 

 however, add a fourth sister, Hestia ; and Hesiod makes the Hespcrides 

 the daughters of Night. They dwelt in a beautiful garden in tin- 

 western parts of the earth, in which grew the celebrated tree w lii. h 

 bore golden apples, the gift of Ge to Hera on her marriage with Xrus. 

 These apples were guarded by a fierce dragon named Ladon, which 

 never slept. Heracles killed the dragon and carried off the precious 

 fruit. Some authors make the treasure to consist of sheep instead 

 of apples, both being called by the some Greek word, mtla. 

 think them citrons or oranges. The Gardens of the Hesperides are 

 variously placed, in an oasis of the African desert, in Cyrenaica, at (!,. 

 foot of Mount Atlas, and in the Happy Islands of the Atlantic. 



II KSI'KKIDIN. A neutral vegetable principle obtained from tin- 

 spongy part of the peel of oranges and lemons, by digesting it in 

 boiling water, and saturating the infusion with cream of lime, tln-n 

 evaporating to dryness, treating the residin- with alcohol, and < 

 rating the filtered solution. The matter left is to be treated v, iih 

 twenty times its weight of distilled vinegar, and the solution set l.y i. .1 

 a week, when the hesperidin is deposited, and is to be purified !>y 

 recrystallisations from alcohol. 



The properties of hesperidin are : It forms white silky needles, 

 grouped in tufts or in niammilated forms; they are inodorous, in.- i pi. I. 

 fuse at a gentle heat into a resinous substance which becomes electrical 

 by friction ; at a higher temperature, this substance decomposes \\itli 

 out yielding ammonia, and burns with flame and an aromatic odour. 

 It is insoluble in cold water, and requires sixty parts of boiling water 

 for solution ; it is very soluble in boiling alcohol, but insoluble in 

 ether. Nitric acid renders hesperidin yellow ; sulphuric acid gives it 

 first a yellow and then a red tint ; hydrochloric acid imparts a greenish 

 yellow colour to it. The acetic solution of hesperidin is not decom- 

 posed by water ; persulphate of iron precipitates it brownish-red : 

 it is soluble in the alkalies. No analysis has as yet been made of 

 hesperidin. 



HIISSENES. [ESSENES.] 



HEST1A. [VESTA.] 



HETEROGENEOUS. [HonooENKOfs.1 



HITKROSCII (other-shadowed), an old astronomical term for 

 persons living in such parts of the earth that their shadows at noon 

 are always turned contrary ways. Thus the only heteroscii are those 

 who are situated without the tropics, and in different hemispheres ; 

 since in the northern hemisphere those who arc situated north of their 

 tropic have the shadow at noon always turned northward, and those 

 south of the southern tropic, southward. 



HKVEENE (CnHn). An oily hydrocarbon found amongst tin- 

 products of the destructive distillation of caoutchouc. 



HEXACHLORXYLON (C..H.C1.O or t' 10 H 4 Cl.O 4 ). A yellow 



