FLAT 



may assume a variety of shapes, 

 for use in storing and heating 

 liquids, and, formerly, as a recep- 

 tacle for gunpowder. ( 3 ) As applied 

 to ordnance, a flask is a metal 

 reservoir for storing compressed air 

 which forms the actuating medium 

 of a motor fcV as, automobile 

 torpedo. 



Flat. Self-contained residence. 

 It is on one floor, with a private 

 entrance door, and opening on to 

 a common staircase. Many build- 

 ings are composed of such separate 

 dwellings. The upper stories of 

 business premises are frequently 

 used as flats, and sometimes 

 ordinary dwelling-houses are so 

 adapted. In Scotland a block of 

 flats is known as a flatted house, 

 and in the U..A. as an apartment 

 house. See Housing. 



Flat. In music, a sign (I? ). It in- 

 dicates that the note to which it 

 refers is to be a semitone lower in 

 pitch than the ordinary note of 

 the same alphabetical name or 

 in the same position on the stave. 

 It was first applied to the note B, 

 and the sign was actually a little b, 

 to distinguish this note from Jj B 

 which in Germany was and is 

 still called H ($=*). See Double 

 Flat ; Natural ; Semitone ; Sharp. 



Flat bush. Suburb of Brook- 

 lyn, U.S.A. Formerly a township 

 in King's co., Long Island, it was 

 acquired by Brooklyn in 1894, and 

 became a part of that borough 

 four years later. The battle of 

 Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776, is 

 sometimes called the battle of 

 Flabbusb, 



Flateyjarbok. Icelandic manu- 

 script dating from the 14th cen- 

 tury. Among other things it con- 

 tains some account of the voyages 

 of the Norsemen of the 10th and 

 llth centuries to the American 

 continent. Flateyjarbok (the Book 

 of Flatey) is preserved at Copen- 

 hagen. See Anecdotes of Olave 

 the Black, J. Johnstone, 1780; 

 Flateyjarbok, ed. G. Vigfusson and 

 C. R. Unger, 1860-68. 



Flatfish (Pleuronectidcie). Large 

 groxip of fishes of flattened shape, 

 in which the two sides are unlike 

 in colour and the two eyes are on 

 one side. The plaice and sole 

 are examples. In these fish the 

 body is greatly compressed later- 

 ally. In early life the flatfish are 

 symmetrical, and swim like round 

 fishes. Then they become flat- 

 tened, the body tilts over, and 

 the fish takes to swimming on its 

 side and to lying on the bottom 

 of the sea. The upper side then 

 becomes darkened, and assumes 

 a hue which approximates to the 

 nature of the ocean bed on which 

 it lies, while the markings closely 



3192 



resemble the gravel and mot- 

 Uings of the sand or mud. At the 

 ^ame time, the eye on the under 

 tide gradually works round to the 

 -3pper surface and the mouth 

 becomes more or less twisted. 



Flatfish are marine in habit, 

 though flounders frequently ascend 

 Tivers, and a few species have 

 a, lapted themselves to a life in fresh 

 water. Most are good table fish. 



Flat Foot. In mankind, a con- 

 dition in which the arch of the 

 foot is reduced, or in bad cases 

 nearly abolished, so that almost 

 the whole extent of the sole comes 

 in contact with the ground. Flat 

 foot is most common in young 

 persons of poor physique, whose 

 occupation has necessitated their 



Flat Foot. Illustration of a severe 

 case. Above, diagram of the foot 

 with. corrective apparatus support- 

 ing the arch 



standing for long periods, or fre- 

 quently carrying heavy weights. 

 Occasionally it may result from 

 injuries to the foot which have torn 

 or weakened some of the ligaments. 



Flat foot produces feelings of 

 fatigue and weakness after a com- 

 paratively small amount of exer- 

 cise. Severe pain may be felt in the 

 sole, and the gait becomes shuf- 

 fling and awkward. Eventually, 

 the whole posture of the body may 

 be altered, particularly when the 

 condition is more marked in one 

 foot than in the other. Compen- 

 satory changes may result in a 

 tilting of the pelvis, curvature of 

 the spine, and even changes in the 

 position of the shoulders. '"" 



In early cases, where weakness 

 rather than actual deformity of 

 the arch is present, rest should be 



FLAUBERT 



enjoined ; at the same time, the 

 patient should undergo a course 

 of instruction in exercises speci- 

 ally designed to strengthen the 

 weak parts. When the condition 

 is more marked, it is necessary to 

 afford artificial support to the 

 arch of the foot by means of instep- 

 pads worn inside the boots. These, 

 however, merely relieve the symp- 

 toms, and exercise no curative 

 functions. In long-standing cases, 

 remedial measures may prove 

 useless, and a surgical operation 

 alone will relieve the condition. 

 See Foot. 



Flatman, THOMAS (1637-88). 

 English miniaturist. He was 

 born in London, and educated at 

 Winchester and New College, 

 Oxford, of which he was scholar 

 and fellow. He became a barrister 

 and practised poetry and minia- 

 ture painting as an amateur, the 

 latter with conspicuous success. 

 Walpole cites a portrait of Dr. 

 Tooke's father by him which was 

 highly praised by contemporary 

 connoisseurs. He died Dec. 8, 1688. 



Flattening Out. In aeronau- 

 tics, a manoeuvre whereby an 

 aeroplane in making a descent 

 decreases its gliding angle until 

 its flight path becomes almost 

 horizontal. It also means to raise 

 the nose of a flying-machine after 

 a steep dive, and thus bring it back 

 to its normal line of flight. 



Flattery. Cape or promontory 

 of Washington, U.S.A. At the 

 S. side of the entrance to the 

 strait of Juan de Fuca, it is the 

 extreme N.W. point of the state. 

 There is another cape of this name 

 in Queensland, Australia, in Banks 

 co., about lat. 14 52' S. 



Flatulence (late Lat. flatulentus, 

 full of wind). Gas in the stomach 

 or intestines. It is due partly to air 

 which is swallowed with food, and 

 partly to the fermentation of food 

 in the alimentary canal. The con- 

 dition is often associated with 

 disorders of digestion, and results 

 from too hasty swallowing of food 

 or imperfect mastication. Hy- 

 sterical persons are more prone to 

 develop the condition. Intestinal 

 flatulence is often associated with 

 constipation. 



The treatment consists in at- 

 tention to the teeth, thorough 

 mastication and avoidance of 

 starchy food and sugar. Intestinal 

 flatulence necessitates proper atten- 

 tion to the bowels. Dyspeptic con- 

 ditions should receive appropriate 

 treatment. See Dyspepsia. 



Flaubert, GTJSTAVE (1821-80). 

 French novelist. Born at Rouen, 

 Dec. 12, 1821, the son of a surgeon, 

 he went to Paris to study law in 

 1840, but spent a number of years 

 in travel, visiting the East in 



