GAS STOVE 



mustard gas also has a lachryma- 

 tory effect. Sneezing gas was used 

 in other irritant shell, diphenyl- 

 chlorarsine being chiefly used. A gas 

 shell consists of two compartments, 

 a small one for the high explosive 

 bursting charge and a large one for 

 the " gas." They are usually fitted 

 with fuses designed to act instan- 

 taneously on impact of the projec- 

 tile. Gas shell are of special impor- 

 tance in trench warfare, as the gas 

 will penetrate into shelters, gun 

 positions, and dug-outs which are 

 quite safe against even direct hits 

 by high explosive shell. See 

 Chemical Shell. 



Gas Stove. Term properly be- 

 longing to apparatus heated by 

 gas, used for the warming of rooms, 

 either through the medium of ra- 

 diation from surfaces made hot by 

 the gas directly, or from surfaces 

 heated by hot water. It is used in 

 this li mi ted sense in the United 

 States and on the continent of Eu- 

 rope. In this country it is now 

 applied to practically all domestic 

 apparatus in which gas is used for 

 heating or cooking, from a simple 

 " gas ring " to the most elaborate 

 " kitchener," and also to the com- 

 mon gas-heated grate. See Cook- 

 ery ; Heaters. 



'Gas Tar OR COAL TAR. Term 

 used for the black, semi -solid sub- 

 stance which is a by-product of the 

 destructive distillation of coal. It 

 is extremely valuable, containing 

 the essential constituents of aniline 

 dyes, oils, etc. See Coal Tar ; Dyes. 

 Gastein. Valley and health 

 resort of Austria, in Salzburg. It 

 lies at a height of about 3,000 ft., 

 fine scenery being provided by the 

 two falls of the river Ache which 

 flows through it. There are several 

 villages in the valley, including 

 Hof-Gastein and Wildbad-Gastein. 

 Wildbad, with its famous mineral 

 springs, is the chief resort of visi- 

 tors, for whose accommodation 

 there are a number of hotels, and 

 boarding houses. 



Gastein, CONVENTION OF. Ar- 

 rangement between Austria and 

 Prussia, Aug. 14, 1865, about the oc- 

 cupation of the duchies of Slesvig- 

 Holstein, and Lauenburg. After the 

 war with Denmark in 1864 these two 

 powers obtained theduchiesjointly, 

 but jealousies developed. Austria, 

 supported by a majority in the 

 diet of the German Confederation, 

 wished to make Frederick, duke of 

 Augustenburg, ruler of Holstein. 

 Prussia objected and prepared to 

 build a naval harbour at Kiel, but 

 a compromise was effected at 

 Gastein. By this Prussia became 

 responsible for Slesvig and Aus- 

 tria for Holstein, while the former 

 country secured Lauenburg for a 

 money payment. This convention, 



3443 



in Bismarck's words, "papered over 

 the cracks," but they soon reap- 

 peared, for in 1866 war with 

 Austria broke out. 



Raster, MOSES (b. 1856). Pvu- 

 manian philologist. Born at Bu- 

 karest of Jewish parents, and 

 exiled for his advocacy of the cause 

 of his coreligionists, he settled in 

 England, 1885. He holds several 

 important posts in connexion with 

 the Jewish world, and is also pre- 

 sident of the Folklore society and 

 vice-president of the Asiatic society. 

 His works include a history of Ru- 

 manian Literature in German. 



Gasteria. Genus of evergreen 

 succulent plants. Of the natural 

 order Liliaceae, they are allied to 

 the aloe, natives of S. Africa. The 

 leaves are tongue-shaped or sword- 

 shaped, forming a rosette or in 

 two ranks ; the flowers tubular, 

 with some shade of red, disposed 

 in long sprays. 



Gasteromyceteae (Gr. gaster, 

 stomach, myketes, fungi). Large 

 natural order of fungi of world- 

 wide distribution. The charac- 

 teristic of the order is that the 

 spore-bearing surface is com- 

 pletely enclosed in a continuous 

 wall (peridium) until the spores 

 are fully developed, when the en- 

 velope is ruptured, and the spores 

 set free. It contains the families 

 Phalloideae (stinkhorns), Nidul- 

 ariaceae (bird's-nest fungi), Ly- 

 coperdaceae (puff-balls), etc. 



Gastric Catarrh. Inflamma- 

 tion of the lining membrane of the 

 stomach. It may be chronic or 

 acute, and it gives rise to pain, 

 vomiting, and often severe head- 

 aches. Acute gastric catarrh is 

 usually caused by excess of eating 

 or the swallowing of unsuitable 

 foods. The cure is simple, that of 

 giving the stomach as complete 

 a rest as possible, either by fasting 

 or the judicious selection of easily 

 digestible foods. See Stomach. 



Gastric Juice. Fluid secreted 

 by the mucous membrane of the 

 stomach. In the human being it 

 consists of about 99 '4 per cent, of 

 water ; '3 per cent, of organic sub- 

 stances, chiefly pepsin ; '2 per cent, 

 of free hydrochloric acid ; '14 per 

 cent, of sodium chloride (common 

 salt), and smaller amounts of other 

 salts. The action of gastric juice 

 is fivefold. 



(1) It acts as an antiseptic in 

 virtue of its hydrochloric acid, 

 tending to destroy bacteria and 

 prevent putrefactive processes oc- 

 curring in the stomach. (2) It acts 

 on cane sugar converting it into 

 simpler forms. (3) It curdles milk. 

 (4) It splits fat up into simpler 

 bodies. (5) It converts proteid 

 the principal nitrogenous consti- 

 tuent of animal food into pro- 



GASTROCNEM1US 



teoses which, after further change 

 into peptones, are absorbed in the 

 process of digestion. See Stomach. 



Gastritis. Inflammation of the 

 mucous membrane which lines 

 the interior of the stomach. Two 

 forms are recognized, acute and 

 chronic. Acute gastritis is a com- 

 mon complaint most often caused 

 by eating unsound or indigestible 

 food. Children, persons of a 

 gouty tendency, and those ad- 

 dicted to alcoholism are particu- 

 larly prone to attacks. Irritant 

 poisons may also give rise to acute 

 gastritis. 



The symptoms are those of 

 pain and feeling of distension in the 

 stomach, nausea, vomiting, gaseous 

 eructations, and headache. In 

 severe cases there may be a rise 

 of temperature. The tongue is 

 coated, and diarrhoea may follow. 



The symptoms generally disap- 

 pear in from one to three days. 

 Medicinal treatment is simple. In 

 most cases a purgative should be 

 given, castor oil being particularly 

 useful in children. No food should 

 be taken, until the symptoms are 

 abating, and then only the lightest 

 diet, such as milk, or milk and 

 lime-water and a little dry toast. 



Chronic gastritis may follow the 

 persistent eating of unsuitable or 

 indigestible food, or excessive tak- 

 ing of tea, coffee, or alcohol, or 

 the habit of hastily taking meals 

 and bolting food which is insuffi- 

 ciently masticated. The condition 

 may also arise in the course of 

 disease of the stomach such as 

 ulcer or cancer, and it is frequently 

 a secondary result of constitutional 

 disorders such as anaemia, gout, 

 diabetes, and tuberculosis. 



The symptoms are pain in the 

 stomach and sensations of fulness 

 after eating, nausea often most 

 marked on rising in the morning, 

 flatulence, eructations, headache, 

 depression, and lassitude. In pro- 

 longed cases there may be marked 

 emaciation. Treatment consists in 

 careful dieting and allowing plenty 

 of time for meals. It is often 

 desirable to drink only between 

 meals and not with meals. Alcohol 

 should be avoided, and the taking 

 of tea reduced to the minimum. 



Gastrochaena. Genus of marine 

 bivalve molluscs, boring into lime- 

 stone and sandstone rocks. They 

 secrete a kind of tube, shaped some- 

 what like a flask, which is usually 

 coated with grams of sand. Only 

 one species occurs round the British 

 coasts, the flask-shell (G. dubia). 



Gastrocnemius (Gr. gaster, 

 stomach; knerne, leg). Muscle 

 which forms the main part of the 

 calf of the leg. It consists in the 

 upper part of two fleshy masses, 

 one springing from the outer side of 



