Baron 



von Richthofen, 

 German airman 



RICIMER 



credited with 20 aerial victories. 

 He commanded the llth chasing 

 squadron or " circus " with the 



rank of cap- m^^^mmm*a^^^^m 



tain, and 

 throughout 

 1917 increased 

 his reputation 

 as a pilot and 

 fighting man. 

 He claimed to 

 have brought 

 down the Brit- 

 ish airman, 

 MajorHawker, 

 V.C., while 

 his brother, Baron von Richt- 

 hofen, made a similar claim hi 

 the case of Captain Ball, V.C. He 

 won his 80th victory in April. 

 1918, in which month he received 

 the order of the Bed Eagle with 

 crown and swords. He was shot 

 down behind the British lines near 

 the Somme on April 21, 1918, and 

 buried with full military honours. 

 In his Memoirs, published in 

 August, 1917, he made interesting 

 references to British airmen, credit- 

 ing them with skill and daring, and 

 stating that Captain Ball was his 

 most formidable foe. 



Ricimer (d. A.D. 472). Roman 

 general. Connected with the 

 Visigothic royal family, he was 

 brought up at Rome and soon 

 attained high rank in the army. 

 After defeating the Vandals by sea 

 and land, in 456 he attacked the 

 West Roman emperor Avitus, set- 

 ting up Majorian in his place. 

 From this time Ricimer, the 

 Roman kingmaker, virtually ruled 

 the empire for 16 years. In succes- 

 sion he installed upon the throne 

 Libius Severus, 461 ; Anthemius, 

 467 ; and Olybrius, 472, in which 

 year he died of the plague. 



Rick. Compact structure into 

 which hay is built up when carried. 

 In Scotland and the N. of Eng- 

 land and Ireland, hay is built up 

 in the field into small summer or 

 field ricks of a ton or less, which 

 are subsequently carted away and 

 built into large ricks. See Hay. 



Rickets OR RACHITIS. A disease 

 of infants resulting from faulty 

 diet and characterised by im- 

 pairment of nutrition. Rickets 

 occurs in all parts of the world, and 

 is most prevalent among the poor 

 children of large towns. Bad 

 housing, overcrowding, insuffi- 

 ciency of food, and prolonged 

 lactation are conditions conducive 

 to the development of the disease, 

 but the essential cause is the ab- 

 sence or insufficiency of certain 

 important constituents in the food 

 called vitamines. 



The symptoms begin insidf- 

 ously, and are generally noticed 

 about the sixth to ninth month. 



Rickmansworth 



urban district 



seal 



The child may have suffered from 

 disturbance of digestion, and may 

 have been irritable and restless. 

 It shows a disinclination to walk, 

 and is listless and peevish. There 

 is a general soreness of the body, 

 and the child cries when any at- 

 tempt is made to move him 

 Slight fever, 100 to 101 F., is fre- 

 quently present, and profuse sweat- 

 ing is a characteristic symptom. 



As the disease progresses, changes 

 in the bones become manifest. 

 The ends of the bones are enlarged, 

 and the bones do not possess 

 the normal degree of firmness, nor 

 do they grow at the natural rate. 

 The legs become bent, the spine 

 curved, the sternum or breast- 

 bone is thrown forward, and en- 

 largement at the junction of the 

 ribs with the costal cartilages pro- 

 duces a series of nodules down the 

 front of the chest which is known 

 as the " rickety rosary." The 

 fontanelles or soft spaces between 

 bones of the head remain open. 

 The teeth often fail to erupt, or 

 are decayed and imperfect. Some 

 children become emaciated, while 

 others remain well covered, but 

 look pasty and flabby. Common 

 complications of rickets are bron- 

 chial catarrh, pneumonia, bron- 

 chitis, and laryngismus stridulus. 

 Enlargement of the lymphatic 

 glands, disturbance of digestion, 

 chronic diarrhoea, and other forms 

 of ill-health are often associated 

 with the disorder. 



If the disease is not treated in 

 the early stages 

 death may occur 

 from complica- 

 tions, or, when 

 adult life is 

 reached, there 

 may be serious 

 and permanent 

 deformity. The 

 most important 

 consideration i n 

 the treatment of 

 rickets is the 

 f eeding. Fresh 

 cow's milk should 

 be given, suitably 

 diluted and in suf- 

 ficient "r,t- Rickshaw. The Japanese vehicle as used in South Africa 



RICOCHET 



breeds of dogs, notably bulldogs. 

 It is caused by bad feeding, or a 

 constitutional inability to deposit 

 lime salts in the growing bones. The 

 bones most affected are those of the 

 foreleg, especially the radius, 

 which become bent forward and 

 much distorted. The hind limbs 

 may also suffer. The worst cases 

 are in dogs in which there has been 

 in-breeding. See Dog. 



Rickmansworth. Urban dist. 

 of Hertfordshire. It stands at the 

 junction of the rivers Chess and 

 Colne, 18 m. from 

 London and 4 m. 

 from Watford, 

 and is served by 

 the L. & N.W. 

 and Metropolitan 

 Rlys. and the 

 Grand Junction 

 Canal. S. Mary's 

 is a modern 

 church with some 



interesting internal features. Other 

 buildings are the town hall and 

 some 17th century almshouses. 

 There are some small industries, 

 chiefly brewing and printing, and 

 the Colne is visited by anglers. 

 Near is Moor Park (q.v.), which in 

 1920 Lord Ebury sold to Lord 

 Leverhulme. Pop. 6,300. 



Rickshaw OR JINRIKSHA (Jap. 

 jin, a man ; riki, strength ; sha, 

 a car). Japanese vehicle, seating 

 one person, and drawn by a man. 

 It consists of a light chair mounted 

 on two large wheels, and generally 

 provided with a movable hood. 



quantity 

 according to the age of the child. 

 Cod-liver oil is also helpful. Pre- 

 parations of iron, phosphorus, and 

 lime are recommended. Diarrhoea, 

 if present, should receive the appro- 

 priate treatment. The child should 

 be warmly clothed, given as much 

 fresh air as possible, and should 

 not be allowed to walk until the con- 

 dition is improved. If curvature 

 of the bones has already occurred, 

 the defect can often be corrected 

 by wearing suitable splints. 



Rickets is also the term applied 

 to a disease common in certain 



The coolie who draws it runs be- 

 tween shafts. The rickshaw has 

 been introduced into S. Africa, 

 India, and the Far East, and is 

 a favourite vehicle with Europeans 

 for short journeys. See Japan. 



Ricochet. Term used in gun- 

 nery, when a gun is fired at a low 

 elevation, and the shot often re- 

 bounds after striking the surface it 

 first hits. Such a method of fire 

 was once a recognized form of 

 tactics in sea warfare, when round 

 shot were used, and the ricochet 

 shot did not rise much. The modern 



