IOWA STATE COLLEGE 



3043 



IRAN 



meat-packing plants and agricultural-implement 

 works. The Johnson County Courthouse was 

 constructed at a cost of $100,000. E.S.B. 



IOWA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICUL- 

 TURE AND MECHANIC ARTS, one of the 

 important American schools which emphasize 

 technical and industrial training. It is a co- 

 educational institution, and was established at 

 Ames by the state legislature in 1858. In 

 1862, in accordance with an act of Congress 

 making provision for agricultural and mechanic 

 education throughout the country, the uni- 

 versity came into possession of a valuable 

 grant of public lands (see AGRICULTURE, sub- 

 title Agricultural Education) ; seven years later 

 it was opened for instruction. 



The State College is exceptionally well 

 equipped in facilities for agricultural training. 

 1 Practical instruction in farming is given 

 through the medium of a well-stocked farm of 

 nearly 1,200 acres, while the Iowa Experiment 

 Station, which is closely connected with the 

 college work, gives opportunity for original 

 investigation of problems dealing with agri- 

 culture. There are in addition departments 

 of mechanical, civil, electrical and mining en- 

 gineering, veterinary medicine, industrial and 

 economic science and home economics, and a 

 department which prepares students for the 

 manufacturing industries. The college prop- 

 erty is valued at $4,000,000, and its equipment 

 includes a library of over 49,000 volumes. 

 The faculty numbers about 435, and the stu- 

 dent body, over 5,500. The work of the insti- 

 tution includes five lines, namely, agriculture, 

 engineering, home economics, veterinary medi- 

 cine and industrial science. It endeavors to 

 serve the state by a correlation of educational, 

 experimental and extension work. 



IPECAC, ip'e kak, the dried root of a small, 

 irubby plant which is found in Brazil, from 



ihia to Rio de Janeiro. There are three 

 varieties, the brown, red and gray, all prod- 

 ucts of the same plant; the difference is occa- 

 sioned by the age of the plant, place of growth, 

 or mode of drying. Emetine, or the active 

 principle of ipecac, is found in the bark of the 

 root. It is a white, almost tasteless powder, 

 without odor, which acts as a violent emetic 

 in small doses, and is a powerful poison. In 

 small and repeated doses, it stimulates the 

 secreting organs of the bronchial mucous mem- 

 brane and of the skin. In large doses it acts 

 as an emetic, but with less violent symptoms. 

 It should never be used except on the prescrip- 

 tion of 'a physician. The root of the South 



American species is the only part that is recog- 

 nized as ipecac by the British or the United 

 States Pharmacopoeia. Modern medical science 

 has successfully established the use of ipecac, 

 or emetine, in the treatment of pyorrhoea, a 

 disease marked by excessive shrinkage or re- 

 ceding of the gums. 



IPHIGENIA, ijejeni'a, the heroine of sev- 

 eral Greek legends, a favorite subject with 

 painters, sculptors and poets. Her interesting 

 story has been immortalized by two tragedies 

 by Euripides and a play by Schiller; in music, 

 by Gluck; in poetry, by Goethe and Racine. 

 Agamemnon, king of Argos, incurred the wrath 

 of Artemis (Diana) by killing a hind sacred 

 to her. In revenge she prevented the Greek 

 fleet from sailing to Troy, and would only be 

 appeased upon the condition that Agamemnon 

 sacrifice to her his daughter, Iphigenia. When 

 Iphigenia was brought to the altar she disap- 

 peared and a hind lay there in her stead. 

 Artemis carried her off in a cloud to Tauris, 

 where, acting as the priestess of the goddess of 

 the chase, she sacrificed all strangers in honor 

 of her mistress. In the course of time Orestes, 

 Iphigenia 's brother, came there in search of 

 her, but just as she was about to sacrifice him, 

 a happy recognition took place. Orestes then 

 took her, together with the sacred wooden 

 image of Artemis, to Attica. See MYTHOLOGY. 



IRAN, erahn', the name given to the king- 

 dom of Persia when it embraced the land be- 

 tween the Hindu Kush Mountains, the Tigris 

 River and the Persian Gulf. The wide extent 

 of this old country showed a great variation 

 in climate and presented wide diversity in 

 features as well as in traits and customs of its 

 people. In the old stories relating to Persia, 

 Turan was the land of darkness, and was the 

 name applied to the regions of Asia inhabited 

 by tribes coming from Tartary, while Iran was 

 the land of light. The latter name was adopted 

 by the early inhabitants who belonged to the 

 Iranian branch of the Aryan family of nations. 



Iranians, the name applied to peoples speak- 

 ing languages handed down from the Aryans, 

 the chief stock being the Persians, the Hajemis 

 of the Ispahan country, the Parsis, the old 

 Bactrians and the Kurds. The early authori- 

 ties frequently classed the Iranians with the 

 Armenians, who were natives of the Caucasus 

 Mountains. From earliest history the Iranians 

 were devoted to commerce, and they spread 

 Persian influence as far north as Siberia and 

 even to China. The greater number of the 

 Iranians are Mohammedans. 



