PERFUME 



PERICLES 



ply of petals follows another until the fat be- 

 comes saturated. It is then placed in closed 

 ith alcohol and heated. The alcohol 

 itial oil of the flower and 

 rises to the top of the liquid, from which it 

 is easily separated. 



Some oils are found in the rind, as are those 

 of the oranpe and the lemon. Those of the 

 mints occur in the leaves and stems and are 

 obtained by distillation. The odor-bearing 

 of the cinnamon is the bark. Rosewood, 

 cedar and sandalwood bear their odors in the 

 wood. Cloves and nutmeg bear them in the 

 : and the sweet-smelling gums are obtained 

 by bruising or cutting the trees. Whatever 

 the method of extraction may be, the product 

 reaches the manufacturer of perfumes in con- 

 centrated form. Great skill and long experi- 

 ence are necessary to the successful extraction 

 of the.^e perfumes, or the product obtained may 

 a scent entirely different from that de- 

 l Tli is is especially true of odors from 

 flowers. Unless the blossoms are gathered at a 

 certain stage of their development the best re- 

 sults cannot be obtained. 



Artificial Perfumes. Chemists have discov- 

 ered what substances constitute the animal and 

 vegetable perfumes and the proportions in 

 which they combine in each perfume. Since 

 some of these substances can be manufactured 

 more cheaply than they can be obtained from 

 their natural sources, the manufacture of arti- 

 ficial perfumes has become an industry of con- 

 siderable importance. So skilfully is the work 

 done that it is difficult to detect the artificial 

 perfume from the natural one it is intended to 

 replace. German chemists have taken the lead 

 industry. 



Manufacture and Use. The perfumes of com- 

 merce consist of various combinations of the 

 ible and artificial perfumes, dis- 

 solved in alcohol and water. By varying the 

 proportion difTcreti' i are prepared from 



tin- same ingredients. Those of the best qual- 

 ity contain a larger proportion of animal 

 fumes than the less expensive preparations, 

 i perfumes as cologne and Florida water 

 consist of :y Miiall (plan; 



of the odor-bearing essences have been dis- 

 solved. 



France is ng country in tlio manu- 



facture of perfumes. At Cannes, Nice, Nimcs 

 and Paris there arc extensive manufactories. 

 England leads in the production of lavender, 

 and Turkey is noted for its attar of roses (see 

 ATTAR). 



Perfumes are used in commerce for imparting 

 a pleasant odor to tooth pastes, cosmetics, 

 soaps and other preparations used in the home. 

 We most frequently associate their use, how- 

 ever, with the toilet, and it is for this purpose 

 that the most costly preparations are made. 

 Used too lavishly, however, perfumes violate 

 the canons of good taste. W.F.R. 



Consult Askinson's Perfumes and Cosmetics. 



PERICARDIUM, perikar' dium, a cone- 

 shaped bag or sac of connective tissue which 

 encloses the heart and a small portion of the 

 large blood vessels at the base of that organ. 

 The apex of the pericardium is behind the 

 breastbone, and its base is attached to the 

 upper surface of the diaphragm. It has a lin- 

 ing of smooth, serous membrane (see MKM- 

 BBANES), which entirely covers the heart; the 

 inner surface of this lining secretes a lubricat- 

 ing fluid that serves to lessen the friction that 

 would otherwise result from the movements 

 of the heart. The outer layer of the pericar- 

 dium consists of strong, interlacing fibers. 

 When the sac becomes inflamed it causes the 

 disease known as pericarditis. See HEART, sub- 

 head Diseases of the Heart. 



PERICLES, pcr'iklcez ( ? -429 B.C.), a 

 Greek statesman who gave his name to the 

 most glorious period of the greatest of Greek 

 states. He was born at Athens, of a noble 

 family, and was educated by the greatest phi- 

 losophers of his day, but when he entered pub- 

 lic life it was as the advocate of the rights 

 of the common 

 people. For 

 thirty years he 

 stood practically 

 supreme in Ath- 

 ens, and the "Age 

 of Pericles" be- 

 came the symbol 

 for all that \va< 

 t in the art 

 and science of the 

 ancient world. 



The Reforms 

 He Instituted. 

 Pericles found 

 Athens in tho 

 hands of the aris- 

 tocracy, who 



From a Utu In th Vati- 

 can, Rome. 



alone could hold 

 the higher offices; he made of it a complete 

 democracy in which izen was eligible 



to any office. This was accomplished in the 



