SPARTANBURG 



5484 



SPAWN 



spite attempts of the soldiery to restrain him, 

 established himself in the crater of Mount Ve- 

 suvius. Slaves seeking freedom flocked to him 

 by thousands, so that he was able to overcome 

 in battle several Roman forces that were sent 

 against him. 



Leaving his mountain fastness when he felt- 

 that his army was large enough, Spartacus 

 succeeded in gaining possession of almost all 

 of Southern Italy. Two consuls were sent 

 against him, but he defeated them both and 

 led his followers toward the Alps, meaning to 

 lead them out of Italy, that they might be 

 free and return to their homes. The slaves 

 themselves, however, were determined to march 

 on Rome, and compelled Spartacus to lead 

 them, but they lacked courage when the critical 

 moment arrived. A fresh army under Marcus 

 Licinius Crassus was sent against Spartacus, 

 and at first he defeated it as he had done be- 

 fore, but dissension broke out among his fol- 

 lowers and in 71 B. c. a pitched battle resulted 

 in the annihilation of his army. He himself, 

 having stabbed his horse, fought on foot and 

 showed incredible valor before he met his 

 death. The rising practically died out with the 

 death of the leader. See GLADIATORS. 



SPAR'TANBURG, S. C., the county seat of 

 Spartanburg County, is in the northwestern 

 part of the state, seventy-six miles southwest 

 of Charlotte, N. C., and 100 miles northwest of 

 Columbia. It is on the Southern, the Carolina, 

 Clinchfield & Ohio and the Charleston & West- 

 ern Carolina railroads and on electric inter- 

 urban lines. In 1910 the population was 17,517; 

 it had increased to 21,365 (Federal estimate) in 

 1916. The area of the city is a little more than 

 seven square miles. Spartanburg contains Wof- 

 ford College for men and Converse College for 

 women. Prominent features are the Federal 

 building, city hall, Carnegie Library, Y. M. 

 C. A. building and a $268,000 hotel. The city 

 is in a productive cotton belt and has textile 

 mills and fertilizer factories. The commission 

 form of government was adopted in 1913. 



SPASM, spaz'm, a more or less violent jerk- 

 ing and contortion of the muscles, is a symp- 

 tom of several disorders. It is the most promi- 

 nent symptom of epilepsy (which see), and is a 

 common affliction of children suffering from 

 intestinal trouble. It also occurs in many cases 

 of poisoning, and is a late symptom of Bright's 

 disease. The spasms, or "fits," that attack 

 small children and babies should be treated as 

 follows, according to the advice of a well- 

 known specialist, Dr. L. E. Holt : 



Keep the child perfectly quiet with ice at the 

 head, put the feet in a mustard bath, and roll 

 the entire body in large towels which have been 

 dipped in mustard water (two heaping table- 

 spoonfuls of mustard to one quart of tepid water), 

 and have plenty of hot water and a bathtub at 

 hand, so that the doctor can give a hot bath if 

 he thinks it advisable. 



If the convulsions have continued until the 

 pulse is weak, the face very pale, the nails and 

 lips blue, and the feet and hands cold, the hot 

 bath will be useful by bringing blood to the sur- 

 face and relieving the heart, lungs and brain. 



The temperature should not be over 106 F. ; 

 this should always be tested by a thermometer 

 if one can be obtained. Without this precau- 

 tion, in the excitement of the moment, infants 

 have frequently been put into baths so hot that 

 serious and even fatal burns have been pro- 

 duced. If no thermometer is available the nurse 

 may plunge her arm to the elbow into the water. 

 It should feel warm, but not so hot as to be at 

 all uncomfortable. One-half a teacupful of pow- 

 dered mustard added to the bath often adds to 

 its efficacy. C.B.B. 



SPAVIN, a disease of horses affecting the 

 hock, or joint between the knee and the fet- 

 lock. It occurs in two forms, bone spavin and 

 bog spavin. Bone spavin consists of a bony 

 enlargement on the inside of the hock at the 

 head of the shank bones or between the small 

 bones of the shank. At first the spavin grows 

 very slowly, and it may not be noticed until 

 the horse becomes lame. No remedy has been 

 found which will cure bone spavin, but blister- 

 ing the part and allowing the animal several 

 months rest may afford some relief. The dis- 

 ease is dreaded by horsemen, since it may 

 render an otherwise perfectly sound animal 

 nearly worthless. 



Bog spavin is a soft swelling around the joint 

 caused by the accumulation of synovial fluid 

 (joint oil), and is usually caused by straining 

 the joint. It is more likely to occur in young 

 than in old horses. The treatment consists in 

 hot applications, blistering and, as a last re- 

 sort, "firing" with a hot iron, which should be 

 done by a skilful veterinary surgeon. 



SPAWN, the eggs of fishes, mollusks, frogs 

 and reptiles, especially when found in masses. 

 Usually they are produced in great numbers, 

 particularly among sea animals which are 

 preyed on by larger species or which leave eggs 

 and young to hatch and develop alone. The 

 production of countless millions of eggs by 

 water-inhabiting animals is necessary to keep 

 the different species from extinction. It is an 

 interesting fact that fresh-water fish often de- 

 posit their eggs in the sea, while sea fish often 

 ascend fresh-water streams during the spawn- 



