URSA MAJOR 



(5005 



URTICARIA 



In health the urine is a slightly-acid, amber- 

 colored liquid, somewhat heavier than water; 

 its average specific gravity is 1.022. It is made 

 up of water, urea (a solid), and various inor- 

 ganic salts. Important among these salts are 

 sodium, potassium, ammonia, calcium and mag- 

 nesium. These ingredients occur in a given 

 quantity of normal urine in the following pro- 

 portion: water, three pints; urea, one and one- 

 seventh ounces ; salts, three-fourths ounce. The 

 amount of urine expelled from the kidneys 

 each twenty-four hours varies considerably, but 

 from two and one-half to four pints may be 

 considered an average amount. -The quantity 

 is lessened, for instance, when the body per- 

 spires freely, and increased when one drinks 

 large amounts of water. 



The condition of the urine is an index to the 

 state of one's health. Sugar in the fluid is an 

 indication of diabetes, and albumin of Bright's 

 disease, and the excretion is tested by physi- 

 cians in their diagnosis of other ailments. In 

 general it should be said that irregularities in 

 the functioning of the kidneys or peculiarities 

 in appearance of urine should be reported to 

 the family doctor. See KIDNEYS. C.B.B. 



UR'SA MA'JOR, a Latin phrase meaning 

 greater bear, is the scientific name for the 

 conspicuous northern constellation commonly 

 known as the Great Bear or the Great Dipper. 

 Ursa Minor (lesser bear) is the name given by 

 astronomers to the Little Bear, or Little Dip- 

 per, a neighboring constellation. For descrip- 

 tion and map see BEAR, GREAT. 



UR'SO, CAMILLA (1842-1902), a violinist, was 

 bora at Nantes, France, of Italian parents. She 

 began the study of the violin at the age of six, 

 and within one year had made such marvelous 

 progress that she gave public concerts. Her 

 father, who was an organist at Nantes, was so 

 impressed by this display of genius that he 

 resigned his position and removed to Paris, 

 win re the child might have better training. 

 She studied in the Conservatory of Paris and 

 at the age of nine made a concert tour of 

 France. When she was ten years old she emi- 

 grated with the family to the United States, 

 and ilurmjr tho next three yean Camilla made 

 an extraordinary impression on American musi- 

 cians. From her thirteenth to her eighteenth 

 year she gave up all public work for furth. r 

 study, but in 1862 began a long series of tours 

 of America, Europ. i and South Africa. 



She was a child of genius, for her teachers al- 

 ways found that she had grasped the tochn 

 lolin playing before they could explain it. 



URSULA, wr'sula, SAINT. According to a 

 medieval legend of the Roman Catholic Church, 

 Ursula was a virgin from Britain who, with 

 eleven companions, was martyred by the Huns 

 at Cologne, while the maidens were returning 

 from a pious pilgrimage to Rome. By a 

 probable error in the translation of an old in- 

 scription in Cologne, the number of the maid- 

 ens of the legend was later multiplied by one 

 thousand, and the martyrdom of Saint Ursula 

 and the eleven thousand virgins is now cele- 

 brated by the Church, the day being October 

 21. 



The martyrdom of Ursula is supposed to 

 have taken place in 237, but no reference to 

 the legend appears in any of the religious writ- 

 ings until the ninth century. From that tmi< 

 on it is referred to more and more frequently. 

 In the twelfth century, where an old Roman 

 burying ground was uncovered in Cologne, it 

 was declared that the bones found U 

 were those of murdered virgins, and interest 

 and excitement were widespread. 



There has been among the Church scholars 

 much discussion of this legend. The radicals 

 are inclined to believe it a mere retelling, in 

 Christian terms, of a pagan myth, but the more 

 conservative writers hold that it is based on 

 an actual occurrence. 



UR'SULINES, or NUNS OF SAINT UR- 

 SULA, a Roman Catholic sisterhood, estab- 

 lished at Brescia, Italy, in 1535, by Angela 

 Merici. The members entered the community 

 for the purpose of caring for the sick, instruct- 

 ing the young and receiving training in holy 

 living. The sisterhood was not at first strict 

 in discipline, but later became a formal Order, 

 requiring the three vows. In 1574 the Ursuline 

 nuns entered France, and in 1611 a large con- 

 vent was built for them near Paris. The Order 

 grew rapidly and spread to most European 

 countries and to America, convents being estab- 

 li.-hrd in Quebec in 1639 and in New Orleans in 

 1727. The convents in France were destroyed 

 at tin- time of tin- Involution, restored by Na- 

 poleon in 1808, nnd again suppressed by the 

 unn< 1< rical laws of 1904. The total number of 

 Ursuline sisters in all countries is at present 

 about 4,500. 



URTICARIA, urtika'ria, from the Latin 

 word for nettle, is the scientific name for im< s 

 or nrttle rash. The term is used because the 

 anVrtion is oftrn caused by the irritating poi- 

 son of the stinging nettle, but this is by no 

 tho only cause of the disorder. For a 

 fuller description, sec HIVES. 



