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CRE'TINISM, a peculiar endemic disease, 

 common in Switzerland, and in some 

 other mountainous districts. It makes a 

 close approach to rickets in its general 

 symptoms ; but differs in the tendency to 

 that peculiar enlargement of the thyroid 



fland called by the French goitre, and 

 y us Derbyshire-neck, and in the mental 

 imbecility which accompanies it from 

 the first. The individuals so affected with 

 this disease are called cretins. 



CRIB-BITINO, biting the manger or crib ; 

 a bad habit in horses, caused by disease 

 in the teeth, or rough usage by the person 

 who currycombs them. 



CRIB'IFORM, Lat. cribiformis, sieve-like 

 (cribnim, a sieve) ; applied to one of the 

 bones of the cranium (the ethmoid bone), 

 which is perforated like a sieve. 



CRICE'TCS, a genus of Mammalia the 

 Hamsters. Order Rodentia. These ani- 

 mals have considerable resemblance to 

 the rat in conformation, but are agree- 

 ably marked with grey, black, and white 

 spots. The C. vulgaris is common in all 

 the sandy regions which extend from the 

 north of Germany to Siberia. 



CRI'COID, Lat. cricoides, ring-like 

 <x$iof, a ring, and ftio;, like). Applied 

 in anatomy to a ring-like cartilage of the 

 larynx. 



CRIMP. 1. An agent for coal-merchants 



and persons concerned in shipping. 2. 



An obsolete game at cards. 3. A person 



formerly employed to decoy others into 

 the naval or military service. 



CRIN'GLE, from D. krinkel, a bend. A 

 hole in the bolt-rope of a sail, formed by 

 intertwisting the division or strand of a 

 rope alternately round itself and through 

 the strand of the bolt-rope, till it becomes 

 threefold, and assumes the shape of a 

 ring. Its use is to receive the ends of 

 the ropes by which the sail is drawn up 

 to its yard, or to extend the leech by 

 the bow-line bridles. Iron crinijles or 

 hnnks are open rings running on the 

 stays, to which the heads of the stay- 

 sails are made fast. 



CRI'SO, from crinit, hair. 1. A genus of 

 Entozoa, observed chiefly in horses and 



dogs. 2. A disease which, according to 



Ettmuller and others, has prevailed epi- 

 demically among children. It consists 

 in the eruption of rigid black hairs from 

 the skin of the back, arms, and legs, ac- 

 companied with febrile irritation and 

 emaciation. Three or four crops arise 

 during the first month of the child's life. 



CREINOI'DEA, from xitov, a lily, and 

 uSflj, like, lily-shaped zoophytes. A 

 name given to the whole class of Encri- 

 nites and 1'entacrinites, from their resem- 

 blance to the head of a lily. The fossil 

 remains of this order have been long 

 *OWD bv the name of stone-lilies or en- 



crinitcs, and have lately been classed in a 

 separate order, containing many genera, 

 and placed by Cuvier after the asteria>. 

 The skeleton of the crinoldea is composed 

 ofnumerous ossicula, thenumborof bones 

 in one skeleton being computed at up- 

 wards of 30,000. 



CRIS'TA, Lat. a crest. This name >s 

 given, 1. In anatomy, to several parts and 

 processes of bone, supposed to resemble 

 the comb of a cock, as the crista ilii and 



crista galli of the ethmoid bone. 2. In 



surgery, to certain excrescences supposed 

 to resemble the comb of a cock. 



CRIS'TATE, Lat. cristatus, crested. Ap- 

 plied to parts of plants, &c., having an 

 appendage resembling a crest. 



CRITH'MUM, the samphire or sea-fennel. 

 A genus of plants. Pentandria Digynia. 

 There are two species ; the 6' maritimum, 

 a low perennial, grows on our coasts, and 

 is used as a pickle. Name from <, 

 to secrete, in allusion to some ascribed 

 medicinal virtues of the plant. 



CROCKET, from Fr. croc, a hook. The 

 small buds or bunches of foliage used in 

 Gothic architecture, to ornament spires, 

 canopies, pinnacles, &c. ; the larger 

 bunches at the top are termed finials. 



CROC'ODILE, Lat. crocodilus. An am- 

 phibious voracious animal of the order 

 Sauria, Cuv. See CROCODILUS. 



CROCODI'LTJS, a genus of reptiles of the 

 order Sauria, Cuv., comprising 12 species ; 

 viz. one Gavial, three Alligators, and 

 eight true Crocodiles. Name z%ozi>btiXo; , 

 of uncertain origin. Crocodiles are large 

 animals, having four feet, and a tail 

 flattened on its sides, and covered, like 

 the back of the animal, with very hard 

 scales or plates. They are furnished with 

 two rows of teeth, and there are three 

 eyelids to their eyes. The vertebrae are 

 so disposed as not to admit of sudden 

 deviation from a straight course, in con- 

 sequence of which it is not difficult to 

 escape from them by pursuing a zigzag 

 course, or by running from them. Their 

 eggs are as large and hard as those of a 

 goose. They inhabit fresh water. 



CROCON'IC ACID. During the distillation 

 of potassium from a mixture of carbonate 

 of potash and charcoal, a gray compound 

 comes over, which forms a yellow solu- 

 tion with water. From this solution 

 yellow crystals of croconate of potash ar 

 obtained, which afford by proper treat- 

 ment yellow prismatic crystals of croconic 

 acid; a compound, according to Gmelin, 

 of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The 

 acid is decomposed by strong heat, and 

 deposits pure charcoal. It takes its name 

 from croceus, yellow (crocus, saffron). 



CRO'CVS. 1. Saffron, a -renus of planU. 

 TriandriaMonogynia. The C. sativus is 

 a native of Greece and Asia Minor, bul 



