S T A 



s r A 



Iween the eye-lids, in the form of a whitlfli pearl-coloured 

 tumour, which is attended with total lof? o! fight. 



The malady commonly refults from fome violent fpccies 

 of ophthalmy, particularly that which is termed purvlent, 

 and affefts children, and that which is confeqiient to the 

 fmall-pox. As Scarpa obferves, the itaphyloma is one of 

 the moft ferious dileales to which the eye-ball is fubjeft ; 

 for, to the total and irremediable lofs of fight, are added all 

 the evils which neceffarily refult from the protuberance of 

 the cornea in advanced cafes. The inability of clofiiig the 

 eye-lids, the expofure of the eye-ball to the contaft of the 

 air and extraneous matter lufpended in ir, tlic friflion of 

 the eye-lafhes againft the tumour, the incelTant flux of tears 

 down the fubjacent cheek, render the eye painful and in- 

 flamed ; fympathetically induce ophthalmy in the found 

 one; and caufe ulceration both on the difeafed part of the 

 eye, and on the lower eye-lid and cheek. 



The opacity being irremediable, the onlj- furgical objeft 

 is to prevent the inconveniencies arifing from the pro- 

 tuberance of the difeafed cornea. In recent cafes, when 

 the tumour docs not projeft forward, it is bell to do nothing. 

 In inveterate cafes, the prominent part of the cornea mult 

 be cut off. Scarpa recommends doing the operation as far 

 from the conjunftiva as the cafe will allow. This eminent 

 iurgeon introduces a knife, like that ufed in the extraftion 

 of the catarad, completely acrofb the ftaphyloma, at the 

 dittance of one line and a half, or two lines, from the centre 

 of the tumour. 



The lower half of the promir.ence is to be detached, by 

 pufhing the knife onwa'-d, till its edge comes imt through 

 the membrane below ; then the flap is to be turned up with 

 a pair of forceps, ad the incifion rendered completely cir- 

 cular with the lame biiloury. The aqueous humour, cryf- 

 talline lens, and fome of the vitreous humour, ufually efcape 

 immediately after the operation, and the eye conlequently 

 becomes fo diminifhcd as to allow the eye-lids to be (hut. 

 Ophthalmy and fuppuration of courfe fucceed. Emollient 

 poultices are now to be applied, until the violence of the in- 

 flammation has abated, the quantity of matter is diminiftied, 

 and the wound manifelts a difpofition to heal : then they 

 may be left off; and occafionally touching the fore with the 

 argentum nitratum, and applying a pledget over the eye, 

 will complete the cicatrization. 



Mr. Ware thinks, that the portion of difeafed cornea, 

 taken away in the foregoing manner, is too diminutive to 

 allow the cryilalline lens to efcape, without bruifing the 

 iris; and that it fometimes does not prevent the eye from 

 becoming again dillended with an aqueous fiiiid. He has, 

 therefore, .idvifed the circular incifion of the cornea to be 

 made about a quarter of an inch from the junftion ot that 

 membrane with the fclerotica. Scarpa fuUe Malattie prin- 

 cipali degli Occhi. Ware in Tranf. of the Med. Society uf 

 London, vnl. i. art. 6. Cooper's Firlt Lines of Surgery. 



STAPHYLOSIS, a protuberance or protrufion of the 

 choroid coat of the eye. 



STAPIDACEUS Musculus, in jlnatomy, a name 

 riven by Duverney, Douglas, and many others, to the 

 mufcle of the (tapes of the ear, called by oXher% Jlapidis 

 mufculus, and by Albinus Jlapidium. See STAPEDIUS and 

 Ear. 



STAPLE, Stapula, primarily fignifies a public place, 

 or market, whither merchants, &c. are obliged to bring 

 their goods to be bought by the people ; as the Grcve, or 

 the places along the Seine, for the wines and corns at Paris ; 

 whither the merchants of other parts are obliged to bring 

 thofe commodities. 



VoUius and Menage derive the word from Jlaplus, which 

 i& found in the Ripuary laws, fignifying a place where juf- 



tice is adminiftcrcd. Others derive it from the Germac 

 Jlaple, or \^3X'm Jlapula, which Boxhornius derives farther 

 from the German Jlapdcn, to put in a heap. Others again 

 have obferved, that the Engliih word ftaple is, in the civil 

 law Latin ityle of former times, Xermed Jlabile emporium, 

 i. e. a fixed port or mart for the importing of merchandize. 

 And hence probably, they fay, the contraftcd word Jlaple 

 (ufed, with fome Imall variation in the orthography, all 

 over Europe) had its derivation. 



Staple alfo fignifies a city or tow», where merchants 

 jointly agree to carry certain commodities, as wool, cloth, 

 lead, tin, &c. in order to their beng commodioufly fold by 

 the great. In England, ilaples were fettled and appointed 

 to be conitaiitly kept in fevcral towns, to which places mer- 

 chants and traders were to carry goods to fell in thofe parts. 

 See Merchanis of the S taple. 



The itaple commodities of England were chiefly wool, 

 leather, cloth, tin, lead, &c. ; though by ftaple goods are 

 now generally meant any proper faleable commodities, not 

 eafily fubjeft to perifh ; or fuch wares and merchandize at 

 are the natural and ufual produd or manufafture of any 

 city or country. 



The ftaples in the Levant, called by the French efchclltt, 

 i. e. Jcales, are fuch cities where the Engliih, French, 

 Dutch, Italians, &c. have confuls, faftors, and magazines ; 

 and whither they fend veffels regularly each year. The 

 principal of thefe are Smyrna, Alexandretta, Aleppo, 

 Seyda, Cyprus, Sailee, Alexandria, Cairo, Tunis, Al- 

 giers, Tripoh, the Morea, Capdia, and the iflands of the 

 Archipelago. See Factory. 



Staple, Law of the. See Law. 



Staple, Merchants of the, in the Hijlory of Engli/h Com- 

 merce, a denomination given to the firft and molt ancient 

 commercial fociety in England, from their exporting the 

 ftaple wares of the kingdom, which were wool, fkins, lead, 

 and tin, in their rough ftate for manufaifturc. This fociety 

 is laid to have had its rife in the year 1248 ; and it appears 

 to have had the legal form of a corporation before the I 2th 

 year of Edward II. A.D. 1319; as there are records in 

 the pipe-ofRce of the Exchequer, which mention, that it was 

 aftually a corporation, with the title of the mayor and con- 

 ftables of the ilaple of England, who then had tlieir ftaple 

 at Antwerp, for conducing the faleof Englifh ftaple wares, 

 and the importation of fuch foreign goods as were wanted 

 at home. However, in 1328, by 2 Edw. III. cap. 9. it 

 was cna6ted, that the ftaples, on both Cdes of the fea, 

 (hould cealc, and that all merchant-ftrangers, &c. might go 

 and come with their merchandize into England, after the 

 tenor of the Great Charter. In 1336 the ftaple of wool 

 was again fixed in Brabant; in 1341, at Bruges; and in 

 1348, at Calais; whither, and to no other place, all mer- 

 chandize exported from England, Wales, and Ireland, 

 cither by denizens or aliens, were to be (hipped from Eng- 

 land and there knded. The cuftoms from this ftaple are faid 

 to have then amounted to upwards of 60,000/. ftcrling 

 yearly. Inl353, Edward I II. removed the ftaple of wool 

 from Bruges to Weftminller, Canterbury, Cluchefter, 

 Exeter, Wincheftcr, Briltol, Lincoln, York, Norwich, 

 Newcaftle, and Hull, for Engl.ind ; and to Dublin, Cork, 

 Waterford, and Drogheda, for Ireland. And it was 

 enaded by 27 Edward III. called \\k Jlatutc of the Jlaple, 

 that all ftaple wares" for exportation Ihould be firft broui;ht 

 to fome of thefe places only, where the cuftom (liould be 

 paid, and exported by merchant-ftrangers only, under an 

 oath not to hold any ftaple thereof beyond fea ; which pri- 

 vilege was extended by 31 Edward III. to denizens al(o. 

 Calais, however, ftill remained a ftaple. 



In thefe ttaple-towni, ccurti of law-merchant were efta- 

 ' bliftted. 



