Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/500

LEFT LARYNGITIS 424 LAS CASES name applied to an immature insect from the time that it breaks through the egg shell, whatever state of development it may have reached in ovo. In the order Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Homoptera, the larvse resemble the perfect insect, ex- cept in wanting wings; while in the Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera, they complete- ly differ. Those larvse which have legs and prolegs are called caterpillars; others, with a head and with feet or no feet are called grubs; and those which want both a head and feet maggots. LARYNGITIS (lar-in-ji'-), inflam- .Tiation of the windpipe. It may be acute, chronic, mucous, or cedematous, and is produced by cold or damp or as an accompaniment of certain zymotic dis- eases such as scarlatina, smallpox, and measles. When membranous it is called croup, and may also be frequently found associated with diphtheria. LARYNGOSCOPE (la-rin'-), an in- strument, invented by Garcia, for obtain- ing a view of the larynx. It consists of a small plane mirror on a long, slender stem, which is introduced to the back of the throat, and a large concave mirror for reflecting light (solar or artificial). LARYNGOTOMY (lar-in-gof), an operation by which an incision is made into the larynx to aid in the operation of breathing, when obstruction to it ex- ists, to remove foreign bodies, or for any similar cause. LARYNX, the windpipe. It is built up of the cricoid cartilage above the trachea, containing the arytenoid carti- lages and vocal ligaments, terminating in the glottis and epiglottis; it is the organ of voice. LA SALLE, a city in La Salle co., 111.; on the Illinois river, and on the Illinois Central and the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads; 99 miles S. W. of Chicago. It is the center of a large trade by river, canal, and rail; is in a rich bituminous coal region; and is en- gaged in coal mining, zinc smelting and the manufacture of sulphuric acid, hydraulic cement, sewer pipe, bottles, clocks and ornamental pressed brick, and common brick. It is the seat of St. Mary's Hospital; has a public library; good sewerage system, waterworks, hos- pitals, a National bank, electric light and street railroad plants, and daily and weekly newspapers. Pop. (1910) 11,- 537; (1920) 13,050. ^ ^ ^ ' LA SALLE, ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEXJR DE, a French explorer; born in Rouen, France, Nov. 22, 1643. Settling in Canada at the age of 23, he began his travels with an attempt to reach China by descending the Ohio river, which he supposed to empty into the Pacific. As soon as he found that the great S. streams drained into the Gulf of Mexico he formed the project of descending the Mississippi to the sea. After many and severe hardships this long voyage was concluded, and the arms of France set up at the mouth of the great river on April 9, 1682. Two years later an expedition was fitted out to establish a permanent French settlement on the Gulf, which should secure France's claims to the Mississippi valley. But La Salle's bad fortune pursued him; he mistook Mata- gorda Bay for a mouth of the Miss- issippi, landed there, and then spent two years in unsuccessful journeys to dis- cover the great river, while his colonists and soldiers gradually dwindled away. His harshness of manner, more than his want of success, embittered his followers, and he was assassinated by some of them March 20, 1687. LA SALLE COLLEGE, an educational institution in Philadelphia, Pa., founded in 1863 under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 20; students, 250; president. Brother E. Richard. LAS CASAS, BARTHOLOME DB (las-ka'sas) ; a Spanish prelate; born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. In his 19th year he accompanied his father, who sailed with Columbus, to the West Indies. On his return to Spain he embraced the ec- clesiastical profession, in order that he might act as missionary in the Western Hemisphere. Never did man more zeal- ously endeavor to effect a great and good object. Twelve times he crossed the ocean, to plead at the foot of the Spanish throne the cause of the wretched Indians. He was made Bishop of Chiapa in 1544; but he resigned his see in 1551, returned to his native country, and died in Madrid, in July, 1566. The most valuable of his writings is "(General History of the Indies." LAS CASES (las-kaz), EMMANUEL DIETTDONNifc, COMTE DE, a French historiographer; born near Revel, Lan- guedoc, France, in 1766. He was a lieu- tenant in the navy before the Revolution, but then fled from France to England. After Napoleon became consul, Las Cases established himself as a bookseller in Paris. A work, "Historical Atlas" (1803-1804), attracted the attention of the emperor, who made him a baron, and