Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/77

LEFT TYPHUS FEVER 59 TYR occur from May to November, but espe- cially in July, August, and September, traveling generally from E. N. E. to W. S. W. along the coast of China. In their broad characteristics they resemble hur- ricanes in other parts of the world, and their tremendous fury is no doubt due very much to the surface conditions un- der which they are produced. TYPHUS FEVER, a contagious fever, which occurs mainly in temperate and cold climates, and often rages as an epidemic. It is also known as "spotted," "epidemic," or "contagious" fever, and was formerly called "camp" or "gaol" fever from its prevalence in camps and prisons. It is most prevalent among fe- males and young people, but the highest rate of mortality from the disease oc- curs among adult males. The contagion is communicated through the air, and probably proceeds from the breath, which has a peculiar foul smell. It is not com- municated from the clothes or excreta, and consequently, by properly isolating the patient, the spread of the fever may be prevented. The period of incubation is supposed to range from a few hours to several days. The earliest sjmiptoms are heaviness and listlessness, with a confusion of ideas, which afterward develops into de- lirium; an eruption of round, dark, red- dish-brown spots then makes its appear- ance, the temperature is high, the pulse very rapid, and the patient suffers from extreme weakness. The condition of the bowels varies in different patients, for there may be either diarrhoea or consti- pation. The duration of an uncompli- cated case of typhus varies from 12 to 21 days. The greatest danger is usually during the second week of the illness, death seldom ensuing before the seventh day. The treatment of typhus consists in placing the patient under the best pos- sible hygienic conditions, keeping up the strength with beef tea, mutton broth, eggs, arrowroot, etc., and in alleviating the most prominent and distressing sym- toms, such as relieving thirst, by the free administration of cooling drinks, con- trolling sleeplessness, headache, and de- lirium by small doses of opium, keeping the bowels open by mild laxatives, etc. Stimulants should not be given to chil- dren, and many adults do well without them, but alcohol may be advantageously used in the case of old persons, or where the patient has been accustomed to the free use of stimulants. When recovery takes place, it is generally very rapid, a great change in the condition of the pa- tient often occurring in 24 or 48 hours. The only complication at all common is a form of pneumonia. Typhus was one of the scourges of the World War. It fol- lowed invasion in Serbia in 1914-1915, and was prevalent in Russia and in southeastern and central Europe in 1919- 1920, following pre-war conditions. TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION, a society of compositors banded together for mu- tual protection, for the regulation of wages, fixing the number of apprentices allowed to each establishment, the length of time each apprentice must serve in order to become a master workman, and for extending general aid to the mem- bers of such association. With the extension of the printing business in the United States, and espe- cially with the development of news- papers, there arose a necessity for mu- tual protective associations among com- positors and other cognate trades con- nected with the art of printing. These associations were at first local in their jurisdiction. But the migratory habits of journeymen printers suggested the necessity for an organization that would secure for these nomads the comity and extension of favor and protection which the members of a common craft should always receive from each other. From this necessity arose the International Union, which is composed of delegates from subordinate unions in the United States and Canada. While the Interna- tional Union is the supreme body, the management of the internal affairs of each union is left almost entirely to the subordinate divisions. Thus each local union may regulate the number of ap- prenticeSj, the scale of wages for compo- sition, time work, etc. Whenever a mem- ber of one local union comes within the jurisdiction of another local body, he at once is subject to the by-laws of the lat. ter. Traveling cards are granted to members, but these cards must be de- posited with the local union within the jurisdiction of which its holder proposes to remain for a given length of time, and dues must be paid into the local union with which the card is deposited. There are numerous local unions in the United States, that of New York City being the largest, having a membership of some thousands — followed by Chicago, Phila- delphia, Boston, St. Louis, and other large cities of the country. The Interna- tional Union meets once every year, at different places in the United States or Canada, while the local unions usually hold a meeting each month to transact regular business. TYR, in Scandinavian mythology, the son of Odin, and the god of war and of fame, which idea is expressed in old Norse by the word tyr. According to the Edda, he was single-handed. When the