Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 20.djvu/128

Rh 116 P U R P U S neighbourhood of the more swampy tracts. Among other rivers of the district is the Mahananda, which rises in the mountains of Sikkim and flows through the east of Purniah into Maldah, Wild animals are not so numerous as in the neighbouring districts, but the tiger is found in all parts of Purniah, particularly along the banks and among the sandy islands of the Kusi, and also in the scrub jungle that runs along the north of the district. The climate of Purniah is of an intermediate character ; the average rain- fall is 67 inches, and the mean temperature is about 76'8. The staple product of Purniah is rice, but jute and tobacco are also cultivated to a considerable extent. Its manufactures include indigo, cottons, woollens, and silks, but the chief is that of indigo, which is mostly carried on in the south of the district. In 1882-83 the gross revenue amounted to 179,750, nearly two-thirds (120,541) being derived from the land. By the census of 1881 the population numbered 1,848,687 (937,080 males, 911,607 females). The majority of the people are Hindus (1,076,539 in 1881) ; of Mohammedans in the same year there were 771,130, and of Christians only 327. PURNIAH, the capital, is the only town in the district with a population exceeding 10,000. This district was conquered by the Mohammedans in the 13th century, but it was not until four centuries later that its value was realized. During the 17th century the frontier was considerably extended ; the country, however, remained in a state of anarchy until 1770, when it was governed by an English official with the title of "superintendent." Of late years the district has made considerable progress, and under all departments of local adminis- tration there lias been steady improvement. PURNIAH, chief town and administrative headquarters of the above district, is situated on the east bank of the river Saura, in 25 46' N. lat. and 87 30' E. long. It contains a population, according to the census of 1881, of 15,016. The town is neat and well-built, but very un- healthy ; it is distant 283 miles north-west of Calcutta. PURPLE (iropvpa), the name given by the ancients to a dye derived from various species of Murex and Purpura. (See MOLLUSCA, vol. xvi. p. 648 sq. ; DYEING, vol. vii. p. 571 ; and PHOENICIA, vol. xviii. p. 804.) For the modern sources of the various shades of this colour, see DYEING, vol. vii. p. 579. PURPURA, a disease characterized by the occurrence of purple -coloured spots upon the surface of the body, due to extravasations of blood in the skin, accompanied occasionally with haemorrhages from mucous membranes. Difference of opinion has prevailed among physicians as to whether these symptoms are to be regarded as con- stituting a disease per se, since they are frequently seen in connexion with various morbid conditions. Thus in persons suffering from such diseases as rheumatism, phthisis, heart disease, cancer, Bright's disease, jaundice, as well as from certain of the infectious fevers, extravasa- tions of the kind above-mentioned are not unfrequently present. But the term "purpura" is, strictly speaking, applicable only to those instances where the symptoms exist apart from any antecedent disease. In such cases the complaint is usually ushered in by lassitude and feverishness. This is soon followed by the appearance on the surface of the body of the characteristic spots in the form of small red points scattered over the skin of the limbs and trunk. They are not raised above the surface, and they do not disappear on pressure. Their colour soon becomes deep purple or nearly black ; but after a few days they undergo the changes which are observed in the case of an ordinary bruise, passing to a green and yellow hue and finally disappearing. When of minute size they are termed " petechise " or " stigmata," when somewhat larger " vibices," and when in patches of considerable size " ecchymoses." They may come out in fresh crops over a lengthened period. The form of the disease above described is that known as " purpura simplex." A more serious form of the malady is that to which the term " purpura htemorrhagica " is applied. Here, in addition to the phenomena already mentioned as affecting the skin, there is a tendency to the occurrence of haemorrhage from mucous surfaces, especially from the nose, but also from the mouth, lungs, stomach, bowels, kidneys, <fcc., sometimes in large and dangerous amount. Great physical prostration is apt to attend this form of the disease, and a fatal result sometimes follows the suc- cessive haemorrhages, or is suddenly precipitated by the occurrence of an extravasation of blood into the brain. The causes of purpura are not well understood. The condition of the blood has been frequently investigated, but no alteration in its composition detected. The view most commonly held is that the disease depends on an abnormal fragility of the minute blood-vessels owing to their mal-nutrition. It would seem sometimes to arise in persons enjoying perfect health ; but in a large proportion of instances it shows itself among those who have been exposed to privation or insanitary conditions, or whose health has become lowered. Young persons suffer more frequently than adults, and repeated attacks may occur. Purpura has some points of resemblance to scurvy, but a clear distinction both as to causation and symptoms can be established between the two diseases. The treatment will bear reference to any causes which may be discovered as associated with the onset of the disease, such as unfavourable hygienic conditions, and nutritive defects should be rectified by suitable diet. The various preparations of iron seem to be the best medicinal remedies in this ailment, while more direct astringents, such as gallic acid, ergot of rye, turpentine, or acetate of lead, will in addition be called for in severe cases and especially when haemorrhage occurs. PURSLANE, the vernacular equivalent of the botanical genus Portulaca. The species are fleshy annuals of small dimensions, with prostrate stems and entire leaves ; the flowers are small and inconspicuous, or in some species brilliantly coloured, regular, with two sepals, five petals, seven to twenty stamens, an inferior ovary, with a style divided into from three to eight branches and ripening into a pod which opens by a transverse chink. P. oleracea is a native of India, which has been introduced into Europe as a salad plant, and in some countries has spread to such an extent as to become a noxious weed. This is the case in certain parts of the United States, where the evil qualities of " pussly " have become proverbial. Like many other succulent plants, its juice is cooling and is used in tropical countries as a refrigerant in fever, while the bruised leaves are employed as an application in cases of local inflamma- tion. Some of the species, such as P. grandiflora and its varieties, are grown in gardens on rock-work owing to the great beauty and deep colouring of their flowers, the short duration of individual blossoms being compensated for by the abundance with which they are produced. PUSEY, EDWAED BOUVERIE (1800-1882), originally Edward Bouverie, was born near Oxford in 1800. His family, which was of Huguenot origin, became through a marriage connexion lords of the manor of Pusey, a small Berkshire village near Oxford, and from it took their name a few years after Edward Bouverie's birth. In 1818 he became a commoner of Christ Church, Oxford, and after gaining high university distinctions was elected in 1824 to a fellowship at Oriel College. He thus became a member of a- society which already contained some of the ablest of his contemporaries, among them J. H. Newman and John Keble. But for several years his intercourse with them seems to have been slight. He divided his time between his country home and Germany, and occupied himself with the study of Oriental languages and of German theology. His first work, published in 1828, was a vindi- cation of the latter from a strong attack which had been