Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/223

Rh S A I S A L 203 under suitable hygienic conditions tends to recover of itself. These conditions, however, are all-important, and embrace the proper feeding of the child with nutritious light diet, the absence of all sources of excitement and annoyance, such as being laughed at or mocked by other children, and the rectification of any causes of irritation and of irregularities in the general health. For a time, and especially if the symptoms are severe, confinement to the house or even to bed may be necessary, but as soon as possible the child should be taken out into the open air and gently exercised by walking. Of medicinal remedies the most serviceable appear to be zinc, arsenic, and iron, especially the last two, which act as tonics to the system and improve the condition of the blood. They should be continued during the whole course of the disease and con- valescence, if they do not disagree. As sedatives in cases of sleeplessness, bromide of potassium and chloral are of use. Many other agents, such as conium, belladonna, strychnia, the salts of silver, &c., have been recommended, but they do not seem to possess any special advantages. In long-continued cases of the disease much benefit will be obtained by a change of air as well as by the employ- ment of moderate gymnastic exercises. Bearing in rnincl the weakened condition of the muscles as the result of the choreic movements, the employment of friction and of electricity is also likely to be beneficial. After recovery the general health of the child should for a long time receive attention, and care should be taken to guard against excitement, excessive study, or any exhausting condition, physical or mental, from the fact that the disease is apt to recur and that other nervous disorders still more serious may be developed from it. In the rare instances of the acute form of this malady, where the convulsive movements are unceasing and violent, the only measures available are the use of chloral or chloroform inhalation to produce insensibility and muscular relaxation, but the effect is only palliative and does not prevent the fatal result which in most such cases quickly supervenes. (j. o. A.) ST UBES. See SETUBAL. SAIS. See EGYPT, vol. vii. p. 768. SALADIN. See EGYPT, vol. vii. pp. 753-754. SALAMANCA, a province of Spain, which until 1833 formed part of that of Leon, is bounded on the N. by Zamora and Valladolid, on the E. by Avila, on the S. by Caceres, and on the W. by Portugal. It has an area of 4940 square miles. The population in 1877 was 285,500; but by the year 1886 it was estimated that it had decreased to about 270,000. Salamanca belongs almost entirely to the basin of the Douro, its principal rivers being the Tonnes, which follows the general slope of the province towards the north-west, and after a course of 135 miles flows into the Douro, which forms part of the north-west boundary ; the Yeltes and the Agueda, also tributaries of the Douro ; and the Alagon, an affluent of the Tagus. The northern part of the province is flat, and at its lowest point (on the Douro) is 488 feet above sea-level. The highest point (in the Sierra de Pena de Francia) is 5692 feet above the sea. The rainfall is irregular ; but where it is plentiful the soil is productive and there are good harvests of wine, oil, hemp, and cereals of all kinds. The corn harvest is always good, rain or no rain. The principal wealth of the province consists in the forests of oak and chestnut, which cover the hills in its southern part. Sheep and cattle also find good pasturage there ; and wool and merino of medium quality are grown. Gold is found in the streams, and iron, lead, copper, zinc, coal, and rock crystal in the hills, but owing to the difficulties of trans- port and other causes the mines are only partially de- veloped. The manufactures of the province are few and mostly of a low class, intended for home consumption, such as frieze, coarse cloth, hats, and pottery. The cloth manufactories of Bejar turn out a material of superior quality. The tanning of hides is carried on pretty exten- sively, and cork and flour are exported via Santander and Barcelona. The province is traversed by a railway line to Portugal, passing Medina del Campo and Ciudad Rodrigo to Figueira da Foz. Administratively the province is divided into eight partidos judiciales, and it has 388 ayuntamientos ; of these last only two besides Salamanca, the capital, have a population exceeding 5000, Bejar (11,099) and Ciudad Rodrigo (6856). It is represented in the cortes by three senators and seven deputies. Apart from that of Leon the province has little history till the Peninsular War, when the battles of Ciudad Rodrigo, Fuentes de Onoro, and Salamanca were fought on its soil. SALAMANCA (Salmantica, Mmantica), the capital of the above province, lies on the banks of the Tonnes, 172 miles north-west of Madrid by rail. The river is here crossed by a bridge 500 feet in length built on twenty-six arches, fifteen of which are of Roman origin, while the remainder date from the 16th century. The town was of importance in times as remote as 222 B.C., when it was captured by Hannibal from the Vettones ; and it after- wards became under the Romans the ninth station on the Via Lata from Merida to Zaragoza. It passed successively under the rule of the Goths and the Moors, till the latter were finally driven out about 1055. The city is still much the same in outward appearance as when its tortuous streets were thronged with students. The university was naturally the chief source of wealth to the town, the popu- lation of which in the 16th century numbered 50,000. Its decay of course reacted on the townsfolk, but it fortunately also arrested the process of modernization, so that the city retains most of its old features and is now one of the most picturesque in Spain. The ravages of war alone have wrought serious damage, for the French in their defensive operations at the siege almost destroyed the western quarter. The ruins still remain, and give an air of desolation which is not borne out by the real condi- tion of the inhabitants, however poverty-stricken they may appear. The magnificent Plaza Mayor, built by Andres Garcia de Quifiones at the beginning of the 18th century, and capable of holding 20,000 people to witness a bull- fight, is one of the finest squares in Europe. It is sur- rounded by an arcade of ninety arches on Corinthian columns, one side of the square being occupied by the municipal buildings. The decorations of the fagades are in the Renaissance style, and the plaza as a whole is a fine sample of plateresque architecture. But the old and new cathedrals (see below) are the chief objects of interest in the city. In the Middle Ages the trade of Salamanca was not insignificant, and the stamped leather-work produced there is still sought after. Its manufactures are now of little consequence, and consist of china, cloth, and leather. The transport trade of the town is, however, of more import- ance, and shows signs of increasing. But any great revival can only take place when communication with the coast is considerably improved, a result which will no doubt be promoted by the recent opening of the line to the coast of Portugal. The population within the municipal boundaries in 1877 was 18,007, and in 1886 was estimated at about 20,000. The old cathedral is a cruciform building of the 12th century, begun by Bishop Geronimo, the confessor of the Cid. Its style of architecture is that Late Romanesque which prevailed in the south of France, but the builder showed much originality in the construc- tion of the dome, which covers the crossing of the nave and tran- septs. The inner dome is made to spring, not from immediately above the arches, but from a higher stage of a double arcade pierced