Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/309

Rh DITHMARSCHEN, or, in the oldest form of the name Thiatmaresgaho, Dietmar's Gau, a territory between the Eider and the Elbe, forming the western part of the old duchy of Holstein, and now included in the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein. It was originally colonized mainly from Friesland and Saxony,—the Frisian kindred of the Vogdemans settling on the coast and giving rise to the two marks of Norderstrand and Süderstrand, and the Saxon kindred of the Woldersmeu settling inland and forming the two marks of Norderhamme and Siiderhamme. The district was subjugated and Christianized by Charlemagne in, and ranked as a separate Gau, included perhaps in the countship of Strade, or Comitatus utriusque ripæ. From the same century, according to one opinion, or from, when the countship was incorporated with their see, according to another, the archbishops of Bremen claimed supremacy over the land; but the inhabitants, who had developed and consolidated a systematic organism for self-government, made obstinate resistance, and rather attached themselves to the bishop of Schleswig. The Danish king Bjorn Svendson succeeded in defeating them; and Ditmarsken, to use the Scandinavian form of the name, continued part of the Danish dominions till the disastrous battle of Bornhoved in, when its former independence was regained. The claims of the archbishop of Bremen were now so far recognized that he exercised the royal rights of Heerbann and Blutbann, enjoyed the consequent emoluments, and was represented first by a single advocatus, or voyt, and afterwards by one for each of the five Döffts, or marks, into which the land was divided after the establishment of Meldorp. The community was governed by a landrath of forty-eight elective consuls, or twelve from each of the four marks; and even in the the power of the episcopal vogts was so slight that a chronicler of that date, quoted by Maurer, says, De Ditmarschen leven sunder Heren und Hovedt unde dohn wadt se willen, “the Ditmarschen live without lord and head, and do what they will.” In and in  they succeeded in defeating the invasions of the Holstein nobles; and though in the land was nominally incorporated with the duchy by the emperor Frederick III., the attempt of the Danish king Hans and the duke of Gottorp to enforce the decree in resulted only in their complete rout in the marshes of the Dussend-Düwels-Warf. Daring the which began with such prestige for Ditmarsh, it was the scene of violent internal conflict in regard to the religious questions of the time; and, thus weakened, it was obliged in to submit to partition among its three conquerors—King Frederick II. of Denmark and Dukes John and Adolphus. A new division took place on Duke John's death in, by which Frederick obtained South Ditmarsh, with its chief town of Meldorp, and Adolphus obtained North Ditmarsh, with its chief town of Heide ; and this arrangement continued till, when all the Gottorp possessions were incorporated with the Danish crown.

1em  DITTON, (–), an eminent mathematician, was born at Salisbury, May 29,. In compliance with the wishes of his father rather than by his own inclination he entered on the study of theology, and was for some years a dissenting minister at Tunbridge, where he married. On the death of his father, however, he was induced to relinquish the clerical profession; and at the persuasion of Winston and DrHarris he devoted himself to the more congenial study of mathematics. Through the influence of Sir Isaac Newton, he was elected mathematical master in Christ's Kosoital, where he continued till his death in.

 DIU, an and small on the south  of the, in the  of , in. The obtained  of the  in, and have held it ever since. Diutown is situated at the eastern extremity of the, in 20° 42′ N. and 71°E. The is fairly protected from the, but the depth of  is only 3 to 4 s, and is said to be decreasing. The between the  of Diu and  is  only by  s and small. The is well  on the old system, being surrounded by a  with s at regular intervals.  DIURETICS (from διά, through, and οὐρέω, to pass urine) are remedies which, under certain conditions, produce an increased flow of urine. Their mode of action is various. Some, as turpentine and cantharides, are absorbed into the blood, are carried to the secretory organs (the kidneys), and stimulate them directly, causing an incr-eased flow of blood to them; others act as stimulants through the nervous system. A second class act in congested conditions of the kidneys by diminishing the congestion; this is supposed to be one of the modes of action of digitalis. Another class., such as the saline diuretics, are effectual by virtue of their osmotic action. A fourth class are diuretic by increasing the blood pressure within the vessels in general, and the Malpighian tufts in particular,—some, as digitalis, by increasing the strength of the heart s contrac tions, and others, as water, by increasing the amount of fluid circulating in the vessels. Some remedies, as mercury, although not diuretic themselves, when prescribed along with those which have this action, increase their effect. The same remedy may act in more than one way, e.g., alcohol, besides stimulating the secretory organs directly, is a stimulant to the circulation, and thus increases the pressure within the vessels. It is stated above that remedies have a diuretic action under &quot; certain conditions.&quot; These relate to—1st, the state of the kidneys themselves; 2d, the condition of other organs; 3d, the surroundings of 