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SERVIA

1726

SERVIA

puscles were there before, we must conclude that the plasma, which is liquid in the body, has now separated into two parts,— fibrin and serum. Serum, as a separate substance, therefore, is never found in the body; and its functions are included in those of the plasma. But in modern medicine a distinct branch of therapeutics or the science of healing takes advantage of the fact that healthy serum possesses power to fight with and destroy certain dangerous bacteria. In vaccination for smallpox the poison of the disease is itself introduced directly into the body, and the blood in the body develops power to destroy this small amount of poison. In so doing it retains power to fight a later infection of the disease itself, because the antitoxin or poison-fighting substance thus developed in the body remains there for some time. Now, if we infect, for example, a horse with a disease, as pneumonia, the animal's blood develops this power to fight the disease; and if we slowly increase the infection the blood slowly acquires a very great antitoxin power. If we then remove some of the blood and secure the serum as above, the antitoxin power is in the serum. Antitoxin serum has been of more use in diphtheria than in any other disease. Children suffering from diphtheria die in 35 to 40% of cases; but where the antitoxin serum for diphtheria is injected while they are suffering from the disease, they die only in 9 to 13% of the cases. Tetanus (lockjaw) was fatal in practically 100% of cases; but antitetanic serum has reduced the mortality^ to about 35%. The method is of no use, it seems, in some diseases, as cancer, and of little if any service in others, as tuberculosis.

Servia (ser'vi-a), a kingdom of the Balkan peninsula, reaching from Hungary on the north to Turkey on the south and from Bosnia on the west to Bulgaria and Rumania on the east. It covers 18,650 square miles, measuring 140 miles from east to west and no from north to south. It on the whole is a mountainous country, covered with fine forests. Servia is an agricultural country. Wheat, corn, grapes and plums are the chief crops. Cattle, sheep and acorn-fed hogs are exported, as are also hides, wool, timber and cordage, The foreign trade is mostly in the hands of Austria-Hungary, and its center is at Belgrade, the capital (population 84,235). Manufactures are not of great value, 'but are fostered by government gifts of monopolies.

The Servians are a well-built, stalwart race. They cling to old customs and beliefs, and are democratic in their institutions. The farms are of small size. There are no paupers, asylums or "homes." Population 2,911,701, including 89 873 Rumanians and 46,148 gypsies. Besides these there are 250,000 Servians in Montenegro, 1,300,000 in Herzegovina and 2,350,000 in Austria-

Hungary. The people belong to the Greek-Orthodox^ church.

Servia is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy. The king rules through eight ministers, who are accountable to the people. There also are a national assembly and a senate. The army takes in all capable of bearing arms between 20 and 50, divided into the standing army, in peace 27,500, in war 110,000, and the second and third classes of national militia, numbering 175,000. This is the full average military strength.

Elementary education is compulsory. In 1909 there were 1,296 elementary schools, with 2,584 teachers and 138,434 pupils; 20 higher schools, with 393 teachers and 7,317 students. The university at Belgrade has 78 instructors and 1,022 students. Servia has 577 miles of railway and 2,194 miles of telegraph line.

The Servians came from the slopes of the Carpathians to Servia, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 638, and soon accepted Christianity. Under their feudal lords they on the whole withstood the Byzantine empire and the Bulgarians. The Rascian dynasty was founded in 1159. Its greatest prince was Stephan Dushan (1336-56), who conquered Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania, and thought of welding Servia, Bulgaria and Byzantium into a power strong enough to witnstand the Turks. But he died before anything could be done, and left a feeble son. By the loss of two battles to the Turks, that on the Maritza in 1371 and the Field of the Blackbirds in 1389, Servia lost its independence. Then followed 300 years of Turkish cruelty, many chief families being blotted out, 200,000 people carried off as slaves, while the boys every seven years were forced to become Moslems and janizaries. In 1718 Austria won Servia from Turkey, but had to give it up 21 years later. In 1804 the people rose under Czerny George or Black George, a wealthy swine-owner, who stormed and took Belgrade and drove the janizaries out of the country. In 1809 and 1810 the Turks were beaten off only with the help of the Russians, who agreed by treaty that the sultan should garrison the country but that the Servians should manage their home affairs themselves. The Turks broke the treaty, and Czerny George fled to Austria; but in 1815 a new leader, Milosh Obrenovitch, a herdsman, confined the Turks to their garrisons. He had his rival, Czerny George, murdered, and by 1829 was acknowledged prince of Servia. His rule was very despotic, and in i8aq he was forced to yield the throne to his s-% n, Milan, who was soon succeeded by his brother, Michael. Three years later the rival faction replaced Michael by Alexander, the son of Czerny George, a weak ruler, who was driven out in 1859. The age Milosh Obreno\:tch