Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/16

 8 DKNDKOBIUM junction 'f tin- Scheldt and Dender rivers, 16 in vv. of BnuMte; pop. in 1867, 8,300. It contain- niiu- places of worship, many chari- taMe ami educational institutions, an academy if design itiid architecture, and several fine private collections of art. In tin- church of Dame are two pictures by Vandyke and otlu-r works of art. Tin- >urrounding country !e, and produces the finest flux in Flan- An active trade is carried on in this article', in ;/rain, lin-ccd. hemp, and oil, and in arioii< manufacture-, the nn>-t important of which an- woollen cloths, cotton yarn, and 1 In- town i- supposed to date from the ntury. Many Roman antiquities have been found' in the iieighborhood. In 1667 it resisted a siege of Louis XIV. by opening the -luice-. In 1706 it was taken by Maryborough only after a lonir drought, and in 1745 by the French. The present fortifications date from nd the 1. ridge over the Scheldt from 1825. IM.MIKOKII M, a genus of epiphytes or para- -itical plants found chiefly in the damp tropi- cal parts of A-ia. and belonging to an order remarkal.le i->r the grotesqueness as well as of its flowers. The species number more'than 200, and vary from a very small plant to a very tall one. In some instances they affect dry and open places on the bark of trees in Australia, and even on bare rocks ex- to the sun. hr. Royle found D.alpestre on the Himalaya mountains, at an elevation of ft Tin- tlowi-rs of most species are of iiade of purple ; some are of a rich yel-' I a few are ;_ r rcen. They possess a high In culthation they thrive best "hen planted in pot- tilled with earth, but re- ii artificially elevated temperature to in- IM.X.I K. a term of uncertain derivation, used te an epidemic disease popularly known in this country as the breakbone fever. It prevailed extensively in the West India islands in Ixi7 and 1828, and at the same time in many parts of the sou) hern states of the Union. at that timedc of appetite, ehillv MBMtions t!.ir-t, la--itude. Arc. The !iaracteri/ed l. excniciatii, . ' '-.-'d and eyes, and in the imiM-le* of the neck. I. .in-, and etivmitie-; hence the name bn-iikl" An i-ruption frrqumtlv oc- curs, but its charact.-r differs in different cases DENHAM It resembles sometimes the eruption of scarla- tina; hence the name scarlatina rJieumatica has been applied to an epidemic supposed to be identical with this by Cocke and Copland. The eruption in some cases resembles that of measles, and in other cases it is like lichen or urticaria. Vesicles like those of sudamina and varicella have been observed. Erysipelas and purpura may occur, the latter being sometimes accompanied by hcemorrhage from the nose, mouth, bowels, or uterus. Convalescence is apt to be tedious, and relapses are not uncom- mon. Kheumatism, abscesses, boils, and car- buncles are occasional sequels. This epidemic rarely occurs except in warm climates, and it prevails especially in cities and large towns. The number of persons affected is sometimes remarkable. Dr. Wragg computed the num- ber of cases at one time in Charleston, S. C., at 10,000, and during the epidemic seven or eight tenths of the population were affected. It attacks persons of either sex and of all ages. The epidemics have a brief duration, rarely ex- tending beyond six or eight weeks. The causes are unknown. Prof. Dickson regarded the dis- ease as contagious, but this view is not gener- ally held, and it is opposed by facts which ren- der it untenable. Although the intensity of the fever is great, the disease is rarely if ever fatal. This is explained by its short duration, and the absence of any important complications. The treatment consists chiefly in the use of opium in some form to alleviate the pains, and in oth- er palliative measures. The convalescence is hastened by tonic remedies, together with a restorative diet. DENIIAM, Dixon, an English traveller, born in London, Jan. 1, 1786, died in Free Town, Sierra Leone, June 9, 1828. He entered the British army in 1811, and served with credit through the Peninsular war and in all the sub- sequent campaigns against Napoleon. In 1815 he travelled through France and Italy, and on returning to England devoted himself to mili- tary studies. In 1821 he joined the govern- ment expedition to Africa, under Oudney and Clapperton, with the rank of major. Setting out from Tripoli, the expedition arrived at Moor- zook, in Fezzan, April 8, 1822. Here its pro- gress was stopped by the refusal of the sultan of Fezzan to furnish an escort across the desert. After considerable trouble Denham started for England Jo lay the matter before the govern- ment, but was recalled from Marseilles, where detained in quarantine, the expedition hain-- received an escort and permission to proceed, mainly in consequence of his activity and firmness. They crossed the desert to Lake Tchad, which they reached in February, 1823. Leaving his companions at Kuka to recruit their health. Denham explored the region jiround the lake, and afterward joined an expe- dition of the Arab escort against the natives to the southward. In a disastrous fight Denham was wounded and separated from the company, and found his way back to Kuka through great