Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/164

* COLCHICINE. 132 COLD HARBOR. tion must be temporarily discontinued. The medicin.Tl dose of colcliieuiu root, which contains about 0.5 ]H'V cent, of colchicine, is from 2 to S grains, in powder. The dose of colchicum seed, which contains less of the alkaloid than the corni, is from 1 to 5 grains. COLCHICUM, kol'ki-kum (Lat., from Gk. KoXxiKiSi', lcolc)iitoii, the poisonous meadow-saf- fron). A genus of plants of the natural order Liliacea', native to Kurope and to the jSIediter- ranean region. The species, of which there are about thirty, are stemless, with flowers half sub- terranean like the crocus, only the limb of the perianth and part of the tiibe rising above ground. The llooi-s nuich reseml)le crocus-flowers. The only British s]iecies is Colchicum autumnale, the meadow-sall'ron. sometimes also, but incorrectly, named autumn crocus, which is plentiful in meadows and ])astures in some jjarts of England and of the Continent of Europe. The flowers are pale purple; they appear in avitumn unaccom- panied by any leaves; the leaves, which are large and broadly lanceolate, appear in spring, when the stalk which bears the ripening fruit rises among them. The wliole plant is very acrid and i)oisonous, chiefly owing to the presence of colcliicine. Cattle are not infi'equently injured by it in pastures where it aliounds. It is. how- ever, not difficult to extirpate, the repeated pull- ing of it by hand, as it appears above ground, being sufficient for this purpose; the roots soon become exhausted and die. It is a valuable medicinal plant, the parts chiefly used for medicinal purposes being the corm (popularly called the root) and the seeds. The seeds are round, brown, and rather larger than mustard- seed; and fatal accidents have occurred from their poisonous nature. Other species of Col- chicum appear to possess similar properties. (See CoLciriciNE.) Colchicum autumnale is conmion in flower borders, and a number of other species are employed in the same manner. Most of the species are autumn-blooming, a few flowering in spring along with the crocuses, snowdrops, etc. Colchicum luteum is one of the finest of spring-flowering species, and Coldiicum Parkinsoni, Colchicum speciosum, and Colchicum autumnale of autumn-blooming species. For il- lustration, see Plate of Cornflower. COLCHIS, kol'kis (I.at.. from Gk. KoXx^s, Kolrhis''. In ancient geography, a region on the east coast of the Pontus Euxinus or Black Sea, situated north of Armenia and south of the Caucasus. It corresponded very nearly to the Russian Government of Kutais. It was celebrated in the very earliest times as the native, country of Medea ( q.v. ), and the goal of the Argonauts (q.v.), and was afterwards better known to the Greeks as the seat of some colonies of the iIile- sians. It was noted for its wine and fruits. The Colchians seem to have differed ethnologically fiom their neighbors, which led Herodotus to argue that they were descended from Egyptian invaders. Darius Hystaspes made them tribu- taiy to Persia : subsequently, they threw oflT their allegiance, and were ruled by kings of their own; the coimtry then came under the dominion of Mithridates, King of Pontus; afterwards, there were princes of Colchis dependent on the Romans. The principal town was Dioscurias (called under the Romans Sebastopolis and now Iskuriah) ; the principal river was the Phasis, now the Rion. COLCOTHAR. See Iron, The Oxides of. COLD. See C.W..ERI1. COLDBATH FIELDS PRISON (named from t'oliJbiitli FieUls, Middlesex). A London jail, erected in the time of James I., and some- times referred to as the English Bastille. It is mentioned as the meeting-place of the rioters in Dickens's litiniahij Riidge. The prison Ijecame inadequate and was closed in 18S0. COLD CREAM. A term applied to prepara- tions of fatty substances, which are used as mild and cooling dressings for the .skin. The composition of an excellent cold cream is as fol- lows: spermaceti (125 parts); white wax (120 parts) ; expressed oil of almonds (600 parts) ; strong rose-water (190 parts); and sodium borate (5 parts). Cold cream softens the skin and iniimotes the healing of wounds and of chapped hand?. COLDEN, kol'den, C-A.dwali.ader( 1088-1770). A Scutch physician who emigrated to America in 1708 and became well known in his profession. He practiced for ten years in Philadelphia, and then, in 17 IS, settled in Xew York City. He was the first surveyor-general of the Colony of New York, was a memljer of the provincial coim- cil. and in I70I was appointed Lieutenant- Governor, which office he held until his death. As the Governors were often changed, Coldcn was frequently called upon to act as chief executive, and in this capacity came into conflict, upon n-any occasions, with the radical element of the 'patriot' party. He devoted much attention to the study of the sciences, and especially of botany, and was the first to introduce the Lin- na>an system of classification into America. He published a Historii of the Five Indian. Kaiions of Caiincia (1727). a work of great value, and a less important work on The Principles of Action in Matter (17.52). COLDEN, C.DW.i.L.DER D.vviD (1760-1834). An American lawyer and politician. He was born near Flushing, L. I., and was a grandson of Cadwallader Golden. He studied law and attained considerable eminence at the Xew York bar. In the War of 1812 he was a colonel of volunteers. In ISIS he was chosen to the State Asseml)ly, and in the same year succeeded De Witt Clinton as Mayor of Xew York City, He was elected to Congress in 1821, and from 1824 to 1827 was a member of the State Senate. Golden was one of Clinton's strongest supporters in the work of internal improvements, and was conspicuous in the cause of public education, the reformation of juvenile offenders, and other mat- ters of mora! and social betterment. He wrote a Life of Rohert Fulton (1817); Memoir of the Celehration of the Completion of the Vete York Canals (1S25) : and Vindication of the Steamboat Eight flrantcd by the fitate of l^ew York (1819). COLD FRAME. See Frame. COLD HARBOR, B.ttle of. One of the most sanguinary battles of the Civil War in America, fought -Tune 1 and 3, 1864, at Cold narl)or. Va.. about 10 miles northeast of Kich- mond. between the Federal Army of the Potomac, numbering about 102.000, under General Grant, and the Confederate Army of Xorthern Virginia, numbering about 65.000, under General Lee.