Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/386

* POTTINGEB. 326 POTTSVILLE. Company's military service, ami five years later was oomniissioned by its Indian Government to exjilore the region between tlieir frontier and Persia. Tlie results of this expedition he pub- lished in 1810 under tlie title Trai-els in Dcloo- chistan and .S'l'nrfe. In 1841, during the Opium War between Great Britain and C'liina, he was sent as ambassador to the latter country; and after the capture of Anioy and several other important towns, concluded a peace in 1842, which opened five of the principal Chinese ports to British merchants. For these services he was appointed the first British Governor of Hong Kong. On his return to England the next year he received the office of Privy Councilor and a pension of £1500. In 1846 he was appointed Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, but less than six months later he was transferred to the Governorship of Madras, which he held until 1854, when lie returned to England. POTTO (African name). A small brownish- gray West African lemur {Perodicticiis potto) of the loris group, remarkable for having a distinct though rudimentary tail and distinct index-fingers. Its body is six inches long, and it has the sluggish habits of its relatives. The name has been transported to South America by the negroes and there ajiplied to the kuikajou, a small relative of the raccoons. POTT'S DISEASE, or Spinal Caries. A tubercilous inllammation of the bodies of the spinal vertebra', named after Dr. Percival Pott (q.v. ), the surgeon who first accurately de- scribed the condition and its nature. In this afi'ection as the tubercular tissue replaces the normal bone-tissue of the vertebra;, softening re- sults together with marked deformity of the spine. This deformity is usually seen as an angular projection or hump in the upper part of the back. It is caused from compression or erosion of the softened bodies of the vertcbrip, allowing them to be pressed more closely to- gether, which in turn causes their sharp spinous processes to project posteriorly beyond the line of the spines above and below the a fleeted area. The most common period of development of Pott's disease is in childhood and youth, while the body is imdergoing rapid growth. The forni^ion of pus is a not infrequent accom- paniment of tuberculosis in the spinal region, as in other localities, and this pus often collects itself together into an abscess, spoken of very often as a cold absvess (see Abscess), from the fact that the inflammatory reaction present is not severe. These abscesses sometimes point in the back adjacent to the vertebrse, and often occupy the jKjsterior mediastinal space (see Chest and Pleltra), where they are known as mediastinal abscesses. Occasionally the pus in spinal caries burrows downward beneath the nuiseles of the back and may apjiear in the lumbar region, constituting a lumbar abscess, or following the psoas muscle it may pass for- ward through the pelvis and appear near the attachment of that muscle in the groin; in this case it is known as a psoas abscess. When the disease is located in the cervical vertebnc and an abscess forms, it appears frequently in the pharynx. After recovery takes place in tuber- culosis of the vertebrip, ankylosis is present in the joints, involved from adhesions between con- tiguous bony surfaces. In the treatment of Pott's disease constitutional measures must re- ceive the most thorough consideration. General hygienic measures must be combined with abun- dance of fresh air, nutritious food, tonics, mas- sage, and as great amount of exercise as the con- ditions permit. The surgical treatment consists of immobilization of the spinal column by means of frames, the plaster of Paris jacket, the jury- mast, etc. Such measures attain their results by giving rest to the diseased parts, allaying irri- tation, preventing attrition and crushing of soft- ened bones, and in limiting the amount of de- formity after the disease process has become quiescent. POTTS'TOWN". A borough in Montgomery County. Pa., 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia; on the Schuylkill River, and on the Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads (Map: Pennsylvania, F 3). It lias the well- known Hill School, a public high school library, and a ])iiblic hospital. The centre of a produc- tive farming and dairying country with consid- eralile mineral wealth, Pottstown is an important manufacturing borough, its iron and steel inter- ests being very extensive. There are several large rolling mills, furnaces, nail works, steel mills, bridge works, agricultural implement works, boil- er and machine shops, foundries, and manufac- tories of bricks, cigars, etc. The various indus- tries, according to the census of 1900, represented an aggregate invested capital of $4.9:23,000, and had a production valued at $8,111,000. Potts- town was laid out in 1752-53 and named Potts- grove in honor of its founder, a name that was retained until the incorporation of the borough in 1815, when its present name was adopted. In 1888 the limits of the borough were considerably extended. Population, in 1890, 13,285; in 1900, 13,690. POTTS'VILLE. A borough and the county- seat of Schuylkill County, Pa., 35 miles north by west of Reading; on the .SchuylkiW River, and on the Philadelphia and Reading, the Pennsyl- vania, the New Jersey Central, and the Lehigh Valley railroads (Map: Pennsylvania, E 3). It is situated in a remarkably picturesque region, which is much frequented by tourists. The county court-house is the most prominent building in the borough, and there are also the county jail and a public hospital. Pottsville is surrounded by the productive anthracite fields of the Schuylkill coal basin, and is an important coal mining and ship- ping centre. Its mechanical industries, too. have been developed to a considerable extent, having, according to the census of 1900. invested capital to the amount of .$3,383,000, with products valued at $5,355,000. The more important establish- ments include the large jilant of the Eastern Steel Company : shops of the Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads; manufacto- ries of plush, velvet, and wood-working niacliin- ery; textile and silk mills; etc. The government is vested in a chief burgess, elected triennially, and a borough council which controls elections of a number of the important administrative officers. The treasurer, auditor, and school directors, how- ever, are chosen by popular vote, Pottsville was settled about 1800, was laid out as a town by .John Pott in 1816, and in 1828 was incor- porated as a borough. It became the countv-.scat in 1S51. Population, in 1890, 14,117; in 1900, 15,710.