Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/883

* SEROUS FLUID. 803 SERPENTINE. tlio blood, and the same gases as occur in the liluod. As rare coiislituents, and only oeiurring iu disease, may be mentioned suf,'ar, tlic biliary acids, salts of lactic and succinic acids, creati- nine, mucine, etc. SEROUS MEMBRANE. There are seven serous uiciiibrancs in tbc human body, three being medium and single, while two ai'<^ doulile and lateral. They are the arachnoid, the [jcriear- (lium, and the peritoneum, with the two pleural and tunicie vaginales testis. Thus they are con- nected, with the obvious view of facilitating mo- tion and affording general protecticm, with all the most important organs in the body. Kach sac or continuous membrane consists of two por- tions — a parietal one, which lines the walls of the cavity, and a visceral, or rclli'ctcd one, which forms an almost complete coating or investment fcir the viscera contained in the cavity. During health the opposing surfaces of these serous mem- branes are in contact and only enough tluid is secreted to render them moist and capable of easy movements. After depth from certain dis- eases, however, considerable lluid is frequently found, probably due to iiost-mortem exudation. An accumulation of lluid may occur during life. Of their structure it is sullicient to state that they consist essentially of (1) epithelium; ii) basement membrane; (3) a stratum of areo- lar or cellular tissue, which constitutes the chief thickness of the membrane, and is the constitu- ent on which its physical properties are mainly dependent. SER'OW (East Indian name). One of a group of goat-ant elopes (genus Nemorh(vdus) nearly allied to the gorals (q.v. ), but more shaggy. They inhabit Southeastern and Eastern Asia, and make their home upon high antl ditheult mountains, where they go about in pairs or fam- ily parties, much after the manner of the wild sheep. The common serow ( AcHioc/im^is buba- liniis) is an inhabitant of the Himalayan Jloun- tains, and is a rather large, ungraceful animal with coarse blackish and reddish hair, and with rough black horns about a foot long, standing upright upon the head, with a backward curve. Another well-known species is the ■cambingutan' (Xcmorhccdiis ,Siimatrensis). which inhabits hilly districts from Eastern Tibet southward to Sumatra. Other smaller species are known in Japan and in Formosa. Consult Blanford and other writers upon East Indian zoiilogy, and Kinloch, Large Game Shooting in Thibet and yorthcrn India (London, 1885). See Plate of Goat Antelopes. SERPA PINTO, ser'pa peN'to, Alexandre Alberto (1846-1000). A Portuguese exjilorer. He entered the Royal Military College in Lisbon, and in 1804 became an ensign. He went from Benguela to Durban, across the continent of Africa, in 1877-79. This expedition he described in a volume translated into French and German (1881-82). In 1884-86, accompanied by Cardozo, he led another expedition to Mozambique, where the Portuguese power was extended to Lake Xyassa. In 1889 he went once more to Africa, but was finally recalled in 1800 on account of England's opposition to his strongly Portuguese policy in ilatabeleland. SERPENT. See Snake. SERPENT (OF., Fr. serpen t. from Lat. ser- pens, creeping, snake, pres. part, of scrpere, to creep; connected with (ik. Iprtiy, hcrpcin, Skt. saip, to creep). A powerlul bass mu-ical wiml instrument, consisting of a lube of wcmji! covered with hathcr, furnished with a nioutlipicce like a tromt>one, ventages, and keys, and twisted into a serpentine form, whence its name. Its coni- ]iass is from ,Ui) to b)} When skillfully played it exhibits tbc most startling inequalities of lone, in conseiiuencc of there being three notes, d, a, d, nuich more powerful than the (jthers. The serpent was invented in l.')90 by Kdme Guil- hnin-.i'. a canon of .u.crre in Krnnce. SERPENTARIA (Lat., snakeweed), or Vir- ginia SxAKEKooT. The root of .ristolocliia serpentaria and other species of Aristolocliia. It contains a volatile oil. a resin (a camphor) and a bitter [irinciple (iirisloluvhiiic) . It has a pun- gent oilor and a warm camplioraeeous taste. In small doses it acts as a simple bitter, increasing the appetite, assisting digestion, and mildly re- laxing the bowels. In large doses it causes nau- sea, vomiting, and diarrlaea. It is a heart stimu- lant and a cerebral excitant, aiul in large doses causes fullness of the bead, vertigo, ami exhila- ration. It is an aphrodisiac, and also a diuretic. Its principal use is in broncbilis. in which it increases the broiiebial secretion. There are three ollicial jircparaticms: the infusion, the fluid extract, and the linetnre. SERPENT-CHARMING. See Snake-Chabm- ING. SERPENT-EAGLE. A crested and spotted eagle of the East Indian and .African genus Spilornis, the six-cies of which include snakes in their food. The largest and best known by this name is the 'clieele' {Spilornis undulatus) of India and eastward, which is brown with a black and white head, rounil white spots on the lower surfaces, and a broadly banded tail. The same name is given to the harrier eagles (Uatastur), and es]ieeially to the secretary-bird (q.v.). SERPENTINE (OK., Kr. serprntin, from Lat. srriJcnIiiinK. relating to a serpent, from serpens, creeping, snake). A hydrated magnesium silicate mineral that crystallizes in the monoclinic sys- tem. It has a resinous to greasy and earthy lustre, and in color ranges through the different shades of green to brown, and .sometimes yellow. Serpentine is rarely found crystallized, as it most commonly occurs in fibrous or lamellar aggregations. It takes a high pcdish, and is fre- quently employed as a material for ornaments. Serpentine frcciucntly occurs in sullicient masses to form rocks, and in such cases it is generally associated with other minerals, viz. fibrous horn- blende, talc, calcite, magnesitc. chlorite, chro- niite, and oxides of iron, with residual portions also of augitc, olivine, and hornblende crystals. The color of the rock, which is generally some variety of green, and the streaks of brown iron oxide, are responsilde for the name serpentine. ,s a building stone, serpentine has great tough- ness anil durability, combined with beauty of color, and being soft, is easily cut. It not in- frequently contains, however, numerous crv-stals of a variety of garnet known as pyrope ( Bohc- niain garnet. Cape ruhy). which, while addin;; some beauty to the stone, offer by their extreme hardness a serious obstacle to its working. The fibrous variety of serpentine, asbestos (q.v.), is utilized in the manufacture of fireproof mate- rials. Serpentines are the principal source of