Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/592

* TUATARA. 514 TtTBERCULOSIS. TTTATARA, tou'a-tii'ra (Maori, spiny). A reptile of New Zealand (Uphenodon or Hattcria punctaium), whicU looks like a large stout lizard, but whose structure shows it to be the sole sur- viving representative of a primitive group, the Ehynchocephali, otherwise extinct in the Triassic age. Large males reach a length of 21/2 feet, are dark olive green, and have a row of short yellowish, horn-sheathed spines along the verte- bral line. The skin is rather granular, e.xcept on the belly, where it is scaly. All its anatomy distinguishes this animal from lizards and allies it with the ancient Prosauria — the carpus, for example, has the primilive number of 10 bones, all separate; and there is an entire absence of external copulatory organs. The tuataras were once numerous through New Zealand, but have been killed off by civilization and bush-fires, until now they inhabit only some small parts of the North Island. They dwell in burrows of their own digging, which they share with sundry petrels. They are fond of water, and are able to remain submerged for hours without breathing. During the day they sleep, but at night hunt for food, which consists of in- sects and worms in the interior and on the coast of small fishes, crustaceans, etc. ; all food is taken alive. They move very slowly and lazily, but are fierce fighters when called upon to de- fend themselves. They lay in summer about ten eggs, elongated and hard-shelled, which are buried in warm' "sand and left to hatch, but this does not happen until about thirteen months later, al- though the embryos grow to nearly their full size in half that time or less, and then seem to sesti- vate. Consult: (Jadow, Amphibia and Reptiles (London, 1901) ; Newman, Transactions Zoologi- cal Society, vol. xv. (ib., 1897) : Howes, Trans- actions Xew Zealand Institute, vol. x. (Welling- ton, 1878) ; Van Haast. id., vol. xiv. (1881). TUATHA-DE-DANAAN, too-a'tha da di- nan' (Ir., Race or Tribe of Danaan). A pre- historic people of tall stature and blond type, who, according to the ancient annals of Ireland, invaded the island from the north several cen- turies before the Christian Era and by defeating the Firbolgs (q.v.) in the battle of Moytura be- came masters of the country until in turn over- come by the Milesians (q.v.). They were prob- ably of Scandinavian origin. TUBA (Lat., trumpet). A name given to the bass instruments of the saxhorn family, also called bombardons. Tubas are made in many keys, and, as they are played from the notes as written, they require no special transposition. They are the lowest of the brass instruments and their range is from ,Bbf'. Their tone is full and majestic ; the most usual sizes ai'e the bass tuba in Bb and the contrabass tuba in jBb. Their introduction into the orchestra is due to Wagner, who obtained fine eff'ects throigh them. The tuba has since then become a fixture in the orchestra, being used as the bass of the trombone choir. As such it has entirely superseded the ophicleide (q.v.). The instrument is built in two forms, oblong and round. See Helicon. TTJBAL-CAIN. According to the narrative in Genesis iv. 22, the son of Lameeh and Zillah and the progenitor of all artificers in l)rass and iron. TXIBE-NOSE. A tube-nosed or harpy bat, a small East Indian fruit-bat of the genus Harpyia, remarkable for the fact that the nos- trils are in the form of two extended and some- what divergent tubes projecting above the upper lip. See Plate of Bats. TTJBER (Lat., swelling, tumor, knob on plants). A thickened and shortened branch from a subterranean stem. The leaves are usually reduced to minute scales with buds in the axils, forming in the potato the .so-called 'ej'es.' Its function is to act as a food reservoir, and to give rise directly to new plants. See Stem. TUBERCLE. See Tubercut,osis ; Bacteria; Disease, Germ Theory of; Serum Therapy. TUBERCULIN, Koch's Lymph, or Pakato- LOID. A glycerin extract of pure cultures of the Bacillus tuberculosis, first prepared in 1891 by Robert Koch (q.v.). It is a brownish, albu- minoid liquid, neutral in reaction and soluble in water, and consists mainly of pt(unaines of the bacillus, with coloring matters, extractives, and salts. When injected into the tissues of a healthy (non-tuberculous) person no reaction fol- lows; but in the presence of tuberculosis, wher- ever situated, both a local and general febrile re- action is observed. The genera! symptoms are fever and chills ; locally it all'ects the skin, which becomes red and swollen. A better serum was introduced by Koch in 1897, and eft'orts in the same direction were made by Kleb.s in Germany and Hunter in England, the earlier product hav- ing been found to contain substances very toxic to man. Of the curative value of tuberculin there appears to be some doubt. With the first serum treatment was tedious and prolonged, and the result uncei'tain. But it was hailed as a specific, and widely used by unskilled observers and on unsuitable cases. The results were disappoint- ing and the remedy fell into disrepute. With the production of purer serums treatment has been more successful. Tuberculin is chiefly valu- able as a diagnostic agent. It is largely used as a test for tuberculous cattle, to guard against the consumption of infected milk and meat. See Tuberculosis. TUBERCULOSIS (Neo-Lat., from Lat. tu- bcreulum, little swelling, pimple, tubercle, di- minutive of tuber, swelling, tumor, knob on plants), or Consumption. An infectious dis- ease, caused by the Bacillus tuberculosis, characterized by the formation, in the tis- sues, of nodular bodies, called tubercles, and manifested symptomatically by fever, cough, dyspnoea, and progressive loss of strength. The disease is widespread and causes about one-seventh of the deaths throughout the world. Its clinical features were recognized many centuries ago, and Hippocrates and Galen described them very accurately; but it was not until the gro'th of anatomical study in the sev- enteenth and eighteenth centuries that the char- acteristic lesions (tubercles) w'ere recognized and associated with the disease. Important addi- tions to the pathological knowledge of tubercu- losis were made by Bayle (1810) and to its physical diagnosis by Laennec (about 18.34). Virchow's work in cellular pathology and final- ly Koch's brilliant discovery of the causative bacillus in 1SS2 settled all doubts as to the genesis and pathology of the disea.se, and since then nothing essential has been added to our knowledge concerning it.