Indian Territory," American Journal of Science, Vol. CLVIII. (New Haven, 1899).
AS'PHODEL (Gk. ἀσφόδελος, asphodelos, king's spear, asphodel), Asphodelus. A genus of plants which has by some botanists been made the type of a natural order Asphodeleæ, now, however, generally regarded as forming part of the order Liliaceæ. The roots of the asphodels are fleshy and thick. The species arc not very numerous, and are mostly natives of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The Yellow Asphodel (Asphodelus luteus, or Asphodeline lutea, as it is perhaps more properly called) and the White Asphodel (Asphodelus albus) have long been known as garden flowers. The Yellow Asphodel has an unbranched stem 2 to 3 feet high, much covered by the sheathing bases of the long narrow leaves. The leaves of the White Asphodel are all radical, and its flowers are in branched clusters. Both species flower about the time when spring passes into summer, Narthecium ossifragum, abundant in the moors of England and elsewhere in Europe, is the well-known Bog Asphodel. In the United States, Narthecium americanum is known by the same name. False Asphodel is a name given to some of the species of Tofeldia. All these plants are rather closely related. The asphodel often referred to by poets is Narcissus pseudonarcissus. For illustration see Araucaria.
ASPHYX'IA (Gk. ἀσφυξία, a stopping of the pulse, from ἀ, a negat. ἀσφυξία, sphyxis, pulse). A condition brought about in oxygen-breathing animals when any obstacle prevents the entrance of air into the pulmonary vesicles, and unconsciousness or death occurs. Aquatic animals may be asphyxiated either by depriving the water they inhabit of oxygen, or impregnating it with noxious gases. Asphyxia may develop by sudden strangulation, or gradually, as in close rooms with insufficient oxygen. When sudden strangulation occurs, there are at first a few seconds of quiet: then respiratory movements, both inspiratory and expiratory, follow rapidly, until in about a minute there are powerful convulsive movements of the chest, mainly expiratory. Exhaustion thus takes place, and the movements of respiration slowly cease; the blood-pressure falls; the right side of the heart becomes engorged with blood, and unconsciousness takes place in two or three minutes. In the early stages the face becomes livid; later it becomes pale; the mucous membranes and skin become bluish, and the fine blood-vessels injected. Small hemorrhages may occur. The heart, which at first beats strongly, becomes weaker and weaker, and finally ceases to beat, and death occurs. In man, this occurs in from a minute and a half to five minutes. Some persons, no doubt, as the Ceylon divers, can by habit do without a fresh supply of air for a longer period; and some diving animals have an arrangement of blood-vessels by which they are enabled to be under water for a long time. In the treatment of asphyxia, the cause must be removed immediately, if possible.
Ordinary restorative measures may be employed with hopes of success at a very long period after apparent death. Some have recovered after being submerged in water for two hours. The object of all methods is to supply fresh air to the lungs and to force the blood from the engorged right side of the heart — in other words, to supply an artificial respiration and an artificial circulation. See Respiration, Artificial.
ASPHYX'IANTS (for derivation, see Asphyxia). When applied to particular munitions of war, the term refers to shells or other projectiles containing chemical substances designed to produce a suffocating or poisonous effect. The Chinese have, from the earliest times, availed themselves of this device, and in their 'stink-pot' secured such results. The use of asphyxiants has always been discouraged by the more enlightened authorities, both military and civil: so much so that The Hague Peace Conference of 1899 strongly condemned their employment. Lyddite shells were used by the British during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. These shells do not entirely come under the head of asphyxiants, but the results sought for in their employment are in many respects the same. They are designed to render untenable a larger area of ground than would be accomplished by the projectile itself. These shells in exploding give rise to fumes and smoke which serve the double purpose of enabling the gunners to locate the point where they strike and obscuring the sight of the forces among whom they fall. Their use, however, is generally condemned, and their especial destructiveness or effectiveness greatly questioned. Other compositions possible of employment are designed to burn fiercely, igniting whatever inflammable material they may come in contact with, such as the interior fittings of ships, forts, or other buildings.
AS'PIC (Fr., probably from aspic, an asp, alluding to its coolness). A savory meat jelly molded into a regular form, and containing portions of fowl, game, fish, and the like, usually with hard-boiled eggs and sliced pickles.
AS'PINWALL. See Colón.
ASPINWALL, William (1743-1823). An American physician, born at Brookline, Mass. He received his education at Harvard, and studied medicine in Philadelphia. He acted as a surgeon in the Revolutionary Army, and subsequently practiced his profession at Brookline. He is remembered for having introduced vaccination in this country.
ASPINWALL, William H. (1807-75). An American railroad builder. He was born in New York City, and as early as 1837 was a partner in the firm of Howland & Aspinwall, then one of the largest shipping firms in New York. In 1850 he retired from the firm, and devoted his entire attention to building the Panama Railroad, the eastern terminus of which was named after him. He was also active in the formation of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.
AS'PIRATE (Lat. aspiratus, breathed upon). The term is applied by philologists to certain sounds, especially in Sanskrit and Greek, such as kh, gh, θ (th), φ (ph), accompanied by a breathing. The term may also include the English consonants c, t, p, when followed by an accented vowel. Its application to the sounds ch and h is popular, and is not recognized by specialists. See Phonetics.
