Albumen
This word means the white of an egg. It is found as an organic compound in both animal and vegetable substances. Albumen forms the starting-point of all animal tissue, and may be considered the raw material of fibrin, the substance which forms the basis or fibre of muscular tissue. Its composition is: carbon 52.8, oxygen 23.8, hydrogen 7.5, nitrogen 15.7. The most important property of albumen is that of its coagulating or forming a white solid substance by the application of a gentle heat. Hence its use for many purposes in the arts and manufactures. See AGGLUTINATION.
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Albuminoids
in chemistry, a name given to certain chemical substances which occur in the animal and vegetable tissues. They are amorphous, and their chemical constitution has not yet been discovered.
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Alcaeus
A celebrated lyric poet of Mitylene in Lesbos, about 600 years before the Christian He fled from a battle, and the armor in which he left the field was hung up in the temple of Minerva as a monument of his disgrace. He was enamored of Sappho . era. IOOO CLASSICAL CHARACTERS Of his works only a few fragments remain.
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Alcahest
The universal solvent. (See Alchemy .)
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Alcantara
a fortified town of Spain, capital of a district of the same name, province of Estremadura, the Nova Cæsarea of the Romans. The famous bridge of Trajan, built A. D. 105, exists to-day practically as the Romans left it. Order of Alcantara-At the expulsion of the Moors in 1213, which was aided by the Knights of San Julian del Pereyro, the defense of the town was intrusted to them, and they thenceforward assumed the title of Knights of Alcantara. In 1492, Ferdinand the Catholic united the office of grand master with the crown. The Order has been since abolished.
a former suburb of Lisbon, noted for the signal victory gained there by the Duke of Alva over the Portuguese in 1580.
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Alcathous
Son of Pelops and Hippodamia , obtained as his wife Evaechme, the daughter of Megareus, by slaying the Cithaeronian lion. Alceste or Alcestis. Daughter of Pelias , married Admetus . She, with her sisters, put her father to death that he might be restored to youth and vigor by Medea , who had promised to effect this by her enchantments. She, however, refused to fulfill her promise, on which the sisters fled to Admetus, who married Alceste.
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Alcazar
the name of many castles and palaces in Spain. Ciudad-Rodrigo, Cordova, Segovia, Toledo, and Seville have alcazars. The one at Seville is an imposing relic of the Arab dominion. The Alcazar of Segovia suffered from a fire in 1862.
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Alcedo
the typical genus of the family alcedinidæ, or kingfishers. Two species occur in the United States, the alcedo ispida, and the alcedo alcyon.
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Alceste
or ALCESTIS, was the daughter of Peleus, and wife of Admetus, King of Thessaly. Her husband, according to an oracle, would die, unless some one made a vow to meet death in his stead. This was secretly done by Alceste, who became sick, and Admetus recovered. After her decease, Hercules visited Admetus, and promised to bring her from the infernal regions. He made Pluto restore Alceste to her husband. Euripides has made this the subject of a tragedy.
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Alcestis
al-ses tis, in Greek legend, the wife of Admetus, king of Thessaly. Admetus was mortally ill, but, at the request of Apollo, the Fates agreed to spare his life if some one would die in his stead. Admetus was overjoyed, as he had many friends. He found none willing to die, however, until Alcestis offered to make the sacrifice. She was at the point of death, when her life was saved by the intervention of Hercules. Alcestis furnishes the subject and title for one of the plays of Euripides, a melodrama, rather than a tragedy. Browning gives the full story of this play in Balaustion's Adventure, where he speaks of it as That strangest, saddest, sweetest song of his, Alcestis. Other quotations are: What kind of creature should the woman prove That has surpassed Alcestis? When King Admetus went his rounds, poor soul. A-begging somebody to be so brave As die for one afraid to die himself-- Thou, friend? Thou, love? Father or mother, then! None of you? What, Alcestis must Death catch? O best of wives, one woman in the world! See Euripides
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Alchindus
An Arabian doctor of the eleventh century, placed by some authorities among the number of magicians, but regarded by others as merely a superstitious writer. He used charmed words and combinations of figures in order to cure his patients. Demonologists maintained that the devil was responsible for his power, and based their statements on the fact that he had written a work entitled The Theory of the Magic Arts. He was probably, however, nothing more formidable than a natural philosopher at a time when all matter of science and philosophy were held in suspicion. Some of his theories were of a magical nature, it is true, as when he essayed to explain the phenomena of dreams by saying that they were the work of the elementals, who acted their strange fantasies before the mind of the sleeper as actors play in a theatre. But on the whole there is little to connect him with the practice of magic.
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Alcide
or ALCADE, a family of birds (natatores), including auks, penguins, puffins, and guillemots. They are oceanic, and have the bill compressed and pointed. Their wings are adapted for an aquatic life.
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Alcides
. See Hercules
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Alciphron
The most distinguished of the Greek epistolary writers, was, perhaps, a contemporary of Lucian, about A. D. 180. The letters (113 in number) are written by fictitious personages, and the language is distinguished by its purity and elegance. Alcithoe or Alcathoe. Daughter of Minyas, changed, together with her sisters, into bats, for refusing to join the other women of Boeotia in the worship of Dionysus ( Bacchus ).
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Alcmaeon
alk-me on, in Grecian legend, the son of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle. Eriphyle urged Amphiaraus to undertake the expedition of the seven against Thebes. Amphiaraus took offense and commanded his son Alcmaeon to slay the mother. As an oracle, whom the son Alcmaeon consulted, also advised Eriphyle's death, Alcmaeon slew her. As a punishment he was driven mad by the Furies, and wandered away from Argos seeking purification from his crime. In Arcadia Phegeus, the king of Psophis, relieved him from the Furies and gave him his daughter in marriage. To her Alcmaeon gave the necklace and peplus of Harmonia, which his mother Eriphyle had received from Polynices. In consequence of his presence the land of Psophis became barren. Alcmaeon fled to the mouth of the river Achelous for further purification. Here he married Callirrhoe, daughter of the river god. To gratify here vanity, although against his better judgment, he returned to Arcadia to procure for her the fatal necklace and robe of Harmonia. He told Phegeus he wished to dedicate them on the altar of the oracle at Delphi. Phegeus gave Alcmaeon the ornaments, but learning for whom they were really intended, he sent his sons to waylay and kill Alcmaeon while returning to his wife. Alcmaeon was a favorite subject of Greek tragedies, but none are now extant. See Harmonia ; Seven Against Thebes; Callirrhoe
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