The Meta-Encyclopedia

Single-source entries: N (4)

Each of these 11 subjects appears in only one of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. None is long enough to carry a page by itself, so they are gathered here by letter. Anything that grows moves out to a page of its own.

Napa

a city of California, the countyseat of the county of the same name. situated on the Napa river and on It is and the issued miles N. E. of San Francisco. It is the the site of the State Hospital for Inthe vicinity are the Napa sane and in Redwoods, several hot springs, and a a pubpetrified forest. The city has excellent high school buildlic library, an are fruit growing. Its chief industries of leather ing, and the manufacture , 1910) shoes, shirts, olive oil, etc. Pop. ( 5,791; (1920) 6,757.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Napellus

A plant with narcotic properties, with which Van Helmont experimented. He says that, having on one occasion roughly prepared the root, he tasted it with his tongue, and in a very short time found that the centre of thought and intellect was situated in the pit of his stomach. An unusual clarity and distinctness of thought rendered the experience a pleasant one, and he sought on future occasions to repeat it by the same means, but without success. After about two hours he felt a slight dizziness and thereupon thought in the normal fashion with his brain. But throughout the strange experience he was conscious that his soul still remained in the brain as a governing power. Napper, Dr., of Sandford in Buckinghamshire, who, according to Lilly "outwent Forman in physic and holiness of life, cured the falling-sickness perfectly by constellated rings, and some diseases by amulets." He was probably of the stock of the Scottish Napiers though his family had been settled in England since Henry the Eighth's time.

Only in An Encyclopaedia of Occultism

Naphtali

head of the 6th son of Jacob and the its one of the 12 tribes. The tribe had full share in repelling the incursions of the Canaanites during the first centuries from of the conquest, but disappears history when Tiglath-pileser overran the whole N. of Israel and bore away the of the population to Assyria. Under the title of Galilee the district occupied by the tribe became in New Testament times famous than it had ever been bemore fore.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Naphthalene

in chemistry, C10HS= C10H,H, naphthalin, or naphthaline. A frequent product of the dry distillation of organic substances, occurring to a that portion of considerable extent in coal-tar distilling between 180° and 220°, from which it crystallizes on cooling. It forms colorless shining, leafy crystals of peculiar odor and burning taste; melts at 79° to a liquid as clear as water; boils at 216°-220°, and burns, when inflamed, with a highly luminous but smoky flame.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Napoleon

PRINCE (NAPOLEON EUGÈNE LOUIS JEAN JOSEPH bo- NAPARTE), Prince Imperial of France, son of Napoleon III.; born in Paris, France, March 16, 1856. He joined the British army in South Africa as a volunteer and was killed by the Zulus, June 2, 1879.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Nara

a city of Japan, the capital of the prefecture of the same name. In the 8th century it was the capital of Japan. It has many interesting temples. There are manufactories of ink, fans, and toys. Pop. about 35,000.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Narcotic

a substance which has a stupefying or benumbing influence. Narcotics quiet the nerves. In medicine they are used to produce sleep or to relieve pain. The chief narcotic is opium with its preparations, known as morphine, laudanum, and paregoric. Opium contracts the eye; belladonna dilates the eye. Other narcotics are hops, henbane, stramonium, camphor, coffee, Indian hemp or hashish, and bromide of potassium. Soothing syrups, painkillers, anodyne liniments, and all similar preparations depend on some narcotic, frequently opium, for their efficiency. Children are particularly susceptible and should be given exceedingly small doses, if any. Alcohol in all its forms--ale, beer, wine, hard cider, rum, and whiskey--is a narcotic. As in the case of opium, the first effect of a small quantity is a temporary excitement. The final effect, if the dose be large enough, is to produce the peculiar helpless, languid stupor called drunkenness. The well known narcotic influence of tobacco is due chiefly to an essential oil called nicotine; though pure nicotine is a rank and dangerous poison. The trouble with the use of all narcotics is that the system becomes used to artificial soothing and demands more and more of it until the victim of a narcotic habit is enslaved. See Tobacco ; Hashish ; Opium

Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia

Narcotics

remedies which produce stupor if the dose be increased beyond a certain point. Opium is the most important member of the group, and the type from which most descriptions of the action of this class of medicines have been drawn; but it includes substances of very various properties. Some, as alcohol, produce intoxication in lesser doses; some, as belladonna, delirium; most have a primary stimulating effect; in fact, almost every one presents some esents peculiarity in the way in which it affects the system, and no satisfactory general description of their minor effects is possible. Their power of inducing sleep has procured for them the names of hypnotics and soporifics; while many of them are termed anodynes, from their possessing the property of alleviating pain. Next to opium, Indian hemp, chloral and cocaine may be regarded as the most important narcotics. Numerous artificially produced organic compounds have been introduced during the ast few years, some of which (e.g., paraldehyde, sulphanol as hypnotics; antipyrin, exalgin-an aniline derivativeas anodynes) have taken a permanent place among useful remedies. The increasing and harmful use of narcotics has resulted in stringent laws to prevent their general sale, New York and other States have undertaken the cure of drug addicts on a large scale.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Narcotine

in chemistry, C22H23-

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Nares

SIR GEORGE STRONG, a British Arctic explorer; born near Aberdeen Scotland, in 1831. He entered the b navy and took part in the Arctic expedition of 1852-1854. From 1872 to 1874 he commanded the "Challenger" during her scientific expedition, and in 1875 was first in command of the North Polar expedition. He afterward was engaged in a survey of the South Pacific. He was the author of "Seamanship," "Reports on Ocean Soundings," "Voyage to the Polar Sea," etc. He died in 1915.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Narew

a river of west Russia, rising in the government of Grodno and flowing westward, formed part of the former boundary of Poland. It joins the Bug river 19 miles N. of Warsaw. It has a total length of about 217 miles, of which about 212 miles are navigable. It is connected with the Niemen river and the Augustowo canal. The Narew river was the scene of much heavy fighting during the World War.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia