The Meta-Encyclopedia

Single-source entries: V (1)

Each of these 9 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.

V Moth

the Halia wavaria, a rather common European geometer moth, ily Macaridæ. Antenne of the male pectinated, those of the female simple. Wings gray, tinged with a faint iridescence or purple gloss; the fore wings streaked, and having four conspicuous , the second spots shaped like a V, the whence name. The caterpillar feeds on the gooseberry.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vacation Schools

in the United States, schools conducted for the purpose of teaching useful occupations to the poor children of large cities. The idea orig originated in Boston, where the first school was held during six weeks of the summer of 1885. From Boston the movement spread to New York, Chicago, and other large cities and in 1920 practically every large city in the United States instituted such schools in its system.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vaccine Therapy

BACTERIA THERAPY, the treatment and prevention of disease by inoculation with the virus of the bacteria causing the dis- It was first practiced by Dr. Edease. ward Jenner toward the end of the 18th century. He made the discovery that persons inoculated with cowpox were thereby rendered immune against smallpox. Since that time the practice has been extended to several other diseases, including typhoid fever, asthma, and pneumonia, and it is claimed that in most cases the results have been remarkably successful. Care should be taken to distinguish between SERUM THERAPY (q. v.) and vaccine therapy. In the former, anti-toxins are injected into the blood to assist in the destruction of the toxins which cause the diseased condition. In the latter, bacteria themselves, or their products, are introduced into the blood, the theory underlying the practice being the stimulation of the natural healing powers of the body, by the formation of anti-toxins, thus producing greater resistance to disease. Human serum possesses what is known as opsonic action on bacteria, which means that it renders them more easily destroyed by the white corpuscles in the blood. The power which the serum of a patient displays toward bacteria is known as the "opsonic index" (see OP- SON) and it has been found that when the opsonic index is rising, favorable results can be produced by vaccine injection, but when the opsonic index is falling, it is advisable to discontinue injections.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vachell

HORACE ANNESLEY, an English novelist, born in 1861. He was educated at Harrow and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He became a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, in 1883, but later devoted himself to writing. His publications include "Romance of Judge Ketchum" (1894); "Model of Christian Gay" (1895); "Quicksands of Pactolus" (1896); "An Impending Sword" (1896); "A' Drama in Sunshine" (1897); "The Procession of Life" (1899); "John Charity" (1900); "Life and Sport on the Pacific Slope" (1900); "The Shadowy Third" (1902); "The Pinch of Prosperity" (1903); "Brothers" (1904); "The Hill" (1905); "The Face of Clay" (1906); "Her Son" (1907); "The Waters of Jordan" (1908); "The Paladin" (1909); "The Other Side" (1910); "John Verney" (1911); "Jelf's" (1912); "Blinds Down" (1912); "Bunch Grass" (1912); "Loot" (1914); "Quinney's (1914); "Spragge's Canyon" (1914); "Searchlights" (1915); "The Case of Lady Camber" (1915); "Who Is He?" (1915); "The Triumph of Tim" (1916); "Fishpingle" (1916); "Humpty Dumpty" (1917); "Mrs. Pomeroy's Reputation" (1918); "The Soul of Susan Vellam" (1918).

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vacherot

ETIENNE (väsh-rō), a French philosopher; born in Langres, France, July 29, 1809; was educated at the Paris Normal School, where he succeeded Cousin as Professor of Philosophy in 1839; was dismissed for refusing to take the oath of allegiance when Louis Napoleon became emperor; imprisoned for a year for censuring the Napoleonic system; succeeded Cousin in the Academy of Moral Sciences in 1868; was one of the mayors of Paris during the siege. Was elected to the Assembly, and was one of the three deputies of Paris who voted in favor of making peace with Germany. He wrote a "Critical History of the School of Alexandria" (3 vols. 1846-1851); "Democracy" (1859); "Metaphysics and Science" (2 vols. 1858); "Essays in Critical Philosophy" (1864); "Religion" (1868); "Science and Conscience" (1870); The External Policy of the Republic" (1881); "The New Spiritualism" (1884). He died in Paris, July 30, 1897.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vacuum

. See Air-Pump

Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia

Vacuum Cleaner

a mechanical device for getting rid, by means of air suction, of dirt and dust from the floors and other parts of a house. It consists in the main of a nozzle which is run over the area that needs cleaning, a pipe connecting the nozzle with a separator where the dust and dirt are removed from the air, and an exhausting apparatus for producing a vacuum. The nozzles are in such shapes and sizes as the work may require. Some vacuum cleaners are operated by current which is derived from connection with a lamp socket. Another of a more extensive kind, mounted on a carriage and driven by an internal combustion engine, is stationed outside the building to be cleaned and the hose passed through the window. The third ssed throu type is located as a rule in the basement of a building and is connected by permanent pipes with outlets to which nozzles and hoses may be attached in different parts of the buildings.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Vagina

the membranous canal leading from the from the uterus or womb to the exthem to recognize the practernal genitalia. The vagina in lower mammals, such as the Ornithorhynchus, opens into cloaca, while in the kangaroos and other Marsupialia it opens into a canal named the uro-genital canal, which receives the efferent ducts of the urinary organs. In higher quadrupeds the vagina is distinct both from the rectum and the urinary ducts. In the human subject it attains a length of about four measured along its anterior wall inches and six inches measured on its posterior surface. It lies between the bladder and rectum; constricted at its commencement it becomes dilated toward its uterine end. The coats of the vagina number three-an external or muscular layer, a layer of erectile tissue, and an inner or mucous layer. The mucous layer is thrown into folds or rugæ, which permit the distension of the canal in the process of parturition.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Valdai Hills

a range of hills in western Russia, averaging about 300 feet in height, but rising in Mount Popovagora to 1,080 feet. They are well wooded, and contain the sources of the Volga, Dnieper, and Düna. VALDENSES. See WALDENSES. VALDÉS, ARMANDO PALACIO (väl-dās'). See PALACIO VALDÉS. VALDÉS, JUAN DE, a Spanish theologian, reformer and writer, born in Cuenca, Castile, about 1500. In 1528 he wrote "Diálogo de Mercurio y Caron," a treatise severely criticising the Roman church. Fearing the Spanish Inquisition, Valdés left the country and settled in Naples, spending also some time in Rome and Bologna. In 1533 he returned to Naples, where he resided until his death in 1541. Although a Catholic, he was a strong advocate of doctrines usually identified with Luther and his followers.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia