Salicine (C26H19O14 = 286)-Fusing-point, | liquid secreted from the parotid, sublingual, 248° F. (120° C.) Salicine is contained in the and submaxillary glands. The parotid secrebark of most of the willows, and confers upon tion is the most watery, and the sublingual them their peculiar bitterness. It may be least so, while the consistence of the secretion obtained by the cautious evaporation of the from the submaxillary gland is intermediate cold aqueous infusion of willow bark. It between the two. Ptyalin is contained in forms white silky needles and plates; is soluble these two latter secretions. Human saliva in 5 parts of water at 60°, and in much less has a specific gravity of 1005, and the follow. at 212°; is insoluble in ether, but readily dis- ing is given as its composition:solves in alcohol. Heated in close tubes, it gives off acid vapours; when strongly heated, it is wholly dissipated; when kindled, burns with a bright flame, leaving a bulky charcoal. Its solution is almost neutral to test-paper. Concentrated sulphuric acid causes it to agglutinate into resin-like lumps, with the accession of an intense blood-red colour. An aqueous solution mixed with some hydrochloric acid or dilute sulphuric acid, boiled for a short time, suddenly becomes turbid, and deposits saliritine under the form of a granular crystalline precipitate, which is its most characteristic reaction. Salicylic Acid(HC7H5O3)--This substance presents itself in the form of needle-shaped crystals, sparingly soluble in water, devoid of odour, and free from unpleasant taste. Its only source until recently was the oil of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), which consists almost entirely of salicylate of methyl; but lately it has been discovered that it may be produced artificially from carbolic acid by the action of carbonic acid on the former in the presence of caustic soda at a high temperature. Half of the carbolic acid passes over, and the other half becomes converted into salicylate of sodium, which upon decomposition by an acid yields salicylic acid. Although the acid itself is so sparingly soluble in water, it forms salts with soda, potash, &c., of great solubility. So far as is known it is not poisonous. From the experiments of Rolbe, Kiersch, and Godeffroy, it would appear that its disinfectant and antiseptic powers are great. According to Dr. Godeffroy (Pharmaceutical Journal, May 1, 1875), it is three times more powerful than carbolic acid in preventing fermentation; for 1 gramme of salicylic acid is capable of hindering the fermentative action of 18 grammes of yeast entirely; 36 grammes, fourteen hours; 72 grammes, one hour. And the same quantity of carbolic acid is capable of hindering the fermentative action of 5 grammes of yeast entirely; 17 grammes, twelve hours; 10 grammes, one hour. The antiseptic and disinfectant properties of salicylic acid appear to be confined to the acid itself, and, so far as is at present known, are not shared by its salts. Saliva-A slightly alkaline, thin, glairy Water Organic matter Sulpho-cyanide of potash Chloride of sodium 995.16 134 0:06 0.93 0.84 162 1000.00 As much as from 1 to 3 lbs. of saliva are secreted in the twenty-four hours. Its funetions are to assist articulation, mastication, and deglutition. It assists the sense of taste, and it also carries oxygen to the stomach'; but its greatest action is the conversion of starch first into dextrine and then into grape-sugar. This metamorphosis is accomplished by means of the ptyalin. One part of ptyalin will, according to Mialhe, convert 8000 parts of insoluble starch into soluble glucose. This is probably an exaggeration, but we know that part of the ferment will convert 2000 parts of starch into sugar. Gastric juice is said to interfere with this conversion. Saliva has no action on fat or fibrine or albuminous bodies. An artificial saliva may be prepared from seeds which have sprouted or fermented, in which the diastase is abundant. See PTYALIN. Salmon-The Salmo salar (Linn.) is a well-known, soft-finned, abdominal fish. Its normal locality is at the mouth or estuary of the larger rivers of the northern seas. In the summer months, during the breeding season, it ascends these rivers against all obstacles and deposits its spawn. The flesh of salınon approaches meat in redness, and in sustaining properties resembles it more closely than any other fish. Fatty matter is found incorporated with the muscular fibres, and there is also a layer of superficial fat beneath the skin; this is particularly abundant in the abdominal or thinner part of the fish. Salmon is not adapted to the delicate or dyspeptic, since it is rich, oily, and difficult of digestion. Pickled, salted, or smoked, it is excessively indigestible, and should only be taken by those possessing very strong assimilating powers. Composition of Salmon. 16.1 5.5 14 7760 100 0 Salting Provisions, &c.—The process | Local Government district is situated within of salting articles of food renders them hard a borough, the remaining part of such Imand difficult of digestion, food which has provement Act district or of such Local Gobeen so treated should therefore be avoided vernment district so partly situated within a by the dyspeptic. An exception must, how-borough shall for the purposes of this Act ever, be made in the case of bacon, which is usually more digestible than pork or other pig-meat. For salt beef, see MEAT. 1. Any borough, the whole of which is included in and forms part of a Local Government district or Improvement Act district, and any Improvement Act district which is included in and forms part of a Local Government district and any Local Government district which is included in and forms part of an Improvement Act district, shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be absorbed in the larger district in which it is included, or of which it forms part; and the Improvement Commissioners or local board, as the case may be, of such larger district, shall be the urban authority therein; and 2. Where an Improvement Act district is coincident in area with a Local Government district, the Improvement Commissioners, and not a local board, shall be the urban authority therein; and 3. Where any part of an Improvement Act district is situated within a borough or Local Government district, or where any part of a continue subject to the like jurisdiction as it would have been subject to if this Act had not been passed, unless and until the Local Government Board by provisional order otherwise directs. For the purposes of the Public Health Act, the boroughs of Oxford, Cambridge, Blandford, Calne, Wenlock, Folkestone, and Newport, Isle of Wight, are not to be deemed boroughs. The borough of Cambridge is to le deemed to be an Improvement Act district, the borough of Oxford is to be included in the Local Government district of Oxford, and there is a special provision in the case of the borough of Folkestone. An English rural sanitary district and authority are thus defined (P. H., s. 9) :— The area of any union which is not coincident in area with an urban district, nor wholly included in an urban district (in this section called a rural union), with the exception of those portions (if any) of the area which are included in any urban district, shall be a rural district, and the guardians of the union shall form the rural authority of such district: provided that 1. An ex-officio guardian resident in any parish or part of a parish belonging to such union, which parish or part of a parish forms or is situated in an urban district, shall not act or vote in any case in which guardians of such union act or vote as members of the rural authority, unless he is the owner or occupier of property situated in the rural district of a value sufficient to qualify him as an elective guardian for the union. 2. An elective guardian of any parish belonging to such union, and forming or being wholly included within an urban district, shall not act or vote in any case in which guardians of such union act or vote as members of the rural authority. 3. Where part of a parish belonging to a rural union forms or is situated in an urban district, the Local Government Board may by order divide such parish into separate wards, and determine the number of guardians to be elected by such wards respectively, in such manner as to provide for the due representation of the part of the parish situated within the rural district; but until such order has been made, the guardian or guardians of such parish may act and vote as members of the rural authority in the same manner as if no part of such parish formed part of or was situated in an urban district. Where the number of elective guardians who are not by this section disqualified from acting and voting as members of the rural authority is less than five, the Local Government Board may from time to time by order nominate such number of persons as may be necessary to make up that number, from owners or occupiers of property situated in the rural district of a value sufficient to qualify them as elective guardians for the union; and the persons so nominated shall be entitled to act and vote as members of the rural authority, but not farther or otherwise. Subject to the provisions of this Act, all statutes, orders, and legal provisions applicable to any board of guardians shall apply to them in their capacity of rural authority under this Act for purposes of this Act; and it is hereby declared that the rural authority are the same body as the guardians of the union or parish for or within which such authority act. In Ireland, urban sanitary districts areThe city of Dublin, other corporate towns above 6000, and towns or townships having commissioners under local Acts. And urban authorities are In the city of Dublin, the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses acting by the town council. In towns corporate, the town council. In towns exceeding 6000, having commissioners under the Lighting, Cleaning, and Watching Act of George IV.; or having municipal commissioners under 3 & 4 Vict. c. 108; or town commissioners under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act (17 & 18 Vict c. 103), the said commissioners, municipal or town commissioners, respectively. In towns or townships having commissioners under local Acts, the town or township commissioners.-(37 & 38 Vict. c. 93, s. 3.) The Irish rural sanitary districts and authorities are exactly analogous to the English. In Scotland sanitary powers are exercised by town councils, police commissioners, and parochial boards, controlled and supervised by a Board of Supervision, but the names of urban and rural sanitary authorities have not yet been applied to them. Under the English Public Health Act there may also be formed united districts ; for example Where, on the application of any local authority of any district, it appears to the Local Government Board that it would be for the advantage of the districts, or any of them, or any parts thereof, or of any contributory places in any rural district or districts, to be formed into a united district for all or any of the purposes following, 1. The procuring a common supply of water; or 2. The making a main sewer or carrying into effect a system of sewerage for the use of all such districts or contributory places; or 3. For any other purposes of this Act; the Local Government Board may, by provisional order, form such districts or contributory places into a united district. All costs, charges, and expenses of and incidental to the formation of a united district are, in the event of the united district being formed, to be a first charge on the rates leviable in the united district in pursuance of P. H., s. 279. Notice of the provisional order must be made public in the locality; and should the union be carried out, the incidental expenses thereto are a first charge on the sanitary rates of the united district. A united district is governed by a joint board consisting of such ex-officio, and of such number of elective, members as the provisional order determines. The business arrangements of the joint board differ little from those of a sanitary authority. The rules applicable to meetings of a joint board will be found in article COMMITTEES. The joint board is a body corporate, having a name-determined by the provisional order-a perpetual succession, and a common seal, and having power to acquire and hold lands without any licence in mortmain. The joint board has only business and power in matters for which it has been formed. With the exception of these special objects, the component districts continue as before to exercise independent powers. Nevertheless, the joint board may delegate to the sanitary authority of any component district the exercise of any of its powers, or the performance of any of its duties.-(P. H., s. 281.) Sanitary authorities and districts may be also combined for the execution and mainten ance of works (see WORKS), for the prevention of epidemic diseases (see EPIDEMIC), as well as for the purpose of appointing a medical officer of health (see MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.) Districts when once formed are not fixed and invariable, the Local Government Board having the most extensive powers over the alterations of areas. 1. The Local Government Board, by provisional order, may dissolve any Local Government district, and may merge any such district in some other district, or may declare the whole or any portion of a Local Government or a rural district immediately adjoining a Local Government district to be included in such last-mentioned district, or may declare any portion of a Local Government district im mediately adjoining a rural district to be in- | the net rateable value of such district, or of cluded in such last-mentioned district; and any contributory place therein, by order, to be thereupon the included area shall, for the pur- published in the 'London Gazette' or in such poses of the Public Health Act, be deemed to other manner as the Local Government Board form part of the district in which it is included may direct, declare any provisions of this Act in such order; and the remaining part (if any) in force in urban districts to be in force in of such Local Government district or rural such rural district or contributory place, and district affected by such order, shall continue may invest such authority with all or any of subject to the like jurisdiction as it would the powers, rights, duties, capacities, liabilihave been subject to if such order had not ties, and obligations of an urban authority been made unless and until the Local Govern- under this Act, and such investment may be ment Board by provisional order otherwise made either unconditionally or subject to any directs. conditions to be specified by the board as to the time, portion of its district, or manner during, at, and in which such powers, rights, duties, liabilities, capacities, and obligations are to be exercised and attach: provided that an order of the Local Government Board made on the application of one-tenth of the persons rated to the relief of the poor in any contributory place shall not invest the rural authority with any new powers beyond the limits of such contributory place."-(P. H., s. 276.) Powers and Duties of Sanitary Authorities. 2. In the case of a borough comprising within its area the whole of an Improvement Act district, or having an area coextensive with such district, the Local Government Board, by provisional order, may dissolve such district, and transfer to the council of the borough all or any of the jurisdiction and powers of the Improvement Commissioners of such district remaining vested in them at the time of the passing of the Public Health Act. have very extensive powers and duties under the Public Health Act, 1875; and in addition, they have to carry out the Bakehouse Regulation Act, and the Artisans' and Labourers' Dwellings Act. 3. The Local Government Board may by order dissolve any special drainage district-In England, urban sanitary authorities constituted either before or after the passing of the Public Health Act, in which a loan for the execution of works has not been raised, and merge it into the parish or parishes in which it is situated; but in the cases where a loan has been raised, the Local Government Board can only do this by provisional order. —(P. H., s. 270.) Disputes with regard to the boundaries of districts are to be settled by the Local Government Board after local inquiry.(P. H., s. 278.) Where districts also are constituted for the purposes of main sewerage only, in pursuance of the Public Health Act, 1848, or where a district has been formed subject to the jurisdiction of a joint sewerage board, in pursuance of the Sewage Utilisation Act, 1867, such districts or district may be dissolved by provisional order, and the Local Government Board may constitute it a united district subject to the jurisdiction of a joint board.(P. H., s. 323.) For expenses of joint board, see EXPENSES. The Local Government Board may also declare by provisional order any rural district to be a Local Government district. See LOCAL BOARDS. The Local Government Board has also the important power of investing a rural authority with urban powers, as follows: "The Local Government Board may, on the application of the authority of any rural district, or of persons rated to the relief of the poor, the assessment of whose hereditaments amounts at the least to one-tenth of They also have power to adopt the Baths and Wash-houses Acts, and the Labouring Classes' Lodging-Houses Acts; but where adopted or in force, the powers, rights, duties, &c., of these Acts belong to the urban authority. The powers of any local Act for sanitary purposes (except a River Couservancy Act) are transferred to the urban authority. The powers of an English rural authority are exercised principally under the Public Health Act, but they have also to carry out the Bakehouse Regulation Act. The powers given by the Irish Public Health Act to Irish sanitary authorities are similar. The Local Government Act is not in force there, and equal powers are given without distinction to urban and rural sanitary authorities. The duties of sanitary authorities are to carry out the Acts which apply to them, and appoint certain officers, such as medical officers of health, inspectors of nuisances, clerk, treasurer, &c. Speaking generally, all sanitary authorities have ample powers for health purposes. They can carry out, and it is their duty to do so, works of drainage, sewerage, and water-supply. In towns they have the control of the streets and houses, both private and public; in all places they have ample powers to re press every species of nuisance which is at all | likely to injure health, and on the outbreak of infectious disease they are given many facilities to prevent its spread. Provision is made by the Public Health Act to meet the case of an authority which neglects to do its duty. In such a case the Local Government Board has compulsory powers, and may compel the due performance of whatever is required. See LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD, LOANS, &c. Sanitary Legislation-The following are the dates of the chief sanitary laws: First sanitary law in the statute-book impos. ing a penalty of £20 upon persons casting filth and refuse into ditches (12 Richard II.) Repealed in 1856. 1388 1489 1532 1833 Municipal Corporations Act (5 & 6 Wall, IV. c. 76). 1835 An Act under which the Registrar-General 1836 The Public Health Act (11 & 12 Vict. c. 63). 1840 Sewage Utilisation Act, applying to England, Sewage Utilisation Act (30 & 31 Vict. c. 113) . . Laws Amendment Act) (37 & 38 Vict. c. 89) Public Health (England) Act (38 & 39 Vict. 1865 1866 1867 1867 1868 1869 1870 1872 1874 1874 1874 1875 There are also a number of subsidiary and special Acts bearing on, and more or less intimately connected with, public health, such as the Burial, Highway, Factory, Labourers' and Artisans' Dwellings, Sale of Food and Drugs, Pharmacy, Alkali, Smoke, Public Works, Loan, and Local Authorities Loan Acts, references to all of which will be found under their respective headings. Sanitation-See HYGIÈNE. Santonine (C15H1903, HELDT)—The crystalline and characteristic principle of several varieties of Artemisia. It consists of prismatic or tabular crystals, tasteless, inodorous, fusible, volatilisable; soluble in 4500 parts of cold and about 250 parts of boiling water; soluble in cold alcohol and ether; freely 1846 soluble in hot alcohol. Tannic acid and the chloriodide of potassium and mercury do not precipitate solutions of santonine. Sulphuric acid has no effect on it. The crystals acquire a brilliant yellow colour on exposure to sunlight without undergoing any change of form. Santonine is a very useful anthelmintic, and is much used in the treatment of the round worm especially. It has a peculiar 1848 action on the brain, causing objects to appear yellow or green. 1847 |