murder of Mercury's son Myrtilus by Polops, afforded endless themes for the classic poets.
ATRIUM. I. In Roman architecture, the central room of the house, also called cavum adium. In this room the family lived and ate, and here stood the lures and penates. The room was uncovered in the centre, toward which the roof sloped, to throw the rain water into a cistern in the floor, around which stood the household deities. II. The forecourt of a temple. The atrium of the temple of Liberty is most frequently mentioned. III. In ecclesiastical architecture, an open space before a church, making part of the nurthex, or ante-temple. Penitents and others stood in the atrium to solicit the prayers of the pious,
ATROPATENE. See AZERBIJAN,
ATROPHY (Gr. (
Greek characters), hunger, from à pri-
vative and (Greek characters), nourishment), in medicine,
the wasting away of any organ or portion of
the body from want of nutrition in the part,
irrespective of the general nutrition of the
body. The principle of vitality decreases in
the organ when its functions are suspended,
and nutrition slackens where the vital principle
becomes inert. The mammary glands or milk-
meoreting organs, in the breasts of women who
have passed the age of child-bearing, are some-
times so much atrophiod that traces of the
only can be found imbedded in large lobes of
adipose tissue or fut. In contrast with atro-
phy in hypertrophy, or excessive nutrition and
enlargement of an organ or set of organs in
the body. Any liimb or portion of a limb arti-
ficially compressed for a long time will be de-
pressed in its vitality, and lack the power to
appropriate nutrition from the blood; it will
gradually diminish in size and force, and become
atrophiod. Disuse alone, without compression,
will cause atrophy in the upper or the lower
limb, or even in the whole body; for many
persons wasto away from morbid inactivity,
which brings on by degreen emaciation and
debility, resulting in decay of the whole system.
—Paralysis, by proventing natural exercise in
the limbs, may depress the vitality of the parts,
and diminish their powers of nutrition. This
will cause atrophy, or a falling away of the
paralyzed limb. The dislocation of a joint,
paralyzed limb. The dislocation of a joint,
if neglected, may, by causing pressure on the
eorves, out off a portion of the innervation ne-
cessary to maintain the active functions of nu-
trition in the parts below, and thus depress
vitality and bring on atrophiy. In children of
a sorofulous dinthesis, disease in the hip joint forcing
often affects the nerves of the parts and the
vitality of the whole limb, diminishing the
powers of nutrition, and causing the leg to
dwindle in comparison with the one which is
not affected. In these cases the atrophy is of n
double nature; for the gluteal muscles waste
away, and the bonos deosy in part, before the
limb begins to dwindle in its general propor-
tions from the weakened powers of nutrition.
ATROPIA, or Atropine (Gr. 'Arporaç, one of
the Fates), a vegetable alkaloid of highly poi-
sonous properties, extracted from the atropa
belladonna, or deadly nightshade. It is ob-
tained from the juice expressed from all parts
of the plant, but more particularly from the
leaves. It crystallizes in white silky pristns,
which have a bitter taste, but no smell. They
possess an alkaline reaction, reddening litmus
paper; they melt at 194° F., and are volatilized
at 284. Their composition is: carbon, 70-98;
oxygen, 16-86; hydrogen, 7-88; and nitrogen,
4-88. Atropia forms crystallizable salts with
acids, the sulphate being considerably used in
medicine. When in solution it gives a lemon-
yellow precipitate with terchloride of gold.
It was first obtained by Moin, a German apoth-
ecary, by digesting the roots, powdered ex-
tremely fine, for several days in alcohol, and
afterward separating the other ingredients by
various precipitations. From 12 ounces of the
root he obtained 20 grains of pure alkali.
Chloroform and potassa are also used for ob-
taining its solution. (See BELLADONNA.)
99
ATROPOS, one of the Fates (Maerae, Lat. Par- cae) of Greek mythology, who cut the thread of life. She is represented with a pair of scales, or a sun dial, or a cutting instrument,
ATTACHMENT (Fr. attacher, to seize), in law, the seizure of the person or property. The writ of attachment is of two kinds: 1. Against the person, in the nature of a criminal proceeding for contempt of court. It may be issued against attorneys, solicitors, sheriffs, and other officers of court, for any misconduct or neglect of duty. The object of the attach- ment is in such cases to bring the offending party personally into court, to answer for the alleged contempt, and unless he can clear him- solf he is punishable by fine or imprisonment. Jurisdiction has formerly been exercised by courts over a very large class of cases, and no precise limit has been fixed to the power. The statute of New York continues the jurisdic- tion to the same extent that has been here- tofore used. In the famous case of Yates in New York, in 1810, who was committed to prison by the chancellor for misconduct as a master, the question was agitated but not definitively settled whether there was any re- lief upon habeas corpus from such imprison- ment. (People z. Yates, 4 Johnson's Rep. 317, 6 id. 837.) 9. A writ as to contempt to enforce the civil remedies of parties to suits, or to pro- tect the rights of such parties. In the English chancery this was the only process for en- its orders and decrees. In this coun- try it has been resorted to by all the courts to enforce interlocutory orders. It is, however, no longer used in New York for the collection of costs or any money demand, except against attorneys, solicitors, and other officers of court. (Act of 1847.)- Attachment against property was an old mode of proceeding in English practice to compel the appearance of a defendant in an action. To this head be- longs also the proceeding known as foreign attachment, a process under which the prop-
