DITTERS. 322 DIVIDEND. little, if nnytliin-;, vf his work remains in 41SC. He had the niislurtune to have liis uniloubted {lifts overi-haiioweil by the brilliant genius of Mozart, and little has survived him other thhn tlie reputation of preeeding Mozart in the realm of dramatie eomposition. His music is marked by correctness of style, lluency of I'xpression, and beauty of melody. Few musicians of liis day met with greater appreciation, had more honors eonferred upon them, or lidd more honorable jiositions. He died at Castle Rothlhotta, near Nenliaus. in Hohemia. The best edition of his aitobiogra])liy is that edited by Spazier (Leip- zig. ISO 1,1. DIT'TON, lliMi-niiEV ( KiT.J-lVI.'J). An emi- nent Knglish mathematician. He was for some years a dissenting clergj-man, but through the influence of Sir Isaac Xewfon secured a profes- sorsl.ip in the new mathematical scho(d at Christ's Hospital, where he remained through life. He and Whiston devised a new method for detemiining longitude at sea, but it was rejected by the Board of Admiralty. IJitton's death has l-een attributed to liis disappointment. He was the author of mathematical works, including: (Iciieral Laics of y'dltire and Motion (ITO.t) : An liixtilnlion of Fluxions (170(i: 2d ed. 172G). DIU, df-00' (Gujarati. from 8kt. <Jripa. is- land, so called from the situation of the town). A seaport, situated at the eastern extremity of an island of the same name, oil' the south coast of Gujarat, India (Map: India, B 4). It is fortified, and has a t(derably safe harbor, with a general depth of three or four fathoms. The anchorage, however, is gradually becoming shal- lower. The place has been in possession of the Portuguese since 1.5.3.5: from its detached and isolated position its trade is of little consequence. The area of the island is about 02 square miles. P,.pulation, in 1804, 1.1,206. DIXJKETICS (Lat. tliurclicns. from Gk. Si.oi'priTiK6c, dioiiriiil.os. i)ronioting urine, from I'lovptti', dioureiii, to urinate, from Sii. dla, through + oipeTv. unrein, to urinate, from ofSpoi', oii;o», urine) . Medicines having the property of in- creasing the secretion of urine. They are of several classes: ( 1 ) Vascular or cardiac diuretics, which act by increasing arterial tension or the blood- supply of the kidneys. These include all cardiac stimulants, important representatives being dig- italis, cafl'eine, theobromine, diuretin, conval- laria. scoparius. sparteine, apocynin, squill, and strophanthus, (2) Kcfrificrani diuretics include the salts of sodium and pota.ssiuni, particularly the acetate, citrate, and bitartratc of potassium, (3 1 Ktimulant diurclic.i. or blenorrbctics. are those which have a direct stimulating action upon the genitourinary tract: such as juniper, tur- pentine, copaiba, cubebs, oil of sandalwood, buclni, and cantharides. Some of these are ex- tremely irritating, and nuist be used very cau- tiously. (4) IVn^ri- is a most imimrtant diuret- ic, increasing the amount of fluiil in the blood. lliuretics are used in conditions in which the quantity of )irinc is diminished: to aid the ab- sorption of fluid in dropsy or collections of tluid in the body cavities, whether the result of in- flammation, such as pleurisy, or of imperfect action of the heart, kidneys, etc.: to aid in the elimination of poisons: and to dilute the urine so as to make it less irritating in inflammations of the penito-nrinary tract, or to prevent the formation of calculi, or stones, in the kidneys or bladder. Many of the diuretics mentioned are described in separate articles. Some di- aphoretics, such as pilocarpine, at times act as diuretics. The action of diuretics as a class is very luicertain, depending largely upon the in- dividual, and Viirying in. the same jierson under dilVercnt conditions. DI'URE'TIN (from Gk. Siovpftf. diourcin, to urinaui. or Soiuo-Sai.uyi.atk of TiiKomfo.Mi.NE, C,il:."a.'.(); -r NaC:HA. -V valuable diuretic, especially in cases of drop.sy of cardiac origin; but. like all drugs of its class, very uncertain in
- iction. It is a pure diuretic, acting by directly
stinuilating the cells of the kindey. It occurs as a white powder which is freely soluble in warm water, and remains dissolved after cool- ing. Sec Sai.uvi u- ( II). DIURNAL MOTION (l.at. dinrnalis. daily, from dinrnns. daily, from dies, day). The ap- jiarent daily motion of a heavenly body cavised by the rotation of the eartl» on its axis. See Axis : Earth : Pi.anet.s. DIVAN, <li-v:"in'. . Persian word, having various significations, being used in the sense of a muster-roll, a register of payments or accounts, or a place for the preservation of a register; and it is also applied to a collection of poems or songs by one and the same author. Goethe u.ses it in this sense in his ^Vestiislliche Diran. Divan means next an administrative board: the highest council of state at Constantinople is called Di- vani humai/un ("most illustrious divan') ■ Final- ly, 'divan' is the name for the state or reception room in Oriental palaces. Along the walls of the room are ranged low couches, covered with rich carpets, and provi<led with oishions. Hence the name divan is used for a kind of couch or sofa. DIVER. The name of several water-birds, cs])ecially loons and grebes, remarkable for quick diving — in some cases so quick as to dive at the (lash of a gun and escape the .shot. The whole order (Pygopodes) to which these birds belong is often spoken of as 'divers.' See Loox. DIVER. liiK. A poem by Schiller (q,v.). DIVERTIMENTO, Hal. /nun. d.-vArti^mftn'- ti'i (It., diversion). (1) A term originally ap- plied to the dances interpolated between the scenes of the older French opera. (2) A com- position somewhat like the modern suite (q.v. ). It consists generally of five or six movements in free style, but the music is always of a simple character. (3) An entr'acte in an opera. (4) An episode in a fugue. DIVES, di'vez (Lat., rich). A word some- times used as if it were a proper name for the rich man in the story of Lazarus in Luke xvi., there being no name given to him in the Gospel. DIVIDE (Lat, diridcre. to divide). In phy>lcal geography, the crest line between the >lopes of two drainage sj-.stems. The term is ii>ed. mostly in the United States, synonymously with watershed. DIVIDEND (Lat. dividcndus. to be divided, from (liiidcre. to divide). A fund, made up of |)rincipal or i)rotits, set apart for distribu- tion among a numlicr of perscms ratably en- litled thereto; also the portion or share of each per-on so entitled. In practice the term is not
