Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/321

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CJESARION 279 CAILLAUX ing the child with the contents of the womb en masse, and then sewing up the wound thus made in the usual way. As might be expected, the danger is very great to the living mother. In modern times the operation has lost much of its danger as a result of the improvements in modern surgery, particularly in the knowledge of the correct use of antisep- tics, as the great danger lies in septicae- mia ensuing. The Caesarian operation is of very ancient origin, being known to the Greeks and called by them hyste- ratomotoke. The Romans also practiced it, and it was considered by them a fortunate circumstance to be so born. CffiSARION, son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, put to death by order of Augustus. CaJSARS, THE ERA OF, also known as the Spanish Era, a period of time reckoned from Jan. 1, 38 B. c, being the year following the conquest of Spain by Augustus. It was much used in Africa, Spain, and the S. of France; but by a synod held in 1180 its use was abolished in all the churches dependent on Barcelona. Pedro IV. of Arragon abolished the use of it in his dominions ih 1350. John of Castile did the same in 1383. ' It was used in Portugal till 1415, if not till 1422. The months and days of this era are identical with the Julian calendar, and to turn the time into that of our era, subtract 38 from the year; but if before the Christian era, subtract 39. CffiSURA (se-zu'ra), in Latin verse the separation of the last syllable of any word from those which precede it, by making it part of the following foot. In English poetry it is equivalent to a pause. CAFFEINE, symbol, CsHioNiO*; the same as theine; a feeble organic base occurring in tea, coffee, and the leaves of Guarana officinalis and Ilex paraguayen- sis. A decoction of tea is mixed with excess of basic lead acetate, filtered, then HiS is passed in to precipitate the ex- cees of lead, evaporated, then neutralized by ammonia; the caffeine crystallizes out on cooling. It forms tufts of white, silky needles; it has a bitter taste; it forms double salts with platinum and gold chlorides. It is a methyl substitu- tion compound of theo-bromine, and is used as a nerve sedative and a hypnotic. CAGAYAN (ka-gi-an'), an island of the Philippine group; the largest of six small islets, known as the Cagayan- •Sulu group. It is about 5 miles wide and 8 miles long. CAGLIARI (kal-yar'e), the capital of the island of Sardinia, at the head of a fine bay on the S. coast. It is the resi- dence of the Viceroy and of an Arch- bishop, and the seat of a university. It has some manufactures, and is the chief emporium of all the Sardinian trade. Its spacious and safe harbor is defended by several forts. Pop. about 60,000. CAGLIARI, PAULO. See Veronese, Paul. CAGLIOSTRO (kiil-yos'tro), COUNT ALESSANDRO (real name, Giuseppe (Joseph) Balsamo), an Italian charla- tan; born in Palermo, June 8, 1743. He was the son of poor parents, and entered the order of the Brothers of Mercy, where he acquired a knowledge of the elements of chemistry and physic. He left, or had to leave, the order, and com- mitted so many crimes in Palermo that he was obliged to abscond. He subse- quently formed a connection with Lo- renza Feliciani, whose beauty, ability, and want of principle made her a valu- able accomplice in his frauds. With her he traveled through many countries, assuming other names besides that of Count Cagliostro, pretending to super- natural powers, and wringing consider- able sums from those who became his dupes. In 1789 he revisited Rome, where he busied himself about freema- sonry; but being discovered, and com- mitted to the Castle of St. Angelo, he was condemned by a decree of the Pope to imprisonment for life as a freemason, an arch-heretic, and a very dangerous foe to religion. He died in prison in San Leone, Aug. 25, 1795. CAHILL, THADDEUS, an American inventor, born in Iowa in 1867. He studied at Oberlin College, took a law course at George Washington Univer- sity, and was admitted to the bar in 1894. His natural bent was toward me- chanics, however, and he never engaged in law practice. He invented electric typewriter and the telharmonium, a contrivance that produces music elec- trically by vibrations transmitted by dynamos from a central station to re- ceiving telephones. CAICOS (kl'kos), a group of islands belonging geographically to the Baha- mas, but annexed in 1874 to Jamaica. The North, West, East, Grand, and other Caicos, have, together with Turk Islands, an area of 223 square miles. Pop. about 6,000. Salt and sponges are their chief products. CAILLAUX, JOSEPH, a French statesman, born in Mans in 1863. He embraced the law as a profession, but