Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/704

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STOWE. 608 STEABO. cnted: A History of the Byron Controversy (1869), and her article in Macmillan's Maga- zine which had occasioned that discussion, her vorks were comparatively free from the didactic spirit. The chief titles are: The Minister's Wooing (ISSU); The Pearl of Orr's Island (1802); Agnes of Horrento (1862); Religious I'ocms (1867) ; Oldtoun Folks (1869) ; Pink and White Tyranni/ (1871); Sam Lawson's Fireside Stories (1871); My Wife and I (1871); Pal- metto Leases (1873); We and Our Neighbors (1875) ; and Poganiic People (1878). Of these, the best are The Minister's Wooing and Oldtomv Folks, which were greatly praised by such critics as Lowell. Slic removed from Andover to Hart- ford in 1804, and in 1868 became associated with D. G. JNlitchell in the editorship of Hearth and Horn c.

Mrs. Stowe is remembered chiefly as the author

of probably the most potent and widely read novel in modern literature. Though, like almost all her novels, loose and rambling in structure. Uncle Tom's Cabin has abundant vitality, and is the work of a genuine story-teller. It also has the vniusual fortune of being at once a cause and an outcome of a heated national struggle; no novel was ever better timed for an occasion, and few have aroused so much admiration and dislike. Soon after its publication the book was dramatized, and probably no other play has been produced so many times or seen by so many people. Both in its original and in its numerous stage versions it still holds popular favor in spite of occasional protests. The char- acter Uncle Tom was drawn from the life of Josiah ilcnson (q.v.). Consult: the Life by Charles E. Stowe (Bos- ton, 1889) ; and Life and Letters, by Mrs. Annie Fields (Boston, 1899). STOWELL, stn'cl, William Scott, Baron (1745-1830). A British admiralty and ecclesias- tical judge and jurist. He was the eldest brother of LordEldon (q.v.). He was born at Heworth, Durham, was educated at Newcastle, went to O.xford in 1761, and became a college tutor. In 1779 he removed to London, was called to the bar (1780), and admitted to the faculty of ad- vocates at Doctors' (ouunons. In 1788 he was appointed judge in the Consistory Court, knight- ed, and nominated a privy councilor. In 1798 he became judge of the Court of Admiralty. Both as an ecclesiastical and admiralty judge he won high distinction. He practically created much ot the admiralty law of England. He drew on the Roman law, and the maritime law of all nations, ancient and modern, and his opinions, therefore, were very scholarly. He wrote no systematic treatise or text-book, but his judgments Avere admirably reported, and supply the best evidence of his extensive legal learning, his sagacity, and his great literary ability. He is the highest English authority on the law of nations, and his judgments — those especially re- lating to the rights of belligerents and neutrals — have been described as the most valuable con- tribution made by an English judge to general jurisprudence since the time ot Lord Mansfield. He represented Oxford in the House of Commons for twenty years, but lie took no part in the busi- ness of Parliament, although he was a zealous supporter of the Conservative Party and the Established Church. At the coronation of George IV. he was raised to the peerage under the title of Baron Stowell of Stowell Park. STRABISMUS (Neo-Lat, from Gk. aTpajiia- Ii6(, a squinting, from arpaSof, strabos, crooked, from arpiijiciv, strephcin, to twist, turn about), or Squint. A well-known and common deformity which may be defined as a want of parallelism in the visual axes when the patient endeavors to direct both eyes to an object at the same time. The eye which is directed toward the object looked at is called the fixing eye, the other the squinting eye. The squint is said to be con- vergent when the eye or eyes are directed toward the nose, divergent when they are directed toward the temple, and vertical when directed upward or downward. The last is often associated with con- vergent squint. The divergent form is compara- tively rare, and occurs most often with myopia. Squint is of two kinds: (1) paralytic, and (2) concomitant. Paralytic squint is caused by paralysis of one or more of the ocular muscles. There is inability to move the ati'ected eyeball away from the side toward which it is directed. 'hen both eyes are turned toward the side to which the squinting eye is directed, the squint disappears. The head is held in a characteristic position in every variety of paralj'sis of the muscles of the eyeball, an attempt of nature to compensate for the squint by turning the head in such a direction that the squinting eye is directed toward objects in front of the body. There is diplopia, double vision, unless the squinting eye is the one fixed on the object. By the position of the double image, it is possible to determine which muscle is afl'ected. The eye involved is often closed in order to avoid the second image, which is confusing in walking. For example, a person with paralysis of the su- perior oblique muscle while descending stairs sees two steps instead of one, and is often led to attempt to reach the false image, with disas- trous results. The paralysis may be due to a lesion at any point lietween the cerebral cortex and the muscle. Syphilis is the most common cause; others are cold, rheumatism, and acute infectious disease. The treatment is that of the cause, exercise of the muscles, the use of prisms to relieve the diplopia, and operation as in con- comitant squint if necessary. In concomitant squint there is the same deviation of the eyes in every position, and both ej'es possess a normal range of movement. Squint may be alternating, in which the patient fixes with either eye; fixed; or vnilatcrul, in which the squint is confined to one eye; in regard to permanency it may be con- stant or periodic. In concomitant squint there is rarely dovible vision, one image being disre- garded. Uncorrected errors of refraction, con- genital feebleness of vision, opacities of the cornea or media, or other disease of the eye, combined with weakness of a muscle, leads to concomitant squint, for, as the sight in one eye is imperfect, there is little inducement to make the muscular effort to keep the two parallel. The treatment includes correction of errors of refraction by glasses, exercise of the muscles by prisms, and operative methods. The last may be division of the short tendon or advancement of that of the opposing muscle, or a combination of these procedures. STRA'BO (Lat., from Gk. Srpa/Suv, Strabon) (c. 64 B.C.- 19 A.D.I. A famous Greek geographer