=MEAD.= _Syn._ MELLINA, L. An old English liquor, made from the combs from which the honey has been drained, by boiling them in water, and fermenting the saccharine solution thus obtained. It is commonly confounded with metheglin. Some persons add 1 oz. of hops to each gallon; and, after fermentation, a little brandy. It is then called sack mead, See METHEGLIN.

=MEAL.= The substance of edible grain ground to powder, without being bolted or sifted. Barley meal and oat meal are the common substances of this cla.s.s in England. In North America the term is commonly applied to ground Indian corn, whether bolted or not. (Goodrich.) The four resolvent meals of old pharmacy (_quatuor farinae resolventes_) are those of barley, beans, linseed, and rye.

=MEALS.= The "periods of taking food, usually adopted, in conformity with convenience and the recurrences of hunger, are those which are best adapted to the purposes of health; namely, the morning meal, the midday meal, and the evening meal." "That these are the proper periods for meals is evident from the fact of their maintaining their place amid the changes which fashion is constantly introducing." "If we look at these periods in another point of view, we shall find an interval of four hours left between them for the act of digestion and subsequent rest of the stomach.

Digestion will claim between two and three hours of the interval; the remaining hour is all that the stomach gets of rest, enough, perhaps, but not too much, not to be justly infringed." (Eras. Wilson.)

=MEA'SLES.= _Syn._ RUBEOLA, MORBILLI, L. This very common disease is characterised by feverishness, chilliness, shivering, head-pains, swelling and inflammation of the eyes, shedding of sharp tears, with painful sensibility to light, oppressive cough, difficulty of breathing, and sometimes vomiting or diarrha. These are followed about the fourth day by a crimson rash upon the skin, in irregular crescents or circles, and by small red points or spots, which are perceptible to the touch, and which, after four or five days, go off with desquamation of the cuticle.

The fever, cough, &c., often continue for some time; and unless there have been some considerable evacuations, either by perspiration or vomiting, they frequently return with increased violence, and occasion great distress and danger.

_Treat._ When there are no urgent local symptoms, mild aperients, antimonial diaph.o.r.etics, and diluents, should be had recourse to; but when the inflammatory symptoms are emergent, and the lungs are weak, especially in plethoric habits, blood may be taken. The cough may be relieved by expectorants, demulcents, and small doses of opium; and the diarrha by the administration of the compound powder of chalk and opium; the looseness of the bowels, however, had better not be interfered with, unless it be extreme.

Measles are most prevalent in the middle of winter, and though common to individuals of all ages, are most frequent amongst children. The plethoric, and those of a scrofulous habit, or one which has a syphilitic taint, suffer most from them.

Like the smallpox, the measles are contagious, and seldom attack the same person more than once during life. See RASH.

=MEASURE.= _Syn._ MENSURA, L. The unit or standard by which we estimate extension, whether of length, superficies, or volume. The following tables represent the values and proportions of the princ.i.p.al measures employed in commerce and the arts:--

TABLE I. _English Lineal Measures._

+---------+----------+----------+-----------+------------+--------------+

Inches.

Feet.

Yards.

Poles.

Furlongs.

Miles.

+---------+----------+----------+-----------+------------+--------------+

1

083

028

00505

00012626

0000157828

12

1

333

06060

00151515

00018939

36

3

1

1818

004545

00056818

198

165

55

1

025

003125

7920

660

220

40

1

125

63360

5280

1760

320

8

1

+---------+----------+----------+-----------+------------+--------------+

? The unit of the above table is the yard, of which no legal standard has existed since that established by the statute of 1824 was destroyed by the fire which consumed the two Houses of Parliament in 1834.

TABLE II. _English Measures of Superficies._

+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------+-------------+

Square

Square

Poles.

Roods.

Acres.

Feet.

Yards.

+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------+-------------+

1

1111

00367309

000091827

000022957

9

1

0330579

000826448

000206612

27225

3025

1

025

00625

10890

1210

40

1

25

43560

4840

160

4

1

+----------+-----------+--------------+-------------+-------------+

TABLE III. _English Measure of Volume.--The_ IMPERIAL STANDARD, _and the relative value of its divisions, including those used in Medicine, with their_ EQUIVALENTS _in avoirdupois and troy weight._

+------+-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-----------+-------+--------+-----------+-----------------------+

[minims] f?

f?

O.

Oij.

C.

Minims

Equivalents in

or

Fluid

Fluid

_distilled water_, at

drops.

Drachms.

Ounces.

Pints.

Quarts.

Gallons.

Pecks.

Bushels.

Quarters.

62 Fahr., in

+------+-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-----------+-------+--------+-----------+/---------/----------

Troy

Avoird.

grains.

weight.

+-----------+-----------+

1

01666666

00208333

00010416

00005208

00001302

--

--

--

91146

60

1

125

00625

003125

00078125

--

--

--

546875

_lb._ _oz._

480

8

1

05

025

00625

--

--

--

4375

1

9600

160

20

1

5

125

0625

015625

001953125

8750

1 4

19200

320

40

2

1

25

125

03125

00390625

17500

2 8

76800

1280

160

8

4

1

5

125

015625

70000

10

2560

320

16

8

2

1

25

03125

--

20

1280

64

32

8

4

1

125

--

80

512

256

64

32

8

1

--

640

+------+-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-----------+-------+--------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

? The standard unit of the above table is the gallon, which is declared, by statute, to be capable of "containing ten pounds avoirdupois weight of distilled water, weighed in the air at the temperature of 62 Fahr., the barometer being at 30 inches." The pound avoirdupois contains 7000 grains, and it is declared that a cubic inch of distilled water, under the above conditions, weighs 252458 grains; hence the capacity of the imperial gallon and its divisions are as follows:--

Imperial gallon = 277274 cubic inches.

" quart = 693185 "

" pint = 3465925 "

Fluid ounce = 173296 "

" drachm = 21662 "

The imperial gallon is 1-5th larger than the old wine gallon,--1-60th smaller than the old beer gallon, and--1-32nd larger than the old dry-measure gallon.

TABLE IV. _French Metrical or Decimal Measures of Length._

+----------+---------+------------------------------------------------+

Equivalents in

/---------------------/-----------------------

Names.

Eq. in

English Inches,

English Long Measure,

Metres.

at 32 Fahr.

at 62 Fahr.

+----------+---------+---------------+--------------------------------+

Miles. Fur. Yds. Feet. Inch.

Millimetre

001

03937

Centimetre

01

39371

Decimetre

1

393708

Metre

1

3937079

1 0 337

Decametre

10

39370790

10 2 97

Hectometre

100

393707900

109 1 1078

Kilometre

1000

3937079000

4 213 1 103

Myriametre

10000

39370790000

6 1 156 0 917

+----------+---------+---------------+--------------------------------+

? The standard unit of the above table is the metre, which has been determined to be 3937079 inches, at 32 Fahr. (Capt. Kater); the English foot is taken at 62 Fahr. The true length of the metre, reduced to the latter temperature, is 39370091 English inches; a number which varies from that in the table only at the fourth decimal figure. It will be perceived that the principle of nomenclature adopted in applying the names, was to prefix the Greek numerals to the decimal multiples, and the Latin numerals to the decimal subdivisions.

TABLE V. _French Metrical or Decimal Measures of Volume._

+----------+---------+---------+--------------------------------------+

Names.

Eq. in

Eq. in

Litres.

English

Equivalent in English Measures.

Cubic

Inches

+----------+---------+---------+--------------------------------------+

_Gall._ _Pints._ _Oz._ _Dr._ _Minims._

Millilitre

001

0610

169

Centilitre

01

6103

2 49

Decilitre

1

61028

3 4 1036

Litre

1

61028

1 15 1 4369

Decalitre

10

61028

2 1 12 1 169

Hectolitre

100

61028

22 0 1 4 49

Kilolitre

1000

61028

220 0 16 6 40

Myrialitre

10000

610280

2201 (=275-1/8 _bushels_).

+----------+---------+---------+--------------------------------------+

? The standard unit in the above table is the litre, or the cube of the 1/10 of a metre. The French centiare contains 1 square metre,--the are, 100 do.,--the hectare, 10,000 do. The old Paris pint is equal to 1678 English imperial pint.

The capacity of solids and aeriform fluids is taken in cubic inches, or feet, in England. In France, the stere, or metre cube, equal to 3531658 English cubic feet, is the standard unit.

TABLE VI. _Miscellaneous Measures and their Equivalents:_

Tea or coffee spoonful (average) = 1 fl. dr.

Dessert spoonful " = 2 "

Table spoonful " = 4 "

Wine-gla.s.sful " = 2 fl. oz.

Tea-cupful " = 5 "

Breakfast-cupful " = 8 "

Tumblerful " = 8 "

Basinful " = 12 "

Thimbleful " = 3/4 fl. dr.

Pinch (of leaves and flowers) " = 1 dr.

Handful (of leaves and flowers) " = 10 "

Cubic inch of water, at 62 Fahr. = 252458 gr.

Cubic foot of water, at 62 Fahr. = 6232106 lb.

---- Line = 1/12 inch.

Barleycorn = 1/3 "

Hand = 4 "

Chain = 4 poles or 22 yards.

=MEAT.= The muscular tissue or flesh of the princ.i.p.al animals const.i.tuting the food of man may be said to be composed of the same proximate principles, and, given an equal digestibility and power of being a.s.similated, may be also said to have an equally nutritive value.

Since meat, however, is generally eaten with a certain amount of fat, which accompanies it in varying quant.i.ty, the capacity of the meat for forming muscle will, of course, be in inverse proportion to the amount of fat it contains; on the contrary, its power of raising the bodily temperature will be in direct proportion. Moleschott (quoted by Parkes) gives the following as the mean composition of fresh beef, as determined by all the Continental chemists:--

Water 734 Soluble alb.u.men and haematin 225 Insoluble alb.u.minous substances 1520 Gelatinous substances 330 Fat 287 Extractive matter 138 Creatin 0068 Ash 16

Dr Parkes remarks of the amount of fat given in the above a.n.a.lysis "that it is evidently too low."

In the above table we recognise in the alb.u.minous and gelatinous substances the source of the muscular tissue of the human organism. The ash contains the chlorides, carbonates, and phosphates of pota.s.sium, sodium, and calcium. From these salts are derived the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice, the sodium of the bile, and the calcium phosphate and carbonate of the skeleton. Iron is also present, and this finds its way into the blood.

The flavour of meat is much influenced by the food of the animal. The flesh of the Pampas pig is found to be rank and disagreeable when the animal is killed in its wild state; if, however, the food be changed for the better, the flesh becomes altogether different and quite eatable. The pork of pigs fed on flesh is said to give off a strong odour, the fat at the same time being unusually soft. Soft fat is also said to form in animals that have been fed on oily foods.

When meat is roasted, the fire gradually coagulates the alb.u.men of the joint, the coagulation commencing at the surface, and spreading by degrees to the interior. Unless the roasting be continued long enough, sufficient heat will not reach the parts nearest the centre to effect their coagulation; and if under these circ.u.mstances the meat be removed from the fire, the uncoagulated or inner parts will present the well-known red and juicy appearance known as 'underdone.' Although a certain quant.i.ty of the gravy (which consists of the soluble and saline ingredients) escapes in the process, the greater part is retained. The brown agreeably sapid substance formed on the outside of the meat is known as _osmazome_, and which is concentrated gravy. The melting fat which collects below forms the dripping. The loss in the meat is princ.i.p.ally water.

The chemical effects of boiling are explained under the article devoted to that subject.

Meat generally loses from 30 to 40 per cent., and sometimes as much as 60 per cent. in weight, by cooking.

The amount of bone varies, being seldom less than 8 per cent. It amounts in the neck and brisket to about 10 per cent. and from one third to sometimes half the total weight in shins and legs of beef.

The most economical parts are the round and thick flank, next to these the brisket and sticking-piece, and lastly, the leg.

In choosing mutton and pork, selection should be made of the leg, after this of the shoulder.[26]