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Chagas' disease

(Encyclopedia)Chagas' disease, disease of South and Central America caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It usually affects children and young adults and is transmitted by the feces of infected insects, typica...

McCullers, Carson

(Encyclopedia)McCullers, Carson, 1917–67, American novelist, b. Columbus, Ga. as Lula Carson Smith, studied at Columbia. The central theme of her novels is the spiritual isolation that underlies the human conditi...

leather

(Encyclopedia)leather, skin or hide of animals, cured by tanning to prevent decay and to impart flexibility and toughness. Prehistoric and primitive peoples preserved pelts with grease and smoke and used them chief...

reservoir

(Encyclopedia)reservoir rĕzˈəvôr, –vwär [key], storage tank or wholly or partly artificial lake for storing water. Building an embankment or dam to preserve a supply of water for irrigation is an ancient pra...

palpitation

(Encyclopedia)palpitation pălˌpĭtāˈshən [key], abnormal heartbeat that is often associated with a sensation of fluttering or thumping. The normal heartbeat is not noticeable to the individual. Palpitation may...

González Martínez, Enrique

(Encyclopedia)González Martínez, Enrique ānrēˈkā gōnsäˈlĕs märtēˈnĕs [key], 1871–1952, Mexican poet, physician, and diplomat. His early poetry, written during the 17 years of his medical practice, s...

Gatún Lake

(Encyclopedia)Gatún Lake gäto͞onˈ [key], artificial lake, 163 sq mi (422 sq km), Colón Prov., Panama, formed by the impounding of the Chagres River. Gatún Dam (completed 1912), 11⁄2 mi (2.4 km) long and 115...

Avebury

(Encyclopedia)Avebury āˈbərē [key], village, Wiltshire, S central England. The village, with a medieval church and Elizabethan manor house, lies within Avebury Circle, a Neolithic circular group of upright ston...

strychnine

(Encyclopedia)strychnine strĭkˈnĭn [key], bitter alkaloid drug derived from the seeds of a tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, native to Sri Lanka, Australia, and India. It has been used as a rat poison for five centuri...

Tolyatti

(Encyclopedia)Tolyatti tōlyĕätˈtē [key], city (1989 pop. 631,000), W European Russia, on the Volga River, near Samara. It is the site of Russia's largest automobile factory, which receives its power from the h...