Ptolemy

3S64

Pubes

Ptolemy m. (Eiicrgctcs), sun ol the above,
who reigned from 247 to m u.c. Soon after
his accession he invaded the Syrian kingdom,
advancing as far as Babylon and Susa, con-
quering Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and Susi-
ana, and receiving the submission of all the
countries of Asia up to the Bactrian and In-
dian frontiers. But Seleuctis soon recovered
all these provinces, except Syria ibelf.
Ptolemy iv. (Philopator), eldest son of the
above, reigned from 222 to 205 b.c. At the
beginning of his reign he murdered his
mother, brother, and uncle and in 217 he de-
feated Antiochus the Great, who had con-
quered most of Syria and Palestine, at Ra-
phia.
Ptolemy v. (Epiphanes), only son of the
above, reigned from 205 to i8t n.c. Under his
reign Egypt lost most of her foreign posses-
sions.
Ptolemy vi. (Philometor), elder son of the
above, reigned from 181 to 146 h.c. In 170
Antiochus of Syria conquered most of Egypt,
hut retired, being unable to take Alexandria.
Ptolemy vti. (ICuergetes n., nicknamed
Physcon), brother of the above, reigned from
146 to 117 b.c\ He gained the throne by mur-
dering Philometer's son, Ptolemy.
Ptolemy vni. (Soter n., commonly called
Lathyrus), son of the above, reigned from
117 to 107 b.c., in conjunction with his
mother Cleopatra. In 107 she raised a rebel-
lion against him, and reigned along with hi:;
brother Alexander until 90, when the latter
murdered her. In 89 Lathyrus returned and
expelled Alexander; he then reigned until 81.
Ptolemy ix. (Alexander), was the Alexan-
der just mentioned above. Ptolemy Alexander
it., son of the above, succeeded Ptolemy vin.
in 81, but the people put him to death in So
b.c,
Ptolemy xi. (Auletes), was an illegitimate
son of Lathyrus; he reigned from 80 to 51
u.c. He spent great sums in getting the Rom-
ans to recognize his title,
Ptolemy xii., the eldest son of the above,
reigned in conjunction with his sister, the
famous Cleopatra. He reigned from 51 to 47
b.c* Cleopatra was expelled by her brother's
minister, Pothinus, in 48 b.c. She raised an
army in Syria, and was about to invade
Egypt when Julius Caesar arrived; her charms
won him to her side. Thereupon Pothinus
raised Alexandria against him. Ptolemy es-
caped from Caesar's custody, and joined the
insurgents, but was defeated, and drowned in
an attempt to escape after the battle.
Ptolemy xxan youngest sau of Aulctes, was

made king by Caesar after his brother's death;
was to marry and reign in conjunction
with Cleopatra, but in 43 she put him to
ieath. Cleopatra herself was then queen of
Egypt, along with Antony, until her death
.n ,j;o n,c. With her the family became ex-
tinct. Consult Budge's History oj Egvpl,
Ptomaines, a term formerly applied to
alkaloids produced by decomposition of body
tissues; now also applied to alkaloids formed
n the body during life and especially to such
is are formed in the intestinal canal, either
.ntroduced from without or generated within
.he body. They are transitions products in
the processes of putrefaction and arc due to
the action of bacteria. At one time, most cases
if poisoning through foodstuffs were thought
to be duo to ptomaines. Recent investiga-
tions, however, have shown that they are
mostly due to certain specific bacteria, and
then follow the introduction either of the
bacteria themselves (infection), or of the
poisons produced by the bacteria (intoxica-
tion). Meat poisoning has three varieties:
that from meat of diseased animals; that
from putrefied meat; that from 'sausage
poison.' Poisoning from fish and oysters,
chec?c% ice cream, potatoes, and canned goods,
is usually due to infection of the food by
bacteria. In general, persons so poisoned be-
come ill within a few hours after taking the
food, with vomiting, diarrhoea, headache,
cramps, and symptoms of collapse.
Ptosis, in medicine, a term generally used
for a drooping of the upper eyelid. Jt may be
present from birth, or may arise later from
various causes. Ptosis of the stomach, where-
by it falls into a lower position in the ab-
lominal cavity, is termed gastroptosis; ptosis
of a loop of intestine is termed cntoroptosis.
Ptyalin, the aznylolytic (starch-changing)
ferment of saliva. It is present only in very
minute quantities.
Puberty, that period of bodily develop-
ment in man and woman which lies between
childhood and adolescence. It marks partic-
ularly the commencing development of the
reproductive system, which is not fully ma-
tured until several yours later. At puberty, in
the woman) menstruation sets in, and the
form begins to develop, The boy's voice
breaks, and after a varying interval assumes
a register generally an octave lower than be-
fore,
Pubes, In anatomy, the front boundary of
the true jxjlvic cavity, It is formed by the
junction of the two innominate bones. See
pelvis.