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.