ALTON, JOHANN SAM EDUADD ( 1803 54 ). A German anatomist. son of the anatomist and archeologist ,Joseph Wilhelm Eduard d'Al ton. He studied medicine at Bonn, and became professor of anatomy- at the Academy of Arts in Berlin in 1827. In 1S34 he was made professor if anatomy and physiology at Halle. His writ ings include: fl anribitch der mensch 11(11; 010e ( Leipzig, .1848-50), Dr .11 mist ris (Halle, 1853), and Dc .11onstr'ouin Duplinium 0 rig ine (Halle, 1849).
ALTONA, 111'th-na. The largest and richest city in the Prussia n province of Schleswig-Hol stein, situated on the right bank of the Elbe, its eastern boundary adjoining the Hamburg suburb of St. Pauli (Slap: Prussia, C 2). From a commercial point of view, Altona forms one city with 'Hamburg. In 1888 it entered the German Customs Union. On account of its advantageous situation on the Elbe and railway connection with other German cities, its trade is of con siderable importance, and extends to England, France, the Sea, and the West Indies. There are many important industrial works in Altona. among others, cotton and wool en mills. iron foundries, glass works, breweries and distilleries, and establishments for the manu facture of chocolate, cigars. cotton, soap, leather ware, etc. Local transportation is afforded by numerous street-car lines, which also connect Altona with Hamburg. These are all in the hands of private corporations. The rise of Al tona to its present importance has been recent, and rapid for a Continental town. In 1880 its population was 91,000, from which it had grown to 143,000 in 1690 and to 155,000 in 1900.
The streets of Altona are broad and for the most part regular, and welt lighted by electricity. The city has only about fifty acres laid out in parks. This, however, does not include the sub urbs. Among the notable buildings may lie men tioned the Bathaus, the palace of justice, the custom house, and the city theatre. Among the
objects of greatest interest in the city is the old cemetery of the Portuguese Jews.
The city's affairs are administered by a munic ipal council composed of 35 members, and an executive hoard eoinposed of nine members. (See PnuSsI-1, paragraph Gorernment.) The street cleaning of Altona is a model of thoroughness.
The city owns its water works, containing a filtering plant by means of which the water of the Elbe is purified for drinking purposes. The plant yields an annual profit of about $90.000. Its system of sewers is practically similar to that of Hamburg. It has not as yet adopted the system of sewage farms, which has proved so successful in some of the German cities. The annual expense of drainage and sewerage is about $12,000.
Altona has an organized fire department, which forms one of the chief items of expense in the city's budget, amounting annually to about $44,000. Altona owns and operates its own gas works at a net profit of about $75,000 annually. Its electric light plant is owned and operated by a private company, which pays the city 10% of its receipts.
Among the charitable and benevolent institu tions are a public poorhouse. an infirmary, insane asylum, a house of refuge for boys, one general hospital. two hospitals for children, and a lying in hospital. Its educational institutions include a gymnasium, three high schools, several techni cal schools, twenty-seven grammar schools, and a museum.
Altona was settled in 1536. and rapidly devel oped into a prosperous commercial town. In 1040 it came under the rule of Denmark. Its trade suffered during the Napoleonic wars. but revived with peace. In 1860 it was annexed to Prussia. Consult H. Meyer, Hamburg and Altona (Hamburg, 1S36).