STAR SPANGLED BANNER, THE. The national hymn of the United States, written by Francis Scott Key (q.v.) on hoard the frigate Surprise during the bombardment of Fort Mc Henry, Md., by the British, in 1814. He di rected that the words should be sling to the tune of "Anacreon in Heaven," composed in England by John Stafford Smith between 1770 and 1775. "The Star Spangled Banner" was first sung in a tavern near the Holiday Street Theatre, Balti more, by Ferdinand Durang. Consult Johnson, Our Familiar Songs (New York, 1881) ; Fitz Gerald, Stories of Famous Songs (London, 1898). STARVATION (from starrc, AS. stcorfan, OHG. sterban, Ger. sterben, to die, Icel. scarf, trouble, toil, work), or INANITION. Emaciation, enfeeblement, lowered vitality, and finally death, resulting from insufficiency of or total depriva tion of food. The fact is stated, as quoted from Chossat, that death from starvation occurs after the loss of four-tenths of the body weight. The same observer recounts the most. prominent phe nomena during o• after the death of animals who were starved, as follows: (1) Dropsical effusion. (2) Softening and destruction of the mucous mem brane. (3) Blackening of the viscera, especially of the live•. (4) Bluish, livid, yellow. and red dish stains during life in the transparent parts of the skin. (5) Hectic fever, and a continuous decrease in the power of the body to resist cold. (6) At first a scanty excretion of dry, bilious, grass-green faeces, and afterwards diarrhea of liquid saline matter. (7) Convulsions similar to those in death by hemorrhage. (8) Death by starvation seems to be in reality death by cold; since the temperature of the body is not lunch diminished until the fat is nearly consumed, when it rapidly falls, unless it he kept up by heat applied externally. (9) Young animals suc
cumbed far sooner than adults. (10) The results of insufficient food were in the end the same as those of total deprivation, the total amount of loss being almost the same, but the rate being less, so that a longer time was required to pro duce it.
Chossat did not find that much influence was exerted on the duration of life by permitting or withdrawing the supply of water; but there is no doubt that in man, and probably in In anunnIs generally, death supervenes much earlier when liquids as well as solid food are withheld. Dur ing the famine of 1847 in Ireland, the following were the most striking symptoms observed in the starving: l'a in in the stomach, relieved by pres sure; pallor and emaciation; bright and wild eyes; hot breath; parched mouth, thick and scanty saliva ; intolerable thirst; fcetor from the skin, which becomes covered with a dark-brown secretion; tottering gait, weak and whining voice, the tears starting easily ; imbecility.
The time during which life can he supported under entire abstinence from food and drink varies much. In one case, reported by Sloan, a healthy man, aged 65 years, survived 23 days' imprison ment without food in a coal-mine, having impure water for the first ten days of this period. He died three days after rescue. The average healthy individual will survive a week or ten days of complete abstinence from food and water. Con sult: Fernet, "Amaigrissement extreme et mort par inanition," in Bulletin et inemoire, Sociitd medicale de l'hOpital de Paris (1901) : Leeson, "Death from Starvation," in Dublin Medical Press (1847) ; Davies, "Starvation," in Popular Science Monthly. vol. xxvi. (New York. 1884-851.