COL'WELL, STEPHEN (1800-72). An Ameri can author and philanthropist, born in Brooke County, West Va. He graduated at .refrerson College, Pa., in 1819; was admitted to the bar of Virginia in 1821 ; and practiced in Pittsburg un til 1S31, when be engaged in the iron business in Philadelphia, and began writing for the press, particularly on questions of politics and social science. Ile gathered a large lihrarv, which lie left to the University of Pennsylvania, where he also endowed a chair in social science. During the Civil War he was an active Iupporter of the Union, and at its close was appointed a commis sioner to revise the internal revenue system. Besides numerous contributions to commercial and financial periodicals, he published, among other works: Polities for American Christians (1852) ; Position of Christianity in the United States in Its Relation with Our Political System and Religious Instruction in the Public Schools (1855) ; and The Ways and Means of Commer cial Paymcnt (1858).
COMA (Neo-Lat.. from Gk. s5:n4a, koma, deep sh%ep, from KotIACIV, 170iMa it, to put to sleep, from seiirOat, kcisthai, to lie; connected with Lat.
(plies. rest). A state of profound insensibility differing from natural sleep in that the patient cannot be aroused from the stupor. The pa tient's eyes are closed. his pupils are either large or small, his face is generally flushed and the conjunctive red, the breathing deep, labored, and stertorous. Coma may accompany and be caused by alcoholic intoxication, morphine poi soning, apoplexy, Bright's disease, epilepsy, heat stroke, certain fevers, etc. In the coma from opium or morphine the patient should be aroused if possible, and kept walking and awake, by various means; but in coma from all other causes he should be kept absolutely quiet in bed. Therefore it is very necessary to know ex actly what trouble must be treated, and no lay man can judge of the proper remedial measures. The coma from alcoholic intoxication is so fre quent and well known that very often the coma of serious conditions is mistaken for mere drunk enness.