miliaria V.mi-le-'ar-e-oX Inflammatory skin disorder, with multiple small sites at sweat pores. Blockage of ducts causes sweat to escape into vari¬ ous levels of the skin and produce different inflammatory reactions. The most common type, known as prickly heat, results when sweat escapes into the epidermis. Pinhead blisters or pimplelike bumps occur mostly on the trunk and limbs and cause itching and burning. It mainly affects infants in tropical climates. See also perspiration, sweat gland.
Military Academy, U.S. See United States Military Academy
military engineering Art and practice of designing and building military works and of building and maintaining lines of military transport and communications. It includes both tactical support (see tactics) on the battlefield, including construction of fortifications and demolition of enemy installations, and strategic support (see strategy) away from the front lines, such as construction or maintenance of airfields, ports, roads, railroads, bridges, and hospitals. Its most notable feat in ancient times was the Great Wall of China. The preeminent military engineers of the ancient Western world were the Romans, who maintained their power by con¬ structing not only forts and garrisons but roads, bridges, aqueducts, har¬ bors, and lighthouses. See also civil engineering.
military government Administration of territory by an occupying power. The definition does not cover military forces stationed in neutral or friendly territory that share administrative responsibilities with local civil authorities. Military government must also be distinguished from military law and martial law. Its control lasts until it either gives up power voluntarily or is overthrown. The term is popularly used for rule of a country by its own military, whether it comes to power through a COUP d'etat or is the legitimate governing body.
military law Law prescribed by statute for governing the armed forces and their civilian employees. It in no way relieves military personnel of their obligations to their country’s civil code or to the codes of interna¬ tional law. Mutiny, insubordination, desertion, misconduct, and other offenses injurious to military discipline constitute violations of military law; offenders may be subject to court-martial. Lesser offenses may be penalized summarily by a commanding officer (e.g., through the with¬ drawal of privileges or the cancellation of liberty).
military unit Group of a prescribed size with a specific combat role within a larger military organization. The chief units in the ancient world
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militia ► Mill I 1257
were the Greek phalanx and the Roman legion. Modern units originated in the 16th—18th century, when professional armies reemerged in Europe after the end of the Middle Ages. Since then the basic units—company, battalion, brigade, and division—have remained in use. The smallest unit today is the squad, which has 7-14 soldiers and is led by a sergeant. Three or four squads make up a platoon, and two or more platoons make up a company, which has 100-250 soldiers and is commanded by a captain or a major. Two or more companies make up a battalion, and several bat¬ talions form a brigade. Two or more brigades, along with various spe¬ cialized battalions, make up a division, which has 7,000-22,000 troops and is commanded by a major general. Two to seven divisions make up an army corps, commanded by a lieutenant general, which with 50,000- 300,000 troops is the largest regular army formation, though in wartime two or more corps may be combined to form a field army (commanded by a general), and field armies in turn may be combined to form an army group.
militia \m3-'li-sh3\ Military organization of citizens with limited mili¬ tary training who are available for emergency service, usually for local defense. In many countries the militia is of ancient origin. The Anglo- Saxons required every able-bodied free male to serve. In colonial America it was the only defense against hostile Indians when regular British forces were not available. In the American Revolution the militia, called the Min- utemen, provided the bulk of the American forces. Militias played a simi¬ lar role in the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. State-controlled volunteer militias in the U.S. became the National Guard. British militia units, begun in the 16th century for home defense and answerable to the county sheriff or lord lieutenant, were absorbed into the regular army in the 20th century. Today various paramilitary organizations, from U.S. white supremacists to revolutionaries in the developing world, use the term militia to accentuate their populist origins.
milk Liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young. The milk of domesticated animals is also an impor¬ tant food source for humans. Most milk consumed in Western countries is from cows; other important sources include sheep, goats, water buffalo, and camels. Milk is essentially an emulsion of fat and protein in water, along with dissolved sugar, minerals (including calcium and phosphorus), and vitamins, particularly vitamin B complex. Commercially processed cow’s milk is commonly enriched with vitamins A and D. Many countries require pasteurization to protect against naturally occurring and artificially introduced microorganisms. Cooling further prevents spoilage (souring and curdling). Fat from whole milk (about 3.5% fat content) can be removed in a separator to produce cream and leave low-fat milk (1-2% fat) or skim milk (0.5% fat). Milk is usually homogenized, forced under high pressure through small openings to distribute the fat evenly. It may also be condensed, evaporated, or dehydrated for preservation and ease of transport. Other dairy products include butter, cheese, and yogurt.
Milk, Harvey (Bernard) orig. Glimpy Milch (b. May 22, 1930, Woodmere, Long Island, N.Y., U.S.—d. Nov. 27, 1978, San Francisco, Calif.) U.S. political leader. After graduating from college, he served in the U.S. Navy and was discharged in 1955 (although Milk claimed that he was dishonourably discharged due to his homosexuality, military records do not support the allegation). He later settled in San Francisco and soon gained a following as a leader of the city’s gay community. In 1977 he was elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors, becoming one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history. In 1978 Milk and the city’s mayor, George Moscone (1929-78), were shot and killed in City Hall by Dan White, a conservative former city supervisor. At White’s murder trial, his attorneys argued that his judgment had been impaired by eating junk food (a tactic later derided as the “Twinkie defense”); his con¬ viction on the less serious charge of voluntary manslaughter sparked riots in the city. Milk was the subject of numerous books and movies, includ¬ ing the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, which received an Academy Award.
Milken, Michael R. (b. July 4, 1946, Encino, Calif., U.S.) U.S. fin- ancier and entrepreneur. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and went to work in 1969 for what was to become Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc., an investment-banking company. In 1971 he became head of its bond-trading department. He persuaded many of his clients to invest in junk bonds issued by new or financially troubled com¬ panies; the capital he raised financed a new class of “corporate raiders” who carried out numerous mergers, acquisitions, hostile takeovers, and leveraged buyouts in the 1980s. By the end of the decade, the junk-bond
market was worth $150 billion, and Drexel was a leading financial firm. In 1986 its client Ivan Boesky, convicted of insider trading, implicated Milken and the firm in his dealings. Charged with securities fraud and heavily fined, Drexel declared bankruptcy in 1990 when the junk-bond market collapsed. Milken pled guilty to securities fraud the same year and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $600-million fine; released after 22 months, he since made a second fortune.