puerperal Vpyii-'or-po-roL fever or childbed fever Infection of the female reproductive system after childbirth or abortion, with fever over 100 °F (38 °C) in the first 10 days. The inner surface of the uterus is most often infected, but lacerations of any part of the genital tract can give bac¬ teria (often Streptococcus pyogenes ) access to the bloodstream and lym¬ phatic system to cause septicemia, cellulitis (cellular inflammation), and pelvic or generalized peritonitis. Severity varies. Puerperal fever has become very rare in developed countries but is still seen after abortions performed in unhygienic surroundings.
Puerto Rico officially Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Self- governing island commonwealth of the West Indies, in the northeastern Caribbean Sea; it is associated with the U.S. Area: 3,515 sq mi (9,104 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 3,912,000. Capitaclass="underline" San Juan. Most of the population is of Spanish descent, with significant minorities of people of African and mixed (African-European) descent. Languages: Spanish, English (both official). Religion: Christianity (predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant). Currency: U.S. dollar. The island of Puerto Rico may be divided into three geographic regions: the mountainous interior, the northern plateau, and the coastal plains. It has a developing free- market economy, of which manufacturing, financial services, and trade (mostly with the U.S.) are the main components. Tourism is also an impor¬ tant source of income. Puerto Rico’s chief of state is the U.S. president, and its head of government is the commonwealth governor. The island was inhabited by Arawak Indians when it was settled by the Spanish in the early 16th century. It remained largely undeveloped economically until the late 18th century. After 1830 it gradually developed a plantation economy based on the export crops of sugarcane, coffee, and tobacco. The independence movement began in the late 19th century, and Spain ceded the island to the U.S. in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. In 1917 Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship, and in 1952 the island became a commonwealth with autonomy in internal affairs. Voters reaf¬ firmed the island’s commonwealth status in plebiscites in 1967, 1993, and (tacitly) 1998, but Puerto Rican statehood remained a political issue into the 21st century.
Puerto Vallarta Vpwer-to-ba-'yar-ta\ City (pop., 2000: 151,432), west-central Mexico. It is situated on Banderas Bay, in the Pacific coastal lowland, south of the mouth of the Ameca River. The major port of Jalisco state, it exports bananas, coconut oil, hides, and fine woods. It is also an international tourist resort, known for aquatic sports, fishing (especially for sharks), and hunting.
Pufendorf Vpii-fon-.dorfV Samuel, baron von (b. Jan. 8, 1632, Dorfchemnitz, near Thalheim, Saxony—d. Oct. 13, 1694, Berlin) German jurist and historian. The son of a pastor, he left the study of theology for jurisprudence, philosophy, and history. He taught at the Universities of Heidelberg (1661-68) and Lund (1670-77). His Elements of Universal Jurisprudence (1660) and Of the Law and Nature of Nations (1672), which were influenced by Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes, departed from the traditional approach of the medieval theologians to natural law in arguing that there is no such creature as a natural slave—that all men have a right to equality and freedom. His views were attacked by conservative Protestant theologians in Sweden and Germany, and Gottfried Wilhelm
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1564 I puffball ► Pulitzer Prize
Leibniz dismissed him as “a man not a lawyer and scarcely a philosopher at all.” Nevertheless, he was protected by the Swedish government, and he became the official historiographer to Charles XI of Sweden (1677-88) and to the elector of Brandenburg (1688-94).
puffball Any of various fungi (see fungus) in the order Lycoperdales of the class Basidiomycetes, found in soil or on decaying wood in grassy areas and woods. Puffballs are named for the fact that puffs of spores are released when the dry and powdery tissues of the mature spherical fruit¬ ing body (basidiocarp) are disturbed. Many are edible before maturity.
puffer or blowfish Any of about 90 species (family Tetraodontidae) of fishes that, when disturbed, inflate themselves into a globular shape with air or water. Most species occur in warm and temperate seas world¬ wide; some occur in brackish or fresh water. Puffers have tough, usu¬ ally prickly, skin; their fused teeth form a beaklike structure, split in the center of each jaw. The largest grow to 3 ft (90 cm) long, but most are considerably smaller. Though they contain a lethal toxin, they are some¬ times eaten, especially in Japan, where puffers (called fugu) are prepared by a specially trained chef.
puffin or sea parrot Any of three species (family Alcidae) of diving birds with a large, brightly coloured, triangular beak. Puffins nest in large colonies on seaside and island cliffs.
Both parents carry up to 10 fish crosswise in the bill to the nest (a deep burrow); they feed the single chick for about six weeks. They then leave, and the chick waits alone for its flight feathers to grow, living on stored fat, and then flies out to sea by itself. The common, or Atlantic, puf¬ fin (Fratercula arctica) is about 12 in. (30 cm) long. The Pacific species are the homed puffin ( F. corniculata ) and the tufted puffin (Limda cir- rhata).
pug Breed of toy dog that probably originated in China. Dutch traders brought it to England in the late 17th century. Squarely built and muscular, the pug has a short muzzle, tightly curled tail, large head, prominent eyes, and small, drooping ears. It stands 10-11 in. (26-28 cm) and weighs about 13-18 lbs (6-8 kg). Its short, glossy coat can be black, sil¬ ver, or apricot fawn; there is a black mask on the face. Loyal and alert, pugs are valued as companions.
Pugachov V.pii-go-'choA, Yeme¬ lyan (Ivanovich) (b. c. 1742,
Zimoveyskaya-na-Donu, Russia—d.
Jan. 21, 1775, Moscow) Russian Cossack leader. He fought in the Russian army (1763-70), then wan¬ dered among settlements of the dis¬ sident Old Beuevers. Learning of Cossack discontent after their unsuccessful rebellion in 1772, he claimed to be Tsar Peter III and decreed the abolition of serfdom. Vowing to depose Catherine II, he gathered a large following of Cossacks and peasants in the Ural region. After initial victories against the Russian army, he was defeated, captured, and executed.
Puget Vpuj-'zheX, Pierre (b. Oct. 16, 1620, at or near Marseille, France—d. Dec. 2, 1694, Marseille) French sculptor, painter, and archi¬ tect. As a young man he was employed by Pietro da Cortona to work on the ceiling decorations of the Pitti Palace in Florence. Thereafter he
worked chiefly in France as a painter and sculptor. While his work is in the tradition of Roman Baroque, such sculptures as Milo of Crotona (c. 1671-82), in which the athlete is attacked by a lion while his hand is caught in a tree stump, show a strain and anguish that suggest the works of Michelangelo.
Puget Vpyti-jotX Sound Arm of the Pacific Ocean indenting northwest¬ ern Washington, U.S. It was explored by the British navigator George Vancouver in 1792 and named by him for Peter Puget, a second lieuten¬ ant in his expedition, who probed the main channel. It has many deep¬ water harbours, including Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and Port Townsend, which are shipping ports for the rich farmlands along the river estuaries. It provides a sheltered area for recreational boating and salmon fishing.
Puglia \'pii-lya\ or Apulia \a-'pu-lya\ Autonomous regione, southeast¬ ern Italy. It is located between the Adriatic Sea, the Apennines, and the Gulf of Taranto. It was ruled in the early Middle Ages by Goths, Lom¬ bards, and Byzantines and achieved its greatest glory under the Hohen- staufen emperors, especially the 13th-century Holy Roman emperor Frederick II. In 1861 it became part of the Italian kingdom. The region is predominantly agricultural. Wheat, barley, and oats are grown on the plain and in the more fertile parts of the plateaus, while olives, grapes, almonds, figs, and vegetables predominate farther south; tobacco is a specialty of the Lecce Plain. The wines of Puglia are the strongest in Italy and are used to fortify other, lighter varieties. There are chemical and petrochemi¬ cal industries in Bari and iron and steel plants in Taranto. The capital of Puglia (pop., 2001 prelim.: 3,983,487) is Bari; the region has an area of 7,470 sq mi (19,348 sq km).