scarlet fever or scarlatina Acute infectious disease caused by some types of streptococcus bacteria. Fever, sore throat, headache, and, in chil¬ dren, vomiting are followed in two to three days by a rash. The skin peels in about one-third of cases. After a coating disappears, the tongue is swol¬ len, red, and bumpy (strawberry tongue). Glands are usually swollen. Complications frequently involve the sinuses, ears (sometimes with mas¬ toiditis), and neck. Abscesscs are common. Nephritis, arthritis, or rheumatic fever may occur later. Treatment involves penicillin, bed rest, and adequate fluid intake. Scarlet fever has become uncommon and much milder since the mid-20th century, independent of the use of antibiotics.
Scarron \ska-'ro n \, Paul (baptized July 4, 1610, Paris, France—d. Oct. 7, 1660, Paris) French writer. With his first works, Scarron helped make the burlesque a characteristic literary form of his time. Virgile travesty, 1 vol. (1648-53) was a very successful parody of Virgil’s Aeneid. Scarron’s plays, often based on Spanish originals, were important in the theatrical life of Paris. He is now remembered for a single novel, Le Roman comique, 3 vol. (1651-57; “The Comic Novel”), which recounts the comi¬ cal adventures of a company of strolling players; its realism makes it an
Scarab commemorating the marriage of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy, 18th dynasty; in the Oriental Institute, Chi¬ cago
COURTESY OF THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Domenico Scarlatti, engraving.
COURTESY OF THE BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE, PARIS; PHOTOGRAPH, J.P. ZIOLO
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1696 I scattering ► Schenker
invaluable source of information about conditions in the French provinces in the 17th century. His widow, Madame de Maintenon, was later mar¬ ried to Louis XIV.
scattering In physics, the change in direction of motion of a particle because of a collision with another particle. The collision can occur between two charged particles; it need not involve direct physical con¬ tact. Experiments show that the trajectory of the scattered particle is a hyperbola and that, as the bombarding particle is aimed more closely toward the scattering centre, the angle of deflection decreases. The term scattering is also used for the diffusion of electromagnetic waves by the atmosphere, resulting, for example, in long-range radio reception on the ground. See also Rayleigh scattering.
scaup Any of three species (genus Aythya, family Anatidae) of diving ducks. The greater scaup, or big bluebill (A. marila), breeds across Eur¬ asia and most of the Nearctic region. The lesser scaup, or little bluebill (A. affinis ), breeds in northwestern North America. Both are popular game birds, 15-20 in. (38-51 cm) long, that winter along the U.S. coasts. Males have a dark breast and grayish back but differ in head colour and wing markings; females are brown with white patches around the blue bill. Scaups eat mainly clams. The third species is the New Zealand scaup (A. novaeseelandiae).
Schacht \'shakt\, (Horace Greeley) Hjalmar (b. Jan. 22, 1877, Tinglev, Ger.—d. June 4, 1970, Munich, W.Ger.) German financier. He served as vice director of the Dresdner Bank and director of the German National Bank before becoming a commissioner in the finance ministry (1923), where he developed a rigorous monetary program that halted German inflation and stabilized the mark. He became president of the Reichsbank (1923-30, 1933-39) and minister of economics (1934-37), but he was dismissed when he opposed Adolf Hitler’s rearmament expen¬ diture. Imprisoned after the July Plot against Hitler’s life (1944), he was later captured by the Allies and acquitted at the Nurnberg trials. He later founded a bank in Dusseldorf and served as an international financial consultant.
Schally Vsha-le\, Andrew V(ictor) (b. Nov. 20, 1926, Wilno, Pol.) Polish-born U.S. endocrinologist. His family fled Poland in 1939, and he received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from McGill University in 1957. He shared a 1977 Nobel Prize for his work with Roger C.L. Guillemin and Rosalyn Yalow in isolating and synthesizing hormones produced by the HYPOTHALAMUS.
Scharnhorst Vsham- I h6rst\, Gerhard Johann David von (b.
Nov. 12, 1755, Bordenau, Hanover—d. June 28, 1813, Prague, Bohemia) Prussian general. He joined the Hanoverian army in 1778 and served with distinction in Belgium against the French in the 1790s. An officer in the Prussian army from 1801, he taught at the war academy and became chief of staff in the war against Napoleon (1806). As head of the army reform commission (from 1807), he developed the modern general staff system and reorganized the Prussian army; with August von Gneisenau he devised the system of rapid military training and use of army reserves. After a forced retirement, he became chief of staff to Gebhard von BlOcher (1813) and died of a wound received in the Battle of Liitzen.
Schaumburg-Lippe Vshaum-.burk-'li-poX Former German state. Schaumburg was the ancestral seat of a line of counts recorded from the early 12th century. The line died out in 1640 and the lands were parti¬ tioned. It joined the German Confederation in 1815 and the German empire in 1871. It joined the Weimar Republic in 1918 as a free state; in 1946 it was merged into the state of Lower Saxony.
Schechter \'shek-tor\ Poultry Corporation v. United States
(1935) Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that abolished the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA; see National Recovery Administration), a cornerstone of the New Deal. By unanimous vote, the court held that Congress had exceeded its authority by delegating too much legislative power to the president and industrial groups. It also found that NIRA’s “codes of fair practice” went beyond the regulation of interstate commerce in attempting to control intrastate activity. NIRA’s successor, the National Labor Relations Act (1935), proved acceptable to the court.
Scheherazade or Sheherazade Vsho-.her-o-'zadV Fictional sultan’s wife who narrated The Thousand and One Nights. According to the story that serves as the collection’s framework, the Sultan Shahryar found his first wife unfaithful, and, after deciding that he hated all women, he mar¬
ried and killed a new wife each day. Scheherazade, daughter of his vizier, in an effort to avoid his previous wives’ fate, related to him a fascinating story every night, promising to finish it on the following night. The sul¬ tan enjoyed the stories so much that he put off her execution indefinitely and finally abandoned the idea altogether.
Scheldt \'shlt\, Samuel (b. 1587, Halle, Saxony—d. March 30, 1654, Halle) German composer. After study in Amsterdam with Jan Pieterszoon Sweeunck, he returned to his native Halle and spent his entire life there in various musical offices, including court organist and later kapellmeister to the Margrave of Brandenburg. He wrote much sacred vocal music in both German and Latin, including Geistliche Concerte (1631-40). His chief work for keyboard (mostly organ) was Tabulatura nova (1624), written in open score rather than traditional organ tablature. The collec¬ tion contains fantasias, toccatas, “echo pieces,” organ responses for litur¬ gical use, and, most important, variations on chorale melodies.
Schein Vshln\, Johann Hermann (b. Jan. 20, 1586, Griinhain, Saxony—d. Nov. 19, 1630, Leipzig) German composer. After singing as a boy in the chapel of the elector of Saxony, he studied music at the Uni¬ versity of Leipzig. In 1616 he became cantor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, the post later held by Johann Sebastian Bach. In this capacity, he was an important teacher, became friends with Samuel Scheidt and Hein¬ rich SchOtz, and wrote sacred works that combined the vocal lyricism of Italian music with the Northern contrapuntal style. His Banchetto musi- cale (1617) is a collection of dances, perhaps the first in which dances are gathered into unified suites, with common thematic motifs. His sacred vocal works include Opella nova (1618-26) and the hymn collection Cantional (1627).