dermatology Medical specialty dealing with diseases of the skin. Its scientific basis was established in the mid-19th century by Ferdinand von Hebra (1816-1880), whose approach was based on microscopic examina¬ tion of skin lesions. Starting in the 1930s, an emphasis on biochemistry and physiology led to more sophisticated and effective treatments. Dermatol¬ ogy deals with fungal diseases, skin cancers, psoriasis, and life-threatening skin diseases such as pemphigus, scleroderma, and lupus erythematosus.
dermestid \d9r-'mes-t3d\ (beetle) Any member of about 700 species (family Dermestidae) of widely distributed beetles that are household pests. Usually brown or black, some are brightly coloured or patterned, and they vary in shape from elongated to oval. Dermestids range from 0.05 to 0.5 in. (1 to 12 mm) long and are covered with hairs or scales that easily flake off. The wormlike larvae feed on furs, skins, feathers, horn, and hair; some feed on cheese and dried meats or on carpets, rugs, furniture, and cloth¬ ing. Two are museum pests that have destroyed collections of stuffed ani¬ mals; museums and collectors must either have pestproof display shelves or continuously apply pesticides. The larvae of carrion-feeding species are sometimes used to clean the soft tissue attached to animal skeletons.
Dermot Macmurrough Vdar-mot-mok-'mor-oV or Diarmaid Macmurchada Vdir-mid-mok-'mur-ko-doX (d. May 1, 1171) Irish king of Leinster (1126-71). He faced a number of rivals in claiming the throne of his father, Enna, and he asserted his authority by killing or blinding 17 rebel chieftains (1141). He abducted another Irish king’s wife in 1153, beginning a bitter feud in which he was driven from Ireland (1166). He returned with the backing of Anglo-Norman lords (including the earl of Pembroke), and in 1170 they captured Dublin. Pembroke married Der- mot’s daughter and became ruler of Leinster after his death. Dermot’s appeal for Norman help in settling an internal dispute thus proved instru¬ mental in the Norman conquest of Ireland.
Deroulede \da-rii-'led\ / Paul (b. Sept. 2, 1846, Paris, France—d. Jan. 30, 1914, Nice) French politician and poet. An ardent nationalist and advocate of revenge against Germany, he helped found the revanchist Ligue des Patriotes (League of Patriots), supported Georges Boulanger, and campaigned against Alfred Dreyfus. After trying to overthrow the gov¬ ernment in 1899, he was exiled in 1900 but allowed to return in 1905. His patriotic poems include the collection Chants du soldat (1872).
Derrida \de-re-'da\, Jacques (b. July 15, 1930, El Biar, Alg.—d. Oct. 8, 2004, Paris, France) Algerian-born French philosopher. Derrida taught principally at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris (1964-84). His cri¬ tique of Western philosophy encompasses literature, linguistics, and psy¬ choanalysis. His thought is based on his disapproval of the search for an ultimate metaphysical certainty or source of meaning that has character¬ ized most of Western philosophy. Instead, he offers deconstruction, which is in part a way of reading philosophic texts intended to make explicit the underlying metaphysical suppositions and assumptions through a close analysis of the language that attempts to convey them. His works on deconstructive theory and method include Speech and Phenomena (1967), Writing and Difference (1967), and Of Grammatology (1967). Among his other works are Psyche: Invention of the Other (1987) and Resistances of Psychoanalysis (1996).
Derry See Londonderry (district); Londonderry (town)
Dershowitz, Alan (Morton) (b. Sept. 1, 1938, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. lawyer. He graduated from Yale Law School and clerked for Justice Arthur Goldberg before being appointed to the faculty of Harvard Law School at age 25. Known as a civil liberties lawyer, he appeared for the defense in many highly publicized criminal cases, including those of
Claus von Bulow and O.J. Simpson. His journal articles and widely syn¬ dicated newspaper columns were published in collections such as The Abuse Excuse (1994); his other books include Reasonable Doubts (1966) and The Best Defense (1982).
dervish In Islam, a member of a Sufi fraternity. These mystics stressed emotional aspects of devotion through ecstatic trances, dancing, and whirling. Dervishes can be either resident in the community or lay mem¬ bers; wandering or mendicant dervishes are called fakirs and are often regarded as holy men who possess miraculous powers. Though viewed as unorthodox and extreme by most Muslims, the movement has endured to the present. See also Sufism.
Derwent Vdor-wontV River River, Tasmania, Australia. Rising in Lake St. Clair, it flows 113 mi (182 km) southeast to enter Storm Bay through a 3.5-mi- (5.5-km-) wide estuary. Its major upper-course tributaries have been extensively developed for hydropower. The city of Hobart is situ¬ ated on the estuary, 12 mi (19 km) from the river’s mouth. This stretch of the river forms an excellent deepwater port and is spanned by the Tas¬ man Bridge.
Derwent Water Lake, Cumbria, England. Located in the Lake District, it is about 3 mi (5 km) long and 0.5-1.25 mi (0.8-2 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 72 ft (22 m). The River Derwent enters its southern end and leaves the lake’s northern end near the market town of Keswick. Several sites on its shores are National Trust property and are frequented by tourists. Lords Island, one of several in the lake, was once the resi¬ dence of the earls of Derwentwater.
Des Moines \di-'m6in\ City (pop., 2000: 198,682), capital of Iowa, U.S. Located at the juncture of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, Fort Des Moines was established in 1843 to protect the rights of the Sauk and Fox Indians. The area was opened to white settlers in 1845. East Des Moines developed and by 1856 had amalgamated with Fort Des Moines to form the present city, which became the capital in 1857. The state’s largest city, it is a communications hub and a major manufacturing, governmental, and publishing centre (especially for farm journals). It is the site of Drake University (1881).
Des Moines River River, southwestern Minnesota into Iowa, U.S. Rising near Pipestone, it flows 525 mi (845 km) southeast to join the Mis¬ sissippi River near Keokuk, Iowa. Above Humboldt, Iowa, it is known as the West Fork. From the late 1830s until the end of the American Civil War, it was the main commercial artery for central Iowa. It was early utilized for power, and, although none survive, 80 grain mills were built (1840-90) along its banks.
Des Plaines \des-'planz\ River River, northeastern Illinois, U.S. Ris¬ ing in southeastern Wisconsin, it flows south into Illinois past Chicago, to join the Kankakee River after a course of 150 mi (241 km). In 1900 Chicago completed a drainage canal from the southern branch of the Chi¬ cago River to the Des Plaines. It is part of the Illinois Waterway (1933), which allows modern barge traffic to pass between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.
Desai Vda-.sl, de-'slV, Anita orig. Anita Mazumdar (b. June 24, 1937, Mussoorie, India) Indian novelist and author of children’s books. Considered India’s premier imagist writer, she excels in evoking charac¬ ter and mood through visual images. Her works include Fire on the Moun¬ tain (1977), Clear Light of Day (1980), Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988), Journey to Ithaca (1995), and the story collection Diamond Dust (2000).
Desai \de-'sl\, Morarji (Ranchhodji) (b. Feb. 29, 1896, Bhadeli, Gujarat, India—d. April 10, 1995, Bombay) Prime minister of India (1977-79). The son of a village teacher, he joined the provincial civil ser¬ vice of Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1918. He joined Mohandas K. Gan¬ dhi’s struggle in 1930 and spent almost 10 years in British jails in the 1930s and ’40s. In 1969 he became chairman of the opposition to Indira Gandhi; he was detained in solitary confinement (1975-77) for his politi¬ cal activities. When elections were held in 1977, he became prime min¬ ister; by 1979, however, his coalition had unraveled, and he resigned.