Gasparini, Angelo See Gasparo Angiolini
Gaspe \ga-'spa\ Peninsula Peninsula, southeastern Quebec, Canada. It extends east-northeast for 150 mi (240 km) from the Matapedia River into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, lying south of the St. Lawrence River and north of Chaleur Bay and New Brunswick. Much of the region is within conservation areas, including Gaspesian Provincial Park and Forillon National Park. Famous for its scenery, it is also noted for hunting and fishing. The chief settlements are along the coast.
Gasperi, Alcide De See Alcide De Gasperi
Gasprinski \g3s-'prin-ske\, Ismail (b. c. 1851, near Bakhchisaray, Crimea, Russian Empire—d. Sept. 11, 1914, Bakhchisaray) Russian-born Turkish journalist. Educated in Moscow, his travels brought him to Paris, where he met refugees from the Ottoman Empire who inspired him to take up the Turkish cause at home. He wrote about the cultural problems of Turkic Muslims for a Russian newspaper and later for his own bilingual paper, Terciimdn (founded 1883), which became Russia’s most influen¬ tial Turkish-language newspaper, advocating Pan-Islamism and Pan- Turkism. He was a committed advocate of educational reform.
Gastein \ga-'shtln\, Convention of (Aug. 20, 1865) Agreement between Austria and Prussia following their seizure of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark in 1864. The pact provided that Prussia was to administer Schleswig, Austria was to administer Holstein, and the emperor of Austria and the king of Prussia were to be sovereign over the duchies. Both duchies were admitted to the Zollverein. Joint administration led to disputes that ended with Austria’s defeat and exclu¬ sion from Germany in 1866. See also Schleswig-Holstein Question.
gastrectomy \ga-'strek-t9-me\ Surgical removal of all or part of the stomach to treat peptic ulcers. It eliminates the cells that secrete acid and halts the production of gastrin, the hormone that stimulates them. Once a common operation, it is now a last resort. The usual procedure, antrec¬ tomy, removes the lower half of the stomach (antrum), the chief site of gastrin secretion. The remaining stomach is joined to the duodenum. Sub¬ total gastrectomy removes up to three-quarters of the stomach. The great¬ est drawback is malnutrition caused by decreased appetite and inability to digest food.
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COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
740 I gastritis ► gaucho literature
gastritis \ga-'stri-t3s\ Inflammation in the stomach. Acute gastritis, usu¬ ally caused by ingesting something irritating or by infection, starts sud¬ denly, with severe pain, vomiting, thirst, and diarrhea, and subsides rapidly. Treatment involves a short fast and then a bland diet, sedatives, and antispasmodics. Chemical gastritis, from ingestion of corrosive chemicals, requires emptying and washing out the stomach. Chronic gas¬ tritis has vague symptoms, including abdominal discomfort or pain, poor appetite, gas, and irregular bowel movements. Causes include prolonged use of aspirin or other irritating drugs, infection with Helicobacter pylori, and pernicious anemia. Treatment for chronic gastritis depends on the cause.
gastroenteritis \ I ga-stro-,en-t3- , ri-t9s\ Acute infectious syndrome of the stomach lining and intestines. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Severity varies from transient diarrhea to life- threatening dehydration, children and the very old being more at risk for the latter. Many microorganisms produce it, either by secreting toxins or by invading the gut walls. Forms of gastroenteritis include food poison¬ ing, cholera, and traveler’s diarrhea. Depending on cause and severity, treatment includes antibiotics or simply supportive care.
gastroenterology V.ga-stro-.en-to-'ra-lo-jeX Medical specialty dealing with digestion and the digestive system. In the 17th century Jan Baptista van Helmont conducted the first scientific studies in the field; William Beaumont published his own observations in 1833. Lavage (washing out the stomach) and endoscopy were developed in the 19th century, and endoscopy and X rays with a contrast medium were first used to visualize the stomach and digestive organs in the 1890s. Gastroenterologists diag¬ nose and treat disorders of the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas, including ulcers, tumours, inflammatory diseases (including ulcerative coli¬ tis and ileitis), and rectal disorders.
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Disorder character¬ ized by frequent passage of gastric contents from the stomach back into the esophagus. Symptoms of GERD may include heartburn, coughing, frequent clearing of the throat, and difficulty in swallowing. It can be caused by relaxation of the muscle that connects the esophagus and the stomach, delayed emptying of the esophagus or stomach, hiatal hernia, obesity, or pregnancy. Treatment is with antacids or acid-inhibiting medi¬ cations and lifestyle changes such as not eating before bedtime, avoiding acidic or fatty foods or beverages, cessation of smoking, and weight loss. Surgery may be necessary in severe cases.
gastronomy Art of selecting, preparing, serving, and enjoying fine food. Two early centres of gastronomy were China (from the 5th century bc) and Rome, the latter noted for the excess and ostentation of its ban¬ quets. The foundations of modem Western gastronomy were laid during the Renaissance, particularly in Italy and France. The influential grande cuisine of France reached its apex in the works of Marie-Antoine Careme and Auguste Escoffier. Regardless of regional differences in cuisine, a pri¬ mary consideration in food preparation is freshness. Others include com¬ plementarity or opposition of taste, contrast of textures, and overall appearance, including colour harmony and accent. See also nouvelle cui¬ sine.
gastropod Any member of the class Gastropoda, the largest group of mollusks, including about 65,000 species. Gastropods, which include the snails, conchs, whelks, limpets, periwinkles, abalones, slugs, and sea slugs (see nudibranch), are found worldwide, in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Gastropods typically have a large foot with a flat sole for crawling, a single coiled shell that covers the soft body, and a head that bears a pair of eyes and tentacles. However, they are so diverse that some forms lack shells, while animals in one genus have shells with two halves, like bivalves. Most feed by using a radula, a ribbon of small horny teeth that tear food into pieces. They may be herbivores, carnivores, predators, parasites, or filter feeders of plankton and detritus.
Gates of the Arctic National Park National preserve, northern Alaska, U.S. Its area of 11,756 sq mi (30,448 sq km) is entirely north of the Arctic Circle. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area under¬ went boundary changes and was renamed in 1980. It includes a portion of the Central Brooks Range. The southern slopes are forested, contrast¬ ing with the barren northern reaches at the edge of Alaska’s North Slope.
Gates, Bill in full William Henry Gates III (b. Oct. 28, 1955, Seattle, Wash., U.S.) U.S. computer programmer and businessman. As a teenager, he helped computerize his high school’s payroll system and