LUPUS

lupus, publius rutilius, roman rhetorician, flourished during the reign of tiberius. he was the author of a treatise on the figures of speech ([greek: schemata lexeos]), abridged from a similar work by the rhetorician gorgias (of athens, not the well-known sophist of leontini), the tutor of cicero's son. in its present form it is incomplete, as is clearly shown by the express testimony of quintilian (_instit._ ix. 2, 103, 106) that lupus also dealt with figures of sense, rhetorical figures ([greek: schemata dianoias]). the work is valuable chiefly as containing a number of examples, well translated into latin, from the lost works of greek rhetoricians. the author has been identified with the lupus mentioned in the ovidian catalogue of poets (_ex ponto_, iv. 16), and was perhaps the son of the publius rutilius lupus, who was a strong supporter of pompey. editions by d. ruhnken (1768), f. jacob (1837), c. halm in _rhetores latini minores_ (1863); see also monographs by g. dzialas (1860 and 1869), c. schmidt (1865), j. draheim (1874), thilo krieg (1896). lupus (lat. _lupus_, wolf), a disease characterized by the formation in the skin or mucous membrane of small tubercles or nodules consisting of cell growth which has an inclination to retrograde change, leading to ulceration and destruction of the tissues, and, if it heals, to the subsequent formation of permanent white scars. _lupus vulgaris_ is most commonly seen in early life, and occurs chiefly on the face, about the nose, cheeks or ears. but it may also affect the body or limbs. it first shows itself as small, slightly prominent, nodules covered with thin crusts or scabs. these may be absorbed and removed at one point whilst spreading at another. their disappearance is followed by a permanent white cicatrix. the disease may be superficial, in which case both the ulceration and the resulting scar are slight (_lupus non-exedens_); or the ulcerative process may be deep and extensive, destroying a large portion of the nose or cheek, and leaving much disfigurement (_lupus exedens_). a milder form, _lupus erythematosus_, occurs on the nose and adjacent portions of the cheeks in the form of red patches covered with thin scales, underneath which are seen the widened openings of the sebaceous ducts. with a longitudinal patch on the nose and spreading symmetrical patches on each cheek the appearance is usually that of a large butterfly. it is slow in disappearing, but does not leave a scar. lupus is more frequently seen in women than in men; it is connected with a tuberculous constitution. in the superficial variety the application of soothing ointments when there is much redness, and linear incisions, or scrapings with a sharp spoon, to destroy the increased blood supply, are often serviceable. in the ordinary form the local treatment is to remove the new tissue growth by solid points of caustic thrust into the tubercles to break them up, or by scraping with a sharp spoon. the light-treatment has been successfully applied in recent years. as medicines, cod-liver oil, iron and arsenic are useful. (e. o.*)