BLOW encyclopedia topics

BLOW - 6 reference results

Blow, Susan Elizabeth, 1843-1916, American educator, b. St. Louis. After study in New York City under a disciple of Froebel, she opened in Carondelet (now in St. Louis) the first successful public kindergarten (1873) and a training school for kindergarten teachers (1874). Among her books are Symbolic Education (1894), Educational Issues in the Kindergarten (1908), and a translation of Froebel's Mutter- und Kose-Lieder (called Mother Play) in two volumes (1895).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Blow, John

Blow, John, 1649-1708, English composer. He was organist and choirmaster at Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal and the teacher of Henry Purcell. He wrote more than 100 anthems and 10 sacred services, mostly unpublished, and a masque, Venus and Adonis.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

hognose snake

Any of three or four species (genus Heterodon, family Colubridae) of harmless North American snakes named for their upturned snout, which is used for digging. When threatened, they flatten the head and neck, then strike with a loud hiss, but rarely bite. If their bluff fails, they roll over, writhing, and then act dead, with mouth open and tongue lolling. They eat chiefly toads and frogs. Heavy-bodied and blotchy, they are usually about 24 in. (60 cm) long. Though not adders, they are sometimes called puff adders or blow snakes.

Learn more about hognose snake with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

blowfly

Any member of the dipteran family Calliphoridae, including the screwworm and the bluebottle, greenbottle, and cluster flies. Metallic blue, green, or bronze, and noisy in flight, blowflies resemble the housefly in size and habits. The larvae usually feed on decaying flesh and sometimes infest open wounds. They may help prevent infection by cleaning away dead flesh, but may also destroy healthy tissue. Blowflies were once used to treat gangrene and a human bone disease and were used in World War I to clean soldiers' wounds. Some species seriously hurt or kill livestock by massive infestation or by carrying diseases such as anthrax, dysentery, and jaundice.

Learn more about blowfly with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Blow, John

(baptized Feb. 23, 1649, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, Eng.—died Oct. 1, 1708, Westminster, London) British composer, organist, and teacher. He was appointed organist at Westminster Abbey in 1668; in 1774 he became master of the children at the Chapel Royal, and he later held various equally prominent posts, in which he influenced many students, including composer Henry Purcell. Of the many religious and secular ceremonial works he wrote in his official capacities, about 12 services and more than 100 anthems survive. His court masque Venus and Adonis (1685) represents a landmark in the development of English opera.

Learn more about Blow, John with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.