(A. N.)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Some authors, following Caius, derive the word from _corvus
vorans_ and spell it corvorant, but doubtless wrongly.

[2] So spelt since the days of Gesner; but possibly _Phalaracorax_
would be more correct.

[3] According to Willoughby it was formerly the custom to carry the
cormorant hooded till it was required; in modern practice the bearer
wears a face-mask to protect himself from its beak.

CORN (a common Teutonic word; cf. Lat. _granum_, seed, grain),
originally meaning a small hard particle or grain, as of sand, salt,
gunpowder, &c. It thus came to be applied to the small hard seed of a
plant, as still used in the words barley-corn and pepper-corn. In
agriculture it is generally applied to the seed of the cereal plants. It
is often locally understood to mean that kind of cereal which is the
leading crop of the district; thus in England it refers to wheat, in
Scotland and Ireland to oats, and in the United States to maize (Indian
corn). See GRAIN TRADE; CORN LAWS; AGRICULTURE; WHEAT; MAIZE; &c.

The term "corned" is given to a preparation of meat (especially beef) on
account of the original manner of preserving it by the use of salt in
grains or "corns."

CORN (from Lat. _cornu_, horn), in pathology (technically _clavus_), a
localized outgrowth of the epidermic layer of the skin, most commonly of
the toe, with a central ingrowth of a hard horny plug. The underlying
papillae are atrophied, causing a cup-shaped hollow, whilst the
surrounding papillae are hyper-trophied. The condition is mainly caused
by badly fitting boots, though any undue pressure, of insufficient power
to give rise to ulceration, may be the cause of a corn. Corns may be
hard or soft. The hard corn usually occurs on one of the toes, is a more
or less conical swelling and may be extremely painful at times. If
suppuration occurs around the corn, it is apt to burrow, and if
unattended to may give rise to arthritis or even necrosis. The best
treatment is to soften the corn with hot water, pare it very carefully
with a sharp knife, and then paint it with a solution of salicylic acid
in collodion. The painting must be repeated three times a day for a week
or ten days. The soft corn occurs between the toes and is usually a more
painful condition. Owing to the absorption of sweat its surface may
become white and sodden in appearance. The treatment is much the same,
but spirits of camphor