Lexicon medicum, or, Medical dictionary : containing an explanation of the terms in anatomy, botany, chemistry, materia medica, midwifery, mineralogy, pharmacy, physiology, practice of physic, surgery, and the various branches of natural philosophy connected with medicine : selected, arranged, and compiled from the best authors / by Robert Hooper.

Robert Hooper

Date:: 1832

Credit: Lexicon medicum, or, Medical dictionary : containing an explanation of the terms in anatomy, botany, chemistry, materia medica, midwifery, mineralogy, pharmacy, physiology, practice of physic, surgery, and the various branches of natural philosophy connected with medicine : selected, arranged, and compiled from the best authors / by Robert Hooper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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101/894

$ASB fceous disorder, generated in the port's, like worms Willi black heads Asa'miia. (From a, neg. and <ra</lWl clear) A iCR«t 111 utterance 01 pronunciation ASA R.AB ACCA. See Asarum Europa Uin A SARI r. n.; from a, neg. and <rat- pu>, to adorn; because it was not admitted into the ancleal coronal wreaths.) 1. The name of a genus oi' plants in the Linnaian system. Class, JJvdecandria; Order, Monogynia. Si The pharmacopoeia] name of the asarabacca. See Asarum Europtcum. Asarum EVRop.tt'M. The systematic name of the ibacca of the Shops. Nardus montana; Nardus rustica; Asarum—foliis rcnifminibus, obtiw of Linneeus. This plant is a native of England, but not very common. Its leaves are extremely acrid, and ccaslonally used, when powdered, as a sternuta- tory. For this purpose, the leaves, as being less acrid than the roots, arc preferred, and in moderate doses, not exceeding a few grains, snuffed up the nose, for several evenings, produce a pretty large watery di>- charge,which continues for several days together, by which headache, toothache, ophthalmia, and some paralytic and soporific complaints have been effectu- ally relieved. Prior to the introduction of ipecacuanha, the leaves and root of this plant were frequently employed on account of their emetic power : the dose of the dried leaves was 20 grains ; of the dried roots 10 grains. As ihey were occasionally violent in their operation, they have fallen into disuse. Asarum hypocistis. A parasitical plant which grows in warm climates, from the roots of the Cistus. The juice, succus hj/pocist.idis, is a mild astringent, of no particular smell nor flavour. It has fallen into disuse. ASBESTOS. Asbestos. A mineral of which there are rive varieties, all more or less flexible and fibrous. 1. Amianthus occurs in very long, fine, flexible, elastic fibres, of a white, greenish, or reddish colour. It is somewhat unctuous to the touch, has a silky or pearly lustre, and is slightly translucent. Sectile ; thugh ; sp. grav. from 1 to 2.3. The ancients manufactured cloth out of the fibres of asbestos, for the purpose, it is said, of wrapping up the bodies of the dead, when exposed on the funeral pile. Several moderns have likewise succeeded in making this cloth, the chief artifice of which seems to consist Jin Hie admixture of flax and a liberal use of oil; both which substances arc afterward consumed by exposing the cloth foraccrtain time to a red heat. Although the cloth of asbestos, when soiled, is restored to its primitive whiteness by heating in the fire, it is found, nevertheless, by several authentic experiments, that its weight diminishes by such treatment. The fibres of asbestos, exposed to the violent heat of the blow-pipe, exhibit slight indications effusion ; though the parts, instead of running together, moulder away, and part fall down, while tiio rest seem to disappear before the current of air. Ignition impairs the flexibi- lity of asbestos in a slight degree. 2. Common asbestos occurs in masses of fibres of a dull greenish colour, and of a somewhat pearly lustre- Fragments splintery. It is scarcely flexible, and greatly denser than amianthus. It is more abundant than amianthus, and is found usually in serpentine, as at Portsoy, the Isle of Anglesca, and the Lizard in Corn- wall. It was found in the limestone of Glentilt, by Dr. M'Culloch, in a pasty state, but it soon hardened by exposure to air. 3. Mountain Leather consists not of parallel fibres like the preceding, but interwoven and interlaced so as to become tough. When in very tliin pieces it is called ■mountain paper. Its colour is yellowish-white, and its touch meagre. It is found at VVanlockhead, in La- narkshire. Its specific gravity is uncertain. 4. Mountain Cork, or Elastic Asbestos, is, like the preceding, of an interlaced fibrous texture; is opaque, has a meagre feel and appearar-.e, not unlike common cork, and like it, too, is somewhat elastic. It swims on water. Its colours are white, gray, and ycllowish- brown impression from the nail; very wacks when bandied, and melts with difficulty up blow pipe 5 Mountain it ■><.</, or Ligniformasbestos,iBusaally inasrive, of a brown colour, and having the aspect of ASC wood Internal lustre glimmering. Soft, sectile, and tough . opaque fei is meagre ; fusible into a Mack slag. Sp. grav 2.0. It is found in the Tyrol ; Dau- piimy, and in Scotland, at Glentilt, Portsoy, and Kil- drumle. A fSfZSS'XSS; A ^cies of onion. A?CA WDES The plural of ascaris. AfaCAUIb. (Ascaris, idis ; from aeictw, to move about; so called from its continued troublesome mo- tion.) The name ol a genus of intestinal worms. I here arc several specie* of this genus. Those which belong to the human body are:— 1. Ascaris vermicularis, the thread or maw worm which is very small and slender, not exceeding half an inch in length ; it inhabits the rectum. 2. Ascaris bumbricoides, the long and round worm, which is a foot in length, and about the breadth of a goose-quill. ASCE'NDENS. (From ad and scando, to ascends Adsccndens. Ascending. Applied to muscles, leaves', stalks, &c. from their direction; as musculus obliijuus ascendens, folium aseendens, cauliu ascendens, the leaves of the geranium vitifolium and stems of the hedysarum onobrychis, &c. Asc-ENDiiNS oiiLKjuus. See Obliquus internus ab- dominus. A'scia. An axe or chisel. A simple bandage; so called from its shape in position.— Galen. ASCIDIATUS. (From ascidium,) Ascidiato or pitcherform: a term applied to a leaf and other parts of plants which are so formed ; the folium ascidiatum is seen in the Nepenthes Distillaloria, and in Sa- racenia. ASCIDIUM. (From aoKiSiov, a small bottle.) The pitcher. A term introduced by Willdenow into botany to express a hollow foliaceous appendage, re- sembling a small pitcher. It is of rare occurrence, but has been found as a caulmar, foliar, and a pedun- cular or flora) appendage! 1. The caulinar belongs to the Austalasian plant Cc- phalotus follicularis. 2. The foliar is peculiar to the genus Nepenthes. 3. The peduncular on the Surubea quianensis. ASCI'TES. (Ascites, m. m.; from aaKof, a sack, or bottle; so called from its bottle-like protuberancy.) Dropsy of the belly. A tense, but scarcely elastic, swelling of the abdomen from accumulation of water. Cullen ranks this genus of disease in the class Ca- chexia, and order, Intumcsccntiw. He enumerates two species: 1. Ascites abdomivalis, when the water is in the cavity of the peritonamm, which is known by the equal swelling of the parietes of the abdomen. 2. Ascites saccatus, or encysted dropsy, in which the water is encysted, as in the ovarium: the fluctua- tion is here less evident, and the swelling is at first partial. Ascites is often preceded by loss of appetite, slug- jTJsJinor..-,, drj-ncM of the skin, oppression at the chest, COUgh, diminution of the natural discharge of urine, and costiveness. Shortly after the appearance of these symptoms, a protuberance is perceived in the hypogastrium, which extends gradually, and keeps on increasing, until the whole abdomen becomes at length uniformly swelled and tense. The distension and sense of weight, although considerable, vary some- what according to the posture of the body, the weight being felt the most on that side on which the patient lies, while, at the same time, the distention becomes somewhat less on the opposite side. In general, the practitioner may be sensible of the fluctuation of the water, by applying his left hand on one side of the abdomen, and then striking on the other side with his right. In some cases, it will be obvious to the ear. As the collection of water becomes more considerable, the difficulty of breathing is much increased, the countenance exhibits a pale and bloated appearance, an immoderate thirst, the skin is dry and parched, and the urine is very scanty, thick, high coloured, and deposits a lateritious sediment. With respect to the pulse, it is variable, being sometimes considerably quickened, and, at other times, slower than natural. The principal difficulty, which prevails In ascites, is the beins able to distinguish, witb certainty, when the water is in the cavity of the abdomen, or when it is in tilt different state;' of encysted dropsy. To form a jitf' judgment, \ve should attend to the following cir$

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