Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/105

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oafion diforders in the human body, might be arranged under the fame two claffes, it appearing certainly that fome certain Alkali's have the power of curing fome of thefe diforders, and other certain ones of others ; neither of which will have the fame effect on the other diftemper. Thus the pox is cured by mercury, and the poifon of the bite of the viper, i>y the volatile urinous Alkali's, neither of which could be ex- pected to have fuch a falutary effect in the other cafe. Mem. Acad. Par. 1700.

As the acids in the human body are therefore of thefe two different kinds, it did not appear fufficient to this curious ex- perimenter to determine the ftrength of every terreftrial Al- kali in deftroying an acid, but he determined to try which would deftroy moft of each of two acids, which might an- fwer to each of the two before eftablifhed claffes ; which was eafy to be known, by feeing how much of each Alkali, each acid would diffolve, in a given quantity. The acids he chofe, as the fpecimens of the two claffes, were the fpirit of nitre, for thofe of the aquafortis clafs, and the fpirit of fait, for thofe of the nature of the aqua regia. The fpirits he ufed on this occafion, he took care firft to defle°mate fo well that the aqua regia would perfectly diffolve pure gold, and the fpirit of nitre pure filver. The Alkali's diflblved in thefe were the following, and their proportions in folution as ex- preffed below.

An ounce of this fpirit of fait diffolved

3 drams of crabs eyes, readily. 2 drams 20 grains of coral,

readily. I dram and 56 grains of pearls,

readily. I dram 60 grains of mother of

pearl, readily. 46 grains of oriental bezoar,

flowly, 51 grains of occidental bezoar,

flowly.

1 dram 24 grains of calculus humanus, flowly.

2 drams 12 grains of oyfter- fhells, readily.

2 drams2r grains of burnt harts- horn, without ebullition.

2 drams 55 grains of quick lime, readily;

2 drams 49 grains of flack'd lime, readily.

An ounce of this fpirit of ni- tre diffolved

4 drams 9 grains of crabs- eyes, readily.

3drams 7 grains of coralj rea- dily.

2 drams 58 grains of mother of pearl, readily.

1 dram 36 grains of oriental

bezoar, flowly. i dram 00 grains of occi- dental bezoar, lefs flowly.

2 drams 28 grains of human calculus, flowly.

3 drams 20 grains of oyfter- fhells, quickly.

3 drams 28 grains of burnt hartfhom, without any fenfible ebullition.

2 drams 36 grains of quick- lime, readily;

3 drams of flack'd lime, as

readily.

There appears by this table, to be a very great difference be- tween the acid folvents of the aqua fortis, and thofe of the aqua regia kind. The fpirit of nitre, in fome of thefe in- ftances diffolving more than double the quantity of the fpirit of fait ; and in almoft all the inftances proving a greatly more powerful diffolvent; This difference in the power of the acid, as a folvent is to be attributed partly to the number and partly to the figure of the points of thefe acid fpirits; which are the means of their acting as folvents on thefe alkaline fubftances ; that it is not to any one of thefe alone that this difference is wholly owing, appears from this, that there are as above, many fubftances of which fpirit of nitre diffolves double the quantity that fpirit of fait does ; but it is alfo plain that this is not the cafe in fome others, which fpirit of nitre will diffolve, and fpirit of fait will not touch : in the firft cafe the different number of the diffolvent points, in the two acids, ^ might be very rationally fuppofed the occafion of the difference ; but in the other, it muft be owing to a different configuration of thofe points. Mem. Acad; Par. 1700.

It might be fuppofed, that the configuration of the points of acid liquors might be known, by the figure of the falts from which they are drawn by diftillation ; but this cannot be, fince we well knoVvthefe falts are formed of combinations of acids and Alkali's ; and we very well know,that the fame acid fpirit forms differently figured cryftals, when it has diffolved different Alkali's: for example, fpirit of nitre, when it has diffolved filver, fhoots into cryftals of a broad flat and triangular figure ; and, after diffolving copper, the fame fait fhoots into°long thick hexagonal cryftals ; and from fait of tartar, the fame fait forms true cryftals, of the fhape of thofe of pure nitre. We are therefore only to judge of the figures of thefe points, from the effects we fee them produce, not from the fhape of the falts they are made from, which may eafily be fup- pofed to be wholly altered by the fire.

In the diffolutions of thefe feveral A/kali's, it is obfervable, that each of the acids diffolved the bezoars and human calculi, flowly, and with trouble ; yet we know by chemical analyfes, that the greateft part of both thefe fubftances is a volatile al- kaline fait, which is a fubftance that naturally produces a much greater ebullition with acids, than chalk, or crabs-eyes, or any other fubftance of this kind. The flownefs of this fo- lution is probably owing to the large quantity of a coarfe Suppl. Vol. I.

ALL

thick oil; Contained in thofe fubftances, which, enveloping the alkaline particles, defends them greatly from the violence of the acid diflolvent. ALKEKENGI, (Cycl.) in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the charafters of which are thefe. The flower con- fifts of one leaf, and is of a rotated form, and divided into feveral fegments. The cup is fhaped like a bell, and from it there anfes a piftil, which is fixed in the manner of a narl to the middle of the flower, and finally becomes a foft fruit of the fhape of a cherry, but containing a number of flat feeds, and furrounded with a loofe foliaceous hufk, which is indeed no other than the cup greatly enlarged. The fpecies of Alkckengi, enumerated by Mr; Tourncfort are thefe.

'• The common Alkckengi, or winter cherry of the {hops, called by many authors, filanum veflcarium, the bladder night- fhade. 2. The common Alkckengi, with variegated leaves. 3. The leffer fruited whorled Alkckengi, called by Dodonseus and many others the fleepy night-fhade. 4. The Virginian Alkckengi, with yellow fruit. 5. The greater Indian Alie- kengi. 6. The Idler Indian Alkckengi, with greenifh fruit. 7- The InJian Alkckengi, with yellow fruit. 8. The white flowered American Alkckengi, with greenifh red hufks, and yellow fruit. Tmirncf. Inft. p. 151.

Divers medicines are prepared from the Alkckengi, chiefly troches, wine, fyrup, diftilled water, both fimple and com- pound, rol or pulp, fpirit and effence ; but they are all much out of modern ufe. The moft celebrated are the troehifchi Alkckengi, called alfo trochifci de halicacabo, dc Vcficaria, and diaphyjjalidon ; which, befide the common virtues of the berry, are fuppofed to have fome peculiar ones derived from the other ingredients joined with them ; and to be anodyne, cooling) aperient, lie. The like holds, cccteris paribus, of the reft, for the preparation and ufes of the troches, wine, water, &a of Alkckengi, fix Burggr. Lex. Med. T. 1. p. 433. fen. For the fyrup of Alkckengi, Lang. Epift. Medic. 1. 3. c. 3. p. 809. See alfo Shiinc. Difpenf. P. 2. Sec. 5. n. 338. p. 148. and Junck. Confp. Therap. tab. 5. n. 62. p. 180. ALKERMES (Cycl.) — Divers forms of the confeclio Alkermes are found in the different difpenfarics. Junken a gives the Auguftan, Noremberg, Brandenburg, Amfterdam, and Utrecht forms. — Bartholine, the Danifh b .— [' Jungk. Lex. Chem. Pharm. P. 2. p. 128. feq. b Afl. Med. T. 1. Obf. 43. p. 80. fee alfo Pembcrton, Tranflat. of Coll. Difpenf. p. 303.] The confection Alkermes has undergone divers changes and cenfures : its inventor, Mefue, firft threw out the filk, ori- ginally ufed in it, and in lieu thereof, fubftitutcd the kermes : others have thrown out the lapis lazuli, which others retain, notwithftanding its purgative virtue. Several have objected to the mixture of gold in it : fome have complained, that while the kermes is found in other countries, yet this con- fection is only had from France; Some inftead of kermes have propofed the berries of the Solanum Raecmofum tinclorii Americani, to be ufed in this medicine, on account of the near affinity between the two kinds of berries. Camerarius has a piece exprefs on that fubjedt. Ephem Acad. N. C; Dec. 2. An. 6. Obf. 98.

Count Marfigli has an enquiry into the compofition of this medicine, wherein he fhews, that many of the ingredients, wherewith the antients fo plenteoufly loaded it, and which are ftill retained in it by the moderns, are not only ufelefs, but hurtful ; more particularly the Laps lazuli, by many mif- takenly held cordial, by reafon of the appearance of veins of gold in it : whereas, in reality it is only a marcafite of ful- phiir and vitriol, and contains a great quantity of acid, directly repugnant to the alkaline nature of the kermes, and highly prejudicial in difeafes, where the blood tends to coagulation; Marjigli, Annotaz. Intorn. Alia Grana della kermes. p. 68. feq. Giorn. de Letter, d'ltal. T. 9. p. 31. See Kermes, Cycl. and Suppl. ALKUSSA, in ichthyology, a name given by the Swedes to a fifflj which they alfo call lake. It is a fpecies of the filu- rus, and is diftinguifhed by Artedi by the name of the filu- rus with only one cirrus, or beard, under the chin. The Common filurus, which is the glanus of the antientSj has four cirri. See SlLURUS; ALKY of Lead, among alchemifts, denotes a fweet fubftance procured fromlead. Ruland^ Lex. Alch. p. 31. Cajl. Lex. Med. in voc. ALL Saints, in the kalender, denotes a feftival celebrated on the firft of November, in commemoration of all the faints in ge- neral ; which is otherwife called All-hallows. The number of faints being fo excefiively multiplied, it was found too burdenfome, to dedicate a feaft day to each. In reality there were not days enough, fcarce hours enough, in the year for this purpofe. Hence an expedient was had recourfe to by commemorating fuch in the lump, as had not their own days. Boniface IV. in the ninth century, introduced the feaft of All Saints in Italy, which was foon after adopted into the other churches. V. Baron, ad Martyrol. 1 . Novemb. Li- turg. Calend. Sect. 16. p. 96. Works of Learn. T. 2. p. 534. ALL Souls, in the kalender, denotes a feaft day, held on the fecond of November, in* commemoration of all the faithful deceafed.

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