Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/117

 ALP

in fpires about the head, like the windings of a ferpent, whereas the former is not confined to any figure b. — [ J Polif. Myrrhol. c. 15. Art. 2. p. 326. b Burggr. Lex. Med. T. 1. p. 467. fajj

The Alopecia in effect feems only to differ from the ophiafis, as it is a degree lefs malignant

The Alopecia is called by Celfus Area, on account of its ap- pearing in naked fpots or patches. Cclf. de Medic. 1. 6. e. 4.

The caufe as well as cure of the Alopecia is the fame

as that of the ophiafis ; tho' fume would make a difference :

Ufging that the primary intention in the former, is to correal

or carry off" the vitious humour ; in the latter, to fupply the

want of nutriment to the cutaneous parts. Polif. ubi f'upra.

Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 34. feq, Burggr. loc. cit. See alio Bibl.

Anat. T. 2. p. 679.

AtoPECiA is alfo ufed, by Galen, for a change of the hair

to another colour. De Rem. Fac. Par. c. 6. Caji. Lex.

. Med. p. 34. feq.

ALOPECIAS, in zoology, a name of the Vulpes marina. See

Vulves Marina. ALOPECOPITHECOS, in natural hiftoiy, a name derived from the Greek, and given by Aldrovand and others to that , ftrange creature, the opoflum ; an American animal, which has a pouch under its belly, into which it receives its young , in time of danger. It is fuppofed, according to this name, to partake of the nature of the fox and the ape ; but it in . reality is wholly different from both, and merits a general name of its own. Tyfon has given it that of Marfupule, which as it is founded on the pouch, which is its diftinetion from all other animals,, feems a very good one, but authors do not Teem to come into theufingit. Philof. Tranf. N°. 239. p. no. See Opossum. ALOPECUROS, fox-tail grafs, in the Linnsean fyftem of bo- tany, makes a diftindt genus of plants, the diftinguifhing characters of which are, that the calyx is a glume compofed of two valves, and enclosing a fingle flower ; tbefe valves are oval, pointed and hollow : the flower is compofed of only one valve, which is hollow and of the fame length with the calyx, and has a long awn or beard inferted on its back-part near its hafisj the ftamina are three capillary filaments ; the an- theras are oblong ; the germen of the piffil is roundifti ; the ftyles are two in number, hairy, refbx, and exceed the length of tire cup ; the ft igmata are Ample ; the flower enclofes the feed, which is fingle, and roundilh. Linnaus, Genera Plan- tarum, p. 18. ALP, in zoology, an Engliffi name ufed by fome for the bull- finch. Ray-, Ornitholog. ALPAGE, Alpagiinn, in antient writers, denotes the privi- lege of feeding cattle on the Alps, or high mountains, or a fum paid for the purchafe of fuch a right. This is otherwife called Alpaticum. Du Cange, GlofT. Lat. in voc. See Alps. ALPHA (Cycl.) is particularly ufed among antient writers, to denote the chief or firft man of his clafs or rank. In this fenfe the word Hands contradiftinguiftied from Beta, which denotes the fecond perfon.

Plato was called the Alpha of the wits : Eratofthencs, keeper of the Alexandrian library, whom fome called a fecond Plato, is frequently named Beta. Alpha is alfo ufed to denote the beginning of any thing. In which fenfe it ftands oppofed to Omega, which denotes the end. And thefe two letters were made the fymbol of chriftianity ; and accordingly engraven on the tombs of the antient chrifiians, to diftinguifh them from thofe of idolaters. Moralez, a Spanifh writer, imagined that this cuftom only commenced from the rife of Arianifm, and that it was pecu- liar to the orthodox, who hereby made confeftion of the eter- nity of Chrlft : but there arc tombs prior to the age of Con- ftantine whereon the two letters were found, befides that the emperor juff mentioned, bore them on his Iabarum before Arius appeared. See Labarum, Cycl. Alpha is alfo a title given by fome antient writers to the Jewifh legislator Mofes. The reafon of the apellation is much controverted. Helladius, in his Chreftomathia, and Ptolemy fon of Hepheftion, pretend that Mofes was infe&ed with the leprofy, which the Greeks call &W&, and that hence arofe the denomination uhQu. This opinion feems to have owed its rife to a tradition among the heathens, that the Jews were expelled Egypt, becaufe they were over-run with this difeafc. A tradition fupported by Diodorus Siculus, Tacitus, Jurtin, Apion, and others ; but refuted by Jofephus. — A late writer apprehends, that the notion of Mofes's leprofy took its rife from that text in the old teftament, wherein the prophet, having put his hand into his bofom, drew it out. again white as a leper, which the Septuagint render A*$au Others have invented other reafons of the appellation,, which do more honour to Mofes. Nicolai conjectures that he might have been denominated Alpha, on account of the fairnefs and brightness of his complexion, when he came from the mount ; or from his being the chief, or leader of the Jewiffi people ; or even from his being well learned, in regard the Hebrew ' ward Aleph, from whence the Greek Alpha was formed, Signified as much, If none of thefe will.ferve, the fame au- Suppl. Vol. I.

A l r

thor, from the confideration of the radical letters 'of the word Alpha, deduces divers other myftical ftgnifications : Mofes might have been fo called, becaufe he was the moft meek of men ; or in regard he mediated between God and the Jews ; or becaufe lie was flow of fpeech ; or becaufe he converfed familiarly with God ; or in fine, becaufe he wrote a hiftory of the times before him. Nicolai, Difquifit. de Mofe Alpha diclo. Lugd. Bat. 1703. 12°. Extracts of which are given in Ouvr. des Scav. Janv. 1703. p. 18. Mem. de'Trev. 1708. P- IJ 54- Jour, des Scav. T. 34. p. 71.

ALPHERATZ, in aftronomy, a fixed ftar of the third mag- nitude in Aquarius. See Aquarius, Cycl. This is otherwife called Alpharatz. Some alfo give the de- nomination Enif Alpharafz, and Marchab Alpharatx, to two other ftars in the right fhoulder of Pegafus. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 26. See Pegasus, Cycl.

ALPHESERAi in botany, a name by which the Arabian, and fome other, authors exprefs the white bryony. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.

ALPHESTES, in zoology, the name of a fifli, called by others Ctnedus, feeming to approach very much to the Turdus, or Wrafle kind, but having the rays or nerves of its back-fin pn'ckly all the way to the tail ; whereas the Turdi have only the anterior rays of that fin prickly, the reft fmooth. It is a fmali fiih, and is always caught about the fhores, and among rocks : its back is purple, and its fides and belly yel- lowi/h. Its mouth is fmall, and has thick and flefny lips. Gefmr, de Pile. p. 40.

ALPHITIDON, in furgery, a fpecies of fraclure, wherein the bone is broken into a great number of fmall parts, or particles. Cajiel. Lex. Med. in voc.

The word is Greek, AAptfifa, formed of tt>$!im 9 farina, flower, q. d. a bone ground to flower or powder.

ALPHITOMANTIA, in antiquity. See the article Aleu-

ROMANCY,

ALPHOS [Cycl)— The Alphas, ^r Alphas h of two kinds.

1. Alba, where the fkin is i^iwir Iwkh rough whitifh fpots. This is the Alphus mpje properly fo called, being otherwife denominated Leuce.

2. Nigra, where the fpots are black. ' This is alfo called Melane. V. Celf. J. 5. c. 28. Cajhl. Lex. Med. p. 35. Zuing. Epift. Juft. Pathol, n. 328.

ALPIEU, in the game of ballet, is when a couch or firft ftakc IS' won by turning up or crooking the corner of the winning card. Comp. Gameft. p. 33.

In this fenfe, Aipicu amounts to much the fame with Parolu See Basset.

ALPS, befides its proper fignifi cation, 1 by which it denotes a certain chain of mountains, which feparate France from Italy, is fometimes ufed as an appellative to denote any mountains of extraordinary height. Phil. Argyr. in Virg. Geor. 1. 3. v. 474. Ifed. Grig. 1. 4. c. 8. Serv. ad Virg. loc. cit. In this fenfe Auibnius, and others call the Pyrenean moun- tains, Alps, and Gellius, the Spanifh Alps, Alpini Hifpani, Aufon. Epift. 24. Fortunat. 1. 6. Poem. 2. It. 1. 10. Poem. 25. Sidonius gives the fame appellation of Alps, to mount Athos* Other authors fpeak of Norman Alps, Alpes Arvenna?, Alpes Aftoricenfes, Alpes Dofrints, Alpes Romanics, Alpes Bajlar- nic£E.- — The Apennins are alfo called by Johannes Villaneuf, Alpi D'Apennini. L. 1. c. 33. Z>n Cange, GlofT. Lat. in voc.

Alps is alio ufed to denote paftures on the mountains, wherein cattle are fed in the fummer time ; or rather in the vallies, and (paces between the mountain tops. Some will have this to be the primary fignification of the word Alpes, which is fuppofed by tbefe authors literally to denote the ftreights or appertures between hills.

ALRATICA, among the Arabian phyficians, is where the vul- va of a woman is imperforate, or at leaft the foramen fmaller than ordinary, whether naturally, or by accident. Albucas, Meth. Med.l. 2. c. 72.?. 119. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 35. See the article Atreti.

ALRAUPE, in ichthyology, a name given by the Germans, to the Mujlela Fluviatilis, or eelpout, a fpecies of the Gadus, See the article Gadus, and Mustela.

ALRUKAK, in the materia medica, a word ufed byAvifenna, and others of that nation, for what was called by the Greeks Leptos Libanoiis, and Manna Thuris ; this was the fragments of frankincenfe, which were broken off" from the larger pieces in the collecting or packing up, and were moft efteemed in me- dicine, as being the drieft and pureft kind.

ALRUM, in the botanical writings of the antients, a name given to the tree which produces the Bdellium. This gum was originally known to be the exfudation of a tree grow- ing in Arabia and the Eaft- Indies, and well known to Avifenna and others, and by all of them, called by that name. There is however, a great deal of error and confufion, about one of the fynonymous names of the gum of this tree ; thisjiamc is Mokel or Molechil; and the fame name being alfo given to a fruit of the palm kind, produced by a tree according to all accounts as different from the Bdellium as one tree can be from another \ this fruit has been' fuppofed, to be pro- duced on the fame tree, and the interpreters of Avifenna, obferving that this author had every where diftinguiffied the fruit Mokcl, and the gura Mokel, by calling the one Mokel 2 *' Mtc-