Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/303

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%oa:\ from Zanjpfitpar. Vid. Phil. Tranf. N° 23. p. 432 Item, IM° 250, p. 99. Item, p. N° 305, p. 2201. Atlas Marin, p. 218. Seealfo the Cyclopaedia. The cow bezoar, in the Chinefe cabinet, in the lepofitory of 'the royal fociety, though compofed of laminae or coats, is ap- parently factitious, by reafon it melts, when applied to the candle. Sloan, in Phil. Tranf. N° 250, p. 70. The forms in which bezoar appears, when genuine, are very different ; the molt frequent figure is round, but many are oblong; fome of the fhape of a kidney, and fome perfectly irregular ; they are of a greenifh, or olive colour, and are fpotted with pale, or whitifh fpots in different places ; when try'd by burning, they are found to be eafily inflamma- ble, and to contain a volatile fait, and an oil ; and the refi- duum much refembles the caput mortuum left in the retort, after the diftillation of different animal fubftances; a gentle heat will often make the feveral beds or lainina:, of which a bezoar is compos'd, feparate from one another. If bezoar ftones are put to infufe in ipirit of wine, or in common water, both li- quors will thoroughly penetrate their fubftance, but neither will receive any change from them. The matters, which ferve as a nucleus to the bezoar ftone, are very different in dif- ferent animals, and often in the fame individual, according to the indigeftible matter, which it happens to have in its fto- mach, at the time of the ftone's beginning to form itfelf. Sometimes a ftraw, fometimes a few hairs, fometimes a peb- ble, and not unfrequently a piece of marcafite is found in the center of the concretion. Small particles of matter of a ftony kind, cemented together into a fort of ftone, are fometimes found, as alfo pieces of talc, fragments of wood, and the ftones of fruit, or a part only of fuch a ftone ; and, in fome, a feed of caffia, or of fome plant of the phafeolus kind, has been found, its outer fkin fhrunk up and wrinkled, with manifeft appearance of its having been before inflated and diftended, and cover'd nicely over with an extreamly thin coat, of the fubftance of the bezoar, conforming itfelf to all its irre- gularities. In fome of the ftones alfo found on this nucleus, the outer membrane of the bean having perifh'd, and the bean flirunk in drying, there remains a vacuity between it, and the next coat of the bezoar ; fo that it rattles within it, when fhaken in the manner of an setites.

The formation of the bezoar feemsto be this, that the undigefted matter, be it what it will, remaining in the ftomach of the ani- mal, irritates the glands, and makes them difcharge their con- tents, which, mixing with the juices of the ftomach, impreg- nated with the virtues of the aromatick plant on which the ani- mal feeds ; thefe may together collect, and harden by degrees a- boutthis fubftance. In fine, their coats furrounding one another; theconfequence of which muftbe, that the whole bezoar muft be of the fhape of the accidental matter, on which it was form'd. If it be a ftraw, the bezoar will be long; if a fmall pebble, the bezoar will exactly be of its fhape, however irregular that be; and, if a kidney-bean, there will be feen on thebozoar the fe- veral lineaments of that fruit. Mem. Acad. Par. 1 7 1 1 . The true oriental bezoars were, about eighty years ao-o, fo common in Cononor, that thofe of the bignefs of a pigeon's egg were frequently brought to market at fix or feven reals a piece, and thofe of the bignefs of a hen's egg at twelve reals. The method of trying the genuinenefs of the bezoar by water, was firft brought into ufe in that place : thofe who bought them, ufed to weigh them carefully, and after that to put them into water, letting them lie in it all night. If they, in the weighing the next morning, were found to have retained the fame weight, they were judged to be good ; if the weight were much altered, otherwife. Bezoard is alfo applied to a kind of foffil figured ftone found in divers countries, formed like the animal bezoard of feveral coats, or ftrata, ranged round fome extraneous body, which forms a nucleus, and fuppofed to have the fame virtues. Mem. Acad. Scienc. 17 10, p. 316.

It is found in Italy, efpecially Sicily; and in France, efpe- cially Languedoc. We have alfo inftances of it in England. Woodw. Nat.Hift. Engl. Foff. T. 2. p. 9. The foffil, or mineral bezoar, is a cruftated ferugenous body. The Sicilian bezoar a, or bezoar mmerale Siadum, is by fome, with Boccone b, taken for a fpecies of geodes, which Dr. Woodward c diftinguifhes it from, as well as from the enhy- dros and setites, in mat it has properly no cavity with matter in it, as thofe bodies have. — [ a Phil. Tranf. N° 31 1, p 2406 b Boecon. Mufeo di Phyf. obf. 8. Phil. Tranf. N° 249, p. 54'. c Woodzu. ub. fupr. T. 1.. p 234.]

Boccone mentions nuclei of different matters, as flints, gravel, wood, metal, coal, &c. M. Geoffrey even found rock chry- ftal in the middle of a mineral of this fpecies, call'd priapoihes. Bezoar mineral, among chemifts, appears to have been the in- ■ vention of Bafil Valentine, tho' later chemifts have given other proceffes for preparing it ". It is much adulterated, by adding to it half, or two thirds the quantity of fal ammo- niac b . — [ a Vid. Pharmac. Coll. Reg. Lond. p. 11. Bar- chuyf. Pharm. Synopf. p. 30. Teicbm. Inftit. Chem. P. 2. c. 10. p. 150. BoyL Phil. Work. Abr. T. 1 . p. 384. b Al- leyn, Difpenf. p. 366. J

Sylvius firft ventured to introduce it into medicine, and fre- quently gave it with very bad fuccefs : Yet many are to this

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day perfuaded with him, that it is poffeffed of wonderful anti- dotal virtues,' as being obtained innocent and harmlefs from that violent poifon, butter of antimony; whence they con- clude, it muft needs have a magnetical power of attracting to itfelf, like the bezoar ftone, all the poifon in the body. Boerhaave, however, contefts all its virtues, chiefly from the manner of preparing it : The acid of the antimony, he argues, being driven away by the violence of the fire, nothing re- mains but the fluggifh and calcined metalline part, which, tho' dignified with the name oUnineral bezoar^ is deftitute of all medicinal virtues, and only ferves to opprefs the body by its gravity, being perfectly indigeftible therein. Boerhaave, Meth. Cfaym. P. 3. p. 318,

From the bezoar mineral, mixed with other metals various ways,_ with or without detonation, arife other compound be- zoardics, as the bezoardicum Solare, Lunak, Mnrtiak, "jo- male. Vid. the Cyclopaedia, and Stahl. Phil. ftinc. Chem- §. z. p. 3^3, feq. SeeBEzoARTicuM. BEZOARDIC, orBEZOARTic, fomething that belongs to, or partakes of the nature of the true bezoar. See Bezoar.. In this fenfe we fay, a bezoardic animal, or bezoardic ftone. Boc- cone defcribes a bezoardic earth, or fort of terra lemma, to which he gives that denomination, and afcribes confiderable virtues. Phil. Tranf. ^249. p. 55. Bezoardic is more peculiarly applied to certain medicinal pow- ders, ftones, tzfe. wherein bezoar is an ingredient. To the clafs of bezoardic powders belong the Gafcoyn's, and countefs of Kent's powders, and others formed thereof. A- mong bezoardic ftones is found the lapis de Goa, or Goa ftone. We alfo meet with bezoardic tinctures given in fevers, £5V. J unci. Confp. Med. p. 270. Bezoardic is more generally applied to all medicines endowed with a powerful alexiterial virtue, ufed for expelling poifons, and other malignities.

In this fenfe, bezoardics are either fimple or compound* and fetched either from the vegetable or animal kingdoms. The chief in the vegetable kind is the root of anthora, or con- trayerva ; and in the animal kingdom hartfhorn, or, accord- ing to fome, the unicorn's horn.

Among the compound kind, the tinclura bezoardica ?mchaelh is in much repute, at leaft abroad. Salt of hartfhorn is by fome called the northern bezoar, bezoar fepientriona'.is. Willius has a poem on the ufe and abufe of the northern bezoar. Bar- thol. Act. Med. T. 4. p. 200.

The chemifts have alfo their mineral bezoardics of divers kind.*, as folar, lunar, jovial, martial, and the like, to which great virtues are afcribed ; though concerning their life, and whe- ther they deferve to be ranked with the native, vegetable, or animal bezoardics, divers fcruples have been raifed. Cajh Lex. Med. p. 103. See Bezoar.

Mineral bezoardics are ufually prepared of the butter of anti- mony, brought into a fluid ftate by repeated diftillations; this being gradually and flowly mixed with Ipirit of nitre, fo as to avoid that intenfe heat and ebullition, which would enfue up- on putting them haftily together ; and they are thus both dri- ven over in a retort, by a moderate degree of heat in fand, till nothing but a dry powder remains behind, and fpirit of nitre is again poured upon and abftracted from the powder, and this at laft is edulcorated ; it becomes a diaphoretic, under the name of bezoar mineral. Stahl. philofoph. Princ. Chemift. P. 2. §. 4- P- 35'- SeeBEzoARTicuM. BEZOARTICA terra, a name ufed by fome authors for a medicinal earth dug in the pope's territories, and more fre- quently called terra noceriar.a. Boccone, Muf. de Fific. p. 61 s See Nocerian a. BEZOARTICUM lunare, bezoard of filver, a name given by the chymifts to a preparation of filver It is made from filver difiblved in fpirit of nitre, and butter of antimony. It is efteemed a fpecifick in cpilepfies, convuifions, and apoplexies; and is faid to be anodyne and fudorific, and of great ufe a- gainft the eryfipilas. The dofe is from fix to ten grains. Bezoarticum_/<^/.«vz/, bezoar of lead, the name given by the chymifts to a preparation of lead ; it is made by extracting a tincture from glafs of lead, prepared from red lead and flints, and mixing this with unrectilied butter of antimony, and fix- ing it by means of fpirit of nitre. It is efleemed an autihyfte- rick, and is faid to be good in diforders of the fpleen ; the dofe is fix grains. Bezoarticum folare, a name given by the chymifts to a pre- paration of gold. It is to be made by diffolving plates of gold in the fpiritus niiri bezoarticus, and fixing it by pouring it on butter of antimony. It is faid to be a great fudorifick, and of great ufe in the pox, the plague, the gout, thedropfy, fevers, and obftructions of the fpleen. Its dofe is fromthree to eight grains. Bezoarticum veneris, bezoar of copper, a name given by the chymifts to a preparation of copper, made by extracting a tincture from the filings of copper with rectified butter of anti- mony, and fixing it according to art with fpirit of nitre. It is given by fome in leprofies, and difeafes of the head and brain. Its dofe is fix grains. Externally it is of ufe in old ulcers, fiftulas, and impetigoes. Bates's Difpenf. BEZ(.)LA, in zoology, the name of a truttaceous fifh of the al- bula kind, and called by Gefncr the albula c&rulea It re- fembles the herring in fhape, and is of a dufky blueifh colour.

Its