Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/349

 BOL

BOL

The bilkers ufc bolters which are worked by the Hand ; millers have a larger fort, wrought by the motion of the mill. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. i. p. 375. voc. bluteau. .See Bolting.

BOLTING, or Boultinc, {CyclT) the aft of feparattng the flour from the bran, by means of a fieve or bolter. Savar. loc. cit. voc. hluten Skin. Etym. in voc. bolt. Sec Bolter.

Bolting cloth y or Bolter cloth, fometimes alio called huhing cloth, denotes a linnen or hair-cloth for fifting of meal or flour. Kerin. GlofT. ad Paroch. Antiq. in voc. batter.

Bolting mill, a verfatile engine for fifting with more eafe and expedition. The cloth round this is called the bolter.

Bolting, or Boultinc, among fportfmen, fignifies roufing or diflodging a coney from its retting place. Cox, Gent. Recr. p. to. They fay to bolt a coney, Jtart a hare, roufe a buck, &c.

BO LUC bafft, in the Turkim affairs, denotes the chief of a com- pany, or a captain who has the command of an hundred ja- nizaries. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 1, p. 1 102.

BOLUS (Cycl.) — The bolus is a form much ufed in England, lefs abroad a. In general, it may be confidered as a dofe of an electuary, from which it differs only in confidence, ay being fomewhat differ, and in that being wrapped up for taking, it needs not to be ground to the nicety of fmoothnefs required in an eleftuaiy. 'I he bolar form obtains chiefly in things of great efficacy, which require their dofes to be nicely adjufted b. — [ * $mu. Difpcnf. P. 4. §. 6. p. 629. b I'd. Pharm. left.

16. p. 176, feq.]

Bolujes are chiefly denominated from their intentions, as eme- tic bolnfes, purgative bolujes, aftringent, anodyne, anti-febrile,

• alexipharmic, &c, bolujes. ghiinc. Difpenf. P. 4. §. 6. p, 629. Barchuyj. Fharm. Synop. p. 43. Boerh. Lib. de Matt. Med. p. 63, 94, &c.

Whatever is fit for internal ufe, either by itfelf, or mixed with proper ingredients, and can be reduced into a foft cuherent mafs, and have a fufficient quantity in a fmall dofe, is fit for this form of medicine.

All dry fubftances, which operate when exhibited in fmall dofes, and fuch as are proper only for forming powders, are called excipienda, and cannot make bolujes without the addition of fome liquid, tenacious body ; and the fofter fubftances, which are more or lefs thick, as conferves, electuaries, foft extracts, robs, pulps, foft confections, thick native and fac- titious balfams, potable ointments, and fyrups, are fome of them naturally of the confidence of a bolus themfelves ; but the molt are too thin, and are proper to be mixed with the pow- ders or excipienda before-mentioned, to conditute this form. Thefe are therefore called excipientia.

Liquid fubflances, which are to be given in fmall dofes, fuch as liquid balfams, oils, fpirits, tinctures, efiences, and elixirs, being of themfelves unfit for the form of a bolus, are to be re- ceived into other fubftances, or elfe to receive a proper pro portion of other fubftances into them, before they can be given in this form.

The choice of the proper ingredients for a holm is regulated by the following confiderations : a due cohefion, foftnefs, and equable mixture, are cflentially necefTary to a bolus ; for this reafon, dry fubftances mult be put to liquid ones, and liquid ones to dry, to produce the proper confidence ; but the thick cr electuaries, conferves, and robs, are themfelves naturally in form of a bolus. Acrid fubftances, and fuch as are ofFenfive either to the fmcll or tafte, or are of a very vifcid nature, are much more pro- perly exhibited in form of bolufes than of powders ; fince their oflenfive qualities are by this means concealed. The draftic purges, and mercurial preparations, are therefore very pro- perly given in bolnfes.

Balfams, and other fuch liquid fubftances, arc heft mixed into a bolus with fugar, becaufe it not only is the means of their going down eaiily, but it aflif's their difiolution in the ftomach The alkaline fixed and volatile falts, and all other fubftances which foon become liquid, are very improperly made ingre- dients in bolufes which are to dand any time; fince they fpoil the form of the medicine, and loofe their own virtues; and for the fame reafon, fuch fubdances as will ferment when brought together, are very improper for bolufes, unlefs they are to be (wallowed as foon as made up. To this it may be added, that the number of ingredients in a bolus mould never exceed three, or at the mod four.

The dofe of a bolus may be extended from a dram to a dram and half, or even to two drams, if the ingredients are very heavy ; fince this quantity of fuch will he in as fmall a com- pafs as half as much of the lighter ; and indeed, in the bolufes made of light ingredients, the quantity never fhould exceed a dram. If the necefTary quantity for a dofe cannot be compre- hended in this fize, it is better to divide the dofe into two bo- lufes, to be taken at fliort intervals, than to load the patient with too large a morfei at once.

The number of bolufes made up at once ought only to be one, 0r at the utmod two ; but the apothecaries have got an almoft uniVerfal cudom at prefent of fending in four at a time; by which means, the lad which are taken, are ufually too hard to be 1 wallowed, and often have lod all their virtues.

SypPL. Vol. I.

When dry fubftances are ordered into the form of a bolus, thrir dofe may be from one fcruple to two ; and the moll ufual re- cipient with us is fyrup, which is left to the difcretion of the apothecary as to its quantity. When robs, electuaries, or con- ferves are ufed, the powders mud be lefs in quantity ; and the common ufe, indeed, of conferves for bolufes, is in the mix- ture with the mercurial powders, very fmall quantities of which are fingle dofes : and it is a general rule, that when the dofe of the powder is fmall, the excipient muft be thick, and itfelf nearly of the confiftence of a bolus'. When the dofe of the powder is large, the excipient muft be no thicker than a fyrup ; and when any thing liquid is added to a bolus, as the efientiai oils, £sfr. the quantity in each bolus muft not exceed three or four drops, and that muft be added firft to the dry powder, that the proper quantity of the fyrup only be added afterwards. Some fort of bolujes are naturally of too thin a confidence, and to thefe it is necefTary, according to the feveral natures of their ingredients, to add to them powder of fugar,' liquorice,- c?V; It is the common cudom to wrap up bolufes in leaf-gold, or in a wafer; but fome choofe neither of thefe,' but wilfdifTolve them in fome liquor before they are taken. The fifcnature on each bolus is to exprefs its nature and defign, the liquor to be taken with or after it, and the regimen to be ufed ; and it is highly necefTary to give a convenient liquor after fome of them, if we fufpeft they are made of ingredients which will not eafily diflblve in the ftomach ; and this caution is to be regarded principally in thofe of the terehinthinous and other balfamic kinds,

Bolujes are a form of medicines almoft univcrfally ufeful' Alt we have to confider in regard to the taking them is, whether the patient is in a condition to fwallow a folid morfei, or not J and from hence it is eafily inferred, that they are not to be given in quinfics, or in ulcers of the fauces ; apoplexies, epi- lepfics, and fyncopes alfo render them very improper. Vid. Hoffman, §>wncy, James, Bate, &c. Bolus Armena, Bole Armenic, a medicinal earth in frequent ufe in the mops, but almoft always fophifticated. The true hiftory of this fubdance is this: there are three kinds of it; the white, the yellow, and the red, which have been all in repute in different ages of medicine, but of which the laft only is now thought of. The firft or white bole Armenic was in ufe very early in the world, tho' under a different name, the antients calling it the white Eretrian earth. This was ufed in the times of Uiofcorides. The fecond or yellow was intro- duced by Galen, and given in the great plague at Rome in his time. The third or red kind is the bole Annenic of Avicenna, which we alfo pretend at this time to ufe; but very little of it is to be found genuine among us.

The white bole Armenic, called white Eretrian earth by Dio- fcorides, to diftinguifh it from the grey earth of the fame place, is a fine, foft, and pure earth, moderately heavy, and of a dofe, compaft texture, of a clear, bright-while colour, adhering firmly to the tongue, infipid to the taite, and melting, like butter, in the mouth. It burns to a ftony hardnefs with- out changing colour, and makes no efTervefcence with acid mendrua. This feems, of all foflile fubdances, the mod to approach the nature of pure earth. This is now dug in the eadern part of Armenia ;. but is found in no great plenty, there being only one dratum known of it, and that not very thick. This is eftecmed a fudorific and aftringent. The yellow hole ofAnncnia, or the bole Armenic of Galen, is a very fine and beautiful earth, of a clofe, compact texture, na- turally of a fmooth furface, and very hard. It is heavier than any other of the yellow earths, and is very foft to the touch. It is readily diftiifible in water, and remains long fufpended" in it, adheres firmly to the tongue, melts flowly in the mouth;, and is of a very manifedly aftringent tafte. it ferments very brifkly with acid menftrua, and does not become red on burn- ing. There have been many difputes about the place whence this excellent drug was brought : Aetius will have it to be from the mountain Bagonofa in Armenia ; Cardan only from the Hland of Samos ;■ and others from other places': but it is' found to this day in Armenia, to the north-eaft of Erzeron, in vaft abundance. It fecins- the moft valuable of all the medici- nal earths. Experience provesitto.be a.vefy noble aftringent. Many authors extol it highly as a fudorific and alexipharmic ; and Galen, reports of it, that it often' fuddenly cured the plague, and that thofe whom it did not cure,- were relieved by no other medicines. It would be extremely worth while to encourage the ufe of this drug,' as it may be had in any quantities ; for much of it is carried to Germany every year, and fometimes a little of it draggles to us ; and when it does fo, our druggids,' not being ufed to a yellow bole Armenic, fell it under the name of bole of Blois.

The red bole of Armenia, or bole Armenic of Avicenna, add of moft authors fince his time, is the hardeft of all the earths of this kind. It is very pure and fine, and in colour is of a ftrong, but fomewhat ycllowifh red, much approaching to that of faft'ron in the cake. It is of a furface the leaft frnooth and glofiy of all the boles. It ftains the fingers in handling, is net readily diftufible in water. It adheres firmly to the tongue, and melts but dowly in the mouth, and is of a very manifeftly adringent tade. It does not ferment with acid*, and becomes' 5 F of