Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/366

 BRA

BRA

BRACHIALIS, in anatomy, an oblong, thick, and broad ffluf- ' cle, lying immediately on the anterior part of the lower half of the os humeri ; the upper part of it is forked, or Hoped, and, at the bending of the joint of the elbow, the lower part of it contracts. It is fixed to the furface of the os humeri by a great number of flefhy fibres, from the lower infertion of the deltoides almoft down to the two foflae at the lower extremity of the bone, and from one edge of the forefide of this lower extremity to the other. The fibres are for the moft part lon- gitudinal ; thofe ncareft the furface of the mufcle being lon^eft, the more internal growing gradually fhorter. The lateral fibres are a little oblique, and this obliquity in- creafes as they defcend lower. Thefe lateral fibres are partly fixed in the intermufcular ligaments of the os humeri ; of which ligaments, that which lies toward the internal condyle, is longer and broader than that toward the external. The loweft of thefe fibres are very oblique, and form on each fide a kind of fmall feparate fafciculus. In patting over the joint, all thefe fibres contract in breadth, and afterwards end in a ftrong flat tendon, inferted in the mufeular imprefiion, which is directly below the coronoide apophyfis of the ulna. The ftoped or forked extremity of this mufcle embraces the large tendon of the deltoides; the internal part of the fork meets the inferior infertion of the coraco-br-achialis, and the forefide of the whole mufcle is covered by the two flefhy bo- dies of the biceps. IVinJlcw's Anatomy, p. 187.

BRACHIUM, in anatomy, a bone more ufually called humerus. Heijl. Comp. Anat. §. 337. p. 190. Cafi, Lex. Med. p. 1 1 1. Gorr Med. Derin. p. 79. voc. Bp;t<™. See the article Humerus.

Brachium moventinm fecundus, in anatomy, a name given by Vefalius, and other of the old writers, to the mufcle now ge-

■ nerally called deltoides.

Brachium tnovens quartus, in anatomy, the name by which Vefalius calls the mufcle now generally known under the name oilatijjimus dorfi. Fallopius, and m,iny others, have alio call- ed it quart us humeri.

Brachii tertius, in anatomy, a name given by Vefalius and others to a mufcle fince called, from its fhape, tares major and rotundas major.

BRACHMANS {Cyd.) are alio called Bragmaneshf Palladtus. Pallad. de Gent. Ind. h Brachman. ap. Ldmian. Obferv. ad Budd. Fhilof. c. 4. p.^23.

They differ from the Germana, as Strabo calls them a, or the Sarmants, as Clemens Ale.xandrinus b, or Samanai, as Por- phyry calls them c, who were another branch or fpecies of gym- ■ nofophifts, who had ceremonies and opinions peculiar to them- felves. — [ a Strabo,Ker. Geogr. I. 15. p. 103^. b Clem. Alex. Strom. 1. 1. p. 3^9. c Forph. de Abftin. 1. 4. §. 17. p,

There appear ftill feme remains of the antient brachmans in the Eaft, under the denomination of bramins. See Bramins. Palladius d, Ambrofius c , and Fabricius f , have difcourfes ex- prefs on the brachmans. — [ & Pallad. de Gent. Ind. & Brach- rnanibws, Gr. Lat. Lond. 1668. 4 . e Jinbrof. de Morib. Brachman published with the former by Ed. BilTe, together with another anonymous piece concerning the brachmans. f Alb. Fabric, de Brachmanibus. Hamb. '7°3' 4°- Budd. Comp. Hift Philof c. 3. §.20. p. 61. See alfo Struv. Bibl. Phil. c. 3. §. 3. p. 79, & 81. Stall Introd. ad Hift. Liter. P. 1. c. I. %. 7.1. p 429, feq.]

BRACHYCOLON, is when one member of a period is fhorter than another.

la which fenfe, the word ftanda contradiftinguifhed from ifo- colon, where the members are equal, or confift of the fame number of fyllables. Mkrecl. Lex. Phil. p. ?2?.

BRACHYLOGY, B^xu^*, in rhetoric, the expreffing any thing in the moft concifc manner. This, fo far as confident

■ with perfpicuity, is a virtue and beauty of fUle ; but if obfeu- rity he the confequence, which is often the cafe, it becomes a blemifh and incxcufable defect. Vid. Vajf. Rhet. 1. 4. c. 1. §■ 12. p. 34.

Quintilian gives us an mftance of brachylogy from Salluft : Mithridates corpore ingenti perinde armatus ; Mithridates, as it were, armed with the hugenefs of his ftature. ^tnnt. Inftit. Orat. 1. 8. c. 3. Bouhours, Man. de bien Penf. Dial. 4. p. 379. See Brevity. BRACHYPOT^, orBRACHYPOTi, thofe who drink but little and at long intervals.

■ The word is Greek, gfo^^Tai, or @$%x vv T '? and fometimes alfo fignifies thofe who drink feldom, though in greater quan- tity. Cajl Lex. Med. p. in.

BRACHYPTERA, in zoology, the name of a genus of birds,

of the clafs of the hawks, diftinguifhed by the fhortnefs of

their wings.

The word is derived from the Greek, &^x v ^-> fhort, and if\t^v^

a wing.

'J he hawks of this genus have their wings fo fhort, that, when

folded, they do not reach nearly to the end of the tail. Of this . genus are the gofs hawk, the fparrow hawk, and the three

kinds of the butcher bird. Willughby., Ornithol. p. 36. BRACHYTELOSTYLA, in natural hiftory,. the name of a

genus of cryfials.

The word is derived from the Greek, 8?>*x a h fhort, ra=io;, per-

fect, and ,-:■;.<>:, a column, and expreffes a perfect cryftal, with a fhort intermediate column.

The bodies of this genus are cryftals compofed of a fhort hex- angular column, terminated at each end by an hexangular py- ramid.

Of this genus there are only fix known fpecies. I. A bright coiourlefs one, with long pyramids ; this is found on thefhorcs of rivers, and lodged in the ftrata of ftone, but no where ad- hering to them, and is not yet known to be found anywhere but in i'ohcniia. t. A bright brown one, with fhort pyra- mids and an extremely fhort column ; this is found on the fliores of rivers in the Faitlndies, and in Germany j in the lides and bottoms of hills; 3. A yeliow very bright one, with re- gular pyramids, and a fhort column ; this is very common in. Silefia and Bohemia, and is found in Tome parts of England and in Ireland. 4. A bright coiourlefs one, with a ihort column, gibbous in the middle ; this is common on the fhores of rivers in Germany, and is often found in the earth orr the fides of hills. 5. A dull kind, with large pyramids and an extremely fhort and depreffed column ; this is a rare fpecies in England, but is common in the German cabinets, being found in many parts of that country,* in the ftrata of ftone, and lying in cluf- ters of forty or more fpecimens together, though nowhere co- hering either to one another, or to the ftone. And, 6. A fmall bright and blackifh kind, with regular pyramids ; this al - fo is common in Germany, and is found lodged among duft in the cavities of a blad: fiffile ftone. Hill's Hiftory of Foffils, p 163.

BRACKET, in building, denotes a kind of w-ooden ftay, in form of a knee or fhoulder, ferving for the fupport of (helves, &c. $&$n, Etym. in voc. Neve, Build. Diet in voc The word is alfo written bra get, and feems derived from the Italian breehetto, a diminutive of bracchio, arm. Modillions are a fort of brackets to the corona of an entabla- ture. Evel. Architect, p. 36. See Modiilions, Cyd.

Brackets, in afhip, are fmall knees ufually carved, and ferv- ing to fupport the galleries. See Gallery, Cyd. The timbers which fupport the gratings in the head, are alfo Qdl\c& brackets. Hotel. Sea Dial. 4. p. 124. Matiwayr. p. 24. Guill. P. 3. in voc.

BRACTEA, a thin flake or fpangle of any fubftance; it is ufed by many authors in the fame fenfe with the word lamina, but ufually in a fort of diminutive fenfe, expreffing a fmall plate.

BRACTEARIA, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of foffils, of the talc clafs ; the characters of which are, that they are compofed of fmall plates in form of fpangles, and each of thefe, naturally very thin or fifiile, into very thin ones. The word is derived from the Latin braclea, a fpangle, or fmall and thin glittering particle of any thing, the conftituent parts of thefe bodies very much refembling gold or filver fpangles. Of this genus are the common Venetian talc of the fhops, the lapis adore violarum, or violet ftone of authors, and a numberof other fpecies, called by them mica aurea, and mica argentca, or gold and filver glimmer, and the latter cat-Jiher. Hill's Hiftory of Foffils, p. 76.

RRACTEATED, among antiquaries, denotes a coin covered over with a thin plate, or leaf of fume richer metal SeeMEDAL. BrcMcated coins, or medals, nummi braffeati, are ufually made of iron, copper, or brafs, plated over and edged with gold or filver leaf, and then ftamped with the hammer or mill. Trev. Diet. Univ. T. 2. p. 197^. voc. Fourrer. Medalifts find fome bra£icated pieces even among the truly an- tient coins. The French call them Fourries.

BRADYPEPSlA, in the medical writings of the antients, the name of a diflemper, which conldrcd in a flow, weak and lan- guid concoction of the food.

It is caufed by a diminution of the force or heat of the ftomacb, or a defect in the gaftric liquors. Qafl. Lex Med. p. in. Gorr. Med. Defin. p. 79. voc. E^Sw^'*. Seethe article

DlGP'TlON.

BRADYPUS, in zoolo:y, the name by which Linnaeus calls the animal known by the name of the jloath, the as, or igna- vus.

This, in the Linnsran fyffem of nature, is alfo a dirtinct genus- of animals j the character of which are, to have a mouth with- out teeth, feet adapted to climbing, and only two paps upon the breaft. Linnai, Syftema Nat. p. 34. BRAGET, in building. See Bracket.

BR AGGOT, a fort of drink made in fome parts of England, of malt, with honey, fpices, and other ingredients. It is derived from the old Britifh word brag, winch fignifies malt, and gots, a honeycomb. Rays Engl. Words, p. 7. BRAIN (Cyd.) — The brain is by fome considered as a chemical laboratory, every part of which has its office in the diftillation- of animal fpirits. Hift. Acad. Scienc. an. 1707. p. 20, feq. Junck. Confp. Phyfiol. Tab. 13. p. 248.

The generality make wit and genius to depend on the confor- mation, magnitude, and qualities of the brain a. Des Cartes fuppofes the pineal gland, Vieuffcns the centrum ovale, to be the part of the btain where the foul more immediately refides b. Dr. Hook endeavours to (hew how all ideas may be difpofed and mechanically laid up in the brain, for the ufc of the me- mory c . — [ a Charl. Difc. diff. Wits, Art. 2. p. 40, feq. Phil.

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