Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/464

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CARDAMINDUM, Indian grafs, in botany, the name of a ge- nus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the polypetalous kind, and is compofed of five petals ir- regular in fhape and fize, and growing from the divifionsof the cup; the piftil arifcs from the bottom of the cup, which termi- nates in a fpur or tail, and finally becomes a fruit compofed of three or more capfules, of a roundifli form, arranged into a roundifh head, and containing roundifli feeds. The fpecies of cardamindum enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe: i. The cardamindum with large leaves and flowers. 2. The common, or jfmallcr cardamindum. 3. The fmafler cardamindum with pale yellow flowers. Tow n. Inft. p. 430. This plant is cfteemed a good antifcorbutic ; its young fhoots and fruits are ufed in pickles, "Jama, Med. Diet, in voc. acri- vio/a,

CARDAMINE, ladies-fmod, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower confifts of four leaves, and is of the cruciform kind ; the piftil arifes from the cup, and becomes finally a long pod, which is divided by an intermediate membrane into two cells, and contains ufu- ally roundifh feeds. To thefe marks it is to be added, that the pods, when ripe, fly open with violence, and throw out the feeds to a confiderable diftancc. See Tab. 1. of Botany,Clafs 5. The fpecies of cardamine enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe: r. The large purpHfh-flowered meadow cardamine. 2. The large white- flowered meadow cardamine. 3. The large double-flowered meadow cardamine. 4. The fmaller-flowered cardamine. 5. The very fmall -flowered annual cardamine. 6, "The fumitory- leaved Sicilian cardamine. 7. The little rounder- ■leaved white flowered cardamine. 8. The taller large-flowered cardamine, called bitter water crefs. 9. The fmall Alpine car- damine with rocket leaves. 10. The mountain cardamine with afarum leaves, n. The purple flowered hairy carda- mine with celandine leaves. 1 2. The fmooth celandine-leaved cardamine. 13. The_ trifoliate Alpine cardamine. 14. The tri- foliate African cardamine. Tourn. Inft. p. 224. This plant is alfo known by the names of cuckovj-flower, and meadow-crejfes. It is a kind of nafturtium, and is pungent and difcuflive, but is not ufed either in compofition, or common prefcription. Vid. Ishcinc. Pharm. P. 2. Sect. 4. p. 121.

CARDANES, in natural hiftory, the name of a fmall infect re- fembling a beetle, of a very fweet fmell, and very foft to the touch. It is very fwift in its motions, and is of a blackifh co- lour, having two fhort wings, which do not nearly reach to the tail; it is likewife remarkable for having the tail of the fame fhape with the head, fo that when it ftands frill, it looks as if it had two heads, one at each end.

CARDIACA, motherwort, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower confifts of one leaf, and is of the labiated kind ; the upper lip which is imbricated, is confiderably longer than the lower which is di- vided into three fegments ; the piftil arifes from the cup, and is fixed in the manner of a nail into the hinder part of the flower ; this is furrounded by four embryo's, which afterwards ripening into as many angular feeds, are contained in, and occupy the whole fpace of the cup, which before contained the flower. The fpecies of cardiaca enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe: 1. The common cardiaca. 2. The white-flowered cardiaca. And, 3. The cardiaca with elegantly-curled leaves. The cardiaca' s, when not in flower, are eafily known from the reft of this clafs of plants by their having leaves divided into many parts like the aconites. Tourn. Inft. p. 186. The cardiaca is accounted attenuating, drying, deterfive and cordial. It promotes urine and the menfes, is good in afthma's and palpitations, and is faid to facilitate delivery. It may be taken either in powder, or in decoction, Vid, Lemery, des Drog. in voc. cardiaca.

CARDJALGIA (Cycl.) is otherwife called cardiogmus, Ka^V^©*; though fome diitinguifh, reftraimng the latter to the feverer de- grees of this diforder, which rife to palpitations and fevers, and cardialgia to the (lighter accedes of it. Vid. Gorr. Med. De- fin, in voc. Linden, Sel. Med. Ex. 13. §. 133, feq. Caji. Lex. Med. p. 136.

The cardialgia is a fpafmodic and conftrictory pain at the ori- fice of the flomach. Phyficians divide this diftemper into the ideopathic and fymptomatic ; the firft, which is alfo called by fome the cardialgia naufeofa, takes its rife from crudities in the primee via?, and is often owing to worms ; the other ufually is owing to a fuppreffion of the menftrual, or hemorrhoidal dif- charges. Thefe differ greatly in degree, the fymptomatic be- ing much the moft violent, as the vifcera and vena porta are brought into confent with it ; but the moft violent degree of the cardialgia is that which is attended with fainting : in this the whole mefentery is drawn into confent, and is affected with fpafmodic contractions. Sometimes alfo in the idiopathic car dialgia there is a great apprehenfion of fuffbeation; this arifes from the confent of the diaphragm and pericardium. Signs of a Cardialgia. Thefe are a fenfation of preffure and tenfion about the pit of the flomach, a ftraitnefs and anxiety of the precordia, and often there comes on a naufea, and fome- times actual vomiting. When there are worms in the cafe, water comes into the mouth in great quantities, and the mu- cous matter is felt in the bottom of the jaws, as if a piece of fomething cold lay there. Heat and cold often return fuccef-

fivcly and fuddenly on the perfon, and the complaint is al- ways worfe upon an empty flomach, and mitigates on taking a full meal ; whenever the patient can belch alfo, it gives him confiderable relief for the time ; and finally where the commo- tions of blood in the vena porta are in fault, there is ufually a flight touch of a fever attending it.

Perfons fubjeel to the Cardialgia. — Thefe are principally va- letudinary people, who have fcuInefTcs of the prims vie ; fome- times hypochondriac perfons have it to a very great dc?rce, thefe people being ufually troubled with flatulences ; women fubjeit to hyfleric complaints alfo, and fuch as have fupprefiions of the menfes often full into it, and not uncommonly infants,in cafes of worms. The caufe of the complaint is either flatulen- cy or a foulnefs in the flomach and inteftines, which occafion a reciprocal laxation and ftricture of the tone of the flomach and inteftines, and other parts which are drawn into confent ; when the tone is relaxed, the flatus has room to expand, and the parts are confequently diftended, and the conftriction of the fame parts coming on afterwards is attended with a very fenfible pain by the confent of the nerves ; fo that in violent cafes the patients often faint away, and feem to be fuffocated. The occafional caufes of its coming on are coftrvenefs and the retention of flatulencies ; fudden cooling of the abdomen when the body is hot ; coarfe foods, and fuch as are hard of digeftion, and the fwallowing the victuals in large quantities without chewing it; the change of a common coarfe diet into a finer will fometimes occafion it,and fumetimes the fuppreffing a vio- lent paflion of anger, while eating. Tender conftitutions are in genera] moft fubjedt to it.

Prognojlics in a Cardialgia. — This, in its fimple ftate and firft ftages, is no very terrible complaint, but its long continu- ance often brings on habitual faintings, and fometimes there is danger of congeflions of the blood and inflammations. The fymptomatic kind is more difficult of cure as well as more vio- lent than the idiopathic, for this often is but of fhort duration, whereas the other often becomes habitual, and brings on con- vulfions, efpecially in cafes where hot medicines have been given in it with intent to ftrengthen the tone of the ftomach. There have alfo been inftances where vomits given to hypr- chondriae perfons have brought on deliriums and even abfolute madnefs. Jiinchrs Confpect. Med. p. 580.

Method of curing the Card; algia. — In the idiopathic cardial- gia the peccant matter is to be prepared and corrected by re- folvent, abftergent, and inciding medicines, fuch as the tarta- rus tartarifatus, and vitriolated tartar; after this the acrid-aro- matics are to be given, among which common pepper is one of the very beft ; with this may be given the acrid roots, as thofe of pimpernell, arum, and the like ; and with all thefe it will be very proper to drink at certain intervals wine made hot, and aromatized with the fpices. Muftard feed is particularly re- commended by fome on this occafion, and, in many cafes, the common abforbents ferve in the place of correctors, by ren- dering the matter foft and pulpy.

After a few days taking thefe things, if there be no contra-in- dication in the cafe, it will be very proper to give a vomit ; to which purpofe two or three grains of tartar emetic, with fome of the tartarifed tartar is a very proper medicine. Where there are worms in the cafe, after the bitter digeftives have been given, fuch things are to follow as will deftroy thofe animals, as mer- curius dulcis, and the like; after thefe things, it will be very proper to give the theriaca every night in fmall dofes, by way of anodyne, and after all this the tone of the parts is to be ftrengthened by chalybeates, with the common bitters. In cafes of the fymptomatic cardalgia, attended with fainting the hot medicines prefcribed in the laft cafe are wholly to be abftained from, and in their place the tempcrating nitrous ones are to be taken, with a little cinnabar, and the digeftive falts impregnated with a few drops of the eflential oils of the fpices. Medicines of this kind are always of Angular fervice in cafes of ftraitnefs and conftriction of the pra:cordia, and diforders of a like kind, from whatever caufe, and in either fex. In the in- termediatedaysdurm^a courfeof thefe,the patient is to take fome purgatives of the gentler kind, and afterwardsthecommon chaly- beates and bitters for the reftoringthe tone of the parts, and fi- nally the beft of all prefervatives againft a return of this com- plaint are bleedings at the fpring and autumnal feafons. Aro- matic medicines, in genera!, not only render the peccant matter more fluid, but at the fame time ftrengthen the tone of the parts, and for this reafon when there is no febrile heat in the cafe they are extremely valuable remedies ; but they muft by no means be given where there is any febrile heat, as is very often the cafe in the fymptomatic cardialgia, for in this cafe they al- ways increafe the complaint. The vulgar remedy in many places foran \A\o^2.xh\c cardialgia is ten or twelve grains of pep- per fwallowed in a fpoonful of brandy, and this is no defpi- cable medicine, fince it not only corrects the matter, hut gives a gentle diaphorefis, which is always highly ufeful in thefe cafes. Id. ibid. p. 581.

CARDINAL, [Cycl.) cardinalis. was an -ippellation given under the eaftern empire to the pra^fecti pratorio of the dioccfes of Afia, as being greater and more confiderable than the reft. Pi- tifc. Lex. Ant. p. ^63. Cardinal, in the Romifh church. — -Duarenus takes cardinals to have originally been thofe pr'iefts who officiated together

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