Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/589

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the fame time with the fcetus ; and to thefe are to be added the improper efforts of the midwife, and the unlucky accident of the labour happening at the time of the full moon, when it is more than ordinarily difficult. Symptoms of Delivery. — Among the common ones are what are called fpurious or falfe pains, thefe do nothing toward the promotion of the birth, yet they dreadfully torment the patient, and exhauft her ftrength, and that fometimes at the very time of delivery, fometimes three weeks before it, and in all the intermediate time. Thefe are known from the true labour pains, by their being of a flatulent kind, and running fometimes tranfverfely acrofs the abdomen, fometimes up- wards from it towards the breaft ; thefe are feldom a complaint of nature's caufmg, but are ufually owing to a very improper regimen, or the raih ufe of medicines.

The method of curing them is by giving internally the emollient medicines and the mild aromatics ; and among thefe nothing has more fuccefs than the chewing of carda- moms ; externally, carminative liniments, fomentations, and aromatic fuffumigations, are often found to be of great ufe and benefit.

In difficult labours, where they are prefaged by the before- mentioned fymptoms, it is proper to ufe emollient fomenta- tions to the parts at night before-hand, and to caufe the woman to fit over the fteam of a decoflion of emollient herbs, with linfeed, and the like ingredients : the common people give fat broths for fome time before, and ufe oily lini- ments to the abdomen. A laxative diet muft alfo be ufed, and the bowels kept open by gentle dofes of the mild purgative \ and lubricating clyfters made of water-gruel and the broths of fat meats with fugar, oil of olives, and a fmall quantity of fait : and at the full time the patient fhould be made to walk about, and ufe other gentle motion of the body in a warm room, and to continue this without any fatigue till the iabour comes on : after this, if after the waters are difcharged the mouth of the uterus clofes again, and the foetus is drawn back into it, then the forcing medicines are to be given, fuch as borax, with fmall dofes of faffron in the diftilled waters of pennyroyal, and other uterine herbs. Some recommend in this cafe the liver of an eel, or the powder of the dry fecundines of another labour, as fpecifics ; but it feems dangerous relying on fuch helps. While the more pow- erful medicines are given internally, there may be outwardly hid on the abdomen cataplafms of aromatic and nervous in- gredients.

In cafes of debility of the parent, the moft powerful analep- tics are to be given, and tender perfons who are afraid of pain, and of ftriving to help themfelves, are to be ferioufly and warmly exhorted to do their utmoft, and bear a greater pain a moment, rather than a lefTer many hours. When the pains are interrupted, vague, or languid, fmall dofes of borax and faffron are to be given, once in four hours ; and when they fly upwards to the head and breaft, and bring on ftraitnets of the prascordia, and a difficulty of refpiration, with pains in the head and teeth, the common antifpafmodic powders are to be given, and thefe will be greatly affifted in their operation by a gentle clyfter.

When the patient is fat, and of a plethoric habit, bleeding a little before the time is very neceflary ; and fometime bleeding in the foot, even in the time of labour. When the patient is in danger of being loft for want of fufficient efforts, as is fome- times the cafe, than fternutatories and vomits are to be given. When the fecundines adhere they are to be taken off, either with the finger nails or an inftrument blunt at the end ; and when they are fo tough as not to break at a proper time they muft be opened : when the waters have flowed out too foon, and the vagina is left dry at the time of the approaching birth of the child, the midwife is to anoint it with oil of al- monds, pomatum, or any other lubricating fubftance. Convulfions in the time of labour are to be carefully taken off, if poffible, by analeptics and cinnabarine medicines: the powder of dried earth-worms is recommended by fome as a pow- erful fpecific : in cafes of a haemorrhage of the uterus, whe- ther it happen in the time of delivery or of fome time before, and threaten the life both of the mother and child, it is to be treated in the moft careful manner by attemperating and aftringent medicines.

When the fcetus is improperly fituated, the ufe of forcing me- dicines, fo commonly the practice of the ignorant midwives, is extremely dangerous ; and the only proper afliftance is the hand of an experienced operator, to bring the fcetus into a proper direction, by carefully turning it while in the uterus. The moft dangerous of all labours are thofe in which the fcetus is ill formed, hydrocephalous, monftrous, complicated, and the like ; in thefe cafes nothing can do any good but the hand of an intelligent and experienced practitioner. "Junker's Confpedt. Med. p. 719. But qusere, whether there be any ground for what this author fays of the influence of the moon ? DELPHINIUM, Lark-fpur, in Botany, the name of a large genus of plants. The characters of which are thefe : the flower is of the polypetalous anomalous kind, confifting of fe- veral irregularly fized petals, the upper one ending in a fpur

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or tail, and receiving into its hollow another of the petak which has alfo its tail or fpur: the piftil which occupies the center of this flower finally becomes a fruit com- pofed of feveral vagina;, which open length-wife, and contain a number of feeds, ufually of an angular form. The fpecies of Lark-fpur enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe : I. The hairy aconite leaved perennial mountain Lark-four, 2. The fmooth aconite leaved Portugal Lark-fpur. 3. The blue flowered held Lark-fpur. 4. The white flowered field Lark-fpur. 5- The red flowered field Lark-fpur. 6. The pale flefh-co- loured field Lark-fpur. 7. The deep violet blue field Lari- Jpur. 8. The field Lark-fpur with changeable flowers. 9. The field Lark-fpur with white flowers variegated with blue.

10. The tall field Lark-fpar with blue and purple flowers.

11. The tall field Lark-fpur with double flowers. 12. The tall field Lark-fpur with variegated double flowers. 13. The broad leafed field Lark-fpur with fmall flowers.' 14! The garden Lark-fpur with large fingle blue flowers. 14. The garden Lark fpur with large fingle bluifh purple flowers. 15. The tall Lark-fpur with flefh coloured flowers. 16. The tall Lark-fpur with violet purple flowers. 17. The garden Lark-fpur with large fingle red flowers. 18. The garden Lark-Jpur with large fingle white flowers, ig. The garden Lark-fpur with large fingle greyifli flowers. 20. The garden Lark fpur with fmall fingle blue flowers. 21. The garden Lark-fpur with fmall fingle red flowers. 22. The garden Lark-fpur with fmall fingle white flowers. 23. The garden Lark-fpur with fmall fingle flefh coloured flowers. 24. The garden Lark-fpur with (mall fingle grcyilh flowers. 25. The garden Lark-fpur with great double blue flowers. 26. The garden Lark-fpur with great doubleflelh coloured flowers. 27. The garden Lark-fpur with great double white flowers. 28.The garden Lark-fpur with great double purple flowers. 29. The garden Lark-fpur with great double bright red flowers. 30. The garden Lark-fpur with great double filvery white flowers. 31. The great flowered garden Lark-fpur with double pur- ple and white flowers. 32. The double variegated early Lark-fpur. 33. The late flowering Lark-fpur with double white flowers. 34. The late flowering Lark-fpur with double rofe coloured flowers. 35. The Lark-fpur with rofe coloured fpotted flowers. 36. The Lark-fpur with white flowers varie- gated with red fpots. 37. The Lark-fpur with a dufty rofe coloured flower. 38. The platanus leafed Lark-fpur, com- commonly called Staves-acre.

Pbylicians feldom prefcribe ftaves-acre internally, being of a hot burning tafte, and apt to raife a great flux of fpittle. This quality however renders it ferviceable in fome cafes. It is fometimes ufed in mafticatories and gargarifms for the tooth-ach. Its powder, fprinkled on the head, is faid to kill lice ; and its feeds are bruifed in oil, and the head anoint- ed therewith, for the fame purpofe. Vid. Joints, Di&. Med. in voc. Delphinium. DELPHINUS, the Dolphin, (Cycl.) in the linnsean fyftem of zoology, makes a diftindt genus of fifhes of the plagiuri, or tranfverfe tailed order ; the characters of which are, that the back has two fins, and there are teeth in both jaws. Linnai fyftema naturae, p. 51.

In the artedian fyftem of ichthyology, Delphinus is alfo the name of a genus of the plagiuri, or cetaceous fifties : the characters of which are thefe ; the teeth are placed in both the jaws, the pipe or opening is in the middle of the head, and the back is always pinnated.

The fpecies of this genus are thefe, 1. The dolphin, with a coniform body, with a broad back, and a fubacute fnout. This is the pbocama or porpefs. 2. The dolphin, with an ob- long fubcylindric body, with a long acute fnout ; this is the Delphinus of the generality of authors, and is called the par- peffe alfo by the Englifh. 3. The Dolphin with a back ridg'd upwards, and with broad ferrated teeth ; this is the area ot authors, called by us the grampus and north caper ; the body of this fifh is fo thick, that its breadth is equal to half its length. Arteii. Gen. Pifc. 43. See the article Porpesse. The name Delphinus is of Greek origin, and is fuppofed by fome to be derived from the word fihy*!;, a pig or hog; and,according to others, from the word JV?.e©-, vulva, this fifh being of the viviparous kind, and one of thofe few which have the vulva and penis in the different fc-xes, like thofe of land animals. The fifh known by the antients, both Greeks and Latins, un- der the name of the dolphin, has been much mifunderftood by the generality of people; and except the Greeks now living, no nation has any determinate notion of what fifh is meant by it : the modern Greeks having preferved the name to the fame fpecies of fifh, and all other nations having called it by fome different appellation.

The Greek name AAp/f feems borrowed from the word ^eAptf£, a pig or young hog; and all the nations who have given this fifh their feveral names, have derived them from its refemblance to the fame creature, a hog ; and this not without reafon, as there is much analogy between the two animals ; the dolphin being as fat as the hog, and having his intrails extreamly like thofe of that quadruped ; but in°thi3 there has yet been fome confufion, as the common porpeffe,

which