Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/666

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Coridcs. Theophraftus fays, that his Epipetrsn never flowers; and Ariftotle fays, that his Epipetron grows on rocky places, and continues to grow after it is taken up, as the orpin and fome other plants will do.

Epipetron, in botany, a name by which fome authors have called the epimedium, or barrenwort. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.

EPIPH.&NOMENA, in the writings of the antient phyficians, a term ufed to exprefs fuch of the fymptoms, in certain dif- eafes, as did not ufually appear till the time that the difeafe was actually formed, called alfo cpiginomena.

EPIPHANIA, a Word ufed, by fome of the antient phyficians, to exprefs the external habit of the body. Galen has the word from Theon.

EPIPHEOS, in botany, the name given by the anti'ents to the dodder, or cufcuta, which grew upon the fhrub they called phasos. This was the ftaebe of the modern Greeks, defcribed by Honorius Bellus. It was a cuftom, among the old writers, to name the cufcuta, or dodder, from the plant it was found growing upon, as they fuppofed that it in fome degree partook of the virtues of that plant ; thus that which grew upon thyme was called epithymum, and that upon the nettle, cpiurtica, and that upon flax, epiKnum, fo of many others. The flirub pheoa was alfo called ft2ebe by Diofcorides and Theophraftus > and hence this dodder was fometimes called cpifteebe. The epifisebe and epiphcos were therefore evi- dently the fame tiling ; but there is yet another name often given to \ty which has occafioned a very great confufion among the antients themfelv.es ; fome, inttcad of epipheos, nave called it hippopficos, perhaps by a mere corruption of the word, perhaps by defign, as expreffing its riding on the pheos, as on a horfe. The word hippopheos Very often oc- curs in a different fenfe. Theophraftus, and others of the beft writers, ufmg it as nearly fynonymdus with the word pheos, but only expreffing the larger plants. Diofcorides has mentioned the hippopheos and ftsebe as the other antient Greeks have, but tho' they have all made thefe fynonymous names expreffing the fame plant, he mentions them in different parts of his works, and feems to look upon

. them as having no alliance in their nature and virtues one with another. The fhebe he gives, in one place, as an aftrin- gent, and in another he mentions the hippopheos, or, as he calls it, the hippophacs, as a purge good to carry off redun- dant bile. The commentators have been ftrangely perplexed to reconcile thefe paffages, as the ffcebe of all the antient Greeks befide is equally the name of the pheos and the hippo- pheos ; and Galen, Neophytus, and Hefichius, with all the other commentators of note, render both pheos and hippopheos by the word fhebe. But the cafe feems to have been, that Diofcorides means both thefe plants by the word fhebe, and that his hippopheos, which he has feparated from that plant, and to which he has given fuch different virtues, is the epi- pheos, or cufcuta, growing upon the pheos or fta?be. See Epistjebe.

EPIPHLEBOS, in the writings of the old phyficlans, a term ufed to denote fuch perfons as were lean, and of a hot tem- perament, and whofe veins, for that reafon, appeared ufually very turgid and prominent, in the hands, &c.

EPIPHYLLOSPERMOUS Plants, are the fame with the ca- pillaries,^ herbs which bear their feed on the back part of their leaves. See Capillary.

EP1PLOCE, 'Zwmtoxn, in rhetoric, the fame with Climax. See Climax, Cyel.

EPIPOROMA, a word ukd, by Hippocrates, and the other old writers, for a callous concretion happening at, and mo- letting the joints.

EPISARCIDIUM, a name given, by many of the old authors, to an anafarca. See Anasarca.

EPISCENIUM, Ewtncww, in antiquity, a place upon the top of the theatre, where all the machines for moving the fcenes were kept. Potter, Archseol. Grsec. 1. 1. c. 8. p. 42.

EPISCEPSIS, .Emaxi&ts, in antiquity, an action brought to prove the Diamartyria, or proteftation that the perfon de- ceafed had left an heir, to be falfe and groundlefs. Potter, Archseol- Grsec. 1. 1. c. 24. T. 1. p. 128.

EPISCIRA, Ew«rxi e a, in antiquity, a feftival celebrated at Scira in Attica, in honour of Ceres and Proferpme. Potter, Archseol. Gra*c. I. 2. c. 20. T. i. p. 395.

EPISCION, a name given, by the old Greek writers, to the pubes.

EPISCIROSIS, E-wicxifwo-ij, the fame with Epifcira.

EP1SCOPALES Valvule, called alfo, by fome, valvule mi- trales j two valves in the pulmonary vein, which prevent the reflux of the blood to the heart.

EPISCOPALIA {Cycl.) — Thefe cuftomary payments have been otherwife called Onus EpifcopaU; and were remitted, by fpecial privilege, to free churches and chapels of the king's foundation, which were exempt from epifcopal jurifdi&ion. Kenn. GloiT. ad Paroch. Antiq.

EPISCOPISSA, a word ufed, by writers of the middle ages, to

denote a bifhop's wife. Hofm. Lex. in voc. EPISEMASIA, in medicine, is the very time that a difeafe firft

feizes a perfon, and is properly ctili&jignificatio, Blancard. EPISPHiERIA, in anatomy, are windings and turnings in the outer fubftance of the brain, that the fifflguiferous veffels may pafs more fccurcly. Blancard. |

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EPISTjCBE, in botany, a name given to the cufcuta, or dod" der, found growing on the plan: itabe of the antient Greeks that is, their pheos, or hippopheos, as the dodder growing on thyme is called epithymum, and that on flax epilinum It were well if this culcuta had no other name, for great confufion has anfen from its being alfo called epipheos, or, as fome write it, hippopheos, making it the fame word with the name of the larger pheos. This has even led Diofcorides into an error, who has defcribed, probably, from fome other author, the epipheos, under the name of hippopheos, not diftinguifhi'no it to be only cufcuta growing on this plant, and lias given it virtues well enough agreeing indeed with cufcuta, but not at all with the hippopheos, as molt authors underftand that word, that is, the larger pheos. Himfelf alfo appears to have undcrftood the thing he was defcribing, not as what it really was, but as the flirub itfelf; but this may be the lefs wondered at, when we recolleft that the fame author, in his account of that common kind of cufcuta, called epithymum, did not know what it was, but took it for a more than ordinary ftout and hardy thyme, approaching to the nature of the thymbra, fo his own words exprefs it, not at all undemanding that it was a feparate plant, which pollened none of the qualities of thyme, nor was any more of its nature, than the mofs is of the nature of the oak, beech, or other tree, on which it chances to grow.

EPISTAPH1LINS, in anatomy, a name given by Win- flow, and other of the French writers, to a mufcle called, by Morgagni, the columella: mufculus teres, and the azygo's uvula, which laft name has been continued to it by moft au- thors. Douglas calls it the palatoftaphilinus ; and fome of the French, the mufcle de la luette.

EPISTITES, in natural hiftory, the name of a ftone, de- fcribed by the writers of the middle ages,, as being of a beauti- ful red, and mining very elegantly, "it was renowned for its many magical' virtues, according to the idle tradition of thofe times ; they faid it drove away all noxious animals, and kept off florins from the place where any one was who had it about him.

EPISTOEARES, among the Romans, under-fecretaries to the magifter fcrhiil epiflolamm, or fecretary, who wrote the emperor's lotto's. They were thirty-four in number. Danet. Ste Magtster.

EPISTOMIA, in anatomy, are the utmoft gapings and meet- ings of vcflels.

EPIS I ROPHE, Kmrpf {, in rhetoric, a figure wherein that which is fuppofed of one thing, is flrongly affirmed of another. I hus, Are they Hebrews ? fa am I. Are they Ifraelites ? fo am 1. Are they the feed of Abraham ? [a am /, &c. Volt Rhet. t 5. p. 287. M

EPlTHEM {Cycl.)— There are, principally, three kinds of thefe external applications, the liquid, the folid, and the foft, or pulticekind.

The liquid epithems are fometimes confiderably thick ; but when they are intended to penetrate deep, they are much bet- ter if very thin and fluid. And as the part to which the Epl- them is immediately applied, is not what it is always intended to aa upon, but fomewhat lying deep within, the Epithems in- tended for this purpofe mould confift of the moft penetrating ingredients ; for which reafon affringents and infpiflating reme- dies can be of no ufe in this form ; fince they cannot be ab- forbed fo deep, and indeed prevent their own ingrefs, by bracing up the mouths of the pores. Hot wine alone is fometimes ufed as an Epithem ; and frequently fuch medicines as are not to be fafely taken inwardly, fuch as highly reflify'd fpints, preparations of lead, henbane, mandrake, and other poifoncus plants, and the like. But we arc carefully to remem- ber, in regard to thefe, that the pores are capable of abforb- ing them, and ought therefore to know the effefls they are capable of producing, when thus abforbed in the body. As to the vehicles of liquid Epithems, they are very various, fuch as linen or woollen cloaths, filk, ftupes, toafted bread, crumb of untoafted bread, the dry Epithems, or bags, and fometimes the hot liquor is tied up in a bladder, and that only applied to the part. When a great quantity of the liquor is to be ufed, flannel ffupes do beft; but, when the heat is to be long retained, and only the finer particles of the liquor admitted" then the bladder preferres and retains beyond -all other means.

Epithems are, in fome cafes, to be applied hot, and in others cold ; when the intention is powerfully to refolve, penetrate, and attract, then thofe of the hot kind are greatly to be pre- ferred ; but heat is injurious to parts conftricfed by intenfe cold, and thofe that are cold, or, at leaft, tepid, are to be ufed. Spirituous and volatile liquors are alfo eafily diflipated by heat, and all fuch ought therefore to be applied either cold, or barely tepid.

The dry Epithems are medicated powders, ufually fewed up in a cloth, and applied to different parts of the body ; for this purpofe the powders muft be coarfe, fince otherwife their particles would fall through the cloth ; and fometimes the li- quid Epithems are added to the dry, to reduce the whole to a confiftence, fuch as maybe (bread upon cloth, and ap- plied.

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