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head. By thefe two fides the os factum is connected to the oita innominata, by a cartilaginous fymphyfis. Between each of thefe lateral fides and the neareft pofterior holes, there is a large rough depreflion, and under that another not fo large. Thefe depreffions are often pierced; by feveral holes, which lofe themfelves in the fubftance of the bone. IFimlhfs Ana- tomy, p. 60. Os factum fraRured. When this bone is found to be fractured, the fragments are to be reduced into their proper places with the fingers? and if any part of it be deprefled inwards, a finger dipp'd in oil or butter, and with the nail clofe cut off, muff: be introduced up the anus in order to thruft the de- preffed fragment into its proper place, to which it is to be directed externally by the other hand. This being performed, ■ a flicking plaifter is to be applied, and compreffes dipped in fpirit of wine over it, to be kept on by the T bandage, or the plaifters may be let alone, and only the comprefs and bandage applied. The patient muft keep his bed a fortnight, lying on his fides ; or if he will needs fit up, it muft be on a chair without a bottom, that the bones may not be difplaced by touching the feat. Hcifier's Surg. Ckfepi<&) the cuttle-fifh bone. See Sepium, Cycl. Ossa ternporwn. See Temporum OJJa.

Os-tbias. The fides of the os-tincae have been known to open to- gether In women with child, and have been divided by incifion, in order to extract the child. Sec Med. Eft". Edinb. Vol. 3. Art. 19. OSSiEI, or Ossenf, a name fometimes given to the Jewifh feet of religion called Effeniam. Hofm. Lex. Univ. in voc. See Essenians, Cycl. OSCHEALIS hernia, a term ufed by fome writers for a her- nia of the fcrotum. OSCILLA, in antiquity, fmall images of wax or clay, made in the fhape of men or women ; which were confecrated to Saturn in order to render him propitious. Htf?n, Lex. Univ. in voc. OSCINES, among the Romans,an appellation given to fuch birds, from whofe chattering or notes, omens and predictions were drawn. Hofm. Lex. Univ. in voc. OSLEOM iron, in the wire-works, a particular fort of bars of iron wrought on purpofe for the manufacture of iron-wire. Thefe are fmall and fquare, and the firft thing done with thefe, to- ward the making them into wire, is, the {training, or draw- ing "-them at a furnace to fmall rods, of the thicknefs of one's little finger ; thefe they bow round, and deliver thei tothe wire-drawers. Ray's Engl. Words, p. 132. SeeWiRE OSMERUS, in ichthyography, the name of a genus of fifties, of the malacopterygious,or foft-finned kind,the characters of which are thefe : The branchioftege membrane contains feven or eight bones on each fide. The back and belly fins are placed

• at the fame diftance from the top of the fnout ; by which it

arc large, and are placed on the tongue in the palate and in the J2ws.
 * is diftinguifhed from the coregoni and falmons. The teeth

The fpecies of ofmerus, enumerated by Artedi, are thefe : 1. The rfmerus with feventeen bones in the pinna ani ; this is the fmelt or eperlanus of authors. 2. The ofmerus with eleven bones in the pinna ani.

This is the little fifh called fauru; by Salvian, and by the people of Rome, named tarantola. It is about a fpan long, and fomewhat thicker than a man's thumb. The fcales are moderately large, and the pinna dorfi has twelve rays. Artedi, Gen.Pifc. 8.

OSMONDS, in our old writers, a kind of iron anticntly brought into England. It is mentioned in Stat. 32. Hen. VIII. c. 14. Blount, Ccwel

OSMUND A, in the Emnaean fyftem of botany, the name of a genus of plants, of the fern kind, the characters of which are : That the feeds are produced in globofe capfules which Hand diftindt,. but are collected in a clufter on the branch, and open horizontally when ripe. The feeds are fmall, oval iri figure, and very numerous : according to this character, that fpecies of the fern kind ufually called the fenfble polypody of Muntingius, and ranked among the polypodies is, an of- mund ; for ft produces, clufters of globofe capfules fo large, that they are fcarce to be conceived to belong to any thing of the fern kind. Thefe alfo ftand on particular flalks, not on the back of the leaf, which is alfo the cafe in the other fpecies of ofmund, as our common Englifli kind evidently flicws.

The - characters of •ofmtmda, according to Mr. Tuurnefort, a-e thefe : The flowers are not difcovered, but the feeds are collected into clutters. The capfules in which they are en- clofcd, are of a fphencal figure; and when ripe, they burft by the contraction of the fibres. The leaves referable thofe of the* fern's.

The fpecies of ofmund, enumerated by Mr. Tourncfort, are thefe: 1. The common, or marfh ofmund. 2. The ofmund with lunated leaves, commonly called m'.omvort. 3. The of mund withmultind Ieaves,caIIed branched moonwort. j-.Thelarg- er branched ofmund, with lunated leaves. 5. The feverfew- leaved ofmund, or momiwrt. 6. The ofmund with adiantum leaves. 7. Thehairy lonchites-Ieaved ofmund. 8. Thegreat Suppl. Vol. II.

fern leaved ofmund. 9. The lefler fern-leaved ofmund. . io' The hart's-tongue-leaved ofmund. u. The cut-leaved of- mund, with broad dents. 12. TTie deeply jagged, and light- ly hairy ofmund. 13. The afphodel-rooted ofmund. 14. The verticillated ofmund. 15. The fpear pointed lightly fcrrated ofmund. Tcum. Inft. p 547.

OSOSOR, a word ufed by forne authors as a name for opium. See the article Opium.

OSPRlON, a word ufed by fome authors for a bean, which is its proper and determinate figniiication ; but by fome authors it is extended to all forts of pulfe.

OSSA. See the article Os.

OSSELET, in the manege, is a very hard exrrefcence, re- fembling a little bone, on the infide of the knee, (and never. on the outftde) appearing to be of the fame fubftance with the reft of the knee, and only diflinguifhable from the knee by its defcending a little lower.

OSSERVANZA, in the Italian rriufic, is ufed for finding or playing with care ; that is, executing a piece of mufic juftly and exactly as it is marked, without adding or diminifhine Broff. Diet. Muf. p'. 22.

OSSICULA aud.tcrio, in anatomy, are four little bones con- tained in the cavity of the tympanum, or barrel of the ear, and afiifting to the hearing ; they are denominated from things they have been fuppofed to bear a rcfemblance to, themalleus, incus, ftapes, and os lenticulare, called by others the os orbhulare ; each of which fee under their proper heads.

Ossicula mufcutorum, in ichthyology, a name given by authors to thofe oblong and ilender bones which are fituated in the flefh of fome kinds of fifh between the mufcles,,: thefe, in the anterior part, and efpecially near the head, are of a fork- ed fhape ; but in the hinder part of the body, they are ufual- ly Ample and flender. Thefe forts of bones are found in the following kinds of fifh : 1. In all the cyprini. 2. In the efoces. 3. In the clupeae. 4. In the eels 5. In the core- gones, 6. In the ofmerus. 7. In the falmon kind. 8. In mackrell. And y. In the ammodytes or fand eel. In the five lafr, thefe bones touch the fpine at one end, but in the others they no where come near it.

The ufe of thefe loofe bones feems to be, to ftrengthen and fupport the mufcles, that by this means they may be able the more forcibly to move the body, and turn it about: they are peculiar to fifh, no land animal having them. Artedi, Ichthyol.

OSSIFICATION (Cycl.) — Dr. Nisbet's opinion of offtfica- tion is, that in the blood, or a fluid fecreted from it, there is an oflifying juice confining of particles which are not appa- rent : that whenever nature defigns an ofjtfication between membranes, or within a cartilage, fhe occafions a more than ufual afflux of this fluid ; which fo muchdiftends the veffels which were before invifible, as to make them capable of re- ceiving the red globules of blood, which is always to be Cecn near to the place where ofjification is begun. In this blood, gritty bony particles are to be felt by the point of a knife; which have been formed by the attraction and cohefion of the particles of the oflifying juice obftructed, along with the other groffer fluids, in the beginning of the vefiels prepared to receive refuent juices. The blood being capable of form- ing fine membranes, the membranous parts of a bone, which act as a gluten to keep thefe particles and fibres together, if there be any fuch, that do not arife from the coats of its vef- fels, are produced by a cohefion round the cretaceous particles of a part of the fluid, in which they were generated and contained. Thus the membranes of cartilages ferve as a bed between, or within which the bony particles are depofit- ed, or fhoot ; but without any intermixture of the particles of the bone and cartilage, or continuation of the fibres of the one fubftance to thofe of the other, as is evident in car- tilages containing bones kept long enough in water, and then flit; for the bone will, as foon as the large veffels that enter its fubftance are divided, flip as eafily, if not eafier, from it, than an acorn does out of its cup ; and there is a fmoothnefs and polifh of the parts of both cartilage and bone, which fhew there is no conjunction of the fibres of the two hub- fiances. While the bones are encreafing within cartilages, the cartilages are extended and fpread out; by which, with the prefture which they fuffer, and the great influx of various fluids, and the nutricious matter being hindered to flow freely into them, they decreafe continually; and at laff, may truly be faid to be entirely deftroyed. Med. EfF. Edinb. Dr. Buddcus endeavours to prove, that the preternatural ojffi- cathm, which are commonly faid to be formed in different parts of the body, do not deferve that name ; for that thefe hard fubftances have fcarce any other properties of bone, except whltenefs and hardnefs. Mifc. Eerol. Tom. 5. pars 2. §. 1. OSSIFRAGUM, in botany, a name given by Bartholine, and fome other writers, to a peculiar kind of grafs, growing in fome parts of Norway. It comes up early in. the fpring, before any other grafs, and the cattle are tempted (o eat it; but it emaciates them, and makes them fickly ; their back bones become protuberant if they feed any time on it, and their legs fo weak that they can hardly go. The remedy P p among