Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/307

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triore intenfe, there is no way left but to make a large irrci- fitm and let out the humors of the eye, and afterwards cut away fo much of it, that the remainder may be covered with the eye-lid. Heijlcr's Surg. p. 427.

Prolapsus uvula. The uvula is fometimes fo much enlarged and elongated, as to reach the larynx and pharynx, and ob- ftruiSt the a£ions both of refpiration and deglutition, as well as of fpeech. If it proceeds from a recent inflammation, the patient may be relieved by bleeding and cooling gargles, with ful armoniac and alum ; feariheations are alfo very ufe- ful in this cafe, to prevent its fpfeading and inflammation. When, on the other hand, this part is too much enlarged and elongated by phlegmatic humors, it appears white and free from pain and inflammation, and is molt relieved by a garble of fpirit of wine and water warm, or a decoction of red rofes or the like aftringent fubflances with fpirit of wine, or fpirit of fal armoniac added in fmall quantities to them. A powder of ginger, pepper, and pomegranate peel, may al- fo be applied; but when all thefe methods prove ineffectual, the only remaining one is, to take off as much of the uvula as is neceflary, either by ligature or by the fciflars. This latter is much the eafier and better way ; and the great cau tion ncceffary in it is, neither to take off too much nor too little of the uvula. For if too much be taken off, the pa- tient's voice will be the worfe for it afterwards ; and if too little, he will be very little the better for the operation. This is a very common diforder among the peafants in Nor- way, and they have invented a machine with a hole in it, to let thro' a proper portion of the uvula when the whole is thruft into the mouth, and a fpring knife, which cuts off jufl as much as is let thro'. The furgeons have copied and im- proved on this invention. Ileijler's Surg. p. 470.

PROLATION, (Cycl.) inmufic. The figns by which the mo- dern antients ufed to fignify a frolation to be made on any note, was a point in a circle or femi-circle, thus, G> G. This point was the length of a femi-hreve and minim. P 'rotation was either perfect or imperfeSf. Per feci pr elation was marked after the cleff as above, and then the femi-breve con- tained three minims, for which reafon they placed the figure 3, or I, or r, after the circle, to fignify that three fuch notes were required to a bar. See example A. Imperfecl prolation was marked with the fame characters, but without points, and then the femi-breve contained but two minims. See example B.

±

5E3E

H.

3Efc

B

Thefe chara&ers are almoft entirely difufed in the modern ■practice ; but as they are often met with in antient mufic, 'tis therefore neceffary that a mufician mould have fome know- ledge of them. Tho' even now the Italians have two forts of prolation in mufic, which are fignified by characters fembling thole above defcribed in the example A. The firit they call pnlatione maggiore perfetta, and it is marked thus, © and \. The fecond they call prolatione mhi'.re perfetta, the characters of which are, (i, or -, ( , or i, but oftener C and 1 ; but in both cafes the femi-breve contains a whole bar, and its paufe the fame ; the minim one third of the bar, and its paufe the fame; and fo of the reft in proportion. Prrdation is alfo ufed for a feries of feveral founds or notes on the fame fyllable or vowel.

PROLEC I'ATIO, a word ufed in chemiftry to exprefs an ex traction of the finer fubftances of a mixed body by the at- tenuation of the fubtler particles ; fo that thefe being rarefied, feparatc foontaneoufly from the reft, and leave the grofler and lefs valuable part in form of a refiduum behind.

PROLE'TICOS, an epithet ufed by the antients to exprefs a fever the fits or exacerbations of which were apt to return before their regular time.

PROLOGIA, n^teyiu, in antiquity, a feftival celebrated by the inhabitants of Laconia, before they gathered their fruits. Pot- ter, Archsol. Gra.*c. T. 1. p. 427.

PROMACHIA, u^^.a,yjct. in antiquity, a feftival in which the Lacedaemonians crowned themfelves with reeds. Potter, Arch* ol. T. 1. p. 42-.

PROMALACTERION, the name of the firft apartment in the hot baths of the antients ; this was a hot and clofe room, in which the perfon was kept a while before he plunged at once into the warm water.

PROMETHEIA, n^&»*, in antiquity, an Athenian folem- nity celebrated in honour of Prometheus, with torch-races, in remembrance that he was the firft that taught men the uft? of fire. Potter, Archsol. Grrec. T. 1. p. 427.

PROMYTHION, n^uAf. '" rhetoric. See Fable, Cycl.

PRONATOR (Cycl.)— Pronator quadralus, fve tranfverfus, a fmall flefliy mufcle nearly as broad as it is lon^, lying tranf- verfely on the infide of the lower extremity of the fore arm. Jt is fixed by one fide or edge in the long eminence, at the lower part of the internal angle of the ulna, and by the other in the broad concave fide of the lower extremity of the ra- dius. It ;s wholly flefliy, without any mixture of tendinous Svvpl. Vol. II.

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fibres. It is fituated tranfverfely; but that extremity whicfi lies on the radius is nearer the carpus than that on the ulnai It is of a moderate thicknefs ; the fibres neareft the furface are longeft, the reft decreafing in proportion as they lie nearer the interval between the two bones, and the interoffeous li- gament. It has a ligamentary or tendinous fnenum belong- ing to it, one end of which is fixed in the interoffeous liga- ment, the other in the inner edge of the b'afis of the radius. fVinfnv's Anatomy, p. 190.

Pronator teres five obliquus, a fmall mufcle broader than it 13 thick, fituated on the upper part of the ulna, oppofite to the fupinator brevis, with which it forms an angle like the let- ter V.

It is fixed to the internal condyle of the os humeri, partly by flefliy fibres, and partly by a tendon common to it with the ulnaris intemus ; from thence it paries obliquely before the extremity of the tendon of the brachials, and reaches to the middle part of the convex fide of the radius; where it be- comes flat, and is inferted below the fupinator brevis, by an extremity almoft wholly flefhy.

It is called teres, to diftinguifh it from the quadratus ; but the name of pronat-.r fuperior is much more proper ; but that of pronator obliquus is certainly propereft of all. Winflntfs Ana- tomy, p. i 90;

PRONG-/^, in bufbandry, a term ufed to exprefs an inftru- ment ufed to hoe or break the ground near, and among the roots of plants.

'I he ordinary contrivance of the hoe in England is very bad, it being only made for fcraping on the furface; but the great ufe of hoeing being to break and open the ground, befi.de the killing the weeds, which the antients, and many among us have thought the only ufe of the hoe, this dull and blunt inltrument is by no means calculated for the purpofes it is to ferve.

The prong-hoe confifts of two hooked points of fix or feven inches Iong s and when ftruck into the ground will ftir and re- move it the fame depth as the plough does, and thus anfwer both the ends of cutting up the weeds and opening the land. The antient Romans had an inftrument of this kind, which they called the bidens; but they were afraid of its ufe in their fields and gardens, and only ufed it in their vineyards. The prong-hoe comes into excellent ufe even in the horfehoing hufbandry ; in this the hoe-plough can only come within three or four inches of the rows of the corn, turneps and the like ; but this inftrument may be ufed afterwards, and with it the land may be ni>. Jrred, even to the very ftalk of the plant lull's H fbandry.

PRGNGM "~'.\, a word ufed by fome naturalifts to exprefs what is ufual 1 tin iju.ik, or probofcis in infedts; an inftru-

ment 1 af refembling the trunk of an elephant, which

moft of iliofe fmall animals are provided with for the extract- ing the juices of plants, &c. deftined for their food.

PRONTIA lapis, a name given by the writers of the middle ages to a foftile of which they relate feveral extraordinary things ; but their refembling it to the head of a tortoife, and giving it the virtue of preferving people from injuries by lightning, feem to make it plain that the word is only a cor- rupt fpelling of the hrotitia of the antients, of which Pliny has related the fame things.

This was a fpecies of echinites, fuppofed to Tall from the clouds in thunder ftorms. Sec Bronti a.

PROOF (Cycl.) — Proof, in the fugar trade, a term ufed by the refiners of fugar for the proper ftate of the diffolved fu- gar when it fhould be fet to harden.

The procefs in the bringing fugar to this ftate may be under- ftood by performing the whole work in little in this manner : Take fix pounds of coarfe, or unrefined fugar, diifolve it over the fire in fix pints of lime water; add to this the whites of four eggs beat up to a froth, ftir the whole together; then boil the liquor to a higher confiftence than a fyrup, or tillj when expofed to the cold it will concrete into grains. This is what the fugar-bakers call proof. Pour this fyrup into an earthen mould, with a hole at its bottom, flop the hole and fet the veflel in a moderately warm place. The fugar in a few days will fet and harden, then open the hole at the bottom, and lay over the top of the fugar fome tobacco-pipe clay, made into a foft pap with water. The clay mufl be afterwards weted at times, and the water from among it will gradually be foaked up by the fugar, and run- ning thro' it will wafli away the treacle, without diflblving the' grained part. And thus all the treacle will by degrees be drained out of the mafs, and a loaf of white fugar procured. Shaivs Lecture 1 -, p. 149.

Pkoi F fpirit 'j, among; diftillers. See Sp'irits.

PROPAGATION {Cycl.) — Propagation of plants. The number of vegetables that may be propagated from an indi- vidual, Is very remarkable, efpecially in the moft minute plants.

It has been recorded, that in fo large a plant as the common mallow, the annual product of one feed was no lefs than 200,000 ; but it has been fince proved, by a ftrict examina- tion into the more minute parts of the vegetable world, that fo defpifed a plant as the common wall mafs produces a much more numerous offspring. In one of the little heads of this 3 D d plant