Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/335

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illnefs ; thefe generally prefage the going off of the original difeafe, but they have in themfelves a worfe complaint in the place of it : and it is obferved alfo, that cedematous tumors, which have their rife from ill-cured quartans, are much more obftinate and difficult of cure than any others.

Method of cure. The ufe of the bark is now uniyejfal in all In- termittent, and the ignorant as well as the judicious give it; but there are many authors who are greatly againit the fole ufe of it in quartans. Stahl fays, that in this cafe the mucous matter lodged in the hypocondric vifcera, which is the caufe of the difeafe, mould be firft attenuated and incided by the neutral and diceftive falts, as vitriolated tartar and the like; and with the 'gums, as ammoniacum and fagapenum, with the roots of arum and pimpernel ; and by diluents, which would alfo take off the obftinate coftivenefs of the bowels. That when the matter is by this means fitted for evacuation, it mould be thrown off by purges and diuretics, fuch as black hellebore, mercurius dulcis, and the tartar pills ; and after- wards the cure to be compleated by reftoring the vifcera to their due tone, by means of bitters and fubaftringents, as gen- tian, centaury, and the jefuit's bark given in fmall quantities. By this means cures are much more regularly and happily ef- fected than by bark alone. Junker's Confp. Med. p. 3 7 3—37 6. Bartholine, in his medical obfervations, gives us a very re- markable inftance of a cure performed on a perfon long afflict- ed with a quartan, and who had tried all the common methods in vain. He was advifed by fome body to drink plentifully of very new beerj he did fo, and going to bed, fweat very largely upon it, and was abfolutely cured by it. Quartans have fometimes been cured by mercurials. Med. Eff. Edinb. abr. Vol. 2. p. 317.

The quartan ague is faid to be cured by a medicine compofed of euphorbium, refm of jalap, mere. dulc. and fugar.

Continual Quartans, in medicine, the name given to a fpecies of compound fever, which has the paroxyfms of a common quartan ; but in which the heat never goes wholly off, but continues till the time of the fucceeding fit. In all refpedts, except the regular returns of the paroxyfms, this difeafe greatly refembles a hectic.

Signs of it. Every fourth day there is a regular paroxyfm, which begins with a coldnefs and fhivering : this, however, does not return exactly to an hour, as the fimpie quartan does in its fits ; but ufually the fucceeding fit anticipates the time of the former. When the cold fit is over, there comes on a violent day-burning ; the heat is much greater the firfl: day than the fucceeding ones, but continues in (ome degree till the fourth day, when the cold fit returns again, and the patient is feldom able to keep long together out of bed in the whole time. There is a continual thirft and drinefs of the mouth, and the faliva is very little in quantity and very frothy ; the appe- tite is bad, and the patient ufually has more inclination to falted and cold foods than any other; the head is difordered rather than aking, and there is a continual defire to fleep, but what fleep the patient has is troubled and unfound, and gives very little refrefhment; the urine during the whole courfe of the difeafe, refembles that of hectical patients, and is reddifh and turbid, depofiting, after a time, a rofe-coloured fedi- ment.

Perfrns fubjedf to it. This difeafe is frequently brought upon per- fons who have had a common quartan, by the injudicious treatment of that diftemper, and particularly by the taking hot medicines in it before the approach of the fit ; the too free ufe of aftringents has alfo in many cafes changed that dif- eafe into this. People of a middle or more advanced age are more fubject to it than youth ; and of thefe, fuch are prin- cipally feen to be afflicted with it as are' of a melancholic ha- bit and fedentary life.

Prognojlics in it. This difeafe, tho' in itfelf lefs dangerous than many others, yet very eafily changes, under improper manage- ment, into a hectic, and fometimes into a dropfy. This is the cafe not unfrequently when it is treated with large repeat- ed dofes of aftringents ; on the other hand, when it is treated with vomits and a hot regimen, it eafily paffes into an acute and dangerous inflammatory fever.

Method cf cure. Toward the time of the fit there fhould be given powders compofed of the digeftive falts, fuch as vitrio- lated tartar, with crabs-eyes, faturated with lemon juice. So long as the heat continues violent, the perfon is to be kept quiet, and to drink plentifully of warm and weak liquors ; and in the following days, when the heat is obferved to be decreafed, gentle purges are to be given, with gentle aperi- tives, and refolvents, fuch as the decoctions of dandelion and fuccory roots; and toward evening, a gentle dofe of fome ano- dyne, as the ftorax pill and the like. The common violent methods by vomits, bleeding, ftimulating purges, and hot alexipharmics, have no place in the cure of this difeafe ; but, on the contrary, violently difturb nature, and add to the com- plaints. Abforbents in large quantities are alfo to be avoided, leaft the vifcid matter which is the caufe of the difeafe fhould be increafed by their effects : and when the patient is hap- pily cured, he is not immediately to abftain from medicines, tince relapfes are very frequent. Digeftives and ftomachics taken for fome weeks after, is the way to prevent them. Junker's Confp. Med. p, 209, 4.0 1. SUPPL, VfiL. II.

QUARTARIUS, a meafure among the antients, bemff trie fourth part of a fextary, and nearly equal to a quarter" of a pint of our wine-meafure.

QUARTATION, {tycl~) in metallurgy, is the feparation of filver from gold by means of aqua fortis ; which is an opera- tion that has fomething fmgular in it.

If filver and gold are mixed together into a mafs, and the gold is not lefs than one third part of the mafs in weight, the beft: aqua fortis poured upon it is not at all capable of diffolving the filver ; but if you add more filver to this mafs, by melting it again in the fire, with fuch a neceOary addition of that metal alone as fball bring the gold in the mafs to the proportion of lefs than one third of the whole, and fuffer it to cool, then. aqua fortis poured on it will corrode the filver from it : this is alfo by fo much the moreftrongly performed, as the quantity of gold is lefs than in the proportion of one third of the whole mafs ; but experience has taught us, that aqua fortis diflblves filver mixed with gold quickly enough when the gold consti- tutes but one, and the filver three parts of a mixed mafs of them : and in this cafe, if the folution is not too impetuoufly performed, the gold ufually remains in fuch a proportion, in the fame figure that the whole mafs had before the feparatidn of the filver by this menftruum ; fo that in this cafe, there is no reafon to apprehend the gold's being torn into minute particles, and diffipated in fome meafure ; tho' this can hardly be prevented when the filver exceeds the three quarter propor- tion, in regard to the gold in the mafs. The artificers, there- fore, always make it their ftudy to obferve very exactly this proportion of the gold being one fourth part of the mixture ; and thence it is that the operation itfelf has been called quartation.

From this operation we may learn how fallacious the exami- nation made with aqua fortis alone of the gold rubbed on the touchftone, muft nectffarily prove. Cramer's Art. aff. p. 195.

QUARTER (Cyd.)—~ Quartern in corn meafure, feems to have fignified originally the fourth part of a ton in weight, or capacity. See Weight.

QyARTER-cberd, in mining, is feven yards and a quarter, which the miner hath crofs-ways of his vein on either fide, for liberty to lay his earth, ftones, and rubbifh on, and to wafh and drefs up his ore. Houghton* compl. Miner in the Explan. of the Terms.

Quarter of ajhip, is that part of the fiiip's hull which lies from the fteerage-room to the tranfom.

Clofe Quarters, in a fhip, thofe places where the feamen quarter themfelves, in cafe of boarding, for their own defence and clearing the decks, cSV.

Fat Quarter, in a fhip. See Fat, Cy;L

Qu art ER-mafters, orQyARTEERS, in a man of war, thofe officers whofe bufinefs is rummaging, flowing, and trimming the fhip in the hold ; to overlook the fteward i'n his delivery of victuals to the cook ; and in pumping or drawing oat beer, or the like. They alfo are to keep their watch duly^ in cond- ing the fhip, or any other duty.

QvAKTER-point of the compafs. See Point, Cyd.

Quarter-twW, at fea, that which comes in abaft the main- maft fhrouds, even with the quarter of the fbip.

Quarter, in the manege. To work from quarter to quarter^ is to ride a horfe three times in end upon the firft of the four lines of a fquare; then changing your hand to ride him three times upon the fecond ; and fo to the third and fourth, always changing hands and obferving the fame order.

Quarters of a faddle, are the pieces of leather or fluff made fall: to the lower part of the fides of a faddle, and hanging down below the faddle.

Quarters of a horfe, are the fhoulders and fore-legs, called fore- quarters ; and the hip*; and hinder legs, called bind" quarters.

Quarters of a horfe' s fiat, are the fides of the coffin, compre- hended between the toe and the heel on one fide and t'other of the foot. The inner quarters are thofe oppofite to one ano- ther, facing from one foot to the other ; and thefe are always weaker than the outfide quarter, which lie on the external fides of the coffin.

Quarter-c^/?. A horfe is faid to be qv.arter-cafi when, for any diforder of the coffin, we are obliged to cut one of the quar- ters of the hoof; and when the hoof thus cut grows anew, it is called new quarter.

Falfe Quarters, a cleft in the horn of a horfe's quarters, ex- tending from the cronet to the fhoe, which voids blood, and occafions a great deal of pain, and makes the horfe lame.

QUARTERING the men, in the fea language, the difpofing of the fliip's company at the time of an engagement in fuch a manner, that each may readily know where his flation is, and what he is to do : as, fome to the mafter, for the manage- ment of the fails ; fome to affift the gunners, to traverfe the ordnance ; fome for plying the enemy with fmall fhot ; fome to fill powder in the powder-room ; others to carry it from thence to the gunners in cartridges, &c,

QUARTUM par conjiringens, in anatomy, a name given by Spigelius and fome others to the niufcle called by Albintis and Riolanus orbicularis oris; and by Covvper and fome others, conJiri£for labiorum.

QTJARTUS hyoidis mufcuhs, in anatomv, a name given by 3L1 V*