Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/298

 CAM

( H4 )

CAN

CAMPANULO US, or CAMP ANIFORMIS, thofe Plants whofe Flowers refemble the Shape of a Bell ; from Cam- pana, a Bell. See Flower, and Plant.

CAMPECHE, a kind of Wood brought from America, us'd in Dying. The Heart of the Tree, which alone is us'd, is at firft red ; after it has been fell'd fome time, it be- comes black ; and, if iteep'd in Water, gives a black Tinc- ture, fuch as may be wrote withal. 'Tis very heavy, burns admirably, and gives a clear tailing Flame.

CAMPHOR, or CAMPHIRE, a white, mining, tranf- parent, odoriferous, volatile Gum, or Refin, of a bitterifh Tafte, and very hot in the Mouth ; flowing from a Tree fre- quent in the Ifland of 'Borneo, and the neighbouring moun- tainous Coafts of India, refembling a Walnut Tree. It diltiis from the Tree in manner of a Gum ; and, 'tis faid, moll plentifully in the Time of Earthquakes and Storms. M. Lemery fays, the Camphor is found at the Foot of the Tree; where it thickens into little Grains of different Figures and Sizes ; very dry, friable, light, of a bitterifh Tafte.^c Thefe little Grains falling on one another, adhere lightly together, and form Maffes ; which being fqueez'd a little by the Fin- gers, granulate again into fmall Corpufcles, like Salt.

Some Authors make two different Kinds of Camphor, according to the different Parts of the Tree where they are found : That in the Veins of the Wood, is faid to be dif- ferent from that which oozes out upon breaking the Bark. The Camphor, as is faid, being at firft red, is whiten'd ei- ther by the Sun or the Fire. In effect, we have but little of the Raw Natural Camphor among us ; the Dutch take care that it comes all refin'd by Sublimation ; and prepar'd to our Hands.

Manner of Refining crude Camphor.

The Method us'd to refine it, is to lay it to fublime in fubliming Pots : when the Veffel is half full, it is flopp'd, and plac'd over a gentle Fire ; where only the pureft Part rifes at firft ; but, by degrees, the whole is fublim'd, ex- cept a Caput Mortuum, or earthy Part flicking at Bottom : They then melt it with a gentle Heat, and run it into Moulds to give it what Figure they pleafe. 'Tis fo volatile, and apt to evaporate in Smoke, that the Merchants ordina- rily inclofe it in Line-feed, that the Vifcofity of that Grain may keep its Particles together.

Camphor has various Ufes ; as in Fireworks, in making Vernifh, &c. In the Courts of the Eaftern Princes, 'tis burnt, together with Wax, to illumine the Night. 'Tis exceedingly inflameable, fo as to burn and preferve its Flame in Water ; and in burning it confumes wholly, leav- ing no Scorium behind : But its principal ufe is in Medicine. 'Tis the moll: efficacious Diaphoretic known ; its great Sub- tilty diffufing it felf thro the Subftance of the Parts, almoft as foon as the warmth of the Stomach has fet it in Motion. 'Tis us'd in a Caties of the Bones, as a Detergent in Wounds, to refill: a Gangreen, £?c. When mix'd with the fubtile Salts of Cantharides, it prevents their injuring the Bladder ; its exquilite Finenefs inabling it to follow them into" the fine Meanders thereof, and to ITicath their Afperi- ties. Dr. ghtincy obferves, that Camphor begins to be mix'd, and that to good purpofe, with Mercurials, to guard againft their flimulating Properties, and to fend 'em into the finclt Paflages, to operate by Fufion, and the bare Force of Impulfc. For not only Merctiriits 2)ulcis or Calomel, may be hereby reftrain'd from manifeft Operation in the Glands about the Mouth ; but alfo the Mineral T'ltrbith, which of it felf afls very ftrongly by Stool and Vomit, when mix'd with Camphor, will be much lefs felt in thofe Refpefts; and will go into the fartheft Circuit of Motion, and promote the cutaneous Difcharge, in a more efficacious manner than any Medicine of lefs fpecifick Gravity.

M. Lemery endeavour'd at a Chymical Analyfis of Cam- phor ; but either its Parts were too fine and volatile to be carry'd to any greater degree of Purity or Subtiity by any Chymical Procefs ; or it was owing to the clofe Union of its Principles, which, in all appearance, muff be an Oil and a volatile Salt ; that they could not be feparated.

Camphor, he obferves, does not diflblve in aqueous or phlegmatic Liquors ; but in fuiphurous ones it does : not in Alcalines, nor even in fome Acids : But in Spirit of Ni- tre it diflblves perfedly ; and is the fole Refin that does fo. This Diflolurion is ordinarily called Oil of Camphor ■ and 'tis to this the medicinal Virtue of Camphor in Wounds' Gangreens, and Caries are afcrib'd. They ufe not to take it internally, for fear of its iharpnefs and corrofivenefs : tho M. Lemery has found good Effects from two or three Drops by the Mouth, in Obftructions and Fits of the Mother : in- deed, he generally mix'd it with as much Oil of Amber.

There is a common Verfe to the Difctedit of Camphor as if its Smell emafculated :

Camphora per Nares caftrat odore Mares.

But the Proverb, according to Scaliger and Tulpius, is falfe. Camphor, being boil'd in Aqua vita:, in a clofe Place, tilj i

the whole be evaporated; if a lighted Torch or Candle be introdue'd, the Air in the whole Place will immediately catch Fire, and appear in a Flame, without doing any Da- mage to the Place or the Spectators.

It has been found, in Ceylon, that the Root of the Tree which yields Cinnamon, yields, by Incifion, a Liquor that has a ittong fmell of Camphor, and many of its Vir- tues : whence Naturalifls, by miftake, have fuppos'd that all Camphor came from that Tree. There is a fmell of Camphor in feveral Plants, as in Camphoreta, Abrotonum, Rofemary, &c.

Artificial Camphor, is prepar'd with Sandarach, and white Vinegar diftill'd, kept 20 Days in Horfe-dung, and afterwards expos'd a Month to the Sun to dry ; at the End of which, the Camphor is found, in form of the Cruft of a white Loaf: This is alfo call'd Juniper Gum, white Vcr- nifb, and Maftic.

The Word Camphor comes from the Arabic Capur, or Caphur ; which fignify the fame thing.

CAMPUS MARTII, or MAII, in our antient Cuftorns, an anniverfary Affembly of our Anceftors, on May-Day ; where they confederated together to defend the Kingdom againft Foreigners and all Enemies. Leg. Edw. Confeff. pernio in CampoMartio convenere, ttbi Hit qui Sacramemis inter illos pacem confirma-oere, Regi omnem culpam impo- fuere feni. Dunelm.

CAMUS, a Pcrfon with a low, flat Nofe, hollow'd or funk in the Middle. The Tartars are great Admirers of Camus Beauties. Rubrugttis obferves, that the Wife of the great Cinghis Kara, a celebtated Beauty, had only two Holes for a Nofe.

CANAL, in Anatomy, a Conduit or Paffage, through which any Juices or Fluids of the Body flow. See Duct, and Channel.

Canal of a Larmier, the hollow'd Plafond or Soffit of a Cornice ; which makes rhc Pendant Mouchctte. See Larmier and Soffit.

Canal of the Volute, in the Ionic Capital, is the Face of the Circumvolutions, enclos'd by a Liftel.

CANALES Scmicircularcs, in Anatomy, are three Ca- nals, in the Labytinth of the Ear : See Ear. They are of three different Sizes, Major, Minor, and Minimus. In different Subjects, they are frequently different ; but are always alike in the fame : The Reafon, r«//?;/Mingeniouf- ly conjectures to be, that as a Part of the tender Auditory Nerve is lodg'd in thefe Canals, fo they are of three feve- ral Sizes, the better to fuit all the Variety of Tones ; fome of the Canals fuiting fome Tones, and others others. And tho there be fome difference in the Form and Size of thefe Canals in different Perfons ; yet left there fhould be any Difcord in the Auditory Organs of the fame Man, thefe Canals are always in exact Conformity to one another, in the fame Man.

CANALIS, or CANALICULUS Arteriofits, in Ana- tomy, a Veffel, obferv'd in Fetus's, but which after De- livery, grows ufelefs, and difappears. It is a little Tube, which joining the Pulmonary Artery and Aorta, ferves to convey the Blood out of one into t'other, without paffing thto the Lungs. See Foetus, and Circulation.

CANCELLER, in Falconry, is when a light flown Hawk, in her ftooping, turns two or three times upon the Wing, to recover her felf before Hie feizes.

CANCELLING, in the Civil Law, an Act whereby a Perfon confents, that fome former Act be render'd null and void ; this is otherwife call'd Refciffion. In the proper Senfe of the Word, to cancel, is to bar an Obligation, by paffing the Pen from top to bottom, or acrofs 'it ; which makes a kind of Chequer or Lattice, which the Latins call Cancelli. The Word comes originally from the Greek xiJitA'cT", to incompafs, or pale a thing round.

CANCER, in Aftronomy, one of the 12 Signs of the Zodiack ; ordinarily reprefented on the Globe in form of a Crab, and thus mark'd, S. See Sign, and Constella- tion.

The Stars in the Conftellation of Cancer, <Ptolomy makes 13 ; Tycho 15 ; but Mr. Flamftead no lefs than 71. Their Order, Names, Places, Longirude, Latitude, Magnitude, £5)5. he lays down in the Sritannick Catalogue, as follows.

Stars in the Conftellation Cancer.

Names and Situation of SP. Longitude. Latitude

the Stars. "S

In Extremity of preced. North Foot 22 49 38 24 24 41J

Subfequent and more Southern 25 411

24 45 22

4 Si 45 A

4 41 " s j ti J5 A 4 27 15 B

4 O 29 A