Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/329

 C A U

C W)

C A

feet ; that a third : and thus to the laft ; which laft produces al) the corporeal Subftanccs ; and thofe corporeal Subttances Accidents. But Avicenua, not being able to conceive how corporeal Subftances, which cannot penetrate one ano- ther, fhould be capable of altering one another, will have it, that only Spirits are capable of acting on Bodies $ be- caufe nothing elfe can penetrate 'em. See OccajtonalC&vsz.

Causes, in the School Philofophy, are diftinguifh'd into,

Efficient Causes, which are the Agents that produce any thing. See Efficient Caufe.

Material Causes, the Subjects whereon the Agent works, or whereof the Thing is form'd : thus, Marble is the Mat- ter or Material Caufe of the Statue. See Material Caufe.

formal Causes, the Changes refuiting from the Action, or that which determines a Thing to be this, and distin- guishes it from every thing elfe : Thus, the Soul is the Form, or Formal Caufe of Man, &c. See Formal Catife.

Final Causes, the Motives which indue'd a Man to afl ; or the End for which the Thing is done : thus, Victory and Peace are the Final Caufes of War. See Final Cattje.

Some add the Exemplary Cause, which is the Model the Agent forms, or propofes, and by which he conducts himfelf in the Action $ but this is not properly any Caufe at all. See Exemplary Caufe.

Causes, again, are diftinguiihM into Phyfical, or Na- tural, and Moral.

A 'Ply/zeal Cause, is that which produces a fenfible cor- poreal Effect r thus, the Sun is the Phyfical Catife of Heat.

A Moral Caufe, is that which produces a real Effect, but in Things immaterial : thus, Repentance is the Caufe of Forgivenefs.

Others define a Phyfical Caufe to be that which produces its Effect by a Phyfical Virtue ; and a Moral Caufe, that which determines the Phyfical Caufe, tho not neceffarily, to produce the Effect : in which Senfe, 'tis alfo call'd a 2)iJpofitive, Excitative, and Imputative Caufe.

Thus, the Sun is the Phyfical Caufe of Light 5 a Stone that breaks the Skull, a 'Phyfical Caufe of Death : and thus the Advice, Intreaty, Commands, or Menaces which determine us, tho not neceffarily, to do, or not to do any thing, are Moral Caitfes.

In this Senfe, a Moral Caufe is only applicable to a free intelligent Agent ; and 'tis this Notion of a Moral or Phy- fical Caufe, that is the moil juft, clear, and diftinct. See Moral Caufe.

Causes, again, are confider'd, either as Univerfal, or ^Particular 5 Principal, or Infirumental 5 Total, or 'Par- tial ; Univocal, Equivocal, Sec.

An Univerfal Cause, is that which by the Extent of its Power may produce al] Effects. See Universal.

A "Particular Cause, is that which can only produce a lingle Effect, or a certain kind of Effects.

A Principal Cause, is that which gives Motion to the Inftrument, or which does not operate beyond its own na- tural Efficacy.

An Infirumental Cause, is that us'd by the Principal to produce its Effect ; or which is excited to produce an Ef- fect, beyond the Mcafure of its own Perfection.

A Total Cause, is that which produces the whole Effect.

A Partial Cause, that which concurs with fome other in producing the Effect.

An Univocal Cause, is that which is of the fame Kind and Denomination with its Effect 5 as a Man the Caufe of a Man. See Univocal.

An Equivocal Cause, is that which is «f a different Kind and Denomination from its Effect 5 as the Sun is the Caufe of the Animals it produces. See Equivocal.

The Cartefians refolve all Phyfical Caufes into Occasio- nal ones.

Occafional Causes, are only the Occafions, not the direct Caufes of their Effects. See Occasion.

The Soul, fay thofe Philofophers, is not able to act on the Body ■■, nor the Body reciprocally on the Soul : to keep up an Inicrcourfe between 'em, God, on occafion of the Motion of the Body, impreffes a Senfation on the Soul ; and, on occafion of a Sentiment of the Soul, impreffes a Motion on the Body. The Motions, therefore, of the Soul and Body, are only Occafional Caufes of what paffes in the one or the other : thus, fay they, the Stroke or Percuf- fion, is only the Occafional Caufe of the Motion produe'd in the Body ftruck : Tis God is the direct Efficient Caufe. And thus the Action of Objects on our Organs, is not the Efficient Caufe of our Ideas and Perceptions, but merely the Occafional Caufe, which determines God to act on the Mind, according to the Laws of the Union of Soul and Body. But the Confequcnces that follow from this fine Reafonin£» are very unlucky, not to fay ridiculous : Thus, 'tis not the Cannon-Bail that kills the Man, or beats down the Wall, but 'tis God that does it : the Motion of the Cannoneer, whofe Arm, mov'd by the Power of God, apply'd Fire to the Ponder, detcrmin'd God to inflame that Pouder 5 the Pouder inflam'd, detcrmin'd God to drive out the Ball 5

and the Ball driven, with an incofl exterior Surface of the Body of i mines God to break the Bones of \ the Wall, &c. A Coward, who i away at all ; but the Motion of L by the Imprcffion of a Squadron him, with Bayonets at the Ends of mines God to move the Coward's from them.

It has been often faid, in a moral _ _ is a Comedy, and that each Man only s it may be here faid, in a ifrict Phyfical one, 'that the' Uiii- yerfe is a Puppet-Show, and each Man a Punchinello, mak- ing a great deal of Noife without fpeakujS, and buttling without moving.

CAUSTICS, in Medicine, &c. are fuch*Things as have the Virtue of Burning, or are CorroEfae 5 particularly thofe Medicines which by their violeniJ'Activiry, and the Heat thence occafion'd, deftroy the texture of 'the Parts to which they are apply'd.

Caujlics are us'd to eat off proud fungous Flefh - 7 they alfo penetrate within hard callous Bodies, and liquefy the Humours j and are particularly j»ply'd in Abfceffes and Impofthumations, to eat thro to tjf iuppurated Matter, and give it vent.

The principal Medicines of rivs Clafs, are burnt Alum, Sponge, Cantharides, and other Jcficatcrics 5 as alfo Orpi- ment, Calx viva, Vitriol, AJbn of the Fig-Tree, the AJJj, and Wine Lees ; the Salt .of the Lixivium, whereof Soap is made ; Sublimate, Mercury, red Precipitate, &c. See each defcrib'd under its proper Article, Alum, Vitri- ol, Cantharides, Orpiment, Mercury, Sublimate, Precipitate, &c.

Cryflals of the Moon, and Lapis Inf emails, made of Silver and Spirit of Nitre, become Caujlics by that Mix- ture. See Crystals, &c.

Thofe Caujlics which burn thro the Part, and leave a Scar, are particularly call'd Cauteries ; tho Dr. guincy confounds the two together. See Cautery.

The Word comes from aausva©-, urens 5 of AAiw,uro, I burn.

C^vsTic-Glajfes. See Burning-G/^s.

Caustic Curve, in the higher Geometry, a Curve form'd by the Concourfe, or Coincidence of the Rays of Light reflected, or refracted from fome other Curve. See Curve.

Accordingly, Caujlics are divided into Catacauflic, and 2)iacauftic ; the one form'd by Reflection, the "other by Refraction. See Catacaustic, and Diacaustic.

Cattjhic Carves, are the Invention of M. 7%hirnhaufen t who firft propos'd 'em to the Academy of Sciences, in 16^82. They have this remarkable Property, that when the Curves that produce them are Geometrical, they are equal to known right Lines.

Thus, the Cauflic form'd in a Quadrant of a Circle by reflected Rays, which came at firft parallel to the Diame- ter, is equal to % of the Diameter : which is a fort of Rec- tification of Curves that preceded the Invention of the new Doctrine of Infinites ; on which moft of our other Rectifications are built. See Rectification.

The Academy appointed a Committee to examine the new Curves, viz. Meff. Caffini, Mariotte, and de la Hire, which laft doubted much of the Defcription, or Genera- tion, M. de "Tfchirnhaufen gave of the Cauflic by Reflec- tion, from a Quadrant of a Circle. The Author refus'd to difcover all his Method ; and M. de la Hire perfifted in holding the Generation fufpicious. M. Tfchirnhaufen, however, was fo confident of it, that he fent it to the Leip- fic Journalifts, tho without any Demonflration.

CAUTERY, in Chirurgery, a burning Medicine, or a Compofition of feveral Things, which gnaw, burn off^ eat thro, and fear the Parts 5 us'd, principally, in Abfceffes, Impofthumations, Ulcers, and Caries of the Bones, to open a Paffage for the Difcharge of ill Humours, &c.

Cauteries are of two Kinds, Actual, and Potential.

Ablual Cauteries, are thofe which produce aninftanta- neous Effect, as Fire, or a red-hot Iron, which are apply'd in the Fijlula Lachrymalis, after Extirpations of Cancers, Amputations of Legs, or Arms, &c. in order to flop the Hemorrhages, and produce a laudable Suppuration. The Irons us'd on thefe Occafions, are fometimes crooked at the Extremity, and that varioufly, according to the various Occafions : Whence fome are called Cultellary, others punBual, others Olivary, &c.

M. Honzberg affures us, that a great Part of the Medicine of the People of Java, and other Parts of the Eafl In- dies, confifts in Burning, or the Application of actual Cauteries ; and that there is fcarce any Difeafe but they will happily cure thereby. See Burning.

Potential Cauteries, are Compositions of Cauflic Me- dicines, ufually of Quick-lime, Soap, and Chimney Soot. See Caustics.

■ The Actual Cautcrv, or hot Iron, is frequently apply'd for the making of Iffues, in Parts where cutting is difficult