Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/557

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other Power. Such aremoft of the Eaftern Governments, ns thofe of the Mogol, Grand Seignior, Sophi, &c.

DJESPOUILLE, in Heraldry, is the whole Cafe, Skin, orSldugh ofaBeaft, with theHead, Feet, Tail, and all Appurtenances; fo as being filled, or fluffed, it looks like the entire Creature.

DESPUMATION, is the Clarification of any Liquor, by throwing up itsFoulnefs in a Froth, and taking that off. See Froth, Clarification, c5c.

DESQUAMATION expreffes the cleanfing carious bones, which flake off like Scales..- See Scales, Sqjuamm;e, ££c.

DESSERT, the laft Service brought on the Tables of people ofQualityj when theMeats are all taken off. The SJeffert confifts ofFruits, Paltry- Works, Confections, &c.

DESSICATIVE, orDESICCATIVE, in Medicine, Chi- r urgy, and Pharmacy, a Remedy that has the Virtue of dry- ptg up fuperfluous Moiflure $ ufed to lkin over old Sores, c5c. £ c DejJicative Unguent, &c. Pimprcnclla, £?c. is held very deterfive, dsfficcative, and vulnerary. Lemery.

DESTINATION, or Dipllatwn in Chymiftry. See Distillation.

DESTINY, the Order, Difpofition, or Chain of fecond Caufes, appointed by Providence ; and importing, or carry- ing with it a Necefliiy of the Event. See Fate.

According to many of the Heathen Philofophers, 1)ef}iny was a fecrct, and inviiible Power, or Virtue, which with in- comprehensible Wi'dom, conducts what to us appears irre- gular, and fortuitous: Which amounts to what we call God. See God,

The Stoicks by tDefiiny underftood a certain Concatena- tion of all Thing?, which from all Eternity follow each other of abfolute Neceflity 5 there being no Power able to interrupt their Connexion $ which is our Idea oi'Providence. See Providence.

But the Stoicks made even the Gods themfelves fubjecT: to the Neceflity of this 2)efiiny. The Truth is, the Stoicks ra- ther define what the Word 1)ejliny fhould fignify, than what it did fignify in common Language : Por they had no diftincT: Idea of this Power to whom they attributed thofe Events. They had only a vague, conlufed Idea of I know not what Chimera, or unknown Caufe, to which they referr'd that invariable Difpofition, and the eternal Concate- nation of all Things. There is no real Being that theName 2)efti;;y can agree to. The Heathen Philofophers, who had fram'd an Idea thereof, fuppofed it to exift without know- ing precifely what they meant by it. But Men, not daring on the one Side, to impute to Providence the Evils and Misfortunes that befel them, as they imagined undeferved- ly; and on the other Side, not being willing to allow that it was their, own Fault, form'd this Phantom of 1)eftiny, to hear the Weight of all the Evil. T'homaffin.

DESTINIES, in Mythology. See Parce.

DESTRUCTION, 'paffively taken, is the Corruption, or Annihilation of fomething before Exifling. A Thing paffes &b EJJe ad Non-eJJe 5 either by Corruption, when nothing of theSubftance is loft, but only the Accidents, viz. Difpo- fition of Parts. . See Corruption.

Or, by Annihilation, when both Subftance and Acci- dents are loft. See Annihilation.

DESUDATION, expreffes a profufe, and inordinate Sweating; from what Caufe foever. See Sweat.

DESULTOR, in Antiquity, a Vaulter, orl.eaperj who jumps off one Horfe upon another.

Among the Scythians, Indians., and Ntimidians, the Ca- valiers, of"Horfe-men, who ferved in the Wars, were very expert Defultores ; that is, they always carried with them atleaft twollorfes, and when that they were mounted on grew weary, or wanted Breath, they leap'd with great Agi- lity and Addrefs upon the other, which they led in the Hand. The Greeks and Roma,ns borrow'd the Practice from thofe barbarous Nations 5 but they only ufed it in their Games, Courfes, and funeral Solemnities, and never, that we read of, in War. The Tiefultores, therefore, were among the People oSAJia, and Africa, Soldiers 5 but among the Ro- mans, Sec. they were no more than Tumblers; and Pofture- Maflcrs. Frnftatheus on Homer's Iliad, Lib. IV. afTures us, that inftead of two, they had fometimes four, orfixHorfes, all a-breaft, and would jump from thefirft to the fourth, or fixth, which was the Mafter-piecc of their Art.

DETACH'D Tieces, in Fortification, arc Demi-Lanes, Ravelins, Horn- and Crown-Works, and even Baftions, when feparated, or at a'Diftance from the Body of the Place.

In Painting, the Figures are faid to be well detach' 4+ or loofen'd, when they ftand free, and difengag'd from each other, are no where confounded together, but ftand out with a ftrong Relievo from the Ground, and each other.

t ^)ETACHMENT, a Military Term, fignifying a certain Number of Soldiers, taken out of a greater Body, on Pur- pofe to be cmploy'd in the Undertaking of fome particular Enterprize ; as to form a Kind of flying Camp, to relieve a Party already engag'd in Battel, to joyn a feparate Army, to affift at the Siege ofaPlacc, or enter into fome Garrifon, &V,

■■DETENTION, aPoffeffion, Or Holding of an Heritage, or the like, from loine other Claimant.

' TiV iW0 5 1 is ' h u ie ^>' ufed in / n i11 S «rfK for anunjuft Holding, (5c. The Canons condemn aPerfon who has in- truded into a Benefice, to make Reftitution of all the Fruits thereof, during the Time of his mtjuJi-Deteation, Sec Be- nefice.

DETERIORATION, an Afl whereby a Thing is ren - dred worfe.

When the Deterioration of a Commodity, feiz'd by an Of- ficer, arifes from the Fault of the Keeper, he is anfwerable for the fame. J. Frideric Mayer, Profeffor at LeiJ/fic, printed a Trcatife of Deterioration, in the Tear i5. un- der the Title of, traSatus de Dcterioratione.

DETERGENT, in Medicine, is applied to Remedies that cleanfe, mundify, and carry off vifcid, and glutinous Humours adhering to Bodies.

The Plant, call'd Harts-Horn, deterges, and confolidates Wounds. Rhapouticum is aperitive, and good again!! the Gravel and Stone ; It alfo deterges, and expels Poyfon.

Detergents are not only foftening, and adhefive, but alfo, by a peculiar Activity, or Difpofition to Motion, joyn'd with a fuitable Configuration of Parts, are apt to abrade, and car- ry along with them fuch Particles as they lay hold on in their Pafiage. All Medicines of this Intention are fuppofed to cleanfe, and heal, that is, incarnate, or fill up with new Flefh all Ulcerations, and Foulneffes, occafioned thereby, whether internal, or external.

To do this, in all internal Cafes efpecially, the Medicine muft be fuppofed to maintain its primary Properties, until it arrives at the Place of Aftion, and there it does what entitles it to the Appellation of a Detergent, and a Vulnerary, firif. by its adhefive Quality, which confifts in the comparative Largenefs ofSurface, and Flexibility of its component Parts* For by this it very readily falls intoContafl with, and adheres to the Slough of ulcerous Exudations, which by their loofe Situations are eafily carried along with the Medicine, and when fuch Matter is fo carried away, which is thecleanling, and deterging Part, what was initrumental in this Office, will afterwards Hick to, and adhere with the cutaneous Fila- ments, until by their Addition, and the Protrufion of proper Nouriihment ab interna to the fame Place, the Wafte is made up, that is, the Ulcer is healed.

After the lame Manner is the Operation of fuch Subflan- ccs to be accounted for in external Application. By the Warmth of their Parts they rarify, and by their adhefive Quality, they joyn with, and take off along with them, in every dreffing, what is thrown upon the Place to which they are applied, until a more convenient Matter is brought thither by the circulating Juices, which it affifts in adhering to, and incarnating the eroded Cavities. Only this may be taken Notice of, that internally, whatfoever of this Kind is mixed with the Animal Fluids, by the known Laws of Circulation, they will be firft feparated, and left behind. For all thofe Parts, which are fpecifically heavieft, wilt move neareft the Axis of the Canals, becaufe their Moments are the greater!, and will carry them as near as can be in {freight Lines ; but the lighter Parts will always be joftled in the Sides, where they lboneft meet with Outlets to get quite off, or are lkuck into fuch Cavities, we are here fpeak- ingof, in which they adhere, and make Part of the Subftance.;

This is underftood of the milder Degree of Detergents = and it is eafy to conceive from hence, how an Increafe of thofe Qualities of Activity and Adhefion conjointly, may make a Medicine arife to the greater! Efficacy in this re- fpect. And it is upon this Foot, that all thofe Medicines operate, which are given to cleanfe Obftructions, or Foul- neffes in any of the Vifccra, or Paifages 5 and which may be increafed in Efficacy fo far, as to fetch off even the Mem- branes, and Capillary Veffels.

DETERMINATE, or DETERMINED 'Problem, in Geometry, is that which has but one, or at leaft but a cer- tain, definite Number of Solutions} in Contra-diftinct ion to an Indeterminate Problem, which admits of infinite Solutions,

Such, e.gr. is the Problem, To defcribe an Jfofceles tri- angle oa a given Line, whofe Jingles at the Safe fball be double that at the Vertix : which has only one Solu- tion ; as that which follows has two, viz. Tojind an Ifof- celes 'Triangle, wfcofe Area and 'Perimeter are given* See Problem.

A Determinate Problem may either be Simple, or Li- near, Plane, Solid, or Surfolid. See Plane, Solid, &a

DETERMINATION, in Phyficks, the Difpofition, or Tendency of a Body towards one Way, rather than another;

Heavy Bodies have a Determination towards their' Centre. See Centre.

Determination of Motion. See Motion.

Determination, in Philofophy, the Aftion whereby a Caufe is limited, or reflrained to aft, or not aft, this, or that, and in this, or that Manner.

Hence, we fay, by a Determination, an Agent indifferent to feveral Things, is in fome Meafure actuated;

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