Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/69

 A C I

(H)

A C O

« lie between the Particles of the firft Competition 5 and « fo intimately uniting with thofe Particles, produce ««£ < Mixture or Compound, which cannot be return d into Its ' original form.' See Putrefaction.

• Water has no great diffolving Force, becaufe there s « but a fmall Quantity of Acid in it ; for whateve, -ft ongly ' a.traas, and is ftrongly att^ed, maybe reputed an A- ■ aid : But in fuch things as arc d.fTolved in Water, the M- « folution is (lowly perforni'd, and without any Effervefcence. See Water, and Menstruum. T „„„, lf . „., n v

« When thefe Adds are a ,PP h f d .° tIie, To , n f^'. p a «Z « excoriated Part of the Body; leaving the iubt.lt .Earth ' wherewith they were before united, they rufh into he ' Senfory, aft there as Menftruums, and disjoin its larts , ' thus caufing a painful Senfation. .

The luftriousVthor, it mull be own d, here carries the Notion of Acidity a great length: Diffolution, according o him, isoniy effefted by Attraaion and is proportional .0 the degree of attraffive Power in the D.ffol vent ; but all Bodies 8 which attraa much are Acids, on his Principle, and consequently all powerful Menftruums muft belong to ha Clafs.-Ani yet Spirit of Urine, which readily diffolves Iron or Copper, even in the Cold, is allow d an Alcaly ; and accordingly makes a vehement Conflia with Aqua fortis. Boyle'i ImterfeEt. ofChym. DoB. of^ual.

Some chymical Philofophers, in the laft Century endea- vour'd to derive rhe Qualities of Bodies, and the other Ihre- nomena of Nature, from the Consideration or Alcaly and Acid. See Alkaly. , „ £

It has been a Point much controverted among the fnyii- cians, whether or no there be any fincere Acid in human Blood ? The generality ftand for the Negative 5 and all Mr. Boyle's Experiments, in his Hiftory of Blood fern

to give the thing on that fide. But the accurate M.Hom-

berg has at laft turn'd the Scale the other way; and ihewn, by repeated Experiments, that an Acid, or what is com- monly call'd fo, and judg'd fuch by the Change of Colour it csufes in a Tinaure of Violets, may be drawn from the Blood of all Animals in genera), and human Blood in parti- cular. Mem. de I' Acad. Roy. des Sciences. An. 1712.

Hence, and from the careful Analyfes that Author has made of the Flefh and Excrements of divers Animals par- ticularly Man ; he infers, that the Acid, or Sea Salt ot the Aliment taken into the Bodies of Animals ; is not dehroy a therein, but paffes into the Subftance of 'em : the fuperrlu- ous Portion being return'd unalter'd along with the incre- ments. See Blood, Digestion, (So. ■.

Acids are prefcrib'd in Medicine, as Coolers, Antiiebn- ficks, Antifcorbuticks, Diaphoreticks, Alcxipharmicks, &c. Sec Scurvy, Plague, iSc.

' Acids,' Mr. Boyle obferves, ' not only dillurb the .body • while they continue fenfibly acid ; but in many Cafes cre- « ate Diftempers, whereof they fhould feem the Remedies.

c Tho they be reputed to have an incifive and resolutive

' Virtue, and jaccordingly are prefcribed to cut tough ' Phlegm, and diffolve coagulated Blood : yet there are ' feme Acids which muft evidently coagulate the animal ' Fluids and produce Obllruaions, with all their Train of ' Confequences.— Thus, it is known, that Milk readily cur- ' dies with Spirit of Sea Salt, !£c' See Coagulation.

Acid Salts. 7 See Acid.— See alfo Salt, and Sfi-

Acjt> Spirits. 5 rit.— Sec alfo Principle.

ACIDITY, Aciditas, Acor, the Quality which consti- tutes, or denominates, a Body, Acid ; or that Senfation of Sharpnefs and Acrimony which Acids excite upon theTafte. See Acm, Quality, Taste, igc.

A little Vitriol leaves an agreeable Acidity in Water. — Vinegar and Verjuice have different forts of Acidity.

The Predominancy of Acidities in the Body, and their ill Effeas, in coagulating the Blood, i3c. is prevented by ei- ther repelling and mortifying them with Lixivious or Uri- nous Salts ; or iheathing and abforbing 'cm, with Alcalious Bodies. — Thus, Minium deilroys the Acidity of Spirit of Vinegar ; Lapis Calaminaris that of Sea Salt, iSc. See Absorbent, gjjc.

ACIDULjE, in Natural Hiftory, a Species of Mineral Waters, which difcover a degree of Acidity to the Tafte.

See Water. ..,«., i

Acidulu are native Waters, impregnated with l'articles ot

fome acid Mineral ; as Vitriol, Alumn, Nitre, or Salt. See

Water. ......

Sometimes there is alfo a vinous Flavour join d with the Acid ; by which they become peculiarly denominated Vi- nous Waters. See Vinous.

The Clafs of Acidulte are ufually very cold ; whence fome Aurhors define AcidultS to be all fuch Mineral or Medicinal Waters as are not hot. See Bath, i$c.

The Phyficians alfo frequently include Chalybeat or Fer- ruginous Waters, under the Clafs of AciduliH. See Chaly- beat, and Ferruginous.

The Word is a Diminutive of Acidum ; which is form'd from the Greek ay.U, 'Point, Edge ; in regard the Points of acid Subftances prick and vellicate the Tongue.

We fometimes alfo meet with Acidulated, q. d. fomething wherein acid Juices have been put, in order to give it a Coolnefs, and Briiknefs.

ACINI, in Botany, fmall Grains, growing in Bunches ; after the manner of Grape-ftones.

The Word is Latin, and literally fignifies Grape-ftone.

Hence, Anatomifts have called fome Glands of a iimilar Formation, Acini Glanduloji. See Gland.

ACINIFORMIS Tallica, the fame with the Tunica Uvea of the Eye. See Uvea.

ACME, the Height, or Top of any thing.

The Word is Greek, acta, 'Point, Tip ; of «(/<«>, vigeo, I flourifh.

Acme is more efpecially us'd to denote the Height of a Diftemper ; which is divided into four Periods by fome In- ftirution- Writers.

i°, The Arche, the Beginning, or firft Attack. — 2°, Ana- bafis, the Growth.— 3°, Acme, the Height.—And, 4, <Pa- racme, which is the Declension of the Diftemper. See Disease.

ACOEMETES, Acoemeti, a Name given to certain Monks in the antient Church, who flourifti'd particularly in the Eaft ; and who were thus called, becaufe they had Di- vine Service continually, and without Interruption, performed in their Churches.

The Word is Greek, auiim®-, form'd of the Privative a, and YMf.Au, I lay down, or Jlcep in Bed.

The Acoemetes divided themselves into three Bodies, each of which officiated in their Turn, and reliev'd the others : So that their Churches were never filent, Night nor Day.

Niccfborus mentions one Marcellus as the Founder of the_ Acoemetes ; whom fome modern Writers call, Marcellus ot Apamea. — In Bollandus we have " the Life of St. Alexan- " der, Inftitutor of the Acoemetes, who were unknown before " him," fays the Author of the Life, a Difciple of St. Ale- xander. This Saint, according to Bollandus, lived about the Year 430. He was fucceeded by Marcellus.

The Stylites were alfo called Acoemetes. See Stylites.

There ate a kind of Acoemetes ftill fubfifting in the Ro- mijli Church ; the Religious of the Holy Sacrament, com- ing properly enough under that Denomination ; in regard they keep up a perpetual Adoration, fome or other of them praying before the Sacramenr, Day and Night. See Sacra- ment.

ACOLYTHES, Acolythi, in Antiquity, a Term ap- plied to fuch Perfons as were fficady and immoveable in their Rcfolutions.

For this Reafon, the Stoicks were called Acolythes ; in re- gard, nothing could lliake or alter their Refolves. See Stoick.

Among Ecclefiaftical Writers, the Term Acolythes is pe- culiarly applied to thofe young People, who, in the primi- rive Times, afpir'd to the Miniftry ; and for that Purpofe, continually attended the Bifhops : Which Affiduity occafi- on'd their being called Acolythes.

In the Romi]h Church, there are a fort of Acolythi yet in being ; but their Funaions are different from thofe of their firft Inftitution. They are fuch as have only receiv'd the firft of rhe four lefs Orders, whofe Bufinefs is to light the Tapets, carry the Candlefticks and the Incenfe-Pot, to prepare the Wine and Water, i$c. See Order, £?c.

At Rome there were three Kinds of Acolythes, viz. Pa- latini, who waited on the Pope ; Stationarii, who ferved in Churches ; and Regionarii, who, together with the Dea- cons, officiated in other Parts of the City. See Stationa- rii, Deacons, &c.

The Word is derived from the Greek «mas9ot, to follow.

ACONITE, Aconitum, a Plant, famous among the Antients, both in quality of a Poifon, and a Remedy. See Poison.

The antient Botanifts give the Name Aconite to feveral Plants of different Kinds.— One Species they called Lycoc- toiium, Avxuflirit, Wolfs-bane ; or KujpoctW, TSogs-bane ; from its Effeas : Of this they had likewife their Divifions; as the Napellus, thus called a Napo, becaufe its Root re- fembled the Turnip-Kind : another called Anthcra, Anti- Thora, q. d. good againft Diforders of the Tkora.

The whole Clafs of Aconites is held extreamly cauftick and acrimonious, in Virtue whereof they produce mortal Con- vulfions, or Inflammations which end in Mortification ; with which the Antients were fo furprized, that they were afraid to touch 'em : And hence a thoufand fuperftitious Precau- tions about the manner of gathering them. — Their Roots are held of fervice in Malignant Fevers ; and accordingly make an Ingredient in fome Orvietans, and other Alexipharmic Compofitions.

Aconite is faid to take its Name from Acona, a City in Bithynia, where it grows in great abundance : tho it is alfo

found