Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/249

 MUR

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MUS

each inclofed in its proper Membrane, from the internal Surface whereof, pals an infinite number ot trinfverle Fila- ments, which interfeft the Mtfc/e into feveral diitin£t. Areas, fill'd with their refpe&ive Fafciculiof Fibres. See Fibre.

A Muj'de is ufually divided into three Parts, the Head t the Tail, and the Belly,

The WeWand Tail, which are alfo call d 'Tendons, are the two extremes ot the \lujcle ; whereof the firfl is fix'd to the liable part, and the latter to the part intended to be moved. See Tendon.

The Venter or Belly is the body of the Mufcle, being a thick, flefhy part, into which are infected Arteries and Nerves, and out of which iffue Veins and Lymphaducls.

All thefe parts ot a Mufcle, the Belly and the Tendons, arc com} ofed of the fame Fibres : Their only difference confiUs in this, that the Fibres of the Tendons are mere clofely and firmly bound together than thofe of the Belly, whicn are more loofe. Hence in the Belly there is room for a fuffi- cient Quantity of Blood to give 'em an Appearance of Rednefs j and the Wbitenefs of the Tendons only pro- ceeds from the Blood's being in fome meafure excluded by the tightntfs of their Contexture. The difference then between the Belly and the Tendons feems to be the fame that is between a Skein of Thread, and a Cord made of the fame Thread.

All the Mtcfcles act by having their Bellies inflated or fwell'd; for by that means they are morten'd,fo as to draw, or prefsthe folid Bodies to which they are fallen 'd, according to the direction of their Fibres. Ail the difficulty then in IMufcitlar Motion, is, to affign their Fabric, and the Caufe. of their fvvelling.

Every fimple M«/c/e, then,confiilsof one flefhy Belly, and two Tendons ; but may be again divided into others Similar, tho lefs j and thofe again into others ilill lefs, yetftill Si- milar to the great one : Which divifion may be carried on to a degree of Subtility that exceeds all Imagination 5 tho 'tis reasonable to think it mull have an end. That laft, therefore, being Similar to the firft, mull, in like manner, have its Fel'y and Tendons ; and this is what we ordinarily call a MuJ'cular Fibre, in an Atf. mblage or Union of feveral whereof, a \hjcle, properly fo call'd, confiils.

Some take the lAujctdar Fibres to be Productions of the Arteries and Veins, or the Capillaries of thofe Veffels inof- culated with, and conrinued to each other ; by the intume- fcence of whofeContents, the Extremities are drawn nearer each other, and by cunfequence, the Bone to which the moveable part is fixed, approximated to the other. But that they are, in truth, neither Venous, nor Arterious, nor Lymphatic Veffels, is evident from the laft Obfervation. Whether they are Veficular ; or whether they only confifr, of fingle Threads, may be ltill a Queftion.

Dr. Boerhave t from a confederation that the Nerves enter every 'Mufc/e along with its Veins and Arteries, and that there laying afide their outer Integument, they are fo diftributed thro the whole Body of the M«/c/e, as that no one Point can be affigned wherein apart of 'em is not found j that thofe Nerves terminate here j and that in other parts of the Body the Extremities of the Nerves are expanded, as it were, into Membranes j concludes, that the Wlufctdar Fibres are nothing elfe but extremely flender Expanfions of the Nerves ftript of their Integument, hollow within, and of the Figure of a "Mufcle, and full of a Spirit communicated by the Nerve from its Origin in the Brain or Cerebellum, by the continual Action of the Heart. See Nerve.

Of thefe Fibres united, are form'd Fafciculi or Bundles ; which, again, have each their feveral Membrane, wherein they are involved, and kept diftincl from others. This Membrane is extremely flender and porous within, full of Oil, which is accumulated in time of Reft and fpent in Motion, furnifhed by the Arteries 5 and this Oil, in con- junction with a fmooth mucous Juice fecreted by fmall mu- cilaginous Glands, interfperfed among thefe Fafciculi, ferves to lubricate the parts, and preferve the Fafciculi from fretting on each other.

Now, befides the Nerves, there are Arteries alfo carried into the 'Mufcles, and thofe in fuch abundance, and of fuch contexture, that a Man might be inclined to think the whole Body of the Mufcle compofed of 'em. Thefe are principally diftributed among the Fafciculi, and the Mem- branes that feparate 'em, and perhaps alfo in the external Surface of each Fibrilla, where they terminate in reticular Plexus's, or Folds, in little oily Secretories, fmall Lym- phatics, and perhaps in hollow Fibril!*- like Nerves ; which. Fibrillee may againeither terminatein the Cavity of the Ner- vous Mufcular Fibres, or make others like 'em. This, at lead, is clear, that every Branch of an Artery in the Mfcles has its correfponding little Vein, which united to theother, increafes its Bulk; whence the Blood- Veffels of theMufcles are alfo Lymphatics.

Of two fuch Mvfcles as have been defcribed, faften'd in

the Air, which begets an Inflammation in the Blood, and a Swelling in the 'i hroat, which foon proves Mortal, and is communicated from one to another.

The Symptoms are generally a hanging down and fwel- ling of the Head, rattling in the Throat, ffiort Breath, Palpitation of the Heart, Staggering, abundance of Gum in the Eyes, &c. Breath hot, and Tongue fhining.

The molt remarkable Murrain we hear of, is that men- tioned in the Tbilof. Tranf. which fpread itfelf through Switzerland, Germa?iy, into Fohnd, See.

The Contagion fcem'd to propagate itfelf in form of a blue Mitt, which fell on the Grafs where theCattel grazed, infomuch that whole Herds return'd home nek, and being very dull, and forbearing their Food, moll of 'em died away in twenty four Hours time. On diffeclion were found large corrupted Spleens, fpbacelous and corroded Tongues, &c. Thofe People who manag'd them without a due re- gard to their own Health, were infected by 'em, and died like the Beafts.

Some imagine it had its Rife from noxious Vapours thrown out of the Earth in three difHncl Earthquakes per- ceiv'd in the Neighbourhood of the Place where it began : Tho Dr. Slare rather thinks it owing to Swarms of volatile Infects. The Antidote for the Sound, and the Medicine fur the Sick were the fame, -viz. Equal Parts of Soor, Gun- Powder, Brimftone, and Salt, with as much Water as would warn it down, a Spoonful in a Dofe.

MURREY, in Heraldry, a purple Colour, call'd alfo Sanguin. See Sanguin.

M'URTFER, Homicide, the Act of killing another with Violence, Injuflice, and Efrufon of Blood. SeeHoMiciDE.,

Among the number of popular Errors, is the Notion which has obtain'd, that the dead Body would bleed in the Prefence, orupon the Touch of the Murtherer.

The Crime oSMurther is puni/h'd with Death in almoft all Nations. See Punishment.

In our Law, Mirtber has a peculiar import, fo as to de- note a wilful and felonious killing another upon prepenfed Malice, whether fecretly or openly $ and whether EngHJh Man or Foreigner, living under the King's Protection.

This prepenfed Malice, which makes the Effence of Mtrther, is twofold ; 1. Exprefs, where it may be evi- dently proved that there was ill-will. 2. When one kil- leth another fuddenly, he having nothing to defend himfelf, as going over a Stile, or the like. For in fuch a Cafe, or when a Man killetha mere Stranger, the Law prefumeth he had Malice againft him, or elfe that he would not do it without any manner of Provocation.

The Word is form'd from the Saxon Mortb, which fome will have to fignify a violent Death 5 whence the barba- rous Latin Murdrum and Mordrum. Sometimes the Saxons exprefs'd it by a Word which imply'd a deadly Work. In the French 'tis call'd Meurtre, in Spanijb Meuretre, and in Englijb Murder.

The Word wasufed-long before the Reign of Y\.Camttusj tho it does not appear that theSaxo?t Morth fignifics a violent Death, but Death in general.

Formerly, indeed, Mother was reftrained to a clandestine killing. Thus, Murdntits homo antiquitus dicebatur, cujus In- terftBor nefciebatur ubicnmqm -vel quomodoamque ejfet Inventus. Nunc adjunBum eft, licet fciatur qv.\s Murdrum fecerit, homict- dtan per proditionem. Leges Hen. I.

Anhumm Nepotemprofriis manibui per proditionem Interfecit, peljimo Mortis genere quvd Jnglt Murdrum appellant. Matth. Paris, An. \zi6.

•?e/f-MuRTHER, is otherwlfe call'd Suicide, See Sui- cide.

MURTHERERS, or Murtherinc;-P/««, are fmall Pieces of Ordnance, either of Brafs or Iron, having Cham- bers, (that is, Charges made of Brafs or Iron) put in at their Breeches. See Ordnance.

They are moftly ufed at Sea at the Bulk-Heads of the Fore-Caftle, Half Deck, &c. in order to clear the Decks when an Enemy boards the Ship.

MUSCADINE, a rich white Wine, of the Growth of Tro~ence, Lan^uedoc, Ci-vidad, ££c. SeeWiNE.

The way of making Mufcadme at Frontipmc is as follows : They let the Mufcadine Grapes grow half dry on the Vine j as foon as they are gathered, they tread and prefs them im- mediately, and tunn up the Liquor, without letting it ftand, and work in the Fat j the Lee occasioning its goodnefs.

The Word, as well as the Liquor, is French. Some fetch its Original from Mis/;, the Wine being fuppofed to have a little of the fmell of that Perfume ; others from Mufctts, a Fly, becaufe the Flies are extremely fond of its Grapes 5 as the Latins had their Vimon Jpianum, fo call'd ab Jp'tbus, from the Pees which fed on it.

MUSCLE, Muscuxus, in Anatomy, a flefhy, fibrous Part of the Body of an Animal, deflined to be the Organ of Motion. See Motion.

TbcMufcle is a bundle of thin, parallel Plates ; and is oppofite Situations to each other, moft of the Mufcles, we divided into a great number of Fafciculi, or little M«fcles t know of, confift.

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