Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/345

 PAL

( 74° )

PAN

The fame Difeafe may arife from a Compreffion of the Lungs, occafioned by the extraordinary Rarefa&ion of vicious and fermentative Juices, fojourning in the Stomach and Intc- ftines ; which dilate thofe Parts to that Degree, that the Dia- phragm and Lungs, being extremely ftraightened, the Blood cannot circulate without Abundance of Difficulty ; a 'Palpita- tion therefore muft enfuc 5 which willlaft as long as that Ra- refaction in the flrft Paflaaes.

Such, according to modern Phyficians, are the immediate Caufes of the 'Palpitation of the Heart : The remote or occa- fional Caufes are whatever may occafion fuch Obftrucfion of the Pulmonary Artery, &c.

In the fame Work, another Phyfician lays down "Winds or Flatus's, as a Caufe of the 'Palpitation ; he adds,that the An- cients, to a Man, look'd on that as the moll ordinary Occafion thereof; In Effect, fays he, from this Source may be deduced a Multitude of Caufes' of fympathetic 'Palpi 'tation, by Means of the "Ventricle, the Diaphragm, Mediaftin, &c.

Others will have the fole Caufe of 'Palpitation to be a vifcid Blood 5 which,by its extraordinary Rarefaciion,diIating the Pul- monary Artery, and, by that means, opening the Cavity of its Capillary Veflels towards their Extremes ; or, by this Dilata- tion, comprefling the other little Veflels of the Lungs, pre- vents the Blood from continuing its circulating Motion with Freedom : and, by that means, opening the Cavity of its Ca- pillary VefTels towards their Extremes 5 or, by this Dilatation, comprefling the other little Veflels of the Lungs, prevents the Blood from continuing its circulating Motion with Freedom ; and thus occafions a 'Palpitation of the Heart.

All thefe Authors hold the 'Palpitation a dangerous Difeafe, and Galen obferves, that thofe troubled with it, when young, never live to grow old.

According to M. 'Pifon, a Doctor of the Faculty of 'Paris, the 'Palpitation of the Heart may arife, either from a too abun- dant Setofity, fwelling the proper Membrance of the Heart 5 as Galen found to be the Cafe in opening a Monkey - 7 or from too great a Quantity of Water contained in the 'Pericardium $ by which means, the Heart being ffraighten'd, and difabled from moving with its ufual Freedom, is obliged to make fe- veral Jerks or half Beats, inftead of the regular Motions it had before ; or, again, from a Serofity thrown into the Ventricles of the Heart, either from the grand VefTels which fttrnifh the Blood, or from the Lungs, or from the Brain. /

Of thefe three Caufes, the mofr ordinary feems to be the two great Extenfion of the 'Pericardium, by Water, as it is found to be in the Bodies of mofl of thofe open'd after this Difeafa See Pericardium.

The different Caufes have their different Symptoms. The boiling Serofity, thrown out of the Blood- VefTels into the Heart, fhews itfelfby fudden Beatings of the Temples, Whizzings in the Ear, dim Sight, wandering Pains in various Parts of the Body.

In that produced by the Abundance of Water in the 'peri- cardium., or from the Humour fwelling the proper Membrane of the Heart 5 the Heart feems as if fuffocated in Water 5 the Pulfeweak, the 'Palpitation continual, or nearly fo, together with a Feverifhnefs,ai:d a Difficulty of breathing. To which may be added, that the Difeafe comes by little and little.

The 'Palpitation arifing from the Serofity is cured by bleed- ing, the other by purging.

PALSGRAVE, a' Term ufed among the Germans, of the fame Import with 'Palatine. See Palatine.

It is compounded of the Latin, 'Palatum?-, and the Dutch, Grave, Governor, i. e. Governor or Superintendant of a Prince's Palace. See Grave.

PALSY, 'Paralyfis, in Medicine, a Difeafe, wherein the Body orfome of its Parts, lofe their Motion, and fometimes their Senfatlon.

The Caufes of the 'Palfy are an impeded Influx of nervous Spirits into the Villi of the Mufcles ; or of the arterious Blood into their VefTels, which may happen from Tome Fault, either in the Brain, the Nerves, Mufcles or their VefTels.

The 'Palfy is faid to be perfect or compleat, when there is a Privation of Motion and Senfation at the fame Time.

Imperfetly when one of the two is deflroy'd, the other re- maining,

The 'Palfy is either Univerfal, Lateral, or Particular. The firft, call'd 'paraplegia ot'Paraplexia, is a general Im- mobility cf all the Mufcles that receive Nerves from the Cere- brum or Cerebellum, except thofe of the Head ; Its Caufe is u- fually fuppofed to refide in the Ventricles of the Brain, or in the Root of the fpinal Marrow.

Et?nuller makes this a different Difeafe from the 'Paralyfis^ which he fuppofes to confift in a Relaxation of the Ligaments and Membranes ferving for Motion 5 but the 'Paraplegia in a mere Obflruflion of the Nerves.

The 'Paraplegia is feldom a primary Difeafe, ufually a fe- condary one, attending or following an Apoplexy, Scorbutus, Cams, Arthritis. See Paraplegia.

The fecond, call'd Hemiplegia is the fame Difea r e with the 'Paraplegia ; only that it afiecls but one Side of the Pody : Its Cau r e is the fame, only reftrained to one Side of the Brain ar fpinal Marrow.

The third, -call'd particular 'Paralyfis or 'Palfy, is where fome particular Part or Member alone is affected; £.gf, where the Motion of the Arm or Leg is defiroy'd.

Dr. Jguincy obferves, that a Paralyfis where Motion is de- firoy'd, Senfation remaining, may be produced,fiHr, by too much Humidity, ff retching the mufcular Fibres in Length. Secondly; from cold Things, which thicken the Juices. Thirdly, from external Compreffion. Fourthly, from hot Things, which ffraighten the fupple Membranes andVeflcis. All thefe Caufes, affect either the Blood, or Mufcles ; the former, by thicken- ing that Tumour fo that it cannot fuddenly rarity ; and the lat- ter, by relaxing the Mufcles into too great a Length, by too much Moiflure, or contracting them into too narrow Dimenfions by too much Heat. But the Senfation may yet be preferv'd, be- caufe, notwithffanding all thefe Hindrances, the animal Spi- rits and Nerves may not be at all affected.

The Caufes of the Paralyfis where Senfation is deflroy'd, Motion remaining, he obferves, may be all thofe Things which fofar thiclcen the animal Spirits in the Nerves, arifing below the Cerebellum, that tho' indeed they may flow into the Mufcles thro' the Nerves, and there, by the Occurfion of fome Liquor fecreted from the Blood, rarify ; yet they cannot alone flow in fuch Quantities into the Nerves, as from a very flight Caufe to 'be made to undulate 5 whence Senfation will ceafe without lofing the Motion of the Part.

The Caufes of this Kind are alfo whatfoever render thofe Nerves more lax and moift, and fo lefs apt for lively Vibra- tions ; the animal Spirits flowing in the mean time into the Mufcles, from whence Motion is perform \1 without Senfa- tion.

The Cure of the 'Palfy, according to Waldfchnid, does not differ much from that of the Venereal Difeafe. Internally, Mercurials, Sudorifics, and Dccoclionsof the Woods are good: Externally, Unclions, particularly of fpirituous and penetrating Things, not on the Part affected, but on the Spina 'Dorfu

PAXUDAMENTUM, in Antiquity, a Garment wore by the Remans in Time of War; being the Coatef Arms of their principal Men, efpecially the General ; who, for that Reafon, were diflinguifh'd by the Name Paludati.

The Soldiers, having only fhort Coats, were therefore named Sagati. See Saga.

This Garment was open on the Sides, with fhort Sleeves, like Angels Wings, and came down no lower than the Navel.

It was either white or red 5 and Valerius Maximus remarks it was an ill Omen to Craffus, that they gave him a black Pa- ludamentum .- Pullum ei traditum eft Paludamentum, cum m prtflium euntibus album ant fmrfurmm dari foleret.

Cornlltus fays they wore the 'Toga in Peace, and the Palu- damentum in War. Hence Togam Paludamento mutavit.

PALY ; when an Efcutcheon is divided into fix, eight, or ten even Divifions Pale-wife, i. e.by perpendicular Lines drawn from the Top to the Bottom : It is blazoned 'Paly, of fix, eight, or ten £ffc. Pieces. See Pale.

If the Number be odd, then the Field is fMt named, and the Number of the 'Pales fpecified.

The like is to be underftood alfo of Barry and Bendy. See Barry, £#~. Z£ ,4 A j.2

Paly-Bent>y is, when a Coat is divided, both Pale and Bend-wife 5 as here : The Field Paly-Bendy, ¥cpaz and Diamond.

PAMPINIFORME Corpus, in Anatomy, a Sort ofPfexus, or Knot of Blood-VeffcIs,form'd by the Spermatic Veins ; which, in their Progrefs through the Teftes, conftitute a Body, call'd Corpus VaricofumPampiniforme, or Pyramidale. SeePYRA- mimle Corpus. See alio Testicle, Spermatic Vein, &c.

PANACEA, an univerfal Medicine j or a Remedy for all Difeafes. See Elixir, g?c.

The Word is form'd from the Greek w all, arMfuli, I cure.

The accurate Soerhaave overturns the Notion of 'Panacea s ; and (hews, from the different Caufes, Natures, Effects, Seats, (Se. of Difeafes, that feveral may be cured by one Medicine 5 but, all, by none.

He obferves, that the moll univerfal Remedies known are Water, Fire, Mercury and Opium ; and adds, that by thefe alone, cautioufly difguifed, fome have acquit' d the Re- putation of univerfal Phyficians. See Mercury, Opium, ci?c

PANACES, or PANACEOUS, a Name applied to feveral Plants, by reafon of the extraordinary Virtues afcribed to them.

There are three of thefe Panaces ; the Heraclean, Jlfclepean, and Chiranian; fo called from their Inv entors, Hercules, J[- ckpias, and Chiron.

The firft is the Sphondilimn maps of J. Sauh'm ; from the Root and Stem of this is drawn, by Inciiion, the Gum Opope- nax. SeeOpopoNAx.

The