Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 2, 1802).djvu/149

129&#93; r> e e ' »n should ted two or three times. I iu ;, the skin will resume its pi is- trae colour, and appear thn out alike. l)i : K, : ! . ! and or Cervus Dama, L. a well- n animal abounding in the ■ I parks «'i diis country. Deei ire of various colours j be- ing reddish, deep brown, white, or spotted : they are ca-ily tamed ; at] 1 their flesh, which is called vc- . is in high esteem among epicures. It is an excellent ali- ment ; but, to the very great de- triment of health, venison is sel- dom eaten till it is half putrified, or (as connoisseurs in this impor- tant article express themselves) till it has a proper Jumet j though the flesh of this animal is naturally in- clined to putrescency. When pro- perly dressed, it affords a mellow food, and is easily assimilated to the human fluids ; it ought always to be roasted or stewed, as it is otherwise apt to become dry and fibrous, from the constant motion of the deer, while alive. Hence such food is of a heating nature j and persons who are pre-disposed to the scurvy, or to other cuta- neous diseases, ought to abstain from it, especially during the sum- mer. Deer-skins have been long cele- brated for their softness and plia- bility ; and the manufacturing of them into breeches and gloves, af- fords subsistence- to a very numer- ous and industrious class of people. Beside their utility, as an article of food and clothing, several parts of the deer were, in superstitious times, often employed in medicine. Their Hood, if drunk immediately from the vein (according to Doctor James, the inventor of the fever- xo. VI. — VOL. II. DEF [ng powde ■*)', completely re ekead: their gill is said to be di ter. at; to cure diran •. and to remove films from the . the liver is recommended against diarrhoeas: and their horns and suet_ are. applied to the same purposes as those,- of the Stag, to which we refer. DEFORMITY generally signi- fies the want of that symmetry and uniformity, which arc necessary to constitute die beauty of an object. ; it is more particularly applied to the human frame. The chief cause of the personal deformity so frequent at present, is the neglect of paying proper atten- tion to the clothing of infants, by which they are deprived of the free use of their limbs ; and thus, in a great measure, rendered unservice- able to society. But, though de- formity may apparendy be preju- dicial to health, it is ultimately a real advantage. Deformed persons, it is true, possess a less share of strength than others ; they should therefore be naturally more Care- ful to preserve it, as well as their health ; which can be effected only by a strict adherence to temper- ance. This object will likewise be considerably facilitated by mode- rate exercise, which few, in such a situation, can want strength to perform ; and, as- they are not cal- culated for violent exercise, they are consequently exempt from all the disorders arising from that source ; and may thus attain a mature old age. For a further in- vestigation of this subject, we re- fer the reader to an ingenious es- say, intitled " Deformity," by Mr. Hay, in 8vo. published in the year 1~53, and of which a new edi- tion appeared a few years since, colledively with his other works, K in