Volume 1

A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James.

  • James, R. (Robert), 1703?-1776.
Date:
1743-1745
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A medicinal dictionary; including physic, surgery, anatomy, chymistry, and botany, in all their branches relative to medicine. Together with a history of drugs ... and an introductory preface, tracing the progress of physic, and explaining the theories which have ... prevail'd in all ages / By R. James. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    370/1128 (page 360)
    Alga, Sea-wrack, called alfo Bgw» (Ux«Wk>», Sea Mofs, and <ty*<8v, j^s compounded of a terreftrious and aqueous Subftance, both cold, for it is aftringent to the Tafte, and refrigerating to the Touch. Orib. Med. Col. Lib. I^. Cap. I. Taken green and wet juft out of the Sea, it is an extraordinary Cooler, with a moderate Aftringency. Orib. de Virt.Shnpl. L. 2. C. I. Aetius, Tctr. I. Serm. I. _ Alga is a Kind of Plant which grows in the Water. There are feveral Kinds of it. The moft Part {hoot out their Leaves like Grafs, the reft like Hairs. The common Alga is a Sea Plant, its Leaves are about a Foot and half long, fmooth, foft, and eafy to break, fometimes white, fometimes red, or of an obfeure green, narrow, but feme narrower than others. This Plant grows in great Quan¬ tities along the Shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and elfe- where. The Countrymen dry it, and it ferves for Fodder for their Oxen and other Cattle, and obtain from it a very good Manure for the Earth. They alfo make Glafs of it as with the Kali, for it contains a great Deal of Salt. It is aperitive, vulnerary, and deficcative, it is alfo efteemed good to kill. Lice and Flees. Lemery de Drogues. ALGALI. Nitre. Rulandus. Johnfon. ALGAMET. Coals. Rulandus. Johnfon. ALGARAB, or GARAB. An Anchilops. Avicenna. Sen- tiert. “Torn. 2. See Anchilops. ALGAROT. See ALGEROTH. ALGATIA. (Cibetta) Civet. Johnfon. ALGEDO. A Name of an Accident which fometimes happens in a Gonorrhoea, of which Cockburn gives the fol¬ lowing Account: * Amongft the various Accidents that happen in the Courfe of a Gonorrhoea, none is attended with more violent Pain, and more dire Confequences, than a Running flopping foon after it appears, which we may properly call the Algedo ; yet I do not find that any Author has offered any Obfervation of this Kind to the World; which Negled very much arraigns their Sincerity, or the Accuratenefs, at leaft, they pretend to, in relating the various Appearances that occur in the Practice of -a Gonorrhoea. Mufitanus alone fuggefts the Symptom, but injudicioully places it among thofe that precede a Caruncle. For he alledges that we may apprehend a growing Caruncle, Ex preegrefsd feeda Gonorrhoea, qua mod? Stranguriam, modo Dyfu- riam, jam Ifchuriam infert. But I have obferved, that if the Running does not proceed after the common Manner already related, but continues to be in a fmall Quantity, as it always Ihews itfelf at firft; or if it flops without any fenfible and ob¬ vious Caufe of an improper Adminiftration ; in that Cafe there is often an intenfe Inflammation on the Glands, and an infufferable Pain ftriking into the Anus, fometimes into the TeAides, without their being in the leaft fwelled, and moft commonly into the Bladder, which laft Pain is always attend¬ ed with a frequent Defire of making Water; but it is made in a veiy fmall Quantity, and with much Difficulty. Thefe Symptoms thus related become very manifeft from the Nature of a Gonorrhoea, and of the Liquor of the Lacunae. For let the infeded Liquor of the Lacunae be tied up by Applicati¬ ons or Adminiftrations of any Kind, or become groffer on a fickly Account, fo that the Stimulus of the Corruption does not excite the Quantity of the Efflux in a due Proportion; in that Cafe the Liquor is ftill more corrupted, and becomes more fharp. Now this (harp Liquor being conftantly applied in the excretory Duds of the Glands, to the membranous Coat of the Urethra, excites Pain and an Inflammation. Pain being thus made in the Urethra, we may eafily conceive how it is propagated into the Bladder, and other Parts men¬ tioned above ; for the Urethra is a continued Dud to the Neck of the Bladder, and the Inflammation is very readily carried its Length, and communicated to the Bladder, and with it the Pain. This is likewife the Reafon that the Vafa Deferentia and Veficulre Seminales, that open into the Urethra, partake of this Inflammation, and communicate the Pain into the Tefticles : As alfo, that the Pain is conveyed into the Anus by the Means of die accelerating Mufcles of the Penis, which terminate in that Part. But to explain thefe Symptoms more particularly, that the Defign we have in curing may become more obvious and di- red, we will begin with accounting for the frequent Defire of making Water ; and why it is voided with great Pain, and in a fmall Quantity. The Reafon of this Symptom isy that the Neck of the Bladder being vaftly inflamed, it is vehemently ftimulated by the Saltnefs of the Water, and by this Stimulating a frequent Defire of difeharging it is excited. The Bladder it¬ felf being alfo inflamed, it cannot be fo eafily applied for ex¬ pelling the Urine, and therefore it is thrown out in a fmaller •Quantity ; and, upon both Accounts, is made with great Pain. Moreover the Neck of the Bladder being thickened by the In¬ flammation, it is opened or dilated with gi'eat Difficulty, and •.therefore the Urine is [neither freely expelled, nor without great Pain. A L G The frequent Irritating the Bladder with the fharp Urine is the Reafon why the quick and repeated Pain in making Water is a more conftant Symptom of the Stoppage of the corrupted Matter, than are either the Pain in the Anus or in the Tefticles, though the Pain in thefe is produced as really by the Pain in the Urethra as that in the Bladder, but not fo diredly. For Pain made in contiguous Parts is occafioned by the Stimulus or Com- preffion of adjacent Parts that are affeded ; fo that the derived Pain is equally owing to the Inflammation, as is the Pain in the Part originally affeded. Daily Experience affords us various and fenfible Examples of Pain derived to a contiguous Part from another that is firft hurt. A Pain any way produced in 'a Finger is not only propagated by the common bending Mufcles that may fend a Branch to fome Diftance, and thus be carried diredly a great Length up the Arm, but it likewife affeds other Mufcles in the fame Contiguity, and reaches farther than the Origine of any of the Mufcles of the t ingers, and may be pro¬ pagated to Parts very diftant from that firft affeded with Pain. But which is more furprifing, contiguous Parts affeded mutu¬ ally by the Inflammation of either, not only receive Impref- fions of Pain from each other, but will even adhere and flick to one another. The Adhefion of the Lungs to the Pleura is an Affedion of this Kind, as is the Adhefion of an Inteftine to the Peritonaeum, and fuch Adhefions of many other Parts that have often been found in difieding Bodies, efpecially thofe that were morbid or fickly. All thefe grievous Symptoms being produced by the retarded Efflux of the Liquor of the Lacunae, notwithftanding that is fharp and corrupted, and commonly flows in a greater Quantity upon that Account; yet as this Liquor is found at prefent in a fmall Quantity, for Reafons afterwards to be affigned, it ac¬ quires the greateft Degree of Corruption poffible, and that by its not running off in the ordinary Quantity. Now as this very fharp Liquor is conftantly applied to the Urethra by its, continu¬ ing in the Lacunae, which run parallel to its inner Coat, the Pain is rendered more and more intenfe. Our Inquiry there¬ fore muft be, why this Efflux is retarded, notwithftanding that the Liquor is more fharp, or is indued with a greater Stimulus, a Caufe we formerly found fufficient for exciting a Running. It will eafily be believed that Injedions and Medicines, that are any thing aftringent, inwardly adminiftered have fufficient Power to check the Difcharge of the corrupted Liquor ; nay. Medicines of fuch Qualities are efteemed fo fufficient a Caufe, that feldom any other has been affigned for the Interruption ; fo that we may affert, that thefe Medicines are fometimes the Occafion of checking the free Efflux of the Liquor of the La¬ cunae, though it be corrupted, and were otherwife fharp enough to produce a Running. But another Caufe never yet affigned for producing fuch a Stoppage, is when the Liquor of the Lacunae, even in this its corrupted State, acquires an extraordinary Groffnefs, and on that Account becomes incapable to flow, or flows only in a very inconfiderable Quantity. This Groffnefs of the Liquor of the Lacunae is acquired from a Groffnefs in the Blood itfelf in a great many Difeafes, as in a Cold, a Fever, &c. The Way how this Groffnefs is formed by a Cold or a Fever, is ob¬ vious from the general Defed of Secretions at that Time ; info- much that Hippocrates obferves that Ulcers, and I have ob¬ ferved that Iffues, very commonly dry up in the Beginning of a Fever. And in great Colds, when a Fever is generating, and in feveral other Diftempers, the Liquor of the Lacunae is be¬ come fo grofs, that the Quantity of its Efflux is but moderately augmented ; though it being corrupted it ftimulates the Glands and their excretory Duds, and for that Reafon ought to in- creafe its Quantity confiderably : Hence it is that the Pain, and all the above-mentioned Evils or Misfortunes are produced. Some very good Praditioners, who have been apprifed of the great Danger and Difficulty that arifes from the flow Running in this Circumftance of a Fever, have attributed the Slownefs of a Running, or the Smallnefs of its Quantity, to the Heat of the Fever, which they fuppofed did lick up the Matter of the Run¬ ning ; but this flow Efflux is truly an Unaptnefs in the Li¬ quors to run off, and that becaufe of their Thicknefs. Becaufe an inward Shanker fometimes fuppreffes the Running, it may give fome Sufpicion of its being an Occafion of this ter¬ rible Symptom ; but Shankers feldom give any great Pain, nor do they infed the Liquor of the Lacunae till they begin to dif- folve ; and this Liquor not being infeded during the Hardnefs of the Shanker, there is not naturally any Pain produced on that Account, or Shankers in the Urethra never produce this pain¬ ful Symptom. All this is manifeft from the Experience of in¬ ward Shankers. From what has been faid it plainly appears, that the Inflam¬ mation and Pain in the Urethra, in the Glands, Bladder, Te- fticles, and in the Anus, are altogether the Confequences of this (harp Liquor’s being pent up in the Lacunae ; and therefore, that in curing thefe Symptoms, little or no Regard is to be had to the Inflammation in the mentioned Parts, but rather to what may make the pent up Liquor flow. Indeed the Folly of en¬ deavouring to cure Difeafes, by taking Aim at their Symptoms,