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«s a curiofity than as a medicine, no where mentioning its qualities as fuch, or faying any thing about its ufe. He lays, that it was rarely met with in his country, but that it was ga- thered annually in conhderable quantities on mount Sinai. And indeed from the manner in which it is fpoken of by the old Greek writer cited by AthenEeus, as mentioned by Salma- fius» it fhould feem that it was only ufed for pleafure, as an agreeable fweet. What he fays of it, being that it was fweeter and more agreeable to the tafte than honey itfelf. Mefue tells us, that Galen mixed manna with fcammony. In the fpurious piece de dynamiis, afcribed to Galen, fcammony is indeed ordered to be mixed with honey, but he never once mentions manna in any of his writings on any fuch occafion. As Galen is known to be very minute and particular in his account of the materia medica at that time in ufe, his filence is a ftrong argument that even the mel rofcidum was not in ufe as a medicine, much lefs any other fpecies of manna. Phil. Tranf. N°. 472. p. 90.
TERES {Cycl.) — -Teres Folium-, among botanifts. See the article Leaf.
TERETRON, the name of a chirurgical inflrument, more u- fually called Terebra.
TERFEZ, in natural hiftory, the name given by the Africans to the truffles found in the defarts of Numidia, and other places in that part of the world in great abundance. Thefe are much more delicately taited than the European truffles, and are white on the outfide. They are called by fome of the Africans kema, and by the Arabian writers cant ha, and camahe,
TERM (Cycl.) — The ufe of Terms is neceflary in order to ren- der our abitractions clear and diftinct, as alfo to retain them.
TERMOR, Tenens ex termino, in law, he that holds lands or tenements for a term of years, or life. Litt, 1 00. Blount.
TERNA, a word ufed by fome authors, to exprefs an impetigo. Seethe article Impetico.
Terna Folia, among botanifts. See the article Leaf.
TERNARY Number, in antiquity, was efteemed a fymbol of perfection, and held in great veneration among the antient mythologifts. Whence Virgil,
— - Numcro Deus impure gaudet. Eel. 8. v. 75.
Servius on this place remarks, that the Fythagorseans afcrib- ed the 'Ternary number to the fupreme God, as being the be- ginning, middle, and end of all things. All the heathen gods had a threefold power attributed to them, as the tria virgi- nis ora Diana, the three-forked thunderbolt of Jupiter, the trident of Neptune, the three-headed dog of Pluto. Again, the parcse were three,, the furies three, Hercules was three nights in begetting, the mules were antiently three, the graces three, &c. Hofm. Lex. univ. in voc. . This number was likewife ufed in moil religious ceremonies, but efpe'cially inluftrationsj whence Virgil, /En. 1. 11. v. 188.
Ter circum accenfos, cincli fulgentibus armis Decurrere rogos. ■ — ■
TERPENTARIA, in botany, a name ufed by fome authors for the betonica aquatica, or great water figwort, called water- betony. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.
TERRA, Earth, (Cycl.) in natural hiftory, fcrY. fee the article Earth.
Terra de Baira, in natural hiftory, the name given by fome to an earth of a white colour, found about Baira, not far from Palermo.
It is efteemed a very great medicine in the cure of malignant fevers, and in the flopping hemorrhages of all kinds. The powder of it is commonly fold in Italy under the name of Claremont powder ; a name it obtained from a perfon who firft found out its virtues, and communicated them to the world in a treatife exprefly written on the fubje£l. Boccone Muf. de Fine. See the article Claremont Powder.
Chia Terra, in the materia medica of the antients, an earth of the marie kind, found in the ifland of Chio, and given in- ternally as an aftringent ; but its chief ufe among them was as a cofmetic, the ladies eftceming it the fineft of all things for cleanfing the fkin, and defacing wrinkles. What title it has to thefe qualities, the world has not of late ages inquired into ; but the fubftance is ftill in being, and to be had in any quantities from the fame place. And the de- fcriptions Diofcorides and Galen have left us of it are fo accu- rate, that there is not the leaft room to doubt but that the earth now found there was the very kind they ufed. It is a denfe compacted earth, yet very foft and of a texture eafily difunitcd and broken by water.
While in the ftratum it is of a dufky greyifh or bluifh white, very dry, and of a mattery ftructure ; when thrown upon the furface of the earth and left to the weather, it foon breaks in- to an impalpable powder, or melts into a fubftance like but- ter, and finks into the earth again ; but if taken up and dried, it becomes of a pale greyifh white, and is, feen to be laminated in its ftructure, or compofed of a great number of plates or thin crufts. It is remarkably fine and foft to the
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touch ; it adheres firmly to the tongue, is very eafily broken and crumbled to pieces between the fingers, and a little fta'ins the hands. Thrown into water it makes a flight bubbling and hiinng noife, and afterwards fwells and gradually melts into a fubftance like a thick cream. It ferments violently with acids, and fuffers no change in a moderate fire, except that it becomes a little whiter ; and by thefe characters may be diftinguilhed from all the other white earths. Hill's Hlft. of Foil", p. 4.6. Terra chnolia putpurafcens. See the article Steatites. Terra Foliata Tartari. This faponaceous fait, which is a fix- ed alkali, faturated with diftilled vinegar, is an excellent al- terative and diuretic, when taken in the quantity of half a dram to two drams. If taken in the dole of three to fix drams, it is a mild cathartic which never finks the fpirits, or occafions any violent diforder. It has been found of fervice indropfies. Med. Efl". Edinb. abr. Vol. 1. p. 166. Terra Goltbergenfis. See the article Goltbergensis
Terra. Terra Hydata, in our old writers, land fubjedt to the pay- ment of Hydage. Selden. Blount. Terra Lignicenfis. See the article Lignicensis Terra. Terra Livonica. See the article Livonica Terra. Terra Melia. See the article Melia Terra. Terra Melitenfts. See the article Melitensis Terra. Terra Merita, in the materia medica, a name given by fome authors to the curcuma or turmeric root. It is from a falfe pronunciation of this name Terr merit, that the Englifh turmeric has its origin. J. Bauhin. V.2. p. 146. Perfica Terra. See the article Persica Terra. Terra Sigillata Magni Duels. See the article Etrusca
Terra. Terra Sigillata fufca, a bole of a beautiful brown colour, found in Germany, England and America.
It is of a denfe texture, makes no fermentation with the ftrongeft acids, and if thrown into water, it foon feparates into a number of thin flakes.
The Germans give it in fluxes and malignant fevers, being an excellent aftringent, and worthy to be introduced into our fhops. SileJiacaTERRAySileJian Earth, in the materia medica^ a fine aftringent bole, called by fome authors axungia folis. It is very heavy, of a firm compact texture, and in colour of a brownifh yellow. It breaks eafily between the fingers, and does not ftam the hands, is naturally of a fmooth furface, and is readily diffufible in water, and melts freely into a butter- like fubftance in the mouth. It leaves no grittinefs between the teeth, and does not ferment with acid menftrua. Thefe are the characters by which it is known from all other earths of a like colour. It is found in the perpendicular fifTures of rocks near the gold mines at Strigonium in Hungary, and is fuppofed to be impregnated with the fulphur of that metal. It is, however that be, a good aftringent, and better than moft of the boles in ufe. Hill's Hift. of Foft. p. g. The Terra Silefiaca is alfo called Terra figillata Jhigonienfts. Boyle's, Works, Vol. 1. p. 500, 501*
Montanus gives us a high character of its virtues, and fays, it is gold tranfmuted by nature into an admirable medicine. Sennertus commends it as excellent againfl malignant fevers, diarrhoeas, £ffr. Boyle, ibid.
Agricola tells us, that the fpirit of this earth diflblves gold, as well as aqua regia, though more flowly, into a red folution; which, in a few days precipitates the gold in fine powder. He alfo mentions another earth found at Wefterwald, pre- ferable to this Silefian earth. Boyle, ibid. See the article Westerwald Earth. Sinopica Terra. See the article Sinopica Terra. Terra Sells, in natural hiftory, a name given by the German naturalifts to a kind of black fpungy earth, fomewhat ap- proaching to the nature of that Englifh black earth, which we call kellow, but containing gold. It is not properly an ore of gold, but is an earth into which fome fmall particles of gold have been wafhed from fome other place, and there de- tained. A good microfcope will difcover thefe particles in the richer pieces of the earth, and they are bright and pure, though very fmall. The earth is found in fiflures of the other ftrata, not in any beds or ftrata of itfelf. It is not to be had in any great quantity, nor does it contain any large portion of gold. Terra Strigoiwifis. See the article Strigonensis Terra. Turcica Terra. See the article Turcica Terra. Terra Virgine aurea, in natural hiftory, the name of a medi- cinal earth, mentioned by Boccone.
It is found at a place called Sancto Paolo, in the ftate of Mo- dern j and is thence fent to Venice, and many other places, where it is efteemed a very famous medicine. Its great ufe is in haemorrhages of all kinds ; but it is alfo given with fuccefs in malignant fevers. Boccone, Muf. dc Fine. TERR^JENBIN, in the materia medica of the antient Ara- bians, a word ufed as the name of a kind of manna ; it is evidently only a corruption of the word Tereniatin, which is plainly that kind of manna now known under the name of manna perficum. See the articles Manna Perficum, and Terekiabi.n,
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