S T O
about half an hour, the bars are to be fuddenly quenched in a large quantity of cold water. — [* See Method of mak- ing artificial magnets, Lond. 1751-]
For the expanfion of pel by heat, fee the article Heat, Append.
STKLLULARIA, in the Linnrean fyftem of botany, the name of a genus of plants, called by Tournefort alfine. See the article Alsine, Suppl.
STlCK-a-door, a name fometimes ufed for the Jloecbas, See the article Stoechas, Suppl. ■
STILLATORY, a name fometimes ufed for a ftill-houfe. See the article $TiLL-fau&, Suppl.
STILOBATUM, in architecture, denotes the body of the pedeftal of any column. See Pedestal, CycL
STIRK, or Sturk, a word ufed among country people for a young ox or heifer. Ruft. Diet, in voc.
STITCH -wort, a name fometimes given to the alfme, oxjlel- lular'ta of botanifts, otherwife called chkkweed. See the ar- ticle Alsine, Suppl.
STITHY, or Stu-jhy, is ufed either for a fmith's anvil, or a difeafe in oxen, cauung the (kin to ftick fo clofe to the ribs that they cannot ftir. Ruft. Di£t. in voc.
STIVER, a Dutch coin, twenty of which make a guilder. See the article Coin, CycL
STOCK-July-Jlower (Suppl.)— Dwarf Stock.- July-power, a name given by fome to the befperis. See the article He- speris, Suppl.
STOECHAS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, printed Jiaechas in the Supplement by an error of the pr.efs. See Stjechas, Suppl.
STOMATIA, in zoology, the name of a genus of fhell- fifh, frequently confounded with the ear-jhclt. See the ar- ticle EAR-Jbell, Suppl.
The fhell of the pmaiia is formed of one piece, has no perforations in any part of its furface, and is of a depreffed, flat figure ; and its mouth is the moft patent of all the uni- valve fhells, the limpet only excepted. It has a fhort fpiral turn running into the mouth at the head. There are feveral fpecies of this genus. See Hill, Hift. Anim, p. 1 19, feq.
STONE (CycL) — We have not only accounts of pnes of va-
. rious degrees of hardnefs taken out of the bladders of per- fons affected with this terrible maladv, but even of extra- neous matter lodged within, and ferving for the nucleus of thofepnes. Thus, in the Philofophical Tranfactions, there is an account of a boy who for a long time voided hair by urine, and afterwards being troubled with the Jlone, on be- ing cut for it, thepne taken away was very hard and heavy, and of the bignefs of a goofe's egg : it was covered with a cruft, looking like the mortar of an old wall, and this was full of cracks and chinks, out of every one of which there was found to grow hair.
The hairs, which he had been ufed to void by urine, cer- tainly grew alfo out of the clefts of this Jlone, for they would often hang out at the end of the penis j and on pulling them away, feemed to grow fait to fomething, and to be pulled out by the roots.
In another boy of about five or fix years of age, who was cut for the Jlone, the Jlone taken out being broken by acci- dent, there was difcovered within it a piece of flint, of the fhape and figure, as well as bignefs, of a common piftol flint. This ferved as the nucleus to the other ftony matter which encrufted it over. It is utterly impoffible that a flint, of this fhape, fhould have been formed in the bladder, nor is it eafy to account for its coming there ; the boy muft have fwallowcd it at fome time, but then its making its way into the bladder, is a very hard matter to account for. A perfon, who ufed himfelf to fwallow piftol bullets, is record- ed in the fame place to have voided them by urine, crufted over with Jiony matter ; but all this is equally hard to ac-
• count for. Philof. Tranf. N° 266. p. 688. Dr. Cheyne fays, that foap lees, foftened with a little oil of fweet almonds, drunk about a quarter of an ounce twice a day, on a fading ftomach ; or fuap and egg-fhell pills, with a total milk and feed diet, and Briftol-water ; will either diffolve the Jlone in the kidneys or bladder, or make it eafy. See Nat. Meth. of Curing, p. 266. We often meet with hiftories, in medical writers, of the
Jlone, or human calculus, making its way through unufual places, as the perineum, fcrotum, C5Y. See Philof. Tranf. N" 456.
Mr. le Dran afiurcs us, when a fmall Jlone is lodged in the neck of the bladder, the patient only is pained in pitting till the firft drops of the urine come awav; when the J? one is large, his greateft pain is while the laft drops are evacuat- ed; but when the difficulty of urining depends on the dif- eafes of the coats oi' the bladder, the pain continues all the time of the evacuation. By obferving tbefe fymptoms, he has declared people to have no pus in the bladder, after feveral others had allured them there was a Jlone ; and his opinion was confirmed by probing with the catheter. He names one inftanee of tins, in a perfon who had laboured under what he calls a contracted hardened bladder, whom he cured after feveral bleedings and purges, by injecting
S T O
into the bladder a decoction of marlh-mallow roots and^Iin- feed, which he changed afterwards for barley-water, with fome honey of rofes. By thefe he removed the pain, and brought the bladder, which at firft could fcarce contain two fpoonfuls of liquor, to the ordinary capacity. We have an account, in the Philofophical Tranfadtions, of a Jlone weighing above ten ounces, taken out of the bladder of a large maftif: on cutting the Jlone afunder, a piece of dog-grafs was found in its center. V id. Philof. Tranfact. N" 482. fea. 1.
We read of a Jlone in the bladder formed on a needle. See Med. Eft. Edinb. Vol. IV. art. 16.
Mr. Hales is of opinion that all paffable pnes, which have lately fallen from the kidneys into the bladder, and which have broken off from larger ones, might readily and cafily be brought out thence, by conveying into the empty bladder, by a catheter, fome very mucilaginous fubftance, fuch as fyrup of marfh- mallows, or a folution of gum arabic, or barley-water : fuch fubftances would bring away the Jlones foon, and with great eafe to the patient; and thereby not only prevent much pain by the fruitlefs endeavours to bring them away with the weak force of the urine, but alfo ef- fectually fecure the patient from the danger of their growing too big to come away, by long continuing in the bladder. Phil. Tranf. N° 477.
Pitcarn recommends the ufe of milk for common drink, in the Jlone, with barley-water and a little fugar. He adds, that he cannot give any better reafon why milk is fervice- able to nephritics, than becaufe the fame is always found ferviceable to gouty perfons. The fymptoms of both dif- eafes are the fame, excepting what relates to the parts af- fected.
Dr. Mead feems to think, that the proximate cau/e of this difeafe is a tartarous fait conveyed out of the blood into the fmall ducts of the kidneys : for it is the nature of thefe falts to contain a conliderable quantity of that fubtile matter which Newton * has fhewn to be the caufe of the cohefion of bodies. Thus, the calculus is a fubftance compefed of earth and a very large lhare of air concreted in the renal ducts; and either remains therein, or drops down into the urinary bladder.
As to the method of cure the Doctor obferves, to prevent thofe falts from fhooting into cryftals, lixivial falts feem to be very proper. Next to keep the cryftals from coa- lefcing into a calculous fubftance, oily medicines are very efficacious ; and this rule ought to take place with regard to diet as well as medicines.
But when calculous concretions are actually formed in the kidneys, and are to be brought away by the ureters, the cafe requires very prudent management. It is a very com- mon error in practice to give ftrong forcing diuretics with an imaginary view of driving out the gravel with the urine : whereas this intention is anfwered with greater fafety in moft cafes by relaxing and lubricating medicines ; efpecially, if in cafe of violent pain, bleeding be premifed, and anodynes interfperfed. For a Jlone is never forced out while the pa- tient is in great torture ; though when the pain ceafes it fometimes comes away unexpectedly, and almofl of its own accord, with the urine; and the reafon of this is, that pain conirringes the fibres of the parts, which refume their na- tural ftate, and perform their functions properly when the troublefome fenfation is over. Wherefore three or four grains of opium, diflblved in five or fix ounces of the com- mon decoction, may be given by way of clyfter ; which will greatly relieve the pain, and fometimes procure greater ad- vantages. However, there are conjunctures, after the pain is abated, when powerful diuretics may be adminiftred ; but with this precaution, that as foon as they have had their effect, they are no longer to be continued.— [* See Life of Mr. Boyle prefixed to his works.]
All this while the body fhould constantly be kept open : wherefore, in cafe of coftivenefs, it will be expedient to give clyfrers, and fometimes to purge gently with infufion of fena and manna : but ftrong cathartics are to be a- voided.
Of the lubricating medicines abovementioned, the chief are oil of fweet almonds, fyrup of marfh-mallows, emulfions made with almonds, and the like ; to which may be added, the ufe of the warm bath. But among the powerful diu- retics, turpentine and foap are the beft. Such is the courfe to be purfued in the paroxyfm of the dif- eafe. But out of it the patient fhould ufe bodily exercife, efpecially riding every day, but fo as not to fatigue : his food fhould be mild, and of eafy digeftion ; and his drink either fmall wine and water, or new foft ale ; which will be ren- dered better and wholfomer, if ground-ivy leaves be infufed in it, while it is working. Mead is likewife a proper drink ; for honey is an excellent diuretic. A fpoonful alfo of honey in a glafs or two of the infufion of marfh-mallows roots, is an admirable cleanfer of the kidneys, if ufed for a con- ftancy. The wines ought to be the fofteft and fmootheft that can be had ; and the lighteft, cleareft river, or running water, is preferable to all other. For, as Pliny * fays, thofe fprings are particularly condemned, the waters
of
