V I T
V I T
of Lancafhire; and all thefe are very little better than the dif- covery of a medicated water in Oldflreet, from the remains of an old colour-fhop, or Kircher's reckoning the common fhores of Rome among the medicated fprings of Italy. The vitriolic fpring which has been fo much talked of near Haigh in Lancashire, is no other than an accidental impreg- nation of common water, in the fame manner, it being only the runnings of an old drift, or drain, made to carry off the water from fome pits of cannel-coal ; and this, like the other, as it fometimes has water, and at other times is dry, gives time for the pyrites to let go its vitriol while dry, and then imparts it to the waters that pafs that way afterwards. Thefe are not to be accounted medicated fprings, fmce neither natu- ral nor continual, and fuch may be any day made at home, by laying the common pyritna of our clay, or coal-pits, out to moulder in the air, and then pouring water upon it, and after a fhort time (landing, taking it off again. Phil. Tranf. N°. 245. p. 380.
VITRUM, in botany, a name given by fome of the old writers to the plant we now call glajlum or woad. This plant has always been a native of England, and was in ufe among the favage inhabitants of this ifland, for painting their bodies. Thofe who have not underflood this to be the
' name of that plant, have been ftrangely perplexed to account for thefe people's painting their bodies with Vitrum, glafs, as they underflood it : But the whole meaning of this plant ob- taining the name of Vitrum, feems to have been its flaming the fk'm to a pale blue colour, or, as it was called by many, a glafs-colour.
Vitrum, Glafs. As impenetrable as glafs is to the common menflruums, we find it eaten by the air in length of time, when cxpofed in old windows j but the effects of its being kept . in a fubteiraneous place are much more flrange. Borricbius tells us, that at the time when he was at Rome, there was dug up a whole houfe from under the kitchen-garden of a citi- zen. The houfe had been buried there ten ages, and there were found in it feveral glafs urns, or lachrymatories. The glafs of thefe had no holes made in it, as our old glafs in cham- ber-windows has, but flill retained its fmooth furface and tranfparence ; but it was fplit into a vail number of thin laminae, which were as pellucid and fine as Mufcovy glafs j and in fome places were tinged with all the beautiful colours that art could have given. We are not acquainted 1 perf.6t.ly with the antient way of working their glafs ; but it is not probable there could be any thing particular in the formation of the veiTcl, to determine it to fplit thus into flakes ; but that glafs of the fame Icind, in any form, would have done the fame. Borrich. de Ortu Chemise.
Vitrum Antimpnii Ceratum, in pharmacy, is thus prepared : Take glafs of antimony in powder, one ounce, bees wax' one dram ; melt the wax in an iron ladle, then add the powder 3 fet them on a flow fire without flame, for the fpace of half an hour, continually flirring them with a fpatula ; then take it from the fire ; pour it upon a piece of clean white paper, powder it, and keep it for ufe.
The glafs melts in the wax with a very flow fire. After the materials have been about twenty minutes on the fire, they begin to change colour, and in ten more come to the colour of fnuff; which is a mark of the medicine's being fufficiently prepared.
The ordinary dofe for adults is ten or twelve grains ; but it is fafeft to begin with fix grains. The quantity of a fcruple has been given to a ilrong man, which wrought gently. This medicine has for fome time been held a fpecific in dyfen- teries; but the preparation and manner of giving it have been kept a fecret, till Dr. Young generoufly made it public. Dr. John Pringle fays, he tried it in a dyfentery of four years Handing, with fiirprizing fuccefs. See Med. Eff. Edmb. vol.5. art. 15.
It has been given in dyft'nteries, with or without a fever, whether epidemic or otherwife, and whether bleeding and vo- mits have been premifed, or not. In its operation, it fome- times makes the patient fick, and vomits him ; it purges al- moft every perfon ; but it has been known to cure without any evacuation or iicknefs. It is to be given with an empty flomach, for then it operates molt mildly. Nothing is to be drank after it for three hours, unlefs the patient is very fick, and difpofed to vomit ; in which cafe warm water may be oi- ven, as in other vomits.
This medicine Ihould not be given for diarrhoeas in the end of confumptions. Other diarrhoeas have been cured with large dofes of it 3 but in fuch cafes it fails oftner than in dyfenteries. During the ufe of this powder, fermented liquors fhould be abfla'med from, and a milk diet is proper. See Medic. EfT. Edinb. ibid.
This preparation has alfo been found fuccefsful in uterine hae- morrhages, both in young and old.
It has alfo been tried in colic pains, from vifcidities in the in- teilines, and found a fafe and eafy purgative, and fometimes a gentle emetic.
1 he method of giving it is in a bolus, with conferve of rofes, diafcordium, or theriaca Edinenfis. An opiate, after the ope- ration, is proper. See Medic. Eff. or the Abridgment, vol.i. p. 193. feq.
Vitrum Morrhinum, Morrhine, or Myrrhine Glafs , a name given by Pliny, and fome of the antients, to a fort of manu- facture made in Egypt, which though truly no other than a kind of glafs duelled of its tranfparency, yet was made fo nicely to imitate the myrra or ?norra of the Indies, fo famous among the Romans, under the form of cups and veflels, cal- led murrbina vafa, that it was called by fome, murrha altera another fort ot murrba, and the cups made of it honoured with the nanie of murrhine vejjels. This ferves to Ihew, that the myrrhina vafa, properly fo called, were not of any precious flone, as vulgarly fuppofed, but of a fort of porcelain. See the article Morrina.
VITTA, among the Romans, a fillet with which the women in Rome bound their hair. The matrons wore a double one, to diftinguifl) them from the virgins, whofe Vitte were An- gle.
Pitta were alfo worn by priefls and' poets-, in which cafe they were made of branches of olive or laurel - } the flatues of the gods were likewiie adorned with Pitta--, as were altars, the doors of temples, victims and fupplicants. P'itifc. in voc.
Vitta Ctsrulea, in conchy liology, a fpecies of doliu?n. Seethe article Dolium.
Vitta, in ichthyology, a name given by Gaza, and fome others, to the fifh called by others, tania 3 and by the Italians, cepole. See the articles' T Jen i a and Cepole.
VITULUS Marinus, ihefea-calf, in zoology. See the article Phoca.
Vitulus, Calf, in zoology. See the article Calf. '
Vituli Aquatici, in the hiftory of infects, a name given by the German writers to thofe {lender and long worms found in waters, and refembling horfe-riairs, and which are fuppofed by the vulgar to be' no other than real hairs, animated by lying in the water. We are not yet perfectly informed of all parts of their hiftory ; but Dr. Lifter has found them in the bodies of feveral of the common beetles.
VI TUS's Dance, or St. Vitus'/ Dance, in medicine, the name of a peculiar fort of convulfion, to which young women are principally fubject, toward the time of the firfl eruption of the menfes.
It feems to have had its name from the account which Hor- ftius gives of fome women who once every year paid a vifit to the chapel of St. Piius near Ulm, and there exercifed them- felves day and night in dancing, being difordered in mind, till they fell down like people in an extafy : By this means they were always reflored to health for a whole year, till the return of May, at which time they were again feized with a refllefs- nefs, and diforderly motions of their limbs, fo as to be obliged, at the anniverfary of St. Pitus i to repair again to the faid chapel, for the fake of dancing. Horjtius, Ep. Med. S. 7. It is the mod frequent with girls, yet not peculiar to them, attacking boys alfo, from the age often to fourteen. It firfl fhews itfclf by a fort of lamenefs, or rather unfleadinefs of one of the legs, which the patient draws after him like an idiot, and afterwards affects the hand on the fame fide j which being brought to the bread, or any other part, can by no means be held in the fame poflure for a moment, but is diflorted or ftretched by a fort of convulfion to a different poflure and place, notwithstanding all poffible efforts to the contrary. If a glafs of liquor be put into the patient's hand to drink, be- fore he can get it to his mouth, he makes a hundred odd gri- maces and geflures, for not being able to carry it flrait, be- .caufe his hand is drawn different ways by the convulfion, as foon as it has reached his lips, he throws it fuddenly into his mouth, and drinks it very nattily, as if he meant only to di- vert the fpectators.
As this diforder appears to proceed from fome fharp humours thrown upon the nerves, which, by their irritation, excite preternatural motions, it feems that the curative indications are to be directed firfl to leflen thofe humours by bleeding and purging, and fecondly, to flrengthen the nervous fyflem. Dr. Sydenham therefore propofes the following method : Firft to take from the arm feven or eight ounces of blood, more or lefs, according to the flrength of the patient. The next day let him take a gentle purge of rhubarb, fena, manna, &c. In the evening of this day, let him take a draught, with a fcruple of Venice-treacle, and eight drops of liquid laudanum mixed in honey and milk-water. This purging and opiate draught is to be repeated at fome days diflance, and the bleeds ing is alfo to be repeated to the fourth time ; and in the inter- mediate days, a cordial and nervous electuary is to be given, compofed of the conferves ofrofemary, orange-peel, and Ro- man wormwood, with Venice-treacle, candied nutmeg and candied ginger ; of this the bgnefs of a nutmeg may be given every morning and afternoon, drinking after it a decoction of piony, mailer-wort, and elecampane, and angelica-roots, the leaves of rue, fage, betony, and other cephalic plants, with orange-peel, and juniper-berries.
Spirit of harts-horn may alfo be given every night in fmall dofes, in a nervous julep, and plailers of gum caranna may be applied to the foles of the feet. According as the cure advances, the patient recovers the ufe of his hand and foot, and his amendment may always be difcovered by letting him attempt to bring a glafs of any liquor to his mouth in a flrait line; though the bleeding fhculd not be repeated beyond the fourth
