BAT
Subftances continually emit Fumes, which warm the Wa- ters in their Paffagc thro 'em. In mod Hot Baths, how- ever, there are likewife mixt Particles of iron, Allom, Ni- tre, and other Mineral Bodies, which give 'em an acid altringcnt Taft. The chief hot "Bath in our Country, is that near Wells in Somerfetjhire ; another there is of letter Note at Buxton. Thefe Waters abound with a Mineral Sulphur : They are hot, of a blueifti Colour, and flrong Scent, and fend forth thin Vapours. In the City of Bath are four hot Baths; one Triangular, called the Crofs Bath, from a Crofs that formerly flood in the midfl of it ; the Heat of which is more gentle than the others, bccaufe it has fewer Springs : The fecond is the Hot Bath, which heretofore was much hotter than the reft, when it was not fo large as it now is : The other two are the King's and the Queen's Bath, divided only by a Wall, the laft having no Spring, but receiving the Water from the King's Bath, which is about <fo Feet fquare, and has in the mid- dle of it many hot Springs, which render its healing Qua- lity more effectual. Each of thefe hath a Pump to throw out Water upon the Difeafed, where 'tis required. The Waters of thefe Baths don't pafs thro the Body, like other Mineral Waters ; but if Salt be added, they purge prefently. On Settlement, it affords a black Mud, ufed by way of Ca- taplafm in Aches ; of more Service to fome than the Wa- ters themfelves : the like it depotits on Diftillation, and no other. Dr. Aftendoff found the Colour of the Salt drawn from the King's and Hot Bath, yellow, and that from the Crofs Bath white ; whence he concludes, that the Croft Bath has more Allom and Nitre than the Hotter, which abound more with Sulphur; and yet the Crofs Bath is found to loofen fhrunk Sinews, by which it fhould not feem to abound much with Allom : 'tis harfher to the Taft than the others, and foaks the Hands more. The Crofs Bath preys on Silver, and all of 'em on Iron, but none on Brafs.
The Bath is very ufeful in Difeafes of the Head, as Parties, igc. in cuticular Difeafes, as Leprofies, &c. Ob- fttuctions and Hardnefs of the Bowels, the Scurvy and Stone, and in moft Difeafes of Women and Children. Thefe Baths have perform'd many Cures, and are commonly ufed as a laft Remedy in obftinate Chronick Difeafes; where they fucceed well, if they agree with the Confuta- tion of the Patient : but whether they will agree or nor, cannot be known without Trial.
Cold Baths were long banifh'd out of Medicine, tho the Antients had them in the greateft Efteem : But the Im-
(provements accruing to Phyfick from Geometry and Me- chanicks, have brought them into ufe again ; and the pre- fent Age can boaft abundance of noble Cures perform'd by
- em, and fuch as were long attempted in vain by the molt
powerful Medicines. The Cold Bath is one of the moft univerfal and innocent Remedies yet difcover'd. 'Tis fer- viceable in moft Chronick Diftcmpers, and reckon'd fo fafe that Phyiicians fometimes prefcribe it in a beginning Phthifis, or Confumption, when the Lungs are but Slightly affected. The Effect of Cold-Bathing is attributed not on- ly to its Chilnefs and conftringing Power, but in fome mea- fure to the Weight of the Water. For, fuppofing a Perfon immerged two Foot, and the Area of his Skin to be 15 Foot, he fuftains a Weight of Water, added to that of the Air, = 2280/. for 2, the Number of Cubical Feet of Water preiling upon a Foor fquare of the Skin x jfi, the Number of Pounds in a Cubical Foot of Water, is = 152 ; which X 15, the fuppofed Number of fquare Feet on the Sur- face of the Body, is = 2280/. Troy. Betides, the Water in Bathing enters the Body, and mixes with the Blood. For the Rife and Progrefs of Cold-Bathing, and the Cures effected thereby, fee Flayer's and Baynard's Hiftory of Cold-Bathing.
For Artificial Baths, they are various, according to the various Occafions. See Balneum. Sometimes they confift of Milk and emollient Herbs, Rofe- Water, f$c. when the Defign is to humectate ; at other times of Bran and Water, when the Defign is only to cleanfe : Sometimes again, they are made of a Decoction of Roots and Plants, with an Addition of Spirit of Wine, when a Perfon bathes for a great Pain or Tumor, ££c. To thefe may be added the Bagnio, where People are made to fweat by the Heat of a Room, and pouring on of hot Water; after which they generally go into a hot Bath. See Bagnio.
Vafour-Baths are when the Patient is not plunged into what is prepar'd for theStfr/',but only receives its Steam or Fume upon thofe Parts of his Body which require it : Thus, in fome Diftempers of the Fundament, and Womb, the Pa- tient fits and receives the Fumes of a proper Fomentation or Decoction. There is another Species of Baths, made by the burning of Spirit of Wine, the Patient being placed in a convenient dole Chair for the Reception of" the Fume, which rifes and provokes Sweat in a plentiful manner: Care is here taken to keep the Head out, and fecure Re- fpiration. This Bath has been tbund very effectual in re- moving old obflinate Pains in the Limbs, and Venereal
(9* )
BAT
Complaints; and will often complcat a Cure left unper- torm d by Salivation. See Sudatory,
_ Baths, in Architecture, were allb large pompous Build- ings among the Antients, erected for the (ike of Batbinz On the fide of each Bath were Lavers, which afforded "' ) V " er f nd cold, to alter its Temperature at Pleafure. Iheie Baths were frequented more for the fake of Plea- lure than Health. The molt magnificent were thofe of Titus, Paulus Emitim, and SieclefSan, of which there are fome Ruins flill remaining. 'Tis faid, that at Rome there were 85S Baths, publick and private. Fabricuis adds, that the exceffive Luxury of the Romans, appear'd in nothing more vifible, than in their Baths. 'Pltiiy tells us that Common People, and even Slaves, had the Walls and Grounds befmear'd with rich Ointments. Seneca complains, that the Baths of Plebeians were fill'd from Silver Pumps ; and that theFreed-men trod on Gems Ma- crobms tells us of one Sergius Orattis, a Voluptuary, who had pendent Baths, hanging in the Air. See Therm*.
Sath, ,in Chymiftry. See Balneum, mi Artificial Bath.
Knights of the Bath, a military Order in England, in- ltituted by Richard II, who ordain'd that there mould be no more than four ; but his Succeifor Henry IV, increas'd them to 4«. Their Motto was, Tres in unci, fianifyine the three Theological Virtues. 'Twas the Cuitom to bathe be- fore they rcceiv'd the Golden Spurs ; but this was only ob- iervdat firft, being afterwards gradually dropt: How- ever this gave them the Name. The Order of Knkhts of the Bath is fcarcc ever confer'd, but at tho Coronation ot Kings, or the Inauguration of a. Prince of Wales, or Duke of Tork They wear a red Ribbon Belt-wife.. Camden and others lay, Henry IV was the Initiator in i$> 9 , and upon this occafion : That Prince being in the Bath, was told by tome Knight, that two Widows came to demand Juftice of him ; when his Majetty leaping out of the Bath, cryed, he ought to prefer doing Juflice to his Subjeas to the llcafure ot the Bath; and thereupon created Knights of the Bath. Some Authors, however, will have rhe Or- der of rhe Bath to have been on foot long before Henry IV. Be this as it will, 'tis certain the Bath had been ufed long before, in the Creation of Knights, in France ; tho there was no Order for making of Knights.
,„PA T ? MUS ' in Anat °my, a Bone, tire fame as Trochlea. Which fee.
■ S 4 !??' 1" Afchiteaure, " a large Ring, or Moulding, in the Bale ot a Column, otherwife call'd Tore. See Tore
Baton in Heraldry, a Kind of Bend that has only one third of the ufual Breadth. See Battoon.
BATRACH1TES, a Stone fuppofed to be found in Frogs to which the antient Phyficians andNaturaliils attribute the Virtue of refitting Poifon. The Word is form'd from the Greek, &t{#x j ©-, rana, a ftog,
BATRACHOMYOMACHIA, a War of the Frogs and the Mice; the Title of a fine Burlefque Poem ufually af- cnbed to Homer. The Subjeft of the War is the Death of Pfycbarpax, a Moufe, Son of Toxartes, who being mounted on the Back of Phyfignates, a Frog, on a Voyage to her Palace, to which (he had invited him, was feiz'd with Fear when he faw himfelf in the middle of the Pond, io that he tumbled off and was drown'd. Phyfignates be- ing fufpefted to have fhook him off with Defign, the Mice required Satisfaflion, and unanimoufly declared War a- gainft the Frogs. Stephens, Nllnhts, and other modern Authors, take the Poem not to be Homer's ; but the Anti- ents feem of another Opinion; and Statins, who wrote under Womitian makes no doubt of it. The Word comes from th %tZi^ Jt ^ & '^' V»,mwfi, minsyi^pugna.
BA I ABL,b Ground was Land lying between England and Scotland, heretofore in queition to which it belono'd when they were diflinct Kingdoms. It fignifies the fame as litigious, or difputable Ground. From battre, to beat.
BATTALION, a little Body of Infantry rang'd in form of Battel and ready to engage. A Battalion ufually con- tains from 5 to 800 Men, of which one Third are ufually Pikes in the middle, and the other two Thirds are Muf- quets potted on the Wings': But the Number of Men it confifls of is not determined. They are ufually drawn up with fix Men in File, or one before another; thofe in Length, or Side by Side, being call'd Ranks : Some Regi- ments confift but of one Battalion, others more numerous are divided into feveral. French Regiments have i« Com- panies to a Battalion. See Regiment. The Word Batta- lion comes from Battel, an Engagement of two Armies, (gc. and that from Battualia, the Place where two Men fight ; or from Battalia, the Exercife of People who learn to fight.
BATTEN is a Name the Workmen give to a Scant- ling of wooden Stuff, from two to four Inches broad, and about an Inch thick; the Length is pretty confiderable, but undetermined. The Term is chiefly ufed in (peaking of Doors, iSc which are not framed of whole Deal ifc with Stiles, Rails, and Pannels, like Wainfcct, but are"
made
