SAL
Salii from Saltare, to dance ; becaufe, after affifting at Sacrifices, they went dancing about the Streets with JJncyles or Bucklers in the Lett-Hand, and a Rod in the Right, ttriking mufically on one another's Bucklers with their Rods, and finging Hymns in Honour of the Gods. There were Two Companies or Colleges oi Salii : The an- cient eftablifhed by Numa, called 'Palatini ; the latter by Uv.llus Hofiilim, called Cellini, and Jgomles. Servi&s, indeed, tell us, That there were Two Kinds in- itiated by Jsuma, the QM'mi and ghtirmales; and Two other Kinds by Tullus, the Pavorii and Pal- loni. In Singing, they ufed a Song called Saltan Carmen ; and after the Ceremony, were entertained with a Feaft: Whence Saliares Bpulee, and Sal/ares Da^es, parted in- to a Proverb for good Eating. Their Chief, called Prtful, and Alagijler Salicrum, was one of their Number. 'Twas he led the Band, and begun the Dance 5 the reft imita- ting all his Step<: and Motions. The whole Company was called Collegium Saliorum.
Sex Pompehts makes mention of Saltan Maids, Virgines Saliares, hired for the Purpofe, and joyned with the Salii, wearing a Kind of Military Garb, ca\\c<\ Palitda?nenttwz, with high round Bonnets like the Salii, and, like them, performing Sacrifice with the Pontiles in the Palaces of Kings. M. Patin takes it, there is a Figure of one of the Salii on a Medal of the Sagnhiian Family; who, be- fides the Buckler in one Hand, holds the Caditceus in the other. But his Look is very grave and iedatc 5 and be. fides, the Buckler he holds, does not teem to be anAncyle, as being quite round, and not indented any where. And again, why fhould a Prieft of Mars, the God of War, be repretemed with a Caduceus, the Emblem of Peace ? 'Tis probable therefore, this is no Figure of any Salius, as Patin imagines.
SALIVA, Spittle, a thin pellucid Humour, Separated by the Glands about the Mouth and Fauces $ and conveyed by proper Salival 'Duels into the Mouth, for feveral Utes. See Salival 1)u$s. It contifts of a great deal of Water or Phlegm, and a Volatile Salt ; ibme add, a fulphurous Spirit. The Saliva, 'Boerhdave obferves, is void both of Tafte and Smell - 7 does not harden by Heat j is more copious, fluid, fharp, penetrating, and detergent, as a Perlbn has falted longer 5 and is feparated from the pure Arterial Blood. The Glands wherein the Saliva is ieparatedfrom the Blood, are the Parotides; the Maxillary Glands; the Sublivguales, or thofe under the Tongue ; the Amygdalee, or Almonds of the Ears, and the Pala- tini, or Glands of the Palate ; Sec each under its proper Article. The great Ufe of the Saliva, is in mafticating and diluting the Food, and making the firft Digeftion thereof. The other Ufes are to moiften the Tongue, to render its Motion more quick and eafy$ to lubricate the Throat and Oejbphagus, in order to facilitate Degluti- tion, to prevent Thirft, and to aflift in the Senfation of Taftes, by diflblving the Salts. Some imagine it to do the Office of a Menfiruuni to mix the oily and aqueous Parts of the Food more intimately, to diffoive the Saline Parts, and to procure a Fermentation in the Stomach. But Dr. ibr&ks will not allow it fit for that Purpofe. Were the Saliva, fays he, acrimonious enough for this, 'twould be impoffible but it muft offend the Stomach ; efpe- cially, considering the Quantities of it that many fwal- low, even upon an empty Stomach. See Digestion.
M. Gaflaldy, who has a Medicinal Thefis on the Sub- ject of the Saliva, obferves, That it takes its Name from the Salt it contains ; which Salt he will have to be partly a Volatile Acid, and partly Alcalious. He adds, That it contains Ibme Oleaginous Parts, and a little Earth. By being compounded of fo many different Kinds of Parts, it becomes a DifTolvent proper for all the different Kinds of Foods whereof we live. Its natural and lau- dable State, is to be a little more Vifcid than common Water, and much lefs fo than Milk. 'Tis preferved in this State by the Application of the Spirits, and of the Particles of Air which infinuate into it. According to all Appearance, the Saliva is derived from the Blood of the Arteries. Part of the Arterial Blood brought to the Sali- val Glands, ferves to feed them ; another Part is re turned into the Veins, and continues the Circulation, and a third Part, which is the Serum, receiving a fiib-acid Quality from them, is converted into Saliva. Some Au- thors have imagined, that the Nervous Juice contributed to the Compofition of the Saliva ; the rather becaufe larger and more numerous Twigs of Nerves are commu- nicated to thefe Glands, than to moft other Parts, which yet have a more exquifite Feeling than thefe. But Dr. Nuck has refuted this Opinion by feveral Experiments.
Too great an Excretion of Saliva, Soerbaave obferves, diforders the firft Digeftion ; and hence caufes Thirft, Drynefs, a black Bile, Confiimption, Atrophy ; On the contrary, if no Saliva be difcharged into the Mouth, or lefs than ordinary, it fpoils both the Manducation of the
[ 10]
SAL
Food, and its Tafte, Swallowing, and Digeflion ; and withal, occafions Thitft.
SALIVAL, or Salivary 1)10$, in Anatomy, certain little Canals lately difcovered ; whereby the Saliva falls into the Mouth. The Lower Salival DuR comes from rhe Maxillary Glands, iituate under the lower Jaw, and terminated behind the Denies Tncifores. It was firlt de- ferred by our Dr. Whartcm, in his Trcarile of the Glands, in 1656. The Upper Salival Duel was difco- vered by Kicolas Stem, in 1660. It comes from the Parotid Glands ; whence perforating the Bucci- nator, it terminates near the third Upper Grinder. Cafp, Barthcline, in 1682, difcovered another Salival Duel, coming from the Glands iituate on the Side of the Tongue ; tho' Rivinus, a Phyfician of Leipfw, had men- tioned it before, in a DifTertation printed in 1679. Anth. Nuck, Profeflor at Leiden, difcovered a fourth Salival Dad, arifing from a Gland fituate in the Orbit of the Eye, between the Muftultis ObduBcr, and the Upper Part of the Os Jugale. Thefe Dufls are all double, there being one of each Kind on eirher Side. But 'ris pretended, the Two laft are only found in fome Brutes, and not in Man.
As the Demand of Saliva is greateft in Maftication Deglutition, Talking, &c. lb, Dr. 'Drake obferves the Dif- polition of the Salival Ducts, to favour the Dilcharge on thole Occafions, is very remarkable : Thus the Ducfs of the 'Parotides pals dole over the Mitfculi Majj'eleres, and thro' the 'Buccinatorcs. The Salival Duffs of the Afaxillary Glands pal* dole under the Mylohyoideus, where the fitbliffgUdl Glands are placed j by Means whereof, the Ih'tumeice'nce of the MaJJeters, in Chewing, accelerate the Spittle in the 'Parotid SalivalDutls ; as rhe Mylohyoideus does in the AiSlion of Deglutition, in drawing the Nyoides upwards. The Agitation of the Cheeks and Lips, is fuf- ficienc to promote the Difcharge from the Glands of the Lips, i$c.
SALIVATION, in Medicine, a promoting of the Flux of Saliva, by Means of Medicines ; chiefly Mercury, See Mercurials. The chief Ufe of Salivation is in Difeafes adhering to the Glands, and the Aiembrana. Adipofa; principally in the Cure of the Venereal Dileafe. 'Tis fometimes aifo ufed in Epidemic Difeafes. The Body is prepared for Salivation by a copious and conti- nued Ule of attenuating, diluting, foftening Decoclions 5 as of Scabious, Pellitory, China, Sarfaparilla, Saflafras, and Santal. Salivation is either ^Partial or Universal. By the firft, only, the Humours of fome Part of the Body are ro be difcharged ; as in Catarrhs, Looth-ach, &c. By the feennd, the whole Mais of Blood is to be purged. The firft is railed by a flow continued Chewing of lbme tena- cious Matter, as Maflich, Wax, Myrrh ; specially if other fharp Things-fee 1 mixed with them, as Pyrethrum or Bar- tram, Ginger, or Pepper. Or by drawing in fharp irritating Vapours, as thole of Tobacco, Rolemary, Thyme, Mar- joram, t£c. The latter is effected by the Action of fuch Medicines as create fome flight but conftant Naitfea ; as Stibium not quite fixed, nor yet quite emetic ; a little com- mon Vitriol, !$c. but chiefly fitch as diffoive all the Parts of the Mafs of Blood, turn them into Lymphd, and thus caule a 'Ptyalifa. Such is crude Quickfilver, Cinna- . bar, a Solution of Quickfilver in Aqua-fortis, White and Red Precipitate, Turbith Minerale, fweet Sublimate of Mercury, {5c.
Mercurial Salivation, is now a very ufual Me- thod of Cure ; efpecially in Venereal Scrophulous, and Hypochondriac Cafes. In Effect., it proves the fureft Remedy yet difcovered for the Lues ; rho' the Difcovery hereof, as that of moll other Remedies, is owing to Chance. Jac. Carpi, a Phyfician of Boulogne, having read in Avicenne and Mejve, Two Arab Authors, that Mercury applied externally, was proper for the Lepra, and lbme Kinds of Pnflules, particularly the Scabies or the Itch ; had a Mind to try it in a Pocky Itch : A Salivation was hereupon unexpectedly raifed, and the Patient was cured not only of his Itch, but of his Pox. The fame Method he afterwards ufed for the Pox itfelf; and meet- ing with great Succefs therein, others were induced to fol- low him ; and thus did it arrive at its prelent Height.
There are Two Manners of applying Mercury to raife a Salivation : The one external, by mixing ir up with lbme Unguent, Plaifter, or Perfume, and then rubbing it on the Joints, £s?c. The other internal, where 'tis taken at the Mouth. In each Cafe the Mercury infinuates it felf into the Mafs of Blood, and mixing with the Ve- nereal Poifbn, the Two Bodies thus locked together, are drawn, with the Serofiry, into the Salival Glands, where they are. feparated and difcharged, as finding the Pores of the Glands proportioned to their Figures, and proper to receive them. But, for the Manner wherein the Mer-' cury aefs to raife the Salivation, fee Mercurials. Dr. £>iiincy, will have the internal to be much the fafer
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