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attain to the Prolongation of Life, both thefe Methods rauft be ufed, and the Human Body mull be preferved both as Inanimates, as Flame, and as Mechanical Inftru- ments are preferved. Hence arife three Intentions for the Prolongation of Life : Retardation of Confumption, proper Reparation, and Renovation of what begins to grow old. Confumption isoccalion'd by two kinds of De- predation ; a Depredation of the Innate Spirit, and a De- predation of the Ambient Air. Thefe may be each pre- vented, two ways ; either by rendering thofe Agents lefs predatory, or by rendering the paffive Parts (viz. the Juices of the Body) lefs liable to be prey'd on. The Spirit will be render'd lefs predatory, if either its Sub- fiance be condenfed, as by the Ufe of Opiates, Grief, £Sjc. or its Quantity dimini/hed, as in fpare and mo- naftic Diets ; or its Motion calm'd, as in Idlenefs and Tranquillity. The Ambient Air becomes lefs predatory, if h be either lefs heated by the Rays of the Sun, as in cold Climates, in Caves, Mountains, and Anchorites Cells ; or be kept off from the Body, as by a denfe Skin, the Feathers of Birds, and the Ufe of Oil and Unguents without Aromatics. The Juices of the Body are rendered lefs liable to be prey'd on, either by making them harder, or more moift and oily. Harder, as by a coarfe /harp Diet, living in the Cold, robuft Exercifes, and fome Mi- neral Baths. Moiller, as in the Ufe of fweet Foods, &c. in abftaining from Salts and Acids, and efpecially in fuch a Mixture of Drink, as confifls wholly of fine fubtile Particles without any Acrimony or Acidity. Reparation is performed by means of Aliment. Alimentation is pro- moted four ways: By the Concoction of the Vifcera, fo as to extrude the Aliment j by exciting the exterior Parts to the Attraction of the Aliment, as in proper Exer- cifes and Frications, and fome Unctions and Baths j by the Preparation of the Food it felf, fo as it may more eafily infinuate it felf, and in fome meafure anticipate the Digedion, as in various Ways of drefling Meats, mixing Drinks, fermenting Breads, and reducing the Virtues of thefe three into one ; by promoting the Aft of Aflimila- tion it felf, as in feafonable Sleep, fome external Appli- cations, ttfe. The Renovation of what begins to grow old, is performed two ways, by the Inteneration of the Habit of the Body, as in the Ufe of Emollients, Emplafters, Unctions, &c; of fuch a nature, as do not extract, but imprefs 5 or by purging off the old Juices, and fubfti- tuting fre/h ones, as in Seafonable Evacuations, Atte- nuating Diets, &c.
The fame Author adds thefe three Axioms : That the Prolongation of Life is to be expected rather from fome itated Diets, than either from any ordinary Regimen, or any extraordinary Medicines ; more from opetating on the Spirits, and mollifying of the Parts, than from the Manners of feeding : and this mollifying of the Parts without, be performed by Confubttantials, Impri- lnents, and Occludents. See Longevity.
LIGAMENT, a Term in Anatomy. Tn its general Signification, Ligamenris any thing that ties or binds one Bart to another, in which Senfe the Antients ufed the "Word for Membranes, Skin, Fle/h, Veins, and Arteries, as being common Ligaments. But in its more proper Sig- nification, Ligament is a white, tough, folid inflexible Body, inclofing and keeping together the Jon&ures of the Body. It has no confpicuous Cavities, nor has it any Senfe '■> lelt it mould luffer on the moving of the Bones, and is very different according to the different Parts where it is found. It is harder than a Membrane, yet fofter than a Cartilage ; !ts principal Ufe is to gird and itrengthen the Jonctures, to prevent the Dillocation of the Bones, and even to fallen them together when they have no Articulation. It alfo ferves as a Covering to the Tendons, to feparare them from the Mufcles, and to hold up thefuffended Entrails, left their Weight fhould throw them down 5 fuch are the Ligaments of the Liver, the Bladder, atd Matrix. They are of different Subflances, fome hard, others foft, membranous, ner- vous, and cartilaginous, as alfo of different Figures and Situations. Some arife from Bones, others from Cartila- ges, and others from Munbranes. The Ligamejtt is the molt Terreftrial of all the Parts of the Body after the Bone and Cartilage, behg cold, dry, hard, and infenfi- ble like them.
In particular, the fe'eral Ligaments of the Body are the cartilaginous Ligamens, which bind the four Bones of the Metacarpus with tht Carpus. The Ligaments of the Spine are very ilrong, >eing fitted to the Articulations of the Vertebras, to present their Luxations in violent Motions. They are of tvo kinds, the one thick and fi- brous, in form of a Crcfent, which bind them both at top and bottom j and the others membranous, ferving to fallen them the more ftcurely. The Ligaments of the Liver are two in Number, the firit, which is the chief, called Ligamepitt'.m Stfpe?tf<rium, holds it fufpended to the
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Diaphragm, penetrating into the Subftance of the Liver, to hold it the more firmly ; the latter is larger, but more lax, it comes from the external Coat of the Liver, and is fattened to the Cartilage Xipboides. Some add a third, which is formed out of the Umbilical Veffels, which in Adults dry up and become a Ligament. There are two Laments belonging to the Tongue, one that fa- ttens it by its Root to the Us Hyndes, and another larger, inferted into the middle and inferior Part ; this laft is called, The Bridle of the Tongue. There are alfo Liga- menu belonging to the Spleen. The ?e«u has a flrong Ligament, call'd Suffenforium Feni.', from its Office in holding up the Penisto the Offa Pubis ; it arifes from the Foreparts of thofe Bones, and is fattened to the upper Fart of the Corpora Ca-verno[a Penis ; it has another Liga- ment, which fattens the Prepuce to the Glans. The Uterus has four Ligaments, two of them called broad, and two round from their Figure ; the broad Ligament' are membranous, and arife from the Proceffus of the Perito- neum, and are fattened to the lateral Parts of the Fundus or Bottom of the Uterus, and ferve to prevent the Fundus from falling down upon the Neck, as it fometimes hap- pens when thefe Ligaments are too much relaxed. The round Ligaments arife from the Sides of the Womb, at the place where the Tuba Fallopian* are joined to it. At their firft Rife they are broad, but, by degrees, as they recede fartherfrom the Womb, grow round and finooth 5 and as the fpermatic Veffels do in Men, pafs betwixt the Duplicature of the Peritoneum, and fo out of the Abdo- men thro' the Foramina of the oblique and tranfverfe Muf- cles of the Abdomen, and running obliquely on the Os Pu- bis, terminate under the Fat near the Clitoris. By the Paffages of thefe Ligaments, Women, and Girls efpecially, are expofed to inguinal Ruptures, as Men are by the Paffages of the fpermatic Veffels. The Subflance of the broad Ligaments is membranous, loofe, and foft, whence fome have compared them to the Wings of a Batt, and called them Alt Feffertilimum. The round Liga- ments are of a firmer Texture, and confift of a dou- ble Membrane, wrapping up in it Veins, Arteries, Nerves, and Lymphseducts, and both thefe and the former have been fometimes taken for Mufcles. By thefe Ligaments the Uterus is kept fo tight, that no Violence of internal Flatus or Humours can raife it above its Place.
LIGAMENTUM ANNULARE. See Wrift.
L1GAMENTUM CILIARE. See Ciliare Ligamen- turn.
LIGAMENTUM LATUM, and ROTUNDUM. See Generation, Parts of, proper to Women.
LIGATURE, in Chirurgery, a Bandage or Fillet of Cloth orLinnen, ferving to bind the Arm, and facilitate the Operation of bleeding. Ligature is alfo the Art and Manner of difpofing and applying Bandages for the clo- fing of Wounds, and performing many of the Operations of Chirurgery. There are various kinds of Ligatures* Some Authors reckon them upwards of five hundred.
Ligature, among the myftic Divines, fignifies a total Sufpenfion of the fuperior Faculties or intellectual Powers of the Soul. They pretend that when the Soul is ar- rived at a perfect Contemplation, /lie remains deprived of all her Operations, and ceafesto aft, in order to be more ready and prepared to receive the Impulfe and Communications of Divine Grace. This paffive State of thefe contemplative People they call their Ligature.
Ligature is alfo ufed to fignify a kind of Bandage or Fillet, tied round the Neck, Arm, Leg, or other Part of the Bodies of Men or Beafts, to divert or drive off fome Difeafe, Accident, &c.
Kempfer tells us of an uncommon kind of Ligature in ufe among the People of MacaJJar, Java, Malaja, $iam t Sec. By this Charm, or Spell, a Man binds up a Wo- man, and a Woman a Man, fo as to put it out of their power to have to do with any other Perfon ; the Man be- ing thereby rendered impotent to any other Woman, and all other Men impotent to the Woman. Some of their Philofophcrs pretend, that this Ligature may be effected by the /hutting of a Lock, the drawing of a Knot, the kicking of a Knife in the Wall at the Point of Time wherein the Prieft is joining a Couple together, and that a Ligature thus effected may be diliolved by the Spoufe's urining through a Ring. This Piece of Superfrition is faid to obtain alfo amongft the Chriftians of the Raft. The fame Author tells us, that during the Ceremony of Marriage in Ru(Jia, he obferved an old Fellow lurking behind the Church-Door, and mumbling over a Heap of Words, and at the fame time cutting a lang Rod which he held under his Arm into pieces; which, it feems, is a common Practice at the Marriages of great Perfons, and done with Defign to elude and counter- work any other Perfon that might poffibly be inducing the Ligature,
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