AST
branched ftalks of a very intricate fhrub. See the article Stella Marina. ASTEROPODIUM, in natural hiftory, the name given by authors to a kind of extraneous foffil, of an imbricated texture, compofed of a number of fmall convex or concave plates, and ferving, when entire, as a bafe, or root, to the afteria, or ffar-ftone.
It is very plain, that this is the remains of fome animal body, probably of the ftar-fifh kind, to which the afte- ria have alfo once belonged 5 but our imperfect knowledge in the animal hiftory, has not yet afcertained us of the particu- lar creature ; the moft probable conjecture is, that it is the magellanick ftar-filh, the rays of which nicely and exactly reprefent fomc of the more perfect afteropodia. Hill's Hift. ofFoflils, p. 654. See SrAR-Stane. Asteropodium MtttUs, in natural hiftory, a name given by authors to the feveral joints, or plates, of which the com- mon or complex AJleropodium is made ; when thefe happen to be found fingle, as they frequently are in fome places in the ftra- ta of clay : they are fmall bodies, fometimes roundifh, fometimes oblong, fometimes fquare, or of other numbers of angles, and are convex on one fide, and concave on the other. Hill's Hift. of Foffils, p. 654. See Tab. ofFoflils, Clafs 10. ASTERISCUS, a name given, by fome authors, to fome of
■ the fpecies of Buphthalmum. See Buphth almum. ASTHMA (Cycl.)— Asthma Convulfive, is a violent con vulfive compreflion of the mufcles of the breaft, in which na ture's effort feems to be the relieving herfelf from the load of a plethora, by afpittingof blood, tho' fhe fails in the attempt. The convulfive Aflhma refembks the incubus, or night-mare, in many particulars ; but it never feizes any body, but when awake, whereas the other ufually attacks them when be- tween fleep and waking ; and this is a much more lafting com- plaint, and more frequent, in the returns of its fits, than the other. The incubus alfo prevents refpiration in (o violent a degree, that the perfon can form no articulate found. But the convulfive Ajlhma fuffers a fome what more free refpiration, and the ufe of the voice. The incubus is a difeafe of very lit- tle danger ; the convulfive Ajlhma, on the contrary, is a very dangerous, and often fatal, diforder. Junker's Confp. Med. p. 634.
Signs of it. Thefe are a terrible fhortnefs of breath, which differs from that of the fuffocative catarrh only in this, that it is fomewhat lefs violent, and is not attended with that terrible fenfation of a fluffing up of the breaft : This is attended with a numbnefs of the limbs, and a general laffitudc of the whole body ; there is a violent compreflion felt in the breaft, and about the fhoulders, with a great palpitation of the heart. The face is red in fome parts, and feems tumid, and the tem- poral arteries are diftended. The bowels are ufually coftive, and there is a dimnefs often in the eyes, and fometimes an alienation of the mind. Thefe fymptoms ufually come on in an evening, and laft an hour or two. Often, however, the fits are of much longer duration, and fometimes they obferve regular periods, at different diftances of time. Perfons fubjeil to it. Thofe of plethoric habits, are much more fubject, than any other people, to this difeafe. It does not often feize young perfons, except in confequence of other difeafes, and in that cafe it ufually is a very bad omen. It is moft common to people of a middle age, and, with them, fometimes returns with frequent, but lefs violent, fits, for many years together ; fometimes it is more violent, and takes them off in a very little time. People often fall into this dif- eafe, from having been ufed to periodic bleedings, or cuppings, and having afterwards neglected them ; thofe who change a bufy or laborious life, for an idle or fedentary one, alfo often fall into it ; as do thofe who have had the gout, thrown back by improper medicines. Women alfo fometimes fall into it from fuppreflions or imminutions of the menfes ; and men of hypocondriac habits, from fuppreflions of habitual evacuations of blood from the hemorrhoidal veins. The caufes of this difeafe are very various, and it is fometimes an idiopathic, fometimes a fymptomatic, complaint ; it very often attends malignant fevers, and arthritic complaints, and joins itfelf with other diftemperatures of the breaft.
Prognojlics in it. This, tho' not immediately deftructive, is often a very dangerous complaint, and, in a fhorter or longer time, proves fatal to the patient. In middle-aged people it ufually brings on either acute fevers, or fpitting of blood ; and, in old people, palfies, apoplexies, or fuffocative catarrhs. It rarely remains what it was. Junker's Confp. Med. p. 636. Method of Treatment. In the time of the fit, a glyfter is to be immediately given, and if no other ingredients for it be in readinefs, recent urine will ferve ; after this, bleeding is to be ordered, unlefs where there is a contra-indication, and after this the emotion of the blood is to be allayed by nitrous and cinnabarine powders ; with thefe the gentle diaphoretics may be joined, efpecially in cafe of a fever attending it, which very frequently happens. Where the cafe is very urgent, a fmall dofe of the ftorax pill may be added to the powder, to be taken at night. Externally, fpirit of wine and camphire may be rubbed on the breaft and fhoulders, efpecially where the patient has been ufed to cupping, and has neglected it ; rub- bing the fhoulders with a flannel, often has a good effect alfo i- Suppl. Vol, I,
AST
and fumigations may bo ufed of amber, ftorax, and maflich, with the flowers of citrine fbechas. When the fit is offj the patient fhould ufe frequent walhing the feet in warm water and fhould be always blooded in the foot in fpring and fall ] he mould alfo take gentle purges at times, and if the neglefl of habitual cuppings, or fuppreflions of the hemorrhoids, or, in women, of the menfes, have concurred, great care is to be taken to bring all back to their old ftate again, otherwife no radical cure can be expefled : Finally, a mixture of fpirit of hart's-horn, and tincfure of fait of tartar, fhould be given to promote an equal diftribution of the blood to all parts of the body.
Bleedings in the time of the fit, tho' they always give relief, yet are as much to be avoided as poffible, fmce they fubjefl the patient to frequent returns, and make it always necefiary to repeat them at the time; for as nature intends, by this AJlhma, the relieving herfelf from a plethora, by a difcharge of blood, when fhe finds this intent anfwered by the opening a vein, fhe will always afterwards bring on this difeafe, when at all molefted by a plethora, and will never fuffer it to go off but by the fame means. In a firft attack of this difeafe, bleed- ing is not absolutely necefiary, and is therefore always to be carefully avoided, but in cafes where cuftom has made it ne- cefiary, it muft be done, and a large quantity always taken away. Bleeding in the arm is found moft f'erviceable in the time of the fit, and in the foot, by way of prevention. Vo- mits, in thefe cafes, are often very hurtful, and the more vio- lent ones always dangerous, in confideration of the fpitting of blood, which there is always a greater or leffer tendency to ; yet, in cafes where a full meal has juft preceded it, and where there is no immediate reafon againfl it, a fmall dofe of fome gentle vomit may be properly given, after bleeding, and a glyfter. A fweat very often fucceeds the more violent fits of this diforder, and is always obferved to do the patient good ; this is promoted by the nitrous and cinnabarine medicines. When this difeafe is attended with hypocon- driac complaints, the mixtura fimplex, well camphorated, is found of great ufe, as it difpels the flatulencies which, in this cafe, are joined with, and always greatly exafperate, the difeafe. The volatile falts are to be avoided in the time of the fit, and all anodynes, if given while the bowels are in a coftive ftate, bring on mifchief. The giving, in this cafe, the expectorating medicines, which are ferviceable in other AJlhmas, is not only ufelefs, as there is, in this cafe, nothing to be expectorated, but it is alfo dangerous. Finally, in cafes where there are hypocondriac complaints joined with this dif- eafe, the application of leeches to the hemorrhoidal veins is at- tended ufually with great fuccefs. Junck. Confp. Med. p. 633.
ASTIPULATOR, Adjlipulator, in the civil law. See Sti- pulator.
Astipulatoe, in the Roman order, he by whofe confent and leave a nun takes the religious habit. Du Came, Gloff. tat. T. 1. p. 366.
ASTORCHA, in botany, a name by which fome authors call the yellow ftsechas, and others the purple, commonly called, the Arabian. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.
ASTRj'EA, in aftronomy, a name which fome give to the fign Virgo, by others called Erigone, and fometimes IJis. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 70.
The poets feign that juftice quitted heaven to refide on earth, in the golden age ; but, growing weary of the iniquities of mankind, fhe left the earth, and returned to heaven, where file commenced a conftellation of ftars, and from her orb ftill looks down on the ways of men. Dan. Lex. Ant. in voc
■ ~Et Virgo ctsde madentes
Ultima Caelejlum terras AJlraa reliault.
Ov. Metam. 1. 1. v. 149.
ASTRAGALOIDES, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe: The flower is of the papilionaceous kind, and its piftil, which arifes from the cup, finally fomewhat refembles a fmall boat in filape, and con- tains kidney-fhap'd feeds. See Tab. 1. of Botany, Clafs 10. There is only one known fpecies of this genus, which is the Portugal AJlragaloides, called by fome, the -woolly AJlragalus^ with thick roots. Town. Inft. p. 398.
ASTRAGALOTE, As-p«y.rtA, in natural hiftory, a fpecies of foflil allum, thus called, from its refembling a talus, or ankle- bone j whence it is alfo denominated Talare. Mercat. Me- talloth. arm. 3.
ASTRAGALUS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the papiliona- ceous kind, and its piftil, which arifes from the cup, covered with a membraneous fheath, finally becomes a bicapfular pod, containing kidney-fhap'd feeds. To this it may be added, that the leaves ftand in pairs on the middle ribs, the end of each of which is terminated by a fingle leaf. Tourn. Inft.
P- 4 J S-
The fpecies of AJlragalus, enumerated by Mr. Tournefirt, are thefe :
1. The tuberous-rooted, climbing, afh-leav'd AJlragalus.
2. The perennial AJlragalus, with purple fpiked flowers. *
3. The AJlragalus, with pale blue, or pale purple vetch-like flowers. 4. The perennial, fpiked AJlragalus, with pale-co-
3 K. loured
