FLA
with an excefs of the periftaltic motion In another, in order to the driving off the caufe ; hence proceed alternate conftric- tions and relaxations, to which, in a great meafure, the pain is owing; and in cafes of the commotions of the blood about the vena ports, the fame conftri£tions and relaxations always hap- pen. The material caufes of flatulencies, are thofe fubftances fwailowed in food, which are of a mucous and tenacious con- fidence, and by their obftinately adhering to the bowels are capable of giving great trouble. Of this kind are the herbs in ufe in food, which are of a thick tough juice ; or the legu- minous tribe, as peas, beans and the like ; alfo dried fea fifh, and all animal fats, as that of flieep and calves, efpccially if the perfon drink immediately after eating heartily of them. The drinking fasculent liquors will alfo occafion them very vio- lently, as new malt liquors, or the fame when the vefiels are almoft out ; the fummer fruits alfo are to be accufed in this fenfe, and above all things honey. To all thefe caufes, the ha- bit of the patient greatly concurs, and a general coolnefs of the body, and drynefs of the bowels are a frequent occafion of them. Prognojlks in them. Flatulencies often prove an extremely trou- blelbme complaint, and people of an idle fedentary life, efpeci- aly women, owe a great many uneafy hours to them ; and when they grow into a habit, they are always attended with colic pains, cardialgias, anxieties, and fuffocatory emotions. It is always to be obferved, that the forcible fuppreflion of flatufes, brings on much worfe complaints, efpecially in pletho- ric and fanguine habits ; for fpaftic tormina of the bowels, and vibrarive convulfions with faintings, arc often the confequences of it; and the phyfician is apt to accufe foulnefles or fcorbu- tic habits of the blood, for the fymptoms he fees, which, in truth, are only owing to fuch a fuppreflion. The free difcharging of flatulencies, on the other hand, is attended with its ill confequence, it naturally degenerating into a habit. The fuppreflion of habitual flatulencies, brings on tumours, in- durations of the abdomen, hectics, and a tympanites, and par- ticularly the anterior flatufes : thefe, which might be avoided by eructations, when fupprelfed, bring on cardialgious and verti- ginous diforders of the head.
Method of cure. In this it is firft to be confidered, whether the flatufles have their origin in the bowels, or whether they affect them only by confent, as is often the cafe in difeafes of the neighbouring parts in hypocondriac and hyfteric patients, and in perfons afflicted with hemorrhoidal and nephritic com- plaints, and in cafes where women have been ill managed in ]yings-in, or in mifcarriages: in all thefe cafes the original caufe is to be confidered and treated with its proper remedies. But in cafes of direct and Hrn\i\c flatulencies, the following me- thod will be ufually found effectual. The bowels muft be care- fully kept gently open, for in cafes of coftivenefs, flatulencies will always be increafed. To this purpofe, the common clyf- ters muft be given at repeatod times, and to thefe by way of increafing the Itimulus, fome of the leller centaury is to be added, and fome common fait. After thefe the laxative medicines of the gentler kind are to be given, and in the intermediate days, the digeftive falts to attenuate the vifcous matter in the bowels ; to thefe nitre and a little cinnabar may be added, and thefe always have a much better effect than all the hot carmi- natives ufually given. After thefe, thofe things are to be gi- ven which reftore the tone of the part ; fuch are the bitter and aromatic extracts, with fpirit of (alt of tartar, fpirit of nitre dulcified, and the volatile urinous falts aromatifed. External- ly ftomachic plaifters may be applied to the pit of the ftomacb, as may alfo the ftomachic balfams, fuch as the oils of nutmeg carui, fennel, and the like.
The general method of treating flatulencies, is by the hot aro- matics, but thefe are to be given with great caution ; for when the commotions of the blood about the vena portee are in fault, thefe things always irritate, rather than do good ; but beyond all things, the too common methods of giving a vomit in thefe cafes is to be avoided, for the difcharge of the flatu- lencies upwards is inverted by this means, and then ufually fol- low exquifite pains and tenfions of the parts, difficulty of breathing and vertiginous complaints in the head, with noifes in the ears, and many other complaints which are continually increafing, till they are a little eafed for the prefent by an eruc- tation. The happy way of getting rid of thefe anterior flatufes, is by driving the caufe of them downwards, and the reftor- ing the loft tone of the parts. Continued exercife is alfo of the utmoft fervicc. Junker's Confp. Med. p. 600.
FLAUTINO, in the Italian mufio, the name of a fmall flute or fhjeolet. BroJ'.D'iR. Muf. in voc. See Flajeolet, Cycl.
FLAUTO, in the Italian mufic, is ufed to denote a flute, or the part to be played by that inftrument. Brojf.T)\&. Muf.
Flauto trajverfo, in the Italian mufic, a German flute. Broff. ibid. See Flute, Cycl.
FLAW, at fea, fignifies a fudden guft of wind, otherwife called /quale. _
FLAX, limim (Cycl.) — This is a plant that will grow in any kind of good found land, but that does beft for it, which has lain fometime unplowed. The beft land yields the b&flax, and makes the greateft improvement ; and upon the whole, it is
FLE
ah excellent commodity, and the tilling and ordering it is fo good a piece of husbandry, that it well deferves to be more frequently pradifed among us. It is a plant that cxbaufts the land very much, on which account it is beft to fow it on very rank ground, and not often on the fame piece. The time of fowing is in March ; the land fhould be well prepared and laid even, and the drieft feafon that can be, fhould be chofen for the fowing it. The feed procured by our own crops, is not fo good as that imported from the Levant; this is dearer in- deed but it yields greatly the largeft crops, and will hold good to the third crop with us, but then it fhould be renewed Two bulnels of good feed are fufficient for an acre: it muft not fland till too ripe, but mult be pulled as foon as the feed grows brown, and bends down the heads. If the flax is pulled while in flower, the produce will be whiter and ftron?er, but then the feed will be loft.
They have a very good way of beating their hemp and flax in Derbyfhire which is this; they make the axletree of the main wheel of their corn-mills longer than ordinary, and place pins in it to raife large hammers, like thofe ufed in the paper and fulling mills, and with thefe they beat the {talks, and lave a great deal of labour. Mortimer's Husbandry, p k,
jrgjng Flax, Linum catharticum. See Linum catharticumT
loady lax, in botany. See Linabia.
FLEA {Cycl.) — The flea when examined by the microfcope af- fords a very pleafing objefl. It is covered all over with black, hard and Ihelly fcales or plates, which are curionfly jointed, and folded over one another in fuch a manner, as to comply with all the nimble motions of the creature. Thefe fcales are all cunoufly pohfhed, and are befet about the edges with fhort fp.kes in a very beautiful and regular order. Its neck is finely arched, and much refembles the tail of a lobflcr; the head al- fo is very extraordinary, for from the fnout part of it there proceed the two fore legs, and between thefe is placed the piercer or fucker, with which it penetrates the skin to get its food. Baker's Microfcope, p. 191.
Its eyes are very large and beautiful, and it has two fhort horns or feelers It has four other legs joined all at the breaft Thefe when it leaps fold fhort one within another, and then exerting their fpnng all at the fame inftant, they carry the creature to a furpnhng diftauce. The legs have fevera! joints, and are. very hairy, and terminate in two long and hooked fharp claws. l
The piercer or fucker of the flea is lodged between its fore- legs, and includes a couple of darts or lancets, which after the piercer has made an entrance, are thruft farther into the flefh, to make the blood flow from the adjacent parts Tins piercer, its {heath opening tideways, the two lancets within it are very difficult to be feen, unlefs the two fore-legs between which they are hid, be cut off clofe to the Lead • tor the fea rarely puts out its piercer, except at the time of feed- ing, but keeps it folded inwards ; and the beft way of feeine it is by cutting off firft the head, and then the fore-legs, and then it is ufually feen thruft out in convulfions. By keeping fleas in a glafs tube corked up at both ends, but fo as to admit freih air, their feveral aflions may be obferved, and particularly their way of coupling, which is performed tail to tail ; the female which is much the larger, ftandinlE over the male: they may alfo be thus feen to lay their eggs not all at once, but ten or twelve in a day, for feveral days fuc- ceffively, which eggs will be afterwards found to hatch fuccef- lively in the fame order. The flea may eafily be difllded in a drop of water, and by this means the ftomach and bowels with their pcriftaltic motion may bedifcovered very plainly as alfo their tcftesand penis with the veins and arteries, tho' mi- nute beyond all conception. Mr. Leiwenhoek affirms alfo, that he has feen innumerable animalcules fhaped like ferpents, in the femen mafculinum of a flea. Baker's Microf. p 102
Flea, in the hiftory of infefls. See Polex.
Flea Bane, .jmpca in botany, the name of"a genus of plants, the charaflers of which are thefe. The flower is of the flof- culous kind, being compofed of a number of fmall flofcules divided into many fegments at their ends, {landing each upon an embryo feed, and all contained in a fort of cylindric, foli- aceous husk. The embryo finally becomes a feed wing'd with down. The fpecies of conyza enumerated by Mr. Tournefort are thefe
1. The common great conyza, called Plowman's fpikenard'
2. The conyza, with red {lender (talks and naked yellow flow- ers. 3. The conyza, with toad-flax leaves. 4. The broad leaved vifcous conyza, with yellow flowers, and a fweet fmell 5. The white flowered, nettle leaved American conyza. 6. The American conyza, with dead nettle leaves. 7. The white flower'd, fallow leaved American conyza. 8. The fea purfelain leav'd Virginian conyza. 9. The quince leaved fhrubby Ameri- can conyza. 10. The yellow flowered American tree conyza with trifid leaves, n. The purple flowered American tree conyza, with dentated mullein like leaves. 12. The purple flowered American tree conyza, with undulated mullein like leaves. 13. The fhrubby American conyza, with roundiffi nervous leaves, and fpikated flowers. 14. The dwarf hin- cmionyza, withroundiih nervous leaves and umbellateJ flow-
