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In. the general, the Ancients gave the Name PhylaBery to all kinds of Charms, Spells, or Characters which they wore about them, as Amulets, to preferve 'em from Dangers or feffeafes. See Charm, Amulet, &c.
The Primitive Chriftians alfo gave the Name PhylaBeries to the Frames wherein they inclofed the Relicks of their dead.
PHYMA, or Phymus, in Medicine, a roundifh pointed Tumor, arifmg oh the Glandular Parts, efpecially under the lower Jaw. See Tumor.
The Phyma is fmaller and fmoother, lefs red and painful, than the Phygethlon. See Phygethlon.
It is eafily cured in Children •, more difficultly in Adults, but in thofe it is rhore rare. It is remedied by affifting Na- ture in the Work of Maturation ; as, by a fuppurating Ca- taplafm, &c— -It is fuppofed to have its Rife from a pitui- tous Blood", and ismoft common in Children, where it fre- quently arifes from too tight Bandages.
Gorr&us obferves, that fome make Phyma a general Name for all Tumors, or Apofthumes, that maturate and fuppu- rate readily, of what kind foever, or in whatfoever glandu- lous Part they arife. See Aposthume.
PHYSIC, or Physick, the Art of Healing •, properly cal- led Medicine.
For the Rife; Progrefs, Divifion, &: of Phyfic ; See Me- dicine.
The Word is form'd from the Creek »vV'<, Nature ; in re- gard Medicine confifts principally in the Observation of Na- ture. See Physicks.
PHYSICAL, fomething belonging to, or really exifting in Nature. See Physicks.
In this Senfe we fay a Pbyfical Point, in oppoStion to a Mathematical one which only exifts in the Imagination. See Point.
A Phyjical Subftance, or Body, in oppofition to Spirit, or Metaphyfical Subftance, &c. See Substance, &c. Physical, or fenfiUe Horizon. See Horizon. PHYSICIAN, a Perfon who profeffes Medicine, or the Art of Healing. See Medicine.
The Ancients diftinguiJhed their Physicians into various
Claffes or Sects : As, Methodical Phyficians, thole who
proceeded in a certain regular Method, founded upon Reafon ; deducing Confequences therefrom, to particular Cafes. See Methodical.
Dogmatical Phyficians, thofe who laid down Principles, and reafon'd from thofe Principles, and from Experience. See Dogmatic.
Empirical Phyficians, thole who kept wholly to Experience,
and excluded all Ui'e of Reafon in Medicine. Such was Se-
rapitn,Apollonius, Glaucus, &c. See Emperical.
Again, Clinical Phyficians were thofe who vifited their Pa- tients a-bed, to examine their Cafes. See Clinic.
In oppofition to the Emperifts, who fold their Medicines in the Streets, &c.
They had alfo their Aftrolcfgical Phyficians, Botanic Phy- ficians, Anatomical Phyficians, Chirurgeons, latraliptes, or thofe who applied external Unctions and Frictions, &c.
Cofmetick Phyficians for the Complexions; Ophthalmic Phyficians for the Eyes ; Vulnerary Phyficians for Wounds, 0-c. Among the Moderns, a general Phyfwian includes almoft all thefe feveral Kinds : Regular Phyficians are contr i-diftinguifhed from Emperical Phyficians, who prefcribe at random ; having one or two Remedies which ferve in all Difeafes. See Em- perical.
Galenical Phyficians are thofe who prefcribe gentle, na- tural and ordinary Medicines. See Galenical.
Spagyrical or Chymical Phyficians are thofe who prefcribe violent Medicines drawn from Minerals, &c. by Fire. See Spagyrical and Chymical.
PHYSICKS, by the Latins call'd P h y sic a, the Creeks »kVi».», and by us frequently Physiology, or Natural Phi- lofophy; is the Doctrine of Natural Bodies, their Phaenomena, Caufes, and Effects ; their various Affections, Motions, Ope- rations, &c. See Philosophy and Nature.
Mr. Locke would likewife have God, Angels, and Spirits, come under Phyficks, which more ufually are referr'd to Me- taphyfich. See Metafhysicks.
The Word is derived from time , Nature. See P h y s i o- iogi.
The Origin of Phyficks is referr'd by the Greeks, to the Barbarians, viz.. the Brachmans, Magi, and the Hebrew and Egyptian Priefts. See Brachmans, Magi, etrc.
From thefe it was derived to the Greek Sages or Sophi, particularly Thales, who is faid to have firft profefs'd the Study of Nature in Greece. See Soph I.
Hence it defcended into the Pythagoric, Platonic, and Peripatetic Schools - , whence it was propagated into Italy, and thence thro' the reft of Europe ; tho' the Druids, Bards, &c. had Phyficks of their own. See Pythagorean, Pla- tonic, and Per ip at etic; fee alfo Dr u i d, Ba rd, <£~c.
Phyficks may be divided, with regard to the manner where- in it has been handled, and the Perfonsby whom, into
i° Symbolical, fiich was that of the old Egyptians, Pythato- reans and Platonifls, who delivered the Properties of Nam- raj Bodies under Arithmetical and Geometrical Characters and Hieroglyphics. See Symbol, Geometry, Hierogly- phic, &c. ,,.,-
2° Peripatetical, dr that of the Ariftotelians, who ex- plain'd the Nature of things bv Matter, .Form, and Priva- tion, Elementary and Occult Qualities, Sympathies, Anti- pathies, Attractions, &c. See Aristotelian, cf-c.
3° Experimental, which enquires into the ReafonS and Natures of Things, from Experiments ; fuch as thofe in Chy- miftry, Hydroftaticks, Pneumaticks, Opticks, 0-c, See Experiment,^. .,....•
This has been much cultivated fince the Time of my Lord Bacon ; and continues to be fo, with good Succefs. . The Experiments of the Academifts of Cmento, of the Royal Society, of the Royal Academy, and even of private! Perfons,' particularly Mr. Boyle, Sir // Newton, Mr. Hankf- bee, &c. have been of infinite Service in Phyficks, and 'tis to thefe, in great meafure, that the Advantage of the modern Philofophy above the ancient is due.
4° The Mechanical or Corpufcular, which explains the Ap- pearances of Nature from the M?tter, Motion, Structure, and Figure of the Bodies, and their Parti ; all according to the fettled Laws of Nature and Mechamcks. See Cor- puscular and Mechanical.
PHYSIOGNOMICKS, a Term uted by fome Phyficians and Naturalifts, for fuch Signs as are taken from the Coun- tenance to judge of the State, Difpofidon, cfrc. of the Bo- dy and Mind. See Sign and Physiognomy.
PHYSIOGNOMY, the Art of knowing the Humour, Tem- perament, or Dirpofition of a Perlbn, from Obfervatiou of the Lines of the Face, and the Characters of its Members, or Features.
Bapti/la Porta and Robert Flitdd are the top modern Au- thors on Phyfiognomy. The ancient ones are the Sophift
Adamanths, and Ariflotle; the Phyfiognomy of which Lift we have tranflated into Latin by de Lacuna.
The Word is form'd from the Creek ii'iis, Nature, and jWm», I know.
There feems to be fomething in Phyfiognomy; and it may perhaps bear a much purer Philofophy than what thefe Au- thors were acquainted withal This, at leaft, we dare fay,
that of all the fanciful Arts of the Ancients, difufed among the Moderns, there is none lias fo much Foundation in Na- ture as this.
There is an apparent Correfpondence between the Face and the Mind', the Features and Lineaments of the one are directed by the Motions and Affections of the other : there is even a peculiar Arrangement of the Mentbers of the Face, a peculiar Difpofition of the Countenance, to each particular Affection ; perhaps te each particular Idea of the Mind. See Passion.
In effect, the Language of the Face, Phfiognomy, is as copious, nay, perhaps, as diftinft and intelligible, as that of the Tongue, Speech — Thanks to bounteous Nature, fhe has not confined us to one only Method of converting with each other, and of learning each other's T noughts ; we have feveral : We don't wholly depend on the Tongue, which may happen to be boiind ; and the Ear, which maybe deaf; hut in thole Cafes we have another Recourfe, the Countenance and the Eye ; which afford us this further Advantage, that by comparing the Reports of the Tongu-, (a Member ex- ceedingly liable to deceive) with thofe of the Face, the Pre- varications of the former may be detected.
The Foundation of Phyfiognomy is this : The different Ob- jects that prefent themfelves to the Senles, nay, the diffe- rent Ideas that arife in the Mind, do each make fome 1m- preffion on the Spirits ; and each an Impreffion correfpon- dent or adequate to it's Caufe ; therefore each a different Impreffion.
- If it be ask'd how fuch an Impreffion fhould be effected;
'tis eafy to anfwer, that it follows from the Oeconomy of the Creator, who has fix'd fuch a Relation between the fe- veral Parts of the Creation -, to the end we may be appri- zed of the Approach or Recefs of things ufeful or hurtful to us.
If this be'nt philofophical enough, take the manner in the Cartefian Language, thus: The Animal Spirits moved in the Organ by an Objeft, continue their Motion to the Brain-, whence that Motion is propagated to this, or that particular part of the_ Body, as is moll fuitable to the Delign of Na- ture; having firft made a proper Alteration in the Face, by means of its Nerves, efpecially the Pathetici and Ocu- lorum Motorii.
The Face, here, does the Office of a Dial-Phte; the Wheels and Springs within-fide the Machine actuating its Mufcles, fhewwhat is next to be expected from the (triking Part. Not that the Motion of the Spirits is contimt'd all the Way by the Impreffion of the Object ; the Impreffion prn- 9 V bably
