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ARTEMIsIA VuLcaris. © ORD. III. Composite. 59 
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then combed and formed into little cones. These, used as cauteries, 
are greatly celebrated in eastern countries for preventing and curing 
many disorders;' but chronic rheumatisms, gouty, and some other 
painful affections of the joints, seem to be the chief complaints for 
which, they ean be rationally employed. The manner of applying 
the Moxa is very simple: the part affected being previously moist- 
ened, a cone of the Moxa is laid, which being set on fire at the 
apex, gradually burns down to the skin, where it produces a darle 
coloured spot: by repeating the process several times, an eschar is 
formed of any desired extent, and this on separation leaves an ulcer, 
which is kept open or healed up as circumstances may require. 
« Itas said that the use of the Moxa was originally introduced by 
the Jesuits;* but it is probably of greater antiquity.. From remote 
times it has been the practice to cauterize the affected parts by 
- various means. Hippocrates for this purpose not only used:iron 
but flax, also a species of Fungus;" and the Laplanders still prefer 
the Agaric, (Boletus igniarius) which they prepare and use in a 
similar way, ‘as the Japanese do their Moxa,’ The Egyptians pro- 
duced the same effects by me of cotton or linen cloth; and in 
Spain a Moxa is prepared from a species of the Echinops. 
~f Fora full account of these see Kempfer Team exot. p. 502, &c. Also Abbé 
Grosier CHist. of China) from whom it appears, that mirrors of ice or metal 
were used for the purpose of igniting the moxa; and that the aariegt Chinese 
made paper, and a kind of cleth, of the down of artemisia. 
& See Recueil d observations curteuses, tom, ii. p- 114. 
& Tb. de affect. §. 30, 
i Harmens and Fiellstrom Diss. Med. Lapp. in Hall. Collect. diss. pract. tom. vi. 
Pp. 728, * Prosper Alpinus, Lib, iti, c. 12, p. 209. 
