A8ABOXE. 



ASCENSION DAT. 



nd pesJT. 

 oafied aaa 



the heat of the head. by which UM grain. in united into smaller or 

 trmr lump*, which, when broken. contain many almond-like pieces. 

 The portions which oorrHpood to thu deecription constitute the best 

 kind ofa-Uastida, which k called aaafortida in grains. 



The inferior *art is dark brown, of dull, fatty appearance, viscid 

 M"^ pofUonsi of the stalk, and uthcr impurities : it 

 tida in mswea. 



. the source of which is uuknown, ii l-y ni.iny supposed to 

 be akiad of atafoHida. 



The ~JI of at*fo)tida U penetrating, very disagreeable, and lasts 

 ion* time. The uto i bitter. unpleasantly aromatic, of an alliaceous 

 or garlic like character. lU chief component parU are voUtil. ..il. 

 I (B |n and gum; and it is aoluble in vinegar, proof spirit, and yolk of 

 egg. Triturated with water, it forma an emulsion, from which the 

 resin U gradually precipitated. Aaatetida can only be powdered at 

 the temperature of freenng (88* of Fahrenheit) ; but even after being 

 powdered, though kept in a cool place, it ii apt again to run into 



An artificial aaafcetida U sometimes formed of resin and garlic 

 juice ; but thu has only a weak smell, and U more perfectly soluble 

 in alcohol. 



Asafootida act* on the human system u a stimulant, more especially 

 of the nerrea of the chest and abdomen. It also influences, like nil 

 gum-resins, the vessels distributed on the lower portion of the abdo- 

 men, or the pelvis. Though not so heating as its chemical compo- 

 sition might lead us to expect, it not only directs the blood more 

 powerfully to these organs, but ensures ita uniform supply. It is also 

 a valuable antupasmodic, in irregular action of the muscles either of 

 the respiratory or digestive organs. 



Ita power of at once rousing the nervous system and promoting the 

 flow of blood towards the enfeebled stomach and bowels, renders it very 

 serviceable in imperfect digestion, attended with constipation. 



From a knowledge of its powers in such cases, the Romans employed 

 it along with their food, as the Persians still do. 



In hysteria it is extremely useful, both during an attack of spasm, 

 and during the interval between the paroxysms. 



In colic, and even ileus, its action U often rapid and effectual, 

 especially if thrown into the rectum : in this way, cases of the most 

 obstinate constipation, especially in hysterical females, have yielded 

 to it 



In asthma, in the later stages of hooping-cough, and in the cough of 

 old age, in cough occurring in weakly subjects, not connected with 

 inflammation or tubercles, above all, in the cough of hysterical females, 

 it is of very great service. In the last-mentioned case, it is improved 

 by combination with myrrh and preparations of iron, as it likewise is 

 when employed to act on the uterine system. 



It is also employed externally, as a means of keeping up counter- 

 irritation ; and a convenient plaster may be formed by adding 1-1 2th 

 part of camphor to ll-12ths of asafoetida. For internal exhibition, 

 pills, or tincture, or watery solution (which must be used immediately 

 after it is prepared), are the ordinary forms of administration. In 

 cases of organic disease of the heart, especially enlargement, and in 

 fulness or congestion of the brain or spinal chord, or in any organic 

 diseases of these, assafortiila is improper. 



ASAUOXE (C W H M 10 ) t Atari*, Atarite. A volatile principle, 

 obtained from the A*iruw europmtm. It has a remarkable tendency 

 to crystallise in beautifully definite forms. It however readily 

 assumes an amorphous condition, from which it is again easily restored 

 to its crystalline state. The facility which this circumstance affords 

 for the study of crystallisation in general, has been taken advantage of 

 by Schmidt, who has published a paper on the microscopic appearances 

 of this substance during its crystallising condition in the ' Aunalen der 

 Chemie und Pharmacie,' for February, 1845. 



Asarune is soluble in alcohol and ether, fuses at 101* Fahr., and boils 

 at (86*. but is then partially decomposed. 



ASA'KUM, a genus of Plants, belonging to the family of the 

 Aritloltickittf. It was formerly employed as an emetic, instead of 

 ipecacuanha ; but. from the violence of its effects, it is now properly 

 laid aside in medical practice. It in still however used in veterinary 

 medicine to vomit and purge. [ASARUM, in NAT. HIST. Div.j 

 ASBOLINE. [Boor.] 

 ASCENDANT. [ASTBOLOOT.] 



ASCKXSloX. RIGHT and OBLIQUE, and ASCENSIONAL 

 niFr'KKKXCK. astronomical terms, of which the two latter are 

 nearly out of use, while the term rigkt <uct*iin is preserved, in a 

 somewhat different signification from its original meaning, to denote 

 one of the angles by means of which the position of a star is ascer- 



remarkable star in the equator, from the rising of which the spectator 

 ohuosss to begin his atlnmominil day, he will know the time of rising 

 of any star as soon as he knows how far the point of the equator which 

 rises with it is from the star at whose rising he begins to count the 

 twenty-four hours. 



Suppose, for example, it is 60* ; then, since the whole 300 of the 

 equator rise in twenty-four hours, 60 of them will rise in four hours, 

 or the star will rise at four o'clock of hit astronomical day. 



7 



Let o be the spectator, H and 8 the north and south poles, E the 

 east point of the horizon, EZ part of the equator, and A the star. 

 Through the north and south poles and the star draw a circle NAB, 

 cutting the equator in T. Then, if q be the star at the rising of which 

 the astronomical day begins, the number of degrees in q T U the right 

 ascension of the star. 



Instead of the horizon NES, any other circle may be substituted 

 which passes through x and 8 ; for example, the meridian N z a. For, 

 draw any circle through x and s, then the diurnal motion will bring A 

 and T upon that circle at the same moment, and q and T will pass that 

 circle one after the other with the same interval as occurred between 

 their times of passing E or their times of rising. 



Substituting the meridian (which always ptumm through the poles) 

 for the horizon, this method of reckoning may be used in any latitude. 

 For the same point of the equator always comes upon every meridian 

 with the same star ; but, instead of using a star in the equator as the 

 point from which to reckon, the vernal equinox is preferred, or the 

 point at which the sun's path crosses the equator when he ascends into 

 the northern hemisphere. The distance of the point of the equator 

 just mentioned from the vernal equinox, measured upon the equator 

 according to the order of the signs, in degrees, minutes, and seem 

 the right ascension in tpace [see ANGLE] of the star. The same turned 

 into time [see ANCLE] is the right ascension in time, and indicates the 

 interval which elapses between the times when the equinox and star 

 severally come on the meridian. The whole time which a star takes 

 to complete its diurnal revolution, or the sidereal day [DAY], it must 

 be recollected, is not the common solar day, but about four minutes 

 shorter. 



The old term oblique attention is an extension of the right attention, 

 as derived from our first illustration, to the oblique sphere, in which one 

 pole is above the horizon, and the other below. 



Let P be the north pole, z the zenith, E q the equator, q the vernal 

 equinox. Let A be a star at its rising, and T the point of the equator 

 which comes to the meridian with it (and would rise with it to a person 

 at the equator). In the latitude represented in the figure, E is the 

 point of the equator which rises with it, and q E U what used to be 

 called the oblique ascension ; the right ascension is q T, and T a the 

 ilifterence between the oblique and the right ascension, was called the 



U we suppose a person at the equator, looking directly towards the 

 east, and raising his arms on each side till they are horizontal, his 

 fingers will then point towards the two poles (which at the equator are 

 in the boriioo), and a line drawn through his arms will be a port of 

 the axis on which the heavens appear to turn. Every star will rioe 

 vertically ; that w, if the diurnal motion were quick enough to justify 

 the phrase, would appear to shoot above thu horizon directly upwards. 

 The great circle of the heavens which bis eye traces out as he raises his 

 head without turning to right or left, is the equator, and the same 

 point of the equator rises every day with the same star. If there be a 



ascensional difference, but was principally applied to the sun, because 

 when turned into time, it shows the time before or after six o'clock, 

 of sunrise. The ascensional difference is found by the following 

 formula : 



Sin. asc. diff. = tan. latitude X tan. star's declination. 



When the star's declination is north, from the right ascension tote the 

 ascensional difference ; when south, to the right ascension add the 

 n.il difference : the result is the oblique ascension. 



For the method of determining the right ascensions of the stars, see 

 TRANSIT INSTRUMENT ; Eqnxox. 



ASCENSION DAY, a festival of the Christian church, on which 

 the ascension of Our Lord is believed by some authors to have been 



