1 



ABSOKl-Tl.iN. 



L( I A. 



called Kndoimntii [KxnoSMosui), Menu to be a modification of that 

 WY general Uw of attraction by which solid* an attracted towanU 

 each other, a* well a* liquid* and n**, and which lie* at Ike 

 foundation of those phenomena attribute! to capillary ntn 

 Although it would a|>pear a* the remit of thi* law that there mut 

 be two current*, the one pasting out and the other in, thi* doe* not 

 always take place, a* the perpetual removal, for tin- purpose* of the 

 yntcm either of the plant or of the animal, of the matter at. 



.'* the action of the outgoing cuiT.-nt. which ha* been called 



Tin- cell* and surface* which carry on absorp 1 '"" '" ''"' . 

 Kingdom vary according to the circumstances of the plant. In the 

 simpler plant*, uch a* the lower form* of Alga, which consist of ..m- 

 or only a few cello, the whole of the cell* are equally cmpi 

 abftorbiug. But a* we ascend to plant* where the vegetative and 

 reproductive organ* are distinct, there we find absorption performed 

 more abundantly by the former. In the higher forms of phanerogamic 

 plant* the active dutic* of absorption are performed by the root* ; the 

 loose tissue at the end* of the tibril* of these organ* being roinarkal >ly 

 adapted for the performance of thi* function. The *iune ; 

 alio possessed by the recently formed tissue* in the *tem* of these 

 plant*, and thu* the food the gap i* carried from the soil to the 

 I rauchea of the plant, which are covered with leave*. The cells of 

 the leaves are adapted to the exhalation ,,f tin- Hniil which ban been 

 absorbed below, aixl thus a perpetual demand for now supplies is 

 created. Not that the leave* are always exhaling ; in moist state* of 

 the atmosphere and at night they probably also absorb. This function 

 is also undoubtedly performed by the stem* of the leafless /.'/./,... 

 kiafttr and by the I'm-ufti, which posses* very small root*, ami will 

 even grow without them. 



Absorption in the Animal Kingdom, although performed upon the 

 same general principl. , and being adapted to attain the same general 

 I .resent* more various modifications of form and greater com- 

 n than in the vegetable kingdom. In the tir-t place, the nature 

 tluids taken up differ*, more especially in the clans of cases where 

 that function i* adapted to nutrition. Plant* derive their food from 

 the initieral kingdom. Animals obtain their food from plants. Plants 

 :i carbonic acid, ammonia, water, and various salts. Animals live 

 in -uhatanoe* elaborated out of these compounds in the cells of plants. 

 In the next place, animals receive their food into an interior sac or bag 

 called a stomach, whilst plants plunge their absorlvnt cells into the 

 soil from which they derive their nutriment. In the higher forms of 

 animals, a system of vessels called absorbents [Aflsoiu i 

 i made subservient to the ends of the function of absorpti. m an 

 arrangement which is found nowhere to exi-t in the vegetable 

 kingdom. In the lower animals, as in the sponges and some of 

 the infusoria, the function of absorption is performed by contiguous 

 cell* almost as simply aa ill plants. In certain parts also of the hi-li. r 

 animal*, we have absorption carried on in the same way as in the cells 

 of cartilage, and in the contiguous cells of the mucous and cutaneous 

 membranes. In none of the invertebrate animals have we any special 

 absorbent system at all In the animal kingdom the circulating 

 system has the power of absorption in even a greater degree than the 

 absorbent* themselves. Krom th. t the walls of the veins, 



arteries, and capillaries, and the knowledge of the fact that tin IT is 

 constantly passing through them a I the blood we should 



expect that these organ* would "tier the necessary condition* for absorp- 

 tion. This has been proved by direct experiment. I. -maim 



and limelin found that when such substances as gamboge, madder, 

 ' luphor, musk, and assafoetiila, which are easily detected by their 

 r and odour, were introduced with the food into the stomach. 

 they were seldom found in the chyle in the time th.it they had found 

 their way into the blood, and some of them e\cn into the nrin". It 

 wan also found that if poisonous substance* were iutr..du. V I into the 

 intestine*, and secured in one place by two ligatures, and every other 

 part cut away but the artery and vein, tiny exerted the same 

 inlluence on the system, and in the same time as usual; whilst if 

 tie intestine was treated in the sum. manner, and all part* cut away 

 l.nt the lacteal*, the evidence* of absorption were deferred for a much 

 i- period than usual From these experiments and others it would 

 appear that the Iscteals are adapted for receiving only a certain clans 

 of compounds, more especially of an oleaginous and albuminous 

 kind. 



That part of the absorbent system called Lymphatics were at one 



time supposed to be engaged in conveying to the Mood the used-up 



matters from all parts of the body preparatory to the ii final expulsion 



from the system. The nature, however, of the clear fluid lymph whi. h 



in contained in them doe* not mipp. .' t this opinion, and as this lymph 



ha* a composition very like to the blood without its red cor, 



it i* inferred that the office of the lymphatic* is to assist in the 



preparation of materials for the blood. These materials being 



scattered all over those part* of the nyntera on whi' h the lymphatics 



are distributed, it i* to the blood-vessel* that the office must bo 



assigned of taking up effete matter, and carrying it into the 1.1 ..... 1. 



That the general cutaneous and mucoun surfaces of the body will 



ihale and absorb, are well-known facts. The skin, through ita 



. rifcrou* gland*, which perform their fnm tion through the agency 



pf cells, exhale* moisture, whilst it is also a powerful absorbent surface. 



. .ipahle of 



imbibing, in a qnni ur. an "iiuee and a half of warm water, 



which, l"i- the whole b..d\ . is at the rate of six or seven i 

 hour. An interesting narrative is on record of a ship's crew who 

 were exposed at sea for ccvcrnl days in an open I . . : they had 

 c..nsnmcd till their water; they IIKI! no '.' k.nd which they 



could drink: n began to Hiifl'cr from tim-t; the I'.-, 



length becaiii. i the drinking of .-.-.. r..und 



only to increase it* int.-:.- -\ \Vh<n ne.riy exhausted, they were 

 exposed, during several hours, to a heavy shwi r of rain. Ax soon 

 as their clothes became > began to abate, 



and before the rain had oeascd their thir.-t was gone. They did not. 

 fail fc> profit liy this ex|>crien :,ie each r 



as he began to feel thirsty, dipped his shirt in the sea-wat. 

 it next his skin, which had iimn -iahK the ell. . i 

 the absorbent* taking up the particle* of water, but r 

 saline matter .it Thei :,ec of the lungs 



stantly enguge< I in thro wing off thi vajKiur of water and cm 

 and absorbing oxygen gas. It iBalso through the pnlmonan 

 poisons are introduced into the blood, which result in the |.n.,i 

 of disease, a* small-pox, measles, Mail I others. Thcdif 



isof absorbing surfaces to p.. - is an intt : 



subject. Thus, poisons whieh may ! int r..duce.l with impunii 



i.ieh will .i .hen applied to the i .ud in 



the skin, as in the ease "I" the p. 'n.nious serpents, and 



the \Voorant poison. This has been proved < n any 



deeoinposition taking place up. .11 the surface of particular membranes, 

 as the Woonira has been introduced im . h and bladder. 



ami when rejected has been found to retain its primitive desti 

 power. 



ABUTIL.ON (awTiAw, the Greek for mulberry tree, which the 

 species of this genus resemble), a genus of handsome plant.*, bei 

 to the natural order .l/f"'< </..*. The spe mting 



to about 80, have 1 'M .s./.'. Tin \ i 



yx. w:th a mnltilid style, cap.-ular onc-ce. 



in a whorl. Several of the species are cultivated in this country. 

 A. ttriaium blossoms freely nearly all the year round, when turned 

 out under a wall in Hampshire. .1. ril '/folium, A. rm<:.- 

 nerve, and A. pan, re also toleralily hardy species. The 



plant known as Bencao de De'.s. in the province ro, in 



lira/il, is the A. etcukntum. It h. 



flowers, which are dressed and eaten with their viands by the 

 inhabitant* of Rio. In cultivation the species require a light ivh 

 loam and peat-soil, and should be propagated by striking cutt . 

 sand in a c'ose frame or under a glass in summer. 



ACA'CIA. the name of a plant 1 ianttr, 



mentioned I les, as a useful astringent thorn, 



whit.' transparent gum. The account ; 



meagre as it is, accords so well with the gum of modem 



Kgypt, that we can scarcely doubt their identity. Accordingly it is 

 to these, and to others closely related to them, that t ! name 



is still applied. 



Amongst modem botanists the Acacia is a e genus of 



trees or shrubby plants, inhabiting the tropical part* of both the old 

 and New World, ami, in a very few instances only, extending int.. 

 temperate latitude*: although over the whole of Australia, a. 

 dependent islands, the species an- spread in much abnml: 



rly Hi"' sp. . 



Generic Character. Flowers polygamous, t.'alv x. with cither four 

 or five teeth. 1'et.iU. either four or tr t from 



each other, sometimes adhering in a m..n..petalous corolla. Stamens 

 varying in number from 10 to 200. 1'od not separating into many 

 joints; juiceless, two val vcd. The ,ble in 



Micture of their leaves and llowei ' them have true 



that are, twice or tin - with a mn linutc. 



shining, or at lea-' >th< rs have in a perfect st. 



leave* properly so called, but in their stead the le-f-t^lks .! 

 and asstiiiH- the a] u,lnod..ult also the functions, of true 



leaves ption are known by their spurious 



leaves being expanded vertically, in-tcad of hori/.ontally as in leave; 

 of the ordinary c.iii-truction. l!y th.^e \,iy rcmarkabh- p,. 

 diflerence in Btnicturo the species may be con, 

 two great subdivisions. 



I. Leant* pimxi'' * dtgrea. About 20(> \vn. 



Acaci'i <_'iiii<-lni (\Vildenow>, the Catechu Acacia (.'//;/. 

 I.inn.-i'u-l. Spines growing in the' place of the 



straight, but afterward' becoming 1 kcd. I 



leaflet* in from 40 to ."." near, downy : with one de] 



base of the leaf-Htalk, and from two to Ihrei- between the 

 upper divis; . rs arranged in cylindiv which gntw 



two or three together. It is a tive with a tolerably high and 

 stem : and is found in niountjiinoiis places in th. 

 cially in Kongal and Col 



I liahar. Its unripe pods and wood yield, by .1 

 of catechu, or terra j iponi. M .| 



Uo.xhnrghi \ i-ibic 'I'ree. Spines grow ing 



in pair - downy. Leaves in from I 



six divisions; leaflets in from t.-u to twenty couples, oblong 



