461 



PHCENIX. 



PHOSPHORUS. 



462 



this, not in desert places, lest the mystery which comes to pass should 

 remain unknown, but in a notable city, that men might even handle 

 what they disbelieve. For it makes itself a nest of frankincense and 

 myrrh and other spices ; and entering into this when its years are 

 fulfilled, it evidently dies and moulders away. Then from the 

 mouldering flesh of the dead a worm springs, and this worm, when 

 grown large, is tranformed into a bird ; and do not disbelieve this, for 

 thou seest the offspring of bees also fashioned thus out of worms, and 

 from eggs which are most moist thou hast seen the wings and bones 

 and sinews of birds issue. Afterwards this phoenix, becoming fledged 

 and a perfect phoenix, as was the former one, soars up into the air such 

 as it had died, showing forth to men a most evident resurrection 

 from the dead. The phoenix indeed is a wondrous bird, yet is ir- 

 rational, nor sings psalms to God ; it flies abroad through the sky, 

 but it knows not the only-begotten Son of God. Is then a resurrection 

 from the dead given unto this irrational creature, which knows not its 

 maker ; and to us, who ascribe glory to God and keep his command- 

 ments, shall there no resurrection be granted 1 " 



Origen seems to doubt its truth (' Cont. Cels.,' lib. ir.,cap. 98, p. 229), 

 and Photius blames St. Clement for his credulity in mentioning it 

 (' Biblioth.,' cod. 126, p. 805) ; but these two are (so far as the writer 

 is aware) the only two of the ancient authors who did not believe it. 

 This, however, ought not to lessen the authority of the fathers on 

 other matters, nor should it be made a subject of reproach against 

 them that " they were not proficients in a branch of knowledge which 

 lias been a peculiar study of modern times." (See Mr. Newman's 

 preface to Mr. Church's ' Translation of St. Cyril,' Oxf, 1838.) 



It would be almost impossible to enumerate all the more modern 

 authors who, during the middle ages, expressed their belief in the 

 existence of the phoenix, for the list would include almost all the 

 writers on natural history, besides a great number of others. Perhaps 

 the most curious circumstance relating to it is what is told us by 

 Camden ('Britannia,' p. 783, ed. Lond., 1607), namely, that Pope 

 Clement VIII. sent, in 1599, to Lord Tyrone, the chieftain of the 

 Irish rebels, a phcenix's feather. This was mentioned in his work only 

 eight years after the event took place, but we are not informed how 

 the pope procured the feather, or what had become of it at the time 

 when Camden wrote. Sir Thomas Browne, in his ' Vulgar Errors ' (of 

 which the first edition was published hi 1646), thinks it necessary to 

 state at sume length kis reasons for disbelieving the existence of the 

 phrnnii (book iii. ch. 12) ; and in 1552 he was attacked for this and 

 other pieces of incredulity by Alexander Ross, in a work entitled 

 'Arcana Microcosm!, or the Hid Secrets of Man's Body discovered,' Ac. 

 With respect to the phoenix, the writer is not surprised at its seldom 

 making its appearance, its instinct teaching it to keep out of the way 

 of the tyrant of the creation man ; " for had Heliogabalus, that 

 Roman glutton, met with him, he bad devoured him, though there 

 were no more in the world ! " (' Area. Micr.,' p. 202.) Alexander 

 Ross, who was really a person of some sense and learning, was probably 

 one of the hist believers in the phoenix, which is now given up entirely 

 to the poets ; indeed, since the appearance of the ' Rejected Addresses/ 

 almost abandoned even by them. 



PH'EN'IX, a southern constellation of Bayer, which may be best 

 described as close to (but farther from the south pole than) the bright 

 itar in Eridanua (Achernar). Its principal stars are an follows : 



No. In Catalogue No. In Catalogue 



Character. 

 a 

 it 

 \ 

 

 I 

 t 



of (Piazzi) 

 Lccaillc. o. 



(69) 

 (68) 

 (94) 

 680 

 910 

 10380 



of British 

 Ansoeialioo. 



94 



93 

 447 

 317 

 461 



11 



Magnitude. 

 2 

 4 

 3 

 31 



4 



PHoSriKXE GAS. [CiiLOROc.iBBOxic ACID OAS.] 

 PHOSPHATES. [PHOSPHORUS] 

 PHOSPHIDES. [PHOSPHORUS] 



PHOSPIHTKS. [PHOSPHORUS.] 



I'llusPHO-BEROAMIC ACID. [BERCAMOT, ESSENCE or.] 



PH03PHO-OLTCERIC ACID. [ULYCEHIS.] 



PHOSPHORESCENCE. Wl,,,,i phosphorus is exposed to the air 

 it undergoes slow combustion, and emits a feeble light which in visible 

 in the dark. Certain mineral substances emit a phosphorescent light 

 when gently heated, such as phosphorite and chlorophane. The light 

 however soon ceases and cannot be renewed until th body has been 

 exposed to the sun, or to the electric flash produced by discharging a 

 Leydcn jar. Several kinds of gea fish become luminous soon after death, 

 and the waters of the oce.in frequently appear luminous from the pre- 

 sence of luminous animalculao : this, however, is a subject which 

 belongs to our NATURAL HISTOBY DIVISION LUMINOSITY of OBOANIC 

 BFI-. 



PHOSPHORIC ACID. [PBOsrnonrjs.] 



PHOSPHORIC ACID, MEDICAL PROPERTIES OP. Dry phos- 

 phoric acid is sometimes used in the form of pills, but this is not an 

 eligible mode; the common form is that uf solution, constituting the 

 dilute acid of the ' Pharmacopoeia,' This differs from the other dilute 



mineral acids in not affecting so strongly the digestive organs, on 

 which account it may be persevered in for a longer time. It is pecu- 

 liarly suited to disordered states of the mucous surfaces, and also to 

 states of debility, characterised by softening of the bones and a phos- 

 phatic condition of the urine. In this latter state it is often more 

 efficacious when combined with iron, in the form of a phosphate of 

 that metal ; or better, the pyrophosphate. The same combination is 

 of great utility in most cases of diabetes. In passive hemorrhages, 

 phosphoric acid, properly diluted, quickly arrests the bleeding, as it 

 coagulates the blood. This property is possessed in a stronger degree 

 by the undiluted acid ; and hence if injected into a vein, causes death. 

 A poisonous dose of the strong acid may be counteracted by chalk, or 

 carbonate of soda. 



PHOSPHOROUS ACID. [PHOSPHORUS.] 



PHOSPHOVINIC ACID, Etkyl-ptiosphoric acid. [ETHYL.] 



PHOSPHORUS. This elementary, solid, non-metallic body was 

 discovered in 1609, by Brandt, an alchemist of Hamburg ; he kept the 

 mode of preparation for a long time secret, but as he could not conceal 

 the fact of its being obtained from urine, Kunkel tried to procure it 

 from the same source, and he succeeded in the attempt. 



It will not be requisite to describe the original mode of preparing 

 this very peculiar substance ; therefore we shall only give an outline 

 of the method at present employed. It has been shown that animal 

 bone [BONE, in NAT. HIST. Drv.] contains a large quantity of phos- 

 phoric acid combined with 'lime, forming a phosphate of that earth. 

 It was first proposed by Scheele to obtain phosphorus from bones. 

 For this purpose the bones are ignited or calcined in contact 

 with air till they become white; when this happens it is a proof 

 that the charcoal derived from the decomposition of the animal 

 matter is entirely burnt off. In this state they consist of phosphate 

 of lime mixed with little else than a small portion of carbonate 

 of lime. After being reduced to a fine powder, they are mixed 

 with sufficient water to form a thin paste, and digested for a 

 day or two with two-thirds their weight of ^ulphuric acid. In this 

 case sulphate of lime is formed, and the greater part of it remains 

 insoluble, and a superphosphate of lime remains in solution ; this is 

 to be evaporated, and the precipitate formed being separated, the clear 

 fluid, which is chiefly phosphoric acid, is to be evaporated nearly to 

 dryness, and mixed with about a fourth of its weight of powdered 

 charcoal ; this mixture is to be strongly heated in an earthen retort, 

 the beak of which is immersed in water ; by the action of the heat the 

 phosphoric acid yields oxygen to the carbon, and the results are 

 carbonic acid or oxide, which is evolved in the gaseous state, and 

 the vapour of phosphorus, which is condensed by passing into water. 



The crude phosphorus thus obtained is mixed with wet sand and 

 purified by redistillation from a large cast-iron retort, the neck of 

 which just dips below the surface of water contained in a flat earthen- 

 ware pan. The phosphorus is from time to time removed by an iron 

 ladle and cast into sticks by fusing under warm water in a vessel that 

 has a long glass tube attached to its lower part by a stopcock. The 

 tube is surrounded by cold water contained in a tub, and at first its 

 end is closed by a cork. On opening the tap the melted phosphorus 

 flows into the glass tube, and when it has solidified, the cork is 

 carefully withdrawn, and with it the rod of phosphorus, fresh liquid 

 phosphorus continuing to flow hi. By this means the whole of the 

 phosphorus may be drawn out in one continuous stick of any required 

 diameter, and coiled round in the tub or cut into pieces with scissors 

 while still under water. 



Phosphorus is solid, translucent, and nearly colourless ; it is so soft 

 that it may be indented by the nail, and it is very readily cut. When 

 heated to 111'5 Fahr. it fuses, and at 550" is converted into vapour ; 

 it lias a peculiar smell when exposed to the air, but this is probably 

 derived from the action of the oxygen of the air upon it. Neither 

 water nor alcohol dissolves phosphorus, but it is slightly dissolved by 

 ether and by oils. It emits light when exposed to the air in the dark, 

 and hence its name (from txas, light, and qiptiv, to carry). It is 

 extremely inflammable, and has been known to take fire spontaneously 

 in the atmosphere when the temperature was not above 60 Fahr. Its 

 specific gravity is about 1'83. Phosphorus is also soluble by the aid of 

 heat in naphtha, bisulphide of carbon, and dichloride of sulphur ; on 

 cooling from solution in the last-mentioned it has been obtained in 

 dodecahedral crystals, and by mere fusion and slow cooling of a larger 

 quantity, it has been procured in octahedral crystals. 



Phosphorus may be granulated by fusing under alcohol, or in water 

 containing a little urea, and well agitating till cold. 



Amorphous, or red Photph'jrui is an ailotropic variety that has long 

 been known to chemists, but has been extensively manufactured only 

 since the year 1848. It is most easily made by keeping ordinary 

 phosphorus for several days at a temperature of 450 or 460 Fahr. 

 It forms a red or purple friable amorphous mass. Its specific gravity 

 melting point and igniting point are higher than ordinary phosphorus. 

 It is insoluble in bisulphide of carbon, is neither dangerously inflam- 

 mable nor poisonous, and does not communicate to the workpeople 

 engaged in handling it, that painful disease of the jaws that ordinary 

 phosphorus imparts. These properties have secured for it extensive 

 use in the manufacture of lucifer matches, and it was at one time 

 hoped that it would quite supersede the white variety : unfortunately 

 however, it gradually attracts oxygen from the air.aad_the phosphorous 



