wou 



TAM 



under the tongue : it is sometimes 

 siiiiposed to prevent madness, hut, in 

 I'aet, merely breaks liieni of Iheir hab- 

 it of gnawiujf. 



WORM SEED. Goosofoot, Jeru- 

 salem oak. An oil is distilled from 

 the seeds, and called worm-seed oil : 

 it is exceedingly nauseous, and is giv- 

 en to children in the dose of five to 

 ten drops, and followed by cathartics. 

 See Goosefoot. 



WORMS, INTESTINAL. There 

 are many species infesting animals, 

 especially horses. The principal are 

 hots; lumhrici, or round, long worms, 

 resembling the earthworm; ascarides, 

 which are slender and with flattened 

 heads, and tcEnice, or tape worms. 



The effects of worms are soon seen 

 in the health of animals ; they get 

 poor, low-spirited, and weak, notwith- 

 standing their appetite is often vo- 

 racious. As soon as these symptoms 

 are discovered, measures must be ta- 

 ken for the expulsion of the worms : 

 this is n<)t easily accomplished, but 

 purgatives containing calomel, jalap, 

 and aloes are most effective. The 

 tape worm must be previously killed 

 by doses of turpentine ; for this pur- 

 pose, a wine-glassful should be giv- 

 en at intervals of six hours, three 

 or four times, until portions of the 

 worm are evacuated by the purge. 

 See Bols, Horse. 



WORMWOOD. The genus Arte- 

 misia, including southernwood, mug- 

 wort, &c. Tiiey are composite, bit- 

 ter perennials, with a strong, rank 

 odour, and have been much used as 

 tonic bitters, and some species are 

 vermifuges. Common wormwood is 

 A. absinthium : the French flavour a 

 cordial with it. The seeds of any of 

 the species grow readily in the Uni- 

 ted States : they are also propagated 

 by root slips. 



WOR r. A decoction of malt ; an 

 old name for an herb. 



WOULFE'S APPARATUS. A 

 series of two or three necked bottles, 

 connected by intermediate tubes, used 

 in the chemical laboratory for impreg- 

 nating water and other liquids with 

 various gases or vapours. 



WOUND. A division of the soft 

 872 



parts. If it be a clean cut or incised 

 wound, all tiiat is necessary is to 

 wash the jiarts with tepid water to 

 remove all dirt, ari<l bring the sides 

 of the wound together with sticking 

 plaster. Torn and contused wounds 

 do not heal so kindly, but often run 

 into suppuration. If an artery be di- 

 vided, it is first to be tied with a silk 

 thread before the wound is closed. 



W U N D W O R T. The genus 

 Stachijs, weeds of little account. 



WROUGHT. Materials which 

 have been brought to a surface by 

 hammering or other labour. 



XANTHINE (from fav^oc, yellmc). 

 A yellow colouring principle in mad- 

 der. 



XANTHOPHYL (from ^avOoc, and 

 (pv?.?Mv, a leaf). The yellow colour- 

 ing matter of autumnal foliage. 



XYLITE (from ^vXav, rvood). Lig- 

 none, an empyreumatic spirit exist- 

 ing in the products of vinegar distil- 

 led from wood. 



XYLOPHAGANS, XYLOPHA- 

 GA (from ^vXov, and (payu, I cat). A 

 tribe of coleopterous insects, compre- 

 hending those of which the larva? de- 

 vour the wood of trees in which they 

 are developed ; also applied to a fam- 

 ily of dipterous insects, the larva? 

 of which have similarly destructive 

 habits. 



XYLOPHILANS, XILOPHILI 

 (from ^v'Aov, and (t>i.2,eu, I love). A 

 tribe of beetles, consisting of those 

 which live on decayed wood. 



XYLOTROGES, XYLOTROGI 

 (from ^v?.ov, and rpuyo, I gnaw). A 

 tribe of serricorn beetles, compre- 

 hending those which perforate timber. 



Y. 



YAK. The Himalayan bison, re- 

 sembling the buffalo, three and a half 

 feet high, and with fine, long hair. 



YAM. The tuber of the Dioscorea 

 saliva, alata, and other species. It is 

 similar to the sweet potato, but much 

 larger. The cultivation is the same, 

 only that a stake is driven near each 

 plant, to allow the stem to climb. 



YAM ROOT. Dioscorea villosa. 



