DOR 



aspect of the thumb : dorsalis 

 indicia, ddrs-dl'ts m'-dis-is (L. 

 index, anything that points out, 

 the forefinger, indicis, of the fore- 

 finger), a small branch artery 

 which runs along the radial side 

 of the back of the index finger : 

 dorsalis hallucis, 'hal'-us-is (new 

 L. hallux, the great toe, hallucis, 

 of the great toe from L. hallex, 

 the great toe, said to be from Gr. 

 hallomai, I leap, as being , chiefly 

 employed in leaping), an artery 

 along the outer border of the first 

 metatarsal bone, and at the cleft 

 between the first and second toes: 

 dorsalis pedis, ved'is (L. pes, a 

 foot, p%dis, of a foot), the dorsal 

 artery of the foot. 



dorsibranchiate, a., dtirs't'bra'ngk'- 

 i-dt (L. dorsum, the back ; Gr. 

 brangchia, gills of a fish), in 

 zool., having external gills at- 

 tached ito the .back. 



dorsi-lumbar, a., d$rs'i-l&mb'>ar 

 (L. dorsum, the back, dorsi, of 

 the back; lumbus, a loin), a 

 small 'off-se(t from the lumbar 

 plexus nerve. 



Dorstenia, n., dtir-slm'-i-a (after 

 Dorsten, a German botanist), a 

 genus of very curious plants, Ord. 

 Moraceae, having a slightly con- 

 cave, broad receptacle, bearing 

 numerous flowers : Dorstenia 

 contrayerva, ktin'tra-yerv'-a (L. 

 contra, against ; yerba, the native 

 name for mate" or Paraguayan tea, 

 so called as esteemed good against 

 poison); D. Houstoni, hows' tdn-i 

 (after Houston)] D. Brasiliensis, 

 brdZ'iV'i'ens'-is (of or from Brazil), 

 are species which furnish the 

 contrayerva root of commerce, 

 used as a stimulant, tonic, and 

 diaphoretic. 



dossil, n., dtis'sil (F. dousil, a peg 

 or tap to draw off liquor from a 

 cask; Ger. docke, a bunch), a 

 small portion of lint made round, 

 or in the form of a date, to be 

 laid on a sore. 



douche, n., ddsh (F. douche, a 



2 DRA 



shower bath), a bath given by a 

 jet or stream of water poured from 

 above on some part of the body. 



Dracaena, n., dra-sen'-a (Gr. dra- 

 kaina, a she-dragon), a genus of 

 trees, Ord. Liliacese, whose inspis- 

 sated juice is said to become a 

 powder like dragon's blood ; they 

 often branch in a dichotomous 

 manner, and attain large di- 

 mensions: Dracaena draco, drak'-o 

 (Gr. drakon, L. draco, a species 

 of serpent), a species which, with 

 others, yields an astringent resin 

 called dragon's blood : D. termin- 

 &lis, term-in-dl'is (L. terminalis, 

 terminal from terminus, a 

 'boundary, so called because 

 planted in India to make bound- 

 aries), a -species which in Java is 

 considered valuable in dysenteric 

 affections : Dracontium, n., drd- 

 kon'-shi'Um, a genus of plants, so 

 called 'because the stems are spot- 

 ted like the skin of a snake, or from 

 the appearance of its root : Dracon- 

 tium fcetidum,/&-ftZ'&ra (L. fozt- 

 idus, fetid, stinking), the skunk 

 cabbage, which exhales a very 

 fetid odour, and the powdered 

 root used as an antispasmodic : 

 D. pertusum, ver'tuz'um (L.per- 

 tusus, perforated from per, 

 through, thoroughly ; tusus, 

 beaten), a very acrimonious plant, 

 the fresh leaves used by the 

 Indians over dropsical parts to 

 produce vesications : D. poly- 

 phyllum, pol'l-fil'-lum (Gr. polus, 

 many; phullon, a leaf), a species 

 whose prepared root in India is 

 supposed to possess antispas- 

 modic virtues, and to be a remedy 

 in asthma. 



dracunculus, n., drd'kun-ul-us 

 (a diminutive of Gr. drakon, a 

 serpent), the Guinea -worm, the 

 adult female of a nematode para- 

 site, a worm which burrows 

 beneath the skin of the legs and 

 feet of human beings in certain 

 limited intertropical districts of 

 Asia and Africa. 



