A L K 



rtadily irritates, and even inflames it, and may be fo managed, 

 n^ to prove an ulcfiil lliinulant and rubefacient in many cales. 

 But this requires its beings blended witli a mild, exprclTcd oil, 

 fi) as to prevent its inflaming too mud). See F^ol<i>i/f Oil. 

 Tlic fixed alkaline falts have l)een commonly adminifttred as 

 diuretics. Dr. CuUcn has chiefly employed the vegetable 

 fixed alkah, and has fomctlmes obtained its effefts in a re- 

 markable dtgree ; but he has been often difappointcd, which 

 he afcribes to the neutralization of the alkali in the (lomach, 

 and in that ftate they could have no other efi"e£l than other 

 neutrals, which is commonly inconfiderablc, either as laxa- 

 tives or dim-etics. Alkaliiies do, however, occafionally ma- 

 nifeft their diurLtic power ; and upon the fuppofition of 

 their neutral ftate in the ftomach, their coiliderablc opera- 

 tion as diuretics cannot be ealily accounted tor. Of this faft 

 Dr. Cullcn offers two explanations. One is, that the cjunn- 

 tlty of alkali thrown into the ilomach may be more than the 

 acid can there neutralize, and therefore fome portion of it 

 may reach the kidnics in its alkaline ftatc, and prove a more 

 powerful ilimulant than any neutral fait would be; and on 

 this ground a large quantity of alkali is always ncceflary to 

 produce diuretic cffetls. An., ther explanation of .he fail is 

 as follows. As the acid of the Itomach may be pvelumed to 

 be of the nature of the fermented acid of vegetables, fo an 

 alkali joined with it muft. form a regenerated tartar, a fal 

 diurcticus, or kali acctatum ; and if this be lefs purgative, 

 and more diuretic than other neutrals, while it is alfo con- 

 veyed to the blood-veflcls in larger quantity, we can under- 

 lland wliy, from thefe circumftanccs, the fixed alkali may of- 

 ten appear diuretic. With refpcft to its operation as a diu- 

 retic, another conjefture may be offered. When it is given 

 with bitters, after the manner of Sir John Pringle, it com- 

 monly proves diuretic ; and Dr. Cullen imagined, that as the 

 bitters arc abforbents of acid, they might abforb fo much of 

 that prefcnt in the ftomach, as to prevent its being fo fully 

 applied to the alkali. As alkalines may be often prevented, 

 by purging, from reaching the kidnics, fo then- diuretic ef- 

 fect may be often more certainly fecured by giving an opiate 

 at the lame time ; and for the utility of this practice, fee 

 Dr. Mead on the fubjeft of Dropfy. Befides the laxative 

 and diuretic powers of the fixed alkali, another is alcribed to 

 it, which is that of diffolving the fluids, or the concretions 

 which may happen to be formed in them, exprelfcd by 

 French writers under the denomination of foiitlant. Dr. Cul- 

 len does not allow it to pofTefs this power to any great de- 

 gree, or to produce the eifcfts in this way that have been af- 

 cribed to it. Cullen's Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 568. Vol. li. 

 p. 382. 512. 



Alkaline acrimony, in Mcilicine, fignlfies a morbid qua- 

 lity in the blood, which is indicated by a defire of and thirft 

 after four things, lofs of appetite, and averfion to alkalefcent 

 food, nidorous crucjations, putrid ulcers on the lips, tongue, 

 and other parts in the mouth, ficknefs in the ftomach, a fre- 

 quent J'uirrhsa, a fenfe of heat, laiTitude, and general uneafi- 

 nefs, a difTolution of the texture of the blood, the urine high- 

 coloured and red. It produces a putrcfcency in the blood, 

 &c. and is to be remedied by the fame means as the fea- 

 fcurvy and other putrid diforders. 



ALKALIZATION, Alkalizatio, in Chemlfiry, the 

 aft of impregnating a liquor with an aUnHiif fait. 



This is done eitlier to make it a better dllTolvent, for fomc 

 particular purpofes ; or to load the phlegm, fo as it may not 

 rife in dilllllation, whereby the fpirituous parts may go over 

 more pure. 



Alkalization, is a name applied to operations, by 

 which alkaline properties are communicated to bodies ; or 

 to thofc by which alkali is extraded from bodies which con- 

 tain It, or m which it may be formed; e. g.ffirU of wine is 



A L K 



faid to be alkallxcd, when it has bcci^lgefled upon alkali } 

 a part of which itdlfiolves, and thence acquires alkaline pro. 

 pertles. On the other hand, when a neutral fait is dccom- 

 pofed, in order to obtain its alkitline bafis, this fait is to be al- 

 kah/ '.d. Vegetable fubftances when reduced to afhes, may 

 alfo be faid to be alkalized, bccaufe the aflies coutain fixed 

 :Ukali. 



ALKAMARE, in Geography, a town of Pcifia, in the 

 province of Ir;;k-Agcmi, 28 leagues eaft of Bagdad. 



ALKANET, ill Botany. See Anchusa. 



ALKANSAS, or Arkansas, an Indian nation of 

 Louliiana, on the weft fide of the MilTifippi river, near the 

 river of the fame name, in N. lat. 34". See Arkans-^s 

 rivtr. 



ALKENNA. Sec Alcanna and Lawsonia. 



AJ-KEKENGI, w Botany. See Atkopa and Phvsalis. 



Alkfkknoi, a mcdlcinalfrr.lt or berry, produced by the 

 P H V s AL'. s yf'lriew^i, popularly alfo calh'd winltr-chirry; for- 

 merly ufed and much commended as an abftergent, diffolvcnt, 

 and diuretic. 



Thefe berries were well known to the ancients, and are 

 cliaracterirtically defcrlbed by Diofcorides, under the deno- 

 jnination rfu,Y'" aAi>:«K5'./3ov. They have an acidulous and not 

 unpleafaiit tafle, followed by a flight bitterneis, which they 

 are faid to derive in a confiderable degree from the invefting 

 calyx, if not gathered with great care. Although thefe 

 berries are efteemed to be detergent and aperient, they have 

 been chiefly recommended as a diuretic, operating without 

 heat or irritation, in fupprcflions of urine, and for removing 

 obftrudfions cccafioned by gravel or mucus. With this in- 

 tention the number of 6 to 12 cherries in fubftance, or an. 

 ounce of the expreffed juice has been the ufual dole ; but 

 there fcems to be no danger from a much larger quantity j 

 for, we are told, that in fome parts of Germany the country 

 people eat them by handfuls with much benefit ; and in Spain 

 and Switzerland they often fupply the place of other eatable 

 fruits. Ray Informs us, that a gouty perfon prevented the 

 returns of the diforder by taking eight of thefe cherries at, 

 each change of tlie moon ; and inllances are recoriled of their 

 good effedls in dropfical and calculous complaints, but at 

 prefent they are wholly dlfregarded. 



The cherries may be dried fo as to be pulverable, or the 

 depurated juice infpiflated with a gentle heat to the confift- 

 ence of a rob or extraft, which Diofcorides commends, and 

 in this ftate preferved for ufe. They h^ve been fometimes 

 mixed with opium. Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 553-) 

 obferves, that as it is allowed the berries take a taint from 

 the leaves, it will always require fome caution in employing 

 any part of a plant which is taken from an order of a very 

 poifonpus kind. Lewis, Mat. Med. Woodvllle, Med. Bot. 

 vol. iv. p. 34. Murray's Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 679. 



ALKENDI, or Alkindi, Jacob Ebn Isaac, in Bio- 

 graphy, a celebrated Arabian philofopher and writer, was the 

 fon of the prefeift of Cufa, under Muhamed Modi ami 

 Rafhid, and flourifhcd jn the caliphate of Al-Mamon, or at 

 the beginning of the ninth century. He acquired fuch emi- 

 nence in Hterature and philofophy in the fchool of Baffoi-a, 

 that he was called, by way of ditlinftion, " The Philofo- 

 pher." Although he yielded implicit obedience, in common 

 with his contemporaries, to the authority oi Ariftotle, and 

 principally devoted himfelf to the office of i.tterpreting and 

 illuftratlng his writings, he diretjled his attention to other 

 more important and uleful ftudies. His name is mentioned 

 among the mathematicians and allronomers of his age ; and 

 his medical writings, that are ftill extant, prove that he l.ii- 

 talned a Tci-y honourable rank among the Arabian phyli- 

 cians. Herbelot reprefents Alkendi as a Jew, who was 

 perfecuted on accoiwt of his religion ; but the account of 



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