A S C 



/sndiere in the !.il\ rcntiiry. In f,n'ers, lie p ri)1ii!)it?d all 

 fi-od, and even diiik to Iris patients for tlirtc or rnare 

 days, but w'u'n by this means, tlie viulericc of tlie fever 

 was abated, he induV^cd them w;t!» aninial food, and with 

 wine. When endive, he uled j>!yllers, whieh he frequently 

 cnip'oyed. In pleurilies, and in other conipbints attended 

 with violent pain, he prelcribed bleeditig, but in chronic 

 •coinplaiBts, he depended principally on abftinence, excrciie, 

 -bjths, andfrjcxions. Thefe, he faid, opened the pores, and 

 gave free exit to the obllru^tcd partieles. 



That lie was in high repute in his time, we have the au- 

 thority of Celins, Culins Anreliiinus, Galea, and Scribo- 

 f.'ms Largiis, from whofe writings what ie known of his 

 opinions ajid praciice is p!iiicip;>Ily taken, as none of his 

 Ivcrks have beeii prefeived. Milhridates, king of Pontus, 

 invited iiini to his court ; but his employment at Rome was 

 "too lucrative to permit him to accept the offer. 



But befide!. the reputation he iiciiuired by his praftice, 

 his fame was further iiicrei-led by the number of pupils or 

 ililciplci who attended iiis fchool, and who continued to 

 follow his method long after his dcccafe. Thcmifon, one 

 ot iiis dilciples, in part adopting', and in part deviating from 

 I'is dodlrine, formed a new fcct, under the title of the Me- 

 thodic, which in its turn became popular. Afelepiades is 

 faid to have pledged his reputation on preftrving his health, 

 Jo have lived to a great age, and to have died at length in 

 ■-confequtnce of a fall. L.e Clerc Hiiloire de la Medicine. 

 J^idler Bib. Med. Praft. who gives a detailed and particular 

 account of his praftice in a variety of difeafes. 



AsCLEriADKs, a Greek philofopiier of the Eliac fehool, 

 »vas born at Plilia, in Pcloponnefus, and flouriibed about 

 9yO years before Chrift. He was the intimate friend and 

 rffuciate of Menedctnns, whilil tliey both attended the 

 fehool of Stilpo, and aftenvards when they attended Plia?do's 

 fehool at Elis. They were under a neceflity of fupporting 

 therafelves by the manual labour of mafons. They left their 

 country for the lake of enjoying the advantages of Plato's 

 ich<~ol at Athens, and gained a fubfiftence by grinding in 

 the night in one of the public prifons, that they might be 

 able to fpend the day in the academy. When the Athenian 

 magiftrates, upon inquiring into their mode of fubfiftence, 

 were informed of this circumftance, which manifefted their 

 ardent defire of knowledge, liiey applauded their zeal, 

 and prcfented them with 200 di-achnias. In advanced life 

 Afclepiadrs loft his fight, but bore the afflidion with cheer- 

 fulnefs. Atheii. 1. iv. c. 19. Cicero Tufc. Difp. 1. v. c. 39. 

 Diog. Laert. vit. Mened. Brucker by Enfield, vol. i. 

 p. 197. 



ASCLEPIAS, in Botany, fwallow-wort. (From 

 JEfculap'ms, the god of medicine.) Lin. gen. 306. Schreb. 

 429. Juff. 147. Gaertn. 1. 117. Clafs, pentandria digyn'ia. 

 Nat. Order, Contort,! Apodncx, JufT. Gen. Char. Cal. pe- 

 rianth five-cleft, fliarp, veiy Imall, permanent. Cor. mono- 

 petalous, flat, or reflex, five-parted ; divifions ovate -acumi- 

 nate, (lightly bending with the fun ; neftaries five, growing 

 to liie tube of the filaments, flefliy, or cowled; a (harp horn 

 protruding from the bottom, bending inwards. Slam, fila- 

 ments five, collected into a tube, fwelling at the bale ; an- 

 tliers oblong, upright, two-celled, terminated by an index 

 membrane lying on the ftigma, having a reverfcd wino- on 

 each fide; the pollen is collected into ten corpufcles, inverfe- 

 ly lanceolate, flat, hanging down into the cells of the anther 

 by ihort threads, which are annexed by pairs to five cartila- 

 ginous twin tubercles, each placed on the tip of the wings 

 of the anthers, adhering to the angles of the ftigma, be- 

 tween the anthers. Pijh germs two, oblong, acuminate ; 

 flyles two, fubulate; lligma common to both, large, thick. 



A S C 



five-cornered, covered at the top by the apexes of the an- 

 thers, umbilieate in the middle. Per. io\\\c\t% two, large, 

 oblong, acuminate, fwelling, one-celled, one-valvtd. Suds, 

 numerous, imbricate, crowned with down ; receptacle mem- 

 branaceous, free. 



Eff. Gen. Cliar. Contorted ; neftarics five, ovate, concave, 

 putting forth a httle horn. Species : — 



• J.eavts rppufir, JIat. 

 1. A. undulata, wavcd-leaveu l»aliow-wort, apocynum af;!- 

 c?.num, lapatiii folio, Comm. Rar. t. 16. "Leaves fcflile, 

 oblong, laneeoLte, waved, fmooth." A native of the cape 

 of Good Hope. It was introduced into our gardens in 

 1783. Its flowers appear in July. 2. A. crifpa, curled- 

 leaved fwallow-wort ; apoc. creClum afric, &c. Herm. 

 par. 25. Comm. Rar. t. 17. " Leaves cordate, lanceolate, 

 waved, fcabrous, oppoiite ; umbel terminal." Its ftem is 

 pubcfceiit, branching at the bottom ; leaves lubfefTile, repand ; 

 one umbel of yellow flowers terminates the Hem. Found at 

 the cape by Sparrman. Introduced into the Kew garden 

 by Mr. Mairoii, in 1774. 3. A. puhcficns, pubefctnt fnaU 

 low-wort ; apoc. afr. tuberofum, &c. Morr. Hift. 3. 610. 

 Pluk. 139. f. I. " Leaves ovate, veintd, naked ; ftem (hrub- 

 by ; peduncles villofe ;" the ftem is ftuubby, fimple or little 

 branched, very fliortly villofe; leaves on very fliort footftalks, 

 villofe, pointed, much veined, ratlier crowded ; ptduiicle-s 

 and umbels villofe ; flowers purple. A native ot the tape 

 of Good Hope. 4. A. volubil'is, twining fwallow-wort, 

 Rheed. Mai. 9. 21. t. 13. Rumph. Amb. 5. t. 175. f. I. 

 " Ijcaves ovate, entire, acuminate; ftem arboreous, twining; 

 umbels erect ;" item fmooth ; branches (liining ; leares pe- 

 tioled, ovate-lubcordate, veined ; umbels fimple, on pedun- 

 cles the length of the petiole ; flowers greeiiifh. A native 

 of Malabar and Ceylon. 5. A. cjlhmal'ica, afthmatic fwal- 

 low-wort. "Leaves pctiolatc, cordate-ovate, above fmooth, 

 entire ; ftem flirubby, twining, hirfute ; umbels fev\'-flow- 

 ered." The whole plant is villofe, except the upper furfacc 

 of the leaves, which rcfemble tliofe of laui'el, heart-fhaped 

 at the bafe, pointed at the apex ; umbels (horter than the 

 leives, often proliferous ; flowers fmall. Found in the 

 woods of Ceylon by Koenig. The root is eftcemed in afth- 

 matic cafes. 6. A. g'lgar.tea, curled flowered gigantic 

 fwallow-wort, Brown. Jam. 182. I. " Leaves obovate- 

 oblong ; petioles very fliort ; fegments of the corolla reflex, 

 involute." It rifcs tix or feven feet in height ; leaves thick ; 

 flowers white ; pods very large ; nedtaries without horns. 

 Browne fays, in Jamaica it is called auricula, or French ja(^ 

 min. Cultivated at the royal garden, Hampton court, in 

 1690. It flowers from July till September, "i- K. fyriaca, 

 Syrian fwallow-wort. Hort. Cliff. 78. B A. exaltata. Lin. 

 Spec. 313. " Leaves oval, tomentofe underneath ; ftem fim- 

 ple ; umbels nodding ;" root creeping ; ftem ftrong, four 

 feet high, on the fides of which, and near the top, the 

 flowers appear, thefc are of a dingy purple, fucceedcd by 

 large oval pods. A native of North America, and cultiva- 

 ted by Parkinfon in 1629. In Canada, the French eat the 

 tender flioots as afparagus. Poor people colledt the cotton 

 from the pods, v^ ith which they fill their beds. On account 

 of the filkinefs of this cotton, Parkinfon calls the plant 

 Virginian filk. 8. A. amocna, oval-leaved fwallow-wort ; 

 apocynum. Dill. Elth. 31. t. 27. f. 30. " Leaves ovate, 

 rather liaii-y underneath ; ftem fimple ; umbels and neftarics 

 ereft." From a foot and half to more than three feet high ; 

 ftems round, fmooth, the fize of a fvvan's quill. At each 

 joint are placed two large leaves, which are blunt, thickifh, 

 ftiff, fmooth, with purple nerves ; lower leaves fmaller and 

 rounder ; the umbels arife from the top of the ftalk, and 

 fome of the upper axils ; the nedtaries approximate more, 

 6 are 



