AST 



AST 



and in 1702, haclielor of medicine. In the fame year lie 

 publ'.lhed his difiertation " De motiis fcmicntativi caufa," 

 which was foon folloivcd by feveral controverlud pieces on 

 the manner in which the food is digtilcd in the llomach, 

 which he contended was effected bv a jieciihar leaven, ex- 

 citing fermentations ; contrary to the opinion of Pitcairae 

 and other mechanical phyficians, who attempted to prove 

 that our food vvai tritnrated or ground to a pulp in the ilo- 

 niach by the action of the abdominal and other mufcks, to 

 which they gave a power equal to feveral thoufand pounds 

 weight. In 17 10, he was made profcfTor of anatomy and 

 medicine at Touloufe. In 1716, he returned to Montpelier, 

 where he was called to the profeffor's chair vacant by the 

 death of Chatclain. In 1720, he publifhcd his trcatife " Dc 

 Hydrophobia," and in 1 721 " Sur I'Origuie des Maladies 

 Epidemiques, principalement de la Petle," in which he 

 ftrongly lupports the opinion that the plague is a contagious 

 difeafe, in oppofition to Chicancn and other writers, who 

 then, as now, attempted to eftabliih a contrary dotlrine. 

 He fuppofed there was fomc analogy between the poifon of 

 the plague and the venereal difeafe. He took an early and 

 adtive part in the ditpute between the faculty of medicine 

 and the furgeons at Paris ; and as he was well verfed in the 

 hilfory of medicine, he (lieu-ed that in early tijnes the chi- 

 rurgeons were examined by phyficians previous to their 

 being allowed to praAife. In 1729, he was invited to Po- 

 land, and made phyfician to the king, Augulhis the fecond ; 

 but finding this place lefs favourable to his iludies, he re- 

 turned to France, and fixed himfelf at Paris ; and in 1730, 

 was appointed coniulting phyfician to the king, and foon 

 after, on the death ot Geofroy, profcflor of medicine in the 

 Royal College at Paris, where the reputation he had pre- 

 vioufly acquired procured him a numerous and refpedfable 

 auditory ; pupils flocking to him from all parts of Europe. 

 In 1737, he publifhcd " Memoires pour I'Hilloire naturelle 

 de I^anguedoc," in which a particular account is given of 

 the mineral waters of Balaruc. In 1745, ^^^ publiQied 

 " Traftatus Pathologicus;" and 174S, " Traftatus Therau- 

 peuticus," both in 8vo. ; which were in their time well re- 

 ceived, but are fuperleded now by the adoption of new 

 theories, in their turn to give way to fubfequent fpecula- 

 tions. In 1736, he publifhcd his principal work " De Mor- 

 bis ^'enereis," which foon, and defcrvedly, raifed his fame 

 to the highefl pitch of eminence. Tlie work was eagerly 

 received, and tranflated into all the modern languages ; the 

 learned in every country being defirous of naturaliling a 

 produflion, containing the compKtelt; hillory, defcription, 

 and mode of treating the difeafe that had appeared. In 

 the firff part, the author labours to fhew, that the difeafe 

 was new, and of a nature diflinct from all others ; that it 

 was firfl imported into Europe by the Spaniajds who at- 

 tended Columbus in the difcovery of America. This part 

 has lately been controverted, and paffages from various 

 early writers have been produced, that are fuppofed to point 

 out the difeafe ; a finglc fymptom or two rcfembling fome 

 of thofe attending the lues venerea being obfcurely noticed 

 in them. He confiders mercury as the fole fpecific in the 

 cure of the lues venerea, and of the different vvavs of ad- 

 minillering it, prefers that by inuniflion. The author foon 

 after publifhcd " Doute-, fur 1' Inoculation de la petite ve- 

 role propofe a la Faculte de Paris," but without his name ; 

 and in 1759, " Traite desTumours ct des Ulccres, avec deux 

 Eettres, i. fur la coriipofition des quelques remedcs ; et 

 2. fur la nature et le fucces des nouveaux remedes qu'on 

 propofe pour la guerifon des maladies veneiieufcs." In 

 this work which has confiderable merit, the author treats 

 largely of hydatids paffed off by ilool and by vomiting, or 



found in the livers of perfons who have died tabid. He is 

 one of the firll writers who denies his afTent to the opinion 

 that marks, dillortions, and mutilations of the bodies of 

 infants, are occafioned by the imaginations of the mothers. 

 In 1761, he jniblillied " Traite des Maladies des Femmes," 

 6 vols. i2mo. ; this has been tranflated into Englilli, as 

 well as his " Art d'Accouchtr, reduit a fes principes ;" the 

 lail work he lived to iinifh. The author had tried the ef- 

 fei\ of cicuta, he tells us, in cancer, but without advantage; 

 and thinks its reputation for rcfolving fchirrhi had arilcii 

 from indurated glands of the breail which were taken for them, 

 hut were not fchirrons, having difappeared under its ufe. 

 Tliis opinion has been confirmed by later experience. On 

 the whole, we find in this writer great marks of genius, as 

 well as of labour and refearch, and he will be dcfervedly 

 handed down to pofterity as one who has contributed confi- 

 derably to the improvement of the art of medicine. As 

 early as the year 1743, he was arlinilted member of the fa- 

 culty of medicine at Paris : he was a conllant attendant at 

 their meetings, and a zealous proteftor of th.eir privileges. 

 With an active mii.d, he had the good fortune to enjoy a 

 flrcnig and vigorous conftitution, whicli enabled him to con- 

 tinue his proteflional exertions until within a very fmall 

 time of his death, which happened on the 5th of May 



1766, at the age of 82 years. In the fecond volume of 

 the author's trcatife " De Morbis Venereis," he has given a 

 catalogue of all the writers who had treated on the fubjecfl 

 before him, with brief flvetches of their lives, and analyfes 

 of their woiks. This pa"t appears to have been executed 

 with fidelity, and has afforded us uleful and valuable mate- 

 rials in our labours, as has likewife a poilluimons work of 

 the author, his " Memoires pour fen'ir a I'Hilloire de la 

 Faculte du Medicine de Montpelier," publilhed by Lorry in 



1767, in 4to., and enriched with a beautiful coloured por- 

 trait of the author, and an account of his life. Hall. Bib. 

 Med. & Chirur. Lorry Eloge HilL de M. Aftruc. One 

 very lingular work httle noticed, and perhaps little deferving 

 notice, as founded folely on fpeculation and conjeflure, 

 was his " Conjcflures fur les memoires originaux dont il pa- 

 roit que Moife fe fcrvi pour compofer le livre de Gencfe," 

 Bruxelles, 1759. It does not appear that the works of 

 this celebrated writer were ever collcfted and publilhed 

 together ; but they are certainly deferving that attention. 



ASTRUM, or AsTRON, in y/JIrori'/inv, a conllellatlon 

 or aflemblage of flars. In which fenfe it is diilinguilhed 

 from q/Ici; which denotes a fiiigle ftaj". 



Some apply the term, in a more particular fenfe, to the 

 Great Dog ; or rather to the great bright flar in his m.outh. 

 Vital. 



AsTRUM, ill y/«c;Vn/ Gtngrnphy, the name of a large town 

 of the PeKiponncfns, in the Argolide. 



ASTRIJNO, ill Geography, a mountain of Italy, famous 

 for its baths. 



ASTRUP, a town of Germany, in the circle of Weft- 

 phalia, and billiopric of Ofnaburgh, four miles north of 

 Olnaburgh. 



ASTURA, in Ar.clmt Geop-aphy, a river of Italy, and 

 alfo an illand, according to Pliny.— Cicero had a villa of 

 this name near the fea, within view of Circseum and Aiitium, 

 whither he retired, with his brother and nephew, when he 

 firll received at his Tufculan villa the news of the profcrip- 

 tion in which tliey were included, and wliercc they pro- 

 pofed to tranfport themfelves direiftly out of the reach of 

 their enemies. Here Cicero found a veffel ready for him, 

 in which he immediately embarked; but the winds being 

 adverfe, he was obliged to land at Circ:eum, near which he 

 fptnt a night, in great anxiety and irrefolution. The 



quefUon 



