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were a quick pulfe, head-ach, delirium, V.iccup, intenfe 

 thirll, inward heat, and an uncommon falor in liis breath. 

 A lady aged thirty, unhappily addifttd to habits which 

 have a peculiarly pernicious eiTccl upon the liver, after a 

 conftipation of t!ic belly during fix days, was fei/.ed with a 

 violent and incefTant vomiting of black and vifcid bile. The 

 infufum fcnnae limoniatum, warmed with the tincl\n"e of 

 Columbo, foon checked her retching, and operating by 

 ftool, prevented the return of her vomiting. The matter 

 difcharged in both tliefe cafes bore not the leaft refem- 

 blance to grumous blood. Dr. Pcrcival adds, that he has 

 fcveral times obfcrved the febrile fymptoms in children, 

 which are afcribed to dentition, relieved by theft pitchy 

 flools ; and that he recollects three cafes of the difcafe 

 called acute aflhma by Dr. Millar, in w;hich the paroxyfm.s 

 feemed to be critically terminated by a fimikr evacuation. 

 Whether, in thefe initances, the black bile was the caufe 

 or the effedl of the difeafe, cannot (he obferves) with cer- 

 tainty be determined ; but the former a])pcars to him to 

 be the more probable opinion. Percival's EfTays, Medical, 

 Philofophical, and Experimental, vol. i. p. 342. 4th edit. 

 This view of the fubjedt is very fatisfaftory ; but as an 

 evacuant, peculiarly adapted to this diforder, we would 

 fuggeft the employment of calomel. Black bile was fup- 

 pofed by the ancients to conftitute a peculiar temperament, 

 which they termed the atrabiliary or melancholic tempera- 

 ment. See Tf MPF.RASIENTS. 



The difeafe termed Melnena, or morbus niger, in which 

 there is a dark-eoloured bloody difcharge, unaccompanied by 

 griping pains and acute fever, feems to be a fpecics of 

 diarrhrea. (See Mel^ena.) Before we clofc this article, 

 we would obferve, that black or pitchy llools may be 

 occafioned either by difcoloured bile, or by the effufion of 

 venous blood into the inteftinal canal. An experienced 

 praftitioner will feldom be at a lofs to diilinguifli the dif- 

 ference; but if any doubt arife, recourfe mull be had to 

 chemical analyfis. 



ATRACES, in Ancttnt Geography, a people of Europe, 

 in that part of Greece called jEtolia. Their country was 

 watered by the river Atrax, whence their name. 



ATRACTYLIS, in Botany (from al^anlof, fufus, a 

 fphuHc), diftaff-thiftle, Ein. Gen. 930. Reich. 1009. 

 ochrcb. 12^9. dzk, J'yiigen/Jia polygamta tequalis. Nat. 

 Ord. compopix Gen. Cliar. Cal. outer many-leaved, linear, 

 large, rougksned, permanent, confining the common one ; 

 common ovate, imbricate ; the fcales oblong, very many, 

 lanceolate, converging, unarmed. Cor. compound radiate; 

 coroliules hermaphrodite, numerous, tubular on the diflc ; 

 herm. ligulaie in the ray ; propter of the diflc fuuncl-form, 

 five cleft; of the ray, ligulatc, flat, five-tootlied. Shim. 

 filaments five, capillary, very (hort ; anther cylindric, tubu- 

 lar. P'ljl. of the difl< ; germ very dwrt ; ftyle hliform, the 

 length of the ftamens. Sc'ignm bifid ; of the ray very like 

 that of the di(l<, but obi'cure and withered. Per. none ; 

 calyx converging. Seeds turbinate, comprtfled; down plu- 

 mofe. Rec. villofe, flat. 



EfiT. Gen. Char. Ccr. radiated ; coroliules of the ray 

 five-toothed. 



Species, i. A. ginnm'ifera, gummy rooted atraftylis. 

 *' Flowers ftemlefs." From the root which is perennial, 

 iffue many narrow deeply fmuated leaves, armed with fpincs 

 on their edges. Thefe lie clofe to the ground, and between 

 them the flower is fituated ; it is white at the bolder, but 

 yellow at the dific. A native of Italy. The root abounds 

 with a gummy matter, which has occafioned it to be chewed 

 for the fame purpofes as maftich. 2. A. humilis, dwarf 

 airad^ylis, Cavan. Hifp. 40. t. 54. (i. 13arr, rar. 1127. 



2 



t. 592. " Leaves tooth-fmuatcd ; flower radiated, fenced 

 with an expanding involucre ; ftcm herbaceous." Stems 

 nearly a foot high ; leaves indented, fpinous at the edges; 

 flowers purple, in heads on the branches; root biennial. 

 A native of France and Spain, flowering in June. Cava- 

 nille's defciiption of this plant differs from the above. 



3. A. canrelhita, netted atraftylis. " Involucres latticid, 

 bellying, linear, toothed ; calyxes ovate ; flowers flofcu- 

 lous." Annual, eight or nine inches high, producing two or 

 three flender branches, each terminated by a head of 

 flowers like thofe of the thiUle, with an involucre com- 

 pofed of feveral narrow leaves, armed with fpines on 

 their fides, and curioufly netted over, which keeps olf 

 the flies ; florets purple. A native of the fouth of Eu- 

 rope. It was cultivated here in the time of Parkinfon. 



4. A. hincea ; lance-leaved atraftylis. " Involucres pinnate, 

 leaves lanceolate, ciliate, fmooth." Stem a foot high, 

 flexuofe, branching ; leaves alternate, acute, feflfile, eredt ; 

 flowers on the branches terminal, folitary, fubfeffile. It 

 differs from the third in having fmootli leaves, and a leafy 

 Item. 5. A. o-oata ; ovate-leavtd atraftylis. " Involucres 

 pinnate, leaves ovate, ciliate fmooth." Stem fimple, (freaked, 

 fearcely a foot high ; leaves alternate, petioled, acute, nerved, 

 pale underneath ; petioles with ciliate edges ; flowers ter. 

 minating, folitaiy. Both thefe laft are natives of Japan. 

 6. A. oppofuifolia ; oppofite-leaved atractylis. " Leaves op- 

 pofite." Leaves and calyxes tomentofe underneath. Recep- 

 tacle with hair-like chaff. In the ligulate florets the anthers 

 are effete, and there is neither llyle nor Itigma. A native 

 of the cape of Good Hope. 7. A. purpurata ; purple- 

 flowered .atraftylis. Smith. Ic. ined. 3. 6). " Leaves ha- 

 ftate, runcinate." Stem round, woolly ; leaves crowded, a 

 fpan in length, acute, irregularly toothed, veined, tomentofe 

 underneath ; peduncles longer than the leaves, branched, an- 

 gular, rugged, woolly, covered at top with linear acute 

 fcales ; flowers large, ereft, fpecious, purple ; recep- 

 tacle naked. Found by Mutis in New Grenada. 8. A. 

 Mexicatia ; Mexican atraftylis. Smith. Icon. ined. 66. 

 " Leaves oblong, quite entire." Stem fhrubby ; branches 

 fimple, leafy, without fpines, covered with a downy fubflance ; 

 leaves alternate, lanceolate, acuminate, with netted veins ; 

 beneath very white, tomentofe ; petioles keeled, tomentofe ; 

 flower terminating, nodding, purple, fupported by two or 

 three brac^e-fliaped leaflets ; receptacle with very fliort 

 chaffs. Found by Mutis in Mexico. 



Propngiil'ion and Cullure. "I, 2, 3. are propagated by 

 feeds, which mull be obtained from the countries in which 

 they grow naturally : tliefe fliould be fown on a border of 

 light earth, in a warm lltuation, early in April, and when 

 the plants come up, and are fit to tranfplant, they fliould 

 be thinned, and thofe which are drawn out may be tranf- 

 planted, leaving the others two feet afnnder ; after which, 

 the only culture they require is, to keep them clear from 

 weeds in fummer, and in winter to cover the roots with 

 fome old tanner's bark to prevent the frofl from penetrating 

 the ground. The other fpecies are yet llrangers to Euro- 

 pean gardens ; and whenever they are introduced, will re« 

 quire the proteflion of a green-houfe or Hove." See Mar- 

 tyn's Miller's Dic^. 



Atractylis. See Carthamus. 



ATRA Dies, m Antiquity, denotes a fatal day, whereon 

 the Romans received fome memorable defeat. The word 

 literally imports a black day ; a denomination taken from 

 the colour, which is the emblem of death, and mourning. 

 Whence the Thracians had a cuftom of marking all their ' 

 happy days with white Hones, or calculi, and their unhappy 

 days with black opes, which they call, at the clofe of each 



dnv, 



