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1740 he went to Peterfburgh, where his talents foon pro- 

 cured him the fituation of profefTor in medicine in the unt- 

 verfity there, and of one of the members of the imperial aca- 

 demy. By Portal and Blumenbach, be is called archiater, 

 or aulic counfellor, and firft pbyfician to the cmprefs, con- 

 founding him with bis brother, Herman Kaan B. who about 

 the fame time enjoyed that honour. In the courie of a fe- 

 vere and tedious illnefs, from which he with difficulty reco- 

 vered, he loll his hearing. This happened in 1749. He 

 died in 1753. His works are " Pcrfpiratio diCta Hippo- 

 crati, per univerfum corpus anatomice illuilrata," Luijd. B. 

 173S, l2mo ; in which he fhtws there is a conilant inhala- 

 tion, or abforption, and an exhalation, or perfpiration, carried 

 on, not only on the fiirface of the body, but in ail the prin- 

 cipal cavities. " Impetum faciens dic1:um Hippocrati per 

 corpus confentiens, philologice tt phyfiologice illullratum," 

 Lugd. Bat. 1745, I2mo. In this he treats of the aftion of 

 the mind upon the body, by the means of the nerves ; of the 

 fabric and motion of the miifcles ; on the effeds of opium, 

 given to a dog, &c. He alfo gave the anatomy of an ele- 

 phant, which he had an opportunity of diflefting, and of 

 two monflrous infants, and a dilTertation on what have been 

 called, improperly he fays, hermaphrodites ; no real herma- 

 phrodite having ever been produced. Hallcr. Bib. Anat. 

 Portal. Bib. Chir. 



BOERHAVIA, in Botany, (named by Vaillant in ho- 

 nour of the celebrated Boerhaave.) Lin. gen. 9. Schrtb. 13. 

 Reich. V. i. p. 6. Willdcn. 20. Jnffieu 91.; a genus 

 placed by moll botanills in the clafs moiumilria monogyiila, 

 though in different fpccies, there are from one to four 

 ilamens. Nat. Ord. j4i;gr{gnttc. — Nyffngencs. Juffieu. 



Gen. Char. Cul. oblong, tubular and angular, placed 

 beneath the coroU, with a contrafted, entire mouth, perma- 

 nent. Coroll. monopetalous, bell-fhaped, upright, obtufely 

 five-cleft, plaited, fixed on the calyx. Neil, fiefhy, lub- 

 cylindric, with a mouth (lightly toothed, furrounding the 

 bafe of the germ. Stam. filaments one, two, three, or four, 

 inferted on the margin of the neftary, between its teeth ; 

 capillary, near the bo'tom (within the calyx) more {lender, 

 upright, about the length of the corolla ; anthers twin- 

 globular. P'lJ}. g-'rm roundilh, pediceiled, the pedicel fur- 

 rounded by the neftary ; ftyle thread-lhaped, twifted, as 

 long as the ilamens ; tligma capitate. Pericarp, none ; calyx 

 enlarged: clofed, encrufting the feed. Seed one, oblong, ob- 

 tufe, angular. Obf^rv, It is nearly alHed to Mirabilis. The 

 toothlets of the neftary are fomctimes triangular, very fmall, 

 and fomttimes obfolcte. 



EfT. Gen. Char. Cal. fmall, entire. Cor. one-petalled, bell- 

 fliaped, plaited. Seed one, encrulled with the enlarged calyx. 

 Ddhl has iiijudicioufly abolilhed this genus, and placed its 

 fjpecies with the Valerians. In the opinion of Willdenow, 

 it belongs properly to the clafs trlandria, and may readily 

 be dillinguifhed from valerian by its very entire calyx, fo 

 minute, as fcarcely to be vifible, without the afliflance of a 

 lens, on which account it appears to have been overlooked 

 by Linnaeus and La Marck. ProfefTor Martyn, in his edition 

 of Miller, has niadvertently given Calyx none, as part oi its 

 eflenti d general charaftcr ; though in the natural charafter 

 tranflated from Schreber, he had properly afhgned it one. 



Species, l. B. ereBa, upvight hogwced. " Stem ereft, 

 fmootn ; Stamens two." Jacq. and Miller. " Stem tetra- 

 gonal, fmooth, with vifcous joints, and flowers in a corymbofe 

 panicle." WiUden. Stem two feet high, fprinkled v/ith very 

 minute protuberances as fine as hairs. Leaves waved, ovate, 

 acute, rough at the margin, growing by pairs on long 

 petioles from the joints of the lltm, which are placed at a 

 confiderable diflance from each other. Corolla cylindric, 

 white, with five reddifh (hades ; fegments acute, with fmall 

 8 



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teeth interpofed. Stigma capitate. Difcovered by Dr. 

 Houfton at La Vera Cruz in 1731, and fince found at the 

 Society Ifles. 2. B. adfcendens. " Leaves obiong-ovate, 

 fomewhat flefhy ; flowers panicled ; peduncles two-flowered ; 

 ftem afcendiug." Willden. Stem fmooth, tetiagon.il ; leaves 

 petiolate, oppofite, veined, entire, fmooth ; tlie young leaves 

 and the margin and petioles of the older ones hairy ; hairs 

 jointed as in veronica aphylla ; panicle terminal, fpreading, 

 naked ; peduncles two-flowered, involved in membranaceous 

 braftes ;. fruit club-fhaped, rough, with fmall tubercles. A 

 native of Guinea. Wiilden. 3. H. dijfvfa. •' Stem fmooth 

 and even, fpreading ; leaves ovate." Linn. " Stem round> 

 pubefcent ; flowers in corymbofe heads." Willden. Leaves 

 white underneath ; flowers purple, with one llamen. A 

 native of the Eafl and Well Indies. Cultivated in the 

 royal garden at Hampton Court 1690. Mr. Miller received 

 feeds from Jamaica by Dr. Houdon. 4. h. iir/uta. "Stem 

 fpreading, pubefcent ; leaves ovate, repand, or ferpentine." 

 Reich. " Stem roundifh, hairy ; flowers in heads." Willdcn. 

 Stems a foot high ; peduncles axillary, fullaining fmall clofe 

 heads of fcarlet diandrous flowers, which generally fall off in 

 about half a day. A native of Jamaica. 5. li. phimbaglnea. 

 " Leaves fubcoidate, orbiculate-acute, pubefcent beneath ; 

 fl>>wers in umbels." Willden. Umbels axillar, on long pe- 

 duncles ; coroll of a pale rofe colour ; ilamens three ; fruit 

 turbinate, tlriated, crowned at the apex with pediceiled tu- 

 bercles. Willdcn. A native of Spain. 6. V>. fcandens. La 

 Marc, Tab. 4. " Stem ereft ; flowers two-flamened ; leaves 

 cordate, acute." Linn. " Stem ereft, flowers tvvo-iiamened, in 

 umbels ; leaves cordate." Willden. Stem fhrubby, very flifF, 

 fmooth, witli alternate branches; leaves fmooth ; umbels of fix 

 green flowers ; involucre of five leaves. A native of the rocky 

 coafts of Jamaica and other Well India iflands. Cultivated 

 in 1691, in the royal garden at Hampton court. 7. B. excel/a. 

 " Stem ereft ; lower leaves cordate-ovate, upper ones ovate, 

 flowers with three (lamens in umbels." It refembles the 

 fcandens, but differs from it in its taller ftem, in its upper 

 ovate leaves, in its doubly larger purple flowers, and in the 

 number of its Ilamens. Native place unknown. Defcribed 

 by Willdenow from a living plant. 8. Vi. repanda. "Stem 

 ereft ; leaves cordate, repando-finuate ; flowers in umbels, 

 with three ilamens." Willden. Refembles the fcandens, 

 but differs from it in its herbaceous Hem and oppofite bran- 

 ches and peduncles. A native of India and China. 9. B. 

 chsrophUloides. (Valeriana Chaerophylloides. Smkh Ic. ined. 

 fulc.j.l " Leaves bipinnatifid, toothed ; flowers with three 

 flamens in umbels." Willdcn. It has entirely the habit of 

 a Boerhavia, and agrees in all the generic charafters, except- 

 ing only the flyle which is trifid. 10. B. repens. " Stem 

 creeping." Linn. Native of Nubia, between Mocho and 

 Tangos. II. B. anguJ}ifolia. "Leaves linear, acute." 

 Linn. Native place unknown. 12. B. tetrandra. Stem 

 creeping ; flowers with four (lamens. Forft. Prod. 2. 

 Native of the Society Illes, found by Forllerin the ifland of 

 Huaheine 1774. 



Thefe are all the fpccies in Willdenow's edition of the 

 Sp. PI. La Marck (lllufl.) has made the hirfuta and the 

 repens the fame as the diffufa, and appears to have been un- 

 acquainted with the adfcendens, plumbaginea, excelfa, re- 

 panda, chosrophylloides, anguflifolia, and tetrandra ; but has 

 inferred two others, which, as far as can be determined from 

 their fpecific charafters, feem to be diflinft fpccies. B. pani- 

 culata. " Stem erecl ; leaves ovate, acute ; panicle naked, 

 filiform, very vifcous." A native of South America. B. 

 tuberofa. " Stem erecl, (lirubby ; root tuberofe, efculcnt." 

 A native of Peru. The following may poffibly be the hir- 

 futa, though he unites that fpecies with the diffufa. B. oh- 

 tuftfoUa, " Stem procumbent, fpreading, vifcidly pubef- 

 cent ', 



