C R E 



other. It is this that gives to the brcalls of a wtll-LrnuJ 

 iemrxte their beautiful external form. 



Tlie fubihinci- of the mammary gland prefents a flaltifh 

 body, of a circular form, brarinjr obfcure marks of a divi- 

 fioii into firialler portions, which cannot ho completely fe- 

 pirateJ from each other. It is coirpofcd of a vail con^eiies 

 of fiiiall tubes, convoluted and accumulated on each other, 

 and known bv the technical name of tubuli laMiferi, or ga- 

 la iophori. 'I'licfc u::ite together, gradually formi;!g larger 

 and larger trunk'., which apynoach fn.m all lidts towards the 

 Tups.l-.'. 'I'he trunks become very much contra61cd at the are- 

 ola, ur.d in this Hate pals tlirough the nipple, connected by 

 adc.ifcand ihinuig cellular rubllancc, to terminate on its fur- 

 fai-e by open orifK-es, whofe fize h about fufficicnt to admit 

 an hog's hniUe. The number of thefe openings is fuid by Rol- 

 piu a:id Sabatier, to be conilantly fifteen : the fmallnefs of 

 fume of the apertures, and the confequent difficulty of finding 

 them, have led fome anatomifts to (late their number as Itfs 

 than this. Mtkel has found, that when the ladtifcrous 

 tubes, arifing from one of the openings on the nipple, were 

 fully diilendcd, the mercury would pafs into other fets of 

 tubes by anadomofing branches. Some anatomilb, in 

 the number of whom is our countryman Mr. Cruikfhank, 

 have contended for the exiltence of acini in the mammary 

 gland, which are fuppofc i to afford origin to the ladiferous 

 tubes. The defcription jull given is drawn from fubjefls, 

 who have died while fuckling, or near the time of parturi- 

 tion : at thefe periods the gland is called into aflioa, its 

 parts are developed, ar.d their ftrufture may be unravelled 

 •without difficulty. At other times, the l^diferous veffcls 

 become fo fmall as to be imperceptible. 

 ■ The arteri.-il fupplv of the breail comes from the internal 

 mammary, and the thoracic arteries : the veins terminate in 

 the thoracic trunks : the nerves are derived from the dor- 

 fal pairs : the lymphatics, which may be injected with fa- 

 cility from the lactiferous tubes, pafs into the axillary 

 glands in their courfe to the thoracic duft on the left iide 

 of the body, to the right lymphatic trunk on the right 

 fide. Sometimes, however, according to the refearches of 

 Mekel, they terminate fcparately in the fubclavian veins. 

 On the fubjeft of this article, the reader may confult Hal- 

 leri Elem. Phyficl. torn. ii. Sabatier Traitc d'Anatomie, 

 tom. ii. Rolpin de StruAura Mammarum, 4to. 1764. 



The mammary glands fecrete the milk, the nutriment of 

 the young animal : for an account of the properties cf this 

 fluid, the reader is referred to the article Milk. 



Breast, d''feaf:s of the, in Surgery. See Excoriation, 

 Abscess, Scirrhus, and Cancer : thefe are the chief 

 morbid affeclions to which the breads are liable ; but they 

 may occur likewife in various other parts of the body, 

 and require to be treated on the fame common principles, 

 allowing for the different feat of the dilorder. 



Bre.ist, applied to the correfpondcnt parts of other 

 animals, is more properly called udders, dugs, ubera, &c. 



Breast alfo denotes that cavity or region of the body by 

 anatomifti more frequently called thorai. Though, in 

 propriety, the breaft is rather reftrained to the anterior part 

 of the thorax where the ribs meet ; called alio fternum, and 

 pcftus ; in Englith, popularly, the bofom. 



We fay, a flat, a narrow, a llrait breaft ; a broad bread, 

 not high, is ranked among the figns of longevity. Defluc- 

 tions on the breaft and lungs are dangerous. 



Coughs, catarrhs, afthmas, phthifes, peripneumonies, &c. 

 are alfo difeafes of the breaft. See Cough, and Asthma. 

 Phyficians alfo fpeak of a dropfy of the breaft, hydrops 

 peftoris. See Dropsy. 



Medicines for diforders of the breaft are called peftorals. 

 See Pectoral. 



B R E 



Smiting the bread is one of the cxpreffions of penitence. 

 In the ilomilh church, the prieft beats his breaft in 

 rehearfing the general confefliou at the beginning of 

 mafs. 



BREAST-ionf. See Sternum. 



Breast of a chimney, denotes the fore-part under the 

 mantle or chimney piece, commonly made inclined. 



Breast-//,/?, ei Sea Term, a foit of hawfer, or larfje rope, 

 employed to confine a ftiip lide-ways to a whar( or key, or 

 to fome other fliip ; as the head-faft confines her forward, 

 and the ftcrn-faft, abaft. 



BREASTZ>ot/-J, in Shipbuilding, are thick pieces of tim- 

 ber, incurvatcd into the form of knees, and ufed to 

 ftreiiglhen the fore-part of the (hip, where they are placed 

 at different heights diredly acrofs the ftcm, fo as to unite it 

 with the bows on each fide. The breaft-hooks are ftrongly 

 connefted to the ftcm and hawfe-pieces by tree-nails, ai;d 

 by bolts, driven from without, through the planks and 

 hawfe-picces, and the whole thickiiefs of the bread -hooks, 

 upon whofe infide thofe bolts are fore-locked, or clinched, 

 upon rings. Tliey are ufually about one third thicker ; and 

 twice as long as tlse knees of the decks which they fupport. 

 The fore-fide of the breaft-hooks, which is convex, is 

 formed fo as to correfpond with the place in which it is fta- 

 lioned ; that is to fay, it conforms exaclly to the interior fi- 

 gure of that part of the bow where it ought to be fayed ; 

 accordingly, the branches, or arms of the breaft -hooks, 

 make a greater angle, as they are more elevated above the 

 keel, whilft the lower ones are more incurvatcd. As it is 

 rot neceiraiy that the inner, or concave lide of thefe pieces 

 ftiould retain a regular form, the artificers frequently let 

 them remain as thick as poffible, to give additional lupport 

 to the fore part of the ihip, where the fuftains the whole 

 fhock of reliftance in dividing the fluid, or in plunging 

 down into it. It is evident, that the connexion and folidity 

 of the fhip in this place, will be reinforced in proportion to 

 the ftrength and extent of the breaft-hooks, fo tltat they 

 may cover a greater number of tlie head timbers. 



Breast-^j/;;, called by the llzXan'i grande'zzo dt petio, is 

 a dillemper in horfts proceeding from luperfliiity of' blood 

 and other grofs humours, which being diffolvcd by fome 

 extreme and difordci'v heat, refort downward to the breaft, 

 and pain them extremely. 



The figns of the breaft-pain are, ftiST, ft'aggering, and 

 weak-going with his fore legs, befides that he can hardly, if 

 at all, bow his head to the ground. 



Breast-^A?.V, in yintiquity, a piece of dcfenfive armour, 

 wherewith to cover the breaft. 



The breaft-plate is faid to be the invention of Jafon. It 

 was originally made of leather, afterwards of mail, and laftly, 

 of a brazen or iron-plate. When made of this lad matter, 

 it is more particularly called dibanus, by the m.oderns cui- afs ; 

 when made of brafs, with a GorgQn's head in the middle, 

 it is denominated ^gis. 



The bread-plate, called alfo by the Romans /fiSor/j/c, is 

 frequently confounded with the thorax and lorica ; from 

 both which It ought to be diftinguiftied, as being properly 

 a half-thorax, or half-lorica, covering' only the breaft; 

 whereas the thorax invelled the body. 



As the whole thorax might be a temptation to the fol- 

 diery to turn their backs, when equally guarded with their 

 breaft, the thorax was thrown away, and the hemi-thora- 

 cion, or breaft-plate, only retained. Polya^n. Stratag. 

 hb. vii. 



BREAST-^/a/f, in Je'Uiijh Antiquity, one of the prieftly 



veftments anciently worn by the high-pricfts. It was a 



folded piece of the fame rich embroidered tiffue with that of 



the ephod, having fet upon it twelvepreciousftones in gold, on 



6 each 



