S E M 



S E M 



SEMIJA, in Geography, one of the Fox i(lands, in the 

 North Pacific ocean. N. lat. 53" 5'. E. long. 175' 14'. 



SEMI-INTEROSSEUS Indicis, in Anatomy, a fmall, 

 fhort, flat, fle(hy mufcle, very like the antithenar, or in- 

 ternal femi-interofTeus of the thumb. It is fituated ob- 

 liquely on one fide of that of the thumb, between the firft 

 phalanx of it and the firft metacarpal bone. It is fixed by 

 one end to the outfide of the bafis of the firft phalanx of 

 the thumb, and a little to that bone of the carpus, by 

 which this phalanx is fupported ; and by the other end it is 

 fixed near the head of the firft phalanx of the index, on 

 that fide next the thumb. It lies almoft parallel to the 

 antithenar, croffing it a little ; this mufcle lying on the 

 convex fide of the hand, and the antithenar on the concave. 

 Window. 



SEMI-JUDAIZERS, in Ecdefiajlkal Hiftory, a fed 

 of Socinians, confifting of the difciples and friends of 

 Francis Davides, fuperintendant of the Socinian churches 

 in Tranfylvania ; who, in confequence of his adherence to 

 the opinions he had adopted, was thrown into prifon by 

 Chrirtopher Bathori, prince of Tranfylvania, where he died, 

 in the year 1579, in an advanced age. The moft eminent of 

 his followers were Jacob Palxologus, of the ifle of Chio, 

 who was burnt at Rome in the year 1585; Chriftian 

 Francken, who had difputed in perfon with Socinus ; and 

 John Somer, who was mafter of the academy of Claufcn- 

 burg. The followers of Davides were called Semi-Judaizers 

 by the Socinian writers, according to Mofheim, by way of 

 reproach ; but others maintain, that it was grounded on 

 their fentimcnts, and that it was defigned to exprefs the 

 partial preference they gave to the Law of Mofes above the 

 Gofpel of Chrift. Tlie words of Chrift, as Davides aQ'erts, 

 and thofe of his apoftles, are to be tried by the doArine of 

 Mofes and the prophets, which ought to be to us the folc 

 rule of life and religious worftiip. He alfo maintains, that 

 there is no difference between the old covenant eftabliftied 

 by Mofes, and the new coiifirmed by Chrift, in doftrine or 

 in promifes ; and that they differ merely in this circum- 

 ftance, that under the former there was the miniftry of the 

 letter, and under the latter that of the fpirit ; and, therefore, 

 the one has not abroi^ated or changed the other : fo far 

 from it, that the new covenant exifted only till the 

 deftrudlion of Jerufalem, and will have no farther in- 

 fluence till the time of Chrift's worldly government over 

 Ifrael in the city of Jerufalem, which is to be rebuilt. In 

 the mean time, Chrift is not really the Chrift or king of 

 God's people, but only by defignation ; the Chrift pre- 

 difted by the prophet, and promifed by God, having no 

 other than an earthly kingdom, which Jefus was appointed 

 to take pofleffion of ; but being (lain by the Jews, contrary 

 to the divine purpofe, he was tranflated into a fecure and 

 quiefcent ftate. In this ftate he is not any more to be 

 called God, as he was by virtue of his office during his 

 abode on earth, becaufe his office hath ceafed ; nor is he 

 entitled to any adoration and worfliip, as Socinus thought, 

 nor to any other kind of reverence, except obedience to his 

 precepts, and faith in his doftrine ; nor is he employed 

 under the diftinguifliing appellation of prieft and interceflbr, 

 both which offices terminated at his death. See the pro- 

 pofitions drawn up by Fauftus Socinus, and prefented to 

 C. Bathori, in Socin. Op. tom. ii. p. 801 — 803, or Toul- 

 min's Life of Socinus, p. 453, &c. 



SEMII^, in Geography, a river of Cabuliftan, which 

 joins the Dilen at Kerdiz, to form the Cow. 



SEMILUNAR, Semilunaris, in Anatomy, an epithet 

 appliid, in confequence of their figure, to various parts of 

 the body. 



Semilunar Cartilages of the Knee-joint, are two fmall 

 portions of cartilage fituated in that articulation. See Ex- 

 tremities. 



Semilunar Portion or £i/ge of the Fafcia Lata. See 

 Fascia. 



Semilunar Valves of the Aorta and pulmonary Artery, 

 the three valves placed at the entrance of each of thele vef- 

 fels. See Heart. 



SEMILUNARES Cochle.^, in Natural Hiftory, the 

 name of a genus of fea-fnails, fo called, from their having 

 femicircular mouths. See Contiiology. 



The charadlers of the genus are thefe. They are uni- 

 valve ftiells of a compadl body, with a flat femicircular, and 

 often dentated mouth ; the columella, or inner lip, running 

 diametrically acrofs it in a ftraight line. Some of the 

 fpecies have exferted apices, and lome deprefled ; thefe are 

 nearly globofe (hells, and the turban is never much pro- 

 duced, but lies flat or level with the bottom. 



There are many diftinctive and fpccific charadlers in the 

 feveral fpecies of this genus, which arrange together con- 

 fiderable numbers of the fpecies under each. Thus the 

 neritas, which are of this genus, are fome of them umbili- 

 cated, and otiiers have teeth and a kind of gums. The fnail 

 kinds, diftinftly fo called, that fall under this genus, are 

 very different from the neritse, in that they have no teeth, 

 no gum, and no palate. Tiie term femilunares eochkte was 

 invented by Rimiphius to exprefs their mouths, being of the 

 (hape of half a circle. 



The neritas generally inhabit caverns in the fides of rocks, 

 and ufnally ftick faft to the ftone. Boiiani, Recreat. Ment. 

 ct Ocul. p. ^G. Aldrovand. de Teltac. lib. iii. cap. 8. 

 Plin. lib. ix. cap. 33. 



All the fpecies of the femilunar fliells have few convolu- 

 tions, and have the extremity of the voluta fmall,- and ufually 

 ftanding a little out. 



The fpecies of the femilunar cochleae are thefe, as ar- 

 ranged uiider the two general divifions of dentated neritje, 

 and umbilicated cochleae ; w's. the dentated nerita, com- 

 monly called the gum-fhell ; the bloody-tooth nerita ; the 

 ox-palate nerita ; the ftriated and puntluated nerita ; the 

 canaliculated, the furrowed, the thrufh, and the partridge 

 nerita. 



Of tlie neritas which have no teeth, we have ten fpecies ; 

 •uiz,. the jafpcr with a^ong beak ; the jafper with an oper- 

 culum ; the lemon-coloured pea ; the yellow pea ; the 

 prickly ; the reticulated ; that variegated with black fpots ; 

 the red and white fafciated ; the lightly ftriated green ; and 

 the imdulated nerita. 



Of the umbilicated fnails we have nine fpecies; 11/2. the 

 long umbilicated ; that with an exferted apex ; that with a 

 depreffed apex ; tefliciilated ; the hermit ; the umbonated ; 

 the fmall nipple ; the heavy white ; and the orange-coloured 

 cochlea. Hift. Natural. Eclairc. part ii. p. 256. 



Semilunaris Z/inca, in the abdomen, is tlie line follow- 

 ing the outer edge of the redlus abdominis mufcle. See 

 Obliquus. 



SEMIMEMBRANOSUS, (ifchio-fous-tibien ; demi- 

 aponevrotique) ; a mufcle of the thigh, fituated on the 

 pofterior part of the limb, elongated, and extending from 

 the tuberofity of the ifchium lo the upper and back 

 edge of the tibia. It commences from the tuberofity 

 of the ilchium, in front of the bleeps and femitendinofus, 

 and behind the quadratus femoris, by a ftrong flat ten- 

 don, which foon expands into a broad aponeurofis, thicker 

 at its external than at its inner edge, and giving origin 

 luccefllvely by the latter to the mufcular fibres. The 

 latter are all parallel, fhert, and placed obliquely, and form 



a thick 



