TOR 



wiry, often procumbent. Leaves ternate, lanceolate, rather 

 hairy, deeply ferrated, with a pair of deeply cut Jlipulas. 

 Floiuers bright yellow, on long, fimple, folitnry, lateral 

 ftalks. The late Mifs Johnes of Hafod found one plant 

 in that romantic fpot, whofe flowers were double, a rare 

 inftance. 



2. T. reptaris. Trailing Tormentil. Linn. Sp. PI. 716. 

 Willd. n. 2. Fl. Brit. n. 2. Engl. Bot. t. 864. (Pen- 

 taphyllum reptans alatuin, fohis profundiiis ferratis ; Plot. 



Oxford, t. 9. f. 5.) — Stem proftrate. Leaves ftalked 



Native of banks and (hady places, in England and Ger- 

 many, but not common. We once gathered it in a lane at 

 Brighoufe, near Halifax, Yorkfhire, in the middle of fum- 

 mer. The root, though perennial, is much fmaller and 

 flenderer than in the foregoing. Stems fe\v, eighteen or 

 twenty inches long, often firaple, entirely proftrate, but 

 not creeping. Whole herb finely hairy, of a light green. 

 Radical leaves on long ftalks, of five, obovate, deeply fer- 

 rated leaflets ; thofe on the ftem of three only, on (liorter 

 ilalks ; the floral ones feffile, nari-ovv, and often entire. 

 Stipulas united to the bafe of the footftalks. Flowers twice 

 as large as the foregoing, on very long ftalks, oppofite to 

 the leaves. 



ToRMEXTiLLA, in the Materia MeA'ua. The root of the 

 common tormentil, or upright feptfoil, tormentilla erefta, is 

 the only part that is ufed in medicine. It is knotty, ex- 

 ternally blackifl), and internally rcddidi. It has a ftrong 

 ityptic tafte, but imparts no peculiar fapid flavour. As a 

 proof of its powerful aftringency, it has been fubftituted for 

 oak -bark in the tanning of fliins for leather. Its aftive mat- 

 ter is therefore chiefly tannin ; the infufion in boiling water 

 being copioufly precipitated by folution of ifinglafs, and 

 ftriking a deep black with fulphate of iron. This root has 

 been long held in high eftimation by phyficians, as a very 

 ufeful aftringent ; and having little reiin, it becomes pecu- 

 liarly adapted to cafes where the heating and llimulating 

 medicines of this clafs are lefs proper, as phthilical diar- 

 rhoeas, diarrhoea cruenta, &c. Dr. CuUen thinks it has 

 been juftly commended for every virtue that is competent to 

 aftringents ; and he adds, that he has found it, both by 

 itfelf and as joined with gentian, cure intermittent fevers, 

 when given in fubftance and in large quantities. It gives 

 out its aftringency both to water and reftified fpirit, but 

 moft perfeftly to the latter : the extratts, particularly the 

 fpirituous, obtained by infpiflation, are intenfely ftyptie. 

 The root is generally given in powder, from half a drachm to 

 one or more for a dofe ; but it is more generally given in 

 decoftion : an ounce and a half of the powdered root may 

 be boiled in three pints of water to a quart, adding, toward 

 the end of the boiling, a drachm of cinnamon : of the ftrained 

 liquor, fweetened with an ounce of any agreeable fyrup, 

 two ounces or more may be taken four or five times a day. 

 As a local remedy, it may be ufed with advantage in the form 

 of gargle and lotion in ulcerations of the tongue and mouth, 

 againft fpongy gums, and as an application to foetid ill- 

 conditioned fores ; but it is feldom ufed. Lewis. 

 Woodville. 



TORMENTING, in Agriculture, a term fignifying in 

 tillage cultivation an imperfetl fort of horfe-hoeing or 

 ploughing, or what is fometimes, in fome diftrifts, termed 

 fub-hoeing or fub-ploughing. It is occafionally too ufed 

 .as a term of reproach for bad tillage of any kind. 



TORMENTOR, an implement of the tillage kind, ufed 

 for breaking down and reducing the parts of llifF foils. It 

 is a powerful tool of this fort which is much employed in 

 Devonfliire, Cornwall, and fome other counties ; in the firft 

 of which for the purpofe of crofs-cutting the balks of whole 



II 



T O R 



ground, left after the veiling and fla'rting operations for 

 beat-burning, or paring and burning the furface-turf. It is 

 indeed ufeful in working lands in almoft all cafes of bringing 

 them into cultivation, and into a fine ftate of mould. See 

 Skir-iixg, Tillage, and Velling. 



This fort of implement is conftrufted in difi^erent modes 

 and forms, as in a kind of long triangular fliape, the beam 

 part being lengthened out before, in which is faftened, by a 

 fort of fhank, a fmall wheel, which is capable of being 

 raifed or let down at pleafure, fo as to regulate the depth of 

 working of the tool. At or near the extremity of the 

 frame behind are fixed two large wheels, fo as to allow the 

 triangular pointed fliai-es or hoes to work in the o-round. 

 The whole is ftrongly framed together in three pieces ; the 

 luiddle or beam, and the two outfide pieces. The number 

 of fliares or hoes is ufually about nine. The fame tool is 

 fometimes contrived with two wheels in the front, and with 

 a crane neck, being the fame in all other refpefts. 



The fpill of iron which pafles through the beam in the 

 front, and fupports the fore-wheel, has a number of iron 

 rings on it, by whicli the depth of ftirring is regulated. 

 The length of the beam is fix feet nine inches. The breadth 

 or width of the back-piece, where the large wheels are 

 placed, is three feet feven inches. The large wheels are 

 three feet in diameter. The fmall fore-wheel is ten inches in 

 diameter. The fide-pieces of wood of which the frame is 

 made, are four inches fquare, and the beam thereabouts. 

 The fliares or hoes, which are fixed upon flianks, with 

 fmaller parts to pafs through the frame parts and be faftened 

 above, are fifteen inches in length. 



The conftruftion of the tool is confequently very fimple, 

 and eafily accomphflied by any common workman, fo that 

 the fai-mer need never be at a lofs for fo powerful and ef- 

 feftive an implement in the cultivation of tillage land. 



TORMES, in Geography, a river of Spain, which rifes 

 in Old Caftile, and croffing the province of Leon, pafles by 

 Alva de Tormes, Salamanca, &c. and enters the Duero a 

 few leagues below Miranda de Duero. 



TORMINA, in Medicine, a term fometimes ufed to ex- 

 prefs pains in the general ; but more particularly a fpecies 

 of pain, called tormina venlrls, or ah>i ; in Englifli, the 

 gripes; which fee. See alfo Dysentery. 



Young children are very often troubled with gripes ; it is 

 upon this account that nurfcs, in order to prevent or re- 

 medy them, -ufually mix with their fpoon-meats a little 

 brandy, or fome carminative feeds, as carraway -feeds, &c. 



Some children breed their teeth with violent gripes, which 

 are apt to bring on convulfions of the bowels. 



In adults, the dry gripes are ufually cured by the exhi- 

 bition of warm cathartics, fuch as tinfture of hiera picra, 

 elixir falutis, tinfture of rhubarb, &c. with the affiftance of 

 opiates. 



TORMIS, Tormes, in Ancient Geography, a river of 

 Hifpania, in Lufitania, which united with the Durius. See 

 Tormes. 



TORNA, in Geography, a town of Hungary, and capital 

 of a county ; 14 miles S.W. of Cafchau. — Alfo, a town of 

 Saxony ; 3 miles S. of Pirna. 



TORNADO, or TuRNADO, a fudden and violent guft 

 of wind rifing fuddenly from the fliore, and afterwards veer- 

 ing round all points of the compafs like a hurricane ; very 

 frequent on the coaft of Guinea. Thefe winds frequently 

 fhift fuddenly from one quarter of the horizon to another, 

 and then come again to the former point. Before a tornado 

 comes, it calms the conftant eafterly winds ; and when they 

 are paft, the eafterly wind gathers force again, and the 

 weather clears up fair. See Hurricane ;uid Whirlwind. 



TOR. 



