W O R 



When we confider the effefts of the glutinous juice iifu- 

 ing from the body of this animal, in faftening together any 

 loofe fubftances it meets with, fo as to form a cafe for it, it 

 ', may be eafily fiippofed that the adhefion of the balani- 

 marini, and other tlie like (hells, which remain all their 

 lives fixed to fome one fpot, is performed in the fame man- 

 ner. Mem. Acad. Par. 171 1. See Vermiculus. 



Worms, Water. Of thefe there are fome which tranf- 

 form themfelves by a fingular procefs, without any vifible 

 change in its exterior form, into flies, and belong to the 

 third clafs of fly-worms. They are particularly defcribed 

 by M. Reaumur, Hiil. Inf. tom. iv. p. 310, &c. 



There is a fingular fpecies of thefe creatures, which is 

 found to be capable of reproduftion or multiplication from 

 cuttings, in the manner of the polype. 



The difcovery Mr. Trembley made of this ftrange pro- 

 perty in the polype, gave occafion to the trying of the ex- 

 periment in regard to fome other infefts. Worms were the 

 moft natural objefts of thefe experiments ; and though they 

 failed in many fpecies, they yet fucceeded in fome, and 

 proved, that nature has not given that amazing property of 

 reproduftion of its moft elTential parts, to only one fpecies 

 of animals. 



Mr. Bonet tried the experiment on a very nimble kind of 



water-worm, by cutting it into two in the middle, and the 



fuccefs perfeftly anfwered the expeftation ; for the two 



pieces continued ahve and vigorous, and in a little time be- 



\ came two complete worms. The ftrufture of thefe worms, 



I though it appear fimple to the naked eye, is very worthy 



■the examination of the microfcope, and when viewed with 



I this affiftance, there are difcovered in it parts extremely de- 



iferving our attention. Phil. Tranf. N°469. p. 470. 



Dr. Hales, in his Vegetable Statics, relates a curious ex- 

 periment, by which it is proved that the bones of animals, 

 when they are ofilfied to a certain degree, do not grow any 

 longer, except at their extremities ; and the cafe is the fame 

 'm regard to thefe worms; for the old piece, which is the 

 middle of the animal, never lengthens itfelf, but the addi- 

 ;tion of new rings to each end makes the increafe of length 

 ;in the worm. 



I In all thefe pieces the liquor, which ferves as blood to 

 the animal, is found circulating from the tail-part towards 

 ,the head, in the ufual way ; and by this motion of the 

 Iblood it is always eafy to know, even in the fmalleft pieces, 

 1 which is the head and which the tail-end, and the new head 

 ;and tail are always feen to come regularly from the proper 

 ends. Phil. Tranf. N°469. p. 470, &c. See Reprodctc- 



|TION. 



; Worm, in Chemiflry, denotes a long, vinnding pewter- 

 ipipe, which diftillers and apothecaries place in a tub of 

 I water, to cool and condenfe the vapour in the diftillation of 

 fpirits. 



I This the chemifts alfo call a ferpentine. Formerly, this 

 worm, cr fomething like it, was placed above the head of 

 ithe fl:ill, with a refrigeratory at the upper end of it, which 

 lis ufeful enough in the diftiUing of fpirit of wine. 

 I WouM, in Gunnery, is a fingle or double-wired iron 

 ficrew, mounted on a wooden handle by means of a focket, 

 or fixed on the end of a rammer, to pull out the wad of a 

 cannon, firelock, carabine, or piftol ; it is the fame with the 

 •wad-hook, only the one is more proper for fmall fire-arms, 

 and the other for cannon. 



This inftrument ferves to draw out the wadding, or 

 pieces of cartridges, which remain in the gun after frequent 

 firing, and which would otherwife accumulate fo much, 

 that other cartridges could not be rammed home enough to 

 reach the priming, whereby the gun would mifs fire. 



W O R 



To Worm u Cable or Ha-wfer, in Sea Language, figni- 

 hes to ttrengthen it, by winding a fmall line, or rope, all 

 along between the ftrands. 



Wanu-Pcwders. See Powder. 



WoKM-Seed, Semen Contra, Semen Sanaum, or Semen Satt- 

 tonicum, IS a hot, bitter, drying kind of feed, proper to de- 

 ftroy worms generated in a human body, and particularly in 

 children. 



This feed is light, fmall, oval, compofed of a number of 

 thin membranous coats, of a yellowifli-green or brownifti 

 colour, eafily friable on being rubbed between the fingers 

 into a fine chaffy kind of fubftance, a bitter tafte, and a 

 flrong fmell. It muft be chofen new, greenilh, of a fharp, 

 bitter, aromatic tafte, not a little difagreeable. 



The place where it is produced is Perfia, about the 

 frontiers of Mufcovy. It is brought to us from Aleppo, 

 &c. Naturahfts have not been agreed about the plant that 

 produces it. 



J. Bauhine has a large diflertation on the fubjeft. Some 

 will have it the fpecies of abfinthium, or wormwood, called 

 fantonkum, or marinum abfinthium ; others will have it the 

 tanacetum ; others the abrotanum ; but it is now fuppofed to 

 be the produce of a fpecies of artemijta, refembling in its 

 general appearance our fine-leaved mugwort, called by 

 Linnjeus artemifia fantonica, and the artemtfia aujlrlaca of 

 Jacquin. 



M. Tournefort gives us the following account of this 

 notable drug, in the fecond volume of his Travels. The 

 fementine, or worm-powder, is not gathered like our feeds. 

 The plant grows in the meadows, and muft be let ripen ; 

 and the mifchief is, that as it grows near to maturity, the 

 wind fcatters a good part of it among the grafs, where it is 

 loft ; and this makes it fo dear. 



As they dare not touch it with the hand, for fear of 

 making it fpoil the fooner, when they would gather what is 

 left in the ear, they have recourfe to this expedient. They 

 take two hand-bafkets, and, walking along the meadows, 

 fweep the baflcets, the one from right to left, the other 

 from left to right, as if they were mowing ; by this means 

 the feed is fhaken out into the balkets. 



Thefe feeds have been chiefly recommended as anthel- 

 mintics, and commonly taken, in this intention, either aloQg 

 with molaffes, or candied with fugar. For other purpofes 

 they appear to be a ftrong bitter. They give out their 

 virtue both to water and fpirit. The extraA made by rec- 

 tified fpirits, appears to be the moft ehgible preparation of 

 the fantonicum for the purpofes of an anthelmintic ; and 

 the watery extract, or a tindlure drawn from it, for the 

 more general intentions of bitter medicines. 



Some have afcribed their quality of deftroying worms 

 folely to their bitternefs ; but it appears from Baglini, that 

 worms (lumbricj) immerfed in a ftrong infufion of the£e. 

 feeds were killed in five, and according to Redi fevea or 

 eight hours ; while in the infufion of wormwood, and in 

 that of agaric, the worms continued to live more than thirty 

 hours ; and hence it has been inferred, that their vermifuge 

 effefts would not wholly depend upon the bitternefs of this 

 feed. To adults, the dofe in fubftance is from one to two 

 drachms in a day. ( Woodville's Med. Bot.) The worm- 

 feeds of former pharmacopoeias are now properly rejected, 

 as their place is fupplied by anthelmintics of more <xrtaiB 

 efficacy. 



Wo-RM-Tinaure, in Chemijlry, a name given by many to a 

 medicine prepared by Hoffmann from carth-vroriDS ; and in 

 many parts of Germany efteemed one of the moft noted medi- 

 cines in the world, though lefs known in other places. 



The 



