ASC 
1. Ascaris lumbricoides is about the same 
length with the lumbricus terrestris, or com- 
mon earthworm ; but it wants the protuberant 
ring towards the middle of the body, the only 
mark by which they can properly be dis- 
tinguished. The body of the lumbricoides 
is cylindrical, and subulated at each ex- 
tremity; but the tail is somewhat triangular. 
The lumbricoides is the worm which is most 
commonly found in the human intestines. It 
is viviparous, and produces vast numbers. 
2. Ascaris vermicularis, (See Plate Nat. 
Hist. tig. 42, 43,) with faint annular rugae, and 
the mouth transverse, is about a quarter of an 
inch long, and thicker at one end than the 
other. It is found in boggy places, in the 
roots of putrid plants, and very frequently in 
the rectum of children and horses. It ema- 
ciates children greatly, and is sometimes 
vomited up. 
ASCENDANT, Ascendent, or As- 
cending Line, among lawyers, is meant of 
ancestors, or such relations as are nearer the 
root of the family. Such are the father, 
grandfather, great uncle, ike. Marriage is al- 
ways forbidden between the ascendants and 
descendants in a right line. 
ASCENDING, in astronomy, is said of 
such stars as are rising above the horizon, in 
any parallel of the equator. Thus likewise, 
1. Ascending latitude, is the latitude of a 
planet when going towards the north pole. 
2. Ascending node, is that point of a planet’s 
orbit, wherein it passes the ecliptic, to proceed 
northward. This is otherwise called the 
northern node, and represented by this cha- 
rater 
Ascending vessels, in anatomy, those 
which carry the blood upwards, as tire aorta 
ascendens, and vena cava ascendens. See 
Anatomy. 
ASCENSION, in astronomy, (the rising of 
the sun or a star, or any part of the equinoc- 
tial with it, above the horizon,) is either right 
or oblique. 
Right ascension is that degree of the equa- 
tor, reckoned from the beginning of Aries, 
which rises with the sun or a star, in a right 
sphere. It is found by the following pro- 
portion : as the radius, to the cosine of the 
sun or starisgreatest declination, so is the tan- 
gent of the distance from Aries to Libra, to 
the tangent of right ascension. 
Oblique ascension is that degree and minute 
of the equinoctial, counting from the begin- 
ning of Aries, which rises with the centre of 
the sun or a star, or which comes to the hori- 
zon at the same time as the sun or star, in an 
Oblique sphere. In order to find the oblique 
ascension, we must first find the ascensional 
difference. 
The arch of right ascension coincides with 
the right ascension itself, and is filie same in 
all parts of the globe. The arch of oblique 
ascension coincides with the oblique ascension, 
and changes according to the latitude of 
places. 
The sun’s right ascension in time, is useful 
to the practical astronomer in observatories, 
who adj usts his clock by sidereal time. It 
serves to convert apparent to sidereal time ; 
as that of an eclipse of Jupiter’s statellites, in 
order to know at what time it may be ex- 
pected to happen by his clock. For this 
purpose, the sun’s right ascension at the pre- 
ceding noon, together with the increase of 
right ascension from noon, must be added to 
the apparent time of the phenomenon set 
A S C 
down in the ephemeris. The sun’s right ascen- 
sion in time serves also for computing the ap- 
parent time of a known star’s passing the me- 
ridian: for, subtract the sun’s right ascension 
in time at noon, from the star’s right ascension 
in time, the remainder is the apparent time 
of the star’s passing the meridian nearly ; from 
which the proportion at part of the daily in- 
crease of the sun’s right ascension from this 
apparent time from noon, being subtracted, 
leaves the correct time of the star’s passing 
the meridian. The sun’s right ascension in 
time is also useful for computing the time of 
the moon and planets passing the meridian. 
ASCENSIONAL difference, the dif- 
ference between the right and oblique ascen- 
sion of any point in the heavens ; or it is the 
space of time that the sun rises or sets before 
or after six o’clock. 
The ascensional difference may be found 
by this proportion, viz. As the radius, is to 
the latitude of the place, so is the tangent of 
the sun’s declination, to the sine of the ascen- 
sional difference; by subtracting of which 
from the right ascension, when the sun is in 
the northern signs, and adding it, when the 
sun is in the southern ones, you will find the 
oblique ascension. 
ASCENT, in logic, a kind of argumenta- 
tion, in which we rise from particulars to 
universal. 
ASCETICS, in church history, such 
Christians in the primitive church as inured 
themselves to great degrees of abstinence and 
fasting, in order to subdue their passions. In 
short, every kind of uncommon piety laid 
claim to the name ascetic. 
ASCII, an appellation given to those in- 
habitants of the earth, who, at certain seasons 
ol the year, have no shadow : such are all the 
inhabitants of the torrid zone, when the sun 
is vertical to them. 
ASCIDTA, the name of a genus of vermes, 
the body of which is fixed, roundish, and ap- 
parently issuing from a sheath ; the apertures 
two, generally placed near the summit, one 
below the other. These creatures are more 
or less gelatinous, and have the power of con- 
tracting and dilating themselves at pleasure; 
some of them are furnished with along stem, 
but most of them are sessile. There are siy 
species, as the papiliosa, &c. See Plate 
Nat. Hist. fig. 40. 
ASCITiE a sect of Christians in the second 
century, who introduced a kind of bacchanals 
into their assemblies, and danced round an 
inflated bag or skin, saying “ these are the 
new bottles, filled with new wine,” as referred 
to by Jesus Christ. 
ASCITES, in medicine, the common 
dropsy. See Medicine. 
ASClUM, a genus of the polyandria mo- 
nogynia class and order. The essential cha- 
racter is, calyx five-leaved, coriaceous ; corolla 
five-petalled ; berry one-celled, many seeds. 
There is one species, a tree of Guiana. 
ASCLEPIAD, in antient poetry, a verse 
composed of four feet, the first of which is a 
spondee, the second a choriambus, and the 
two last dactyls ; or of four feet and a caesura, 
the first a spondee, the second a dactyle, after 
which comes the caesura, then the two dac- 
tyls, as 
Maecenas atavis edite regibus. 
ASCLEPIAS, swallow-wort: a genus 
of the digynia order, and pentandria class of 
plants ; and in the natural method ranking 
.under the 30th order, contortce , The ge- 
A S P i5g 
nerie character is taken from five oval, con- 
cave, horn-like nectaria, which are found in 
the flower. There are 34 species, of which 
the following are the most remarkable, viz. 
1. Asclepias alba, or common swallow-wort, 
a native of the S. of France, Spain, and Italy. . 
2. Asclepias Curassavica, or bastard ipe- 
cacuanha, is a native of the warm parts of 
America. It rises to the height of five or 
six feet, with upright stems; the flowers are 
of a scarlet colour, and the horny nectarimus 
in the middle are of a bright saffron, and 
there is a succession of flowers on the same 
plant from June to October. This species 
is tender, and must be preserved in a stove. 
3. Asclepias Syriaca, or greater Syrian 
dogsbane, is a perennial plant ; the flowers 
are a bright purple colour. 
Idle root of the first species is used in me- 
dicine, and is esteemed sudorific and diuretic. 
Its sensible qualities resemble those of va- 
lerian, which is preferred to it. The milky 
juice of the plant is considered as poisonous.’ 
ASCOD IvUT/E, in church history, a sect 
of gnostics, who placed all [religion in know- 
ledge; and under pretence of spiritual wor- 
ship, would admit of no external or corporeal 
symbols whatever. 
ASCOLIA, in Grecian antiquity, a festival 
celebrated by the Athenian husbandmen in 
honour of Bacchus, to whom they sacrificed a 
he-goat, because that animal destroys the 
vines. Out of the victim’s skin it was cus- 
tomary to make a bottle, which, being filled 
with oil and wine, fell as a reward to him who 
first fixed himself upon it with one foot. 
ASC11IPTITI, or adscriptitii, were a de- 
scription of villains, who, coming from abroad, 
settled in the lands of some new' lord, whose 
servants or subjects they became,, being an- 
nexed to the lands, and like other villains 
transferred and sold with him. 
ASCYRUM, Peter’s wort, a genus of the 
polyandria order, and polyadelphia class oil- 
plants ; and in the natural method ranking 
under the 20th order, rotacea. The calyx 
consists of four leaves ; the corolla has four 
petals ; the filaments are numerous, and di- 
vided into four boundaries. There are three 
species, viz. 
1. Ascyrum crux Andrea?. 2. Ascyrum 
hypericoides. 3. Ascyrum villosimi : all na- 
tives of the West Indies or America. 
ASH. See Fraxinus. 
Ash, mountain. See Sorbus. 
Ash, poison. See Rhus. 
ASHES, the earthy part of wood and 
other combustibles, remaining after they are 
consumed by fire. These, if produced from 
a vegetable, are of a. white colour, and saltish 
taste, a few instances excepted ; and when- 
boiled with fair water, yield a lixivium of an 
acrimonious,_alkaline, fiery, urinous taste. The 
ashes of all vegetables are verifiable, and are 
found to contain some iron. 
Ashes of all kinds contain an alkaline salt, 
and are an excellent manure for cold and wet 
ground. . They are also of considerable use 
in making lixiviums or lyes, for the purposes 
of medicine, bleaching, and for, sugar works : 
and are distinguished by various names ; as 
pot-ashes, pearl-ashes, wood-ashes, and weed- 
ashes. See Pot- ass, &c. . 
ASLANI, in commerce, a silver coin, 
worth from 115 to 120 aspers.- SeeAsPER. 
ASP, in zoology. See Coluf er. 
ASPALATHUS, African broom : a genus 
of the decandria order, belonging to the dia* 
