A B S 
Medic. Tranf. vol. ii. p. 261. art. j8. is a very renjark- 
able exemplification of the very beneficial alterations which 
may be effected on the human body by a ftricf courfe of 
abftemioulnefs.—Tlie Roman ladies, in the firft ages of the 
republic, were all enjoined to be abftemious; and that it 
might appear, by their breath, whether or no they kept 
up to the injundtion, it was one of the laws of the Roman 
civility, that they fhould kifs their friends and relations 
whenever they accofted them. 
ABSTEMIOUSLY, adv. Temperately, foberly, with¬ 
out indulgence. 
ABSTEMIOUSNESS, f. The quality of being abfte- 
mious. 
ABSTENTION, /, [from abjlineo, Lat.] The aft of 
holding off, or reftraining; reftraint. 
To ABSTERGE, v. a. [abjlergo , Lat.] To cleanfe by 
wiping; to wipe. 
ABSTERGENT, adj. Cleanfing; having a cleanfing 
quality.—Abftergent medicines are thofe employed for re- 
folving obftruflions, concretions, &rc. fuch as foap, &c. 
To ABSTERSE, v. a. To cleanfe, to purify; a word 
very little in life, and lefs analogical than abjierge. —Nor 
will we affirm, that iron receiveth, in the ftomach of the 
ofirich, no alteration; but we fufpe.tf this effect rather from 
corrofion tha.n digeftion; not any tendence to chilification 
by the natural heat, but rather fome attrition from an acid 
and vitriolous humidity in the ftomach, which may abjlcrfe 
and fhave the fcorious parts thereof. Brown. 
ABSTERSION,/! [ abjlerfio , Lat.] The acd of cleanfing. 
ABSTERSIVE, adj. That has the quality ofablterging 
or cleanfing. 
ABSTINENCE, / [abjlinentia, J. at.] Forbearance of 
any thing; with the particle from. Faffing, or forbearance 
of necelfary food. It is generally diftinguifhed from tem¬ 
perance, as the greater degree from the lefs; fornetimes 
as fingle performances from Habits; as, a day of abjtinence, 
and a life of temperance.—Among the Jews, various kinds 
of abftinence were ordained by their law. Among the pri¬ 
mitive Chriftians, fome denied themfelves the life of fuch 
meats as were prohibited by'that law, others looked upon 
this abftinence with contempt; as to which, St. Paul gives 
hisopinion, Rom. xiv. 1—3. The council of Jerufhlem, 
which was held by the Apoftles, ■ enjoined the Chriftian 
converts to abftain from meats ftrangled, from blood, from 
fornication, and from idolatry. Abftinence, as prefcribed 
by the gofpel, is intended to mortify and reftrain the paf- 
fions, to humble our vicious natures, and by that means 
raife our minds to a due fenfe of devotion. But there is 
another fort of abftinence, which may be called ritual , and 
confifts in abftaining from particular meats at certain times 
and feafons. It was the fpiritual monarchy of the weftern 
world which firft introduced this ritual abftinence; the 
rules of which were called rogations ; but grofsly abufed 
from the true nature and defign of faffing.—Iiv England, 
abftinence from flefti has been enjoined by Iljitute even 
lince the reformation, particularly on Fridays and Satur¬ 
days, on vigils, and on all commonly called fjh-days. 
The like injunttions were renewed under Queen Eliza¬ 
beth : but at the fame time it was declared, that this was 
done not out of motives of religion, as if there were any 
difference in meats; but in favour of the confumption of 
fifth and to multiply the number of fifhermen and mari¬ 
ners, as well as fpare the ftock of ftieep. The great faft, 
fays St. Auguftin, is to abfain from ftn. 
Abstinence is more particularly ufed for a fpare diet, 
or a [lender parfimonious ufe of food, below' the ordinary 
ftandard of nature. The phyficians relate wonders of the 
effects of abftinence in the cure of many diforders, and 
protracting the term of life. The noble Venetian, Cor- 
naro, after all imaginable means had proved vain, fo that 
his life was defpaired of at 40, recovered, and lived to near 
too, by mere dint of abftinence; and he himfelf gives the 
account. It is indeed furpriling to w'hat a great age the 
primitive Chriftians of theeaft, who retired from the per¬ 
secutions into the defarts of Arabia and Egypt, lived 
Vol. 1 . No. 3. 
A B S 33 
healthful and cheerful on a very little food. CafTian af- 
fures us, that the common rate for twenty-four hours w as 
twelve ounces of,bread and mere water: with this St. 
Anthony lived 105 years; James the Hermit 104; Arfe- 
nius, tutor of the Emperor Arcadius, 120; St. Epiphani- 
us, 115; Simeon the Stylite, 212; and Romauld, 120. 
Indeed, w r e can match thefe inftances of longevity at home. 
Buchanan writes, that one Lawrence preferved himfelf to 
140 by force of temperance and labour; and Spotfwood 
mentions one Kentigern, afterwards called St. Mongah or 
Mungo, who lived to 185 by the fame means. Other in¬ 
ftances fee under the article Longevity. —Abftinence, 
however, is to be recommended only as it means a proper 
regimen; for in general it muft have bad confequences 
when obferved without a due regard to conftitution, age, 
ftrength, &c. According to Dr. Cheyne, mod of the 
chronical difeafes, the infirmities of old age, and the fliort 
lives of Engliftimen, are owing to repletion; and may be 
either cured, prevented, or remedied, by abftinence: but 
then the kinds of abftinence which ought to obtain, either 
in ficknefs or health, are to be deduced from the laws of 
diet and regimen. 
Among the brute creation, we fee extraordinary inftan¬ 
ces of long abftinence. The ferpent-kind, in particular, 
bear abftinence to a wonderful degree. We have feen rat¬ 
tle-fnakes that had fubfifted many months without any. 
food, yet ftill retained their vigour and fiercenefs. Dr. 
Shaw [peaks of a couple of ceraftes (a fort of ./Egyptian 
ferpents), which had been kept five years in a bottle clofe 
corked,- without any fort of food, unlefs a fmall quantity 
of fand wherein they coiled themfelves up in the bottom 
of the veflel may be reckoned as fuch: yet when he [aw 
them, they had newly caff their (kins, and were as brifk 
and lively as if juft taken. But it is even natural for di¬ 
vers fpecies to pals four, five, or fix, months, every year, 
without either eating or drinking. Accordingly, the tor- 
toife, bear, dormoiife, ferpent, See. are obferved regularly 
to retire, at thofe feafons, to their refpedfive cells, arid hide 
themfelves, fome in the caverns of rocks or ruins; others 
dig holes under ground; others get into woods, and lay 
themfelves up in the clefts of trees; others bury them¬ 
felves under water, &c. And thefe animals are found as 
fat and fleftiy after fome months abftinence as before.—Sir 
G. Ent weighed his tortoife feveral years fucceflively, at 
its going to earth in October, and coming cut again in 
March; and found, that, of four pounds four ounces, it 
ufed only to lofe about one ounce.—Indeed, we have in¬ 
ftances of men palling feveral months as ftrictly abftirient 
as other creatures. In particular, the records of the Tow¬ 
er mention a Scotchman imprifoned for felony, and ftridlly 
watched in that fortrefs for fix weeks: in all which time 
he took not the lead fuftenance; for which he had his 
pardon. Numberlefs inftances of extraordinary abftinence, 
particularly from morbid caufes, are to be found in tlite 
different periodical Memoirs, Tranfaritions, Ephemerides, 
&c.—It is to be added, that, in mod inftances of extra¬ 
ordinary human abftinence related by naturalifts, there 
were faid to have been apparent marks of a texture of 
blood and humours, much like that of the animals above- 
mentioned. Though it is no improbable opinion, that the 
air itfelf may furnilh fomething for nutrition; it is certain, 
there are fubftances of all kinds, animal, vegetable. See. 
floating in the atmofphere, which muft continually be taken 
in by refpiration. And that an animal body may be nou- 
riflied thereby, is evident in the inftanceof vipers; which, 
if taken when firft brought'forth, and kept from every 
thing but air, will yet grow very confiderably in a few 
days. So the eggs of lizards are obferved to increafe in 
bulk, after they are produced, though there be nothing 
to furnifh the increment but air alone; in like.manner as 
the eggs, or fpawn of fillies grow and are nouriflied with 
the water. And hence, fay fome, it is that cooks, turn- 
fpit-dogs, See. though they eat but little, yet are ufually 
fat. See Fasting. 
ABSTINENT, adj. [ abfinens , Lat.] That ufes abfti- 
K nence, 
