356 
C R E 
brought from Africa to Carthagena and Panama, where 
the climate is to the laft degree inhofpitable, and the per- 
fpiration of the body aftonilhing, produce more of the 
white Indians than in any other part of the new conti¬ 
nent.” See Albinos. 
Dr. Ackerman of Mentz, in a little treatife publifhed 
in 1791, maintains that all which has been hitherto 
written on the fubject, is either incomplete, or very er¬ 
roneous; and he concludes, that Cretinilin is no other 
than a high degree of the rachitis, or rickets, which does 
not manifeft itfelf to fuch a melancholy extent in places 
where the phylical caufes do not exift to fuch a degree. 
He endeavours to prove that their leaden complexion, 
liftlefs melancholy, large fwellings, inclined heads, and 
impotency of articulation, are the natural confequences 
of this fpecies of diforder, which, in thefe regions, is 
carried to as great an extent as human nature can poflibly 
fuftain. He obferves alfo that Cretins are chiefly to be 
found in that part of Swilferland neared to Italy, in the 
deeped vallies of the Alps; where the atmofphere is 
extremely humid, in confequence of numerous lakes, 
water-falls, and rivulets, that emit powerful exhalations, 
through the influence of the fun’s heat, while they are 
fecluded from the accefs of every drying wind. His 
opinion is corroborated by his obferving, that the differ¬ 
ent dages or degrees of the evil correfpond with the va¬ 
riations in the atmofphere. They, for example, who 
inhabit the deeped and mod reclufe vales, are reduced 
to the lowed date of imbecility and idiotifm : in thofe 
who are fomewhat more elevated, the mental powers are 
not fo completely obtunded; and others, dill more ele¬ 
vated, and expofed to fewer exhalations and more falu- 
tary winds, will merely be deformed with wens and 
fwellings about the joints, and other fymptoms of the 
rachitis. They, who are nearer to the fummits, are per¬ 
fectly exempt from all thefe appearances. He has ob- 
ferved, in general, that almod all the inhabitants of the 
vallies are ill made, that their joints are badly formed, 
and that they have a pale and wan afpedt. He obferved 
alfo, that when any of thefe people marry, their off- 
fpring are apparently healthy at the birth, but, in the 
fpace of a year, give evident tokens of a vitiated confti- 
tution. The inhabitants of more healthy vallies will be¬ 
come Cretins by redding in thefe unhealthy regions : 
while the race of Cretins is meliorated by tranfplanting 
them to a more falubrious foil. There are fome in¬ 
fiances, though they are rather uncommon, where Cre¬ 
tins are without wens. The author law a woman, whofe 
head was inclined on her dioulder, and whofe neck w r as 
very large, without that protuberance. They who have 
the difeafe in the extreme, are laid to be more ftupid than 
the brute creation; they mud even be admonidied and 
adifted in the difeharge of every neceflary function. 
The author’s phyfio-pathological explanation of this 
phenomenon is as follows: the exceflive warmth and 
humidity of the air, in thefe deep vales, relax the folids 
from the infantile age, weaken the organs of digedion, 
and vitiate the humours: the gadric juice, of confe¬ 
quence, and the other fluids, are rendered inadequate io 
the purpofes of aflimilation. Thus the vegetable acid 
received into the body by food, is not trani'muted into 
the phofphoric acid ; and the bones, of which a calca¬ 
reous earth, faturated with the phofphoric acid, ought 
to form the principle, are deprived of their proper nou- 
rifliment, and become foft and yielding. This calca¬ 
reous earth is now united with the vegetable acid into a 
felenites, which does not adhere, with fufficient firmnefs, 
to the rudiments of the bones; and thus is the fkeleton 
rendered feeble and incomplete. The idiotic date is 
partly to be aferibed to the effects of predute on the 
brain from impeded circulation, and partly to that gland 
being rendered incapable, by the above-mentioned caufes, 
of forming the fecretions, requilite to the vigour both 
of body and mind. 
CRE'TISM, or Creticism, A forging of lies, 
R E 
falfhood, and perfidioufnefs; fo called from the inhabi¬ 
tants of Crete, who were noted for thofe bad qualities. 
CREVACO'RA, a town of Italy, in the principality 
of Maderano : four leagues weft of Biella. 
CREVAS'TA, a town of European Turkey, in the 
province of Albania: thirty-lix miles fouth-fouth-eaft 
of Durazzo. 
CREVAS'TA, a river of European Turkey, which 
runs into the Adriatic, eight miles fouth of Joannina, in 
the province of Albania. 
CRE'VECCEUR, a town and fortrefs of Holland, 
fituated at the conflux of the Dcmmel and the Meufe : 
taken by the French republicans from the Dutch, on the 
27th of September 1794. The garrifon marched out 
with all the honours of war, and were allowed to retire 
into the interior parts of the date, on condition of not 
ferving again during the war : four miles north of Bois- 
le-Duc, and twenty eaft of Breda. 
CRE'VECCEUR, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Calvados, and chief place of a canton, in 
the didrict of Pont l’Eveque : five leagues fouth-eaft of 
Caen. 
CRE'VECCEUR, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the North, on the Scheldt, where Charles 
Martel gained a famous vidtory in the year 717 : four 
miles fouth of Cambray. 
CRE'VECCEUR, a Dutch fort and fadtory in Africa, 
on the Gold Coad. 
CREVE'LT, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Wedphalia, and county of Meurs, near which the French 
were defeated by the Hanoverians, in 1758: ten miles 
fouth of Meurs. 
CRE'VIC, a town of France, in the department of 
the Meurte, and chief place of a canton, in the didridl 
of Luneville : one league and a half north-wed of Lu- 
neville. 
CRE'VICE,/! [from crever, Fr. crepare, Lat. toburft.] 
A crack ; a cleft; a narrow opening.—I thought it no 
breach of good-manners to peep at a crevice , and look in 
at people fo well employed. Addifon. 
To CRE'VICE, v.a. To crack; to flaw.—So laid, 
they are more apt in fwagging down to pierce with their 
points, than in the jacent podure, and fo to drevice the 
wall. M^otton. 
CREUIL'LY, a town of France, in the department 
of the Calvados, and chief place of a canton, in the di- 
ftridt of Caen : three leagues north-wed of Caen. 
CREU'SA, a daughter of Creon, king of Corinth. 
As die was going to marry Jafon, who had divorced 
Medea, die put on a poifoned garment, which immedi¬ 
ately fet her body on fire, and die expired in the mod 
excruciating torments. She had received this gown as 
a gift from Medea, who widied to take that revenge upon, 
the infidelity of Jafon. Some call her Glauce. Ovid. 
A daughter of Priam, king of Troy, by Hecuba. She 
married ./Eneas, by whom die had fome children, among 
which was Afcanius. When Troy was taken, die fled 
in the night, with her hulband ; but they were feparated 
in the midft of the confufion and tumult, and .Eneas 
could not recover her, nor hear where die was. Cybele 
faved her, and carried her to her temple, of which die 
became prieftefs; according to the relation of Virgil, 
w'ho makes Creufa appear to her hulband in a vifion, 
while he was feeking her in the tumult of war. She 
predicted to Eneas the calamities that attended him, the 
fame he diould acquire when he came to Italy, and his 
conlequent marriage with a princefs of the country, 
Paujanias. 
CREUSE, a department of France, which takes its 
name from the river Creufe, which palfes through it, 
Gueret is the capital. 
CREUSE (Little,) a river of France, which runs 
into the Creufe, near Frelfenlines. 
CREUSE, a river of France, which rifes about eight 
miles fouth of Felletin, erodes the department to which 
it 
