Blue Flower

in Medicine and Chirurgery, a Tumor arisingon divers Parts of the Body, and tending to Suppuration. See TUMOR, SUPPURATION, &c.

Abscesses arise from Colledions of peccant Humours in theinternal Parts of the Body; and are also called Imposthumes.See IMPOSTHUME.

Their Name Abscess comes from the Latin Verb abscedere, to depart, or remove to another Place; in allusion tothe morbid Humors being deriv'd from elsewhere.

in Medicine, Remedies which by the Softness or Porosity of their component Parts, become proper to sheath the Asperities of sharp pungent Humors ; or to imbibe or dry away, as with a Sponge, superfluous Moistures.

Such are the Testaceous Pouders, Hartshorn, Coral, Crabs Eyes and Claws, calcin'd Bones, burnt Ivory, &c.

Absorbents are the same with what we otherwise call Driers and Sweetners.

something come before its due time, or before it has arriv'd at its Maturity and Persedion. See ABORTION.

F. Jerom Florentius has an express Treatise of the Baptism of Abortives, or abortive Children. His Aim is toshew that an Abortive may, and ought to be baptiz'd, atwhat Time or Term soever it come into the World ; by reason the precise Time when the Fœetus begins to be animatedis not known. There are several curious and uncommonThings in this Work, which is intitled Homo dubius, sive debaptismo Abortivorum. Lugd. i674. 4to.

Abluentia, in Medicine, a Name some Authors give to those Remedies, better known under the Name of Diluters, and Abstergents. See DILUTER, and ABSTERGENT.

or ANABAPTISTON, a Name antiently given to an Instrument in Chirurgery, by the modern Writers call'd Trepan, Modiolus, Terebra, Terebellum, and Trafine. See TREPAN, MODIOLUS, &c.

The Word is a mere Stranger in our Language. It seems to be one of those Exoticks imported by the Dictionaries ; and never taken notice of but by themselves.

  1. ABORTION
  2. ABSTERGENTS
  3. MEDICINE
  4. ABRASION