1000000031

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Opiurn at prefent is in

gr::::3t encento

anJ is one of

tho 1110Cl \'aluable of aJl the fimple medicines. AI'plied

extcrnally. ir is

elllollient,

rd:axing,

and difcllticnt,

anJ

greatly promotes fuppur>tion: if long kep', lIpon ,he

Jl<io,

takes offthe hair, and always oc..:aGons an iteh·

ing in

ir;

fometimes it exulcerates

it,

and raifes little

bLllers, if applied tO a ,eoder pa,,: fome,imes, On ex–

ternal application, ir allay!

paill,

and even oecarions

/loep: bu, i, mull by no means be appl ied 'o ,he he.d,

efpecially,o ,he fu,ur<:s of ,he (kuJl ; for i, has been

known 'o h..e the moCl ,errible e!fello in ,his appliea–

tion, ·and even to bring

death itfelf. Opium, taken

internally

remo~es

mebmcholy, cafes pain, and dif–

pares to Oeep; in many cafes removes hremorrhages

provokes fweating. A moderare doCe is commonly

\loder a graio ; tbough, according

t,o

lhe circumltances,

two graios, or even three, may be within the limits of

thi. denomination: bot

cun.om

wilJ make people bear

a dram or more; though in this eafe nalure is vitia–

ted, aod nothing is tO be henee judg(d in regard to

thers. If giveo dilI'olved, it operates in half ao honr;

if io a folid forrn,

in pills, or the like, it ¡s fome·

times an hour and a half. J

firCl e!feél, in this cafe,

i. ,he making the pa,ient cheerful, as if he had drank

moderately of \Vine, and at the fame time bold and a.bove

,he fear of danger ; for which reafon ,he Turks alw.)'s

take it when ,hey are going to banle. A very immode–

Tate dofe bring. on a fon ofdrunkenoe!s, much like ,hat

occafioned by an immoderate' quan,ity of (lrong liquors;

cheerfulnefs and loud laugh,er at firCl, than a relaxa·

tion of ,he limbs, a lof. of memory, aod ligh,headed–

ncf,;

theo

vertigoes,

dimnefs

the eyes: with

laxi–

ty of the cornea aod a dila,a,ioo of the pupils, a 1I0w–

nef. of the pulfe, redncf. of Ihe face, relaxalion of

the under jaws, fwelling of the lip., difliculty of

breathing, painful ereélion of the peDís, convulfions,

cold fweats, and nnaJly death. Thofe who efeape are

ufually relieved by a grea< Dumber of 11001., or pru–

fufe fweats.

. Prepared opium, cornrnOnly called extraél of opiurn,

made .by dilfolving opium iD a futlici ent quantity of

water wlth a gentle heat; then firaining the folution

from che

f2::ces,

aod e!aporating it to the conCiflence

T1!E caure and na,ure of vifion are properly the fub-

Jeél of ,ha, pan of na,ural philofophy whieh i. calJed

Op,i es : bu, as light is the caufe of vifion, ,he word Op–

ties ¡s commonly ufc:d

a more extenrive renre' and eve–

ry Ihing is Jooked upon as a

pan

of OplÍcs which relates

to the n:nure aod qualitie, of light.

we ufe the word

Optic', in the flri{l:er

(enre

il,

for

tbe theory

of vi–

(io,o,

t~e

Ceience of Opties is divided into

tWO

paru,

vi:..

DlOp'rte. and Catop'rtcs. The Jaws of refraélion and ,he

~ff~fls

which the

refradionof

Jight has in vifion:

ale

the

fubjeél or Dioptrie. : The law. of reHeélion, and ,he ef–

feél. which the r.¡¡.élion of light ha. in vifion, are the

P T

hon~y.

T in.'lure of opium, or liquid laudJnl1m,

oth~nvife

ca.lIed lhe t1u,'b;:llc lin(ture. is mlde as fol·

lows: "f'dkc or prep3.rcd opium, twO ounees; of cinn;+,·

mon and c1oves, each one druhm; of whitc:·wi ne. one

pint; ¡ofure

lh"!11l

a we(k without heal, Oled tht:n filtre:

through paper.

OPOBALSA.l\IUM, in the materia medica. See BAL–

SA M ,

OPOPANAX, in the materia medica, is a gum refin of

• ,olerably 6rm ,ex,ure, ufl1aJly brought 'o us in 1001.

granu)es or drops, and Cometimes

large

ma(f~s ,

formed of a number of ,hefe conneéled by a quan""

of mane, of ,he fame kind; bUI ,hefe are ufually load–

ed with extraneous matter, and are greatly inrerior to

th e pure loofe kind . The dropes or granules of ,ho

fine opopanax, are on the ol1tfide of a browoint red

colour, and of a ciuO'y yelJowiO, or \Vbi,ilh colour

within : they are of a fomew,hat

UflétUOUS

appearance

fmooth on the furface; and are tO be chofen in clear

pieces, of a Ilrong fmeJl and acrid ,alle.

Opopanax is anenu2ting and dircutient, and is gen–

tiy

purg:uive; it d,fpels flatulencies, ;tnd is gooo in

a(thmas, io inveterale coughs, and in d,rorders of the

hano and nerves, h aJfo promotes the menfes, and

is good againCl

. JI

obllruélions of,he vifcera.

OPOSSU.vI.

in zoology. SeeD'DELPHrs.

OPPILATION, in medicine, the aa of obllruéling or

Ilopping up , he

palfa~es

of the body, by redundan, or

peccan, humours . This word is ehiefly ufed for ob·

IIruélions in ,he lower bell y.

OPPONENT, a perfon who wi,hCland. or oppofes ano–

ther,

OPI'OSITION, in logic, ,he difagreemenl betweenpro–

pofi,ioAS which have the fame f.bjeél aod tbe fame

predicate,

OPTATIVE MOOD, in grammar, thac which ferve, to

exprefs an arden, defire or wilh for fomething.

In moll languag.., except ,he Greek, ,he op,a,iv.

is only exprelfed by prefixing to ,he fubjunélive an ad–

verb of wifhing

utinalll,

in Latin

p{UI a

Dieu,

Freneh; and

,",o/lld lo God,

in Englilh.

OPTERJA, in an,iqui,y, prefents made by a bridegroom

to hi. bride, when 6dl cODduéled 'o him.

li,bjeél cf Ca,optrics. But this divifion of Op,ies is of no

ure ;

for lhere are many propoCitions in Optics where both

pans

are mixed, aod mlny that

c~nnot

be prope-rJy re.

duced

to~ eíther

and thereforé \Ve flull not make

80y

ufe of ,ha, dillinélion in ,he followiog Treatife.

O/,

L'CHT_

LICIIT

conCills of an inconcei\'ably great number of

panicles

flowing from a lum,nous

bQdy

in all manner of

dirtélions; and ,hefe particles are fo fmall, as to furpaf.

a1l human comprehenrion,

Tha, ,he number of partic1es of light is inconeeivably

grcat