Part 62

=Bath, Turpentine.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM TEREBINTHINA'TUM, L. _Prep._ (Dr T. Smith.) Camphine (rectified oil of turpentine), 1/4 to 1/2 pint; Scotch soda, 2 lbs.; oil of rosemary, 1/2 dr.; for an adult. It calms the pulse, softens the skin, and renders the perspiration freer.

=Bath, Va'pour.= _Syn._ DEW'-BATH*; BAL'NEUM VA'PORIS, B. RO''RIS[dagger], AS'SA SUDA'TIO, A. VAPORA'TIO, VAPORA''RIUM*, L.; BAIN DE VAPEURS, Fr. The vapour of hot water, either pure or medicated.

The simplest form of vapour bath is, perhaps, produced by placing some wet cloths, or sprinkling a little water on two or three heated bricks, laid under a chair on which the patient is seated; both the patient and whole apparatus being covered with a sheet or blanket, or, better still, a spacious waterproof cloak, to keep in the heated vapour. A large lump of quick-lime, set in a pan or an old iron pot and sprinkled with a little water, or else wrapped up in a thick coarse towel which has been previously soaked in water, may be substituted for the hot bricks; and often advantageously so. The slaking of the lime and the consequent evolution of vapour may be kept up or renewed, when necessary, by sprinkling on a little more water. This forms the "POOR MAN'S VAPOUR BATH" of the French. Dr Serres has suggested, as something apparently original, that a lump of quick-lime, wrapped in a wet cloth and covered with a dry one, be placed on each side of the patient;[118] and the whole being covered up allowed to remain until copious perspiration is established. It must, however, be recollected that by none of these minor contrivances can the temperature of the vapour, and its supply, be regulated, as in a perfect bath, even a portable one, such as is shown in the _engraving_.

[Footnote 118: "In bed" (!), says the Dr; but surely one who could only afford such a bath would find it difficult to obtain a fresh, dry bed; whilst it would be equally improper for him to lie in a wet or damp one.]

The following are the temperatures, &c., of this bath:[119]--

[Footnote 119: The temperatures of baths given here, and previously are those now generally adopted in the profession. See Dr Forbes's 'Cycl. of Prac. Med.,' vol. i, 265; Pereira's 'Mat. Med.,' i, 17; &c.]

+----------------------------- |Temperature of Vapour, Fahr. +-------------+--------------- | Breathed. | Not breathed. Tepid vapour bath| 90° to 100°| 96° to 106° Warm " " | 100 " 110 | 106 " 120 Hot " " | 110 " 130 | 120 " 160 -----------------+-------------+---------------

_Uses, &c._ It is one of the most powerful diaphoretics known, and is almost specific in nearly all those cases wherein warm or hot bathing proves advantageous. It is one of the most certain agents existing in cases of chronic rheumatism, contracted muscles and tendons, stiffness of joints, indurations, dysentery, diarrh[oe]a, suppressions, &c. Instances are numerous in which the lame have thrown aside their crutches and the bedridden have again mixed with the world after a few applications of this bath. It is no uncommon thing to hear a patient start and shriek with agony before entering the bath, and to receive his congratulations and thanks on his coming out. They often exclaim--"It is wonderful. I could not have believed it!"[120]

[Footnote 120: Culverwell 'On Baths and Bathing.']

=Bath, Warm.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM CAL'IDUM, B. CALID'ULUM, B. THERMA'LE, THERM'A, &c. L., BAIN THERMAL, B. CHAUD, &c., Fr. A bath at a temperature equal, or nearly equal, to that of the human body.

The sensations attendant upon immersion in a warm bath are most delicious. Its first effect is to increase the circulation of the blood, and to determine it to the skin. After a few minutes an agreeable and universal increase of heat is experienced; the face and head are generally soon bedewed with perspiration; a pleasing and prevailing calm, both mental and physical, follows; and after remaining in it some 12 or 15 minutes the effect is of the most refreshing and happy character.

The idea that the warm bath is relaxing is erroneous. It is only so where persons remain in it too long, or take it too frequently. Nor are those who indulge in it more liable to take cold than others. On the contrary, they are less liable, unless they wilfully expose themselves, insufficiently clad (particularly about the neck and chest), to draughts of cold air.[121]

[Footnote 121: We have been for many years accustomed to take baths at 98° to 100° Fahr., in all weathers and seasons, even during our severest winter, and on leaving the bath have often been engaged, for hours, moving about in the open air, even until midnight, without 'catching cold,' or the slightest inconvenience. However, we do not recommend others to follow our practice without due care.]

As a remedial agent, the warm bath is adapted to general torpor of the system, liver and bowel complaints, hypochondriasis, hysterical affections, morbid suppressions, dryness of the skin, nearly all cutaneous and nervous diseases, chronic rheumatism, &c. As a tonic or stimulant after excessive fatigue, great mental excitement, or physical exertion, it is unequalled, and furnishes one of the most wholesome, and at the same time luxurious sources of refreshment we are acquainted with. "To those who are past the meridian of life, who have dry skins and begin to be emaciated, the warm bath for half an hour, twice a week, I believe to be eminently serviceable in retarding the advances of age." (Darwin.) The healthy longevity of the late Duke of Wellington, after a period of exposure and trials equal to the entire life of many individuals, has been by some, and we think correctly, mainly attributed to the free and constant use of the warm bath. A warm bath frequently gives great relief to infants suffering from griping or flatulence. See BATH (_antè_), &c.

=Bath, Wa'ter.= _Syn._ BAL'NEUM A'QUÆ, B. AQUO'SUM, B. MA''RIÆ, B. MA''RIS, L.; BAINMARIE, Fr. A water bath; in _chemistry_ and _cookery_, applied to a bath of hot or boiling water. See BATH (in _chemistry_), BAINMARIE, &c.

=BATH'ING= (b[=a]thé-). See BATH.

=BATH METAL.= A species of brass having the following composition:--

1. Zinc, 3 _parts_; copper, 16 _parts_; melted together under charcoal.

2. Fine brass, 32 _parts_; spelter, 9 _parts_. See BRASS and ALLOYS.

=BATH PIPE.= See PIPES.

=BATH, VICHY= (ARTIFICIAL). Bicarbonate of soda, 17 _oz._; water, 60 _galls._

=BATHS= and =WASH'HOUSES=. See BATH.

=BATTER.= Ingredients beaten together so as to form a semi-fluid mass. In _cookery_, a semi-fluid paste, which becomes hard in dressing, formed of flour, and milk or water, or a mixture of them, enriched and flavoured with eggs, butter, and (frequently) spices, currants, &c., at will. Used for frying vegetables, fillets, &c., and as a material for fritters and pancakes; also to form puddings, which are either baked alone, or under meat; and to cover various articles during the operation of cooking them. Miss Acton gives the following formulæ:--1. (For the Frying-pan.) Butter, 2 _oz._; boiling water (nearly) 1/4 pint; mix, and stir in, gradually, of cold water, 3/4 pint; when quite smooth, mix it by degrees, very smoothly with fine dry flour, 3/4 _lb._; adding (for fruit) a small pinch of salt (but more for meat or vegetables); just before use, stir in the whites of two eggs (or the white and yelk of one), and fry until light and crisp. In humble cookery the eggs may be omitted.

2. (For Puddings.) Eggs (yelk and white), about 4 in no.; flour, 1/2 _lb._; milk, q. s.

_Obs._ When fruit, &c., are added, the batter must be made thicker than when none is used, to prevent it sinking. When sufficiently dressed it should cut smoothly and not stick to the knife. Eggs increase its firmness.

=BATT'ERY.= In _frictional electricity_, a series of Leyden jars so arranged as to admit of being charged and discharged together. See ELECTRICITY, &c.

=Battery.= In _electro-chemistry_, _galvanism_, &c., a pair, or series of pairs, of 'excited' metallic plates, so arranged as to act in unison, producing an electrical current by chemical decomposition.

=BAUME= (Baumé). See AREOMETER.

=Baume Nerval.= See OINTMENTS.

=BAUXITE.= A ferruginous aluminic hydrate containing 55·4 per cent. of alumina and 44·5 of ferric oxide. It is met with in roundish masses in the crystalline limestone of Baux (hence its name) near Arles, in France. Bauxite is one of the sources of alum.

=BAY.= See SWEET BAY.

=BAY ESSENCE.= BAY RUM. This compound, which is largely employed as a perfume in America, and is one of the articles of the United States' Pharmacop[oe]ia, is, when genuine, imported from the West Indies, where it is said to be prepared by distilling rum, with the leaves of the bayberry tree. More than three fourths, however, of the bay rum consumed is undoubtedly an imitation of the imported essence, and is a mechanical mixture of the volatile oil of the bayberry tree, rum, and spirit; sometimes with the addition of aromatic spices and various colouring matters. The volatile oil from which this last preparation is made is frequently adulterated to a large extent.

Mr Rother, an American chemist, states that in one sample alone he found about fifty per cent. of fixed oil. The imported rum is far superior in point of fragrance to the artificial. When mixed with water the genuine essence remains clear, whilst the imitation almost always becomes turbid or milky.

Mr Rother finds the following formula to yield a satisfactory product, and one much stronger in aroma than the imported perfume:

Oil of bayberry tree 1 fl. oz. and m_{l} xx. Jamaica rum 1 pint } Strong alcohol 4 pints } o.m. Water 3 " }

Mix the rum, alcohol, and water, then add the oil; mix, and filter.

=Bay Rum.= One of the highly valued American head-washes, pleasant in use, cooling and cleansing, and promoting the growth of the hair. It is prepared by distilling rum from the leaves of _Myrica acris_ (called "Bayberry" in America).

=BDEL'LIUM= (d[)e]l'-y[)u]m). The commercial name of two gum-resins:--

=Bdellium, Af'rican.= _Syn._ BDELLIUM, AFRICA'NUM, L. From the _heudola'tia africa'na_ (Guillem.), a terebinthaceous tree, of Senegal.

=Bdellium, In'dian.= _Syn._ IN'DIAN MYRRH, FALSE M.; BDELLIUM (of Scripture); BDELLIUM IN'DICUM, L. From _am'[)y]ris commiph'ora_ (Roxb.), or _balsamoden'dron Roxbur'gii_, a terebinthaceous tree of India.

_Prop., &c._ Once considered slightly deobstruent; sometimes used as a pectoral and emmenagogue, and, externally, as a stimulant and suppurative. It is now seldom met with in this country.

=BDELLOM'ETER= (d[)e]l-). _Syn._ MECHAN'ICAL LEECH; BDELLOM'ETRUM, L.; BDELLOMÈTRE, Fr. In _surgery_, a contrivance combining the principle of the cupping-glass, scarificator, and exhausting-syringe in one small instrument.

=BEACH'S (Dr) Specific against Hemorrhoids and Stomach Complaints of all kinds.= A tin box containing about 160 grammes of a fine sulphur-yellow powder, and imbedded in it a vial with 40 grammes of a brown clear fluid. The powder is a mixture of 7 parts of washed flowers of sulphur, 2-1/2 parts cream of tartar, 1/6 part of an inferior kind of rhubarb, finely powdered. The drops consist of a solution of brown sugar in strong spirit, with traces of various ethers. (Hager.)

=BEAD= (b[=e]de). _Syn._ GLOB'ULUS, SPHÆR'ULA, &c., L.; GRAIN (de collier), &c., Fr.; BETHE, PERLE, &c., Ger. A little ball or spheroid pierced for stringing; any very small globular body[double-dagger]; a bubble ([double-dagger] or tech.). A number of the first mounted on a thread or ribbon form a 'string of beads' or 'chaplet.'

_Materials, Manufac., &c._ Beads are often formed of coral, gems, jet, pearls, porcelain, rock-crystal, &c.; but much more frequently of white and coloured glass. The mode in which these last are produced is as follows:--Glass tubes, appropriately ornamented by colour, reticulation, &c., are drawn out in various sizes, and from 100 to 200 feet in length. These tubes are cut into two-feet lengths, and then, by means of a steel knife, divided into pieces having, as nearly as possible, the same length as diameter. The resulting small fragments or cylinders are next well stirred with a mixture of sand and wood ashes, in order to prevent the closure of the perforations and their adhering together during the subsequent part of the process. They are then placed in a revolving cylinder and gradually heated until they become sufficiently spherical. They are next sifted from the sand and ashes, sorted into sizes, first by means of sieves, and afterwards by hand, and are lastly either put up in weighed parcels or strung by women and children for the market.

The manufacture of coral, gems, jet, and minerals generally, into beads, belongs to the lapidary.

_Uses._ Chiefly to form necklaces, bracelets, and other articles of personal ornament; by milliners to decorate head-dresses, &c.; and for other like purposes. They are also employed among Catholic and Mohammedan nations for devotional purposes; and among savage tribes in lieu of money. They are still sometimes worn as amulets. See BUGLE, CORAL, GLASS, PASTE, PEARLS, &c.

=Beads, Jum'ble= (b[=e]dz). The dried seeds of _a'brus precat[=o]r'ius_ (Linn.) or Jamaica wild liquorice. Hard and indigestible; accounted cephalic and ophthalmic by the vulgar.

=Beads, Lo'vi's.= _Syn._ SPECIF'IC-GRAV'ITY BEADS. Small hollow spheres of glass carefully adjusted and numbered, in sets, intended to supersede the hydrometer in determining the density of fluids. They are used by dropping them into the liquid, in succession, until one is found that exhibits indifference as to buoyancy, and will float under the surface at any point at which it may be placed. The number on this ball indicates, in thousandths, the sp. gr. sought. They are particularly serviceable in the hurry of the commercial laboratory, and have the advantage of being applicable to very small quantities of liquid; but their use, of course, requires the same precautions, and the results obtained the same corrections for deviations from the normal temperature, as with other instruments. See HYDROMETER, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, &c.

=Bead.= _Syn._ BEAD'ING[double-dagger]. In _architecture_, _cabinet-work_, &c., any small moulding or continued projection of which the vertical section is semicircular.

=Bead= (of Liquors). [Tech.] The small bright iridescent bubbles, possessing some slight degree of permanence, which form on the surface of alcoholic liquors of sufficient strength, when agitated. See ALCOHOLOMETRY, PROOF, &c. (also _below_).

=BEAD'ING.= In the _liquor-trade_, anything added to commercial spirits to cause them to carry a 'bead' and to hang in pearly drops about the sides of the glass or bottle when poured out or shaken. The popular notion being that spirit is strong in proportion as it 'beads,' the object is to impart this property to weak spirit, so that it may appear to the eye to be of the proper strength. Various formulæ are current among the 'knowing ones' of the trade, most of which are unscientific, and many of them absolutely ineffective. The following are those now usually employed:--

_Prep._ 1. Oil of sweet almonds and oil of vitriol, of each 1 _oz._; rub them together in a glass, porcelain, or wedgewood-ware mortar or basin, adding, by degrees, of crushed lump-sugar, 1 _oz._; continue the trituration until the mixture becomes pasty, then add, gradually, sufficient rectified spirit (strongest) to render the whole perfectly liquid; pour it into a quart bottle, and wash out the mortar twice, or oftener, with a little fresh spirit, until about 1 pint of rectified spirit has been employed, adding the washings each time to the bottle; lastly, cautiously shake the bottle (loosely corked) until admixture appears complete, and then set it aside in a cool place. For use, this compound (after agitation) is thrown into a two-gallon can or measure, which is then filled, from a tap, with the spirit to be 'beaded,' when the whole is thrown into the cask, and the measure washed out by refilling it and returning it two or three times; after which the contents of the cask are well 'rummaged up,' Gin is usually 'fined' a few hours afterwards; but it is better not to add the 'finings' for two or three days. Other spirits are allowed to become 'fine' by simple repose. According to Mr Hartley, and others, this quantity is "sufficient for 100 _galls._ of any spirit;" but it is more commonly used for a puncheon of 80 to 85 gallons.

2. Oil of vitriol, 2 to 3 _oz._; rectified spirit, (strongest), 1 pint; cautiously agitate them together in a loosely corked quart bottle; in 2 or 3 hours add another pint of rectified spirit, and again agitate. It will be fit for use in a week; as before.

3. Sulphuric ether, 1/2 _lb._; strongest rectified spirit, 1 quart; mix. May be used at once, as before; but if otherwise, should be kept, like the last, closely corked, and in a cool place.

4. Soapwort-root (saponaria officinalis), bruised or rasped small, 1 _lb._; rectified spirit and water, of each 1/2 _gall._; macerate in a corked jar, with occasional agitation, for 8 or 10 days, strain with pressure, and, after a few days' repose, decant the clear portion. Used as before.

_Obs._ The above are not injurious when employed for 'beading,' since the quantity employed is much too small to injure the wholesomeness of the liquor. The fraud consists in their being used to disguise the presence of 10 to 12% of water, which is thus sold at the price of spirit. Beyond a certain degree of dilution they fail, however, to produce the intended effect, the bubbles becoming 'soapy,' and without the requisite permanence. The addition of a little powdered white sugar (1/2 _oz._ to 1-1/2 _oz._ per _gall._) increases the efficacy of all of them. This may be dissolved in the water, if any is added at the time; but its effect on the hydrometer must be recollected. See ALCOHOLOMETRY, GIN, SPIRIT (Management of), &c.

=BEAK'ER= (b[=e]ke'-). _Syn._ BEAK'ER-GLASS. In _chemistry_, a beaked cup or glass, more or less of the tumbler-pattern, used to collect precipitates and to heat liquids in.

=BEAL*= (b[=e]le). _Syn._ BOUTON, PUSTULE, Fr. A pimple or pustule; a small inflamed tumour.

=BEAM= (b[=e]me). See BALANCE, SCALES, &c.

=BEAM'-TREE.= _Syn._ WHITE BEAM-TREE. The '_pyrus aria_' or wild pear. Wood, hard, compact, and tough; used for axle-trees, naves and cogs of wheels, &c.

=BEAN= (b[=e]ne). [Sax., Eng.] _Syn._ FA'BA, L.; FÈVE, Fr.; BOHNE, Ger. The general name of leguminous seeds, as also of the plants which produce them; appr., _fa'ba vulg[=a]r'is_ (Mönch.[122] _v[)i]cia faba_, Linn.) or common GAR'DEN-BEAN, _phase'olus multifl[=o]r'us_ (Willd.) or SCARLET-RUNN'ER,[123] and _ph. vulgaris_ (Sav.), FRENCH BEAN, KID'NEY-B., or HAR'ICOT (-ko),[124] with their varieties, all of which are annuals cultivated in our gardens--the first chiefly for its seeds--the others both for their green pods and ripe seed. The name is also often popularly applied, as an appellative, to the fruit or seeds of other plants which, in size and appearance, resemble common beans, as noticed below.

[Footnote 122: Var. [Greek: b], HORSE'-BEAN (_fa'ba equi'na_, _f. mi'nor_, &c., L.)]

[Footnote 123: Var. [Greek: a], _phase'olus coccin'eus_ (red-flowered); [Greek: b], _ph. albiflor'us_ (white flowered).]

[Footnote 124: Var. [Greek: a], _ph. unic'olor_ (seeds of one colour);--[Greek: b], _ph. fascia'tus_ (seeds striped) or ZE'BRA-STRIPED BEAN;--[Greek: g], _ph. variega'tus_ or SPECK'LED BEAN:--[Greek: d], _ph. na'nus_ or DWARF'-BEAN.]

Those principally cultivated in our gardens are the small LIS'BON, SAND'WICH, SPAN'ISH, TOKAY', WIND'SOR, and MAZ'AGAN (from north Africa), with almost innumerable sub-varieties of each. The exquisite perfume of beans in blossom is referred to by the poet Thomson:--

"Arabia cannot boast a sweeter gale."

Preparations including their fragrant principle are highly prized in modern perfumery.

_Qual., &c._ The pods eaten in the green state, properly dressed, are regarded as antiscorbutic and wholesome; but are apt to produce flatulence, unless combined with spices. In the dried or ripe state they are rather difficult of digestion, and very apt to distend the stomach and intestines with wind. This objection does not exist, to the same extent, to their use in the form of flour or meal. The amount of nutritious nitrogenous matter in beans rather exceeds that in wheat, and independently of a disposition to produce constipation in some habits, and being rather less easy of digestion, they must be considered nearly as wholesome as that cereal. The London millers and bakers use immense quantities of bean flour to adulterate their flour and bread.

This sophisticant may be detected by the appearance it presents under the microscope. The meshes of cellulin are very much larger than those of the fourth coat of wheat, with which it has been sometimes confounded, and the starch grains present a totally different appearance. They are oval or reniform, or with one end slightly larger; they have no well-defined hilum or rings, but many have a deep central longitudinal cleft running in the longer axis, and occupying two thirds or three fourths the length, but never reaching completely to the end; this cleft is sometimes a line, sometimes a chasm, and occasionally secondary clefts abut upon it at parts of its course; sometimes, instead of a cleft, there is an irregular-shaped depression. If a little liquor potassæ be added the cellulin is seen more clearly. If the flour be added to a little boiling water, the smell of bean becomes evident.

Green beans (pods or legumes) are cooked by simply throwing them into boiling water, and simmering them until quite tender, taking the precaution of removing the lid of the saucepan, a 'pinch' of salt of tartar, or a little common salt, being usually added to preserve their green colour. Young and small ones take from 12 to 18 minutes--large or older ones longer. The first are merely 'topped and tailed' with a knife before being dressed; the others require also the 'side strings' to be drawn off, and to be cut obliquely into pieces of a lozenge form, or else to be split lengthwise into strips, and then divided once across. Old ones never boil tender. Windsor beans, and other "shelled beans," take 15 to 30 minutes according to age. These last are sometimes skinned after being dressed. All of them are commonly 'served up,' or eaten, with melted butter. Beans, although rich in nitrogenous, are deficient in carbonaceous constituents; hence it is curious to note how almost invariably they are when eaten combined with some substance rich in carbon. The Hindoo, for instance, mixes lentils with rice and ghee or a form of clarified butter. In Yucatan and throughout the whole of central Africa, where a black bean is extensively used as food, they are well boiled in water, and eaten with pepper, salt, and pork. In this country, beans and bacon always appear at table together, and have done so for centuries. See LEGUMINOSÆ, PULSE, &c. (also _below_).

=Bean, Algaro'ba.= See ALGAROBA.

=Bean, Earth.= American earth-nut.

=Bean, French=; Horse-bean; Kidney-bean; &c. See BEAN (_antè_).

_Composition._ (Einhof.)