Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 76

[Footnote 109: An instrument founded on the same principle, and of nearly similar construction was described by M. Conte, in 1798, in the 'Bull. des Sci. Nat.,' t. i, No. xiii, p. 106.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The indications of the aneroid barometer closely correspond to those of the mercurial barometer at ordinary ranges; the differences never exceeding 01 of an inch. It is so extremely sensitive that an ascent or descent of only a few feet is distinctly indicated by it; whilst its portability adapts it for service in situations for which an ordinary barometer is unfitted. On the other hand, it is liable to move by jerks, and the elasticity of the spring, and consequently the zero-point of the scale, has been found to be sometimes affected by time and a rough journey. On this account it is necessary to compare it occasionally with some standard mercurial barometer, to determine its amount or rate of variation, if any.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

=Barometer, Phi'al.= This amusing philosophic toy is made by cutting off the rim and part of the neck of a common gla.s.s-phial with a file. The phial is then nearly filled with water, either pure or tinged blue or red; and the finger being placed on its mouth, it is inverted, and suspended in a vertical position by means of a piece of twine or wire, when the finger is withdrawn. (See _engr._) In dry weather the under surface of the water remains level with the neck of the bottle, or even concave; in damp weather, on the contrary, a drop appears at the mouth and continues enlarging until it falls, and is then followed by another in the same way.

=Barometer, Fitzroy.= This, which is a very cheap instrument, is made on the syphon principle, but the cistern is formed by the lower limit, which is blown into a bulb.

=Barometer, Port'able.= The most accurate are those of Gay-Lussac and Bunten, and after them the aneroid. They should be set on universal joints, and well balanced. The common instrument made with a box and leather cistern seldom continues long correct.

=Barometer, Wheel.= The common form of the instrument having a dial-face and hands.

[For further information in connection with the above subject the reader is referred to the 'articles' ANEROID, ATMOSPHERE, GAS, HEIGHTS, STEAM, STORM-GLa.s.s, VAPOUR, WEATHER, &c.]

=BAR'OSCOPE= (-skope). [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BAROSCO'PIUM, L. A barometer; sometimes applied to the wheel-barometer of Hooke.

=BAR'RAS.= The concrete resinous exudation from the bark of fir-trees.

That from _pi'nus marit'ima_ is called GALIPOT.

=Ba.r.s.e.= [Provincial.] The common perch.

=BAR'WOOD.= A red dye-wood imported from Angola and other parts of Africa.

It closely resembles cam-wood and sanders-wood in its colouring matter being of a resinous nature, and scarcely soluble in water. In _dyeing_ this difficulty is obviated by taking advantage of the strong affinity existing between it and the proto-salts of tin and iron. Thus, by strongly impregnating the goods with protochloride of tin, either with or without the addition of sumach, according to the shade of red desired, and then putting them into a boiling bath containing the rasped wood, the colour is rapidly given out and taken up, until the whole of the tin in the fibres of the cloth is saturated, and the goods become of a rich bright hue. In like manner the dark red of bandana handkerchiefs is commonly given by a mordant of acetate of iron followed by a boiling bath of this dye-stuff.

See DYEING, MORDANTS, &c.

=BASALT'= (ba-solt'). [Eng., Ger.] _Syn._ BASAL'TES (-sal'-tez), L.; BASALTE, Fr. In _geology_, &c., a species of trap-rock, essentially composed of the minerals felspar and augite. It is of a fine compact texture, of a dark-green, grey, or black colour, and usually occurs in regular columns, of which the Giants' Causeway and the Island of Staffa furnish magnificent examples. It is fusible; and when rapidly cooled forms a dark brittle gla.s.s; but when slowly cooled retains its original beauty and hardness almost unimpaired. Messrs Chance, Brothers, of Birmingham, have availed themselves of this property to apply it to decorative and ornamental purposes. Their process is to melt the material[110] in a reverberatory furnace, and, when sufficiently fluid, to pour it into red-hot moulds of sand encased in iron boxes. The corresponding adj. is BASALT'IC (-solt'-; BASAL'TICUS, -sal'-, L.; BASALTIQUE, Fr.).

[Footnote 110: Rowley-rag is used by the Messrs C.; as beside ordinary basalt, greenstone, whinstone, and other similar minerals, possess the same property.]

=BASE.= [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BA'SIS (pl., ba'ses), L., Gr.; GRUND, GRUNDFLaCHE, Ger. In _chemistry_ it was formerly, and is now occasionally, applied to metallic oxides which possess the property of forming salts with acids. The alkaloids are also designated organic bases. In _pharmacy_, the characteristic or princ.i.p.al ingredient in any medicine or compound preparation; or that on which its qualities or efficacy depends.

=BAS'IL= (-baz'-). _Syn._ SWEET BAS'IL, CIT'RON B.; BASIL'Ic.u.m, L.; BASILIC, Fr.; BASILIk.u.m, Ger. The _oc'ymum_ (os'-) _basil'ic.u.m_ (Linn.), an annual aromatic herbaceous plant, of the nat. ord. l.a.b.i.atae (DC.). It is a native of India, but is largely cultivated in every part of Europe as a pot-herb. Leaves strong-scented; popularly reputed emmenagogue; much used to flavour salads, soups, &c., especially in French cookery. Mock-turtle soup derives its peculiar flavour from this herb; as also did the original Fetter-lane sausages, once so highly esteemed by c.o.c.kney gourmands. In India it is commonly employed as an anodyne in childbirth.

=Bas'il= (baz'-). _Syn._ BAS'AN; BASANE, Fr. A sheep-skin, tanned; particularly one dressed on the grain side, for book-binding.

=BASIL'ICON.= See CERATES and OINTMENTS.

=BAS'KET= (bas'-). _Syn._ COPH'INUS (kof'-), L.; PANIER, CORBEILLE, &c., Fr.; KORB, Ger. BASKETS are generally STAINED or COLOURED with the simple liquid dyes used for straw or wood; and that, for variegated work, the twigs, after being carefully peeled, washed, and wiped dry or slightly air-dried, are stained before being woven. See OSIERS, &c.

=Ba.s.s.= [Provin.] The linden-tree; also a ha.s.sock or mat made of its inner bark. See BAST.

=Ba.s.sia butyracea.= A tree growing in the sub-tropical Himalayas. The seeds yield by expression a concrete oil, known by the name of _Fulwa b.u.t.ter_, which does not become rancid by keeping. It is held in high esteem in India as an external application in rheumatic and other painful maladies.

=BAS'SORIN= (-rin). _Syn._ Ba.s.sORI'NA, L. A substance first noticed, by Vauquelin, in _Bas'sora-gum_. See GUM, INSOLUBLE, TRAGACANTHINE, &c.

=BAST= (bast). _Syn._ Ba.s.s (which _see_). The inner bark of the linden tree or tiel tree; also matting, &c., made of it.

=BAS'TARDS= (-tardz). _Syn._ BAS'TARD SUG'AR (shoog'-), PIECES, &c. In _sugar-refining_, impure or damaged sugar resulting from the heat and chemicals used in the process of manufacture, and which will not pay for purifying.

=BA"SYL= (base'il). In _chemistry_, any simple or compound body, acting as a basic radical.

=BATATA= [_Convolvulus batatas_, or SWEET POTATO]. This is a native of the East Indies, but is now cultivated in all tropical and sub-tropical countries for the sake of its tubers, which are highly esteemed as an article of food. They are eaten either roasted or boiled, and are sweet, wholesome, and nutritious, although somewhat laxative.

In some parts of America the Batata, next to maize, forms the princ.i.p.al diet of the poorer cla.s.ses. The plant was introduced into England by Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins; but they do not bear the cold of our winters, and if grown here are raised in hot-houses, where they may be obtained without difficulty varying from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. in weight. They thrive better in the south of Europe. The tubers contain about 32 per cent. of solid matter, 16 of which is starch, 10 sugar, 15 alb.u.men, 11 gum, 03 fat, 29 mineral matter. The leaves are used as a boiled vegetable.

=BATH= (bahth). _Syn._ BAL'NEUM, L.; BAIN, Fr.; BAD, Ger., Sax. A place for bathing; a vessel or receptacle, natural or artificial, containing or adapted to contain water, and used to bathe in. In _architecture_ and _hygiene_, a building fitted up for and appropriated to bathing.

_Constr., &c._ Here one of the first subjects which must engage our attention is the selection of the material of which the bath is to be formed. For FIXED BATHS polished white marble has always been in favour, owing to its cleanliness and beauty. For this purpose, slabs of sufficient thickness and free from flaws or cracks should be chosen; and they should be securely and properly bedded in good water-tight cement, in a well-seasoned wooden case. The objections to marble, independent of its costliness, are, that it is apt to get yellow or discoloured, and to lose its polish, by frequent and careless use; and that the restoration of its surface to its original purity, is a matter of considerable expense and difficulty. It is also only fitted to contain water with, at the most, soap, weak alkalies or alkaline carbonates, aromatics, or neutral organic principles; and cannot be employed with water medicated, however slightly, with acids, sulphurets, iodine, chlorine, salines (others than those just named), or calorific substances. As a cheaper material thick slabs of Welsh slate are often subst.i.tuted for marble; but even this substance is attacked by chemicals, though much more slowly. A lining of large Dutch tiles is sometimes used: but here the joints are very apt to leak. For baths adapted to all the requirements of health and disease, and which are at the same time durable and comparatively inexpensive, we must, therefore, seek further. Porcelain, gla.s.s, and hard glazed stone-ware have been proposed, and are even sometimes used for baths; but they possess the disadvantages of being fragile, and very liable to crack when filled with hot water in cold weather. Wedgewood-ware is very beautiful and durable; but is expensive, and baths formed of it can only be obtained on special order. Stourbridge-ware, as produced of late years, is the only product of the potter's art that appears entirely to meet the case; but even this yields in durability to enamelled iron as a material for baths adapted to all liquids and temperatures, and to rough or careless usage. (See _engr._ 1.) The better qualities of PORT'ABLE BATHS (see _engr._ 2) are generally made of copper. Stout tinned or galvanised iron, and even stout block-tin thickly covered with waterproof paint or j.a.pan, are also employed; but though less expensive than copper, they have the disadvantage of being much less durable. All these substances are, however, readily acted on by chemicals. A durable and cheap portable bath, adapted to all purposes, must, therefore, like a fixed one, be made of one or other of the materials already noticed. For MED'ICATED BATHS large wooden troughs are frequently employed, particularly for acidulated, ioduretted, and sulphuretted baths.

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[Ill.u.s.tration: 2.]

The arrangements for supplying cold and hot water must necessarily greatly depend on circ.u.mstances, and the quant.i.ty required. For a single fixed bath, or even for two or three of them, the common circulating water-heater or boiler, placed in some apartment on a rather lower level than the bath, is, perhaps, the most convenient; but where this is not attainable the water may be run, by means of a pipe, from a boiler situated on a somewhat higher level. In either case a supply of cold water must also be at hand, and conveyed in a like manner, to enable the bath to be reduced to any required temperature. On the large scale, as in our public baths, where numerous baths are in constant use during the day, the hot water is best supplied from a large cistern somewhere above the level of the bath-rooms, and which is heated by a coil of pipe supplied with high-pressure steam from a boiler situated on a lower level, as the ground floor or bas.e.m.e.nt. The hot and the cold water, conveyed by separate pipes of about 1-1/2 inch diameter, unite in a two-way c.o.c.k close to the bath, so as to enter it together, by which only _one_ aperture in the end of the bath is required for the purpose. The bath is emptied, and excess of water removed, by a grated aperture in the bottom, also stopped by a c.o.c.k which, like the former, has handles or keys so placed as to be accessible to the attendant outside the bath-room, as well as to the bather, whilst the danger of overflowing is obviated by a two-inch waste-pipe, opening into the bath at about two inches from the top.

For heating portable baths, so many plans are in use, and have been suggested, and even patented, that the reader cannot possibly be at a loss for one to suit his particular case. A small grate for burning charcoal is the one most commonly adopted; but where attainable, a ring or cross of small inflamed gas-jets, is more cleanly and manageable.

When the bath consists of a wooden tub, or any other deep vessel, a simple and inexpensive apparatus brought out in America, under the t.i.tle of the 'ITAL'IAN BATH'-WARMER' (see _engr._ 3), and made of thin sheet-iron, will occasionally be found useful.[111]

[Footnote 111: A small cast-iron 'horse' with three legs (not shown in the engr.) to support the 'warmer' about 2 inches above the bottom of the bath-tub, and to keep it steady and upright, is usually sold with it.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 3.

_a_, Bath-tub.

_b_, The larger arm of the warming-tube by which the charcoal is introduced, and by which the fumes fly off.

_c_, The smaller arm to admit air to support the combustion.

_d_, The fire grate, to support the burning charcoal.]

This situation and the minor details connected with the comfort and convenience of the bath, must greatly depend on the character of the building, and the sum to be devoted to the purpose. When possible, the bath-room should always be on the same floor as the bedrooms, of easy access to them, and so situated and arranged, that a plentiful and constant supply of pure water can be ensured, and the waste water removed without trouble or inconvenience. The bas.e.m.e.nt story should always be avoided; for, as observed by Dr Ure, there is a coldness and dampness belonging to it, in almost all weathers, which is neither agreeable nor salubrious.

The ranges of the temperature of water appropriate to the respective baths, according to the common nomenclature, are shown in the following Table:--

------------------------------------ Name. Temperature. Fahr.

------------------------------------ Cold bath 33 to 75 Temperate bath 75 " 82 Tepid bath 82 " 90 Warm bath 90 " 98 Hot bath 98 " 112 ------------------------------------

_Concluding Remarks._ The importance, and indeed the absolute necessity of frequent personal ablution, has been already insisted on and explained.

But however important and beneficial the use of water in this way may be, the effects arising from the immersion of the body in that liquid, as in the practice of bathing, are far more extensive and complete. What the one does usefully but not completely, the other accomplishes readily, satisfactorily, and perfectly. There is no absolute succedaneum for the entire bath. Its physiological effects are peculiar to itself, and of the utmost importance in pathology and hygiene. The practice of wearing flannel, the daily use of clean linen, the mere was.h.i.+ng of the more exposed parts of the body, are but poor attempts at cleanliness, without the occasional, if not frequent, entire submersion of the body in water.

Nor should the action of judicious bathing in the promotion of personal comfort and personal beauty be forgotten. Intellectual and moral vigour are also gradually, but materially, influenced and promoted by the beneficial action of bathing on the system; for mind and conscience being linked to matter in the 'house we live in,' become perturbed, or lethargic, in almost exact accordance with the fluctuations of our physical health. The neglect of bathing in this country is, to us, an absolute enigma. We are always talking about health, and continually professing to be seeking it; but the practical applications of the principles which we advocate, and the doctrines which we teach, are, unfortunately, the exceptions and not the rule.

Our recommendation of bathing applies chiefly to the warm bath and the tepid bath, which are alike adapted to the delicate and the robust, and to every condition of climate and season. Cold bathing, in this climate, is only suited to the most healthy and vigorous, and can only be safely practised during the warmer months of the year, and in a ma.s.s of water sufficient to permit of the heat of the body being maintained by swimming or other active exercise. The plunge and shower baths are partial exceptions to these remarks; whilst sea-bathing, for the reasons given elsewhere, comes under another category. This last, "on account of its stimulative and penetrating power, may be placed at the head of those means which regard the care of the skin; and it certainly supplies one of the first wants of the present generation, by opening the pores, and thereby re-invigorating the whole nervous system." "Besides its great power in cases of disease, it may be employed by those who are perfectly well, as the means most agreeable to nature for strengthening the body and preserving the health." Another important advantage which sea-bathing has over bathing in fresh water is, that persons seldom take cold from indulging in it.