Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 89

See BRa.s.s, BRONZE, PEWTER, &c.

=BIDET'= (bid-et'; -a'--Fr.). An article of bedroom furniture conveniently formed for laving the lower part of the body. Besides the value of its use as an instrument of personal cleanliness and health, it offers a ready means of medicating the parts, often highly serviceable in piles, prolapsus, affections of the s.c.r.o.t.u.m and prostate gland, strangury, ischuria, suppressed or difficult menstruation, &c. See ABLUTION, BATHS, &c.

=BIELEFELDER TROPFEN--BIELEFIELDER DROPS= (Bansi). A spirituous extract of wormwood, unripe oranges, rhubarb, cascarilla, cloves, and gentian.

(Hager.)

=BIEN'NIAL= (bi-en'-y'al). _Syn._ BIEN'NIS, L.; BIENNAL, BISANNUEL, DE DEUX ANS, Fr.; ZWEIJaHRIG, Ger. Occurring once in, or lasting, two years.

In _botany_ and _gardening_, applied to plants that do not produce flowers and seed until the second year or season of their growth, and which then die; subst., a biennial plant.

The existence of the biennials, like that of the annuals, may be prolonged by art; indeed, many of them, by carefully removing the flowers ere the seed-vessels begin to form, may be made to bloom a second season, and even for several seasons following, like perennials. See ANNUALS, FLOWERS, PLANTS, &c.

=BIFF'IN.= A baked apple, flattened by pressure.

_Prep._ The apples are placed in a cool oven 6 or 7 times in succession, and flattened each time by gentle pressure, gradually applied, as soon as they are soft enough to bear it; after which they are taken out, and as soon as cold put on clean dishes or gla.s.s plates. The sour or tart variety of apples is the best for baking. If the process be well managed, the appearance of the prepared fruit is very rich and the flavour delicious.

=BIL'BERRY.= The whortleberry.

=Bilberry, Bear's.= Uva ursi.

=BILE.= _Syn._ BI'LIS,[172] CHO'LE,[173] FEL,[174] L.; BILE, FIEL, GALLE, Fr.; GALLE, &c., Ger. A bitter fluid secreted by the liver, from venous blood; in part flowing from the intestines, and in part regurgitating into the gall-bladder. Its composition is of a very complex character; and its uses in the animal economy appear to be--to separate the chyle from the chyme, to promote the digestion and a.s.similation of oleaginous substances, and to a.s.sist in exciting the peristaltic action of the intestines. The faeces appear to owe their colour chiefly to the presence of bile; as, without it, they possess a dirty pipe-clay colour. Several of the substances which enter into its composition, or which are formed from those which do so, are noticed elsewhere, under their respective names.

Its a.n.a.lysis, detection, and uses in the arts are given under GALL.

[Footnote 172: Properly, the 'gall' after it leaves the 'gall-bladder'--a sense retained in its English a.n.a.logue.]

[Footnote 173: ????, Gr.]

[Footnote 174: Strictly, the gall-bladder with the gall.]

=Bile= (of Animals). See GALL.

=BILE, Bil'iousness.= Under these terms are popularly included all those slight affections of the stomach usually accompanied with derangement of the head and bowels, apparently arising from excess of bile. Persons subject to attacks of this description should be particularly careful to avoid excess in both eating and drinking, and should more especially shun those articles of food and those liquors which, from experience, they find are apt to disagree with them. A mutton chop, slightly under-dressed, is an excellent article for the breakfast, or the lunch, of bilious patients; and good beef or mutton, either broiled or roasted, so that the gravy be retained, is better for dinner than many dishes apparently more delicate.

These, with fresh game and venison, form a good variety from which to choose a bill of fare. New beer and porter should be particularly avoided, as well as boiled meat, stews, soups, greasy or rich puddings, much b.u.t.ter or fat, and most articles of pastry, as they are very indigestible, and, by overtasking the powers of the stomach, very apt to derange it. Strong cheese,[175] salads (particularly cuc.u.mbers), over-ripe or unripe fruit, new bread and rolls, cabbages and green vegetables, and especially peas, beans, nuts, almonds, and the like, are also objectionable for parties with delicate stomachs or a bilious tendency. The bread eaten by such persons should be perfectly free from alum, and preferably prepared with meal retaining the whole of the bran in it; and should be two days, or at the least one day old. The quant.i.ty of animal food per day, except for the laborious, should be limited to from 6 or 8 to 12 _oz._; and warm slops of all kinds, except moderately strong tea and coffee, should be taken as seldom as possible, and, in general, avoided altogether. Even cocoa and chocolate prove injurious to the delicate and bilious. Out-door exercise and plenty of fresh air are essential to the health of such persons. Those who indulge in them freely are never attacked with affections of this kind, unless it be after gluttonising or heavy drinking. Above all things heavy and late suppers should be abandoned; indeed, the better plan is to take nothing more than a hard biscuit, or dry crust, after tea.

[Footnote 175: Rotten cheese is absolute poison to the bilious.]

In general, attacks of bile may be prevented by the exercise of moderate judgment and temperance in living; and in those hitherto subject to them by the occasional use of an aloetic, mercurial, or saline aperient; and they may be generally rapidly removed by an emetic, followed by a dose of castor oil, Epsom salts, or Seidlitz powder. A tumbler of pure cold water taken on retiring to rest, and another (or even two) on rising in the morning, will often remove both the tendency and the fit, when all the usual remedies have failed. See ABERNETHY MEDICINES, ANTIBILIOUS, DYSPEPSIA, STOMACH AFFECTIONS, &c.

=BILHARZIA HaeMATOBIA.= A fluke-like parasite. It is bis.e.xual. The body of the male is thread-shaped, round, white, and flattened anteriorly. The female is thin and delicate. This creature was discovered in the portal vein and bladder of man by Bilharz, of Cairo, after whom it was named. It is especially prevalent in those who dwell by the banks of the Nile, and is also very frequently met with amongst the inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope. It is the cause of very serious disturbance in the human economy, and not infrequently of death.

The main symptoms of the disease this dangerous parasite sets up are those which point to derangement of the urinary organs; but its effects are not confined to these, since there seems little room to doubt that it is the chief cause of the dysentery so prevalent in Egypt, the eggs of the diatoma being found deposited within the intestinal vessels, or beneath the exudations of the swollen mucous membrane. Dr Harley has found the ova in the urine of persons affected with haematuria at the Cape of Good Hope.

When death ensues from the presence of this parasite the post-mortem appearances are various. In the bowels, congestion, deposits upon the mucous membrane, and extensive ulcerations, degeneration and atrophy of the kidneys, dependent upon an infiltrated state of the ureters, and blocking of the portal vein, due to the presence of myriads of the parasites, are some of the most important pathological changes.

=BIL'IARY AFFECTIONS= (-yar-e). See BILE (_ante_), CALCULI, JAUNDICE, LIVER, &c.

=BI'LINE= (-lin). _Syn._ BILI'NA, L. This name has been loosely applied to two substances:--1. Bile, or pure bile, freed from the mucus of the gall-bladder, and gently evaporated to dryness. A gummy pale yellow ma.s.s, white when powdered:--2. Tauro-cholalic or choleic acid. See GALL, &c.

=BIL'IOUS= (-yus). _Syn._ BILIO'SUS, L.; BILIEUX, Fr.; GALLIG, GALLICHT, &c., Ger. Pertaining to, caused by, full of, or having excess of bile. See BILE, BILIOUSNESS.

=BILIPH'EINE= (-e-in). Cholepyrrhine.

=BILIV'ERDINE= (-din). A green colouring matter, identical with chlorophyll, found in bile, and in the green dejections of children.

=BILL OF FARE.= In _cookery_, _domestic economy_, &c., a list of things ready dressed or prepared for the table (CARTE, C. D'UN RESTAURANT, MENU, &c., Fr.); also a list of articles of food in season. For Tables of the latter, see FOOD.

=BI'NARY.= _Syn._ BINA"RIUS, L.; BINAIRE, Fr. Consisting of two parts. In _chemistry_, compounded of two elements, or of two bodies performing the function of elements.

BINOC'ULAR (-u-). Having two eyes. In _optics_, of or with two eyes, as binoc'ular vi"sion; or formed with two eye-pieces or tubes, so as to be used with two eyes, as a b. mi'croscope, b. tel'escope, &c.

=BIRCH.= _Syn._ BE'TULA, L.; BOULEAU, Fr.; BIRKE, Ger. The common name of trees of the genus _be'tula_; appr., _b. al'ba_ (Linn.), or white birch; also its wood. See BETULINE, and _below_.

BIRCH, BLACK. _Syn._ CHER'RY B., SWEET B., MOUNT'AIN MAHOG'ANY; BETULEN'TA, L. A forest tree of N. America. Wood used for cabinet work; bark yields a volatile oil similar in odour and taste to that of gualtheria; juice obtained by tapping, saccharine, and yields BIRCH-SUGAR.

=Birch, White.= _Syn._ BIRCH, (or) COMMON B.; BE'TULA, L. A tree found in the woods of England. Wood neither very hard nor durable; leaves formerly used in itch and dropsy; bark febrifuge, yields a pyroligneous oil by distillation. See OILS (and _above_).

BIRD[176] [Eng., Sax.] _Syn._ A'VIS, L.; OISEAU, Fr.; VOGEL, Ger. Any fowl or animal of the feathered kind. In fashionable and gourmandic cant, appr. a partridge. See BIRDS (_below_).

[Footnote 176: Properly, a 'chicken' or 'young flying animal,'--It is remarkable, as observed by Webster, that a nation should lay aside the proper generic name of flying animals--'fowl' (_fugel_, _fugl_, Sax.; _vogel_, Ger., Dut.; _fugl_, Dan.; _fogel_, Sw.; from the root of the Lat., _fugio_, _fugo_), and subst.i.tute the name of the young of those animals as the generic term.]

=BIRD'LIME.= _Syn._ VIS'CUS, L.; GLU, Fr.; VOGELLEIM, Ger. _Prep._ The middle bark of the holly (gathered in June or July) is boiled for 6 to 8 hours in water, or until it becomes quite soft and tender; the water is then drained off, and it is placed in a heap, in a pit underground (commonly on layers of fern), and covered with stones. Here it is left to ferment for 2 or 3 weeks, and watered, if necessary, until it a.s.sumes a mucilaginous state. It is next pounded in a mortar until reduced to a uniform ma.s.s, which is then well kneaded with the hands in running water, until all the refuse matter is worked out. It is, lastly, placed in an earthen vessel, and covered with a little water; in which state it may be preserved from season to season. In about a week it is fit for use.

_Prop._ Greenish coloured: very gluey, stringy, and tenacious; when air-dried, brittle and pulverisable, but capable of gradually a.s.suming its previous viscosity when moistened.

_Uses._ To cover twigs to catch birds, and other small animals. It is said to be discutient, but is now never employed in medicine.

_Obs._ Birdlime may also be made from mistletoe berries, the young shoots of the elder, the bark of the wayfaring-tree, and some other vegetables, by a similar process to that above described. Should any of it stick to the hands it may be removed by means of a little oil of turpentine.

A kind of fact.i.tious birdlime is made by boiling linseed oil either with, or without, a little yellow resin, until it forms a viscid, stringy paste when cold. This is chiefly used, spread on paper or cloth, to catch insects. See FLY-PAPERS, &c.

=BIRDS.= _Syn._ A'VES, L. Birds, besides their value as food, play an important part in the economy of organic nature, and particularly in that of the vegetable kingdom. They are the best friends of the agriculturist and the gardener; and their presence, in numbers, appears essential to keep down the innumerable races of insects that prey upon our cereals, fruits, and culinary vegetables. M. Florent Prevost, who has for fifty years presided over the Natural History Museum of Paris, and who has, like the ancient Roman augurs, examined the entrails and stomach of fowls with scientific curiosity, avers, as the result of his long experience, that birds, of whatever sort, are an unmitigated blessing to the farmer, and that the detritus and organic particles found by inspection of them in whole hecatombs, which, by the a.s.sistance of the Royal Forest Rangers, he has sacrificed on the altar of utility, show an immense preponderance of insect corpuscula in their digestive organs, whilst the traces of cereal or other valuable products are infinitesimal in comparison. It is found that even sparrows, rooks, and owls--three of the feathered tribe the most persecuted by the farmer--are, in reality, the faithful and vigilant conservators of his fruits and crops. In one of the smaller states of Germany, where, owing to public rewards being given to their destroyers, the whole race of sparrows were exterminated, the crops failed to such an alarming extent that it became necessary to offer large premiums for the reintroduction of these useful birds from other parts. In some of the agricultural districts of France, where the destruction of small birds has been carried on with relentless activity for years, insects have so prodigiously multiplied as to attack everything green around them. Even the forest trees are, in many cases, denuded of leaves by them, and are rapidly perishing. Venomous species of caterpillars, previously scarcely known except to entomologists, have now become common; and cases of children losing their lives from attacks of them whilst birdnesting have been published in newspapers.[177] In our own country the extension of sparrow-clubs--a.s.sociations disgraceful to the boasted intelligence of the nineteenth century--threatens similar results. Already the gardener finds his fruit-crops lessening year by year; and that many of them, particularly of the smaller and sweeter fruits, have become so precarious, that they now scarcely pay for cultivation. In our own neighbourhood, where small birds have for some years been destroyed by bushels at a time, it is almost impossible to raise a currant, gooseberry, cherry, or plum; whilst seedling flowers and culinary vegetables often entirely disappear on the first night after being planted, or are so completely deprived of the succulent portion of their leaves and stems, that the remaining skeleton of network in a few days withers and dies. But this is not all--the columns of our diurnals bring us continual reports of failing grain-crops in the neighbourhoods in which these bird-clubs have existed for any length of time, and that even on land previously remarkable for its fertility.[178] Did this loss fall only on the benighted beings who so wilfully cast back the blessings of an all-wise protecting Providence, it would be a just retribution; but, unfortunately, it affects the whole nation, and threatens, ere long, unless arrested by legislation, to prove a national calamity. The only apparent remedy for the evil, at present, is the diffusion of information tending to show that the farmer and the gardener, in destroying small birds, destroy their best friends.

[Footnote 177: A striking fatal case of this description is given in the 'Times' of June 12, 1862.]

[Footnote 178: See the 'Times' and other leading 'journals' for 1862.]

[For further information respecting birds, see AVES, BIRD (_ante_), GAME, GERMAN PASTE, NESTS (Edible), POULTRY, PUTREFACTION, TAXIDERMY, TRUSSING, &c.]

=BIRKENBALSAM--BIRCH BALSAM= (Dr Friedreich Lengiel). A cosmetic against wrinkles, small-pock marks, freckles, mole spots, red noses, acne, &c. 5 grammes water gla.s.s, 2 grammes potash, 1 gramme soap, 5 grammes gum arabic, 10 grammes glycerin, 400 grammes water. (Schadler.)

=BIS'COTIN.= [Fr.] A small biscuit. In _cookery_, &c., a species of confection made of eggs, flour, marmalade, and sugar, variously compounded and flavoured according to the taste of the operator.

=BIS'CUIT= (-kit). [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BUCCELLA'TUM, PA'NIS BIS COC'TUS, L.; SWIEBACK, Ger.; BISCOTTO, It.; BIZCOCHO, Sp. Literally, 'twice-baked,'

appr., a well-known variety of hard, dry, unleavened bread, made in thin flat pieces. Those prepared for seamen (SEA'-BISCUITS, CAP'TAIN'S B.[179]) are composed of flour and water only. When made of fine flour and a few caraway seeds are added, they are commonly called AB'ERNE'THY BISCUITS.

Fancy biscuits generally contain a little sugar and b.u.t.ter, to which almonds, caraways, mace, ginger, lemon, and other articles, technically called 'flavourings,' are frequently added.

[Footnote 179: A captain's biscuit differs from a common 'sea biscuit' in being made of finer flour.]

_Prep._ On the small scale, biscuits are made by forming the flour and water into a dough by the common process of hand-kneading, occasionally a.s.sisted with a lever, as in making ordinary bread. The dough is then rolled into a sheet, and cut into pieces of the desired size and form.

These, after being stamped, are exposed to the heat of a moderately quick oven, when a few minutes (12 to 18, according to their size) are sufficient to bake them.