TOR~


I F -


T1~oR


wo~a~d give Strokes, in fome meafutefucce11eX Fhir all Parts
of foft Bodies don't firike at once; the Impreflion of the
laft o  not take till after the A&rfl have done affing. But
the  feveral Inclofures ferve to augment the Number of the
Springs, and, of Confequence, the Velocity and Force of the
Adioni.a
Thefe quick re-iterated Strokes given by a fhfrifh Matter,
fhake the Nerves, fufpend, or change the Courfe of the
Animal Spirits, or Come Fluid equivalent : Or, if you had
rather, thefe Strokes produce an Undulatory Motion in the
Fibres of the Nerves, which clafhes or difagrees with that
they fhould have, in order to move the Arm. And hence
the Inability we are under of ufing the fame, and the painful
Senfation which accompanies it.
Hence it is, that the Torpedo does not convey its Numbnefs
to any Degree, except when touch'd on thefe great Mufcles;
lo that the Fifh is very Cafely taken by the Tail, which is the
Part by which the Fi lbermen catch it.
The Authors who have accounted for the Nrofef of the
Torpedo from forporiijlc Effluvia, have been obliged to have
recourfe to the fame two Mufcles,; but then they only make
them Refervoirs of the Corpulfcles, whereby the Numbnifs
is effeded.
Lorenzini, who has obferved the tontrafion as well as
Reamzwr, pretends that all its Ufe, is to exprefs thofe Corpuf-
cles from out of the hollow Fibres of thefe Mufcles wherein
they are imprifon'd; but this Emanation of Corpufcles admit-
ted by moff Authors, is difproved by M. Reumiur, from the
following Confiderations;
io In that no Numbnefs is convey'd, if the Hand be at
the rmalleft Diflance from the Torpedo: Now, to ufe their
own Comparifon, if the Torpedo numbs as the Fire warms
the Hands would be affeaed at a Difiance from the one as
well as the other.
2f In that the Numbnefs is not felt till the Contraciion of
the Mufcles is over ; whereas were the Caufe in 71orporific
Particles exprefs'd by the Contradion, the Efffth  would be
felt in the time of the Contraftion.
30 In that were the Numbncfs the EfeA of Coporafc Par-
ticles, it would be convey'd by degrees, as the hand warms
by degrees.
Lafly, in that the 7orpedo conveys its Numbnefs to the
Hand, thro' a hard, Colid Body, but does not do it thro'the Air.
Were the only Mife the Torpedo makes of its Faculty, the
faving irfelf from the Fifhermen, as Come have fuppofed, it
woull fignify but little ; for 'tis very rare that it efcapes their
Hands.   T'liny, Arinlotle and moft Naturalifis, therefore
agree, that it likewife ferves it for the catching of other
Fifhes: All we know for certain, is, that it lives on other
Fiffies, and that 'tis generally found on Banks of Sand, &e.
probably, to ferve it as a Foundation or Support for the
exerting its Faculty.
M. Rtaumur had no Fifhes alive to examin what the
torpedo would do to them; but an Animal, next a-kin to
a Fifih, he tried it on, viz,. a Drake, which being lhut up a
while in Water with the Fifh, was taken out dead, doubtless
from its too frequent Gonta&s on the Tiorpedo.
In the Hiffory of -Aby~ffea, we are affured, that if the
Torpedo kill living Fiffies, it feems to bring dead on-es to
life again; dead Fifhei being feen to flir, if put in the
fame Velel with it: -But this is much lefs credible than what
is told us in the hfame Hiflory, that the Abyffmans ufed
5liorpedo's for the Cure of Fevers, by tying down the Patient
to a Table, and applying the Filh fucceffively upon all his
Members, which puts the Patient to cruel Torment, but
effeaually rids him of his Difeafe.
!Bellon affires us, that our own Torpedo's applied to the
Soals of the Feet, have prov'd CuccefsfUl againri Fevers.
M. du Hamed in his Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences,
Anno 167 7, mentions a kind of Tojedo's, which he compares
io Conger Eels: M. Richer, from whom he has the Account,
affirms on his Knowledge, that they numb the Arm ifrongly,
When touch'd with a StafA, and that their Effefas even go to
the giving Vertigo s.
TORQUE, in Heraldry, a round Roll of Cloth twilled
and fluff'd; fuch is the Bandage frequently feen in Armories
about the Heads of Moors, Savages, 'c.
It is always of the two principal Colours of the Coat.
The torqUe is the leaft Honourable of all the Enrichments
wore on the Helmet by way of Creff. See CREST.
TORREFACTION, in Pharmacy, a kind of /aption,
wherein a Drug is laid to dry on a Metal Plate plac'd over
Coals, till it become friable to the Fingers.
5Farrefa n IS particularly us'd, when after reducing fome
D:>rug, as Rhubarb, orAyrabolaninito Fowder, 'tis laid on
an ron or Silver Plate, and that plac'd over a moderate Fire
till the Powde begin to grow darkilh; which is a Mark
thofe Remedies have lof their purgative Virtue, anti have
aquirMd a more aftringent one. See RHUBAtR, Sm.
The Word is fyrm'd frorm she lnivo torefaeere, toaoaff
Formerly, they us'd to   e   Opium, to get out fime
*ralignant Parts fancy'd to be in its eier they duwit ule'i in


Medicine; but th  EfFe& was, that its volatile Spirts and
Sulphur, wherein its greaten Virtue confift;' were hereby
evaporated. See opluM.
TORRENT, TORRENS, in Geograph , an impetuous
Stream of Water, falling Cuddenly from Mountains wherein
there have been greatRainse,,or an extraordinaryThaw of
Snow; and making great Ravages in the Plains.     See
VRIvER, S~C. .
TORRICELLIAN, a Term very frequent among phyfi-
cal Writers, ufed in the Phrafes, Torricelh4ian Tbe, and Tor-
rtcellian Experiment, on account of the Inventor, Torricelli,
a Difciyle of the great Galileo.
The forRtztlciirLIAN At~ie isa GlafsTube, asAB, about
three Foot long, and 3; of an Inch in Diameter, reprefented
(Tab. Pneumaticks, Fig. 6.) whofe upper Orifice A   is
hermetically fealed.
The TORRICELLIAN £x periment, is perform'd by klling
the Torricellian Tube A B with Mercury; then flopping the
Orifice B, with the Finger; inverting the Tube; and plunging
that Orifice in a Vefel of flagnant Mercury C. See MERCURY.
This done, the Finger is removed, and the Tube fuflain'd
perpendicular to the Surface of the Mercury in the Vefel.
The Confequence is, that Part of the Mercury falls out of
the Tube into the Veffel, and there only remains enough iti
the Tube to fill from 28 to 31 Inches of' its Capacity, above
the Surface of the ftagnant Mercury in the Veffel.
Thofe 28, Uc. Inches of Mercury, are fuflain'd in the
Tube by the Prefffire of the Atmofphere on the Surface of
the flagnant Mercury; and according as that Atmofphere is
more or lefs heavy, or as the Winds blowing upwards or down-
wards, heave up, or deprefs the Air, and Co increafe or dimi-
nifh its Weight and Spring; more or lefs Mercury is fuflain'd
from 28 Inches to 31. See AIR and ATMOSPHERE.
The Torricellian Experiment makes what we now com.
monly call the Barometer or YVeather-Glafs. See BAROME-
TER.
TORRID Zone; the Tra& of Earth lying under the Line,
and extending on each Side to the Two Tropicks; or to 23
Degrees and a Half of Latitude. See TRoric, ZONE, C.
The Ancients believed the torrid Zone uninhabitable;
but from the late Navigations, we learn, that the exceflive Heat
of the Day there, is tempered by the Coldnefs of the Night.
TORT, in Law, an Injuflicc or Injury; as de fon Tort
meme, in his own Wrong, 6ec. Hence alfo Tort-feafor, ejt
The Word is pure Freach.
TORTEAUX, in Heraldry. See TOt7RTEAUX.
TORTOISE-Shell, the Spoils or Cover of a teflaceous
Animal, call'd a 2bortoifr; ufed in Inlaying, and on various
other O'ccafions, as for SnufFboxes, Combs, Fec.   See
TESTACEOUS and SHELL.
There are two Kinds of Tortoifes, viz; the Land and Se
onrtoife.
The Sea T1ortoife, again, is of four Kinds, viz. the Frep
Tortoife, the Caret, the Cabohanna, and the Lager-hu: But
'tis the Caret alone furnifhes that beautiful Skell, fo much
admired in Europe.
The Shell of the Caret is thick, and confifis of two Parts,
the upper, which covers the Back, and the lower, the Belly:
The Two are joined together at the Sides by firong Liga-
ments which yet allow of a little Motion.
In the Fore-part is an Aperture for the Head and fore
Legs: and behind, for the hind Legs and Tail.
'Tis the under Shell alone is ufed: To feparate it from
the upper, they make a little Fire beneath it, and affoon as
ever 'tis warmn, the under Shell becomes eaftly feparable from
the upper, with the Point of a Knife, and is taken off, in
Laminai or Leaves, without killing the Animal, which, 'tis
faid, being turn'd to Sea again, gets a new Shell.
The whole Spoils of the Caret confifi in 13 Leaves, 8 of
them flat, and 5 a little bent : Of the flat ones, there are 4
large ones, about a Foot long, and 7 Inches broad.
The befi Shell is thick, clear, transparent, of the Colour
of Aitimony, fprinkled with Brown and White. When ufed
in Marqruettry, c. the Workmen give it what Colour they
pleafe, y means of colour'd Leaves, which they put under-
neath them.
In Generation, .Ronieletius obferves, the Embraces of the
Male and Female Sea Tirtoifes, continue for a whole Lunar
Month ; and that they Cquirt Water out of the Nofirils, in
the fame Manner as the Dolphin. On the fiVrafiliao Shore,
they are faid to be fo big, as Cometimes to dine Fourfcore
Men: And that in the Indian Sea, the Shells ferve the Na-
tives for Boats. De Laet adds, that in' the Ifland of Cuba'
they are of fuch a Bulk, that they will creep along with Five
Men on their Backs.
TORTOISin the Ailitary Art. See TEStUDO.
TORTURE, a grievous Pain infliaed on a Crminal, or
Perfon accufed; to make him    confefs the Truth,  See
QUE9STIONq
-The Forms of T~rture are different in di driit Count
in Come they ufe Water, in others Iron in fadne the Wheel
Raid, in fomt-the Boot, Thumbkins, ec    e :RACE
. s    g~~In


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