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Perfons ; having nothing to fhew for their Title, or Eftate therein.
They are thus called per Antiphrafln, x concelando ; as Molts is a movendo, &c. My Lord Coke calls 'em turbidum beminum genus.
CONCENTRATION, the retiring, or withdrawing of a thing inwards j or driving toward the Centre, the Middle.
Thus, external Cold is faid to concentrate the Heat within Bodies. After Meals, the natural Warmth retires, and as it were concentrates, to promote the Digeftion. See Heat, and Cold.
Concentration is alfo ufcd by Dr. Gre-jsi for the highefl degree of Mixtion, viz. that wherein two or more Atoms or Particles touch, by a Reception, and Intrufion of the one within the other. See Mixtion.
This he takes to be the Cafe of all Fix'd Bodies without Tafle or Smell ; their Conftitution being fo firm, that till the Particles be dctach'd from each other by fome extraor- dinary means, they cannot affecf thofe Senfcs. See Smell, and Taste.
CONCENTRIC, in Geometry and Aftronomy, fome- rhing that has the fame common Centre with another. See Centre.
The Word is principally ufed in fpeaking of round Bodies, and Figures, viz. Circular, Elliptical ones,"g?c. but may be likewil'eufed for Polygons, drawn parallel to each other, up- on the fame Centre. See Circle, Polygon, £5?c.
Concentric Hands oppofed to excentric. See Eccentric, and Eccentricity.
CONCEPTION, in Logicks, the fimple Apprchenfion, Perception, or Idea which we have of any Thing, without proceeding to affirm or deny any thing about it. See Per- ception.
The Schoolmen ufually make two Kinds of Conception ; the one formal, the other objective.
Now, in thefe Spherules, while ftiil adhering to the Ova- ry, Fxtus's have been frequently found : whence it appears, that thefe are a kind of Ova, or Eggs, deriving their Struc- ture from the Veffels of the Ovary, and their Liquor from the Humours prepar'd therein. See Egg.
Hence, alfo, it appears, that the Fallopian Tubes being fwell'd, and ftiSen'd by the Act of Venery, with their muf- cular Fimbria, like Fingers, may embrace the Ovaries, com- prefs 'em, and by that Compreflion expand their own Mouths : And thus the Eggs, now mature, and detach'd as before, may be forced into their Cavities ; and thence con- vey'd into the Cavity of the Uterus ; where they may either be cherifh'd and retain'd, as when they meet with the Male Seed ; or, if they want that, again cxpell'd. See Fallo- pian Tube.
Flence the Phenomena offalfe Conceptions, Abortion, Fx- tus's found in the Cavity of the Abdomen, the Fallopian Tubes, £j?c. See Abortion, &c.
For, in Coition, the Male Seed, abounding with living Animalculas, agitated with a great Force, a brifk Heat, and, probably, with a great quantity of Animal Spirits, is vio- lently impell'd thro' the Mouth of the Uterus, which on this occafion is opener ; and thro' the Valves of the Neck of the Uterus, which on this occafion are laxer than ordinary, into the Uterus it fclf ; which now, in like manner, becomes more active, turgid, hot, inftam'd, moiffen'd with the Flux of its Lymph and Spirits, by means of the Titillation exci- ted in the nervous fapillre by the Attrition againft the Ruga of the Vagina. See Seed.
The Semen thus difpos'd in the Uterus, is retain'd, heated, agitated by the convulfive Conftriflion of the Uterus it fclf; till meeting with the Ova, the fineft and moll animated Part enters thro' the dilated Pores of the Membramda of the Ovum, now become glandulous, is there retain'd, nou- rifti'd, dilated, grows to its Umbilicus, or Navel ; (rifles The ftrfi is defined the immediate and actual Rcprefcn- the other lcfs lively Animalculas : and thus is Conception tation of any thing propofed, to the Mind ; on which foot- effected.
ing, it ihould be the fame thing to the Underftanding, that Hence, it appears, that Conception may happen in any a Word or Voice is to the Ear : whence fome call it Vcrbum Part where the Semen meets with an Ovum: Thus, Mentis. Sec Notion. whether it be carried thro' the Fallopian Tube to the Ovary,
The fecond is the Thing it felf rcprefentcd by a formal and there call upon the Ovum ; or whether it meet in fome Conception. But others explode the Notion of an objective Reccfs of the Tube it felf; or, laftly, whether it join it in
Conception, as being, in reality, no Conception at all 5 cepting where the Mind contemplates its own Acts, £S?c
Formal, or proper Conceptions, arc fubdivided into Univo- cal, where feveral Things are distinctly reprefented as under fome common Ratio, or in the fame degree of Perfection ; Analogous, where feveral Things are reprefented as under fome proportional Likenefs ; and Equivocal, where they are reprefented immediately as fuch, without regard to any com- mon Ratio or Likeneis.
Conception, in Medicine, the firi"t Formation of the pared, into the Ovary, to impregnate the Egg: Embryo, or Foetus, in the Womb. See Foetus, and Em
eryo.
Conception is no other than fuch a Concourfeand Commix- ture of the prolific Seed of the Male, with that of the Fe- male, in the Cavity of the Uterus, as immediately produces an Embryo. Sec Embryo.
The Symptoms of Conception, or Pregnancy, are, when in a few Days after the Conjugal Ail, a fmall Pain is per- ceiv'd about the Navel, attended with lome gentle Commo- tions in the bottom of the Abdomen ; and within one, two, three, or even four Months, the Mcnils ceafe to flow, or prove in lefs quantity than ufual. Upon the iirft Failure of this kind, the Woman begins to count the Scries of her Weeks, without taking any notice of the Time before elapfed : After this, or between the fecond and third Months, but ge- nerally about the third, the Motions of the Embryo become perceivable to the Mother ; who hereupon becomes troubled with a Naujea, Vomiting, Loathing, Longing, $£c. About this time, the Breaffs begin to fwell, grow hard and painful, and contain a little Milk ; the Nipples alfo become larger, firmer, and darker colour 'd, a livid Circle appearing around 'em : The Eyes fecm funk and hollow. During the two firfl Months pregnancy, the Woman grows thinner, and (ten- derer; the Abdomen being alfo deprefs'd ; tho it afterwards diftends, and grows gradually larger. See Gestation.
'The Manner -ivherein Conception is effected, is thus laid down by the modern Writers: In the Superficies of the Ova- ries of Women, are found little pellucid Spherules, confin- ing of two concentric Membranes, fill'd with a lymphatic Humour, and connected to the Surface of the Ovaria, un- derneath the Tegument, by a thick Calix, contiguous to the will have 'the Corruption He on the fide of the old ones, Extremities of the minute Ramifications of the Fallopian In the three Spanify Military Orders of S. James of the Tubes. Sec Ovary. Simrd, Calatrava, and Alcantara ; the Knights take a Vow,
Thefe Spherules, by the ufe of Venery, grow, fwell, raife, at their Admitfion, to defend the Immaculate Conception. and dilate the Membrane of the Ovary into the form of ThisRefolution wasfirft rakenin 1*52. SeeCAr.A-TRAVA^c. 'Papilla- ; till, the Head propending from the Stalk, it is at 'Peter a" Alva, and Afiorga, have publinYd 4$ huge Vo- length feparatcd from it ; leaving Behind it a hollow Cica- lumes in Folio on the Mylteries o^ the Conception. trix, in the broken Membrane of the Ovary ; which, how- For Religious of the Order of the Conception, fee ever loon grows up again. Tiieatines.
the Cavity of the Uterus, it may ffill have the fame Effect 5 as it appears from Obfervation it actually has. But 'tis pro- bable that Conception Is then molt perfect, when the two, <oiz. the Semen and Ovum, are carried at the fame time into the Uterus, and there mix'd, &c.
Other Anatomiirs chufe to fuppofe the Male Seed taken up, ere it arrive in the Uterus, by the Veins which open into the Vagina, &c. and thus mix'd with the Blood ; by which, in the Couife of Circulation, it is carried, duly pn
See Gene- ration.
For the Progrefs of the Fcetus after Conception, fee Nu- trition, Circulation, &c. fee alfo Uterus, Umbi- lical Veffels, Sic.
Conception Immaculate of the Holy Virgin, is a Fcaft in honour of the Holy Virgin; particularly with regard to her having been conceiv'd and born Immaculate, i. e. with- out Original Sin ; held in the Romijh Church on the 8th of 'December. Allatkts, in his Prologomena on 2)amafceuus, endeavours to prove this Feaft to have been celebrated by feveral Churches in the Eajl, as early as the VUIth Century, Sec Feast.
The Immaculate Conception is the great Head of Contro- verfy between the Scotijls and Thomijis ; the former main- taining, and the latter impugning it. See Scotist, and Thomist.
The Jacobins cfpous'd the Party of S. Thomas, and held out a Ipng time, in defence of the Virgin's being conceiv'd in Original Sin: They were condemn'd by Pope ClemctttXW. in 1308, at the Profecution of the Univcrfity of Paris, and oblig'd to retract.
The Council of Trent, Sefl*. V. in the Decree of Original Sin, declares it not to be the Intention of the Council to in- clude the Virgin under it; Her Conception it calls Immacu- late ; and appoints the Conftitutions of Sixtus IV. to be ob- ferv'd with regard thereto.
Some Authors have obferv'd fevcrd PafTagcs differs 'd in the old Editions of S. Thomas's Works, which afflrt the Immaculate Conception in expr'efs Terms; but many of them are corrupted m the later Editions, fay fome : tho others
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