work that proceeded from the hands of the Creator. The form of his body; the powers of his mind, supported by that innate spirit which governs (or at least ought to guide) his actions, and to which the faint appellation of Reason has been given; together with his discernment of good and evil;—all evince his superiority over the whole animal kingdom.
With all these advantages, however, mankind labour under innumerable wants, which the present work is designed to supply; namely, as far as respects domestic and rural affairs, as well as other subjects more or less connected with animal economy.—To describe the various parts of the human frame, is the province of anatomists; and, as it would be foreign to our plan to discuss the social, moral, religious, and political relations of man, we trust the present brief sketch will suffice. Let it, however, be observed, that the generality of mankind have no reason to complain of the shortness of their existence; for, as they receive, at their birth, the germ of a long life, it must be attributed partly to their own neglect, partly to the concurrence of accidental and extraneous causes, which they cannot prevent or foresee, that they do not attain such an age as their natural constitutions may seem to promise. Hence we ought to be very circumspect in our family connections, and modes of living; because, it is either from a blind choice in the former, or an imprudent conduct in the latter respect, that so many are the victims of hereditary disease.—See Life, and Longevity.
MANDRAKE, or Atropa mandragora, L. an exotic plant, growing in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Levant: it is propagated by seeds, and treated in a similar manner with the more tender exotic plants.—According to Bechstein, the carrot-like root of the Mandrake, in its native climate, penetrates from three to four feet deep into the soil, where it remains sound for fifty years.—The plant is divided into male and female, the vegetation and growth of which are alike in both; though the leaves, roots, and seeds of the latter are longer, narrower, and of a darker colour than those of the male.
The fresh root of the mandrake is a powerful purgative, and may be taken in doses of from ten to twenty grains in substance; or from half a dram to a dram in infusion. It has been found very serviceable in hysterical complaints, but ought to be cautiously used; for, if administered in too large quantities, it occasions convulsions, and even proves deleterious.—The mandrake possesses narcotic properties, and is sometimes employed in emollient cataplasms and fomentations, for discussing hard tumors and swellings.
MANGANESE, or Magnesia nigra, a dark-coloured native mineral, found in a more or less impure state, both in iron-mines, and in the lead-mines of Mendip-hills, in the county of Somerset.
Common manganese is very heavy, moderately hard, and of a deep dusky grey, approaching to black, but sometimes of an iron-brown cast. It emits sparks with great difficulty, when stricken against steel; nor does it effervesce with acids, though the latter make a partial solution of it when calcined.
