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Scacurcula
Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A spirit associated with a bone in a deer’s heart.
In the book. The sentence does not say that the headword names the whole animal, its blood, or every substance obtained from it.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 42; facsimile PDF page 370.
Historical Definition
Scacurcula is the spirit of a bone in the heart of a hart.
Meaning
Hart means a male deer. The definition relates a spirit to a particular bodily material and location: a bone in the hart’s heart. Cerviculæ gives a closely matching description, explicitly calling its subject a spirit made from that bone. This comparison is more secure than assigning an unstated modern composition to the spirit.
Use in the Book
The sentence does not say that the headword names the whole animal, its blood, or every substance obtained from it. Preserving the chain of relations makes this unusual definition easier to read.
Places to Read
Cerviculæ. A spirit preparation identified through a particular animal material.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 42; facsimile PDF page 370 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Scacurcula; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 370; compare Cerviculæ
See also. Cerviculæ