ACT

n. A?kt. Lat., act us (from agere, to put in motion). Fr., acte. Ger., Akt, Handling, That, Werk. It., at to,azione. Sp.,acto, echo, acc ién. The performance of a function or of a particular part of a function (e. g., a’s of respiration).—Iinperative a. The a. of a lunatic in obedience to an imperative morbid impulse. [D, 36.|—Parturient a. See PARTURITION—Sexual a. See CoITUS, ACTÆA (Lat.), n. f. }-a3, From der}, the elder-tree, from the resemblance of the berry and leaf to those of the elder.’ Fr., actée. Ger., Actäa. It., Sp), actea. Syn.: Chvistophoriana [Tournefort]. A genus of perennial herbaceous plants established by Linnæus, of the order Ranuneulaceæ, tribe Cimicifugeæ, distinguished by the inflorescence being composed of numerous white flowers disposed in short racemes, [B.]—A. alba. [Bige- ACTÆA ALBA. IJ. U. and C. G. Lloyd.) low]. White coh white baneberry, necklace-weed, white beads, Noah’s-ark, coral-and-pearl; a species formerly cla ed asa variety of A. Gea found in most parts of the United States. It closel resembles the A. spicata, var. rubra. [J. U. and C. G. moved “Drugs and Med. of N. America,” Sept., 1885, p. 232.]—A, american a [Pursh]. Under this genus-name were formerly included A. alba and NG Coie var. rubra. [J. U. and C. G. Lloyd, 1. c.J—A. brachypetala [De Candolle]. sae A, spicata [Michaux]. A iorth American species having L the same medicinal properties as A. spicata, and formerly confounded with it. [A, 260, 328, 344.] —A, chris top hori an a. See A. spicata. — A. cimicifuga, A. monogyna, A, racemis long is simis. See A.racemosa.—A. racemosa [Linnæus]. Fr.,actée à grappes (ou cimicifuge), cha eunaise. Ger., traubenformiges Schwarzkraut, schwarze Schiangenwurzel. It., actea en gra; pol i, Syn.: A. racemis long is simis [Linnæus], A. monogyna Walter], Botrophis actæoides Rafinesque], Serpent aria phylla, rich weed, black snakeroot. See CrMICIFUGA racemosa.—A. rubra [Bigelow]. Red cohosh, red baneberry. A species having a hemispherical raceme and acute petals; considered by some botanists as A. spicata (seu american a), var. rubra. [B,5.|—A. spicata [Linnewus]. Fr., actée epiée (ou en épi,