Dolerite

( Min.) A variety of LABRADORITE, q. v. Dolerit'ic, a. Resembling dolerite; partaking of the nature of dolerite. Dolesome, ( dol's um,) a. Doleful; dismal; querulous; gloomy. Dole's omely, adv . Dolefully. Dole's omene , n. State of sorrow, gloom, or quer- ulousne . Dolgorouki, ( dol - goo -rooke,) the name of an ancient and princely Ru ian family, which has furnished a number of distinguished warriors and statesmen.IVAN D. , one of the cla ical poets of Ru ia, was born 1754, and died at St. Petersburg, 1823. Dolicho-cephalous, ( dol'e - ko - sef'a -lus,) a. [Gr. dolichos , long, and cephale , head.] ( Physiol .) Applied to those nations of men, the length of whose heads, from front to jack, exceeds the breadth, as in negroes. Icterid a. See BOBOLINK. Dolichos, ( dole - kos ,) n. [Gr.] ( Bot . ) A genus of plants, order Fabaceæ , consisting of herbaceous or shrubby twiners with trifoliolate leaves, the flowers succeeded by pods, which are sometimes esculent. D. sesquipe dalis , a native of South America, and cultivated in the warmer parts of Europe, has cylindrical pods a foot and a half long, which form an excellent dish when cooked young. The D. tuberosus , of Martin i que, yields a fleshy tuber, as well as pulse, both of them edible; and D. uniflorus is grown for food in India under the name of Horse Grain. The D. pruriens of Linnæus is the Mu cuna pruriens of De Candolle. The stiff hair that covers the external surface of the small pod, that constitutes the fruit of the plant, is used medicinally. The intolerable and persistent itching which these hairs produce, when only the smallest atom touches the cuticle, has obtained for it the name of Cow - itch , and has been long a favorite but cruel agent in practical joking. It is applied to kill worms, especially the large, long, round species known as the lumbrici ; and this it effects by mechanical means - the sharp hairs of the D. piercing the worm's tender body, like myriads of fine needles. The manner in which it is prepared for use, is, to take a spoonful of treacle, honey, or jam, and grasping one of the pods of the cowhage with a pair of forceps, scrape off about 10 grains of the hair with a knife, mix them with the honey or treacle, and give the whole to the child every night at bedtime, for a few evenings; giving a powder of jalap, scammony, and calomel about the fourth or fifth morning, to expel the dead worms, and the slime, or nidus , in which they engender. Should the D. ever get on the skin, the only means of obtaining relief is instantly to wash the part with warm water and soap, and afterwards rub lard or pomatum into and over the irritated cuticle. - See WORMS.