Blemish, v. To mark with any deformity; to tarnish.
Blemish, s. A mark of deformity, a scar.
Blight, s. Mildew; anything nipping or blasting.
Blind, a. Without sight, dark; a sconce.
Blindness, s. Want of sight; ignorance.
Blink, v. To wink; to see obscurely. A dog is termed blinked when rendered useless in the field, from timidity occasioned by alarming him by a shot, severity, or other ill-usage.
Blister, s. A pustule formed by raising the cuticle from the cutis; any swelling made by the separation of a film or skin from the other parts.
Blisters are medicines that inflame the skin, and cause watery bladders to rise upon its surface: the most useful of this kind is the cantharis, or Spanish fly, (lytta vesicatoria) which forms the principal ingredient in all our blisters. There are others, however, which are generally mixed with it as auxiliaries; as hellebore, euphorbium, turpentine, and sublimate.
Blisters are much used in veterinary medicine, and are extremely efficacious in dispersing callous swellings, the consequence of strains, bruises, &c.
In inflammation of parts remote from the surface, they are of great service. When the internal parts of the foot are inflamed, relief is generally obtained by blistering the pastern, provided the subordinate or auxiliary remedies are not omitted, such as paring the sole, soaking the horny part of the foot in warm water, or applying a poultice to it, and giving a dose of physic. When the lungs are inflamed, blistering the sides freely is an excellent remedy, especially when we feel doubtful as to the propriety of further bleeding.