the act of shaking a body, or tossing it backwards and forwards.

in physics, is often used for an intestine commotion of the parts of a natural body. Fermentation and effervescence are attended with a brisk agitation of the particles.

AGITATION is one of the chief causes or instruments of mixture: by the agitation of the parts of the blood and chyle, in their continual circulation, turgification is in a good measure effected. Butter is made out of milk by the same means: in which operation, a separation is made of the oleous parts from the serum, and a conjunction of the oleous together. Digestion itself is only supposed to be an insensible kind of agitation.

AGITATION is reputed one of the symptoms of inspiration. Petit informs us, that, in the last century, there arose in a church in Italy, for the space of a year, a vapour of an extraordinary kind, which put all the people into trembling and agitations, and unless they got away betimes, let them a dancing, with strange contortions and gesticulations. This seems to verify what has been related of the temple of Delphi.

AGITATION is also used in medicine, for a species of exercise popularly called swinging. Maurice prince of Orange found this method a relief against the fever pains of the gout and stone. Bartholin mentions fits of the tooth-ach, deafness, &c. removed by vehement agitations of the body.