Hyoscyamus Niger - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

He became excited, and incoherent in his speech, wandered purposelessly about the house, muttering and touching things, as though suspicious of those about him (three hours).

he became delirious, was policemen coming into the house.

hear them speaking about him in the hall.

his hands were constantly in motion, seemingly trying to rub his face or brush something away.

was very irritable. he did not attempt to answer any questions, but occasionally muttered a few disjointed words (about five hours after first dose),.

Delirious, but easily controlled.

could understand questions when asked, and would answer yes or no, at 2 P.M.

delirious most of the time, would answer and seem to know for a moment, and then would commence his strange actions.

*working and clutching of the hands, would strike his attendants.

his movements were very quick.

it was with difficulty that they could hold him on their laps.

at 4 P.M., greatly excited, talking about everything, cannot fix his attention upon anything, cannot be held.

he is now on the floor watched by those in attendance.

*he wants to fight, he closes his hands and strikes at his attendants, also attempts to bite.

at intervals he would sing, and at times would burst out laughing.

when anything is offered him he clinches hold of it with both hands greedily.

the slightest opposition excites him, at 8 P.M.

it was after 3 A.M., before he became quiet and disposed to rest,.

The people in the room seemed to assume grotesque appearances.

this condition lasted half an hour, and was succeeded by noisy and then by quiet delirium.

several hours later she was sitting in the corner of the room, muttering to herself, and rocking her body to and fro.

now catching at the air, or at some imaginary appearance, then pulling the bed-clothes about, and answering either not at all or incorrectly,.

She began to laugh, dance, run around the room and grasp at things, which usually she never touched.

she stared at the bystanders, heard nothing, and answered no questions.

several men were unable to make her drink or lie down.

with pale face, rapid pulse, free respiration dilated pupils, and great injection of the capillaries of the eye.

this madness lasted till the next day, with complete sleeplessness.

the vertigo, stupefaction, and incoherent ideas lasted for several days,.

They laughed aloud because all persons seemed ridiculous.

this lively mood continued for half an hour, with violent gesticulations, and was followed by quiet delirium.

the old woman talked of the future, swayed the body back and forth, groped in the air as after objects, picked at the bed, and either did not answer at all or in a disconnected manner,.

Great mental vivacity, such as he had not exhibited for years, with perpetual talking during twenty-four hours, night and day. During the whole of the night he engaged the nurse's attention and interest by recounting the adventures of a friend in the Peninsular campaign. Throughout the next day he was intent upon taking a journey, but if any incident in his past life were suggested, he entered minutely into every particular, talking incessantly, with unwonted rapidity and emphasis. He used the simplest and most descriptive language, and he was quite independent of conversation, for it was necessary, in order to avoid any increase of excitement, to treat him with silence. Once a subject was named, no matter whether the attendant circumstances occurred the previous day or fifty years ago, it immediately engaged his attention until some incidental remark or an allusion suggested other ideas. If a subject with which he was not wholly familiar happened to be mentioned, but then became confused, incoherent, and a little irritable and impatient. The connecting links in a particular train of thought were weakened and occasionally broken by illusions and delusions. The sight of a white napkin suggested through milk, his former breakfasts in India.

the milking of the cow at the door of the house.

the appearance of the frothed milk in the Argentum Metallicum ^silver basin.

the tea freshly imported from China ^China. His white handkerchief lying crumpled on the dark sofa-cover recalled the ivory nut, and he entered into a minute and faithful description, not only of this plant, its habits and fruit, but the characters of several other tropical vegetables. Then he wandered into the country, and suddenly pulling up a leg, exclaimed, "Take care.

give me your hand. that is a very deep step." The next minute he introduced himself, with a loud voice, in a friend's house at Torquay, and, while engaged in imaginary conversation, suddenly raised the eyelids, and looking across the empty space in the direction of the bare wall said, with much emphasis, "That's a fine dahlia!" A few minutes afterwards he was engaged in Bristol. Several times he directed the carriage to be sent for, and supposing that it was at the door, made attempts to rise from his couch,.

All objects became brighter and smaller, as though viewed through a lorgnette.

on attempting to read there seemed to be an indistinct yellowish umbra about every black letter, which lasted for one day.

subsequently some words seemed in a remarkable manner unnaturally large, though when viewed with the right eye they were like the other words,.

Sometimes she saw stars and sparks before her eyes, and had peculiar illusions.

all white objects appeared to her surrounded by rings or borders, in which yellow predominated.

if she looked into a cup, the edges appeared yellow, but the interior seemed as if there were small animals moving in it (after several hours).

at intervals muscae volitantes, and objects appeared to be strongly illuminated and to have colored edges (second day),.

Bright scarlet redness of the whole surface, exactly resembling that of scarlatina.

it was not mere flushing of the surface produced by unusual exertion, but well-defined papillary eruption, disappearing on firm pressure, returning immediately when the pressure is removed.

the eruption began to fade away in about twelve hours.

on the fourth day, numerous vesicles appeared on various parts of the body, resembling those of varicella.

after remaining out about two days they dried up, leaving scales, which peeled off along with portions of the surrounding cuticle.

the thick epidermis of the hands and feet, however, showed no signs of desquamation.

the mucous membrane partook to some extent of the same appearance as in scarlatina, though the strawberry tongue was not, of course, so well marked,.

The body all over had a purplish rash, more particularly about the neck and face.

the face was "so swollen that she thought it would burst," scarlet, the color more marked on the left cheek, on which it persistently remained for four days, the rash gradually disappearing from other parts of the body, on the second day (after four hours),.

Felt his lips swell (soon after first dose).

his nose swelled very much (ten minutes after third dose), which swelling extended all over his face and body, growing less severe about his waist.

this was accompanied by a prickly sensation and itching.

the skin of the face was very red, shining, and hard.

the eyes were shut. there was no interval seen until below the middle of the body, where bunches and irregular patches appeared scattered over the surface, and some smaller ones appeared like enlarged papillae of the skin.

he could hardly utter a word.

owing to a "stiffness of the tongue and lips," as he expressed it.

what he did say was in a thick blundering manner, like that of a drunken man.

his mind appeared perfectly clear.

the eruption began to subside in about an hour and a half from the time that the last dose was taken, and had almost or quite disappeared the next morning,.

The throat seems so contracted and dry that a swallow of tea threatens to suffocate him, . This I declare, convinced by a thousandfold experience, universally true of the exhibition of homoeopathic remedies in general, and especially when the diseases in acute, but more particularly true of the use of Belladonna ^Belladonna, Stramonium ^Stramonium, and Hyoscyamus in hydrophobia, each according to its kind.

let no one come to me and say, "A certain case has one of these three remedies, even in the strongest doses, and not too seldom, but every two or three hours and nevertheless the patient has died." Just so, I say from full conviction, just on this account has he died and thou hast killed him.

hadst thou administered the smallest portion of a drop of the fifteenth or thirtieth centesimal dilution of the juice of one of these herbs (in certain cases, a second dose after three or four days), then the patient would certainly have been saved. -Hahnemann..

In moderate doses it causes a constant sinking of the pulse from 10 to 20 beats during the first two or three hours.

the smaller the dose the slower the depression, and the larger the dose the more rapid the depression.

very large doses cause a rise in the rate of the pulse.

0.1 gramme of the ethereal extract of the seeds causes a sinking of 20 beats within two hours.

0.2 gramme causes a sinking of 20 beats within one hour, and during the next half hour a rise of 11 beats, and in the following half hour a sinking again of 12 beats.

0.4 gramme causes a fall of 19 beats after twenty minutes, during the next twenty minutes a rise of 29 beats, when it becomes small and irregular, and after an hour with slight fluctuations though constantly above the normal, slowly returning to the normal condition,.

Constant violent distortion and tossing about of all the limbs, so that he could scarcely be kept in the arms.

it seemed as though the child made ill-mannered faces.

the motions bore resemblance to the most violent chorea.

after the spasms remitted the eyes closed, and the child lay in an extremely passive condition, but the spasms, however, kept returning from time to time,.

Heat in the articular extremity of the last phalanx of the left little finger (first and second days).

the condyle is swollen, with pressive pain, aggravated by motion, which is difficult impeded (first and second days).

two days after a renewal of the dose of the tincture, a slight sensation of painfulness and swelling of the last phalanx of the right little finger occurred,.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS.

Objective.

Distended veins over the whole body,

Obstinate dropsy,

Apoplectic and cramped condition (after one hour),

He gropes about without knowing whither,

Tremors, startings, and convulsions,

Tremors extended to the muscles, and they shook violently; horripilation and perfect rigors (after two hours),

Nervous trembling and jerking of the muscles,

Twitchings of all kinds,

Muscular twitching,

Frequent jerkings,

Subsultus tendinum,

Frequent subsultus tendinum, and a furious delirium, so that he became uncontrollable; during the periods of remission he was engaged in catching at flocks in the air, or pulling at the bed-clothes,

The spasms flex the limbs, and the bent body is tossed upward,

Convulsive movements,

Convulsions, , etc.

Convulsions lasting five days,

Convulsions, with frothing from the mouth,

The whole body was convulsed,

The body is frightfully tossed about by the convulsions,

After every drink, sometimes he fell into convulsions, sometimes he did not recognize the bystanders,

Hands, feet, and muscles of the face were every now and then twitched, with convulsions; and so strongly did they struggle that is was no easy task to restrain them, or take away anything they took hold of (after eight hours),

On attempting to make the child walk, it was remarkable that she walked with the body bent backward, as if the head and trunk were acted upon by an invisible force.

at the same time, if she spontaneously attempted to walk, she did so with the feet wide apart, with involuntary motions of the hands, with which she felt about her, sometimes closing them as quick as lightning, and again opening them,.

Fell down unconsciousness, with the whole body cold and stiff like a piece of wood, face pale, eyes closed, pupils greatly dilated, conjunctiva injected, anterior cervical muscles so much contracted that it was impossible to lay his head back upon the pillow.

pulse small, thready, rapid.

respiration stertorous and extremely difficult, with apparent spasms of the pectoral muscles,.

In bed, at one time he drew the knees up, at another stretched them out, at another turned over, turned the head back and forth, at another raised the head and beat the bed with it, at another picked the straws from his mattress, groped about himself and did not speak.

he was neither peevish nor out of humor (after three hours and a half),.

During unconscious sleep (at 9 P.M.), he began to weep, raised his sound arm, and then suddenly let it fall.

immediately afterwards he jerked the shoulder violently upward, then tossed the head back and forth.

then he raised the diseased foot, then there was a sudden jerking in the sound foot.

frequently the sound hand was affected, when the fingers suddenly stretched out and again closed tightly.

with these symptoms he occasionally uttered moans,.

There was flushed and excited countenance, the restless and violent tossing, amounting almost to convulsions, the momentary listening to imaginary sounds, and the eager clutching at visionary phantoms.

the brilliant eye, widely dilated pupil, hurried pulse, and labored respiration. There was a bright scarlet redness of the whole surface, exactly resembling that of scarlatina. It was not a mere flushing of the surface, but a well-defined papillary eruption, disappearing on firm pressure, but returning immediately when the pressure was removed. The mucous membrane partook to some extent of the same appearance as in scarlatina,.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS.

Nos. 1 to 49, from Hahnemann, R. A. M. L., 4. 1, Hahnemann; 1a, Fr. H-n; 1b, Flaeming; 2, Franz; 3, Langhammer; 4, Stapf; 5, Wislicenus; 6, Barrère, Obs. d'Anatomie, 1753 (not accessible, -Hughes); 7, Barton (symptoms thus noted belong to Smith); 8, Bernigau, in Hufel. Journ., V, p. 905 (from a clyster of Hyosc. in a man); 9, Blom, in Kon. Vetensk. Acad. Handl., 1774, p. 52 (from root eaten by a man); 10, Borellus, cent. IV., Obs. 45 (from root in adults); 11, Cagnion, from Desault, Journ. de Chir., I, p. 370 (from root in children); 12, Camerarius, in Acta Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}., vol. i, Obs., 12 (p. 250, as last); 13, Clauder, in Misc. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., V. Ann. 6, Obs. 178 (from preparing a fomentation of Hyosc.); 14, Costa, in Journ. de Méd., vol. xxx, Feb., p. 134 (from seeds in a man); 15, Van Ems, in Praelect. Boerhaavii de morb. nerv., vol. i, p. 236 (not found); 16, Faber, in Schenk, Lib. VII, Obs., 152 (p. 853, from gr. xxv of seeds in adult); 17, Gardane, Gaz. de Santé, 1773, 1774, p. 294 (in several persons, from effluvia); 18, Gesner, Samml. von Beob., I, p. 165 (after case of colic, by Hyos); 19, Gmelin, Reise durch Sibirien, Goett., 1752, vol. iii, pp. 84-85 (general statement from authors); 20, Greding, in Ludw. Advers. Med. Pr., I, pp. 86, 89 (p. 71, from extract administered in disease, cases 1 to 10 melancholico-maniacs, cases 11 to 21, maniacs, cases 22 to 35 epileptics, cases 36 to 40 epileptico-maniacs); 21, Gruenewald, in Miscell. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., III, ann. 9, 10, App. p. 179 (21a, from effluvia of seeds; 21b, from a clyster of Hyosc.; 21c, in girls who had applied fomentations of Hyosc.); 22, Haller, in Vicat. Mat. Med., I, p. 184 (from seeds in adult); 23, Hamberger, Diss. de Opio, § 18 (from root in boy of three years); 24, Hamilton (Edinb. Med. Essays, II, 243; from gr. xxv of white henbane-seeds in a young man); 25, Heilbronn, in Neues. Journ. der Auslaend. Med. Chir. Lit., V, Hufel and Harles, I, 1804, p. 199 (not accessible); 26, Van Helmont, Jus d., § 22 (from 2 scruples of seeds in adult); 27, Huenerwolf, in Miscel. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., III, Ann 2. Obs. 92 (from cooked roots, in several persons); 28, Jaskewitz, Diss. Pharm. reg. veg., Vindob., 1775, p. 53 (observations); 29, Joerdens, in Hufel. Journ., IV, p. 539 (from clyster of Hyosc. in a woman); 30, Kiernander, Utkast Tilia Europoea ^til Med., Lagfar, 1776, p. 267 (not accessible); 31, Matthiolus, Comment. in Diosc., Lib. VI, p. 1064 (observations); 32, Navier, in Rec. period. d'Obs. de Méd., Tom. IV (p. 113, from Hyosc. eaten as a salad by an adult); 33, Planchon, in Journ. de Méd., Tom. XIX, p. 42 (from repeated doses in adult); 34, Pyl, Neues Mag., II B., III St., p. 100 (from seeds, in a boy); 35, De Rueff, in Nov. Act. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}., T. IV, Obs. 59 (from inhaling vapor for toothache); 36, Sauvages, Nosol., II, p. 242 (from root, in several persons); 37, Schulze, in Misc. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., I, ann. 4, 5, Obs. 124 (cooked root, in several persons); 38, Seliger, in Misc. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., II, ann. I, Obs. 138 (not found); 39, La Serre, in Misc. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., II, ann. 6, Obs. 78 (from Clyster of Hyos. given for dysentery); 40, Sloane, in Philos. Trans., No. 457 (xxxviii, 99 from seeds in children); 41, Smith (Duncan's Med. Comm., p. 402, from grains iv of resinous part of extract, in a healthy man); 42, Stedman, in Phil. Trans. (vol. xlvii, from leaves boiled in broth, in several adults); 43, Stoerck, lib. de Stramonium ^Stram., Hyosc., Aconite ^Acon., Vien., 1762, pp. 36, 39, 47, 55 (observations on patients); 44, Tozzetti, relaz. di alcuni viaggi., vol. vi, p. 279 (from root in adult); 45, Vicat, Mat. Med., I, p. 185 (general statement); 46, Wedel, in Misc. Natrum Carbonicum ^{Nat. Cur}. Dec., I, ann. 3, Obs. 21 (from seeds, in child of three); 47, Wendt, in Hufel. Journ., V, p. 390 (from Clyster of Hyosc. in adult); 48, Wepfer, Hist. Cicuta Virosa ^Cicut. Aquat., Bas., 1716, p. 230 (from cooked roots, in some youths); 49, Desault, Journ. de Chir., Tom. I; 50, Hartlaub and Trinks, M. M. (Kahler's Hufel. Journ., 1829), poisoning of child aged 4 years by the seeds; 51, Lembke, too Gruner's tinct., repeated doses of 2 to 25 drops, N. Z. f. H. Kl., 1, p. 8; 52, Dr. Keil took 10, 20, and 50 drops of tinct., Hartlaub's provings, V. J. Sch. f. Hom., 9, p. 241; 53, Gerstel took 15th dil., ibid.; 54, same, took 15 to 20 drops of tinct., ibid.; 55, Lindermann, provings with 15th dil., ibid.; 55a, same, proving with 3d dil., ibid.; 56, same, proving with 3 to 50 drops of tinct., ibid.; 57, Harley, effects of 3 fluid ounces of Succus Hyosc., in a man aged 40, Old Veg. Neurotics; 58, same, effects in a paralytic, aged 75, of 8 grains of extract substituted for the customary dose of morphine; 59, Proving of the "Comite der K. K. Gesellsch. der AErtze in Wien," from Zeit. d. K. K. Gesell. d. AEzt. zu Wien, 1847, six provers took the Prussian extract, beginning with 1/4 grain, increasing the dose by 1/4 grain till 5 1/4 grains were taken at a dose; 59a, subsequent proving, six (in part same) provers took the Austrian extract, beginning with 1/4 grain and increasing to 12 3/4 grains, one prover to 18 3/4 grains, from ibid.; 60, Schroff, Lehrbuch, effects on three persons of fresh juice, alcoholic and ethereal extracts; 61, Liedbeck, effects of 2 drops of the juice of the herb when put into the eye, repeated after fifteen minutes, Hygea, 9, 444; 62, Journ. de Toul (Z. f. Ver. Hom. AEzt. OEst., 1, 376) effects of a clyster of herb Hyosc., in a woman; 63, Gaz. d. Hôp., 1854 (Z. f. V. H. A. OEst., 1, 376), effect in a woman of eating the roots cooked; 64, same, in another woman; 65, same, in a man; 66, Dr. Kahrer; a girl 8 years old, effects of eating seeds; 67, Dr. Wurtemberg, Prag. Monats., 2, 122, effects of eating leaves, in a child; 68, Springer, Archiv. f. Hom. Heilk., 19, 3, 182, poisoning of four children, from 4 to 6 years old; 69, Sir H. Sloane, Med. Museum, 3, p. 231 (1764), (from Philos. Trans.), effects of eating H., in four children (possibly same as last); 70, Donaldson, Bost. Med. Intell., 5 June, 1827, a woman and daughter took a tea containing nearly an entire young plant; 71, Hufeland's Journ., 1829, effects of seeds in a child of 4 years; 72, Med.-Chir. Rev., 20, 205, effects of eating seeds, in two girls, each about 5 years; 73, Solon and Soubeiran, Am. J. Med. Sc., 20, p. 214 (Bull. Gén. de Thérap., 1836), effects of increasing doses of extract in one suffering from headache; 74, Menger, A. H. Z., 9, 13 (Berl. Med. Zeit., 1836), effects of eating roots, in several persons; 75, All. Hom. Zeit., 19, 63 (Reinh. and Casp. Woch., 1840), effects of daily doses of 8 grains of extract in a man; 76, Br. J. of Hom., 1, 412 (OEst. Med. Woch., 1843), a man fumigated his mouth with smoke of the burning seeds for toothache, which it instantly cured, but caused the following symptoms; 77, A. H. Z., 28, 154, a family of nine were all, except one, poisoned by a soup made from the roots; 78, Bernigau, a man took in a clyster an infusion consisting of half an ounce of the herb; 79, Frank, Casp. Woch., two girls ate the seeds; 80, Stein, A. H. Z., 15, 287, effects of eating seeds, in a girl aged four; 81, Sigmünd, a man took an overdose "for a disturbed stomach," Am. J. Med. Sc., 22, 189; 82, same, general effects; 83, Caudray, Lond. Med. Gaz., 47, p. 641, four monks ate the herb by mistake for another vegetable; 84, Lond. Med. Gaz., 45, p. 131 (Casp. Woch., 1849), effects of seeds on a girl of 6; 85, Cabot, Am. J. Med. Sc., 48, p. 369 (1851), effects of a teaspoonful of tincture, taken every hour, to promote action of Castor Equi ^castor oil which he had taken for pain in abdomen; 86, Sandahl, Br. and F. Med.-Chir. Rev., 1857, p. 399, effects of eating soup made of herb; 87, Keating, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1858 p. 96 (omitted); 88, Ruschenberger, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1858, p. 97, effects of 4 grains of extract in a man; 89, St. Ange, Syden. Soc. Yr. Book, 1861, p. 423, effects of two cups of infusion in a man; 90, White, Lancet, 1873, p. 8, a woman took 1 drachm in morning (had taken a blue pill the night before); 91, Covert, Trans. Hom. Med. Soc., State of N. Y., 1873, p. 157, effects of seeds in a boy aged 4; 92, Campbell, Lancet, 1874, p. 797, effects of aggregate doses of 7 1/2 drachms of tincture, in a man aged 60; 93, Schillizzi, Gaz. Méd. de Montpellier (Br. J. of Hom., 14, p. 622), effects of eating root; 94, (same as 86); 95, Hempel's Mat. Med., effects in two soldiers, of eating a salad made of young shoots; 96, same, effects of 3 ounces of seeds, taken for pain in rectum.

Congested nerve centers; with pale face

Spasm, tremor, jerks, cramps, etc, or active mania; alternating with, or ending in depressive narcosis, with angular or clutching motions, CARPHOLOGY, subsultus, etc

Picks fingers

Zymoses

Eclampsia

Many bewildering aberrations Confusion

Delirium MANIA, erotic, exposes genitals; riotous; laughing, singing, talking, babbling, quarreling, etc

; silly, with comical acts; plays with fingers

Fumbles the genitals Lascivious (females)

Jealousy Suspicious; fears being alone, being pursued, water, etc

; wants to escape Speaks each word louder

Vertigo, then spasm

Waves of pulsation in head

Pulsating headaches

Head shakes to and fro; worse bending forward

Squint

Averse to light

Spasmodic closure of eyelids

Grimaces

Sordes on teeth

Stiff, dark, red, cracked tongue

Elongated uvula

Stools involuntary, although hard

Frequent, scanty, painful, nightly urination or retained urine Spasms of dry, hacking, night cough; from a dry spot in larynx; worse lying, eating or talking

Nervous wakefulness Starts out of sleep

Low fever; with hot, pale skin

Warm sweat

Sexuality excited by Hyoscine is antidoted by Platinum Metallicum ^Platina

Hyoscamus niger. Henbane. N. O. Solanaceae. Tincture of fresh plant.

Hyoscyamus ("Hog-bean") is nearly allied to Belladonna ^Belladonna botanically, and in pathogenetic action the two drugs are much alike in their main features. But when examined closely, their differences are sufficiently well marked to render their distinction easy. Though sometimes growing near rivers, Belladonna ^Bell. flourishes best in a chalky soil. Hyo. is found growing on old rubbish heaps, near ruins, on roadsides, and sometimes by the seashore. The flower of Belladonna ^Bell. is of a dull, purplish brown.

of Hyo. a dirty yellow, with claret-coloured streaks. Belladonna ^Bell. is a smooth plant, whilst Hyo. is densely covered with thickly woven hairs, and by a sticky, heavy-smelling exudation. A case of poisoning by Hyoscyamus seeds, put into soup instead of celery seeds, communicated to the Times (May 14, 1892), by Mr. F. Mackarness, one of the sufferers, gives a good general idea of the drug's action. "About ten minutes after taking the soup I began to feel quite dizzy, and could hardly swallow the food I was eating, which tasted as if it was nothing but dust and ashes. At the same time my wife became so faint that she asked me to help her up to her room at once. This I did with some difficulty, having to hold on to the bannister with one hand while I supported her with the other. At the same time, also, our sight became blurred, our mouths and throats parched, and we began to feel cold. I tried in vain to get warm by sitting over the drawing-room fire, but only felt intensely drowsy. When Dr. Martin arrived I had great difficulty not only in getting up to receive him, but in making him understand what had happened, so indistinct was my articulation. However, from the dilatation of our eyes, the parched condition of our tongues, and the state of our pulse (my wife's having gone up to 140), he, of course, saw that we had been badly poisoned, and prescribed drastic remedies which saved us probably from very serious consequences.

for even the next day our sight was still defective, and my wife's hands were slightly paralysed." Dr. W. S. Mills communicated to N. A. J. H., November, 1899, an experience of his own. A patient had objected to the taste of water in which Hyo. Ø had been mixed, so Dr. Mills took a teaspoonful just to taste it. "A few moments later I found that it produced a queer feeling throughout the body. I felt as though without weight, as though I walked through and on air. My head felt light. I had an insane desire to laugh and shout. It was only by the utmost use of my will-power that I could keep myself from doing something ridiculous. Even when I forced myself to think of my position of responsibility as medical attendant on this very sick man, and the absolute necessity of keeping my wits about me, it was hard for me to restrain my hilarity. I can liken the condition only to one of mild hilarious intoxication.

a "funny drunk." I knew I was silly, but I could not help it.

To keep myself from losing my dignity before the nurses and the family, I locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes and made faces at myself in the mirror." The condition passed off in half an hour.

These two experiences, brief as they were, cover a large share of the ground occupied by Hyo.

The delirium of Hyo. is more of the low, muttering type, whilst that of Belladonna ^Bell. tends to be violent and furious.

Hyo. also has fits of ungovernable rage, but the violence is not so sustained as that of Belladonna ^Bell.

The face of Belladonna ^Bell. is red, of Hyo. pale or bluish.

Hyo. corresponds to a greater variety of cases of melancholia than Belladonna ^Bell., and here one great characteristic is "suspicion," so frequently met with in cases of insanity or of those on the borderland.

A patient of mine, a clever lawyer, suffering from nervous breakdown, had had to abandon his business entirely some time before he came under my care.

He had improved considerably, when I heard from his wife in the country that he had had a kind of a fit, and became cold and senseless, his face working much.

After that he fell asleep, and had another attack an hour and a half later.

After this he was suspicious, and said that his wife was poisoning him.

I sent a single dose of Hyo. 1m, to be given in food or in drink without his knowing.

It was repeated once a week.

He began to improve forthwith, and in a few months was perfectly restored to health; though some other medicines were given later on.

In this case there was an additional indication for Hyo. in the working of the muscles of the face.

Twitching is one of the grand characteristics of Hyo. "Every muscle in the body twitches, from the eyes to the toes," clonic spasms twitching of groups of muscles; spasms in general; with unconsciousness.

Another feature of the Hyo. insanity is uncovering.

Hyoscyamus Niger is not because the patient feels too warm (for Hyo., like the other Solanids, is a chilly remedy), but because they will not remain covered nymphomania; lascivious mania; lies naked in bed and chatters.

There are violent outbreaks in the delirium of Hyo., but they cannot be kept up (as are those of Belladonna ^Bell.), on account of the weakness.

The sight is disordered; sees things too large or too near and grasps at them; picks the bed-clothes and mutters.

Twitchings, subsultus tendinum, and picking at the bed-clothes.

Teeth covered with sordes.

Involuntary passage of urine and faeces.

Hyo. is suited to many pulmonary conditions.

The characteristic cough is agg. on lying down, almost completely removed by sitting up, agg. at night, agg. after eating, drinking or talking.

Cough from elongated uvula.

The drowsiness of Hyo. has another side in restlessness.

The patient lies awake for hours; children twitch in sleep, cry out, tremble, and awake frightened.

Hyo. is one of our best remedies in toothache, having well-defined symptoms.

It is also an ancient domestic remedy for toothache, the application being peculiar.

A penny is made hot in the fire, and when taken out a pinch of Henbane seeds is dropped on it and fumes come away.

A wineglass is inverted over it, and this is soon filled with the fumes, and applied to the mouth, when the fumes are inhaled.

The popular idea is that the fumes expel the "worms" of toothache, but, as Lauder Brunton has shown (H. W., xxv. 286), the supposed "worms" are the embryos of the seeds forcibly expelled on the rupture of the seed coats by the heat.

Hyo. 30 is one of the most useful remedies in restlessness and sleeplessness.

Hyo. is suited to nervous, irritable, excitable, sanguine people; to light-haired people.

The symptoms of Hyo. are agg. by touch; the abdomen is sore to touch; agg. evening and night agg. lying, down; agg. from cold and cold air. amel.

From sitting up; motion; walking; warmth. agg.

From mental affections; jealousy unhappy love; approaching menstruation; commencing menstruation; during menstruation.

Henbane. Hahnemann. Solanaceae.

Nervous system Hyoscyamus is hill of convulsions, contractions, trembling, quivering and jerkings of the muscles. Convulsions in vigorous people, coming on with great violence. Convulsions that involve the whole economy, with unconsciousness, coming on in the night. Convulsions in women at the menstrual period.

and then the lesser convulsions of single muscles, and contractions of single muscles.

All the muscles tremble and quiver, a constant state of erethism throughout the economy. A state of irritability and excitability. Convulsive jerks of the limbs, so that all sorts of angular motions are made, automatic motions. Choreic motions.

But angular motions of the arms, and picking at the bedclothes. Picking at something in delirium. Gradually increasing weakness, whether it be in a continued fever where there has been a delirium or excitement, or in a case of insanity with erethism, of the nerves and mind; excitability and gradually increasing weakness.

Complete prostration, so that the patient slides down in bed, until the jaw drops. So the intermingling of jerkings and quiverings and tremblings and weakness and convulsive action of muscles are all striking features. Infants go into convulsions.

"Falls suddenly to the ground with cries and convulsions. Convulsions of children, especially from fright. Convulsions after eating."

The child becomes sick after eating, vomits and goes into convulsions.

"Shrieks and becomes insensible."

Goes into convulsions, such as the old books used to say, from worms; and the mother goes into convulsions soon after the child is born, called puerperal convulsions.

"Convulsions during sleep.

Suffocating spells and convulsions during labor.

Toes become spasmodically cramped."

Sometimes the patient is in a state of hallucination, and the next minute in a state of illusion. Which means that a part of the time what he sees as hallucinations he believes to be so; and then these hallucinations become delusions.

Again, the things he sees he knows are not so, and then they are illusions. But he is full of hallucinations. He sees all sorts of things, indescribable things in his hallucinations. He imagines all sorts of things concerning people, concerning himself, and he gets suspicious. Suspicion runs through acute sickness.

it runs through the mania in insanity. Suspicion that his wife is going to poison him.

that his wife is untrue to him. Suspicious of everybody.

"Refuses to take medicine because it is poisoned."

"Imagines, that he is pursued, that the people have all turned against him, that his friends are no longer his friends.

He carries on conversations with imaginary people."

Talks as if he were talking to himself, but he really imagines that some one is sitting by his side, to whom he is talking.

Sometimes he talks to dead folks; recalls past events with those that have departed. Calls up, a dead sister, or wife, or husband, and, enters into conversation just as- if the per son were present.

Hyoscyamus has another freak in this peculiar mental state. Perhaps, there may be a queer kind of paper on the wall, and he lies and looks at it, and if he can possibly turn the figures into rows he will keep busy at that day and night, and lie wants a light there so he can put them into rows, and he goes to sleep and dreams about it, and wakes up and goes at it again.

it is the same idea.

Sometimes, he will imagine the things are worms, are vermin, rats, cats, mice, and he is leading them like children lead around their toy wagons - just like a child. The mind is working in this.

no two alike. perhaps you may never see these identical things described, but you will see something like it that the mind is reveling, in strange and ridiculous things.

One patient had a string of bedbugs going up a wall, and he had, them tied with a string, and was irritated because he could not make the last one keep up. Hyoscyamus did him a great deal of good. You do not find that expression in the text, but I will speak of it as analogous to the things that belong to the text. He is in alternate states. One minute he raves, and another he scolds in delirium, in excitement.

the next he is in a stupor.

in which he will lie for days sometimes, and weeks, becoming more and more emaciated.

lying there in profound stupor unless Hyoscyamus Niger is administered.

Lying there picking the bedclothes, and muttering. Even when he is in a stupor and realizes nothing apparently, that is going on, he makes passive motions, mutters, talks to himself, and once in a while utters a shrill scream. Picking his fingers, just as if he had something in his fingers when there is nothing there. He picks at the bedclothes the same way. Picking at his nightshirt, or picking anything he get his fingers on. Or, picking in the air, grasping as if he were grasping at flies.

Hyoscyamus Niger passive delirium goes on until he is in a profound stupor, and lies as one dead. In an insane state it sometimes takes on something of wildness, but not often. It is more passive, talking and prattling, sitting still in one corner and jabbering, or lying down, or going about.

"Undertaking to do the usual things, the usual duties."

That is, the housewife will want to get up and do the things she is used to doing in the house.

the cooper will want to make barrels and the unusual things belonging to that business. Wants to carry on the usual occupation in his mind, talks about it, carries on the things of the day, and he keeps busy about it, so it is a busy insanity. Also, the delirium takes on the type of a busy delirium.

Now, to give you something of an idea as to the grading of this general type of insanity it should be compared with Stramonium ^Stram. and Belladonna ^Bell. You heard in the lecture on Belladonna ^Bell that it is violent, its fever most intense. There is much excitement. In Stramonium ^Stram, when we reach that you will see that his delirium, his insanity, is expressed in terms of extreme violence.

These three run so close together that something can be brought out by associating them together. When considering Hyoscyamus in its mental state it is well to realize that it seldom has much fever in its insanity. It has a fever sometimes in the low form, but when Hyoscyamus is thought of in relation to a febrile state the intensity of the heat would be this order

Belladonna ^Bell., Stramonium ^Stram., Hyoscyamus Now, Belladonna ^Bell is very hot in its mental states. Stramonium ^Stram., most violent and active, murderously violent, is moderately hot in its fever, as a rule. Hyoscyamus has a low fever, not very high, sometimes none at all, with its insanity. When one comes to take into consideration the violence of its delirium, or the maniacal actions, then it changes the order.

The order as to violence of conduct would be Stramonium ^Stram., Belladonna ^Bell., Hyoscyamus That brings you to see that even when associated with those medicines that look most like it, it is at the bottom of the list. It goes as a passive medicine, while the upper ones are more active. Hyoscyamus has a passive mania. Does not go into violence.

That is, the patient will sometimes become murderous, but it is more likely to be suicidal. Sometimes the patient will talk and prattle, sometimes sit and say nothing.

"Full of imaginations and hallucinations when asleep and when awake.

Religious turn of mind" with women who have been unusually pious; they take on the delusion that they have sinned away their day of grace. They have done some awful things.

"She imagines that she has murdered, that she has done some dreadful thing.

She cannot apply the promises that she reads in the Word of God to herself."

She will say

"They do not mean me, they do not apply to me, they mean somebody else."

"Thinks he is in the wrong place.

Thinks he is not at home.

Sees persons who are not and who have not been present.

Fears being left alone.

Fears poison or being bitten."

These phases sometimes take on fear in the sense of fear, but it comes from that suspicion that was spoken of; he suspicions or fears these things will take place. He imagines these things are to take place, and hence he is suspicious of all his friends.

Another thing running through the remedy, in insanity and in the delirium of fevers, is a fear of water, fear of running water. Of course, hydrophobia, which is named because of that symptom being a striking feature, has fear of water, but some remedies also have that fear of water.

"Anxiety on hearing running water.

A fear of water."

That runs through Belladonna ^Bell., Hyoscyamus, Cantharis ^Canth., and, of course, the nosode Lyssin (Hydrophobinum) ^{Hydrophobinum}. Stramonium ^Stram has the fear of water. Stramonium ^Stram has the fear of anything that might look like water, shining objects, fire looking-glass. Fear of things that have in any manner whatever the resemblance of fluids, and hence the sound of fluids. Lyssin (Hydrophobinum) ^{Hydrophobinum} has cured

"involuntary urination on hearing running water.

Involuntary discharge from the bowels on hearing running water."

It has cured a chronic diarrhea when that symptom was present. Hyoscyamus "makes short, abrupt answers to imaginary questions."

"Mutters absurd things to himself.

Cries out suddenly."

There is another form of his delirium, and there are two phases of this. He wants to go naked.

wants to take the clothing off, and this must be analyzed. At first you might not understand that. Hyoscyamus has such sensitive nerves all over the body in the skin that he cannot bear the clothing to touch the skin, and he takes it off. That occurs in insanity and sometimes in delirium, and he has no idea that he is exposing his body. He appears to be perfectly shameless, but he has no thought of shamelessness, no thought that he is doing anything unusual, but he does it from the hyperesthesia of the skin.

There is another phase running through the insanity, which is salacity, and it is violent at times, so violent that nobody but the old doctor can form any conception of the awfulness of it, and the dreadfulness of its effects upon those in the room. With a woman, a wife or a daughter, this state of salacity is manifested in this way she exposes her genitals to the view of everybody coming into the room. There are instances where in these violent attacks of salacity a woman has gathered her clothing up under her arms to expose her genitals to the doctor as he walked into the room.

"Violent sexual excitement and nymphomania.

Obscene things.

Speech illustrated by urine, faeces and cow dung," and all sorts of things come out in this state of insanity and delirium - and yet - this is only sickness.

"He is violent and beats people.

Strikes and bites.

Sings constantly and talks hastily.

Erotic mania, accompanied by jealousy.

Lascivious mania.

Sings amorous songs.

Lies in bed naked, or wrapped in a skin during summer heat."

Not because he is cold, but because of a fancy. Complaints involving any of these mental phases may come on in a young woman from disappointed affections, from coming to the conclusion that the young man in whom she has reposed her confidence has become wholly unworthy of her. It drives her insane, and she may take on any of these phases.

"Disturbances of vision.

Far-sightedness.

Drawing tension in some of the muscles, and paralysis in others. Strabismus."

Hyoscyamus Niger is one of the most frequently indicated remedies. The strabismus that comes on from brain disease should be cured with a remedy.

In the Hyoscyamus fevers there is so much brain trouble, and there is left behind a tendency to muscular weakness of the eyes, disturbances of the eyes, and congestion of the retina, and disturbances of vision. Double sight.

"Obscuration of vision.

Night-blindness.

Distorted appearance of the eyes.

Spasmodic action of the internal recti."

"Pupils dilated and insensible to light."

All of these symptoms occur either along with the fever, or afterwards. The child goes into convulsions, or has periods of convulsions, where, during the course of a week or ten days, there have been from fifteen to fifty convulsions, and it may be the convulsions have been remedied with Belladonna ^Bell or Cuprum Metallicum ^Cuprum, or any one of a number of remedies, and afterwards these eye troubles, strabismus and disturbances of vision.

"An object looked at jumps."

The letters jump while reading. Spasmodic complaints, periodical complaints, paroxysmal complaints of a nervous character will run through the remedy in various regions, and especially in its coughs, its stomach troubles and abdominal conditions.

The tongue tastes like sole leather. because of dryness. Sometimes the patient will say,

"My tongue rattles in my mouth, it is so dry."'

"Tongue cracked and bleeding.

Patient unconscious, except by much shaking or repeated calling be is roused" and slowly puts out that trembling tongue, which is covered with blood, cracks, and is dry.

"Sordes on the teeth" in low forms of fever.

"Twitching of the muscles of the face upon attempting to put out the tongue."

It trembles like it does in Lachesis ^Lach, catches on to the teeth from its great dryness, and the jaw hangs down, relaxed, the mouth wide open.

The whole mouth is dry and offensive. Sometimes during fever the jaw becomes fixed as if it were locked, and it is with great difficulty that it can be moved.

"Closes the teeth tightly together.

Pulsating pains in the teeth.

Jerking, throbbing, tearing in the teeth.

Sordes on the teeth;" and in sleep in these low forms of fever he is grinding the teeth. Children, either in convulsions, or between convulsions, in congestion, also grind the teeth in the night, and in this comatose state. It says in the text,

"The tongue is red, brown, dry, cracked, hard.

Looks like burnt leather.

The tongue does not obey the will.

Difficult motion of the tongue; it is stiff, protruded with great difficulty.

Biting the tongue in talking."

The tongue becomes paralyzed.

"Loss of speech.

Utters inarticulate sounds.

Speech embarrassed.

Talks with difficulty."

The muscles of the throat, of the tongue, those that take part in swallowing, the muscles of the oesophagus, of the pharynx, become stiff and paralyzed so that swallowing is difficult.

"Food taken into the throat comes up into the nose."

Fluids come out of the nose, or go down into the larynx.

"The sight of water, or the hearing of running water, or the attempt to swallow water produces spasmodic constriction of the oesophagus."

The stomach is distended. Great pain in the stomach. Dryness evidently in the stomach like there is in the mouth, because it occurs along with it. Burning and smarting in the stomach; and when there is no inflammation there is vomiting of blood. Stitching pains, colicky pains, distension. The distension of the whole abdomen.

"Abdomen wonderfully distended, almost to bursting."

Feels like a drum, tympanitic.

"Great soreness; can hardly touch the abdomen because of the soreness.

Cannot be handled, cannot be turned except with great difficulty, very slowly, and with caution.

Cutting pains in the abdomen."

Then comes the diarrhoea, very much like that which is found in low forms of continued fever.

"Painless discharges from the bowels.

Watery mucus, sometimes odorless, but commonly very offensive."

Then, another part of it is that the patient has no realization of the passage. It is involuntary. Both the urine and the stool are passed without his knowledge. Watery. bloody, or mushy. Hysterical females and young girls, who are subject to attacks of diarrhoea and bloody stools. Relaxed state of the bowels connected with relaxation of the uterus.

"Diarrhoea during pregnancy.

Paralysis of the sphincter ani.

Paralysis of the bladder after labor, so that the urine remains in the bladder, with no desire to urinate."

Bladder The routine remedy for retention of urine after labor is Causticum ^Caust. Causticum ^Caust, like Rhus Tox ^Rhus, is a great remedy for the effect of strain upon muscles and parts, and the violent effort that a woman passes through in expelling the child in many instances leaves all the pelvic muscles tired, relaxed, paralyzed.

Then comes that which was mentioned, which really belongs to the general state more than the local; violent sexual desire. Violent sexual desire in girls who never had that desire. Coming on and manifesting itself only during the inflammation of the brain.

"Labour-like pains from taking cold."

A cold settles in the uterus, bringing on painful menstruation. Hyoscyamus has various crampings.

cramps in the fingers and toes and of the muscles here and there, temporary paralysis, etc. It has suppressed menstruation. There are many conditions belonging to menstruation, pregnancy and parturition that are hysterical in character.

Twitchings, cough, constipation, diarrhea, etc., that belong to a hysterical nature.

"Puerperal convulsions.

Jerks violently at the oncoming of the convulsions.

After miscarriage, haemorrhage of bright red blood, No desire of the bladder to expel the contents."

Voice And then comes the voice, the larynx, respiration, and cough.

Constriction of the larynx. Much mucus in the larynx and air passages, makes the speech and voice rough. Hoarseness with dry and inflamed throat. Speech difficult. Hysterical aphonia. Hyoscyamus and Veratrum Album ^Veratrum are two medicines that cure and make a nervous hysterical woman a great deal more sensible.

"Difficult spasmodic respiration from spasm of the chest.

Apparently loss of breath; rattling in the chest."

Hysterical cough. Sensitive, hysterical girls, or sensitive women, with spinal irritation, have paroxysmal cough, coming on periodically, coming on from excitement. When this patient lies down in the daytime, at night, any time, on will come the spasmodic cough with contractions in the larynx, spasms in the larynx, choking, gagging, and vomiting.

"Redness of the face, and suffocation."

It is a dry, hacking, choking cough, that racks the whole body, in spinal affections.

"Tickling in the larynx.

Dry, hacking, and spasmodic cough, worse lying, better sitting, worse at night, after eating, drinking, talking and singing.

Dry, spasmodic, persistent cough."

But its characteristic cough is a dry, racking, harassing cough, worse lying down. Those young women and girls with sore spots on the spine from the coccyx to the brain, sore places that manifest themselves when leaning back against a chair.

These take a little cold in the larynx, and sometimes it is purely from a nervous attack. Sometimes spinal irritation, spinal cough in those that have curvature of the spine.

"During cough, spasms in the larynx.

Violent spasmodic cough."

The cough is most exhausting. A cough will sometimes last until the patient is covered with sweat and is exhausted, and leans forward to get a little relief; and he coughs until he is exhausted.

"Spasms of the muscles of the chest.

Contraction of the muscles of one side of the neck.

Paralytic weakness of the limbs. Convulsions of the muscles. Twitching. Frequent twitchings of the muscles of the hands and feet.

The sleep is a great tribulation to this nervous patient. There are times of sleeplessness. Again, profound sleep.

"Sleepless, or constant sleep."

Either awake or asleep, there may be muttering,

"Long continued sleeplessness.

Lascivious dreams.

Lying on the back he suddenly sits up and then lies down again."

That means that the patient wakes out of sleep, looks all around, wonders what terrible thing he has been dreaming about; his dreams seen real. He looks all about and sees nothing of the objects of his dream, he lies down and goes to sleep again.

The mental state is really the greatest part of Hyoscyamus. Talking, passive delirium, imaginations, illusions, hallucinations.

talking, rousing up and talking with a delirious manifestation, and then stupor. These alternate through complaints. And during sleep talking, crying out in sleep.

but, talking and mumbling and soliloquizing. Then, there are wakeful periods, in which there are delirium and illusions and hallucinations all mingled together.

High-grade delirium, similar to that of Stramonium ^Stramonium and Belladonna ^Belladonna; alternating with low-grade, delirium, with stupor, equal to that of Opium. Face pale.

Grasping at flocks, picking the bed clothes and subsultus tendinum.

Persistent cough, worse lying down, relieved on sitting up, especially in elderly people.

Dementia senilis; fears imaginary things, being poisoned, etc.; sees persons and things that are not present; foolish laughter.

General twitching of all the muscles of the body; in spasms or convulsions.

The mania often takes on the lascivious form. The patient uncovers and exposes himself, sings and talks amorously.

Fears being poisoned; Suspicious and jealous.

Constant staring at surrounding objects, self-forgetful (fevers). Pupils dilated; insensible; small objects seem very large. Sordes on teeth; grating the teeth. Alternates well with Rhus Tox ^{Rhus tox}. (fevers).

Hyoscyamus is as delirious as Belladonna ^Belladonna, but the high grade of delirium alternates with the low. With Belladonna ^Belladonna the violent form predominates, while the quiet or stupid form is the exception. With Hyoscyamus it is just the other way. The stupid muttering form predominates, with occasional outbreaks of the violent form. The face of the Belladonna ^Belladonna patient is red, that of Hyoscyamus pale and sunken. The Hyoscyamus patient is weak and the weakness increases. His violent outbreaks of delirium cannot keep up long on account of weakness. This is not so much so with either Belladonna ^Belladonna or Stramonium ^Stramonium. The Hyoscyamus patients may begin with the violent form or outbreaks of delirium, but they grow more mild and less frequent, and the low or stupid form increases until there is total unconsciousness; so much so that it sometimes becomes difficult to choose between it and Opium.

picks the bed clothes, indistinctly muttering, or not saying a word for hours. The teeth are covered with sordes; the lower jaw drops. stools and urine pass involuntarily.

Hyoscyamus is not only a great remedy in the acute affections of which we have written, but it is also one of the most useful in chronic manias. If acute delirium passes on into the settled form, called mania, Hyoscyamus Niger is still one of our chief reliances. It is much oftener of use here than Belladonna ^Belladonna. Again, if the mania comes on after an acute disease it is still one of our leading remedies. In these forms of mania there are certain very marked symptoms calling for its use, such as, the patient is very suspicious; will not take the medicine because he thinks you are trying to poison him, or thinks some plot is being laid against him. He is jealous of others, or the first cause of the attack is jealousy. Again, the mania often takes on the lascivious form.

The patient uncovers and exposes himself, sings and talks amorously. Hyoscyamus leads all the remedies for this form of mania.

The patient, like the one in acute delirium of Hyoscyamus Niger, is liable to alternate between the mild and violent manifestations; at one time so mild and timorous as to hide away from every one, and again so violent that she will attack, beat, fight. scratch, and try to injure anyone within reach.

The Hyoscyamus maniac is generally weak, and so Hyoscyamus Niger is found particularly adapted to mania consequent upon the infirmities of age. Of course it is useful in all ages if indicated by the symptoms.

The nervous manifestations of Hyoscyamus Niger are not confined to the cerebral symptoms; but seem to involve the whole system.

Dose

Sixth, to 200th potency.

Region

MIND

Brain

Nerves

Muscles Face

Eyes