BELLADONNA.
NOSE.
► Several prolonged fits
of sneezing, [266].
FACE.
► Flushing of the
countenance, [258], [260]. ► Redness and swelling of
the face and lids, [248]. ►
Face deep red, [249]. [2600.] ► Risus sardonicus, [268]. ► Convulsions of
the jaws and of the muscles of the face and extremities, [240].
► Spasms of the jaws, [248].
► Spasmodic constriction of the muscles of the jaws, [230].
MOUTH.
► Tongue covered
with a white clammy fur, which he could pull off in strings, [260].
► Tongue dry and retracted (after nine hours and a
half), [278]. ►
Tongue and throat extremely dry, [260]. ► Tongue pale, dry, [246].
► The tongue sticks to the throat on attempting to spit, [246]. ► Unpleasant
metallic taste in the mouth (after ten or fifteen minutes), [258].
[2610.] ► No taste to
food, [248]. ►
Moved mouth incessantly, evidently with the idea that he was talking, but the sounds he
uttered were inarticulate and altogether unintelligible, [260].
► Difficulty in speaking, articulation indistinct, [248]. ► Loss of speech, [247], [250].
THROAT.
► Intense redness
and heat in the throat and alimentary canal, [251]. ► Dryness of the throat and great difficulty in swallowing, [261]. ► Dryness and heat
in the throat, [231]. ►
Very great dryness of the throat and œsophagus, [246].
► Sensation of burning heat in the throat, [242]. ► Dryness and heat in the
throat and pain, [252]. [2620.]
► Heat of the throat and lips, [248]. ► Very deep-red color of
the mucous membrane of the fauces and palate, [362]. ► Tonsils swollen, [242].
► Deglutition difficult, with heat in the throat, [254]. ► Swallowing
difficult, [248], [253].
► Paralysis of the throat, which impedes deglutition, [246]. ► Unable to
swallow (after one hour and a quarter), [266].
STOMACH.
► Loss of
appetite, [248]. ►
Loss of appetite, with loss of taste, [246]. ► Loss of appetite, with a sensation of feebleness, [262]. [2630.] ► Thirsty (after one hour and a quarter), [266]. ► Unquenchable thirst, [248]. ► Nausea, with
efforts to vomit, [242], [246]. ► Vomiting, [248]. ► Extreme distension of the
stomach and bowels, [242].
URINARY ORGANS.
► Extremely
painful irritation of the urinary organs, and especially of the neck of the bladder; the
patient constantly desired to urinate; though making every effort the urine passes only guttatim; urine very red and bloody, [244]. ► She complained of pain in
the region of the bladder, placing her hands on the hands on the pubes, and uttering words
expressive of desire to pass urine. A catheter was passed amid violent physical opposition
and a tremendous torrent of abuse; but only a few drops of urine flowed (after thirteen
hours), [268]. ►
Excessive desire to urinate, but the urine is bloody and the emission pale, [252]. ► Excessive desire to
micturate, though he could pass only a few drops of perfectly colorless urine, [260]. ► Urine passed guttatim, [248].
RESPIRATORY APPARATUS.
[2640.]
► Hoarseness (after ten or fifteen minutes), [255]. ► The voice
naturally hesitating and thick, became during the delirium so sharp and clear the father
would not have recognized it as his child’s, [266]. ► Cough resembling croup, [250].
► Deep respiration, as in croup, [250]. ► Respiration irregular, [248].
PULSE.
► Pulse 110 (after
two hours and a quarter); afterwards 120, [266]. ► Pulse small, rapid, [262].
► Pulse very feeble, [248].
► Pulse imperceptible (after four hours), [250].
EXTREMITIES.
► Limbs are
violently agitated, [242]. [2650.]
► Weakness of the limbs, [262].
► He could not stand till afternoon, and then could only
walk with assistance (second day), [275].
GENERALITIES.
► The whole
body is in perpetual movement, [247]. ► Convulsive catching of the extremities, face, and trunk, such
as animals have when bitten by venomous serpents, [260].
► In a few minutes she vomited slightly, and in less than
an hour after she commenced having spasms, which continued, alternated with periods of
repose, until two hours and a half later, when she appeared to be sleeping soundly. Pulse
130; respirations 20 per minute; the entire surface of the body was covered with a very
bright scarlatinal eruption, with occasional livid spots of variable size. Upon lifting the
eyelids found the pupils dilated to such an extent that only a very small circle of the
irides remained visible, [281]. ►
The child was in his mother’s arms, or partially so, as there did not appear to be a muscle
in his body but what was in spasmodic action especially those of the extremities. The skin,
in color and to a certain extent in thickness, had the appearance of scarlet flannel; the
teeth were tightly clenched, with a little froth flying out between them at each irregular
spasm of the muscles of expiration; eyelids widely separated and fixed; pupils dilated to
their utmost extent, and immovable; totally insensible; pulse could not be counted on
account of the incessant muscular twitching, [277]. ► Immediately after last dose stupor, swelling around the
throat and jaws, great flushing of the face, and dilated pupil. The flushing extended to and
even above the roots of the hair on the frontal region. It was difficult to rouse the child;
he stared when awakened, and was hard to control. He made wild resistance to anything done
for him; if left quiet went off soon into a stupor. The heart was acting violently, beating
hard, and more than 144 in the minute. Had illusions; saw visions on the floor; talked
nonsense. Passage of an ounce of dark-colored urine, [270].
► In five minutes she was drowsy but conscious. The skin
was very dry; the pupils widely dilated; face flushed. The skin flushed more readily than
natural on irritation. She soon fell asleep, and woke three hours and a half after the
poisoning, when she yawned and sneezed frequently. After this she fell into a doze, and woke
in a second or two with a cry, and with slight convulsive movements. She tossed about a good
deal. In four hours and a half she was very delirious, had unpleasant illusions, and
screamed from fright. She followed with her eyes, in a rapid manner, imaginary objects. ► She tried to talk, but her words were inarticulate. There
were slight convulsive twitchings. She did not know her mother, nor could her attention be
attracted by objects held before her eyes. The skin was very dry. At about this time a deep,
sharply-defined, uniform blush appeared on her face, neck, arms, trunk, and thighs. The
delirium continued, but in about eleven hours the delusions appeared to be of a more
pleasant character, and she occasionally laughed, and from this time on she continued to
improve, [273]. ►
Three presented marked symptoms of poisoning. One showed the following effects: He was a boy
four years of age, and he ate the berries about twenty minutes before 3 P.M. At 3 o’clock he
was sleepy, and lay down. About ten minutes later he had marked twitching and jerking of the
hands and, slightly, of the lower limbs. He would partially awaken, and then instantly fall
asleep again. The nervous tremors continued all the time, and rather increased. The above
symptoms continued for about an hour and twenty minutes from the time of the poisoning, when
an emetic of Sulphate of zinc was administered. This produced a rather copious watery
discharge from the stomach, with a few fragments of the Atropa berries. Then an entirely new
set of symptoms supervened. The child was wakeful, and made passes as if picking up things,
and would appear to pour them from hand to hand. He would run against things backward,
sideways, and forward; then he would whirl on one foot, and run against things as before. In
the midst of these movements he presented an episode, by throwing up his hands and asking a
blessing, by then calling for bread, and appearing to think he had it, by taking up his
apron and biting a piece off and chewing it. He immediately followed this by talking of his
father and mother, who where at a distance. Again, he would throw things at persons around
him, catching at anything that was within his reach. The above was the most marked case of
poisoning among these children. The others presented far less demonstrations, their delirium
being of a much more painful order. The effects had sensibly diminished by the next morning,
and had entirely disappeared on the second day, [274].
► Shortly afterward became insensible, with rigidity of
the body and clenched teeth. Breathing with a loud snoring noise, but without puffing out
the cheeks; the skin, lips, and mouth dry; pulse 104; respiration 22 (after two hours and
twenty minutes). Contractions and twitchings of both arms, the fingers being clenched by
tonic contraction of the muscles, and the elbows rigid (after three hours and
twenty-minutes). Half unconsciousness began to give way to fussy busy delirium. He
constantly muttered, kept picking the bedclothes, and tried to get out of bed. He stared
wildly about him, and was very suspicious. He continued delirious, but not violently, all
that night and the next day (after ten hours and a half). Became so violent that it was
necessary to lay him down in bed. He stared wildly about him, struggled to get out of bed,
shouted at the top of his voice, “Police!” “Murder!” and suffered from
various hallucinations, thinking he was in prison, or was about to be murdered. He was very
suspicious refusing to take food, thinking it was poison (after thirty-six hours), [272]. [2660.] ► “In about five minutes,” to use her own words, she
“felt queer about the eyes, the stupid like” in her head; felt she was losing the
power of standing on her legs. She became helpless and quite unconscious. In less than an
hour, when I saw her, she could swallow only a few drops of water, and very soon she became
unable to do this. She could not speak, only mumbled incessantly some inarticulate words,
which were only audible at times. She was put into bed, and there she sat propped up by
pillows, and had a vacant, drunken look; moved her hands about, sorting and catching at
imaginary things. Widely-dilated pupils, and a diffused scarlet rash, which was out on the
neck and upper part of the chest, and also on the hand and forearm. The rash was not of a
long duration; it soon began to fade, and in four hours was hardly perceptible anywhere. For
about twenty-two hours her life was a blank to her. On the morning of the second day, her
pupils were widely dilated, and she saw persons and things double, and at times saw
imaginary persons and objects about her; her hands felt moist, as did also her feet, and she
could not stand. All through there was a good deal of distress about the throat; it was one
of the first things experienced, and the discomfort lasted to a certain extent for many
days. The patient eventually recovered; but for several days she felt she was not her
ordinary self; could not remember how to do the simplest thing, had forgotten the way; had
to ponder over the way an article of clothing should be fastened on, etc., [276]. ► In fifteen or twenty
minutes after I had taken it, I felt a very disagreeable sensation in my chest and head, and
slightly in my stomach. It seemed to me as if there were an accumulation of wind at the pit
of the stomach, which should come up. The vital organs were weary, I wished to draw a long
breath every moment, and soon grew worse. My face became flushed. The pupil of my eye was
much dilated, covering nearly the entire iris. My head felt full and heavy. Giddiness
followed, the room appeared to whirl and the floor to move. There was a sort of constriction
in the chest and throat, slightly spasmodic, and a sense of suffocation. This condition
rapidly increased in intensity till I felt I was assuredly dying. I could think of no other
result. It appeared as if every breath I drew would be the last. I took leave of my family,
as I found my voice failing and the sense of vision losing itself in darkness, when I became
unconscious. I remained in this position from about 8 o’clock in the morning till after dark
in the evening. When I came to myself, so as to know those around, the faces of persons look
exceedingly large, broad, and out of proportion. Any little speck or spot on the ceiling
over head, or on the wall of the room, as large as a fly, for instance, the head of a nail
appeared to my vision precisely like a spider with legs, and the legs constantly in motion.
[All the symptoms which I have described above, followed in the case of my sister, who took
half the amount I did. She, however, did not become unconscious.] ►
This appearance continued for three or four days, but gradually corrected itself so far as addition to the real object seen went. Still for weeks and
months, everything I looked upon, the ground, houses, trees, etc., appeared as if there were
a sort of glimmer upon their surface resembling the wavy motion of heated air arising from
the roof or sides of a building. The figures of a carpet seemed to blend as I looked down
upon them; indeed, nothing appeared natural to the vision. My stomach and bowels were torpid
and inactive. For weeks and months I had no appetite, much of the time actually loathing the
slight and smell of food. One singular sensation I experienced when consciousness was
leaving me and immediately on its return, was this: whatever I touched with my hands felt
exceedingly cold. The hands and fingers of my wife were as cold to my touch as icicles, and
the longer I retained them in my hand, with the thought that they might soon become warm, the more intensely cold did they seem. This feeling was not
imaginary, because about the first thing I remembered on coming to myself, when my wife
spoke to me and took hold of my hands, was the sensation I have described; but it did not
then feel as cold as when I was going into the state of unconsciousness. In four or five
days I was able to sit up, and in ten or twelve to go out. But I was weak and trembling,
easily excited, quick and hasty in my motions, with a sort of wild and glassy expression
about the eye. I felt as if my nervous system was completely shattered. The feelings I have
experienced in my brain, at the pit of the stomach, and through my limbs, to which I allude,
are difficult to describe. At times when excited or a little weary, and sometimes when there
is no apparent cause, even when I feel uncommonly well and bright, I experienced what I call
a sort of spasm in the brain. The sensation comes quite
suddenly. There is a sort of drawing and giving way, again, as if the nerves of the brain
were in motion, when all upon which I look appears to move slightly in one direction, and
then back to their former position. If the objects are at a distance, either forests,
houses, or mountains, upon which I chance to look at the time, they seem to swing. At these
moments I feel as if I should fall to the earth, though I experience no giddiness, but only
a strange and alarming sensation at the pit of the stomach, corresponding to the feeling in
the brain, and coming at the same moment, as if the two were connected, and the whole on the
sympathetic nerves. This sensation was first experienced about two weeks after my
prostration. I have since felt it many times, and generally when standing or walking, but seldom when I either stand or sit with my back against something to
sustain me. In two months after I was prostrated, I felt those spasms at times so
powerfully that it would seem I could not live if they should continue for the space of a
minute. They generally pass off in the space of a few seconds, and do not return for some
hours, perhaps not for a day or two, [265]. ► Expression vacant, laughing on the slightest provocation.
Strong light produced no contraction of the pupils, which were widely dilated. Answered
questions when aroused, but soon became incoherent; vessels of retina rather enlarged: pulse
114; quick; extremities cold; mouth and tongue remarkably dry (first day). Delirious and
very troublesome throughout the night; limbs feel numbed; objects appear a long way off, and
as if double; sees letters dimly, but cannot read (second day), [277]. ► The skin was of the color
of a lobster; pulse 130; respirations rapid, sighing, and shallow; the pupils widely
dilated, and the patient much alarmed. She looked as if in the eruptive stage of scarlet
fever, [279]. ►
Dryness of throat, dilated pupils, and great pain in the passage. Vagina very dry, in great
pain of a burning-stinging character. Her pulse was quick, the countenance was flushed,
tongue dry and parched, [284]. ►
Severe pain in the top of the head, vomiting, dryness of the fauces, spasmodic action of the
muscles of the throat and chest, and an indescribable sensation of sinking. Pulse quick and
thready; irides very much dilated, though contractile; face and eyes suffused, extremities
cold, tongue moist, skin dry. Urinated several times with severe scalding and irritation of
the bladder, [239]. ►
Nauseous taste, like copperas, in her mouth, a tingling in the fingers, and stupor, [257]. ► One hour after
swallowing powder, he was attacked with violent headache, especially above the orbits; the
eyes became of a red color, which quickly extended over the face, and at last over the body,
so that within a few minutes the whole skin exhibited an intense uniform redness, such as is
observed in scarlet fever; at the same time the patient felt violent pain and heat in the
throat, and along the œsophagus, and, on examination, the fauces were found strongly
inflamed. These symptoms were accompanied by a very painful irritation of the urinary
passages, especially of the neck of the bladder, with constant but fruitless desire of
making water, [256]. ►
Restless, [260]. ►
Desire to lie down, [246].
SKIN.
► Scarlet redness
over the whole body, [252]. [2670.]
► Scarlet redness over the whole body, with pain and heat
in the throat, desire to urinate, and painful discharge of bloody urine, [244]. ► Her body and limbs were
covered all over with a beautiful scarlet rash, resembling the rash of scarlatina, but this
disappeared in a few hours (after sixteen hours), [266].
► Transient redness over the whole body, especially on
the chest and neck, [231]. ►
Face, neck, and upper part of the chest reddened and congested (after nine-hours and half), [276]. ► In about one and
a half hours the face of the child was covered with spots the size of a silver quarter, and
larger. These spots were of a bright red color, and a little elevated and puffy, similar to
nettlerash. These gradually coalesced, and in about two hours covered the face and front of
the neck. Around the spots was a white border; also around the mouth, [273]. ► Scrotum blistered, [278].
SLEEP.
► Fast asleep (after
three hours); sleeping quietly without stertor (after six hours and a half); after the
application of cold to the scrotum and spine, tickling and pinching the feet and legs, the
patient became partially aroused at 3.30 A.M. (after sleeping nine hours and a half); he
then slept quietly till morning, when he woke of his own accord, [276]. ► Wakeful, [261].
FEVER.
► Skin cold (after
four hours), [250]. ►
The lower limbs were inclined to be very cold, and it was considerable difficulty that they
were kept partially warm, [275]. [2680.] ► Skin hot (after two
hours and a quarter), [266]. ►
Profuse perspiration, [248], [249].
SUPPLEMENT: BELLADONNA.
Authority.
286, Drs.
Flechner, Frankel, and Schneller, Zeit. der k. k. Gesel. der Ærzte zu Wien, 1847, p. 97, a
proving beginning with 2 drops of the tincture, and increasing irregularly to 130 drops.►
A dose of 2 to 30 drops, especially the latter, caused
slight dryness of the mouth and nose, insipid taste, yellowish fur on the tongue, diminished
appetite, dulness in the frontal region, roaring in the ears, weakness of vision, with
normal, rather contracted pupils; in one person, in addition, pain in the small of the back;
in another person stitches in the region of the shoulder, and in the left side in the region
of the false ribs. From 35 to 60 drops the above-mentioned symptoms in the mouth and fauces
increased to a distressing degree. There was burning in the hard palate and throat, with
great redness of these parts the voice became hoarse, the intestines distended by gas and
painful. The head became dull, there were vertigo, sleepiness, and frequent yawning,
restless sleep. In two provers there were also transient stitches in the region of the
heart, tearing pain in the head, in the region of the shoulders, and in the feet. These
symptoms continued in a less degree, even on the following day when nothing was taken. After
doses of 65 to 130 drops, the above-mentioned symptoms increased, with the exception of
transient pains; the eyes became especially affected, there was foggy vision with vertigo,
the eyes seemed covered with a veil, reading was very difficult, the conjunctiva was
injected, the pupils in one case, from 110 drops, dilated. Lastly it was noticed that the
urinary organs became affected, so that micturition was accomplished with great straining
and difficulty. On the same day in which one prover took 110 drops, an experiment was made
with an external application to the conjunctiva; a few drops were rubbed into the upper lid,
and some trickled into the inner canthus. About a quarter of an hour afterwards there was
some dilatation of the pupil, which increased so that after two hours there was scarcely a
line of iris to be seem. The margins of the lids became red, the conjunctiva slightly
injected; even the pupil of the other eye was somewhat dilated. The iris of the right eye
was sluggish in action, vision was very weak, and the eyes seemed veiled. On the next day,
the right pupil was still considerably dilated and vision very much restricted, especially
in the open air. At the same time the eye was drawn somewhat upward and outward. On the
third day vision was only somewhat weak, the pupil remained dilated for several days. The
following were the chief observations from twenty-one provings with three different
preparations: the mucous membrane of the mouth and fauces was first affected; thence the
affection extended upward to the mucous membrane of the nose and frontal sinuses, and partly
to the conjunctiva and Eustachian tube, then downward into the larynx, then from the throat
into the stomach and intestinal canal. This affection consisted essentially of dryness of
the parts, for example, dryness of the whitely coated tongue, pasty taste, diminished
appetite, desire for liquids without thirst, scraping in the throat, difficulty of
swallowing, hoarseness, difficult speech, sneezing, nausea, inclination to vomit, pressure
in the stomach, diminished stools, increased gas in the intestines. As objective symptoms,
there were dark redness and swelling of the mucous membrane as far as could be seen. A
second sphere of action of Belladonna seemed to be the brain. The symptoms consisted of
vertigo, pressing and aching pain in the head, reeling and slight stupefaction, sleepiness;
the sleep, however, was restless and disturbed by vivid dreams. There were general
prostration, general ill-humor, and disinclination to mental work. Dulness and confusion of
the head lasted a long time. Of the two extracts, the alcoholic and the aqueous acted in a
greater degree upon the brain than the extract of the Austrian Pharmacopœia; with the
former it was especially noticed that with the increase of the symptoms of the mouth and
fauces the head symptoms diminished. There was noticed an antagonism between the two
preparations. The disturbance of vision began with a slight degree of weakness and
fogginess, sensitiveness to light, and progressed to illusions of vision, flickering, and
visions of colors, a feeling of pressure in the eyeball, increasing to a high degree of
weakness of vision, with injection of the conjunctiva, increased lachrymation and dilated
pupils. From the external application of the above mentioned, the symptoms were more
pronounced; the pupils were extremely dilated, the iris less sensitive, and the eye turned
upward and outward. Especially interesting was the action of Belladonna upon the urinary
organs. Without calling particular attention to the nocturnal erections, produced by the
smaller doses, there was noticed relaxation of the urinary organs in such a way, that there
was frequent desire to urinate, with inability to passe urine except by great pressure, and
then only guttatim. The action of Belladonna on the skin was increased warmth, amounting
even to glowing heat of the face, turgor, and a very deep-red color, even a cherry red. In
one person, 4 1/2 grains of the Austrian extract caused red circumscribed spots on the face.
In the vascular system in general there was a feeling of chilliness, coldness of the
extremities, alternating with heat and increased transpiration, accelerated pulse, and
palpitation, [286].® 2000
Article