CONIINUM.
An alkaloid from Conium maculatum, L.
Formula
, C8H15N.
(Conicine).
Preparation
, Tincture.
Authorities.
1, Dr.
Pohlmann, proving with 1 to 50 drops of the 1st dil., Hygea, 10, 468; 2, C. v. Schroff, twenty-seven experiments on three healthy
persons with doses of 0.003 to 0.085 grmm., Lehrbuch d. Pharm.; 3,
Reil, J. f. Pharm., 1, effects of application of Coniin. with of cinnamon to a carious
tooth; 4, Albers, Deutsch. Klin., 1853, a woman
suffering with cancer of the breast, violent headache, and roaring in the ears, took for the
severe pain in the cancer 1/16th of a grain daily; 5,
same, a young man, effects of smelling the alkaloid (smells like Nicotin); 6, a second man, same; 7, Dr.
J. W. Burman, effects of a subcutaneous injection of m. x. of a solution of Conia (equal to
2 min. of the alkaloid); 8, Effects of subuctaneous
injections on several hospital attendants (healthy), with record of the dynamometer, see
Table III.
MIND.
► Emotional. ► A great feeling of calm and tranquillity, and some slowness
of the mental processes (after one hour and ten minutes), [7].
► I was fast losing all interest in the game, and doubted
whether I could go on with it; but I managed to do so by dint of great effort (after
forty-five minutes), [7]. ►
Intellectual. ► Loss of consciousness, like a
faintness, [4].
HEAD.
► Confusion and Vertigo.
► Confusion, heaviness, and a sensation of pressure in
the head; these symptoms became very severe, were conjoined with vertigo and inability to
think or fix the attention on any subject (soon), [2].
► Vertigo, [3], [5]. ► Vertigo, with loss
of power, lasting the whole day; indeed the inclination to vertigo and excessive weariness
lasted three weeks, [6]. ►
She suffered from vertigo with great prostration for four weeks, [4]. ► Slight vertigo, [1]. ► The free open air
relieved the vertigo and confusion of the head, but in one experiment it caused pain along
the course of the nervus supraorbitalis and cutaneus malæ, [2].
EYE.
► Lids. [10.] ► Eyelids felt heavy
(after twenty minutes), [7]. ►
Pupil. ► Pupils dilated, [2]. ► Vision. ► Vision indistinct; all objects swim, [2]. ► Confusion of vision (after
fifteen minutes); much confusion (after thirty-five minutes); almost right again (after two
hours and ten minutes), [7]. ►
Special distortion of vision, so that all objects seemed to waver, or seemed excessively
large, as for example, one thought he saw his own nose as a shapeless mass, [3].
EAR.
► Hearing weakened;
the ears feel as if stopped with cotton, [2]. ► Illusions of hearing, [3].
FACE.
► Face sunken, pale, [2]. ► Numbness of the
muscles about the jaws, [7].
MOUTH.
► Tongue. ► Tongue pale, paralyzed, and numb, soon, [2]. [20.] ►
The epithelium of the tongue was denuded in several places; the papillæ were very prominent
(soon), [2]. ► General
Mouth. ► Violent burning in the mouth
(immediately), [2]. ►
Saliva. ► Accumulation of saliva (soon), [2].
THROAT.
► Scraping in the
throat (immediately), [2]. ►
Dysphagia, [3].
STOMACH.
► Eructation.
► Eructations, [2].
► Nausea and Vomiting. ►
Nausea, with inclination to vomit, and vomiting in one case, [2].
► Slight feeling of nausea with the giddiness (one or two
cases), [8]. ►
Vomiting (one case), [8].
ABDOMEN.
► Rumbling, with
distension of the abdomen, [2].
RECTUM AND ANUS.
[30.] ► Inclination to diarrhœa (in some cases), [2].
RESPIRATORY ORGANS.
► Voice
was rather thick, and I mumbled my words somewhat when speaking (after thirty-five minutes),
[7]. ► Respiration
frequently yawning, [2].
HEART AND PULSE.
► Pulse at
first from large doses became somewhat increased, afterwards always diminished; this
diminution was not in proportion to the doses (as is the case with Aconite), for the pulse
usually sank lower from small doses, when it was always small and weak, [2]. ► Pulse (previously 70),
small, 59 (after ten minutes), 68 (after twenty-four minutes), normal (after half an hour), [1]. ► Pulse (previously
72), 62 (after six minutes), 60 (after eight minutes), normal (after half an hour), 2d
proving, [1].
NECK AND BACK.
► Spasmodic
distortion of the neck, with spasms in the face, which drew the mouth up to a point, [4]. ► Pain in the left
lumbar region, like a slight rheumatism, lasting two hours, and gradually disappearing
(after three hours), [1].
EXTREMITIES IN GENERAL.
►
In fifteen minutes slight weakness of the legs; in twenty-five minutes the weakness of the
legs and knees was more marked, and there was a certain amount of unsteadiness in my gait as
I walked around the table; in thirty-five minutes, the numbness and weakness of both legs
and arms were well marked, and I felt that I handled the cue awkwardly, and that, when
standing still, there was an inclination to sway backwards and forwards, while the knees
began to give way under me; in forty-five minutes the weakness of both arms and legs was
intensified; I could not now walk without swerving to one side or staggering; in one hour
and ten minutes my legs were very stiff, and awkward in motion, and it was just as much as I
could do to get along. I had to progress slowly. I felt, with regard to my limbs, as if I
was getting up to walk after a short rest at the end of a day’s good pedestrianism, or as if
I had just landed after a long swim, and altogether, a quiet rest on the sofa would have
been most acceptable to me. It was now only possible to get upstairs with the greatest
effort, and I did so in a very awkward manner; and often knocked my toes against the steps,
but, strange to say, I felt it more difficult to go down than up stairs. When I sat down I
had to let myself drop suddenly when within a few inches of the seat. In two hours and ten
minutes, my limbs were rapidly regaining their strength. In two hours and twenty minutes,
the legs were nearly all right again, but the arms still weak. Three hours after the
injection I felt quite well again, and could move about with ease as before the injection, [7]. ► Excessive
heaviness of the arms and legs, especially of the left arm, [1].
SUPERIOR EXTREMITIES.
[40.]
► No means were at hand for testing the exact loss of
power in the legs; but, by the use of “Salter’s improved dynamometer,” I was
enabled to measure, pretty accurately, the loss of power in the arms and muscles of the
back. On two occasions I took seven healthy adults, and previous to injection, made them
exert their utmost strength in pulling the handle of the dynamometer. I then injected each mx of a solution, according to my formula, mij of
Conia, and made them pull at the dynamometer every quarter of an hour for two hours and a
quarter afterwards. The following plate exhibits charts (obtained from three different
persons) typical of the results I got. The rapid loss of power after injection, and the
gradual return to the status quo, as the effects of the
drug pass off, are alike well shown. The amount pulled is given in stones and halves of
stones, [8]. See Plate III. ►
Could only move the upper extremities with great exertion, [2].
► Some numbness with tingling of the arms (after twenty
minutes), [7]. ►
Tonic cramp in the muscles of the ball of the thumb, with a painful sensation on strongly
adducting the thumb, [2].
INFERIOR EXTREMITIES.
►
Objective. ► Gait unsteady and tottering on
account of weakness in the lower extremities; the weakness continued even the next day, with
trembling, [2]. ►
The muscular weakness was especially marked on going out to walk; the gait seemed automatic,
inasmuch as there was a tendency to carry the body forward, so that as little muscular power
as possible should be used, [2]. ► Subjective. ►
“Legs felt independent, and as if they didn’t care for him or anybody else,” [8]. ► “Legs felt as
if they weighed a ton,” [8]. ► Tendency to cramp in one of the calves, [7]. [50.] ►
Cramp in the muscles of the calves, on ascending steps, or on drawing off the boots,
together with cramps in various groups of muscles, on exerting them, [2].
GENERAL SYMPTOMS.
► Objective.
► All movements were slow and labored (after one hour and
ten minutes), [7]. ►
Remarkable weakness and prostration, so that it was difficult to keep the head erect, [2]. ► Faintness and
nausea, [5]. ►
Subjective. ► Touch indistinct; a sensation as
though the skin were covered with a furze, with formication, [2].
► Great disturbance of the general condition; feeling as
after a debauch, [2]. ►
Felt as if he “had been working hard all day,” [8].
► “Felt as if he had been fashed (sic) a bit night before, and tired-like,” [8]. ► One felt as if he had been
“up all night on special extra night duty, and should like to go to bed,” [8]. ► Considerable local
smarting for a few seconds after the injection, [7].
SLEEP.
► Overpowered with
sleep, [2].
FEVER.
[60.] ► Hands bluish, cold, [2].
► Head and face became very warm (after three minutes), [2]. ► Moisture on the
tips of the fingers; in large doses the fingers as well as the hands become even wet, in all
the provers, [2].
CONDITIONS.
► Aggravation.
► (On ascending steps),
Cramp in calves. ► (On drawing
off boots), Vertigo, etc. ► Amelioration.
► (Open air),
Vertigo, etc.® 2000
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