ELATERIUM.
Ecballium elaterium, A. Richard. (Momordica
elaterium, Linn.)
Natural order
, Cucurbitaceæ. Common names, Squirting Cucumber; (Germ.),
Spring gurke; (Fr.) Concombre purgatif.
Preparation
, Tincture of the immature
fruit; triturations of Elaterinum (C20H28O5).
Authorities.
1,
Caleb B. Matthews, M.D.; experiments on several individuals, with 2d
dec. dil. of the extract, Trans. Am. Inst. of Hom., 1, 124; 2, Dr. Robert T. Cooper took 1st dec. dil.
for seven days, then poured spirits upon the solid drug, and took 24 and
50 drops; two weeks after, 3 drops daily for six days, with 1 drop
tinct., in addition, on the fifth day; 3,
Dr. Dickson; effects of carrying the plant in the hat, A. H. Z., 73,
206, from Fror. Nat., 21; 4, Morris;
experiment with 1/20 of a grain of Elaterine, Edinb. Med. and Surg.
Journal, 35, 342; 5, Christison;
effects of doses of 1/10 of a grain in four cases in Edinb. Royal
Infirmary, ibid; 6, Wolodzka;
Dissert. de l’Elaterium, 1857; effects of 5 milligr. of Elaterine; 7, Schroff’s experiments with Elaterine,
Lehrb. d. Pharm.
MIND.
►
Depression of spirits, [1]. ► Fear of some approaching disaster, [1].
HEAD.
►
Confusion of the head, followed by headache, [7]. ► Severe
pain in the head in the evening, which was not perceptibly increased
after a drop of the tincture; dulness of head remained till late at
night (fifth day), [2]. ► Violent headache, with sensation of
constriction of the temples and forehead (after half an hour), [3]. ►
Forehead. ► Slight aching
in the forehead (seventh day), [2].
► Dull pain in region of causality, [1]. ►
Temples. ► Pains in the
temples, [1]. ► Sides. ►
Dull pain in region of combativeness, right and left sides, [1].
EYE.
[10.]
► Sticking, as of a splinter, in the
inner canthus of left eye, [1].
EAR.
►
Sticking pain near the rim of the cartilage of left ear, [1].
NOSE.
►
Epistaxis (after eleven hours), [7].
MOUTH.
►
Tongue coated with a dirty-brown fur (sixth day), [2]. ► Bitter
taste in the mouth, [1]. ► Bitter taste, with salivation, [7].
THROAT.
►
Pain in the back of throat, as if scalded (after half an hour, first
day), [2]. ►
Scraping in the throat, [7]. ► A feeling as if the choana and upper part
of the œsophagus were enlarged, [1].
► Pains in the left
sterno-cleido-mastoideus muscles, near its insertion into the sternum, [1].
STOMACH.
►
Appetite. [20.] ► Loss of appetite, [7]. ► Eructation.
► Eructations of flatus, [1]. ►
Eructations and nausea for two days, [7].
► Eructations and nausea, relieved by
sneezing, [7]. ► Nausea and Vomiting. ► Nausea, which continued five hours, till
after two liquid stools, [6]. ► Nausea, inclination to vomit and
vomiting, repeated four times within two hours, at first slimy,
afterwards colored with bile, with increase of salivation and
eructations of air, flatulence, rumbling in the bowels, [7]. ►
Constant nausea and disposition to vomit, [1].
► Feeling of sickness (after half an
hour, first day); very sick for two or three hours after; had to lie
down to prevent sickness from coming on (third day), [2]. ►
Vomiting (in two cases), [5];
(after two hours), [4]. ► Vomiting lasted nearly the whole night,
and was repeated several times, [3].
[30.] ►
Vomiting a dark-brown fluid mixed with food, without pain, flatus, or
nausea, but accompanied with much prostration and feeling of great
weakness at the stomach, at 7 A.M. (two days after gtt. 50), [2]. ►
Vomiting of a small quantity of clear liquid; the vomiting was
frequently repeated at very short intervals; three hours later,
discharge of a very copious bilious greenish substance, and of all the
contents of the stomach, with very difficult vomiting, [3]. ► Violent
vomiting and eructations of the odor of bad eggs, [7]. ► Stomach.
► Pain in the pit of the stomach,
with violent colic (after half an hour), [3].
► Feeling of stricture or oppression
at the epigastrium, [1]. ► Dull pain in the epigastrium, [1].
ABDOMEN.
►
Dull pain in the right hypochondrium, [1].
► Abdomen retracted, [7]. ►
Rumbling of flatus in the course of the cæcum and colon, [1]. ►
Discharge of flatus per anum, [1].
[40.] ►
Griping (in third case), [5]. ► Pain in bowels, coming on in the warmth
of the bed, [7]. ► Dull pains in the bowels, [1]. ► *Cutting
pains in the bowels, like the griping of medicine, [1]. ►
Iliac Region. ► Pain of a
dull, aching, pressing kind over the crest of the right ilium, round to
the back, extending deep into the pelvis, [1].
ANUS.
►
Bleeding of hæmorrhoidal tumors, [1].
► Some soreness of the anus (two days
after gtt. 50), [2].
STOOL.
►
Diarrhœa. ► Purging (in
two cases), [5]. ► *Copious dejections (after two
hours), [4]. ►► *Copious liquid stools (after
six hours), [7]. [50.] ►
Dirty yellow stool two hours after breakfast; evacuation at 8.30 P.M.,
without pain, first part of natural consistence, the second soft (sixth
day); awoke at 7 A.M. with desire for stool, but had none (seventh day);
awoke at 2 A.M. with desire for stool; had a very copious liquid motion,
painless, followed by five others in the course of the morning, all
painless and very liquid, dirty color, with irregular intervals between
them; seemed to continue until the bowels were fairly emptied (two days
after gtt. 50), [2]. ► *Dull olive-green discharges, [1]. ►
Discharges of dark masses of bilious mucus, [1]. ►►
*Watery discharges from the bowels of a frothy character, [1]. ►
Constipation. ►
Costiveness, [1].
URINARY ORGANS.
►
Increased flow of limpid urine, [1].
► Quantity of urine seemed to
increase (fifth and sixth days). Sp. gr. 1.015; no deposit with heat;
quantity if anything diminished (seventh day). High-colored; sp. gr.
1.022 (after gtt. 50), [2]. ► Urine acid, reddened litmus; sp. gr.
1.020; scanty, pale, after dinner (fifth day). Sp. gr. 1.028,
high-colored, and scanty; no deposit with heat (sixth day), [2].
RESPIRATORY ORGANS.
►
Unpleasant smell to the breath (sixth day), [2].
CHEST.
►
Sharp pains at the lower part of the sternum, passing through to the
spine or lower angle of the right shoulder-blade, [1].
NECK AND BACK.
[60.]
► Pains under the right
shoulder-blade, [1]. ► Fugitive, sticking pains in the lumbar
region, more on the right side, [1].
► Very slight aching pain in the
region of the left kidney (third and seventh days), [2].
SUPERIOR EXTREMITIES.
► Pains extending from the shoulder to the
ends of the fingers, and shooting back up to the elbow, [1]. ► Dull
pains in right shoulder, forearm, and hand, extending to the fingers, [1]. ►
Sharp, shooting pains in the left axilla, near the insertion of the
pectoralis major muscle, [1]. ► Sharp, sticking pains in the fingers of
the left hand out to their extremities, [1].
► Sharp, sticking pains in the
muscular parts of thumb, [1].
INFERIOR EXTREMITIES.
► Shooting, and also dull, aching pains in
the left thigh, in the course of the sciatic nerve, extending down to
the instep, and out to the extremities of the toes, [1]. ► Pain in
the right knee, extending into the instep and toes, [1]. [70.] ► Pain in the great toe of an arthritic
nature, [1].
GENERAL SYMPTOMS.
►
Weakness for two day, [7]. ► Great weakness followed the attack, [3]. ►
Felt very weak when going to bed at 10 o’clock (after gtt. 50), [2]. ►
Sharp, fugitive, or dull, aching pains, now here, now there, [1]. ►
Pains mostly affecting the left side, but also the right, [1]. ► The
symptoms occurred very soon after the administration of the medicine, [1].
SLEEP.
►
Incessant gaping, lasting nearly an hour, [1].
FEVER.
►
Chilliness, with continued gaping, as if an attack of intermittent fever
was approaching, [1]. ► Fever came on after a few hours,
accompanied all the symptoms, and lasted till the following day, [3].® 2000
Article