PHYSOSTIGMA.
Physostigma venenosum, Balfour.
Natural order
, Leguminosæ.
Common name
, Calabar bean.
Preparation
, Triturations of the whole
bean.
Authorities.
1,
Christison, Pharm. Journ., 1855, p. 474, proving on self, ate 1/8 of a
bean in afternoon and 1/4 of a bean the next morning; 2, Frazer, Edin. Med. Journ., 1863, proving
on self, took 6 grains of powdered bean; 3,
same, effects of 8 grains; 4, same,
effects of 10 grains; 5, same,
effects of 10 minims of tincture; 6,
Robertson, Edin. Med. Journ., 1863, effects of chewing bean; 7, Maclaren, from Fraser, effects of chewing
and swallowing a small piece, in a woman; 8,
Wells, Med. Times and Gaz., 1863, effects of application of 1/10th of a
minim (equalling 4/10th grain of bean) to lower lids of eyes, normal
pupil a trifle more than a line; 8a, same, effects of application to eyelid,
in a woman, suffering from paralytic mydriasis, can read only No. 16
test type; 9, Ogle, Br. Med. Journ.,
1863, effects of application to eye; 10,
von Græfe, Deutsche Klin., 1863, experiemnts on the eyes of nine
healthy persons; 11, same, Archiv.
f. Oph., 1863, experiment on a man destitute of an iris; 12, David Young, Ed. Med. Journ., 10, 192,
poisoning of a boy, aged three, by eating the bean; 13, same, in a boy, aged six; 14, Cameron and Edwards, Med. Times and Gaz.,
1864, poisoning of a large number (60) of children, by eating the beans;
they averaged 2 to 4 beans each; one boy ate 12 and recovered; 15, same, in a woman; 16 and 17,
Harley, Brit. Med. Journ., 1863, two cases of poisoning; 18, Lingen, Petersb. Med. Zeit., 1864, a
young man ate a whole bean; 19,
Robertson, Ed. Med. Journ., 1863, effects on eye; 20, Rev. W. C. Thompson, effects on natives
in Calabar, Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., 22, 305; 21,
Todd, Indiana Journ. of Med. (M. and S. Rep., 1873), effects of 25 drops
of tincture, every fifteen or twenty minutes, till 200 drops were taken;
23, Dr. H. L. Chase, Trans. Mass.
Hom. Med. Soc., 2, proving with 1st trit., 1 grain, first and second
days; 23a,
same, subsequent proving, 1st trit., took 2 to 4-grain doses, first,
third, fourth, sixth, and seventh days; 24,
Dr. Charles Cullis, proving with one dose of 1st trit., ibid.; 25, Mrs. S., aged thirty, took 1 grain of 1st
trit., ibid.; 26, Dr. C. Wesselhœft,
proving with 3d trit. doses, morning, first day, morning and evening,
third day, afternoon, fourth day; 26a, same, second proving, 3d trit., morning
and evening, first day, morning, second day; 26b, same, 1st trit., night and morning, for
three days; 27, Mrs. P., aged
forty-nine, with “irritable eyes, muscæ volitantes,” etc.,
proving with 1st trit., daily, for three days; 28,
Miss H. C., aged forty-two, proving with 1st trit., first, second,
fourth, fifth, and sixth days (prover menstruated only twice the past
year); 29, Mrs. N., aged forty,
proving with 1st trit.; 30, Dr. H.
B. Clarke proving with 1st trit., daily, for three days; 31, same, proving in a young man, with 1st
trit. (symptoms not repeated after a
subsequent dose); 32, same, in a boy
aged five, effects of 1 grain of 1st trit.; 33,
Dr. William P. Wesselhœft, proving in a lady, aged thirty-five, with
one dose of 3d trit.; 34, Dr.
William E. Payne, proving with 3d trit., doses for three days; 34a,
same, subsequently took one dose (20 grains); 35,
same, in a woman, aged thirty-five effects of a dose of the 30th trit.; 36, same, in a man, one dose; 36a, same
as last, second proving, one dose of 3d trit.; 37,
Dr. Robert C. Smedley, proving with 30th, repeated doses for eleven
days, then 3d dil. twelfth to seventeenth day; 38,
Dr. S. Lilienthal, effects of one dose of 30th trit., Trans. Am. Inst.
of Hom., 1874; 39, Dr. H. C.
Houghton, effects of one dose of 3d, ibid.; 40,
Miss S., aged twenty, took one dose of 3d trit., ibid.; 41, “X.,” a man, took 3d trit., and
after several days took the tincture, ibid.; 42,
Dr. Berridge, a man took 5 or 6 grains of P., evening and morning,
ibid.; 43, Dr. S. Swan, Hahn.
Month., 1874, 9, 266, one dose of 1 m. (44
to 68, provings of Am. Inst. of Hom.
Trans., 1874); 44, R. W. Stone, took
1 grain of 1st dec. trit., repeated doses first and fourth days, 2d dec.
trit. twelfth day, and 5 grains at one dose sixteenth day; 44a,
same, took solution of 2d trit., repeated doses; 45, G. W. Flagg, one dose of 30th trit.; 45a,
same, second dose after eight days; 45b, same, third dose after a week; 46, C. E. Rowell, a dose of 30th trit. first
day, repeated doses of 1st trit., afterward second to eighth days; 46a,
same, subsequent proving, 30th trit. (no result), then 3d trit. (no
result), then 1st trit. (no result), then 1st dec. trit., repeated doses
for five days; 46b, same, three months later took a dose; 47, D. J., from Rowell a large dose of 1st
trit.; 48, E. J., took 1st trit. for
three days, and on seventh day; 49,
W. W. French, took 30th trit., one dose; 49a, same, 30th trit., a dose first and
second days; 50, G. S. Farmer, took
30th trit. two days, and on eighth day; 51,
P. N. Crosby, took 30th trit., first, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth
days; 52, J. P. W., took 30th trit.,
three doses, symptoms after third dose; 53,
Th. Foote, took 30th trit., one dose; 54,
J. M. Dart, took 30th trit., one dose, subsequently repeated; 55, L. L. Barnard, took 30th trit. (no
symptoms), then 3d trit.; 56, F. A.
Gile, one dose of 30th trit.; 57, J.
W. R., one dose of 3d trit.; 58, W.
H. Titus, one dose of 3d trit., subsequently repeated with same results;
59, A. McDonald, one dose of 30th
trit.; 60, W. H. William, effects of
30th; 61, C. Wesselhœft, proving of
Mrs. Nichols, repeated doses of 30th; 62,
C. S. Collins, 3d trit., repeated doses; 63,
A. L. Kennedy, took 3d trit.; 64, L.
T. Hayward, took 3d trit.; 65,
Dillingham, took 3d trit.; 66,
Alfred K. Hills, a woman took 30th dil.; 67,
Miss Griffith, took a dose of 30th; 68,
H. A. W., a woman, aged thirty-seven, took a dose of 30th; 69, Sharp, Essays, 1874, p. 771, effects of 5
drops of tincture, rubbed over eye and temple; 69a, same, effects of 1 drop as before; 69b,
same, 10 drops as before; 70, Dr.
Barbosa, Bull. Gén. de Thérap., vol. 88, p. 45 (from Lisbon,
Marseilles Med.), a large number of observations on effect of extract
applied to eye; 71, Dr. Farrington’s
MSS., provings (furnished to this work), P. G. Souder, 30th dil., three
times a day, for a week; 71a, same, 3d trit., three times a day; 71b,
same, 30th dil., three times a day for nine days; 71c,
same, 30th dil. four times a day, for three days; 71d,
same, 3d trit., three times a day for twelve days.
MIND.
►
Acted foolish; said it made him crazy (second day), [41]. ► Felt
quite exhilarated during the morning; very gloomy towards noon (second
day), [61]. ►
Felt great anxiety about friends at home; could not get them out of my
mind (third day), [58]. ► Feel very irritable (third day), [54]. ►
Does not wish to speak to some of his friends, [65]. ► Mental
faculties unimpaired, unless perhaps it might be that I felt no alarm
where my friends saw some reason for it (after 12 grains), [5]. ►
Uncommon mental activity (second day), [30]. ►
Perfect impossibility to concentrate my mind or to translate a single
line (fourth day); perfect disinclination to any mental work; laziness
and apathy reign supreme (fifth day), [38].
► Difficulty of thinking or doing
mental work (second day), [42]. [10.] ► It
was difficult to concentrate thought (fourth day), [23a]. ► Did
not feel the usual flow of spirits, and was obliged to make an extra
effort in speaking with people, [26b].
► Her thoughts wandered, and she had
difficulty in fixing her attention, [25].
► Mind wanders from study (third
day), [46]. ►
Peculiar inability to express my thoughts clearly and intelligently,
with the headache (twelfth day), [44].
► My mind is disturbed; cannot
concentrate it, at times, on any one thing; unsettles me for study, [32]. ►
Could not put my mind on anything; could not recollect anything; a
mental exhaustion not confusion, [53].
► Nothing was right; too many things
in the room; continually counting them, [58].® 2000
Article