RICINUS.
Ricinus communis, Linn.
Natural order
, Euphorbiaceæ.
Common names
, Palma christi, Castor oil
plant.
Preparation
, The oil expressed from the
seeds.
Authorities.
1,
Langier, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1828, p. 207, effects of repeated employment
of the oil as a cathartic; 2, Mun.
de la Med. Cont., 1838, Venice (A. H. Z., 19, 64), effects of an
emulsion of eight ripe seeds, with water; 3,
Bergius, Mat. Med., effects on a man, of chewing a single seed at
bedtime; 4, Journ. de Chim. Méd.,
1856 (S. J., 94, 296), a man ate the seed in place of the oil; 5, Med. Times and Gaz., 1861, 1, 555, a man
swallowed three fresh seeds (death in forty-six hours); 6, Pharm. J., 1866, effects of eating a few
seeds; 7, Prof. Houze de L’Aulmont,
Archiv. de Gen., 1867 (S. J., 146, p. 41), a woman took 30 to 50 grains
of the seeds in milk; 8, Cameron,
Med. Times and Gaz., 1870, p. 581, effects of eating seeds, in two
children; 9, omitted; 10, Rapp, La Tribune Med., No. 160, September
10th, 1871, a man ate a number of seeds with the intention of purging
himself; 11, Sharp, M. H. Rev.,
1876, p. 745, took 1 grain of 1st cent. trit., night and morning, for
three days.
HEAD.
►
Vertigo (after a few hours), [9];
(after eleven hours and a half), [10].
► Headache (after a few hours), [9]; (after eleven hours and a half), [10], [11].
► Severe headache (third day), [9].
EYE.
►
The eyes are convulsed and drawn upward in the orbits, the conjunctiva
injected, and copious lachrymation; pupils only moderately dilated
(after a few hours), [9]; (after
eleven hours and a half), [10].
EAR.
►
Buzzing in the ears (after a few hours), [9].
► Humming in the ears (after eleven
hours and a half), [10].
FACE.
►
Features drawn (after a few hours), [9].
► Pale face (after a few hours), [9]. ►
Face slightly congested (fourth day), [9].
[10.] ►
Face pale; and the features strongly contracted (after eleven
hours and a half), [10].
MOUTH.
►
Tongue coated white and dry (second day); white (fourth day), [9]. ►
Tongue furred and rather dry, [8].
► No cerebral symptoms, but
twitchings of the mouth were noticed once in the small boy, [8].
THROAT.
►
Burning pain in the gullet accompanied the vomiting, [6].
STOMACH.
►
Appetite and Thirst. ►
Anorexia (second day), [9]. ► No appetite (fourth day); returns (sixth
day), [9]. ►
Great thirst, [8]. ► Burning thirst (after a few hours), [9]; (after eleven hours and a half), [10]. ►
Pyrosis (after three or four hours, and on second and fourth days), [9]. [20.]
► Pyrosis lasting four days (after
three or four hours), [10]. ► Nausea and Vomiting. ► Nausea and vomiting, [2]. ► Nausea,
then vomiting; the matter vomited contained fragments of seeds and drops
of oil (after three or four hours); the nausea and vomiting are
persistent; the matters vomited are liquid, slightly colored by a little
bile, and contain only a few mucous threads in suspension (after eleven
hours and a half), [10]. ► Nausea (after three or four hours);
followed by vomiting, which contained fragments of the seeds and drops
of oil floating on it; at 5.30 P.M., the vomited matter is fluid,
lightly colored by some bile, and holds some glairy filaments suspended;
the vomiting lasts till 3 A.M.; vomiting again (second and fourth days),
[9]. ►
Violent profuse vomiting, [7]. ► Violent vomiting and purging, accompanied
by burning pain in the gullet and stomach, with all the symptoms of
Asiatic cholera, [6]. ► The following morning he was attacked
with violent vomiting and purging, which continued the whole day, [3]. ►
Vomiting without pain, [2]. ► The substances ejected from the stomach
were of a pultaceous nature, [8]. ► Yellowish-green vomitings and violent
colics (after six hours), [5]. ► Stomach. [30.]
► A kind of bar across the pit of the
stomach, which caused profound anguish (after eleven hours and a half), [10]. ►
A sensation as if a bar lay over his stomach, with profound anguish
(after a few hours), [9]. ► The pit of the stomach is very sensitive,
and from this point as a centre, pains shoot towards the umbilicus and
hypochondria; pressure, whether hard or gentle, neither relieves nor
aggravates them (after eleven hours and a half), [10]. ►
Epigastrium very sensitive, and the pains
radiate towards the navel and hypochondria; neither light nor
strong pressure aggravates the pain, at the same time the patient feels
a sensation of violent constriction in the intestines (after a few
hours); epigastric and abdominal pains continue (second day); abdominal
pains (fourth day), [9]. ► Cramps in the stomach (after three or
four hours), [9], [10]. ►
Burning pain in the stomach accompanied the vomiting, [6].
ABDOMEN.
►
The different segments of the abdominal recti can be seen successively
and individually contracting under the skin (after eleven hours and a
half), [10]. ►
Rumbling in the abdomen, [2]. ► The patient feels as if all his
intestines were violently drawn together (after eleven hours and a
half), [10]. ►
Violent colic, [4]. [40.] ►
Violent colics and yellowish-green vomitings (after six hours), [5]. ►
Cramps with the diarrhœa, [9]. ► Pain over the abdomen increased by
pressure, [8].
STOOL.
►
Violent purging with the vomiting, [6].
► Bloody diarrhœa, [7]. ► *Diarrhœa
without pain, [2]. ► Purging with vomiting, [3]. ► *A few
diarrhœic stools; in three or four hours after taking the seeds the
alvine dejections became more frequent and more copious, they escaped
without griping or colic, in the form of a serous fluid, containing
slimy matter; after about ten hours the
diarrhœa became almost incessant, and was colliquative, the
evacuations presenting the same appearance as in cholera, [10]. ► Stools
frequent and watery, [8]. ► Three or four hours afterwards he passed
several loose stools; the stools became more numerous and copious, were
passed without tenesmus or colic, formed of serous liquid mixed with
mucus; about 4 P.M., the diarrhœa became incessant, with cramps and
chilliness; at 5.30, the diarrhœa becomes colliquative, and the stools
look as in cholera. Diarrhœa continued (second and third days);
moderate diarrhœa without tenesmus or colic (fourth day); some
diarrhœa (fifth day); only two stools (sixth day), [9]. [50.] ► Complete confinement of the bowels for
five days; this made him uncomfortable and caused headache, [11].
URINARY ORGANS.
►
Complete anuria, at 5.30 P.M., since 10 A.M. (first and second days), [9]. ►
At 10 A.M., he passes a small quantity of dark-colored, thick, and
highly albuminous urine (second day); urine still scanty, with large
precipitates, by heat or Nitric acid (third day); still very albuminous
(fourth day); ceases to be albuminous (sixth day), [9]. ►
Complete suppression of urine since taking the seeds (after eleven hours
and a half); emission of a small quantity of deeply-colored, thick, and
highly albuminous urine (second to fifth day), [10].
RESPIRATORY ORGANS.
►
Voice very veiled (after a few hours), [9].
► The voice is decidedly changed
(after eleven hours and a half), [10].
PULSE.
►
The pulse is normal as to frequency, but extremely
small, and now and then scarcely
perceptible at the radial artery (after eleven hours and a
half), [10]. ►
Pulse normal in frequency, but so small that sometimes it can hardly be
felt at the radial artery (after a few hours), [9]. ► Pulse
130, [8]. ►
Pulse weak, [2].
INFERIOR EXTREMITIES.
[60.] ►
Gangrene appeared in one foot and necessitated amputation, [4].
GENERALITIES.
►
Very pale and listless, [8]. ► (Anæmia very marked, with great
lassitude), (fifth day), [10]. ► Profound adynamia, it takes two persons
to support the patient (after a few hours), [9]. ►
Convulsions, [4]. ► Muscular contractions (after a few
hours), [9]. ►
Extreme collapse, accompanied by purging and vomiting, [8]. ► Extreme
lassitude (second day), [9]. ► Great weakness; the patient has to be
held up by two men (after eleven hours and a half), [10]. ► The
muscles of the limbs, as well as of the trunk, are affected with very painful cramps (after eleven hours and a
half), [10]. [70.] ►
Cramps (second day); in long intervals (third day), [9].
SKIN.
►
Jaundice very pronounced (fourth day), [9],
[10]. ►
The skin became saffron yellow, [4].
► A pruriginous eruption, or redness
and itching, at the wrists and bendings of the knees, [1].
SLEEP.
►
A great desire for sleep, [8].
FEVER.
►
Chilliness with the diarrhœa, [9].
► Coldness (after ten hours), [10]. ►
Some fever (second and third days), [9].
► Perspiring freely, [8]. ► The
skin is moist and cool, especially of the extremities (after eleven
hours and a half), [10]. [80.] ►
Forehead covered with cold sweat (after a few hours), [9]; (after eleven hours and a half), [10].
CONDITIONS.
►
Aggravation. ► (Pressure), Pain over abdomen.
SUPPLEMENT: RICINUS.
Authority.
12,
Lond. Med. Gaz., 1840-1, vol. ii, p. 739 (Amer. Hom. Obs., 1876, p. 78).
► It has caused salivation, [12].® 2000
Article