Amygdala Amaræ Aqua

Amygdalus communis, L. (includes A. amara and A. dulcis). Nat. order, Rosacese. Common names, Bitter almond, Mandelbaum, Amandier. Preparation, An ounce of alcohol is added to a pound of bitter almonds, then add six pounds of water, and distil down to three pounds (Joerg).

Authorities.^ 1, Engler; 2, Meurer ; 3, Siebenhaar ; 4, Joerg; 5, Schwartz ; 6, Pierre; 7, Wolf ; 8, Chivoud ; 9, Pouzaire; 10, Brodie (took the oil); 11, Bullet, de Therap. ; 12, Haller; 13, Giacomini ; 14, Mestzdorf ; 15, Chavasse (oil) ; 16, " B.;" 17, " X." (Annal. d. Montpellier) ; 18, Rassi (Fr. Mag., 1, 13) ; 19, Cattell (B. J., 11) ; 20, Smith (Lancet, 1844), (t. from oil) ; 21, Leathery (Lancet, 1845) ; 22, Purely (Lancet, 1855), {t. from oil) ; 23, Bellis (Lancet, 1863), (t. from oil.)

Mind

Mild delirium ; the patient stammers incoherently

Appearance of intoxication

Complete intoxication

She is so much affected that she can hardly utter a word (after four hours)

The feelings were deeply affected ; she began to weep

Extreme anxiety

She falls •down unconscious (in ten minutes)

Loss of consciousness

(In a hypochondriac, forty-eight years old ; from an emulsion of bitter almonds.)

Loss of consciousness, of voice, and of motive power (in a child of three years, after five or six bitter almonds)

Senseless

Coma, with stertorous respiration and involuntary stools ; but she revives suddenly and looks wildly about her/

Head p. 307

Heaviness and confusion of head and of thought

Heaviness and confusion of head as in beginning coryza, with a diminished (five beats) pulse (fifty drops)/.

Confusion of head

General confusion of the head (forty drops)

Complete confusion of whole head, which in the afternoon was confined to the left side. Also inclined to sleep during the afternoon, and was weary (forty drops)

The whole forenoon, the left half of the head was confused ; it gradually passed off by noon

Vertigo, in strong air

Vertigo, as if intoxicated, followed by sudden death (from taking many bitter almonds)

Head drawn between shoulders

Violent headache

The whole night (after twenty drops), violent headache spread over the whole head, which disturbed the sleep ; pulse depressed

During the forenoon a sense of heaviness in the forehead

Slight pressure in forehead

Sense of weight and oppression on top of head, 'I

Eyes p. 307

Sunken eyes

The eyes are turned upwards ; they become fixed and seem about to start from their sockets

Eyes glassy

The eye had a brilliant and glassy appearance throughout ; mere physical brilliancy, ^vitJioid mental expression

Excessive brilliancy of the eyes

Eyes wide open and motionless

Eyes closed, cold

Eyelids closed,™.

Spasmodic movements, especially of the eyelids

Upper eyelids convulsed, for some hours

Eyeballs remarkably prominent, accompanied with Rolling motion, and nearly protruding from their sockets

Eyes open and rolling from side to side

Eyes both drawn to left side

Contracted pupils

Pupils dilated

Fully dilated pupils, 'I

Pupils widely dilated, and insensible to light

Motionless pupils

Dimness of sight

Ears p. 307

Ears white and cold

Humming in the ears

Nose p. 307

Nose white and cold

Face p. 307

Pale face '®.

Face becomes deadly pale

Face yellowishgray and moist

Countenance very much flushed,^l

Spasmodic distortion o the features (after some minutes)

Frequent convulsive action of muscles of face and neck

Sardonic laughter ; joyful countenance ; sparkling eyes

Lips pale and bluish

Lips white and cold

Mouth p. 307

Tou<rue dry and coated

Mouth tightly closed

Froth at the mouth

The breath has a strong smell of bitter almonds

Considerable swelling of, and undulatory motion in the jugular veins ; the carotids beat quickly and fully

Throat p. 307

Deglutition is impossible

Burning sensation in throat

Excessive burning heat in laryngo-pharyngeal region

Stomach p. 307

Nausea and vomiting of food

Vomiting

Vomiting of a bitter, viscid substance.'l

Vomiting of large quantities of food and bile smelling strongly of prussic acid

A disagreeable feeling which seems to ascend from the epigastric region (immediately)

Abdomen p. 307

Abdomen relaxed, soft, hardly of natural warmth

Pains in abdomen

Colicky pains, which increase, until, in less than two hours, the abdomen is distended lice a balloon ; convulsive movements of the jaws; loss of consciousness and frothing at the mouth ; then sudden death (in a child, from taking milk of bitter almonds)

Copious, feculent, but especially watery evacuations

Stool seldom

Urinary Organs p. 307

Scanty and painful urination

Sexual Organs p. 307

Penis shrivelled

Respiratory Organs p. 308

Increased discharge of mucus from the larynx

Scraping in larynx (eight drops)

Scraping in the larynx (after twenty-four drops)

[^0.] Hoarseness caused by the scraping in the larynx

Panting for breath

Short, panting respiration ; suffocative attacks

Breathing stertorous

Slow, stertorous breathing, which keeps getting slower

Breathing stertorous, and at long intervals

Breathing slow and gentle

Respiration scarcely perceptible

Respiration heavy

Difficult respiration

Chest p. 308

The chest heaved spasmodically, and its movements were hurried

Oppression of chest

Several transient stitches and pains coming and going just under the left nipple, deep in the chest; it made respiration difficult (twelve drops)

Heart and Pulse p. 308

Heart beats very feebly

Beat of heart feeble, sometimes intermittent

Pulse strong, frequent, and wiry

Pulse at first small, frequent, and intermittent, then slow and regular

Pulse full and strong, but slovv

Pulse slow, full, and moderately hard

Pulse slow and vibrating

Pulse from 70 down to 64 (quarter of an hour), (ten drops)

Pulse 100, 130, 140; very small, thready

Pulse, from 70 down to 61 (one hour), (five and thirty-five drops)

Pulse sank to 50, in quarter of an hour, for an hour (after thirty and forty drops)

Pulse, 30 ; very feeble in carotid and radial arteries

Pulse small

Pulse slow and flickering

Diminished pulse

Pulse scarcely perceptible,'l

The pulse becomes imperceptible

Extremities in General p. 308

Limbs were completely lax, and fell lifeless when lifted

Unsteadiness of the limbs

Upper and lower extremities cold

Heaviness of extremities and whole right thigh

Lower Extremities p. 308

Could not stand on legs,'l

Formication in the legs, with staggering gait

Knees flexed on the abdomen

Generalities p. 308

Convulsions

Most violent convulsions, which last almost three-quarters of an hour

The convulsions returned after a quarter of an hour; but less violently (tinct. op. simp, palliated them)

General tetanus

Complete opisthotonos

Excessive languor

General debility (from seven bitter almonds)

Feeling of weakness, as if the muscular vigor was deficient, and he would fall down

Fainting,". Syncope

Death in thirty minutes

General malaise

Weight on the eyes, and in the limbs

Skin p. 308

Skin blue and bluish-red, especially on scrotum, where it was blue and almost greenish-yellow

Wheals over the whole skin

Urticaria febrilis

Sleep and Dreams p. 308

Yawning, with irresistible tendency to sleep

Drowsiness

Inclined to sleep the afternoon

In the afternoon and evening depression, inclination to sleep through the night a sound and deep sleep, from which it was difficult to rouse ; he felt as though he had not slept enough (fourteen drops)

-She is plunged in a deep stertorous sleep

Fever p. 308

General coldness

Surface cold and clammy

Conditions p. 308

Kg^xa,V2^,toxi.

(Forenoon), Lethal of head confused ; heaviness in forehead.

(Afternoon), Confusion of left side of head ; inclined to sleep; depression, etc.

(Evening), Depression, etc.

(Night), Headache, etc. ; deep sleep.

(Strong air), Vertigo.

Footnotes

† Nos. 1 to 4, from Joerg's Materielen ; 5 to 10, from Hartlaub and Trinks ; 11 to 17, from " Pathogenesis," Journ. d. 1. Med. Horn., 1845-50.