Apocynum Cannabinum

A. cannabinum, L. Nat. order, Apocynacete. Common name, Indian hemp.

Authorities.-^ 1, Black; 2, Peters; 3, Marcy ; 4, Knapp (took infusion of the powdered root in warm water (15 grains to cupful), two tablespoonfuls every fifteen minutes).

Mind p. 426

Bewilder ed

Head p. 426

Unusual heaviness of the head, with aching pains in the small of the back and limbs (evening, eighth day),l

Headache

Eyes p. 426

Woke early in the morning, with severe irritation of the left eye, as if several sharp grains of sand were in it, attended with much heat, irritation, and redness; after lasting several hours, this disappeared as suddenly as it came on,l

Nose p. 426

Without any other sign of having taken cold, he would wake up in the morning with the nostrils and throat filled with thick, wellconcocted yellow mucus, as if he had had a severe catarrh for at leapt seven or ten days, and which had skipped its first stage and commenced in the second, I

Mouth p. 426

Dryness of mouth on waking (fifth morning)

Increased secretion of mucus and saliva from the mouth and fauces, which kept me constantly spitting

Throat p. 426

The bitter subacrid taste was persistent in the fauces

Stomach p. 426

* Thirst on waking,'l

Slight nausea (fifteen minutes)

Nausea

Efforts to vomit (thirty minutes)

Nausea, and even vomiting

After sleeping an hour, woke with extreme sickness, followed by two spells of full vomiting (two and a half hours)

Vomited slightly (one and a quarter hours)

On waking, felt a sinking at the stomach

Occasionally, a sense of sinking at the pit of the stomach

Abdomen p. 426

Decided distension of the abdomen, especially after a moderate dinner; all the sense of fulness seemed about the stomach, liver, and spleen, while the lower bowels did not appear more flatulent than common,l

Occasionally, some flatulence and slightly uneasy sensations in the bowels

Stool and Anus p. 426

Occasionally, it seemed as if diarrhoea would occur, but it did not,l

It proved a gentle cathartic ; " I felt the stimulus of it passing onward into the intestines ;" a gentle movement the next morning without any griping, and the bowels were kept soluble for a day or two

Loose, but not very copious, bilious stools

Increased inclination towards constipation

* Evacuations exceedingly scanty

Bowels sluggish, but fseces not hard or costive

Urinary Organs p. 426

There seemed to be but little expulsive power about the bladder

The little water that ivas passed flowed as easily as if it were oil

Copious secretion of urine

Urine augmented

Urinary secretion increased in quantity, and much lighter in color than in health (eighth day)

Diminished urine (sixth day)

Decided scantiness of the urine

* Urine diminished to one-third the usual amount, without pain or uneasiness about the kidneys or bladder; on the contrary, these organs seemed remarkably comfortable ; they seemed simply torpid, I

Urine generally of a light, golden, sherry-yellow color, not depositing any sediment from exposure to cold

Respiratory Organs p. 426

* Short dry cough

Once during the evening, and twice upon different nights, sudden and violent attacks of hard and frequent coughing, annoying him for at least one or two hours, then disappearing without leaving a trace of cold behind,l

Scanty expectoration of white mucus/.

Irresistible disposition to sigh

* Short and unsatisfadorij respiration

* Sense of oppression about the epigastrium and chest, several times so great that there ivas the greatest difficulty in getting breath enough to smoke a cigar or to speak with any comfort, and this happened after lighter vieak than ordinary

Heart and Pulse p. 427

Pulse, between attacks of vomiting, 45 (two and a half hoars)

Pulse 50 (one and a half hours)

heck iuitl HacJc.

Slight soreness in the region of the kidneys, when bringing the muscles into action

Lower Extremities p. 427

Hard aching several times in both knees, sufficiently severe to make him fear that an attack of inflammatory rheumatism was coming on

Generalities p. 427

General restlessness on going to bed

Weak and sleepy, and went to bed (one and a quarter hours)

Sense of general but transient debility

Though it diminished the pulse, it produced no deathlike prostration

Sleep and Dreams p. 427

On going to bed, desire to sleep, without the ability to do so

Great restlessness and little sleep (fifth night),l

Drowsiness

Fever p. 427

On going to bed, unusual heat of the skin

Sweat

Conditions p. 427

Aggravation.

(Morning), Early, on waking, irritation of left eye, etc. ; on waking, nostrils and throat tilled with mucus ; on waking, dryness of mouth; thirst; nausea; sinking at stomach.

(Evening), Heaviness of head, etc. ; attack of cough.

(iVi^/ii), Attack of cough.

(Going to bed). General restlessness; desire to sleep, etc.; heat of skin.

(After dinner). Distension of abdomen.

(Exerting muscles of the part), Soreness in region of kidneys.

Footnotes p. 426

† No. 1, from Lend. Med. Gaz., 1833 (A. H. Z., 4, 370) ; 2, N. A. J., 4, 529 ; 3, " Peters's Elements;" 4, An Inaugural Dissertation on Indian Hemp, etc., to the Jefferson Med. Coll., by M. L. Knapp, 1825.