Laburnum

Cytisus Laburnum, Linn.

Natural order, Legurainoste.

Common name (German), Gold-repens.

Preparation, Tincture of the bark (which contains the largest proportion of the active principles).

Authorities. 1, Dr. Bonney, Lancet, 1841 (poisoning of children by seeds), W. D. ate one seed ; 2, M. E., aged 9, ate one seed, ibid.; 3, T. B., aged 9, four seeds, ibid.; 4, W. B., aged 8, four seeds; 5, T. G., aged 6, five seeds, ibid.; 6, R. T., aged 9, one seed, ibid.; 7, J. M., aged 9, five seeds, ibid.; 8, J. E., aged 8, one seed, ibid.; 9, E. L., aged 7, one seed ; 10, T. S. Gray, general physiological action, Edin. Med. Jour., 7, 1029; 11, Ch christison, effects of eating broth which contained a piece of bark one or two inches square. Am. Jour. Med. Sci., 1844, p. 236; 12, Lilienfeld, poisoning of four boys by seeds, Prag. Viertlj., 1847 ; 13, North, poisoning of child by the flowers, London Med. Gaz., 1848 ; 14, Hinckeldeyer, Husemann and Wiggers, Jhb., 1873, fatal poisoning of two children; 15, Sedgwick, poisoning of boy by the root, Med. Times and Gaz., 1857; 16, same, in a girl; 17, Usher, poisoning of two boys by seeds, Med. Times and Gaz., 1862, p. 293; 18, Hair, poisoning of children by pods and seeds, Br. and For. Med.-Chir. Rev., Oct. 1869 ; 19, Wheelhouse, fatal tox. of child, aged 5, by seeds and pods, Br. Med. Jour., Jan. 1870; 20, Tinley, poisoning of girl by bolding a twig in her mouth several hours (not swallowing any), Lancet, Ang. 1870; 21, Lesage-Pichou, poisoning of six persons by eating the flowers. Rev. Ther. Du Midi, 1859 (S. J., 103, p. 306); 22, Wilson, poisoning of child by seeds. Lancet, 1871; 23, Dr. K., poisoning of child by pods, N. Z. f. H. Kl., 16, p. 32; 24, Aitken, poisoning of girl, aged 5, by pods, Br. Med. Jour., Oct. 1875; 25, Closet, poisoning of family by eating fritters flavored with flowers (twigs not used), Le Mouveraent Med., 1875 (New Remedies (Wood), vol. 4, p. 355); 26, Porter, poisoning of child, aged 3, by eating flowers, Med. Press and Circular (New Remedies, 4, p. 356); 27, Barth, poisoning of a girl by seeds, Schmidt’s Jahrb., 172, p.

Mind

Etnotioncil. Small doses of the decoction produce at first a little excitement

No anxiety manifested in any way, but a remarkable amount of indifference to all around (one case)

Intellectual When spoken to, he seemed stupid and unconcerned; when roused by a shake, and when asked a question, he would answer by a nod or shake of the head (one case)

Stupefaction

Head

VevtUjO. Constant vertigo, even while lying down; if she attempted to sit upright, she immediately fell back again

Greater number said to be giddy, some wheeling perfectly round several times before and during the times of vomiting

Giddiness prevented him from walking, but he could sit upright (after one hour and a quarter)

Great giddiness (after one hour and a half)

Gefieval Head. The head rigidly thrown back (after three hours)

Head hot

Headache

Dull, lustreless eyes (after one hour and a half)

Eyes dull and surrounded by a livid zone (after one hour and a half)

Eyes sunken (one case)

Eyelids only half open

Eyes mostly closed

Pupils dilated

Pupils dilated in all cases, considerably in some, not so much in others

Pupil much dilated, hut acting readily in strong light (one case)

Great dilatation of pupils

Pupil slightly contracted

Sluggish pupils

Eyes p. 430

Expression anxious

Languid, and very pale countenance (after one hour and a half)

Pallid

Pale countenance

Pale and heavy

Face pale, cold, and of dull expression (one case)

Face pale and expressive of severe pain, augmented from time to time hy a succession of spasmodic muscular contractions, after the fever

Face pale and deathlike (after one hour and a half)

Pale and nauseated

Pale and nauseated, with pulse scarcely perceptible at the wrist

Very pale

Face deathly pale, with blue lips

Twitching of the muscles of the face, with efforts at vomiting

Muscular twitchings about the face and neck (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

Lips blue

Mouth p. 430

Touyne. Tongue white

Tongue clean and moist (after one hour and a half)

Pale, glazed tongue

Tongue dry, glazed, and red

General Wouth. Mouth dry

Dryness of mouth and throat

Mouth and lips parched

Speech very indistinct

Throat p. 430

Burning in the throat, with great thirst

Stomach p. 430

Appetite. Impair-ed appetite

Thirst. Excessive thirst

Greedily thirsty, and grasped at liquids with avidity, seizing the vessel with both hands and draining it

Nausea and Vomiting. Nausea

Constant nausea and eructations

Vomiting ** *®.

Vomiting; the vomited matter mixed with half-masticated pods and seeds of the Laburnum

Vomiting, vertigo, and cold sweats, preceded by slight feeling of malaise, and followed by high fever (after fifteen minutes), (in three ladies)

Vomiting and purging

Vomiting and diarrhoea

The child lay quietly in bed, except that every half an hour she was roused up by vomiting

One vomited repeatedly during twelve hours, another only two or three times, but in the latter case the other symptoms were more violent

Occasional vomiting of a light-brown fluid, in which floated some glutinous and stringy matters; (after half an hour)

Smart vomiting

Attacked by violent vomiting (after five minutes); this continued throughout the evening and night and the next day, with shivering, pain in the stomach and bowels, and great feebleness; vomiting recurred in some degree daily, especially after eating

Repeated violent vomiting

Vomiting had been profuse for two hours (after three hours)

Stomach ejected large quantities of watery secretion

Nothing remained on the stomach, even water or ice was almost instantly rejected

Tried, but was unable to vomit (one case)

Stomach. Pain in stomach

Pain in “belly (stomach), (one case)

Great epigastric pain (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

Burning pain in the epigastric region

Cramplike sensation in the region of the stomach

Abdomen p. 430

Pain in umbilical region

Abdomen distended, tympanitic, very sensitive to pressure

Flatulent distension of the belly

Abdomen flaccid and somewhat painful in hypogastric region (after one hour and a half)

Pain in the abdomen increased by pressure

Colic

Felt his belly sore, but had no marked sickness (one case)

Stool p. 430

Diarrhoea. Diarrhoea, followed by cessation of convulsions

Bloody diarrhoea

Diarrhoea, with tenesmus and slightly sanguinolent stools

Purging on the morning of the second day; continued to recur in some degree daily

Purged considerably

Smart purging

Constantly purged (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

Never vomited at all, but was very much purged (one case)

Watery fluid, with feculent odor, constantly drained involuntarily from the bowels

In the crude form it colors the stools, giving them either a green, clay, or dark appearance

Constipation. The bowels almost always become const! pated

Urinary Organs p. 431

If we measure the quantity of urine passed daily before the administration of the drug, and again after we administer it, we shall find in the latter case that the quantity is increased, usually to the extent of a few ounces; in some cases we shall find scarcely any perceptible increase

Respiratory Organs p. 431

Breathing stertorous (after three hours)

Breath-sounds clear (one case)

Respiration accelerated after the fever

Hurried and labored respiration

Breathing occasionally hurried aud deep (one case)

Breathing slow; expiration very markedly prolonged

Heart and Pulse p. 431

Heart’s action rapid and tremulous (one case)

Excitable pulse, with disordered circulation

Pulse rapid, 130 (one case)

Pulse weak aud rapid

Pulse soft, feeble, and rapid

Pulse alarmingly weak and frequent (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

There is a slight increase of the pulse, and the respiratory movements are also a little accelerated; this effect is transitory, and the pulse soon falls to a little below the normal standard ; these symptoms are succeeded by languor and tendency to sleep

Pulse, in all but two cases, over 100,'®.

Pulse 120, small (one case)

Pulse 100, moderately full

Pulse 95, very small and feeble (after one hour aud a half)

Pulse 85, small

Pulse small

[HO.] Low and feeble pulse

Pulse weak

Pulse scarcely perceptible at the wrist

Pulse imperceptible (after three hours)

Extremities in General p. 431

Jerking and trembling of the limbs

Extremities Aveak and cold

Inferior Extremities p. 431

Some had a peculiar twitching in their walk

Generalities p. 431

Objective. Convulsions ®®.

Transitory languor and somnolence, but this soon passed off, leaving marked insomnia, which lasted through the night (after nine hours)

Very weak (after one hour and a quarter); quite prostrate ('after one hour and a half)

Great debility

Exhaustion

Prostration

Great prostration of strength (after one hour)

Complete collapse, Avith great restlessness, AAith perfect consciousness

In an almost dying state (after three hours)

Extreme, intractable restlessness, ending in incessant aud almost frantic jactitation

Subjective. Felt faint aud giddy (after one hour and a half)

Slight feeling of malaise, followed by vomiting, vertigo, and cold sweats, succeeded by high fever (after fifteen minutes), (in three ladies)

All the symptoms appeared in five out of the seven persons Avho had partaken of the fritters, but in various degrees of intensity; in the case of a vigorous man the symptoms did not supervene until two hours after the repast; in the case of a servant Avho had eaten the fritters cold, the symptoms did not appear for ten hours

Sleep p. 431

Sleepiness. Sleepiness

Remarkably sleepy

When not disturbed, inclined to doze (one case)

Drowsiness ®.

Considerable drowsiness (after one hour and a half)

Transitory somnolence aud languor, but this soon passed off, leaving marked insomnia, Avhich lasted through the night (after nine hours)

Sleeplessness. Intervals of restlessness and tossing from point to point in the bed alternated with others of heavy drowsiness

Fever p. 432

Chilliness. Surface of body pale, remarkably cold, almost marble-like

Surface of body continued pale and cold, and yet there was remarkable impatience of even the slightest covering

Cold skin (after one hour and a half)

Skin, especially of extremities, cold,^l

Skin very cold and clammy (after one hour and a half)

Body cold (after three hours)

Very cold,*k

Every now and then severe rigors shook his frame (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

Extremities cold,*%- (one case)

Sweat. Skin covered with clammy perspiration (after half or three-quarters of an hour)

Cold sweats, vomiting, vertigo, preceded by slight feeling of malaise, and followed by high fever (after fifteen minutes), (in three ladies)