Ricinus

Ricinus communis, Linn.

Natural order, Euphorbiaceae.

Common names, Palma christ, 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. Gout., 1838, Venice (A. H. Z., 19, 04), 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. Med., 1856 (b. J., 94, 290), a man ate the seeds 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. House de L’Almost, 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, Raph, 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)

Severe headache (third day)

Ffje._The eyes are convulsed and drawn upward in the orbita, the conjunctiva injected, and copious lachrymation; pupils only moderately dilated (after a few hours),9; (after eleven hours and a half)

Far

Buzzing in the ears (after a few hours)

Humming in the ears (after eleven hours and a half)

Face

Features drawn (after a few hours)

Pale face (after a few hours)

Face slightly congested (fourth day)

Face pale; and the features strongly contracted (after eleven hours and a half)

Mouth

Tongue coated white and dry (second day); white (fourth day)

Tongue furred and rather dry

No cerebral symptoms, but twitchings of the mouth were noticed once in the small boy

Throat

Burning pain in the gullet accompanied the vomiting

Stomach

Appetite and Thirst. Anorexia (second day)

No appetite (fourth day); returns (sixth day)

Great thirst

Burning thirst (after a few hours),9; (after eleven hours and a half )

Pyrosis (after three or four hours, and on second and fourth days)

Pyrosis lasting four days (after three or four hours)

Nausea and Vomitifio. Nausea and vomiting

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)

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)

Violent profuse vomiting

Violent vomiting and purging, accompanied by burning pain in the gullet and stomach, with all the symptoms of Asiatic cholera

The following morning he was attacked with violent vomiting and purging, which continued the whole day

Vomiting without pain

The substances ejected from the stomach were of a pultaceous nature

Yellowish-green vomitings and violent colics (after six hours)

Stomach. A kind of bar across the pit of the stomach, which caused profound anguish (after eleven hours and a half)

A sensation as if a bar lay over his stomach, with profound anguish (after a few hours)

The pit of the stomach is very sensitive, aud 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)

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)

Cramps in the stomach (after three or four hours)

Burning pain in the stomach accompanied the vomiting

Abdomen p. 401

The different segments of the abdominal recti can be seen successively and individually contracting under the skin (after eleven hours and a half)

Rumbling in the abdomen

The patient feels as if all his intestines were violently drawn together (after eleven hours and a half)

Violent colic

Violent colics and yellowish-green vomitings (after six hours)

Cramps with the diarrhoea

Pain over the abdomen increased by pressure

Stool p. 401

Violent purging with the vomiting

Bloody diarrhoea

* Diarrhoea without pain

Purging with vomiting

* A few diarrhoeic 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 diarrhoea became almost incessant, and was colliquative, the evacuations presenting the same appearance as in cholera

Stools frequent aud watery

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 diarrhoea became incessant, with cramps and chilliness ; at 5.30, the diarrhoea becomes colliquative, and the stools look as in cholera. Diarrhoea continued (second and third days) ; moderate diarrhoea without tenesmus or colic (fourth day) ; some diarrhoea (fifth day); only two stools (sixth day)

Complete confinement of the bowels for five days ; this made him uncomfortable and caused headache

Urinary Organs p. 401

Complete anuria, at 5.30 p.m., since 10 a.m. (first and second days)

At 10 a.m., he passes a small quantity of darkcolored, 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)

Sexual Organs p. 401

26 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),'®. • Respiratory Organs.

Voice very veiled (after a few hours),9. The voice is decidedly changed (after eleven hours and a half )

Pulse p. 402

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)

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

Inferior Extremities p. 402

Gangrene appeared in one foot and necessitated amputation

Generalities p. 402

Very pale and listless

(Anaemia very marked, with great lassitude), (fifth day)

Profound adynamia, it takes two persons to support the patient (after a few hours)

Convulsions

Muscular contractions (after a few hours)

Extreme collapse, accompanied by purging and vomiting

Extreme lassitude (second day)

Great weakness ; the patient has to be held up by two men (after eleven hours and a half)

The muscles of the limbs, as well as of the trunk, are affected with very painful cramps (after eleven hours and a half)

Cramps (second day) ; in long intervals (third day),9. , Skin.

Jaundice very pronounced (fourth day)

The skin became saffron yellow

A pruriginous eruption, or redness and itching, at the wrists and bendings of the knees

Sleep p. 402

A great desire for sleep

Fever p. 402

Chilliness with the diarrhoea

Coldness (after ten hours)

Some fever (second and third days)

Perspiring freely

The skin is moist and cool, especially of the extremities (after eleven hours and a half)

Forehead covered with cold sweat (after a few hours),9; (after eleven hours and a half)

Conditions p. 402

Aggravation.

(Pressure), Pain over abdomen.