Cactus

Authorities. 10, Hahn. Month., 11,1876, p. 509, W. Mcgeorge and M. B. Tuller, Report of Bureau of Mat. Med. to West Jersey Horn. Med. Sac.; 11, E. Clark, M.D., U. S. Med. Invest., New Series, 11,1879, p. 345.

Seiipation of constriction of the heart, as if an iron bandf prevented its normal movement,'®.— I inhaled the odor of recently prepared tincture, and immediately thereafter rode to see a patient. When I had ridden a mile I had an uneasy sensation in my stomach like food difficult of digestion, but soon after entering the sick-room thought no more of my stomach. Thirty minutes later found it difficult to cross the sidewalk to enter my carriage. After ten minutes more the vertigo had increased, there was stricture about the chest and stomach, pain in the heart and head. Arrived home and threw myself on the sofa. Now there was violent vertigo, causing me to stagger and reel; violent pain in the head, chest, and stomach ; head felt full as if there were congestion. Pressing pain in the head, like a great weight on the vertex, pressing in the temple.'^, pulsating in the temples, ears, and eyes, as if they would burst outwards. Weakness of sight, objects were not seen clearly ; intolerance of light and sound. Tongue dry and coated, slime in the nares and throat, very thirsty, satisfied with small quantity of water at one time. Profound nausea, lay for hours with my bowl near me, retching many times, with copious discharge of mucus. Terrible pain in the stomach, with pressure from without in ; constriction of the scrobiculus, extending to the hyj)chondria, and as high up the chest as the fifth rib, as if encircled by a hot iron cincture, having involuted edges of an inch in size, pressing more and more, from hour to hour, till respiration was most difficult and distressing. Some cough with much mucous expectoration, which greatly aggravated my sufferings. Attacks of difficult respiration, amounting almost to suffocation, with increasing hard and painful beating of the heart. The heart felt as if compressed violently, and as violently struggled to burst its hands. Pulse very irregular; could not suppress a groan, so great was my distress. At the same time severe pain in the spine, worse in the lumbar region, pressing down the glutei muscles to the inferior extremities. Tearing pains in the shoulders and arms; worse at first in the joints; after twenty-four hours worse in long bones. These symptoms increased for about twelve hours. Ipecac, was used for the nausea and the pain in the head ; after several hours found no relief. Verat. vir. was taken with like nil results. Camphor was used in drop doses once in fifteen minutes for several hours, nil. A most miserable night was passed, not a symptom disappeared ; but the nausea was less distressing, and the iron band was less distressingly close around me. The heart struggled less violently ; the tongue was coated thickly, whitish; thirst considerable; the pains in the extremities remained unchanged. Three mushy motions from the bowels during^ the forenoon, with pain. During the second day I took Bryonia for the pain in the head with some relief. Night found me still in bed, unable to raise my head for vertigo; not a symptom had left its quarters, only a little less violent. During the second night I had a few hours of disturbed sleep, scared with dreams; awakened on the third morning somewhat refreshed, and was able to ’leave my bed for a few hours. All my remedies having failed to relieve the bone pains in my extremities, I now took Eupatorium perf., and was soon so far relieved that sleep came, to my great comfort. The fourth morning found me relieved of all severe suffering, but well in no part which had been the seat of suffering. In about ten days the symptoms disappeared, and I look back upon the horrors of those days of anguish as one escaped from the greatest danger. I remained weak for several weeks, with frequent attacks of palpitation,”.

Footnotes p. 393

† Lippe in his Materia Medica and translation of Rubini, makes this word read “hand,” while in Allen’s Encyclopedia, and Male’s New Remedies, it is written “ band.”