Cuprum

Authorities. 56, R. A. Stafford, Loud. Med. Gaz., 1844-5 (Amer. Horn. Obs., 1876, p. 77, E. W. Berridge’s Collection), Margaret P., set. sixtyeight years, pricked her right thumb with a pin, which ran into the flesh

about one-eighth inch; she often scoured out a dirty copper; 57, same,

poisoning of Hester J., set. sixty-five years; 58, E. W. Berridge, U. S.

Med. Invest., vol. iii, 1876, p. 282, took ten doses of 3 glob, each of 100,000th

(Fincke), at intervals of one to one and a half hours.

Head

Afternoon, giddy when standing indoors (ninth day)

Throat

In morning mucus in throat, not to be detached by hawking, causing hoarseness of voice (second and third days) ; at times hoarse voice when reading aloud, caused by mucus iu the throat, relieved by hawking; in the evening after sunset, when reading aloud, much saliva iu mouth (sixth day) ; iu evening after sunset, when reading aloud, hoarseness and much saliva in mouth (ninth day) ; hoarse voice in the morning (fifteenth day)

Generalities p. 501

The thumb immediately swelled to double its natural size. Next day the whole hand and arm became immensely swollen and inflamed. She had great pains; fever came on, with quick pulse, thirst and furred tongue; the inflammation rapidly spread in the cellular integument of the forearm, or on the humeral part; leeches, fomentations, poultices, etc., were applied, but extensive abscesses formed, both in the hand and arm ; these-were opened, but others appeared in different parts of the cellular integument, and under the fascia; large incisions were made in them, and a profuse discharge of pus followed. This state of things remained for at least two mouths, when the inflammation of the arm gradually abated, and the wound healed ; but the hand, and more particularly the fingers, remained humid, and more resembled the foot of an elephant (or the disease called elephantiasis) than the natural limb. The fingers and back of the hand were cedematous, and it was necessary to make frequent punctures iu them to let out the fluid, which was transparent; abscesses still formed in the palm and wrist, which were opened when necessary ; at length it became necessary to make an extensive incision from the middle of the forearm along the wrist, over the tendons, into the palm. From this*time the swelling went down, and the wound discharged freely ; after four mouths treatment she got well, and ultimately will have a tolerably free use of the hand

She was admitted January 21st, with abscesses in right hand, a diffuse cellular inflammation, extending a considerable way up forearm ; both hand and arm were immensely swollen, and painful ; she says the copper wires of the brush she was using, which were “cankered ran into her palm; on the same evening her hand was extremely painful, and she could not use it; it began to swell to nearly double its natural size; an abscess formed iu the palm, which was opened and poultices applied ; other swellings formed, both on the back and palm of hand, containing pus; these, as fast as they occurred, were opened, but sloughing took place over the tendons of the wrist, which were exposed. This state lasted two months; at length the wounds healed, and iu March she was discharged cured,'’k