Lobster. *N.O. Crustacea. Triturations of sugar of milk saturated with the digesting fluid of the lobster, a thick, reddish, offensive liquid contained in a sac situated at the back of the mouth.
Clinical
Back, pains in. Bones, pains in. Coryza. Diaphragm, pain in. Dyspepsia. Eyes, affections of. Flatulence. Granular throat. Headache. Liver, pains in. Oedema. Paralysis, nervous. Pruritus. Sleep, disordered. Spleen, pains in. Throat, sore. Wrist, pain
in.
Characteristics
The effects of lobster on some persons and under some conditions are well known. In order to thoroughly study the effect A. M. Cashing adopted the happy idea of proving the specific lobster poison, and the result has been a very valuable addition to our armamentarium (H. R., iii. 98). *Homarus is an agent of great activity, as the subjoined symptom list will show. Persons have been known to die after eating lobster and thereafter drinking milk. Cushing put a little of the poison into warm milk, and in ten minutes it was a hard mass. Papoid soon dissolved it, but pepsin took much longer. Cushing found that milk aggravated his symptoms during the proving. ” worse From milk” should be a strong indication for its use. The more prominent symptoms of the proving were: Sore throat, which was quite severe, felt dry, looked much inflamed with large blood-vessels, and appeared granulated, headaches, deranged digestion, pains in back, sexual excitement, disturbed sleep. Here is a peculiar symptom not infrequently met with in dyspeptics: “At 3 p.m., ate a plain dinner, and at 7 drank a little milk, at 12 (midnight), after a
few minutes’ sleep awoke *with hurried desire for stool, and was relieved by passing a large amount of wind. After much effort passed a large, long, tenacious stool.” For patients who are awakened in the night by the necessity to pass wind, *Hom. should be the remedy. Pains were sharp and sudden, compelling him to sit down. A curious sensation was: “Felt as though could not move, on moving no pain, felt better by moving.” On this indication, with others, Cushing cured a case with *Hom. 4X. The patient had headache, sore throat, loss of appetite, and when she awoke in the morning felt as if she could not move at all. On receiving *Hom. there was a speedy restoration of keen appetite, both for food and work, and loss of headache and sore throat. Another cured case had the following symptoms: “No appetite, distress in stomach, restless sleep, *very tired in morning.” A case of frequent “bilious spells” was also cured in a man who had *Nux and *Dioscorea with only temporary relief. The symptoms generally are worse after sleep, in the morning on waking, at night, on drawing a long breath, from drinking milk. better From motion, from passing wind, after eating, from inhaling cold air. L. H. Hallock relates (Medorrhinum Adv., xxii. 311) a personal experience. An hour after eating a small amount of lobster salad, general pruritus commenced, worse in lower extremities, especially the calves. The itching was of a biting, burning character, not better by rubbing or scratching, almost unendurable. It lasted two hours in spite of bathing with hot and cold water, fresh and salt. No sooner had the itching abated than lips, nose, eyes began to swell, till the eyes were closed and lips almost completely inverted. Throat swollen and oedematous so that it was almost impossible to breathe, profuse salivation. Eight hours after the meal he had the appearance of a severe and protracted debauch. In twenty-four hours was as well as ever. Once subsequently he had a like experience after eating lobster.
Relations
*Compare: Sepia, Murex, Aster. r. Ast. fl., in cold damp feet, Calcarea, Lachesis ( worse after sleep), Hydrast., Phytolacca, Pic-ac., in worse from milk, Calcarea, Chi., Conium, nitricum acidum, Sepia Sul., Mag-c. AEthus.
Causation
Milk, effects of.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Frightened feeling. Dull. Nervous but with dread of moving.
Head
Headache, in morning, sharp at times, mostly in temporal region, worse left Dizziness. Frontal pain, just above eyes, at times worse in left temporal region, from over eyes to occiput, worse left side, sharp, over left eye, had to scowl and rub the parts. Pain: sharp, in temples (right), in left temple, and in occiput, in front part of left temple.
Eyes
Aching in eyes. Aching in right eye and above left angle of right Aching in left eye with soreness to touch. Aching from left side of right eye to occiput. Aching in left eye when rising, later in right, as if something had been blown in the eye suddenly. Smarting in eyes. Aching pain in left ball, not much affected by the light. Lids stuck together in the morning. Oedema of lids. Profuse lachrymation.
Ears
Frequent stabbing through lower lobe of left ear, had to pinch
it.
Nose
Stinging in nasal passages. Burning in nasal passages extending to throat after rising. Sensation of mucus in left nostril. Nose stopped in morning. Discharge from the nose, watery, from left nostril. Sneezed often.
Mouth
Profuse salivation.
Throat
Pain near left ear, sharp, sudden, transient, in left side of throat, occasionally extending to ear. Smarting and redness of throat, worse right side, back of it looks as if covered with tough mucus, constant accumulation of mucus in fauces, next day throat sore and burning, looks mottled, vessels show plainly, sticky mucus in mouth and throat, smarting in throat, worse left side. Throat dry and sore on waking, looked granulated, expectoration salt. Irritation, of left side. Sore and raw feeling, burning, posterior fauces grey and covered with membrane or tough mucus, vessels show plainly where there is no mucus or appearance of deposit. Soreness: worse left side, less on right than posterior parts, better by cold air. Smarting and inclination to cough better opening mouth wide and inhaling very cold air. Pain in left side of throat, ear, and neck, it seems to be in the muscles rather than the mucous membrane, better holding side of head with the hand. Tingling, and inclination to cough, raised white mucus. Burning in throat, right side, and in oesophagus, stomach and bowels. Oedema of throat so great he could hardly breathe.
Stomach
Belching forth of tasteless wind in the morning. Pain all the forenoon, with occasional hot flashes. Sharp pain after a light breakfast. Distress in stomach, on waking in the night, better in morning, returned in evening, before and after a light breakfast, after a plain dinner, followed by a little ice-cream, through to back, worse near spine, several times during the day, around body at epigastric region before rising, extending down back to region of kidneys. Burning in stomach.
Abdomen
Pain: in diaphragm, in hypochondria, lower part of liver, liver and spleen, in liver and spleen during the day, in liver, worse evening. Sharp pain in region of liver (in morning), in left lobe of liver, in region of liver, worse drawing a long breath, under ends of left floating ribs after retiring, appeared to be in the spleen.
Stool and Anus
Frequent transient inclination to stool during the day. Alternate diarrhoea and constipation, changing every three or four days. After a few minutes’ sleep awoke with hurried desire to pass stool, better by passing large amount of wind. After much effort passed large, long tenacious stool (in night).
Male Sexual Organs
Long-continued excitement every morning, and in night.
Respiratory Organs and Chest
Difficult breathing after retiring. Sharp pain in back side of left lung. Pain: through chest, in sides, in right lung, through center of right lung. Pain in center of left lung after retiring, and around body at diaphragm, in center of right lung and through to scapula. Burning distress at right of lower end of sternum, in both sides with difficult breathing. Intense oedema of throat rendering breathing almost impossible.
Heart and Pulse
Pulse full, rolling.
Back
Aching: just below diaphragm, in center of right scapula in morning, inside of scapula, worse right Sharp pain at superior spinous process of left ilium. Sharp pain, transient, sudden, in right side near kidney, forcing him to sit down.
Upper Limbs
Grinding pain just above elbows. Pains: in arms and legs, in left arm in afternoon, just above elbows, worse right Pain just above right elbow seemed to be in the bone, left forearm and wrist. Pain in left wrist in afternoon.
Lower Limbs
Pain in right thigh and leg. Pain: in legs worse above knees, in bones of left leg after going to bed, in knees, in left ankle, in feet, with burning. Lame pain in right knee. Knees weak, worse right, worse afternoon. Knees weak and trembling. Left foot lame through metatarsophalangeal joints at times.
Generalities
Pain somewhere all day, in eyes and various parts of body and limbs after retiring. Strange feeling all over, was not dizzy, but when trying to take hold of door-knob could not do it readily, but put my hand all around it and was frightened. Felt sick, unable to move, better moving. Dull feeling. Nervous feeling, but dread of moving. Restlessness. Weakness, worse walking. Better After eating, after dinner.
