Introduction
Nitro-benzine (“essence of mirbane,” or “artificial” oil of bitter almonds).
Formula, C12H5NO4.
Prepared by heating Benzol with Nitric acid; the oily fluid formed is washed and rectified;it is miscible with Alcohol, has an odor of bitter almonds, and is very poisonous.
Mind
Extreme mental excitement (after two hours).
Inability to think connectedly.
Unconscious (after a quarter of an hour).
Unconscious, with leaden color, livid lips, moderately warm skin, and weak, irregular pulse.
Unconscious, with livid face, purple lips, dilated pupils, slow, difficult, and scarcely perceptible respiration, and death.
Loss of consciousness.
Loss of consciousness, fell from twenty-four hours.
Comatose some hours.
Complete coma, which appeared suddenly. Profound coma, with livid, purple face, closed eyes, moderately dilated pupils, cold skin, difficult, slow respiration, pulse small, slow or accelerated, irregular.
Head
Vertigo.
Vertigo and headache.
Sensation of formication under the scalp, or as if the hair was bristling up.
Eyes and Ears
The white of the eye had a livid look, vessels greatly enlarged, pupils much dilated, insensible to the light.
Strabismus.
Staring eyes.
Lids closed.
Great injection of the conjunctiva bulbi.
Eyeballs roll from right to left constantly.
Eyeballs constantly roll on their vertical axis.
The eyeballs showed a constant turning inward and outward in a slow regular motion, with the visual axes perfectly parallel.
Eyeballs seemed enlarged.
Pupils dilated, etc.
Pupils dilated, sluttish.
Violent roaring in the ears, and sounds.
Face
Expression stupid.
Stupid expression of face (after four hours).
He looked stupid and sick (after four hours).
Face puffy, swollen, and had a relaxed look.
Cyanotic face.
Face cyanotic (fourth hour).
Face blue.
Blue color in the face (after twenty minutes).
Face blue and pale.
Face bluish-gray, sunken.
Face red.
Face red, with purple lips and cold skin (after two hours).
Trismus.
Trismus and tetanus.
Lips of a dark blue color.
Mouth
Tongue white, somewhat swollen.
Tongue thick and soft. Mouth clenched.
Mucous membrane of lips and mouth livid and swollen.
Stammering speech.
Stomach and Abdomen
Burning in throat and stomach.
Nausea (after four hours).
Inclined to vomit.
Vomiting.
Vomiting (after half an hour).
Vomiting while unconscious.
Vomited what he had eaten (after four hours).
Pains in the abdomen.
Respiratory Apparatus
Sighing respiration.
Respiration rattling, frequently interrupted.
Respiration regular, somewhat difficult; on auscultation, mucous rales in the large bronchi.
Respiration short and rapid (after three hours).
Respiration exceedingly slow, so that it frequently seems to cease.
Respiration and pulse continued to become slower until the patient dies.
Respiration difficult, catching, and accelerated.
Chest
Oppression of the chest.
Severe oppression of chest.
Heart and Pulse
Heart exceedingly irregular (after two hours). palpitation (after half an hour).
The hears beat 120 a minute; carotid and temporal arteries pulsating.
Pulse small, rapid.
Pulse 100, very weak, and irregular.
Pulse 130, weak, and intermitting (after two hours).
Pulse full and slow.
Pulse scarcely perceptible.
Neck and Back
Stiff neck.
Stiffness of the neck, trismus, and fibrillar twitchings in the masseter muscles.
Extremities
Twitchings in the hands and feet.
Twitchings in arms.
Arms spasmodically flexed.
Arms spasmodically flexed, sometimes extended.
Arms spasmodically flexed at first, afterwards relaxed.
Finger nails colored blue.
Generalities
Gait tottering and uncertain, as if intoxicated.
Tottering gait, and tendency to fall.
He walked like a drunken man, staggering here and there.
Violent convulsions.
Convulsions paroxysmal.
Convulsions and loss of consciousness; the head sunk upon the shoulder; purple lips, and clenched teeth; the eyes closed (sixth hour).
Chronic cramps and tetanus.
Tetanic convulsions, relieved fro a few minutes by dashed of cold water, and followed by deep coma.
Tetanic spasms of the flexor muscles, especially of the upper extremities and of the masticators.
Faintness.
Sinking.
Was obliged to lie down on account of exhaustion (after half an hour).
Symptoms come suddenly, several hours after taking.
Skin
The skin, especially the face and neck, also of the extremities, was livid. skin bluish-gray.
Skin dry and cyanotic, lips blue.
Irritability of the skin completely lost.
Sleep and Dreams
Sleepiness.
Complains of sleepiness (after four hours).
Fever
Skin cold.
Sweat on the forehead and face.
Conditions Amelioration
(Dashing cold water), Tetanic spasms.
Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.