Left index finger has a slight cut; after taking morning sponge-bath the finger was somewhat inflamed and tumefied half way up (fortieth day). When extending the fingers, the center of nails look white, especially the first and second, in the morning (second day). In cutting my finger nails I observe that they seem unusually tough (twenty-fourth day). Pains in right finger and thumb (thirtieth day). Neuralgic pain (slight from same inter metacarpal space) along digital nerve, inner aspect of first phalanx, first finger, right hand, after midnight (nineteenth day). Crampy, then rheumatic pain, whilst writing, in right third knuckle, and above, in the afternoon (twenty-third day). Whilst holding papers in left hand and writing on them, neuralgic twinges in left index finger (twenty-second day).Sharp neuralgic twinge in inner digital nerve of left second finger (twenty-first day). Little finger-joint continues sore, frequently aggravated by friendly grips (thirty-ninth day). Last articulation of right little finger is quite sore to pressure, looks tumid, and a little reddish, in the evening (eighteenth day). The last little finger joint, right side, continues in a sore state; the base of the last phalanx in particular is hypertrophic and inflamed, causing a slight distortion; shaking hands is often quite painful (twenty-fourth day). The last joint of right little finger is tender, the base of last phalanx is tumid, and at the outer portion of the same the skin has a red spot of some size (twenty second day). Proximal palmar portion of last phalanx of right thumb felt sensitive to pressure, as in incipient felon; the spot pressed by spring of my watch-case (sixteenth day). Having day before yesterday accidentally broken my right thumb-nail to the quick, now, whilst riding in a street-car, find it very sore and stiff; later, with heat; aching, at times extending to metacarpal joint, worse from using it, throbbing when hanging down; perceptible swelling; temporary aggravation whilst running hot water on it from hydrant; afterwards much ameliorated; later, entirely gone, in the afternoon (eighth day).
Inferior Extremities.
Objective.
The disease which at first was confined to the neck, face, and arms, subsequently covered the legs; one of them was much swollen, and covered with a scaly eruption, like a species of elephantiasis (in a woman, from packing the sulphate). Walking, recurrence of disposition to aid by gravitation; walking bent forward, to supplement muscular inertia as it were, especially in the calves, in the afternoon (twenty-fourth day). Subjective. Walking about, notice the recurrence of the “wooden feeling,” a sort of constrained, stiff, awkward action of the lower extremities; evening (twenty-sixth day). Walking, the tendons seemed to catch and pain slightly (twenty-second day). Hip. Hips, in walking, feel old and inert; rigid, in the morning (twenty-third day). Just before going to bed, hips feel tired, as if from a long march; almost a stiff feeling; left side worst (fifteenth day).
Thigh. Loss of power in the thighs (second day). Catching, stitch like, in anterior superior portion of left gluteus maximus, while walking, in the afternoon (twenty-fifth day).
During the day, in walking, thighs felt loggy; knees ready to give way (forty-first day). Walking, tired feeling in upper front of thighs, as if overworked, in the afternoon (fourteenth day). Walking, slight recurrence of rigid feeling in rectus muscles of the thighs; then similar sensation posteriorly; then the joint and muscle debility before-mentioned, but this time in the knees, in the afternoon (twenty-fourth day). Rheumatic feeling behind right trochanter, in the afternoon (twenty-fifth day). Standing bent forward, rheumatic feeling in a small portion of left glutens maximus, at noon (twenty-first day). Rheumatic pain along inner border of left rectus femoris, whilst walking (twenty-first day). Walking, rheumatic feeling in right vastus externus, lower half, in the afternoon (thirteenth day). Rheumatic pain in exterior of left thigh and upper fibula, when sitting with limb suddenly doubled up, by leaning far forward; afternoon (twenty sixth day). Walking, increasing tension in rectus muscles of thighs; got almost rigid; obliged to pause to allow it to pass off, in the evening (twentieth day). Standing bent forward, right foot advanced, myalgia along right rectus femoris, exterior aspect, in the afternoon (twenty-sixth day). Overfatigued ache in left rectus femoris, whilst sitting, in the evening (twenty-fifth day). Crampy ache, lower border of right gluteus maximus, in the evening (twenty-fifth day). After jumping from platform of car, cutting across lower half of left rectus femoris, quite sharp, with every step; afternoon (twenty-sixth day). Entering the house, felt crampy cutting across thigh, but this time on the right side, transverse in direction, and in lower half of rectus muscle; on walking out, left thigh again, both on same level; afternoon (twenty-seventh day). Whilst sitting at stool, recurrence of the transverse cutting, in inner and lower portion of rectus femoris, right thigh, in the forenoon (twenty-eighth day). Stitching behind left trochanter, while walking, in afternoon (twenty-fifth day).
Neuralgic twinge behind right trochanter; felt afterwards in walking; also similar crampy feeling at inner border of right scapula, in the afternoon (nineteenth day). Walking, rheumatic twinge recurs behind right trochanter, in the evening (twenty- fourth day). Knee. Began while walking to feel as if the bones at inner half of right knee-joint did not fit, impeding locomotion, increased to a drawing at inner part of popliteal space and up inner hamstring muscles; thought I should have to stop walking; did stop once or twice, and shook limb to relieve tension; it caused awkwardness of gait; subsided while making a call, in afternoon (fifteenth day). Contractive sensation down inner side of right knee; afternoon (twenty-sixth day). Sticking, left upper knee-joint, in evening (twenty-fifth day). Leg. Twitching, left ulnar flexor (twenty- ninth day). Tendons in front of right ulna twitching, quivering (twenty-ninth day). On rising from seat, rheumatic feeling about lower head of right fibula, in the afternoon (twentieth day). Slight pain on inner edge of right ulna, then upper dorsum of same, whilst resting it on table writing, more when ulnar nerve is on the stretch, less on relaxing it, or obviating its compression, in the early morning (twenty-sixth day). Aching over inner lower right tibia, in the evening (twenty-fifth day). Neuralgic aching in the lower half of left leg, in the course of the anterior tibial nerve in the early morning (twenty-sixth day). Twinges in middle of right anterior tibial nerve; evening (twenty-sixth day). Neuralgic twinge in front of lower end of right fibula, in the evening (nineteenth day). Sitting, left knee resting on right, pricking, right inner calf, in the afternoon (twenty-fourth day). Ankle. After resting heel on floor or otherwise, with leg extended, and sleeping, severe feeling as if ankle were injured (thirty- eighth day). Sprained feeling of flexor tendons under left inner malleolus, while standing. Passive forced flexion of left ankle (sitting), followed by slight sprained feeling in front of joint; afterwards, in walking, similar feeling in both sides of astragalus within the joint, down to attachments of internal lateral ligament; later under inside of left in-step, in the afternoon (twentieth day). Sprained feelings now and then under and about left inner malleolus, also in tendo Achillis above ankle, walking (twenty-eighth day). In the morning on rising, sticking sensation below right inner malleolus; had it previous to this when walking, but laid it to a (probable) straw? in my stocking (fourth day). Post- malleolar sticking, left side, in course of posterior tibial artery, in the forenoon (thirty-first day). Foot.
Trembling, especially of the feet, with aching of the malleoli (seventh day). Sensation of numbness in the feet, on walking (twelfth day). Putting on my boots, right foot feels a little swelled, in the evening (seventeenth day). Cramp, outer part of hollow of right foot (twenty-ninth day). Crampy feeling in hollow of left foot, inside (forty-fourth day). Sitting, a crampy pain in outer muscles of right sole, in the early morning (twenty- sixth day). Sharp crampy pain in muscles of outer sole of right foot, when resting it on its inner side, in the evening (twenty- fourth day). Crampy aching quite severe in inner muscles of hollow of left foot; worse while sitting; relieved while standing; continuing to sit, it becomes persistent, and increased in severity (forty-eighth day). Dull pain, as if strained, hollow of right foot, in the afternoon (twenty-fourth day). Sprained feeling in inner part of hollow of right foot (in street-car), in the afternoon (twenty-fourth day). Slight pains at inner calcanear spaces; left, sharp, when walking; right, later, when standing, in the afternoon (first day). Vertical stitch back of right heel (forty-sixth day). At the inner side of left instep, dull twinge (twenty-third day). Some pains continue to recur; besides, yesterday, without known cause, came a severe soreness, like a “stone bruise,” in ball of left foot anteriorly, causing limping (similar to a former symptom in right thumb), continues today (fifty-sixth day). 10 P.M., boots hurt both insteps (fourteenth day). Toes. Gouty (?) pain in right great toe-joint on pressing foot to floor (forty-first day). Rising from bed and standing, sprained feeling of middle toe left side; afterwards about ankle (thirty- first day). While walking indoors, suddenly, on pressing right foot to floor, a sharp separating or rending pain in the great toe-joint, reminding me of gout, something between neuralgia and a sprain; it soon after ceased, and several hours later recurred in a slight degree (twenty-third day). When the warmth got to the feet an inactive corn on left little toe began to twinge under pressure of the slipper; passed off on changing its position, in the evening (seventeenth day).
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.