Introduction
An active principle (glucoside) of Digitalis purpurea. (* According to Schmiedeberg, Archiv fur Experiment. Pathol. und Pharmak., 3, 16, Digitalis contains the following active principles, concerning which great confusion has hitherto existed: Digitonine, forming most of the soluble part of the the commercial Digitaline, a glucoside, C31 H53 O17 (very closely allied to Saponine C32 H54 O18); Digitaline, not precipitated by ether from aqueous nor from alcoholic solutions (as is Digitonine), a glucoside, C5H8O2; Digitaleine easily soluble in water (like Digitonine), and also in alcohol (unlike Digitonine); and Digitoxine, the most active principle, the so-called crystallized Digitaline (of Nativelle), insoluble in water, not reducing Cuprum oxide, and therefore not a glucoside, but having the formula C21 H32 O7, and therefore not an alkaloid.
It is probable that the provings and experiments here recorded are from substances composed of more or less of all of the above active principles, excepting that the Digitaline prepared after Homolle and Quevenne contains little or no Digitoxine.-T.F.A. *)
Formula, C5H8O2.
Mind
Strange hallucinations (after two hours); repeated (second day). Agitated. Great agitation (after eleven hours). Irritable and excitable about trifles (nineteenth day). Irritable mood and ill- humor, which I have noticed during the last few days, are decidedly increased to-day (ninth day). Very irritable and sensitive during the past few days, easily vexed by trifles (ninth day). Intellectual. With the languor and prostration, the mental faculties seemed enfeebled, as, while reading for an examination, the eye glanced over the words, but the mind refused to receive or retain their import (12 mill)., (after ninth day).
Head
Confusion and Vertigo. Confusion in the head, especially in the forehead, with slight stitches through the frontal region, after fifteen minutes, in the evening (twenty-first day). Head confused, especially in the forehead, with pulsating pain in the occiput, relieved by walking in the open air, and nearly disappearing by evening (ninth day). Feeling of confusion in the occiput. Tendency to vertigo, while walking. Vertigo, (after two hours in earlier part of first night), etc. Vertigo, with unsteady vision, while sitting; it seems as though distant objects could only be fixed with difficulty (twenty-first day). Vertigo and stupefaction commence after half an hour, with unsteadiness and trembling of the hands (twenty-sixth day). Very violent vertigo, all objects seem to turn horizontally from left to right; on closing the lids the vertigo was somewhat diminished, but returned on opening them; I hoped that repeated opening and closing the lids would put an end to this unpleasant sensation, which was accompanied by nausea, but it was not so; I stood up with some difficulty and dressed myself; even slight stooping or looking up increased the vertigo and also the nausea, together with coldness of the back, quite cold hands, yawning, and at intervals short dry cough, on waking at 7 A.M. (second morning). Sensation of vertigo while standing, with indistinct vision and some confusion in the head (ninth day). Sensation of vertigo and vanishing of the senses, on waking at night; continues to get worse while lying, and obliges him to involuntarily rise (this condition was frequently repeated during the provings). Dizziness. Sensation of dizziness, as though the head was compressed (twenty-fourth day). General Head. Head thrown backwards (second day). Sensation of a rush of blood to the head, in the afternoon (fourth day). Heaviness of head. Heaviness of the head the whole day. Sensation of heaviness in the head, with slight vertigo on rising and stooping, in the evening (twenty-third day). Intolerable pain in head. Head hot and confused towards evening (first day). Headache in the afternoon (first day). Slight headache. Violent headache without disturbance of the intellect. Intolerable headache. Severe lancinating headache. Forehead. Sensation in the forehead and upper part of the nose as though coryza would occur (first day). Heaviness and pressure in the forehead for several hours. Forehead heavy, with feeling of pressure in it, the whole of the second day. Forehead heavy, hot, with here and there pressive pain. Pain in the forehead (twenty-fourth day). Frontal cephalalgia (second, third and fifth days). Severe frontal headache (second day). Forehead heavy, full. Forehead feels full, hot, and heavy, worse while walking. Violent drawing headache in the right forehead and temple in the evening (twenty- sixth day). Pressure in the forehead. Pulsating Pressure in the forehead above the right brow (sixteenth day). Pulsating pressive pains in the forehead (ninth day). Transient sticking headache in the forehead (forty-third day). Sudden, dull stitches in the left side of the forehead, with twitching of the lids in the evening while walking (ninth day). Jerk like throbbing pain in the forehead (nineteenth day). Temples. Pulsating pressive pain in the left temple and frontal region (eighth day). Violent throbbing pain in the left temple twenty-five minutes after the dose (twenty-third day). Violent throbbing pains in the left temple and forehead (twenty-ninth day). Vertex. A headache which in the morning had affected the vertex disappeared towards afternoon (sixth day) Pressure in the vertex, a sensation of distension (after one hour). Parietals. Headache in the morning, worse in the afternoon, and increasing in the evening to a violent migraine (that it was not an ordinary attack of migraine was shown by the fact that the usual attack always occurred in the morning on rising, when it was much worse), (fifth day). Occiput. Dull pain in the occiput (ninth day). Violent boring in the bone in the left side of the occiput. A peculiar sensation of drawing, of raising up in the occiput and vertex; afterwards a pressure in the occiput.
Eye
Objective. Eye glittering (after two hours and a quarter). Very considerable exophthalmia of both sides (after seventy-two hours). Catarrhal affection of both eyes, with soreness of both external canthi with slight secretion; the eyes pain on sewing or reading; slight redness (such an attack had been experienced eight weeks previously, and there was doubt whether this was the result of Digitalinum; the trouble was rather obstinate but did not last as long as the former attack). Slight pain in the eye. Eyes felt as if they had become larger and were starting from their orbits (second day). Violent stitches through the right eye, lasting several minutes, in the afternoon while lying down soon after eating (twenty-sixth day). Orbit. Tension above the orbits. Pressure in the supraorbital region extending to the frontal sinuses, lasting one day (after all three doses). Lids. Eyelids closed (second day). Violent burning itching in the eyelids, obliging him to rub them, without being relieved thereby, lasting about an hour (fourth day). Conjunctiva. Conjunctiva of a lemon color (after seventy-two hours). Ball. The crystalline lens has an opalescent appearance. Pupil. Pupil very slightly dilated and less contractile. Pupils much dilated (after seventy-two hours). The right pupil somewhat larger than the left (nineteenth day). Pupils contracted. Pupils contracted, but sensitive to light (second day). Vision. Impaired vision (second and third days). Dimness of sight (after four to five hours). Sight very dim. Illusions of vision (40 gram.; after one hour). Muscae volitantes, at noon while walking for a short time; in the evening, while walking, it seemed as though the upper part of the field of vision was covered by a dark cloud (twenty-fourth day). Black rings and spots float before the eyes, with some sensitiveness of the eyes to light. Floating of many black spots and rings before the eyes, with general heat (after half an hour). Dazzling of the eyes (one to four days), resembling flashes of light (fourth day). The flame of a candle appears surrounded by a rainbow-colored halo (after four to five hours). Derangement of sight was of two kinds: First, a general mistiness of objects, such as is seen before fainting; and secondly, a large bright spot advancing before him, which sometimes resembled a ring showing prismatic colors faintly, and similar in character to, though less distinct than, that seen round a light when Digitaline has been introduced into the eye. When Digitaline is introduced into the eye, it causes smarting and profuse lachrymation, which passes off in a short time and nothing more is felt, except perhaps an occasional rough feeling of the conjunctiva, till four or five hours after, when, on looking at light, you see it surrounded by a halo, presenting the prismatic colors and not quite close round the light, but with a dark space between. This halo increases in diameter the farther you move from the light, and becomes smaller and narrower as you approach; exactly like the appearance when light cirrhi are crossing the moon.
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.