Skin
Earthy color of skin (after thirty-eight years). Skin pale, soft. Skin pale dry. The skin on the back of the hands was thin and glistening. So full of Mercury, that putting a piece of brass in his mouth, or rubbing it in his fingers, it immediately became white like silver, as if he had rubbed Mercury upon it. Very great desquamation of the thickened epidermis of both legs; the scales are rather red; under them the skin has a dark- red pigmented look; formerly there had been numerous small ulcers on the legs, followed by this desquamation. Fresh wounds healed very slowly. Eruptions, Dry. Papular eruption. Feverish, eruptive exanthem resembling roseola, which began first in the throat and face and from these parts spread all over the body (five or six days after appearance of other symptoms); in six days it disappeared without leaving any trace. Papulous exanthema over the whole body, with nightly bone- pains. Maculous, papulous, or even squamous eruptions; the latter especially in old people (on the chest, back and scalp); these eruptions often appeared suddenly, lasted a few weeks and then disappeared, and then again returned. Psoriasis in spots over the whole body. Urticaria on the genitals and thighs, and in spots on the chest and abdomen, lasting two days. An itching and redness between the fingers, also a swelling of the face, and especially of the inner side of the elbow; with a somewhat altered of bodily feeling, and a sense of loathing. On one occasion, a letter was brought to me by a countryman, who had carried it in his bosom, next to an undergarment which he had besmeared with mercurial ointment for the destruction of lice. Scarcely had he produced it, before a swelling bigger than a hen’s egg appeared on my hand, and my face puffed up and became red and itching. Eruptions, Moist. It is an erythema, upon which vesicles form, and pour out a thinnish, clear fluid. The vesicles are quickly broken, the contents desiccate, and the redness remains for a week or ten days. (It is clearly a local disease, and not a true eczema). Groins and thighs very itchy and painful, with eruption on thighs (after ten days). Very copious red eruption and general erythema all over the thighs. Eruption slightly elevated above skin and somewhat rough to touch. It extended pretty generally over lower extremities, and had also appeared on arms and hands. In some places, small vesicles (after twelve days). Erythema has extended over arms, and the eruption over greater part of body. An exudation of a serous, yellowish fluid has also taken place, particularly from the inside of his thighs, groins, and contiguous parts, which when dry, stiffens his linen (after fourteen days). In a few days, the erythema had extended over the whole skin, which was everywhere very painful, somewhat swelled, and most distressingly itchy, attended with a considerable desquamation of the cuticle. The exudation became more general, frequent, and copious; the smell which issued from him was peculiar and every offensive. Cuticle begins to come off in large portions. The discharge is attended with a most unpleasant and peculiar odor. Trunk of body and extremities, particularly feet, considerably swelled (after twenty-two days). Exudation more general and copious than it has yet been, attended with much itching. Smell from discharge still more offensive (after twenty- three days). Swelling of face so considerable this morning when he awoke, as nearly to close his eyes. The cuticle is falling off in portions of very considerable size, especially from his hands. Feet still more swelled, and of a deeper red color (after twenty four days). Erythema continues almost general, the pain and itching very distressing the exudation very profuse, and the fetor exceedingly offensive. Lips and eyelids more swelled; tarsi and eyes considerably inflamed (after twenty-five days). The exudation which had taken place on the forepart of the breast, belly, and extremities, is also coming from his face to day, which is more swelled, and there is considerable desquamation from his shoulders and back (after twenty-six days). Copious exudation from the breast. Considerable desquamation from the face (after twenty-seven days). Exudation very general. Desquamation begins to extend to hairy scalp (after twenty-eight days). Back very itchy, as usual before the exudations, which, however, have been rather less frequent for several days; but his skin continues very painful, the fetor very strong, and large portions of the cuticle are falling off (after thirty days). Some swelling in many places where the cuticle had peeled off. The newly formed cuticle cracked during the night, and a considerable exudation succeeded (after thirty-two days). Exudation diminished; but skin still very painful and feet and hands much swelled (after thirty-four days). Exudation again more profuse (after thirty-six days). Exudation very profuse (after thirty- eight days). Swelling of hands nearly gone; that of feet continues, and the newly formed cuticle is coming off lower extremities in pretty large portions (after thirty-nine days). Exudation much diminished (after forty-four days). Exudation nearly gone except from back of head; but skin still itching, and very painful, especially when he moves; feels as if his flesh was cracking in pieces (after forty-seven days). Skin more painful (after forty-eight days). Some exudation for last two days, with restless nights (after fifty days). Less pain and itchiness of skin to-day, but some exudation (after fifty-one days). Some flushing of face, and increased redness of trunk and extremities. Some exudation from different parts (after fifty-two days). Redness of trunk and extremities; pain and itchiness diminished. Exudation more general, and there is a discharge of purulent matter from his hands (after fifty-four days). Exudation chiefly from back (after fifty-six days). State of skin still occasions considerable uneasiness; some exudation from back of head, from which the hair is falling off (after fifty-seven days). Two small tumors, one on left breast towards sternum, the other on lumbar region of same side, which seem to contain a fluid, and are of a darker color than the rest of skin, but are very little painful (after fifty-nine days). Skin much better, itchiness much less troublesome, and smell much less offensive (after sixty days). Feet very tender (after eighty-three days). The soles of the feet continued so tender for many weeks, that he could hardly put them to the ground; on which account, he remained in the hospital for a considerable time after he was quite well in every other respect. Whole surface of body hot and itching, with swelling and inflammation of the integuments, most considerable on face and eyelids. These symptoms were preceded and accompanied with alternate cold and hot fits, languor, prostration of strength, loss of appetite, thirst, and watchfulness. She continued in this state for fourteen days, when a scarlet eruption appeared over the whole cuticle, particularly on inside of arms, thighs, and legs; attended with an exudation, which was greatest from the groins and thighs, and with a disagreeable smell. In a few days, the eruption became dry and white; and afterwards the cuticle peeling off, and leaving the cutis very itching and tender, the new cutis became affected in the same way as the former. Eruption of many large sudamina on abdomen, chest, and upper limbs. They first appeared as round, transparent vesicles, varying in diameter from half a line to two lines, and with a red areola. These were filled with a clear liquid, excepting on the abdomen, where it was slightly turbid. Under the lower jaw were shreds of epidermis, caused by the desquamation of some of these vesicles. On the third day, several of the sudamina had dried up, and new ones had appeared; on some portions of the chest and abdomen the desquamation took place in patches, owing to the coalescence of the swellings. On the sixth day, there were more new sudamina; and on the eighth day, thirty-six hours after death, many were still to be seen, containing a transparent liquid, and in all respects similar to the preceding. Erysipelas of the forearm; of the legs. Eczema on the back, appearing in the form of vesicles as large as the head of a pin with violent itching. Eczema on the back of the foot. Herpes oris. Mercurial sores are not necessarily circular or oval in shape, neither are their edges regularly defined; on the contrary they vary in these particulars, and assume different forms as they spread; their edges are often quite ragged, loose and undermined, and their borders are often marked with a thin, transparent cuticle, like that of a newly formed cicatrix, extending quite around them, and giving them a silvery-white appearance; their bases are not hard, neither are their surfaces covered with the tenaciously adherent lymph so characteristic of venereal; on the contrary the surface of the mercurial ulcer may present every variety of shape and appearance, sloughy at one spot, deeply excavated and rapidly ulcerating at another, with exuberant granulations at a third, and exhibiting a tendency to heal at a fourth. But the most striking characteristic of the mercurial ulcer is its tendency to spread and the manner in which it enlarges itself; it generally spreads quickly, and there seems to be no limit to the size it may possibly attain. I have seen one as large as my hand in each groin of the same individual; they are easily distinguished from the venereal, when they assume a herpetic character, and heal in one part whilst spreading in another, which the latter never do. The mercurial ulceration often attacks the cicatrix of a recently healed chancre, and a fresh sore is thus formed. Several ulcers with whitish-gray bases, bleeding easily and exuding thin matter. Serpiginous ulcers in the skin (after working several years). On the face, eruption consisting of a tetter about the mouth and on the cheeks, with hard and very superficial ulcers. Erysipelas and gangrene of the lips, with violent fever, thickly coated tongue; the gangrene extended and destroyed also a portion of the right cheek; there developed also on the right temple a gangrenous spot, which on opening discharged offensive gas and pus (the patient died after three weeks with hepatization of the upper portion of the left lung). Ulcer on the foot. Small easily bleeding ulcers, of a dirty-white color, with livid borders, on the lips. Varicose ulcers on the extremities were frequent; indeed it was an exception to find a worker free from them. Sensations. Formication. Fuzzy feeling in the arms and hands.
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.