Generalities.
Lies upon his back, with his knees drawn up very high (third day). Lay supine (after four hours). She lay in bed exhausted, and in a state of insensibility, for four hours. General redness of the body (after twelve days). The symptoms from Oxalic acid usually intermit, for some hours or a day, and then return in a diminished degree. Some, who are generally much affected by cold weather, appear better able to bear it. Convulsion. Convulsions, with two or three deep inspirations, before death. Convulsion, either at the time of death or before. Slight conclusion and death (after twenty minutes). Symptoms of collapse, with convulsions, followed by death (third day). Violent spasms.
Spasms, followed by death (after three-quarters of an hour). Two persons had mimic spasms, when moving a tablespoonful about in their mouths, and said they felt as if they should never laugh again. The effects on the nerves was the production of mimic spasms, or the pulling of the face, which acid fruit and vegetables, such as rhubarb, produce. Spastic contraction of the muscles of the jaws and extremities. Violent tremors. Slight convulsive twitchings (second day). Twitching. Sudden jerking (a short but very distinct pain) in the metacarpal bone of the left index finger, soon afterwards on the outer side of the ulnar margin of the left hand, and at last in the right side of the head (first day). Restless during night (first day). Very restless night (second day). Very restless (eight day).
Increasing emaciation (after seven days). Debility and Prostration. Increasing debility (after twelve days); death (fourteenth day). General lassitude and feebleness, particularly of the lower extremities (after a few hours). Extreme lassitude of the body. Lassitude, disinclined to work. Weariness, in the morning (fourth day). Excessive weariness, during and after going upstairs (second day). Indolent, so that he could scarcely sit up; he lay down, and felt well while lying; without sleepiness he continued lying with the eyes closed, in the morning (second day). Feeling of weakness over the whole body (twelfth day).
Great weakness (seventh day). Weakness of the extremities, with increased transpiration over the whole body, especially sweat in the axillae; the weakness in the extremities extended over the whole body, so that the work which was usually easy, was very fatiguing, an followed by a sensation as after excessive muscular exertion (from the solution). Great weariness, obliging him to lie down, that seemed uncommonly agreeable; a crawling weariness, with a feeling of fullness in the whole body; at noon, after eating, and again in the evening (first day). Weakness first noticed in the extremities, extending over the whole body; was scarcely able to do any light work. Weakness, with perspiration.
Inclined to lie down and close the eyes, without sleepiness, in the morning (second day). Trembling of the whole body, with weakness (Third day); so great that she could scarcely walk (fourth day). Loss of strength. Gait slow and unsteady. Relaxed condition. Expression of countenance and the other symptoms indicated great prostration of strength (after half an hour).
Great weakness and prostration during the diarrhoea, in the forenoon (third day). Great prostration, with a feeling as if the spine were too weak to support the body (twentieth day).
Prostration. Complete prostration of strength (after fourteen hours). Prostration of all vital powers. Great exhaustion. Feels generally sick, with diarrhoea, in the forenoon (second day).
General sick feeling; sensation as though the hands and feet were trembling (four hours after 1/2 grain). Symptoms of slight collapse. Faintness; her hands and feet felt dead; her senses seemed to be “going’ and she so far lost her consciousness as not to have a clear idea of what occurred subsequently (after one hour). Faintness and rattling respiration, followed by death.
Faintness. Faintness, prostration of strength, collapse and death, within three minutes after the poison was taken.
Sensation. The pains and other symptoms reappear as soon as he thinks of them, as, for example, when writing them down; especially the pain in the hollow of the left knee, in one arm, hip, etc. The pains from Oxalic acid, as soon as he thinks about them, return, particularly that in the knee, the hiccough, etc.
Nervous symptoms appear mostly in those patients who have taken the diluted acid. Ascending steps was especially distressing (twentieth day). Sensation. A sensation in the upper part of the body, especially in the head, like a fine crawling and surging, but so fine that it is only like a current, while lying down; it seems to be rhythmical, but not with the pulse; it seems as though the blood were streaming in this manner through the capillaries; he distinctly feels it stream through the whole body from below upward and from within outward; the sensation is more distinct while the attention is directed to it; in the forenoon (second day). A feeling as after debauch the previous night, dull headache, with a gnawing-tensive pain, and soreness in the eyes and superciliary regions, lassitude, disinclination to occupation, reading, etc. and inclination to stretch, with occasional yawning; relief by walking in the cool open air (next day after 2d trit.). The pains seem to be excited and aggravated by movement, as the pins in the bowels, testicles, back, etc.
Pain, but chiefly great lassitude and weakness of the limbs, and next morning numbness and weakness there, as well as in the back; this affection was at first so severe that she could hardly walk upstairs; she recovered entirely in a few days (after about 2 drachms). Pains in the left side. Excruciating pain. All the pains of Oxalic acid occupy a small place, one half to one inch in length, and of the thickness of a quill; at times they move through this space, frequently then occupy the whole of it; this is the case only in the Eustachian tube, but also in the wrist, hypochondrium, hollow of the knee, etc. After very sound sleep for eight hours he felt as if bruised and stiff, in the morning; could scarcely get out of bed until it was quite late (first day). General numbness; (after six hours). A peculiar general numbness, approaching to palsy. Sense of numbness and tingling or pricking in the back and thighs (twenty-four hours after 2 scruples). Numbness and weakness of the back and lower extremities, so much so to render it difficult for her to go upstairs, gradually going off in the course of a few days (second day). She was, for the greater part of the time, able to walk about the room until towards the middle of the day, when she complained of numbness from the shoulders to the tip of the fingers.
Skin
Skin constantly dry (second day). The fold of skin around the nails of the third, fourth, and fifth fingers becomes cracked and inflamed (from external application to the middle finger), (from Hering). Skin of face, head, chest, and nates covered with red spots or petechiae, appearing as if bespattered with blood (sixth and seventh days). Anomalous efflorescence on a great portion of the body (second day); nearly disappeared (third day). An eruption or mottled appearance of the skin, in circular patches, not unlike the roundish red marks on the arms of stout healthy children, but of a deeper tint. Peculiar eruption over the whole surface; it was an exanthema, and the dermatologist would call it roseola; as it subsided it left the skin very dark, so much as to attract the notice of his visitors; the cuticle afterwards desquamated. Eruption appeared over the whole body, similar to the maculae of typhus, but passed off next day (after nine days).
Two days since, an eruption appeared over the body similar to the maculae of typhus, which has not completely disappeared (twelfth day). Eruption over the whole body, papular and itchy (twelfth day). On a spot on the right index finger, where a cut, from a penknife, had healed four days ago, a very painful pustule appears (2d trit.). During shaving the skin is more sensitive.
Itching on the neck.
Sleep.
Sleepiness. Very violent yawning. Constant yawning, followed by accumulation of water in the mouth, in the evening (fourth day).
Inclined to stretch and yarn After dinner, sleepiness, and profound sleep while in a sitting position. Long undisturbed sleep (very unusual), with profuse night sweat; the wet shirt feels very cold on waking (third night). Very profound and long sleep; on rising from bed quite stupid; he lies down again and sleeps one hour longer (second day). He is more inclined to sleep at night than usual. Great sleepiness, in the morning (second day). Tendency to sopor, alternated with restlessness (second day). Drowsiness, for several days. He raised himself up in bed in alarm, looking round the room, but on recollecting where he was, he lay down again, repeating the same action in an hour (first night, after 3 grains 1/10th trit.). Conscious when aroused, but immediately lapse into a sleepy state (after four hours). Frequent startings in sleep. Sleeplessness. Slept very little through the night, and hen he did, had constant dreams, with starting, and then waking up with fright; the dream were of an unpleasant character (first night). Little sleep (first night). Sleep very restless, but without dreams (second 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.