Yet this case is not one of encephalopathy in any form. It is a chronic affection of the mind, which we must try to describe in order to characterize it. He is absorbed in himself; pays no attention to what goes on about him. He does no converse with his neighbors; when questioned he answers rationally, indeed, but briefly. When his wife and children come to see him, he pays no attention to them, and goes on with what he is about, as if they were not present; yet he says he is fond of them, and seems to think a good deal of their visits. He has never shown any irritability. When in bed he keeps moving his hands; folds and unfolds the coverings. Sometimes he gets up and wanders about the room, now singing, now gradually quickening his steps, as if impelled by an irresistible force, now stopping and turning about abruptly; his gait is uncertain. His behavior is nearly the same day and night. The patient imagined that he was constantly followed, and that he heard voices coming from the chimney (temperature 36.5 degree, pulse 64, regular and small, good appetite, clean tongue, very slight colic, no paralysis, with a blue line on the gum, with constipation); this man after a few days wished to leave the hospital and go home, because he was convinced that there were fiends in the building that pursued him and sought his life. The cerebral functions were strangely disturbed. Various hallucinations showed themselves.
Erroneous ideas were formed as to the identity of herself and those around her, and the situation in which she was placed. A mild, but easily controlled form of delirium arose. For some days this alternated with a different state; if she attempted to speak to those around her, she seemed to have difficulty in finding language, and before she could succeed in conveying her meaning, the idea fled, and a jumble of unconnected words was all that escaped her. And now the condition of the nervous system became one of apathy. Impressions were made upon the senses with difficulty, and speedily vanished; her attention was no sooner gained than it was lost, and she remained for hours at once in a state of semi-consciousness. At this stage, phenomena were occasionally present approximating to those described as characteristic of catalepsy and ecstasy. On placing the arms, for example, extended in any particular position, they remained fixed in it for some minutes, and then slowly relaxed and sunk down; at other times she would remain for a considerable period unconscious of anything around her, but with her eyes fixed and gazing intently before her. On one occasion, after the action of a purgative, she was for about twelve hours quite insensible. She lived for five weeks after the appearance of the cerebral symptoms, and for four months from the time when her health began to break down.
Before her death she was seized with convulsions of an epileptiform character, which continued with short intervals for forty-eight hours, and upon the cessation of which she passed into a state of complete coma and died. Often getting out of bed and wishing to go home; sometimes not recognizing his family; thought they were conspiring to see her dead husband and child in a tree out of the window. He saw many colored figures in constant motion, as soon as he closed his eyes. Delusions at night. On first recovering consciousness the people in the ward seemed to him as small as dolls, and the opposite of the room seemed to be sunk forty feet below his own level. These erroneous impressions he was conscious of at the time, and they disappeared in four days. Random talking all night. The colic was not severe, and was getting better under treatment by Croton tig., when the face was observed to have a singular expression. There was an astonished look, as if something extraordinary had happened; and he had a thoughtful appearance, which was not borne out by his answers to our questions. In the evening delirium set in, and lasted all night. Next day he talked incessantly about everything. At 9 A.M. he had an attack of epilepsy, followed by deep coma, which lasted almost all day, and during which he only uttered a few cries. Talked rather wildly; got our of bed; ran about the room; called to his companions; wanted to go to work, etc.; yet complained that he could not see his way, and knocked against the beds, stoves, etc. He could keep up a long conversation quite well, but would wander in his speech every now and then. Generally, when he was talking, no one would imagine his brain was affected, if they did not see his strait-waistcoat. When he began to rave, the facial muscles were seen to twitch and contract spasmodically, giving his face a hideous appearance.
Talks to himself a good deal, mostly about his business, his associates, or his relatives. When his attention is forcibly attracted, and he is asked where he feels pain, he places one hand on the middle of his forehead, and the other on his stomach, and utters a few words which indicate unmistakably the seat of suffering; but if he is not talked with, so as to keep his thoughts fixed, his mind begins to wander, or he falls asleep. Got up to go to stool, but, instead of returning to bed, began walking the room with bare feet, and talking incoherently on all sorts of subjects; imagined he was going to be poisoned; that his bed was full of ants, etc. Talked at random all night; rose and tried to get into the neighbors’ beds; at times screamed out; abused the nurse furiously.
Talked all night, mostly about how he should destroy his fastenings. Talked all day long; made attempts to get out of his trait-waistcoat. At night, does nothing but babble; now and then jumps out of bed, swears, blusters, so that he has to be put into a strait waistcoat. In conversation he sometimes talks sense and sometimes rambles. Does nothing but babble all night; wants to get out of bed every now and then. Language extravagant, Searching about on the floor. The patients were in a state of nervous irritability, difficult to describe. In their beds they were restless and unable to find an easy position, and after many useless efforts they fell back exhausted and worn out, with pain; the respiration became hurried; the heart’s action was painful and violent; groans and sighs were uttered with vehemence, whilst abundant tears ran from their cheeks; symptoms greatly resembling those of hysteria. These tears, sighs, and groans were not occasioned by the violence of the pains, and often coincided with the abatement of the suffering. Very nervous, unwilling to be touched or have anything done for her.
Hasty temper. Manner frightened and nervous. Mind obviously much impaired. Mind very much affected, so that he scarcely knew his old acquaintances. When alone he sometimes talks to himself, but is generally silent and quiet, though he never closes his eyes, and thus he remains all day long. Between the paroxysms she is silent, and generally calm and quiet, sometimes rather restless. Is generally silent; when he speaks his words are disconnected, but his articulation is good, although the voice is somewhat broken. When he becomes interested in anything talked about, he sometimes sits facing his questioner in silence, without looking at him. At times he answers a simple question quite wide of the mark. He was quiet and silent when left to himself. Rather quieter in the evening than in the morning, but seems melancholy, owing to a terrified feeling, which he cannot shake off. Lies quiet in bed; when spoken to sometimes makes no answer; sometimes begins a sentence a slowly, and hurries over the rest of it, showing signs of bad temper. He lies quiet in bed, seldom moving; groaning now and then. When asked a question, he answers in monosyllables, generally to the point, but sometimes at random.
When alone he seldom talks to himself, and then only utters a few incoherent and trivial words. Patient lay perfectly quiet in bed, and constantly murmured unintelligible words. When spoken to, he looks everywhere but at his questioner. Lively, good- humored (after two hours). Good humored, lively, that soon disappeared, in the afternoon. Loss of the natural vivacity. Silent melancholy. Repeated attacks of melancholy, of a religious character. Profound melancholy. He fell into a state of melancholy, with stupefaction, great dulness of the senses, coma.
Melancholy and dejections; great anguish and depression of spirits. Mind greatly depressed (second day). Seemed rather melancholy. Would shed tears from slight causes. Sad, despairing mood. Sadness. He is very sad, has no desire to live, and has threatened to destroy himself, and is very fault-finding with his friends. That vivacity which was marked feature of his character was gone, and sadness and silence sat enthroned. His mental condition was sad enough; given over to thoughts of life-long pain, he imagined his disease incurable, and gave way to the gloomy thoughts which the fear of death excited, and to repining caused by the dread of his journey to Valencia. There was great mental prostration. approaching hypochondriasis. Great despondency. Great mental and physical depression. Much depressed, fearing to die if left alone. Despondency. Much depressed in spirits and unwilling to see any one. Great gloom and dejection of mind. Gloom of mind. His spirits greatly depressed; if a neighbor called to see him, he would burst into tears and be unable to speak for some time. Deep-settled gloominess of mind. Spirits depressed. Exceedingly depressed.
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.