Convulsions, with frothing from the mouth, as in epilepsy.
Convulsions, etc. Convulsions of the whole body. Convulsions, lasting four hours. Convulsions, that constantly recur at shorter intervals (eighth, ninth, and tenth days). Convulsions, returning from time to time, followed by deep sighing, and on waking, pains in the limbs and in the epigastric region. Hypochondrium seemed distended and tympanitic; on moderate pressure gurgling sounds in various parts of the abdomen; pressure in the umbilical region seemed to cause pain; retention of stool and suppression of urine; even on the next day the left side was more affected by paroxysms than the right; sometimes they assumed a tonic, at other times a clonic character; on the sixth day, the muscles of the left side of the face only were affected; there was not only opisthotonos, but also sometimes emprosthotonos and pleurosthotonos; the tonic spasms always occurred suddenly, as with a shock, affected especially the muscles of the face, neck, trunk, and extremities at the same time; the head became drawn towards the left side and fixed as above described, and muscles of the shoulder and nape of the neck drew up the shoulder; the left arm and left foot were so violently stretched out that the joints creaked; the muscles of the left half of the face were drawn so that the lips were closed, and the left corner of the mouth drawn downward, and the left cartilage of the nose drawn to the left side; the attack generally lasted about two minutes and suddenly ceased; the clonic spasms affected all the muscles of the face; they usually occurred after the close of the atonic spasms, sometimes, however, preceded it, were characterized by trembling and twitching affecting the orbicularis palpebrarum and corrugator superciliorum, and also the levator labii, and sup. alae nasi, the depressor alae nasi and levator of the upper lip, zygomata, and risorius muscles; trismus I did not observe; closure of the mouth was effected by the orbicularis oris; at times also twitching of the platysma myoides. Four or five convulsive efforts daily, characterized by spasms, during which the patient lost consciousness for half an hour or an hour, without frothing from the mouth. Every day or two he has an attack of spasmodic contraction of the flexor and adductor muscles; his legs are forcibly flexed on the thighs, and the thighs on the abdomen, and sometimes one leg is drawn over the other; his arms are drawn so forcibly against his chest that it is impossible to raise them, and the forearms and wrists are forcibly flexed; the muscles of the neck, particularly the sternocleidomastoid, drawn the head clear down upon the thorax, and greatly to one side, and occasionally the head is jerked from side to side; during these attacks he is perfectly conscious, but if he attempts to talk, he stutters and makes peculiar indistinct sounds, but cannot articulate; he also makes a groaning sound, which he says is involuntary; during the attacks of spasm, he suffers intolerable pain, and is left completely prostrated when they are over; during his worst attacks, the pulse does not exceed 80 beats per minute, and generally it is about 65, full and steady. The rectus abdominis, upon each side, contracts so as to be prominent and hard almost as bone, and all the muscles attached to the ribs contract so forcibly as to draw them in, and produce such pressure upon them as to cause him to frequently cry out that they are breaking. Convulsive tremulous movements of the muscles. Frequent spasmodic flexion of the arm and right leg, with automatic movements of the left hand to the head, shortly before death. Convulsions, with loss of consciousness. Uraemic convulsions, with distortions of the eyes and opisthotonos and complete loss of consciousness, with a puffy face; the spasms were repeated with increasing frequency, followed by slow respiration, sinking of the pulse to 36. Suddenly, while at work, without precursory symptoms, he was seized by violent convulsions, followed by profound coma. One patient had convulsions and vertigo, several times. Every now and then, there came on a genuine paroxysms, accompanied by violent cramps in the legs and retraction of the testes toward the inguinal ring. Drinking seemed to hasten the return of the paroxysms; hence, though very thirsty, he dared not drink often. Slight convulsive seizures every five minutes, while in a state of the most profound coma. At last he succumbed, after a violent attack, which continued almost fifteen minutes. Sometimes a tendency to universal convulsions. Convulsive seizures, with loss of consciousness. Fell without consciousness (after a quarter of an hour). May determine in children, convulsions, idiocy, imbecility, and epilepsy. The limbs became quite rigid; jaws spasmodically closed; during these attacks, which lasted about ten minutes, the patient was unable to stand; chilliness at the close of the attack. He fell to the ground unconscious.
Opisthotonos. Rigidity and tetanus. Two or three crises during the day, with prickings in the skin, and contractions of the jaw and of the limbs; violent supraorbital pain, twitching and constriction in the temples (first day); the spasmodic cries more frequent, but less violent; tingling in the limbs (first night). All movement, also standing, was impossible for about six minutes while the crisis lasted. Between the attacks he lay quiet; his features much sunken and expressing great anxiety. The pain is dull and benumbing. The paroxysms returned at very irregular intervals. Between the paroxysms, he usually lay on his belly, with his eyes closed, and avoided the slightest movement. Between the attacks, he lay with closed eyes, silent and motionless, for fear of renewing the pain.
Between the paroxysms, still restless; the pain, though less acute, was still overpowering. During the intervals of quiet, which were of very irregular occurrence, she lay tired out and almost motionless, with closed eyes, and not daring to move or even answer questions, for fear of renewing the paroxysms.
General paralysis. General paralysis and deficient nutrition, followed by death. Complete paralysis of the muscles. Syncope. Paralysis. As the paralysis appeared the spasmodic pain in the abdomen disappeared (in many cases). Paralysis, commencing in slight numbness of the parts, and trembling, terminating in loss of motion and atrophy. Motor and sensory paralysis affecting chiefly the whole right side of the body. The paralysis equal on both sides. Electro-muscular contractility much diminished on both sides. One-sided paralysis. Paralysis of the whole left side of the body. Some years later, he had a second attack of dextral hemiplegia, which especially affected the upper part of the body.
Motor and sensory paralysis, chiefly on the right side of the body. The paralysis is much worse on the left side; the right wrist is hardly at all affected. Left-side hemiplegia, with contraction of the left hand and distortion of the face, towards the right. The paralysis is rather worse on the right side than the left. Great difficulty in moving himself in bed; so that he remains lying on his back; all other movements of limbs and body are as easy as usual. Lies on his back, sometimes turned on way, sometimes another; motion is freely performed, only the right extensor comm. digit. being paralyzed. Muscular movements are difficult. Seriously ill for the last twelve months, and had never been well for more than five years. He was totally unable, from want of muscular power, either to walk, turn round in bed, dress, or feet himself; this had been condition for several months; he persisted in the idea that he was laboring under suppressed gout. Locomotor ataxy, especially when his eyes are shut, yet his muscular strength is undiminished; his leg cannot be bent upon the thigh. (Attacks of colic; then suddenly motor and sensory paralysis of the upper part of the right half of the body, upper limb, and face. Epileptic seizures. Another attack of paralysis, limited like the first to the right upper limb and right half of the face, including the tongue. Four epileptic attacks. Face oedematous). Paralysis; the tongue and muscles on the right side being partially involved, and the right arm and right leg completely. Transient paralysis, with immobility of the arms and legs, inability to talk, and insensibility of the limbs. Transient paralytic attack.
Paralysis, involving both sides; more the right than the left, and not entirely limited to the upper extremities, though chiefly there found. No local paralysis; sensibility unimpaired. Paralysis of the right side, with curvature of the spine. Very general paralysis; he could not move either arms or legs, so that he was wholly unable to get out of bed. The right side became more and more feeble; mobility of the upper extremities very much diminished, associated with some atrophy of the muscles of the posterior portion of the upper arm, with very limited extension of the hand; sensibility of the arm to touch and temperature also diminished; of the lower extremities the right limb was very feeble, so that walking was very difficult; the right lower extremity was affected with anaesthesia, like that of the right side of the trunk, right arm, and right side of the face, corresponding exactly to the median line of the body; there was diminished sensibility of the right side of the tongue; the reflex movements in the throat were almost entirely abolished; the voice was nasal and speech very indistinct. No amount of effort produced the slightest movement in the large dorsal or pectoral muscles, or in those of the shoulders, arms, forearm, and hands; although after great and long-continued exertion, he succeeded by the action of the trapezius in raising his shoulders a little. Eventually all muscular power seemed to leave her, and she tumbled from the chair in which she was sitting to the floor. I noticed that there seemed to be not so much a loss of muscular power as proper co- ordination; and, although if shaken and spoken to loudly, she would answer questions intelligently, immediately afterwards she lapsed back into stupor. First attack of lead colic, six years ago, severe. Eight or ten days thereafter, paralysis of the hands; could not lift them. This had been preceded by slight cramps in the fingers, which came on before the colic and lasted about fifteen days. Wandering pain throughout the body generally, now here, now there. Second attack four years ago; suddenly taken with colic and cramps; paralysis of the extensors remained. Third attack three years ago; increased paralysis, which remained. Fourth attack, one year ago; paralysis unchanged. Fifth attack, fifteen days ago; very severe colic; increase of paralysis. A certain degree of hemiplegia on the left side. Painful stiffness on movement. The right side is weaker than the left. He began painting at the age of sixteen years, and left it off to enter the army at the age of twenty-one, without having felt the slightest symptom of lead-poisoning. While still in the latter service, at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four, he suddenly felt, during a violent fit of sneezing, a cracking in the right side of the head; and immediately after was taken with formication and numbness in the whole right side of the body, together with weakness of these parts. All these complaints gradually got better, and when his term of service was ended, they had entirely disappeared. Lead palsy begins with a simple numbness or slight tremor, and ends with a complete loss of the lower of movement. The degree of this loss bears no proportion to the extend of the paralysis. Saturnine tremor is rather a slight agitation, than a visible contraction and expansion of the muscles. It is never accompanied by that perceptible and almost spasmodic action which characterizes mercurial tremor. This affection really constitutes the first stage of lead palsy; it is connected with a marked weakness of muscular contraction. When the parts affected by tremor are put in motion, their muscles seem to hesitate or oscillate in their contractions, which are short-lasting, and doubtfully performed. Moreover there is always complaint of weakness in the parts affected by tremor, even when there is no fully developed paralysis. Upon saturnine tremor, when it has lasted some time, there almost always supervenes a complete paralysis of one or more muscles of the affected-parts. The tremor is almost always restricted to a part or the whole of one limb, rarely affecting two at once; but it may involve both the upper the lower extremities, the lips, tongue, or vocal apparatus. The paralysis, though incomplete, is widespread, and the external muscles are wasted and very soft; those of the upper extremities are most affected. About a mouth before he was seized with colic, followed by palsy of the forearm extensors, and of the lower extremities, and when first seen he had the characters of general paralysis of the insane. He could not lift the feet from the ground. Then followed bilateral facial spasms, trismus, frequent spasmodic jerkings of the upper limbs, the flexors of which were firm and rigid, while the lower limbs were rigidly extended. A condition of increasing chloro-anaemia, with nervous erethism. General debility. Such debility that he could hardly stand up. Debility extraordinary, with constant fainting spells; she could not rise up without swooning. Debility almost immediately. General debility, preventing him from standing up. General debility, and painful lassitude. General debility, and special weakness of the lower limbs. Obliged to lie on the bed and greater part of the day on account of excessive debility. Great debility. Increasing debility and loss of flesh. Increasing debility. The emaciation is accompanied by more or less debility. After any excess, the debility is increased, and the paralyzed limbs are even affected by a slight tremor. He feels that he is debilitated. Can hardly lift a chair with his right hand. The left hand is much less affected. Frequently a feeling in the fingers, especially those of the right hand, of numbness and formication, lasting a few moments, and followed by a rather painful pricking sensation. General feebleness, with trembling of the limbs. Very feeble. All bodily movements are slow, difficult, and somewhat painful. Moves only when necessary, and very slowly. Great prostration at twilight; he lies down, feels the beating of the pulse, becomes hot in the face, the burns in several spots, without sweat and thirst, with trembling of the hands and vertigo, as if the couch moved, renewed by thinking of it, with sensitiveness to noise; he at last falls asleep and wakes after three hours with a weary prostration, that disappears after moving about; there, however, remains dulness in the head and a bruised feeling in the small of the back. General prostration, with great weakness of the extremities. Extreme exhaustion. General prostration. Great prostration. In the more aggravated cases, great prostration and collapse. Appears prostrated, profoundly anaemic. Prostration; he lies down, feels a beating in the neck and abdomen, and can sleep but little (first day). On rising in the morning, often (not always) completely enervated, with neither energy, strength, nor courage. The prostration, weakness, sleepiness, pains that follow, in direct contract to the general feeling of health noticed the first day, seem to be extraordinarily agreeable; during the primary action it was cold and wet, during the secondary action it was the finest spring weather. If he puts himself out in any way he shakes violently, “like a leaf on a tree,” and his gait becomes unsteady and jerky. Collapse and syncope, almost immediately. Weakness and trembling. Unusually weak and relaxed after motion. Easily became fatigued, on walking (fifth day). Weakness and loss of sensation after the convulsions, with weak and slow pulse. She could not sit up in bed or extend her arm fully. Sense of great weakness and depression. Continually her arm fully. Sense of great weakness and depression. Continually complained of excessive weariness; all exercise was fatiguing.
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.