Gradual loss of strength. But little strength, and is barely able to sit in a chair or walk across the room. Weakness and loss of power with loss of sensation. Feels very weary and indolent. Considerable weakness (of the affected parts); according to Duchenne’s dynamometer, and compressive force of the right hand is equal to 6 kilo gr; that of the left hand to 8 kilo gr.; pulling force, 43 1/2 kilo gr. Such weakness of the muscular system generally as almost precluded the patient from walking, or even standing for any length of time. Weakness, fatigue (second day). Slight diminution of compressive and pulling strength, as estimated by the dynamometer. All his movements are slow and feeble.
Malaise. Languor. Languor so complete as to unfit them for any exertion. Great languor and lassitude. General languor.
Lassitude. Painful lassitude. General painful lassitude. Faintness. Frequent faintings. Frequently seized with a sensation of faintness and precordial uneasiness, as of impending dissolution. Faintness. Attacks of faintness, frequently lasting an hour. Occasional fits of restlessness. Generally restless. Exceeding restlessness for the last two nights. Extreme restlessness. Incessant tossing about the bed, without being able to find rest. Turns himself about in bed. Nervous restlessness. Uneasiness. Constantly tossing about. Although the pains are aggravated by motion, he is constantly seeking relief by changing his position. During the paroxysms, he is restless, bends double, lies upon his abdomen, screams, etc. Extreme restlessness. Restless; rolling himself up in the bedclothes; lying on his belly, etc. (during the paroxysms). Pain a mere constriction, but increased by pressure (between the paroxysms). During the remissions, which occurred only at long intervals, he had very little repose, but was not so extravagant in his manifestations. Constant change of position; he doubles himself up, but avoids lying in the abdomen, and any pressure on the latter somewhat aggravates. Sometimes with his head almost on the floor, his feet tangled in the bedclothes, and his hands grasping in rails, he kept up a sort of rocking movement. During the paroxysms, he kept turning himself in bed, but with difficulty, on account of his great corpulence. He often tired lying on his belly, but could not remain long in that position, as it suffocated him; he threw his limbs about and cried out at times. The slightest touch of the skin over the umbilicus, and indeed over other parts of the body, produced such terrific pain as almost to throw him into convulsions, producing all the effects of an electric shock.
Hyperaesthesia of the skin. Excessive hyperaesthesia of the cutaneous nerves, at times so great that it was impossible to lightly touch the surface of the body without the most violent pain, accompanied by crying and weeping, but deep pressure relieved the pain; the sensitiveness was not constant nor general, but affected sometimes one part, sometimes another, and sometimes disappeared entirely and returned without apparent cause; it seemed especially violent over the bony processes, as for example, on the spinous processes of the dorsal vertebrae. The surface of the body was affected with an excessive hyperaesthesia, so much so that it was often impossible to touch even slightly the skin of the chest, abdomen, back, face, and superior or inferior extremities, without forcing tears or cries from the sufferers. This hyperaesthesia was only superficial, and was much more excited by a slight touch than by hard pressure; thus, if instead of touching the abdomen with the end of my little finger, I applied firmly my open hands, far from increasing than pain, in lessened it. This increased sensibility of the cutaneous system was neither constant nor general; it was excited sometimes in one part of the body, sometimes in another; at times it would become less, and now and then entirely disappeared, to reappear soon after without any ascertainable cause. Paralyzed parts very sensitive to cold. He immediately feels the slightest prick anywhere on the left side. Entire loss of cutaneous sensibility in the hypogastrium and iliac regions; also in the penis, scrotum, and upper two- thirds of the thighs. Pressure on the hypogastric region causes pain, which is not the case with the other insensible parts. The skin of the affected parts is insensible to pricking pinching, etc., but pain is felt when a pin is thrust deeply in, or the muscles are pinched. Complete analgesia over the entire surface.
Sensitiveness when tickled, which is normally very acute, is considerably diminished, but not abolished. It is diminished in the palms of the hands, especially of the left. In the soles of the feet the scarcely feels any amount of tickling; although, before working in white lead, he was so sensitive to it, that it would make him jump immediately. Complete anaesthesia of the right arm, for both contact and temperature; this anaesthesia extended over the right side of the face and right lower extremity. Diminished sensibility over the whole body. Anaesthesia. The entire surface of the body was deprived of sensibility. Loss of sensation and motion. Insensibility to burning of the whole right side. But a small blister, applied over the middle of the forepart of the insensible right thigh, gave rise to pain in that spot. Out of one hundred and two cases of motor-paralysis, anaesthesia of the affected parts was observed in five cases, and arthralgia in eight. In three cases out of the five, the paralytic anaesthesia seemed to involve the deepest tissues of the limbs; the muscles, as well as the skin, appearing insensible to all stimuli. In the two remaining cases, the loss of sensibility was confined to the skin, and patients complaining of violent pain deep within the limbs. Thus, paralysis may be accompanied at the same time by both anaesthesia and hyperaesthesia. When only hyperaesthesia coexists with motor paralysis, the pain is referred to the skin, the muscles, or even the bones. Complete absence of pain when pricked, in the right side (right limbs, and right half of the face and trunk). Quite a deep prick with a pin causes only a feeling as of heavy touch. Loss os sensibility to tickling in the whole right side of the body. The affected members are in an almost complete state of anaesthesia. Insensibility to pricking in the right hand, lower half of right forearm, and right check; diminished sensibility to pricking in all the rest of the right half of the body, and lower half of left forearm. Loss of sensibility to burning in the right hand only; burning is only felt as a warmth. Insensibility to pricking, of the right upper limb (excepting the shoulder), and of the right foot, right leg, and lower third of right thigh. Diminished sensibility to pricking, of the right side of the face, right shoulder, and upper two-thirds of the right thigh; also of the left upper limb. The transition from entire of partial insensibility takes place abruptly, and along the line of junction of the lower third with the upper two-thirds of the right thigh, corresponding exactly with the lower border of the patient’s shirt. Sensibility to temperature notably diminished in the right side, especially in the right upper extremity. No perception of temperature anywhere on the right side; the right foot, when resting uncovered on the ground, dose not feel cold, as the left foot dose, under the same circumstances. Sensibility to temperature is less on the right forearm, and also on the left side of the face, which is the one most affected with anaesthesia. Diminished sensibility to temperature in the whole right side. Little sensibility to temperature in the whole right side, face, forearm, and lower limb. Sensibility to pricking generally lessened, but nowhere completely abolished. Sensitiveness to pricking, pinching, and burning, on right hand and dorsal surface of right forearm, on the right cheek, back of left hand, and palmar surface of left fingers. Less sensitive to tickling on the right side. Diminished sensibility of the hands, especially their dorsal surfaces, and of the left hand. In the forearms, the insensibility is greater on the palmar surface, and especially in the left forearm. Above the elbow the tactile sensibility is much less affected. On the left fingers and forearm, the pressure of the upper point only of the aesthesiometer is perceived. Anterior surface of left arm, 100 mm. Tactile sensibility of lower limbs unimpaired. Insensibility to pricking of the right thumb, the palm or surface of the right fingers, and the right palm of the palmar surface of the left fingers, and of the palm and back of the left hand. Diminished sensitiveness to pricking on the dorsal surface of the fingers of both hands, especially the left, also on both forearms; from thence it gradually diminishes towards the shoulders. Slightly diminished sensitiveness to pricking over the rest of the body. Immediate analgesia (or an algesia, properly so called), when burned, together with consecutive analgesia, or anodynia of the hands. Burning is only felt as a warmth, and causes no pain afterwards, though it has raised a blister.
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.