Swelling of the face, with red spots and indurations constantly itching and burning after rubbing. My face, and particularly my upper lip, were much swollen and exceedingly painful the backs of my ears were swollen and covered with vesicles; both these and those on my lip exuded a slightly yellow serum, and they went through the same course as the other eruptions. The face was mottled with red; the redness was not dissipated by pressure of the finger. The face is very dry and rough and has a scurfy appearance, and the skin seems to be thickened and indurated (seventh day). Eruption on the face, head, and chest, resembling the rash of typhoid fever, disappearing on pressure. Next day a slight itching of hands and lips; second day, itching of hands and body, as well as face; face swollen; eruption on corner of mouth. Lips feel uncomfortable (first night); much swollen in the morning (second day); lips peeling off; vesicles on lips and face emitting an odor similar to a sore (third day). On rising, mouth and lips dry; lips sore and swollen, blistered and cracked; it is impossible to keep the mouth moist, getting easier one hour afterwards, but coming on again and lasting all day; itching of upper lip and chin at 4 P.M.; at 6 P.M., lips and mouth become more feverish; at 8 P.M., lips painfully hot and dry; cannot get them cool; they burn constantly (third day). On waking, uncomfortable feeling in mouth and lips; lips painful, dry, and swollen to double their natural size; white vesicle on lower lip; at 8 P.M., lips and tongue feel as if cracked; lips swollen, the upper one the worse; itching in corner of mouth (fourth day), upper lip more swollen than lower lip; lips and tongue feel as if cracked; lips peel off somewhat; they burn and itch considerably when washing (fifth day). Lips worse than ever; upper one most affected; lips black on edges; yellow vesicles on inner side of lips, which break, discharging a thin sticky fluid, agglutinating them together (12 M); lips hot and dry and burning, aggravated by washing in cold water or touching them with tongue, or when eating anything sour; cream applied to the lips relieves the burning sensation, but hot applications ameliorate more than all (sixth day). Lips swollen and covered with a thick skin or crust, that in breaking emits an offensive discharge, resembling that from a sore, thin and sticky; warm water makes them feel comfortable and pleasant; acid food hurts his lips (seventh day). Lips are better, but still smart a good deal when touching acids; relieved by hot water; inside of lips filled with little white vesicles (eighth day).
Lips improving (ninth day). Seem all right (thirteenth day). Next day I was completely poisoned, and the symptoms ran a course similar to that of the first proving, the itching being worse on the hands, genitals, anus, lips, mouth, and nose; hot water afforded great relief, and Clematis erecta 2 c cut the disease short, but did not prevent the skin peeling off the hands. During the day the itching in the face has increased and spread over the nose, the edges of the nostrils, the upper and lower lips, the external ears, and the inferior portion of the neck immediately above the sternum and clavicles; the skin on these parts feels rough, and is covered with a minute eruption of lenticular vesicles, filed with transparent serum; itching on the back of the hands, particularly between the fingers. The itching on the scrotum and prepuce has become more troublesome, and is much increased by scratching; scratching or rubbing of the parts is followed by intense burning (second day).
I felt no unpleasant effects for six or seven hours after returning to Boston; about 8 P.M. I perceived the backs of my hands were swollen and puffy, but without pain or itching; my forehead and upper lip were soon in the same state. On the next morning the tumefaction had increased, and I discovered various other parts of my body to be infected; the backs of my hands and wrists, which were the most advanced, began to show small watery vesicles; at noon I applied cloths dipped in lead water to one hand and wrist, and in a spirituous solution of the corrosive muriate of mercury to the other; the parts began to itch, in the tumefaction increased, vesication began to take place on the swollen surface, small pustules formed and ran into each other, and at last some were formed as large as nutmegs. On the third day my eyes were nearly closed, in consequence of the swelling of my forehead, eyebrows, and cheeks; the contents of the vesicles were of my forehead, eyebrows, and cheeks; the contents of the vesicles were perfectly limpid; inoculation from the, to other parts had no effect neither in this nor any subsequent stage. On the evening of the fourth day the inflammation appeared at its height; the burning sensation and itching were intolerable; I could scarcely discern any object. On the fifth day the pustules began to appear a little milky, and before night the inflammation was evidently on the decline. On the sixth day a very free desquamation began, first on my forehead, hands, and wrists. In just a fortnight I was able to leave my chamber, blessed with a new cuticle from the root of the hair on my forehead to my breast, from the middle of my forearm to the tips of my fingers, and on the whole inside of my thighs. After nine months, still subject to an eruption of watery pustules between my fingers, which dry up and the cuticle peels off. In one hour and a half I began to feel a most intense itching and burning of the scrotum and penis; the burning sensation was rather in the preponderance; the glans penis was very painful; slight friction relieved the itching for a moment, but not the burning (first day). The symptoms continued in the same severity; at 3 P.M., itching and burning commenced on the back of my right hand, between the thumb and index finger, also between the index and middle fingers (second day). Awoke this morning with itching and burning in various parts of the body, particularly on the palmar sides of both wrists, attended with slight swelling; slight itching and burning of the face, with a sensation as if it was much swollen; it was red, but not shining. Both hands were considerably swelled and very clumsy to use. Feeling of uneasiness in consequences of the continual itching and burning, which were very severe, almost insupportable; P.M., the itching and burning were somewhat relieved by exercise; the burning and itching appear on the face, particularly about the eyes (right); all the symptoms were aggravated by rest.
Hands, wrists, and face became covered with little pimples of the same color as the skin; when broken or the points are scratched off, they exude a clear watery fluid. Fingers are very stiff and much swollen; feel very much though they had been scalded; excessive burning of face; right eyelid swollen and stiff; the scrotum is the seat of paroxysms of severe itching and burning (third day). Symptoms all increased; face much swollen, red, covered with multitudes of little papillae; wrists much swollen, the swelling extending half way to the elbow; arms very red and covered with innumerable vesicles, which exude a clear watery fluid; hands in same condition;t he pain was excessive (fourth day). Hands and wrists much worse this morning; face much swollen; the itching and burning continues with unabated vigor, and are aggravated by the warmth of the bed and in a warm room; in the evening, hands and wrists are still more swollen and excessively painful face a little less swollen and rather less painful; incrustations appeared to- day on the inside of my thighs, extending down one-half the length of the femur. A feeling as from fleabites on different parts of the body (fifth day). Hands and arms still very sore, but not so much swollen; the exudation is now light- yellow (sixth day). The swelling of the arms and hands continues to abate; the cuticle now scales off at those places which first broke out with vesicles; the desquamation was excessive, as the cuticle peeled off some four times in succession from the places that had been covered with vesicles; after the cuticle came off, the first appearance of the skin was red and shining, but after getting my hands damp, several cracks (like those of chapped hands) appeared in different places; my hands became exceedingly rough, the cuticle being dry and hard, also very tender, so that bruise was very painful, and if the skin was broken, the blood flowed freely, which was very thin, or, if you please, anemic (after six days). I often scratched my neck under my shirt-collar during the day, and on getting warm in bed I felt stinging and itching about my chest and back, as though some insect was biting me (ninth day). Forehead swollen and red, in the morning; during the day this extended to the whole head and face; the upper lip was terribly swelled and the itching greatly increased, especially in the septum narium; the itching extended to the whole body, though no eruption appeared; at night the itching was so great that I could hardly endure it; I passed a sleepless night (tenth 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.