On the twenty-fourth day the swelling is almost wholly gone, the skin almost normal, only a little redder and thicker at the affected part; it commences to peel off at the seventh day the skin of the whole forearm peels, and large pieces can easily be got off; itching; a few very small scabs of serum; the skin around the wrist thickly callous, rough, with vesicles and blotches. On the thirty-second day the skin on the place of application, though better, looks still red and is still thickened; this appearance lasted several weeks, and has disappeared very gradually; the skin on the left forearm looks normal, but is very irritable, as the slightest rubbing causes a very profuse eruption of blotches, vesicles, and small pimples. From the time up to five months later, nearly every night, especially at midnight, I had severe itching, particularly on the back; it then began to be less frequent; generally it wakened me, as I commenced scratching while asleep, and in this way increased the affection and itching, but if the waking was from some other cause, I was sure to have an attack; scratching with the hand aggravated it greatly; rubbing with a soft brush gave relief, but it was entirely subdued by washing with cold water or snow; at night I placed my back several times on snow for relief; doing this in cold room, it seems singular that I never took cold, although I left a warm bed, very thinly clad, to go outdoors for snow, the mercury being frequently twelve or fifteen degrees below zero; my back presented during this time a shocking appearance; it had been severely scratched, and was covered with bloody scabs; during the attacks it was burning hot, and covered with blotches and pimples. Some of the part suffered severely, the inflammatory action reaching up the arms to the trunk in one, in another only as high as the elbows, whilst in a third the effects were confined to the hands, which, as usual in these cases, became swollen, inflamed, and finally ulcerated. Itching over the whole body (sixteenth day); the next day when rubbing the itching places, red spots appeared on the arms and hands. Fine vesicular eruption on the forearm, wrist, back of the hands, between and on the fingers, also scrotum and ankles; the vesicles are situated upon an inflamed erysipelatous base, and accompanied with most intolerable itching, especially in the evening, in warm room, and in bed; after scratching and rubbing the parts (which cannot be resisted) the itching is intolerable; large quantities of serum run from each vesicle after it is scratched. As soon as the desquamation had nearly ceased, two large furuncles appeared on my left wrist, one anteriorly and the other posteriorly; then the diarrhoea stopped, but as soon as boils began to heal, it came on again. After checking the diarrhoea a large furunculus appeared on my right thigh anteriorly; this was very malignant, and continued to slough for four weeks; when the “core” sloughed out, a cavity was left into which you might easily put the end of your index finger.
Seven more boils of smaller size appeared on the same thigh, and were all painful; when they healed, they left the surface of a bluish-red, and soon became a bright-red. Three boils also made their appearance on my face, though very painful, they were not very large. Itching in palm of left hand, and appearance of vesicles on fingers of left hand, itching terribly, aggravated by cold water; in the evening, itching of hands continues; vesicles appear on fingers of both hands (seventh day); as soon as he feels comfortable, and when falling asleep, the hands begin to itch and prevent his sleeping for an hour (eighth day); troublesome itching and burning of hands and fingers (ninth day); intense itching of hands upon awaking and immersing in water, showing after rubbing little raised streaks of a yellowish color; this is composed of patches of little yellowish vesicles, worse between t he fingers and in the cracks or lines in the palms; itching worse in the morning (tenth day); hands smart and burn considerably after scratching and rubbing them (eleventh day); itching of hands and fingers same as yesterday, showing the same yellow patches previously described; the fingers are much swollen, also the palms (twelfth day); wakes up during night with itching of the hands; rubs and scratches them until sore; violent burning and smarting, preventing him from sleeping a long time; hands itch violently through the day, relieved by putting them in very hot water, as hot as can be borne without scalding; this seems to make the pain felt in the very bones, but relieves for some hours, after a thorough soaking; hands and fingers swollen, cannot wear his ring, which generally is too large for him; the skin appears raised in ridges of a yellow color, puffy to the touch, the other skin on hands appearing red; hands become sore from severe rubbing, and vesicles appear between fingers (thirteenth day); itching on rising, same as for three or four days; cold water allays a little for the time being, but the itching and stinging can be felt very distinctly; yellow puffy ridges on palms of hands (fourteenth day); wakes at 4 A.M., and has to rise and wash hands in order to allay the itching, rubbing only making it worse; itching of hands during the day (fifteenth day); skin peeling off fingers and palms (twenty-fourth and twenty-ninth days); skin peels off most, and began to peel when the vesicles were on fingers and palms (thirty-fourth day); skin peeling off slowly (thirty-sixth day); skin still peeling off (fortieth to forty-eight day). Complete desquamation of the cuticle of the palms of the hands and fingers, three different times. Slight vesicular eruption on the backs of the hands and about the eyes, which disappeared in a short time, without further inconvenience. Eruption of pimples and minute vesicles, with excessive itching on the backs of the hands and between the fingers (third day); same symptoms with increased violent (fourth day). Hard elevated pimples on the hands, on which vesicles appear, with great itching. Hands hard, rough, and tender. This morning vesicles made their appearance in the palm of the left hand wherever the sap of the plant had touched the skin in gathering it (ninth day). Itching hives, deep under the skin, in the palms. Large fissures on the ends of the fingers, that bleed readily. The ends of the fingers have a number of cracks on them, that bleed from the slightest cause.
Vesicles as clear as water, clustered especially on the fingers. Clusters of vesicles on the fingers and other parts of the body, at first itching, afterwards burning and painfully sore. Intolerable itching and burning in the left foot; itching increasing in intensity as the usual means were applied for its relief. Watery vesicles (left foot), not papillary, but merely a rising of the cuticle; in some places the vesicles were confluent (left foot); skin became congested, thick, and stiff, attended with a severe sensation weight and burning; at this time the itching became so intolerable, that I often applied physical force to the parts affected, hammering them with my knife-handle, or striking my foot against the sharp corners of the bedstead rail; this rendered the itching more intense, so that I was obliged to desist from any effort to obtain relief; exercise increased the itching; partial oedema of the left foot; also itching and burning of the same character (as experienced in the foot) in other parts, parts scrotum, forehead, eyelids, forepart of the neck, and on the right foot, attended with a slightly puffed appearance of all these parts; on the fourth day of my illness, appeared vesicles on the right foot, and formication occasionally in the swollen parts, prickings as from excessive summer heat; vesicles with itching and burning on the bend of the left elbow; sensation of intense fullness, itching, and burning in the right foot; on the morning of the fifth day, vesicles began to break, and scabs formed; oedema of the legs, pit remaining after pressure; on the sixth day, vesicles on the fingers and back of right hand; as the vesicles broke and desquamation commenced, acute inflammation of the surface (feet, hands, etc.) of a dark-red color, supervened, with intense prickling heat, as though a hot iron plate was held in close proximity to the swollen parts; suppuration of the whole of the superior surface of the left foot, and occasional patches of the size of a half dime (4d. English) to a dime (6d. English); extending half way to the knee; suppuration in patches of the right foot and fingers of the right hand; deep, corroding, phagedenic ulcers, burning prickling, and oedema continuing; the ulcers discharges a thin straw-colored, acrid, and very fetid pus; the odor was precisely similar to that experienced in the dissecting-room.The intensity of symptoms continued about three weeks, but it was three months before I was entirely free from all the symptoms. Ankles very red and swollen, with watery vesicles all over the ankles, feet, and toes, that discharge large quantities of water. Large watery vesicles on the ankles, that are very painful, night and day. Very large watery blisters on the sides of the feet. Violent itching in various parts of the body just as after fleabites; biting. Sensations. Itching of the skin on various parts of the body. Itching suddenly, here and there. Itching worse after midnight and in the morning. In all the provings, the itching was worse on the cuticle and mucous membrane; hot water always relieved the itching. Violent itching behind and below the right ear (eleventh day). Itching behind the right ear (fifteenth day). Itching of face, in the evening, particularly the lips (third day); itching of upper lip (fourth day); of face and lips, and somewhat of fingers and lower limbs (fifth day); of face, particularly the nose, and some on lower limbs (sixth day); some itching of lips and lower limbs (seventh day). Creeping sensation on face and arms (third day). Slight itching and burning in the face, particularly about the eyes and forehead, and voluptuous itching on the scrotum and prepuce (first evening). The itching is so intolerable that it is impossible to resist the inclination to scratch; after scratching, the parts burn and sting, become more swollen, and feel stiff and dry (third day); same symptoms, with increased violent (fourth day). After scratching for a few minutes, the itching is entirely relieved for several hours (third day); same symptoms, with increased violence (fourth day). The itching and swelling on the face, between the fingers, and on the scrotum and prepuce became so intolerable, that, fearing it would incapacitate me for business, I took Rhus tox. 6th, every four hours, and bathed the parts with cream. This treatment alleviated the symptoms somewhat (fifth day). The itching and swelling in the face is very much abated, as well as that on the scrotum and prepuce (sixth 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.