Violently convulsed (in ten minutes). Violent spasms, during which he shrieked out, the body being perfectly rigid and arched, resting upon the extremities. Severe twitching of the muscles (after first dose); violent convulsions (after second dose).
Violent spasms, accompanied by violent shocks in the abdomen.
Very much convulsed and cramped (soon). Frightful spasms, with black color of the face. Extensive, frequent, and severe spasms, and with each a blowing of froth from the mouth (after three hours); sensitiveness to external impressions increased so the spasms, like electric shocks, would ensue upon the slightest causes, as the touching of the bed, contact of a spoon upon the lips, a sudden step, a jarring of the room, or the slightest noise (after twelve hours). Frequent spasms (after one hour).- Fearful spasms. Fell on the floor and died in violent convulsions (after half an hour). Fell to the floor, screaming with pain in his legs (after two hours and a half); violent spasm, resting on his head and heels, his teeth firmly clenched, his eyes opened and staring from their sockets, pupils dilated, and countenance livid (after three hours). Violent convulsions; she was sensible during the intervals of the paroxysms, and frequently said, “Keep me down.” Strongly convulsed with every symptom of tetanus. Violent clonic spasms. Violent paroxysms every five or ten minutes. Body and limbs perfectly rigid with spasms, which, when occasionally relaxed, was excited by merely blowing in the face, or by the shaking of the floor in walking.
Stretched on his back; countenance expressive of the most painful suffering and distress; his frame shaken by convulsive spasms; his limbs rigidly extended; his head slightly bend backwards; his feelings so morbidly acute that the slightest touch seemed to aggravate his suffering and to bring on a spasm. The terrible spasms of the muscular system, the lightning-like jerks of the limbs, the throat-latch grip, strangulation, and all the horrible phenomena attending a fatal dose of this medicine; the doctor went through the whole catalogue of the horrors and sufferings of a living death, and during the latter part of the night it seemed impossible that he could live; he was finally relieved by Chloroform and Morphia in solution, but the muscular spasms did not entirely cease until the afternoon of the next day, and the lameness or stiffness of the limbs and neck, and consequent debility of such an experience as he went through, continued for several days. During all the long hours of his unspeakable suffering, through that night and the next day, and when it seemed impossible that he could live through another spasmodic shock, his mind was perfectly clear, and he was entirely resigned to his fate. Violent convulsions and opisthotonos. Lying on his back in terrific convulsions; the heels, head, and elbows firmly pressed into the bed, in paroxysms in which the body seemed entirely supported on these points; the paroxysms were short, and came in rapid succession, perhaps last ing two minutes, with intervals of half a minute or less; they came on with violent clonic convulsions, in which the muscles of the dorsal surface greatly prevailed over those in front; they quickly became more quiet and steady in their action, and gradually relaxed until the body came in general contact with the bed; the tetanic rigidity remained in some degree till the next paroxysm, which was not postponed more than half a minute; a slight touch of the forehead produced a violent convulsion with the suddenness of an electric shock; the accidental touching of his foot produced a like result. Violent convulsions, like electric shocks, passing through the chest, jerking the whole chest and body up so that the shoulders would strike and rebound; neck drawn, with constant grappling of the same by his hands, indicating strangulation or asphyxia, with the hollow of the feet in each of the inferior extremities drawn inward. During the whole of the spasms the heart beat feebly, though regularly; eyes open with a vacant stare; pupils contracted; palpebrae passive or apparently paralyzed. He lost all control over his limbs, and fell down in violent fits; he raised a peculiar loud sobbing shout; the head was thrown back violently; the jaws became locked; the muscles of the neck started into rigid relief; the arms, trunk, and legs shot out into a straight line, and but for the assistants he would have fallen like a log of wood on the floor; the muscles felt as hard as iron, and exhibited a tremulous vibration similar to that produced by the action of a strong electron-galvanic current; the fit lasted three minutes, and recurred at intervals of ten or twelve, being succeeded by great prostration, rapid pulse, hurried breathing, and profuse sweating; the spasms were excited by the gentlest stimulants, such as feeling the pulse, touching the feet, or moving the bedclothes (the effects of which he likened to an electric shock); in offering him a pill or little water to swallow, a forcible blowing expiration took place, from spasm of the respiratory muscles and buccinator. He asked for drink, but took it with difficulty, as the attempt brought on convulsions, and was effected only after several attempts; when swallowed, it was ejected by jerks. The severe fits were comparatively few, but between them slight fits came on in rapid succession; indeed, the attempts to take any liquid would generally be sufficient to induce one, and even merely pressing gently the muscles of the jaw, or an attempt to open the mouth by pressing on the lips and teeth, was sufficient to excite an attack. In three-quarters of an hour violent spasms, subsiding at intervals of from four to eight minutes; during spasms, violent shaking of whole body, which was extended, stiff, and rigid; spasms at first most marked in back and legs; in ten to fifteen minutes they fixed upon the thorax; violent tetanus supervened; fixation of all the muscles of inspiration. Application of the hand to the abdomen caused the countenance to change color and brought on rigors (after ten hours). Could not move without convulsive action (after thirty minutes). Tetanus. General tetanic convulsions and trismus, for six hours. Convulsed constantly with the severest form of tetanic spasms, and at times his whole muscular system was rigid, and he lay in the opisthotonos position, resting upon his head and his heels, with his body raised clear from the floor in the form of an arch. Several of these terrible spasms occurred in the space of a minute. His jaws were firmly locked, so that he could not swallow, and approach of anything towards his mouth caused a recurrence of the spasms. Trismus, with the upper and lower extremities completely rigid, and paroxysms of opisthotonos and emprosthotonos occurring alternately. A paroxysm now took place every six minutes, each one lasting about two minutes, and during the emprosthotonic condition he uttered a violent shriek.
Contracted state of the whole muscular system; the body assumes a tetanoid condition. There is a superexcitation of the nerves, proceeding from the cerebrospinal axis. The effects of this agent, when given in small doses, repeated at regular intervals, are of a tonic character. The slightest noise or touch caused tetanic spasms, during which the patient uttered frightful screams. Tetanus and opisthotonos, with trembling and trismus.
Tetanic spasms, with asphyxia, alternating with paralytic relaxation. Tetanic spasms, with asphyxia, alternating with paralytic relaxation. Tetanic contraction of the extensors of the forearms and hands, with frequent twitching of the extensor tendons, followed by tetanic rigidity; head violently thrown backward or to one side: these spasms were followed by remissions and recurrence. Whole body affected by tetanic spasms; arms tightly crossed over the chest; head drawn backward; eyes distorted; frothing from the mouth; face livid; the spasms remitted for a few seconds, but returned more violent than before. When brought into the hospital he had several tetanoid convulsions. Strong tetanic spasms (after one hour).
Almost completely tetanic. He conversed in gasps, asked to be held when the tetanic attacks were coming on and to be turned over during their presence. Tetanic spasm; the head and neck were drawn back; the face from being flushed became colorless, livid; the eyeballs rolled, and th pupils became largely dilated; the forearms were semi flexed and pronated, and the wrists and fingers flexed and press ed upon the chest, upon which she begged the bystanders to “brize,” to prevent the aching of the spine; the lower extremities were widely separated, resting on the heels, with the feet moderately extended; perfectly rigid; opisthotonos; the pulse, which had been full and compressible during the paroxysm became rigid, small, and almost indistinct.
After the lapse of some minutes the spasms relaxed, the face again became colored, the eyes red, and the pupils natural.
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.