Vision weak. Dimness before the eyes, as from mucus (first day).
Indistinct vision for some minutes (twelfth day). Objects are not seen as distinctly as usual (second day). Obscuration of vision. Eyesight affected. Slight failing for six weeks, being alike in the two eyes. Vision 16 Jager; not improved by glasses.
For an uncertain time he has noticed his sight to be gradually failing, until now it has become so imperfect that he is unable to p73 attend to his business. For a long period his sight has gradually failed, till he can only see to read, for a short time, characters of one-third of an inch. About nine months since his sight began to fail, and has continued to get worse to the present time. He can only see to read No. 18 test-type (canon) with his left eye, and with the right No. 16 (two-line great primer), word by word; and distant objects are equally indistinct. Sight failing slightly for twelve months, the defect being most apparent in a bright light (? central scotoma). With his glasses he could, however, still read the newspaper; but his distant vision, unaided by glasses, was only 40 Snellen, at fifteen feet. Optic discs definitely pale at higher temporal portion; no other changes. Complained of failure of sight for three months, and in particular that “things looked black” (probably central scotoma). Sight did not vary on different ways. Vision – right, letters of Jager and 50 Snellen, barely at twenty feet. Slight hypermetropia, but sight not improved by glasses. Optic discs pale at the temporal portion; no other changes. The physiological cup very large in each, and in one eye spontaneous pulsation of the vein. Complained for three years past that he had been unable to find suitable spectacles.
The sight had failed gradually, but he believed that it had remained stationary for about six months prior to his admission.
Vision, without glasses, each eye 18 Jager, and not 200 Snellen, at twenty feet. Pupils active, the left rather larger than the right. Is using strong glasses (Plus 5), but they are of little service. Optic discs definitely pale all over, but much more so on the yellow-spot side. No other changes, unless a slight mistiness of the retina around the discs. Vision 1/20; nothing in the distance. Discs decidedly whiter at the outer than at the inner part. Dimness came on suddenly; as he was walking, “a lot of gnats seemed to come before the sight,” sight has not got much worse since that time. Vision 20/200 O. Ds. congested and somewhat swollen and slightly hazy; vessels not obscured.
Failure began six years ago; right failed two or three weeks before left. It began as if a large drop of water was before the eye; this increased in size; also a floating muscae before each.
Discs rather pale, left universally, right only on yellow-spot side. Amblyopia, accompanied by intolerance of light, especially blue. Very slight pressure on eyeballs makes vision worse. She becomes almost blind for a few minutes, towards evening; it seems as though a veil were before the eyes; on rubbing the eyes it becomes worse (third day). His sight was so imperfect that he could not see small objects, even when near him. Blindness almost complete. Darkness before the eyes. Vanishing of sight.
Vanishing of vision, on looking at a white object. Complains of seeing double whenever he uses the smallest amount of tobacco; he says that in ten minutes after smoking a part of a cigar, or after chewing a little tobacco, he begins to see double, and a kind of dimness or confusion of sight, as if black dots filled his visual field comes on. When he abstains from tobacco for awhile he improves, and his vision becomes single and clear. The tobacco condition is always aggravated, in a very marked degree, by any kind of stimulant. I found, on examining him, vision in each eye 21/ 100. Insufficiency of the internal recti, so that behind the screen there is a divergence of one and a half lines. Double vision for distant objects; monocular vision for near objects; cannot diverge both eyes on it. Optic disk pale, partly atrophied, eye otherwise normal. Increased presbyopia.
Flickering before the yes (first day). Fog before the vision.
Black spots before the eyes. More black points than usual before the eyes, on looking (first day). The disturbance of vision resulting from the abuse of tobacco cannot be distinguished from that caused by alcoholic drinks; we find an irregular, variable irritation and irritability of the retina, sometimes central scotoma, with improved vision in the dark; diminished extent of accommodation (one of the first symptoms); at times increased intraocular pressure; pupils moderately dilated and sluggish.
Ear
The ears are red and burning hot (first day). Tearing in front of and beneath the right ear (second day). Sticking behind the left ear, with somewhat hard red swelling (sixth day). Pains within the ear, on touching the outer ear (sixth day). Violent earache twelve months ago, with giddiness and overpowering sleepiness. Painful gnawing in the right ear (after five minutes). Some painful tearing in the right ear (first day).
Jerking tearing in the right ear and in front of it, externally (second day). Fine tearing and sticking in the lobule of the right ear. Tickling in the ears (third day). Sticking in the ears, especially in the open air (second day). Stitches in the ears (first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth days).
Sensation as if something stopped the ears (second day). Ears seemed stopped, especially the right (third and fourth days).
Hearing. Hyperaesthesia of the acousticus against music and loud talking. Sensitive to the slightest noise. Deafness not complete, but hearing very dull. Noise in ears occasionally.
After sunset, indoors, fluttering in right ear, both heard and felt (first day). Ringing in the ears. Roaring in the ears.
Roaring and rushing in the ears. Roaring in the ears for several days, especially in the morning. Humming in the ears, aggravated by loud noise or by going into the open air, for several days.
Nose
Ulceration of the nose. Sneezing several times, after which the head felt freer (fourth day). Constant desire to sneeze. Fluent catarrh (first, second, fourth, and fifth days). Fluent catarrh, with acute smell (fourth day). Dry catarrh (third day).
Constant discharge of watery mucus from the nose. Twelve had frequent epistaxis. Bleeding from the nose and lungs. Nose stopped (third and eighth days). Dryness of the nose. Sensation of pressure and formication in the Schneiderian membrane.
Drawing pain in both angles of the lower jaw (third day).
Crawling in the nostrils (fourth day). Burning under the nose, as from violent fluent coryza (tenth day). Sudden burning in the left nostril (first day). Smell. Hyperaesthesia of the olfactories, especially against tobacco and cologne water. Very acute fine smell, in the morning (second day). Diminished smell first and third days). Smell very weak; but she is very sensitive to the odor of wine so that from an empty wineglass, standing in the room, she became almost befogged (fourth day).
Face
Objective. Muscles of the left side of the face permanently contracted, as in apoplexy. Face emaciated, pale and stupid- looking. Expression of the countenance that of stupefaction.
Altered expression of face, etc. Features pinched and contorted.
Austere gloomy expression, as if indifferent to every thing on account of being exceedingly discouraged. Expression stupid.
Features drawn. Features sunken (third day). Countenance indicating lassitude and exhaustion. Anaemic or cachectic. A peculiar alteration of the complexion; this is not a mere want of color, an ordinary pallor; it is a dullish gray appearance of the face, partaking both of a chlorotic tinge, and of that be-longing to certain cachexias. It imparts to the countenance a characteristic look by which a practiced eye can recognize those who have been engaged beyond a certain length of time in the manufacture of tobacco; for it must be remarked that this facial aspect is only to be observed in the case of veteran workers. Pale face. Face very pale. Face deathly pale. Deathly paleness with the nausea. Face pale and contracted. Face pale, collapsed, covered with cold sweat. Looks pale and depressed. Pale face, with drawn features and deeply sunken eyes, surround-ed blue rings. Suddenly became pale, with lividity of the lips, and all the appearances indicating syncope.
Sickly-looking, thin, and pale as a ghost. Pale-gray color of the face. Wan, or rather yellowish complexion, resembling the carcinomatous physiognomy. Face red and swollen. Face alternately red and earthy pale. Dark-red face. Countenance suffused with a deep livid color. Face brownish red. Face slightly reddish brown. Face bluish and drawn. Face violet. Subjective.
Violent tearing in the bones of the face and teeth, in the evening (fifth day). Very transient feeling through the middle of the face, as though dead (after eight hours). Cheeks. Cheek sallow and sunken. Circumscribed redness of the cheeks, especially of the left; this symptom was so prominent that his wife could always tell by it when he had been smoking to excess.
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.