Atropine and its salts, obtained from Belladonna, are prepared for used by trituration. Physiological Action similar to Belladonna. Allied Drugs.- Belladonna, Hyosc., Stramonium, Sulphur, (Secale c.). Antidote.- Morphine, Nicotine, each in part.
Generalities
Appears dull and stupid. Convulsions; especially of limbs; beginning in neck and face. Clonic spasms of biceps flexor cubiti and of muscles of jaw, (<) by disturbing the patient. Clonic cramp in face and limbs (moves arms forwards in front of chest). Staggering, then falling, with convulsive movements of limbs, then pupils much dilated, heart beating rapidly, tongue curled to roof of mouth, lips, mouth and throat dry, convulsions about once in five minutes, glossopharyngeal not responsive to tickling. Twitching in head and arms, with vomiting, face red, then pale, pleasant delirium, head thrown from side to side, fingers closed, arms flexed, convulsions of upper limbs, looking as if deeply drunk, after three hours clonic spasms over whole body, passing into toxic ones, pupils dilated, no reaction, difficult deglutition, voice hoarse and thick, skin insensible, dry, bluish-white, no fever, pulse small, frequent, soft, irregular, intermittent, respiration accelerated, superficial.
Jerkings; especially in legs, arms and face, when attempting to drink the arm contracted suddenly and the water was spilled, and when walking one or both legs contracted, throwing one to the ground. Hands tremulous and eyes closed, but she became quiet and drowsy, then kicking and throwing her arms about, limbs weak, unable to stand, face flushed, then meddlesome and pleasant delirium, picked at her clothes, tried to get out of bed, imaged she was sewing, nursing and yawning, then unconsciousness and stupor, eyes closed, pupils dilated, muscular system relaxed, except trismus, deglutition almost impossible, respiration labored and like that of an intoxicated person lids closed, conjunctivae injected, eyes brilliant and staring, tongue, hard and soft palates glazed and parched. Face flushes, pulse full, strong, hard and bounding, respiration almost stertorous, somnolency, impairment of senses, when aroused and raised u he would look around wildly, and when addressed in a loud voice muttered incoherent words, tremor, weakness, especially of lower limbs, so that he was unable to stand, though there was considerable strength in his arms, involuntary micturition. Convulsive trembling of one or another muscle.
Startings in women; S. at any sudden noise; at night when nearly asleep, as if frightened (Bell, Sul.). Busy with his hands, pulling the bed-clothes about. Restlessness; in morning on rising, and unrefreshed; with agitation of body and mind; with sleeplessness; with haste, becoming a desire to fight. Impossible to keep him in bed and difficult to keep him from walking about. Sensitiveness; to wounds and objects at night, with symptoms akin to early stage of meningitis, in morning rapid pulse, furred tongue and hot, dry skin. General discomfort. Weakness; morning on rising; in morning, lay in a half-dreamy sleep and after dressing great desire to lie down again; in open air; during stool, with nervousness, general discomfort and sweat; and trembling all over. Faintness and need of fresh air. Anaemia.
Motion difficult, and when I raised my arms they fell as if made of lead. Heaviness, drowsiness or actual sleep, with tendency to dreamy delirium. Numb or crawling sensation, formication, down back, on arms and backs of hands. Torpor and paralytic trembling. Anaesthesia (Abs., Aconite, Bel., Secale c.); and water glides over skin without moistening it or producing sensation. Lost the power to estimate distances either by eye or touch, touching an object produces no sensation. Better sitting or standing than lying.
Clinical It has been used homoeopathically for neuralgias; supraorbital, (<) emotion; earache; neuralgia under the knee, (>) warm wraps, etc. It has sometimes been prescribed for the symptoms of Belladonna, especially in meningitis, spinal irritation.
Mind
Delirium, with restlessness; (<) at night, with agitation; with drowsiness; followed by or alternating with stupor. Meddlesome D. Frightful phantasies. Spectral illusions at night. Struggling to rise from red (Belladonna). Jumping out of bed and insisting on dressing himself. Resists being undressed, saying continually that he shall lose the train. Restless and unmanageable, refusing to answer, swallow or to be examined, and appeared profoundly intoxicated. Delirious and restless, talking constantly about his affairs. Talked almost unintelligible nonsense in morning on waking. Attempts to reason. Insisted that her blood did not circulate, and that her feet must be put into hot water or she would die. Answers imaginary questions. Talked and laughed wildly, but answered questions readily, fancying that they were at home and attempting to arrange furniture. Returned answers when addressed, whose beginning showed that he understood, but which passed into irrelevant, senseless talk. Incoherent quarreling. Delirium after a chill, resembling the subdelirium of certain typhoid fevers. Busied with subjects which at other times occupy his mind, politics and struggles consequent on his relations in life. On closing eyes after retiring, mind filed with strange ideas, rambling, incoherent speech, spectral illusions, with first of wild, uncontrollable laughter, the delirium lasting all night, fancied that I was afflicted with epilepsy and afraid others would discover my condition, nearly oblivious of all that transpired the latter part of the night, but know from bruises and pains from contact with a stove, chair or some solid body that it was passed in the wildest delirium.
Delirium, resembling delirium, tremens; incessant rambling, restlessness, grasping at imaginary objects and screaming from fright, terror was depicted on his face, and he clung to his nurse’s neck or he threw himself in different directions to escape the frightful objects (Stramonium), later the delusions were pleasurable, of playing with toys, drawing, eating etc. Pleasing illusions, meddling with everything, picking at and handling imaginary object, with muttering and smiling, or with loud chattering interrupted by subdued laughter. Hallucinations, grasping at imaginary objects, with staggering, rapid, full and strong pulse, drowsy, stupid, answered in an indistinct tone but rationally, afterwards, coma increased, head hung upon his shoulders in a limp state, unconscious, respiration ceased and artificial respiration was resorted to. Picking at specks and at the air, on lying in bed. Picking at bed-clothes, as if searching for something at night, with confused mutterings (Hyoscyamus). Incoherent quarreling. Frenzied with excitement. At times when it seemed to him as if he were fully conscious he saw persons at the bedside, and slowly reached out to grasp them, or saw books and newspapers which receded, or the hand would come in contact with them and feel nothing. Felt a wet cloth on my head, but supposed I had been out in the rain without a hat, etc., etc.
Delirious, but not wholly unconscious, starting from a brief repose, and screaming with pain or terror and clutching, flexor muscles of limbs, especially upper, were principally affected, muscles of spine occasionally contracted so as to jerk head backward, pupils dilated, pulse rapid and weak, skin dry, hot and covered with scarlatinoid redness. Violent delirium, tongue dry and brown, respiration labored and quick, with flapping of cheeks, twitching of arms and legs, catching at imaginary objects. Excitement, with congested skin, face, hands and whole body swollen, delirium, sensibility suspended, clonic spasms at times of limbs, pupils dilated, thirst, speech thick and clogged, tongue and throat swollen. Delirium, with absurd hallucinations, pulse rapid and feeble, skin flushed and dry, tongue dry and brown, thirst, throat dry.
Motion unpleasant, and if feet were lifted in walking the floor seemed to recede before thy were put down again, a sliding of the feet seemed the only safe way of locomotion, with dizziness and fear of falling, great thirst, but only a little water could be drunk at a time because swallowing was unpleasant, languid feeling, a semi-recumbent position was assumed, and whether sleep with wild dreams or waking hallucinations followed it was impossible to tell, but they were the opposite of those produced by Cannabis indica, for all the imaginations and conversations were of the long past, whether there was total blindness or imagination of blindness could not be remembered, but all the images were very distinct, the actions were performed by embodied spirits of those long since departed, and lengthy pleasant conversions were held with Plato, Alcibiades, Aspasia and others, sound sleep must have followed, for consciousness did not return till sixteen hours after taking the Atropia, then sudden waking, with nothing abnormal but languor and disturbed vision. Loud cries without pain.
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.