Stramonium

passing neither urine nor stool (Led.). Very mobile states. Tremor; nervous. Disorderly, graceful or rhythmic motions (Elap.), < head or arms. Chorea. Spasms, < night. .................... DREADS DARKNESS, and has a horror of glistening objects. Fearful, desires company or wants to escape. Active, variable delirium; talks incessantly; sees many, vividly brilliant or hideous phantoms, more to one side. Wildly excited, as in night terrors or delirium tremens, or does all sorts of crazy things. Raving mania, with cold sweat, cursing and praying. Religious insanity. The talk of others is intolerable. Self accusation. Loss of reason or speech. Stupid. Imbecile. Vertigo, < in dark. Jerks head up and drops it again. Fixed sparkling stare. Squint. Diplopia. Night blindness. Green vision. Crowding, visual hallucinations. Sees black. Delusions as to size and distance. Red, bloated or rapidly changing face; now flushed, now pale; a sardonic grin, then expresses terror. Frowning. Fine red dots on tongue. Stammering. Constantly spits saliva. Dry throat, with great thirst, yet dreads water; it chokes him. Hydrophobia. Putrid, dark, painless, involuntary diarrhœa. Sexual excitement (in males). Excessive menses, preceded by sexual excitement. Grasps the genitals. Nymphomania. Spasmodic cough. Spasm of larynx. Voice suddenly fails, in higher tones. Nervous asthma. Drawing in back. Sensitive spine. Violent pain in hip. Unilateral paralysis, with twitchings. Crawlings, as of many bugs. Non-appearing exanthema. Fiery scarlatinous rash. Sopor. Weeping, in dreams. Awakes in fear or screaming. Frightful visions.

Glistening objects. Fright. AFTER SLEEP. Dark, cloudy days. Suppression. Intemperance.

LIGHT. Company. Warmth. A remedy of TERRORS, BUT LACKING IN PAIN; with suppressed excretions (Ver-a.),

BRAIN. Circulation: Throat. Skin. Spinal nerves: Arms. Hip (L). Genitals.

Antidotes: Cof. Nux-v. Related: Bell. Hyo. Op.

Stramonium

Thorn Apple. SolanacecB.

Adapted to : ailments of young plethoric persons (Acon., Bell.); especially children in chorea; mania and fever delirium.

Delirium ; loquacious, talks all the time, sings, makes verses, raves; simulates Bell, and Hyos., yet differs in degree.

The delirium is more furious, the mania more acute, while the congestion, though greater than Hyos., is much less than Bell., never approaching a true inflammation.

Disposed to talk continually (Cic., Lach.) ; incessant and incoherent talking and laughing; praying, beseeching, entreating ; with suppressed menses.

Desires light and company ; cannot hear to he alone (Bis.) ; worse in the dark and solitude; cannot walk in a dark room.

Awakens with a shrinking look, as if afraid of the first object seen.

Hallucinations which terrify the patient.

Desire to escape, in delirium ( Bell., Bry., Op., Rhus).

Imagines all sorts of things; that she is double, lying crosswise, etc. (Petr.).

Head feels as if scattered about (Bap.).

Eyes wide open, prominent, brilliant; pupils zvidely dilated, insensible.; contortion of eyes and eyelids.

Pupils dilate when child is reprimanded.

Face hot and red with cold hands and feet; circumscribed redness of cheeks, blood rushes to face; risus sardonicus.

Stammering ; has to exert himself a long time before he can utter a word ; makes great effort to speak ; distorts the face (Bov., Ign., Spig.).

Vomiting: as soon as he raises head from pillow; from a bright light.

Convulsions: with consciousness (Nux — without, Bell., Cic., Hyos., Op.) ; renewed by sight of bright light, of mirror or water (Bell, Lys.).

Twitching of single muscles or groups of muscles, especially upper part of body; chorea.

Hydrophobia : fear of water, with excessive aversion to liquids (Bell., Lys.) ; spasmodic constriction of throat.

No pain with most complaints ; painlessness is characteristic (Op.).

Sleepy, but cannot sleep (Bell., Cham., Op.).

Relations. — Stramonium often follows; Bell., Cup., Hyos., Lys.

In metrorrhagia from retained placenta with characteristic delirium. Sec. often acts promptly when Strain, has failed (with fever and septic tendency, Pyr.).

After overaction, from repeated doses of Bell, in whooping-cough.

Aggravation. — In the dark; when alone; looking at bright or shining objects; after sleep (Apis, Lach., Op., Spong.) ; when attempting to swallow.

Amelioration. — From bright light; from company; warmth.

Lecture XL — Stramonium and Hyoscyamus

Datura Stramonium.

Stramonium stands between Hyoscyamus and Belladomia. It excites the sensorium and perverts its functions. The special senses are affected. Thus there is double vision. Objects appear double or oblique. The mental symptoms are as follows: the mania or delirium is of a wild character, the face being of a bright red; the eyes have a wild and suffused look, although they are not so thoroughly congested as under Belladomia. The hallucinations terrify the patient; he sees objects springing up from every corner; animals of every kind and grotesque creatures arise, and terrify him. The patient, if a child, cries for its mother even when she is near. The eyes are open and the pupils widely dilated. If an adult, he is decidedly loquacious in his delirium. At times he manifests a merry mood in his loquacity, and at others he has the "horrors." At one moment he will be laughing, singing and making faces, and at another praying, crying for help, etc. He often has photomania or desire for light. He seems to have great fear of the dark. Sometimes he insists upon it that he is conversing with spirits. Again the mania assumes a silly character. He talks in a foolish and nonsensical manner and laughs at his own attempts at wit. The loquacity differs from that of Lachesis. In Stramonium the loquacity consists of a simple garrulity, whereas in Lachesis it is a jumping from subject to subject. During the delirium of Stramonium, as under many narcotics, the patient frequently attempts to escape.

Agaricus seems to stand between Stramonium and Lachesis, having some resemblance to both.

A condition simulating that of hydrophobia sometimes calls for Stramonium. In this state any bright object causes furious delirium, spasm of the throat and horrible convulsions. The dilirium, especially in typhoid conditions, is excessive and seems to exhaust the patient completely.

The spasmodic motions of Stramonium are characterized by gracefulness rather than angularity; they are more gyratory than jerking. Especially is this condition noted in young children when there is a non-appearance of the eruption during one of the exanthemata. Stramonium acts better on children and young infants than does Belladonna. Take, for instance, a case of measles. The rash does not come out properly; the child is hot; its face is bright red; it tosses about, crying out in a frightened manner as soon as it falls asleep; it knows no one; its movements, though convulsive, are not jerking and angular.

This is a case for Stramonium.

Similar to Stramonium in these cases is Cuprum metallicum, which has, like the former remedy, aggravation on arousing from sleep, and also this same terror. It is characterized by the violence of its symptoms. The abnormal movements are decidedly angular. The face is apt to be of a bluish color. It is especially indicated when the rash has been repercussed and these violent cerebral symptoms appear. Another similar remedy to Stramonium is Zincum metallicum. This, too, has crying out in sleep and awaking from sleep terrified. There is considerable evidence of debility, the child being so weak that it has not sufficient strength to develop an eruption.

Another nervous affection which yields to Stramonium, or is at least modified by it, is nervous asthma; the patient can scarcely draw in the breath on account of the spasm; there is aggravation from talking. Stramonium is also indicated in locomotor ataxia. The patient cannot walk in the dark or with his eyes closed. If he attempts to do so he reels and staggers.

Mental abnormalities as to shape seem to be characteristic of the Stramonium patient. For instance, he imagines that he is very large, or that one arm is very large. Sometimes he feels as if he w Tere double, or that he had three legs instead of two. These errors as to shape and size in the Stramonium patient bring to mind several other remedies, particularly Baptisia, which, however, does not in the least resemble Stramonium in other symptoms. It is to be remembered that both of these remedies have these illusions as to shape. The Baptisia patient feels that he is double, or, what is more characteristic, that his body is scattered about, and he must try to get the pieces together. Other remedies have this symptom; we find it under Petroleum and Thuja. Under the latter remedy the patient imagines that he is made of glass, and he walks very carefully for fear that he will be broken. These symptoms may indicate the drug in typhoid fever.

In erysipelas, with involvement of the brain, you may find Stramonium indicated when the disease assumes an adynamic type. The symptoms are very much like those of Rhus tox., but you distinguish it from the latter by the violent cerebral symptoms, the delirium, the restlessness, and the screaming out as if terrified. And yet with all these symptoms there is little or no fever.

Stramonium may also be called for in the incipiency of scarlatina when the rash fails to appear and the brain suffers, but it has less fever and throat symptoms than has Belladonna. There may be suppression of urine, which is especially characteristic of this drug if it is free from pain or other discomfort.

As in all remedies that irritate the brain, we find grinding of the teeth. We may also find stuttering, which, by the way, has been compared to the spasmodic urination of children, when the least excitement will cause them to pass urine in little jets; in a similar way are the words jerked out. Particularly does the patient find it difficult to combine vowels with consonants.

Another remedy for stuttering or stammering is Bovista. The tongue of the Stramonium patient is red or whitish, and covered with fine red dots, and is dry and parched. In some cases it is swollen and hangs out of the mouth.

Stramonium may excite a decided nymphomania, during which the woman, though very chaste when in her normal condition, becomes exceedingly lewd in her songs and speech. She may become verjr violent in her manner. Often these symptoms occur in women before menstruation, in which case Stramonium acts most admirably. The menstrual flow is apt to be very profuse, showing that it is the high degree of congestion that produces the nymphomania. There is a strong odor about these women, reminding one of the odor of animals in the rutting season.

I would also like to call your attention to the diarrhoea which Stramonium cures. The stools are very offensive, smelling almost like carrion. They are apt to be 3 rellow Tish. They may or may not be dark, but the offensiveness is the most important symptom. Absence of pain is characteristic of Stramonium excepting in abscess, particularly when it affects the left hip-joint, in which case it may be so intense as to throw the patient into convulsions. The antidote for Stramonium poisoning is lemon juice.

Devout, earnest, beseeching and ceaseless talking. Loquacious, garrulous, laughing, singing, swearing, praying, rhyming. Sees ghosts, hears voices, talks with spirits. Rapid changes from joy to sadness. Violent and lewd. Delusions about his identity; thinks himself tall, double, a part missing. Religious mania. Cannot bear solitude or darkness; must have light and company. Sight of water or anything glittering brings on spasms. Delirium, with desire to escape (Bell; Bry; Rhus).

Thorn-apple The entire force of this drug seems to be expended on the brain, through the skin and throat show some disturbance. Suppressed secretions and excretions. Sensation as if limbs were separated from body. Delirium tremens. Absence of pain and muscular mobility especially of muscles of expression and of locomotion. Gyratory and graceful motions. Parkinsonism.

Worse, in dark room, when alone, looking at bright or shining objects, after sleep, on swallowing. Better, from bright light, company, warmth.

Raises head frequently from the pillow. Pain in forehead and over eyebrows, beginning at 9 am; worse until noon. Boring pain, preceded by obscure vision. Rush of blood to head; staggers, with tendency to fall forward

and to the left. Auditory hallucinations.

Hot, red; circumscribed redness of cheeks. Blood rushes to face; distorted. Expression of terror. Pale face.

Seem prominent, staring wide open; pupils dilated. Loss of vision; complains that it is dark, and calls for light. Small objects look large. Parts of the body seem enormously swollen. Strabismus. All objects look black.

Dry; dribbling of viscid saliva. Aversion to water. Stammering. Risus sardonicus. Cannot swallow on account of spasm. Chewing motion.

Food tastes like straw. Violent thirst. Vomiting of mucus and green bile.

Suppression, bladder empty.

Sexual erethism, with indecent speech and action. Hands constantly kept on genitals.

Metrorrhagia, with loquacity, singing, praying. Puerperal mania, with characteristic mental symptoms and profuse sweatings. Convulsions after labor.

Graceful, rhythmic motions. Convulsions of upper extremities and of isolated groups of muscles. Chorea; spasms partial, constantly changing. Violent pain in left hip. Trembling, twitching of tendons, staggering gait.

Shining red flash. Effects of suppressed eruption in scarlatina, with delirium, etc.

Awaken terrified; screams with fright. Deep snoring sleep. Sleepy, but cannot sleep (Bell).

Profuse sweat, which does not relieve. Violent fever.

Compare especially: Hyoscy and Bellad. It has less fever than Bellad, but more than Hyos. It causes more functional excitement of the brain, but never approaches the true inflammatory condition of Bellad. Antidotes: Bellad; Tabac; Nux.

Thirtieth potency and lower.

Stramonium

Mind: When considering Stram. the idea of violence comes into mind.

One cannot look upon a patient who needs Stram., or who has been poisoned with it, without wondering at the tremendous turmoil, the great upheaval taking place in mind and body.

Full of excitement, rage, everything is tumultuous, violent; the face looks wild, anxious, fearful; the eyes are fixed on a certain object; face flushed, hot raging fever with hot head and cold extremities, violent delirium. In his anxiety he often turns away from the light, wants it dark, is aggravated especially if the light is bright. High fever with delirium; the heat is so intense that it may be mistaken for Bell., but it is usually a continued fever, only at times remittent, while the intense fever of Bell. is remittent always. Stram. is like an earthquake in its violence. The mind is in an uproar; cursing, tearing the clothes, violent speech, frenzy, erotomania, exposing of the person. These symptoms are found in continued fevers, insanity, cerebral congestion. It is useful in violent typhoids. It is useful in mania that has existed for some time; attacks of mania coming on in paroxysms, appearing with more or less suddenness, so that a single attack would look like Bell., but the history differentiates. Bell. would hardly be more than a palliative in the first attack, and the second exhibition of it would do nothing. When the delirium is not on, the patient has the appearance of great suffering, forehead wrinkled, face pallid, sickly, haggard. In head pains this anxious look, indicative of intense suffering from meningeal involvement.

"Delirium bland, murmuring; violent, foolish, joyful, loquacious, incoherent chattering with open eyes; vivid; merry, with spasmodic laughter; furious, raving, wild; attempts to stab and bite; with queerest notions; with sexual excitement; fear as if a dog were attacking him." Strange ideas about the formation of his body, that it is ill-shapen, elongated, deformed; strange feelings concerning his physical state. All sorts of illusions and hallucinations. One must distinguish between these states. An illusion is an appearance in the vision or mind which the patient knows is not true.

A hallucination is a state that appears to be true. A delusion is a more advanced state, when the patient thinks it is true and cannot be reasoned out of it. Fear and great anxiety on hearing running water.

He sees animals, ghosts, angels, departed spirits, devils, and knows they are not real, but later he is confident of it. He has these hallucinations especially in the dark. At times he has an aversion to a bright light which is painful, and again he must sit and look into an open fire, but this may cause cough and other symptoms. "Sings amorous songs and utters obscene speech.

Crazy with distress, jumps out of bed, acts as if the bed were being drawn from under him. Screams until he is hoarse or loses his voice. Screaches and screams day and night with fever, with forms of mania.

Hasty, hurries with all his might if he wants to go to another place."

Violent laughter with sardonic expression on his face.

"Child awakens terrified, knows no one, screams with fright, clings to those near."

Hyosc. has wild maniacal delirium, but with very little fever. In Stram. there is considerable fever. In Bell. the fever is in the afternoon and evening, 9 P.M. to 3 A.M., and then a remission. Violent convulsions involving every muscle of the body, opisthotonos, violent distortions, contraction of the limbs, biting of the tongue and bleeding from the passages. During spasms, covered with cold sweat; sometimes almost as cold as ice; cold sweat in mania; this feature is equaled only by Camphor.

Hysterical convulsions of long standing, associated with spinal trouble; worse from fright. Convulsions in nervous, excitable people brought on by fright.

Puerperal convulsions and insanity. It has the septic nature. Those cases going on for a while as melancholic, low spirited; she believes she has sinned away her day of grace, yet she has lived an upright life; sad; imagines strange things, does strange things, until finally violent delirium comes on; she screams aloud; exhorts people to repent; face red, and eyes flashing; exhorts and prays in incoherent speech. In such cases Stram. should be compared with Veratr.

In cerebral congestions, the delirium subsides into unconsciousness the patient has the appearance of profound intoxication; pupils dilated or contracted (in Bell. they are dilated). Marked stupor, stertorous breathing, lower jaw dropped. So in typhoid and the low forms of fever, foetor, oozing of blood from the mouth and other passages.

Throat and mouth dry, tongue dry, swollen, so that it fills the mouth, pointed, red like a piece of meat, bleeding from the mouth, sordes on the teeth, lips dry and cracked; at times violent thirst yet dread of water.

Diarrhoea copious, involuntary; abdomen tympanitic, involuntary urination.

Basilar meningitis from suppressed eardischarge. The Old School have no remedy for such cases. Forehead wrinkled, eyes glassy, staring, dilated pupils and scarcely any fever; awful pain through the base of the skull and there is a history of necrosis about the ear. Violent headache from walking in the sun, and from the heat of the sun. Aggravated all day and at night the patient must sit up because of increased pain on lying down; he is worse from every motion on jar; eyes fixed and glassy, face flushed, but later it is pale, eyes fixed on a corner of the room, motionless; delirium, says strange things. Pain in the occiput.

High grade inflammation which it carries to the finish. Pus forms, abscesses with excruciating pain (Hepar, Merc., Sil., Sulph.). Violent catarrhal inflammations, vicious, septic states. Chronic abscesses, carbuncles, boils, abscesses in the joints, the left hip-joint is a special locality. You will often be able to abort a case of hipdisease, and even when pus is present or fistulous openings have formed it is very useful. Fullness, suppuration, and pain in the cartilages. Stram. stands alone among the deep acting remedies, in its violence of mental symptoms. Stram. cures eye troubles and irritation of the brain from overstudy; in students who are obliged to do much night work to keep up with day lectures. The patient seems almost blind; there is much pain in the eyes in dim light, relieved in intense light. The mental symptoms, cough, headache, etc., are worse from light. "Dryness of throat and fauces, not benefited by any sort of drink.

Swallowing difficult and impeded with stinging pain in the throat, with pain in the submaxillary glands with convulsions; particularly fluids from constriction of throat."

Choking on attempting to swallow water. It has done some good work in hydrophobia. (Hyosc., Bell., Canth., Hydroph.)

In old cases of suppuration of the lungs where the cough is worse from looking into the light, Stram. is often a great palliative and causes no aggravation.

Retention of urine, cannot pass it if he ceases to strain; old men who have lost power over the bladder, stream flows slowly, cannot make haste. Cardiac affections with great constriction of the chest, mental irritability, delusions as to personal identity, inability to sleep in the dark, great anxiety when on a train going through a tunnel, pulse irregular, heart feeble.

Sleep full of dreams and turmoil.