Ricinus Communis

Ricinus communis, Linn.

Natural order , Euphorbiaceae.

Common names , Palma christi, Castor oil plant.

Preparation , The oil expressed from the seeds.

Authorities. 1 , Langier, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1828, p. 207, effects of repeated employment of the oil as a cathartic; 2 , Mun. de la Med.

Cont., 1838, Venice (A. H. Z., 19, 64), effects of an emulsion of eight ripe seeds, with water; 3 , Bergius, Mat. Med., effects on a man, of chewing a single seed at bedtime; 4 , Journ. de Chim.

Méd., 1856 (S. J., 94, 296), a man ate the seed in place of the oil; 5 , Med. Times and Gaz., 1861, 1, 555, a man swallowed three fresh seeds (death in forty-six hours); 6 , Pharm. J., 1866, effects of eating a few seeds; 7 , Prof.

Houze de L'Aulmont, Archiv. de Gen., 1867 (S. J., 146, p. 41), a woman took 30 to 50 grains of the seeds in milk; 8 , Cameron, Med. Times and Gaz., 1870, p. 581, effects of eating seeds, in two children; 9 , omitted; 10 , Rapp, La Tribune Med., No. 160, September 10th, 1871, a man ate a number of seeds with the intention of purging himself; 11 , Sharp, M. H.

Rev., 1876, p. 745, took 1 grain of 1st cent. trit., night and morning, for three days.

Vertigo (after a few hours), [9] ; (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Headache (after a few hours), [9] ; (after eleven hours and a half), [10] , [11] .

Severe headache (third day), [9] .

Eye.

The eyes are convulsed and drawn upward in the orbits, the conjunctiva injected, and copious lachrymation; pupils only moderately dilated (after a few hours), [9] ; (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Ear.

Buzzing in the ears (after a few hours), [9] .

Humming in the ears (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Features drawn (after a few hours), [9] .

Pale face (after a few hours), [9] .

Face slightly congested (fourth day), [9] . [10.]

Face pale ; and the features strongly contracted (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Tongue coated white and dry (second day); white (fourth day), [9] .

Tongue furred and rather dry, [8] .

No cerebral symptoms, but twitchings of the mouth were noticed once in the small boy, [8] .

Burning pain in the gullet accompanied the vomiting, [6] .

Appetite and Thirst.

Anorexia (second day), [9] . No appetite (fourth day); returns (sixth day), [9] .

Pyrosis (after three or four hours, and on second and fourth days), [9] . [20.]

Pyrosis lasting four days (after three or four hours), [10] . Nausea and Vomiting. Nausea and vomiting, [2] . Nausea, then vomiting; the matter vomited contained fragments of seeds and drops of oil (after three or four hours); the nausea and vomiting are persistent; the matters vomited are liquid, slightly colored by a little bile, and contain only a few mucous threads in suspension (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Nausea (after three or four hours); followed by vomiting, which contained fragments of the seeds and drops of oil floating on it; at 5.30 P.M., the vomited matter is fluid, lightly colored by some bile, and holds some glairy filaments suspended; the vomiting lasts till 3 A.M.; vomiting again (second and fourth days), [9] .

[30.]

A kind of bar across the pit of the stomach, which caused profound anguish (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

A sensation as if a bar lay over his stomach, with profound anguish (after a few hours), [9] . The pit of the stomach is very sensitive, and from this point as a centre, pains shoot towards the umbilicus and hypochondria; pressure, whether hard or gentle, neither relieves nor aggravates them (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Epigastrium very sensitive, and the pains radiate towards the navel and hypochondria; neither light nor strong pressure aggravates the pain, at the same time the patient feels a sensation of violent constriction in the intestines (after a few hours); epigastric and abdominal pains continue (second day); abdominal pains (fourth day), [9] . Cramps in the stomach (after three or four hours), [9] , [10] .

Burning pain in the stomach accompanied the vomiting, [6] .

The different segments of the abdominal recti can be seen successively and individually contracting under the skin (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Rumbling in the abdomen, [2] . The patient feels as if all his intestines were violently drawn together (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Violent colic, [4] . [40.]

Violent colics and yellowish-green vomitings (after six hours), [5] .

Cramps with the diarrhoea, [9] . Pain over the abdomen increased by pressure, [8] .

Violent purging with the vomiting, [6] .

Bloody diarrhoea, [7] . *Diarrhoea without pain , [2] . Purging with vomiting, [3] . *A few diarrhoeic stools; in three or four hours after taking the seeds the alvine dejections became more frequent and more copious, they escaped without griping or colic, in the form of a serous fluid, containing slimy matter; after about ten hours the diarrhoea became almost incessant , and was colliquative, the evacuations presenting the same appearance as in cholera, [10] . Stools frequent and watery, [8] .

Three or four hours afterwards he passed several loose stools; the stools became more numerous and copious, were passed without tenesmus or colic, formed of serous liquid mixed with mucus; about 4 P.M., the diarrhoea became incessant, with cramps and chilliness; at 5.30, the diarrhoea becomes colliquative, and the stools look as in cholera. Diarrhoea continued (second and third days); moderate diarrhoea without tenesmus or colic (fourth day); some diarrhoea (fifth day); only two stools (sixth day), [9] . [50.] Complete confinement of the bowels for five days; this made him uncomfortable and caused headache, [11] .

Complete anuria, at 5.30 P.M., since 10 A.M. (first and second days), [9] .

At 10 A.M., he passes a small quantity of dark-colored, thick, and highly albuminous urine (second day); urine still scanty, with large precipitates, by heat or Nitric acid (third day); still very albuminous (fourth day); ceases to be albuminous (sixth day), [9] .

Complete suppression of urine since taking the seeds (after eleven hours and a half); emission of a small quantity of deeply-colored, thick, and highly albuminous urine (second to fifth day), [10] .

Respiratory Organs.

Voice very veiled (after a few hours), [9] .

The voice is decidedly changed (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

The pulse is normal as to frequency, but extremely small , and now and then scarcely perceptible at the radial artery (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

Pulse normal in frequency, but so small that sometimes it can hardly be felt at the radial artery (after a few hours), [9] . Pulse 130, [8] .

Pulse weak, [2] .

Inferior Extremities. [60.] Gangrene appeared in one foot and necessitated amputation, [4] .

Very pale and listless, [8] . (Anaemia very marked, with great lassitude), (fifth day), [10] . Profound adynamia, it takes two persons to support the patient (after a few hours), [9] .

Convulsions, [4] . Muscular contractions (after a few hours), [9] .

Extreme collapse, accompanied by purging and vomiting, [8] . Extreme lassitude (second day), [9] . Great weakness; the patient has to be held up by two men (after eleven hours and a half), [10] . The muscles of the limbs, as well as of the trunk, are affected with very painful cramps (after eleven hours and a half), [10] . [70.]

Cramps (second day); in long intervals (third day), [9] .

Jaundice very pronounced (fourth day), [9] , [10] .

The skin became saffron yellow, [4] .

A pruriginous eruption, or redness and itching, at the wrists and bendings of the knees, [1] .

A great desire for sleep, [8] .

Chilliness with the diarrhoea, [9] .

Coldness (after ten hours), [10] .

Some fever (second and third days), [9] .

Perspiring freely, [8] . The skin is moist and cool, especially of the extremities (after eleven hours and a half), [10] . [80.]

Forehead covered with cold sweat (after a few hours), [9] ; (after eleven hours and a half), [10] .

( Pressure ), Pain over abdomen.

SUPPLEMENT: RICINUS.

It has caused salivation, [12] .