Viscum Album

Viscum album, Linn.

Natural order , Loranthaceae.

Common name , Mistletoe.

Preparation , Tincture of leaves (and berries).

Authorities. 1 , Dr. Center, Charleston Med. Journ. and Rev., vol. vi, 1851, 448, two women, aet. eighteen and twenty-one years, took Viscum to procure abortion; 2 , Henry Belcher, M.D., Month. Hom.

Rev., vol. xii, 1868, p. 282, a girl, aet. seventeen years, in whom catamenia had not appeared, but who appeared well, except a severe form of chorea had long troubled her, took 5 drops tincture, three times a day, for a week; 3 , Joseph Dixon, Brit. Med. Journ., 1874 (1). p. 224, a boy, aet. fourteen years, ate eight berries; 4 , Pröll, A. H.

Z., 96, No. 10 (Brit. Journ. of Hom., vol. xxxvi, 1878, p. 271), took the tincture, beginning with a drop, and increasing every day by a drop until he took forty at a time.

Inclined to be violent, [3] . Spectral illusions, [3] .

Insensibility, [3] . Stupor, succeeded by almost entire insensibility, lying motionless, with her eyes closed, as if in sound sleep, but easily roused by a loud noise, and then would answer any question, but when she relapsed into her former condition there was a slight disposition to stertorous breathing (second day), [2] .

Giddiness (second day), [2] , [3] .

Eye.

Conjunctiva injected, [3] . Pupil slightly dilated and fixed, [3] .

Pupils contracted, and at first appeared insensible to light (second day), [3] .

Countenance suffused, [3] . [10.]

Lips livid, [3] .

Whole of the alimentary canal paralyzed, [1] .

Bowels obstinately constipated, [1] .

Respiratory Organs.

Breathing slow and stertorous, [3] .

Slight disposition to stertorous breathing (second day), [2] .

Pulse small, quick, and very irregular (second day), [2] . Pulse slow, full, and bounding, [3] .

Superior Extremities. He felt in the dorsum of the left hand as if a large spider were crawling over it; soon afterwards he felt the same sensation in the dorsum of the right hand (after 40 drops), [4] .

Inferior Extremities. In the same winter suddenly felt in the right foot a violent aching pain from within outwards, that compelled him to take off his boot, as it felt too light; this sensation went off in an hour, [4] .

About 10 A.M., when he was going to see a patient, he felt very queer, as if he must fall down; he felt a glow that rose up from the feet to the head, and it seemed to him as if he were on fire, at the same time his face became very pale; this kind of aura epileptica recurred three times during the winter (after 40 drops), [4] . [20.]

Every muscle of the body, except those of the eyes, were paralyzed, [1] .

Could not speak or swallow, and both died about the eight or ninth day, literally starved, [1] . Frequent recurrence of the symptoms during two years, [4] .

Drowsiness (second day), [2] .

Skin warm and very moist (second day), [2] .