Asimina Triloba

f Paw Paw, or Custard Apple. ' Anonacece.

A valuable proving of the late Dr. George Bute on himself, his daughter, and his 15 year old grandson, from 1864 to 1868 ; afterwards also proved b}"^ E. H. Eisenbrey in 1869-70, in the 1st, 2d and 4th centesimal potencies. Bute used alcoholic extracts from all parts of the plant, ripe and unripe fruit, the green leaves, the bark, and the root. The tree grew in his gar- den. Dr. Eisenbrey proved the same preparation.

H. W. Taylor communicated in Cincinnati Medical Advance, 1878, a kind of poisoning of five children after eating freely of the fruit. The symptoms are marked t.

^ Mind. Did not care to hold conversation with any one, even his best friends ; with aching in lung. Could not dismiss from his mind what occurred through the day previous ; at night. See 37. ^ Inner Head. Frontal headache, with pain in the chest. Frontal headache, with nausea,, t.

Did not rest well the night previous, arose with an unusual headache in left temporal region, involving the eye, with an occasional sharp pain over it, increased by a single cough. On morning of 4th day headache increased ; felt uncomfortable all day ; stomach felt increased in size ; insufficiency of stool ; inactivity of the bowels and rectum. Headache, with chill, nausea and belching. '' Smell and Nose. I Discharge from the nose altered in charac- ter from yellow, thick, and at times, especially in the morn- ing, hard, flakey, dark-gray consistency, at times offensive, to a natural mucous secretion. ^ Face.

Face turns blue, with spasmodic interruption of breath- ing. See 26. ^^ Inner Mouth. Corroding sensation in mouth.

I Aphthse of children. " Palate and Throat. Soreness of throat ; t.

Fauces red, swollen ; tonsils and submaxillary glands enlarged next day ; t. " Thirst, Desires. Thirst, with heat ; drinks much ; desire for

ice-cold things. " Eating and Drinking. Soon after eating, a loose stool. ^^ Nausea, Vomiting and Belching. Nausea and belching. Constant belching. Vomiting.

221 ASIMINA TRILOBA.

^^ Scrobiculum and Stomach. Stomach felt increased in size, with headache. Soreness on pressure in region of stomach. ^^ Hypochondria. Exercised a good deal through the day ; ex- perienced a pain in the left hypochondrium, and a soreness in region of stomach on pressure. ^^ Abdomen, Loins and Groins. Soreness in abdomen on pres- sure ; slight pain resembling colic. Colic.

Sensation of distension by wind. Rumbling and pain. ^^ Rectum and Stool. Insufficiency of stool ; inactivity of bow- els and rectum. See 3. Diarrhoea after eating.

Rumbling pain in abdomen, with desire for stool, which re- sulted in the passage of a soft pappy insufficient stool ; in the evening. » Soreness of anus when wiping it.

Sudden urging to stool, with a sensation as if a stick the thick- ness of a thumb, passed down the rectum ; followed by a sudden diarrhoeical stool, repeating every 10, 15 minutes, with chilliness, drowsiness, and a weak voice. Diarrhoea of yellowish discharges next day ; t. Diarrhoea lasting more than four weeks ; t. All the children had diarrhoea a long time after other symp- toms had disappeared ; t. ^^ Urinary Organs. Urine clear as water. • Diuretic.

Urging to urinate, and burning when urinating. ^' Voice and Larynx. Weak voice. See 20. Quite hoarse in the morning.

1 1 Hoarseness, requiring much effort to talk, and seeming as though the mucous membrane was thickened and the organs slow to respond to the effort of speech. Throat not very sore, not so much so as the hoarseness seemed to indicate ; slight cough, which is dry. " Respiration. Talking difficult. See 25.

I Cramp in the chest lasting three hours, with blueness of face. ^^ Cough. A single cough increased the pain over the eye.

A slight, dry cough. ^* Inner Chest and Lungs. Dull, aching pain in upper left lung ;

headache continuing. ^^ Outer Chest. Lower end of sternum sore on pressure. ^^ Neck and Back. Chill over the whole back.

All children had scarlet eruption on neck and upper limbs ; t. *^ Upper Limbs. Pain in left shoulder, seeming to involve the

pectoral muscles. ^^ Lower Limbs. Sharp pain in left hip-joint, lasting about half

ASIMINA TRILOBA. 222

an hour, 11| a.m., returned half-past 1 p.m.; in the evening

other pains in the joint more mild than the former, lasting

but a short time. Eruption in front, below the knee, like nettles ; itching when

uncovering. Carbuncle on anterior aspect of 1. thigh ; suppuration lasting

two weeks ; t. ^^ Sleep. Fever, heat with sleepiness. See 40.

Did not rest well night previous, kept turning and moving all

night; could not dismiss from his mind what had occurred

through the day. Got up feeling unrefreshed ; headache no better ; quite hoarse ;

pain in left shoulder. See 32. Drowsiness and sleeplessness alternating. ^^ Time. Morning : headache < ; hard discharge from nose ;

hoarseness ; languid and pale. 11.30 A.M. and 1.30 p.m. : pain in left hip-joint. Evening : diarrhoeic stool ; pain in left hip-joint slight. ^^ Temperature and Weather. Uncovering knee : itching worse. Open air : exercise in open air is followed by relief of headache. *' Chill. Fever. Sweat. Chill. See 3 and 31. Chilliness. See 20. Heat with thirst. Fever heat : with desire for something icy cold ; with drowsiness ;

with much thirst. Chill over the back. *^ Locality and Direction. Aching in chest more on left than

on right side. Left : headache temporal region ; pain in hypochondrium ; pain

in upper lung ; pain in shoulder ; pain in hip-joint ; carbun- cle on thigh. Left to right : eruptions appeared in provers first left then

right. *^ Sensations. As of a stick in rectum.

Sharp pain : over 1. eye ; in 1. hip-joint. Corroding : in mouth.

Soreness : in throat ; in stomach ; in abdomen ; of anus. Dull aching : in upper 1. lung. Cramp : in chest.

Undefined pain : in chest; in 1. hypochondrium ; in 1. shoulder. *'* Touch. Passive Motion. Injuries. Pressure : soreness

in epigastrium and abdomen ; lower end of sternum sore. Wiping : anus sore. *® Skin. Itching red pimples.

Pustules like small-pox, with a red halo, itching, and after

scratching forming thick crusts, lasting from six to eight

weeks ; t. Itching when undressing in the evening.

223 ASIM. TR.— ASPAR.

Abscesses ripening.

Eruption first on left then on right side.

Nettle-rash.

10 P.M. : violent fever; had vomited, and was covered with a bright scarlet eruption ; pulse 130, full and steady ; tempera- ture 105 ; t.

General desquamation followed ; t. *^ Relationship. Collateral relations : the Anonacese, of which the Asim. fr. is the only one proved, although a very impor- tant family.

Compare : lllic. anis. (colic) ; Liriodendron.

The skin of the fruit and the seeds are fetid, somewhat similar to Stramon.