Astacus Fluviatilis

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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF

PURE MATERIA MEDICA

By TIMOTHY F. ALLEN, A.M., M.D.

Presented by Médi-T

Cancer Fluviatilis.

Astacus fluviatilis (Cancer astacus, Linn.) Class , Crustacean; Sub Order , Macroura. Common Name , crawfish. Preparation , Tincture, prepared by pouring alcohol on the pounded living animal.

Authorities. Buchner's provings, Hygea, 17, p. 1; 1 and 2 , Two men proved large doses of the tincture, repeated doses; 3 , case reported by Buchner, loc. cit., of a man who ate a soup made of crabs; 4 , Cloyd, Lond. Med. Gaz., 1833, quoted by Buchner, loc. cit., a man ate heartily of crabs; 5 , Seherin von Prevorst, 1, 124, from Buchner, l. c., a woman ate three spoonfuls of crab soup; 6 , Hagedorn, Ephem.

Nat. Cur. Ann., 3, Obs., 35, p. 99, effects of eating crabs; 7 , Petrus Rommelius, Ephem. Nat.

Cur. Ann., 4, Obs., 25, p. 61, effects of eating crabs; 8 , Bonetus, from Buchner, l. c., effects of eating warm crabs; 9 , Plenk, Bromatolagie, p. 157, from Buchner, l. c., statement of effects; 10 , Menage, Gaz. Méd. de Paris, 1840, from Roth. Mat.

Med.

Slight delirium, [10] . Great apprehensiveness, and anxiety in the chest, [2] .

Confusion. Confusion of the head, [10] .

General Head. Inflammation of the head, neck, and chest, with efflorescence of red serous blotches ("maculis rubicundis serosisque"), relieved after a time by sweating, [6] .

Excessive pain in the head, caused by the violent sneezing, [7] .

Headache extends towards the occiput, but is especially felt in the right temple and about the ear, [2] . [10.]

Sticking in the right internal ear, lasting six hours, which changed to a dull pain (after two hours), [1] .

Frequent spasmodic sneezing, [7] .

Slight and sudden discharge from the nose, as in a slight catarrh, [2] . Nose-bleed, repeated daily for a week, [3] .

Bleeding of nose toward morning, with relief, [3] .

Violent dull toothache in a carious tooth, in the afternoon, [2] . Drawing pains in the teeth, soon followed by sticking in the right ear, [1] .

Pressive pain in the tongue, in the pharynx, and in the region of the stomach, [2] . Sweetish taste in the mouth, after coughing, [1] .

Continually dumb until the crabs had been vomited, [8] .

Scraping sensation in the throat, with constant irritation to cough, and tickling in the larynx, the whole day, [1] .

Rawness of the throat caused frequent hawking, [1] .

Appetite diminished, [2] . [40.]

Eructations and increased warmth in the pit of the stomach; nausea, [2] .

Nausea, [6] .

Vomiting of the contents of the stomach, almost without exertion, without nausea, with good appetite, followed immediately by great longing for food; this vomiting took place at the time when he was passing the fatty substance from the bowels, and it persisted during the last ten months of his life, [4] . [The post mortem showed a great constriction of the duodenum, so that the cavity was almost obliterated; the opening of the gall-duct into the duodenum was completely closed.]

Sour vomiting after smoking at 5 P.M., [1] . Stomach empty and sensitive, [2] .

Region of the liver was painful to severe pressure (after two hours), [1] . [50.]

Uncomfortable feeling in the region of the spleen, [1] . Pressure in the region of the spleen, followed toward evening by a tension, as though the bowels were contracted, [1] .

Abdomen distended and painful, [2] . Flatulence, with urging to stool, [2] .

Painful sensation in the abdomen, the whole afternoon, [1] .

Pressure in the region of the duodenum caused constant pain, [4] . [60.] Griping in the abdomen, followed by an unsatisfactory stool, after 7 A.M., [1] .

Gripings in the bowels, with urging to stool, and weariness about 1 P.M., [2] . Griping and urging to stool, on every motion; relieved when sitting still, [2] .

Colicky pains before and during the stool (second day), [1] . Feeling in the bowels as though he would have a painful colic, followed by griping in the left side of the lower abdomen, [1] .

Prickling in the left pelvic bone, [1] . Hypogastrium.

Griping in the left side of the lower abdomen (after two hours), [1] . Short-continuing twingings in the left side of the lower abdomen, with great weariness, after 8 P.M., [1] .

A pasty stool at 5 A.M., [1] . [70.]

Soft, somewhat slimy stool, after eating, followed by scraping in the rectum, [1] .

Stool yellowish, consistent, afterwards pasty and offensive, with relief of the colic, [2] . Stool darker than usual, [1] . After some months, passage of a fatty substance from the bowels, looking like melted fat, and after being cold, of the consistence of butter; this substance floated on water, melted in a moderate warmth, and was extremely inflammable, generally was separated from the faeces, sometimes mixed with them, usually of a dark color, sometimes light, but always yellow; at the time this substance was passed the stool had a dark color, but never the color of healthy bile; after the fatty substance ceased to pass the stool became again as white as before, [4] .

Pressure in the region of the bladder, with sensation of heaviness in it, [1] . Twitching below the right kidney, [1] .

Drawings along the right ureter, [1] . [80.] Urine bright yellow, slightly acid, [2] .

Urine golden yellow, at first not acid, but afterwards slightly acid; with light flakes floating in it (when boiled it frothed a great deal, and when somewhat evaporated, showed much albumen), [2] . [Translated literally! -A.] Urine dark yellow, with sediment, [2] .

Tickling in the larynx, low down, which caused coughing, [1] .

Accumulation of mucus in the bronchi and larynx, which seemed to be adherent, [2] .

Oppression and difficult breathing in the bronchial tubes, [2] .

Cough and Expectoration.

Much coughing, without expectoration, in the forenoon, especially about 11, [1] . Cough followed by hawking, in order to loosen mucus, which was light yellow, [1] . [90.] Cough in the morning, with expectoration of bronchial mucus, which was light yellow, through the day, with rawness of the chest, [1] .

Cough worse after 3 P.M., so that the chest became painful, with expectoration like saliva, or like white mucus, [1] .

Respiration.

Respiration more difficult than usual, [1] .

Rush of blood to the chest, with difficult breathing and spitting of blood, [2] .

Oppression of the chest, [1] .

Pressive pain in the whole sternum, on waking in the morning, [2] .

Slight sticking in the left side of the breast, beneath the nipple, [2] .

HEART AND PULSE. [100.] Pulse 80 (first day), pulse 50 (second morning), pulse 80 (second day, about 2 P.M.), [2] .

Neck And Back. Sudden tearing from the right lumbar region to the kidney, while sitting, [1] .

Extremities In General.

Obliged to move the limbs back and forth involuntarily, for it seemed as though she could only digest while doing so; continued half an hour, till digestion was better, [5] .

Superior Extremities.

Jerking in the upper extremities, at 6 P.M., [1] . Weariness of the arms, [1] .

Sensation of trembling in the arm upon which he was resting, [1] .

Crawling in the arms, with trembling of the hands, [1] .

Pressure and tension in the shoulder-joints and deltoid muscles, [2] .

Pressure and heaviness in the bends of the elbows, [2] .

Jerklike drawings in the left forearm, [1] . [110.]

Trembling of the left hand, while holding a book, [1] .

Tearing and sticking in the middle of the thumb, for a short time, early in the morning, immediately after waking, [1] .

Inferior Extremities.

Burning on the anterior surface of the left leg, while walking, as from an acid, so that he was frightened, and examined it with his hand, [1] .

General Symptoms.

Languor, [3] .

Weariness, prostration (after two hours), [2] . Prostration (in two provers), [3] .

[120.] Skin red from severe itching, [3] .

Jaundice for several months; the urine, saliva, tears, mucus in the nose, and serum of the blood contained a large quantity of bile, but not the slightest amount passed through the intestines; the stools were constantly as white as pipe-clay, [4] .

Violent attack of urticaria, with hepatitis, followed by jaundice, [4] . Red, itching urticaria all over, [10] .

Urticaria developed on chest, back, arms, inner surface of thighs, under the knees; the large spots were elevated, with red areolae; was obliged to scratch, so that, after four hours, these places seemed puffed up, [3] . Itching on the neck, about 6 P.M., with continued heat and redness of the face, [1] .

Violent itching on neck, [3] .

Sleep And Dreams.

Condition of sopor, in the evening, [2] . At night, restless sleep, frequently interrupted, full of lascivious dreams, with increased temperature of the skin, [1] .

Waking in the morning, earlier than usual, [1] . [130.] Waking at night, with sweat, especially on the abdomen, [2] .

Chilliness.

( After smoking ), Sour vomiting.

( While walking ), Burning on leg.

( Sitting still ), Griping, etc.

( Sweating ), Inflammation of head, etc.