Cedron

(Simamba Gedron.) Dbscriftioh. — The origin of tLls drug was for a long time unknown. Even so late as 1870 Huglios wrote; "Cbdkon — It is tlie fruit of a South American tree, (Bimarnha Cedron — stipposed to Ik, a kind of cedar,) whose exact description is not yet ascertained."— PA«rwiiiiwi?vfiomics, and edit., p. 203.

He was probahly misled by Dr. Casanova a papers in the MoKtlily Ho- miBoputMc MevieiB.

Codron is tho seed of the fruit; and by eonsultine Hooker's Loniion Journal of Botany, Vol. VI, p. 556, it will be sten Ihat M Planchon had given a name and botanical station to the srvcalled 'nondesciipt Cedron," long before Dr. Casanova had penned his paper

The earliest mention of the Cedron is fonnd in The History of (he Bue- eaneere, Anw> 1O0S.

The native Indians first offered the seeds for sale in Carthagena in 18S8 Dr. S. A. Jones, who has written up this drug, published in the Ameriean Olsemer, said of his work ;

" When this resume was begun, a more pains- taking piece of work was designed. It has long been laid aside ; and now tliat other and more pressing duties are upon us, it is published simply because fi'om no other single source can the practitioner get all that is jjathogenelically known of Simaruhii Ge&ron. Tlie remedy certainly ap- pears capable to fill a larger sphere tlian our meagre clinical reports show it to have occupied." Officinal F^bfabations Tincture of the seed of Uie fruit ; dilutions ANAT.00DE8

Arnica, Gimicifiign, Gornua, Cinchona, Q;uinine, Sepia Sanffuinaria, {Nvin f Buealpytus, and perhaps Ev/pat perf.)

Gloomy, depressed spirits; disposition to weep; inquietude

and excessive angtiisli.

Dullness of the senses; torpor of the mental faculties, and

uneasiness; dread of friends, (in females particularly.)

Head dull and heavy in the morning; diateusive headache, in

right side of the head; disappears wholly toward noon. Headache increases in the open air, (toward 9 a. m.) Pressive pain over the eyes, as if a band were tied round the ]>arte.

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CBX>BON. 169

Pressure at the top of the head, slight in the daytime, Bcme- what violent just at the moment when the shivering begins; it never wholly ceased during the whole proving.

Toward 6 p. m. shuddering soon followed by a dull and heavy frontal headache, spreading to both parietal regions.

Pulsating sensation in the temple, and a twisting pain behind the right ear, changing to a duU pain and extending to the temples.

The whole head feels swollen and heavy, most on the right side.

Pressure on the occiput in the morning; in the forenoon, oecasional sharp, jerking pains in the occiput; successive sharp pains in the occiput, abdomen and lower limbs. (These pains in the head are duU, except tliose in the occiput, which are acute.)

At 10 p. M. dull pain in the top of the head, with sharp flying pains in all the joints of the extremities; worse in tlie feet, particularly the first joint of the great toe.

Awoke late in the morning, after a sound sleep, with dull pain in the vertex, and with dull pain in tiie whole upper head.

Throbbing in the temples increasing to pain; pain aci'oss the forehead, over the eyes, from temple to teraple; beating in tlie temples, increasing to pain and extending over the

Headache, especially in the bottom of the orbits (compelling

him to close the eyes), and extending to the occiput.

Eyes protruding and red, with pressive pain extending to the

of the eyes; redness of the eyes, and itching of the inner

not tell wlien it was 1

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170 CEDEOH.

Singing in the ears as of crickets; bnzzing of tlie ears towai-d noon; Iiardnese of hearing at night.

° Antidotes the effects of Sulphate of Quinine on the auditory nerves.

Pace.

Fljing heat of the face alternated with chills, toward evening, with bloated appearance.

Cheeks red and burning at night, pale and cold in the morn- ing- _ _

Pressing or teariiig pain in one or both cheeks, with occasional shoots under the orbits.

Spasmodic twitchings of the levator palpebrm superioris dnr- ing three successive nights.

Toward 6 i'. m. constant heat in the face, which looks ani- mated.

Icy coldness of the tip of the nose, even in the midst of febrile reaction, the face being red and burning,

"Prosopalgia, more frequently in women than in men, gener- ally on the right side, recurring in regular paroxysms of indefinite duration, with spasmodic distortion of the mus- cles corresponding to the affected region (the sygomailo process almost always).

Mouth dry, wit,h viscous saliva when talking; lips dry, with desire to moisten them often.

Intolerable prickling itching of the tongue, obliging her to rub it incessantly against the palate.

Slightly yellowish coat on the root of the tongue, with a nafty, sickish, bitter taste of the mouth.

On rising in the morning, gulping up of a hitter wind; tongue coated yellow; bitter taste in the mouth.

Awoke with dull pain in t}ie whole head; tongue coated yel- low; sickish taste; sour taste; thfe saliva becomes sour at night.

Aft«r talking, the saliva becomes white and thick like ere«n.

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CEDHOH. 171

Taste as of iron in the month, causing a profuse flow of saliva;

cx)Ustrictiou of the tliroat, wLici] aearcely allows, her to

swallow the saliva. ° MoutJi and tongue very dry; difficulty of speech; great

thirst all the time. She felt at times as if the tongue was paralyzed, with pricking

of. the tongue. (These symptyme appea/red, only with the catamenia, and

lasted as long as that discharge; at the termination of

which she had a profuse ptyaliem and leucorrhoial flow.) App etite—Thir St. Loss of appetite; appetite is impaired as the proving pro-

Thirst; desire for cold water at noon and warm during night.

Aversion to cold water during the evening; great thirst and desire for cold water; thirst, and craves only warm drinks. StomaotL.

Eructations of bitter wind from the stomach before rising in the morning, with dull pain in the temples.

Sensation as of a stone on the stomach; rolling pain in the stomach; sensation of heat and fullness in the stomach.

Distension of the stomach, and disposition to nausea, gener- ally aggravated by rest, bat relieved by walking, and by eating.

° Uncomfortable feeling of the stomach, which obliged him to lie down; great sensitiveness of the precordial region; pulse small and hard; dryness of the mouth and fauces; depressed spirits and inquietude, relieved by food and drink.

(These symptoms appeared every day from 10 to 13 a. m., lasted from one to two hours, after which there was pros- tration of body and mind for an hour or two.)

Abdomen hard and distended toward evening; flatulence in the morning, with slight colic and discharge of fcetid wind.

Borborygmi in the left side of the abdomen.

Sliarp pain alternately in the ccecum, liver, and spleen.

Successive sharp pains in the occiput, abdomen and limbs;

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lia OBDEOH.

pains only in one place at a time; on getting warm in bed, flying pains in the region of the ascending eoloii; liver and spleen— kept him awake most of the night.

Constipation; unsnccessful urging to reheve the bowels.

Copious stool, with excessive tenesmus.

Yellowish loose evacuations (three days after taking large doses of Cedron),

Whitish stools, mixed with fragments similar to clotted milk (in other provers, three days after large doses).

Slight colic, followed almost immediately by a copious evacua- tion of a substance that looked lite curdled milk, white, with a slightly yellowish tint (from chewing the nut as an antidote to the bite of a coral snake).

" Semi-liquid, whitish fseces, somewhat like starch ; white, frothy, and papescent evacuations immediately after meals, accompanied with slight colic and discharge of inodorous wind.

" Involuntary discliarge of urine and ffeces. TTrine.

Scanty urine; frequent Ineffectual urging to urinate.

Frequent emission of large quantities of pale urine.

Dark urine with sediment; urine of a dark-red color; scanty urine, with deep yellow color. Genitals.

Koctumal erections and intense venereal excitement (many provers.)

Genital excitement at daybreak, with a discharge similar to leucorrhcEa, and swollen mammae with some pain (in two married women.)

A discharge like gonorrhoea, continuing three days and ceasing spontaneously on omitting the drug (in a young man.)

Dreamed all night (I seldom dream) of pleasant social inter- views with female acquaintances, and woke with firm erections in the morning.

Larynx constricted and tender; difficulty of swallowing; diffi- (iult respiration with partial loss of voice recurring at intervals.

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OBDBOIl. 173

Oppression of the chest and throbbing of the heart.

Oppressive pain in the cheat every now and then, extending to the back, with frec[uent desire to moan and take a long breatli.

Palpitation of the heart and hurried breathing with headache.

The oppression of tiie chest and throbbing of tlie heart occur- red in nearly all the provers in whom febrile paroxysms were developed.

Pains in the loins and back on rising in the morning.

" Rigidity of the nape of the neck.

° Pain all along the spine.

Snperior Extremities,

Laming and weary pains in the shoulders; passing paina in the elbows and tbrearms, with a cold sensation extending to the hands toward noon; sharp flying pains in all the joints of the extremities; arthritic flying pains continue, more or less, for more than four weeks, most in the feet and hands, some in the elbows.

Laming passing pains in the joints, especially the right elbow; pain at the elbow and right forearm, as from a shock or blow, lasting one quarter-of-an-hour.

Various unpleasant sensations, such as eontnsive pains at the elbow, etc., recurring periodically every morning at nine o'clock; hands unusually pale; hands cold; pains (when not febrile concomitants) relieved by friction.

' Numbness of the arms and legs.

" Irregular and uncontrollable movements of the left arm and legs.

Inferior Extremities.

(Jn getting warm in bed, severe, sharp flying pains in all parts of the system; the pains in the limbs seem to be

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in the cartilages of the joints, particularly in the firal joint of the great toe, and streahing up the bones; lanc- ing pains in the joints of the knees; sharp flying pain? in all joints of extremities, worse in the feet, particularly the great toe joint; smart rheumatic pains in all the joints of the limbs; sharp, lame pain in the right ankle; swelling of the feet, with extreme pain in all the joints; in the morning, pain at the heel as from an abscess, only when walking, for an honr, after which period it ceases entirely, Vai-ious nnpleasant sensations, such as con- tusive pains in the eibow, or pains as from an abscess of tlie heel, recnn-ed periodically every morning at nine o'clock; arthritic flying pains continued, more or less, for more tlian tour weeks, most in the feet and hands, some in the elbows, more in the hips and knees; but most troublesome in the first joint of the great toes; pain relieved by motion and cold before soreness of the joints came on, when they are aggravated by motion and cold, worse at night.

A general feeling of fatigue after awaking, if the sleep has exceeded more than six hours, and 3 general weakness of body and mind.

Ko sleep, with a flow of confused ideas until five in the morn- ing; all night very restless, frequently waking fatigued from lying in -one position. Dreamed of quarreling with a dead sister and other dead friends, cried abont it and awoke with a nightmare, and sensation of a stone on the stomach.

Pever.

Feverish paroxysms every day in some provers, every other day in others, toward eight p.m., preceded by depressed spirits, dullness of the senses and pressing headache at noon; cramps, then contracting and tearing pains in the upper and lower extremities, with a cold sensation in the hands and feet; mouth dry, great thirst and desire for cold water; chills and shivering; sometimes very strong shuddering of the whole body; palpitation of the heart

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OEDEON 175

and hurried respiration; pulse weak and oppressed. These symptoms lasted from one to two hours, varied much in intensity, and were followed by a sensation of dry heat, and then of profuse perspiration, full and quick pulse with animated red face; cold and pale in the apyrexia; thirst and desire tor warm drinks.

A t three o'clock p. m., shuddering all over the body, with malaise and desire to lie down ; the shuddering is renewed by motion; hands, feet, and nose are cold; flying heat in the face several times; lastly, toward six o'clock in the morning, constant heat in the face, which looks animated, with smarting in the eyes, especially when closing them; lips dry, with desire to moisten them often ; headache, especially in the bottom of the orbits, compelling him to close the eyes, and extending to the oedpat.

"Wbile this congestion of tlie head lasts, the shuddering con- tinues all the time; the hands, feet, and nose remain cold; urine of a dark-red color.

Toward six o'clock in the evening (immediately after dinner) cold all over; shuddering in the back, icy coldness in the feet; the hands are burning; sensation in the eyes as if one had wept a good deal.

In the evening toward 6i, half-an-honr al^er dinner, shudder- ing in the back and legs; unusual paleness of the hands; i-ed face; heaviness of the head, stretching toward seven in the evening; general coldness all evening; increase of the headache in the open air (toward nine o'clock); pres- eive pain over the eyes as of a band of iron tied round the parts; no thirst during the shuddering; dry heat at night.

Toward six p.m., shuddering, soon followed by a dull and heavy frontal headache spreading to both parietal regions, with redness of the eyes, itching of the internal and ex-

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1T6 CEDRON.

ternal suifaces of the eyelids; icy coldness of the hands and tip of the nose, even in the midst of the febrile re- action (the pulse is 80), the rest of the face is red and burning; lastly, dimness of sight, dilatation of the pnpils; objects look red; mouth dry, with thick, viscous saliva; constriction of the throat, which scarcely allows her to swallow the saliva; anxiety, restlessness, general malaise. Tiie medicine being taken by the healthy prover, was followed

1st. a certain state of mental excitement, and augmentation of vital energy; florid face, and a sensation of heal throughout the body; full and strong pulse; more or less perspiration and no thirst.

This group lasted from twenty to forty minutes in some, and disappeared after that time to return no more, without any other abnormal manitestation in their health; whilst in others, the symptoms were prolonged for one to two hours, and were followed by —

Sed. Great thirst; yawning; cramps and painful feelings of contraction in the lower extremities; cold sensafion in hands and feet; chills and shivering of the whole body; palpitation of the heart; pulse weak and oppressed ; hur- ried respiration; chattering of the teeth and shaking of the whole body; scanty and highly-colored urine; slight nausea in some, witli yellow color of the skin and face in

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VIKGINIASA. 177

others; great debility ; dilated pupils and confused eight. These Bymptoms lasted irom one to two liours, and varied much in their intensity; after which —

The apyrexia generally lasted from fifteen to seventeen hours, after which and ««. about the same Hme as the -previous day, the paroxysms were I'epeated as per gronp third, and continued almost quotidian.

The chief charaeteristic of this remedy ie a periodicitt which is often eloeh-like in its regularity.

CERASUS VIRGINIANA.

(Ghoke Cherry)

Botanical Description. — This is a small tree or shrub, from five to

twenty feet high, growing in woods and hedges. Leaves smooth, oval, or

egg.Bhaped, the broad extremity at base, sharp pointed, tliin, not shining,

with edge serrate, the teeth being oval^shaped and sharp, veins bearded on

each side toward the base ; the leaf-stalk with two ghinds. The flowers ai'e

short, loose and spreading branches ; petals circular and ■white, appear-

a; in May; outer bark greyisli; inner bark green; leaves two or three

ches long. The fruit is abundant, of a dark red color, very aatringeat

to the taste, but not disagreeable.

Ob-ficinai. Pkkpahation.—(1) Tincture of the inner bark; and dilu- tions to3 X dilute alcohol; above, strong alcohol.

Analogdbs, — BigUali*, Lawocerasug, I/ycopus, CoUimonia, S^dreeganin- aeid. Amygdala, Ammoitia, etc.

Heavy, dull feeling in the head,

Stomaoh. * Dyspepsia, with tendency to aiyid^loation of food. " Slow digestion, with pyrosis. °Loss of appetite, with weak, intermittent pulse.

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178 CHELIDONITral MAJTJB.

Generative Organs. " Debility from spermatorrhcea.

" Cough from functional or disease of the heart. " Irregular and intermittent action of the heart, with deficient

° Hypertrophy, with dilatation.

° Pulse quick, weat and irregular.

" Debility after fever or any exhausting disease, especially in

heart affections. ° "Whooping cough. ° Phthisis pulnionalis (palliative).

° Ulcers. " Scrofula.