Apocynum Cannabinum

Indian Hemp. Apocynacece.

In the summer of 1833, during a walk in the suburbs of New York, at- tention was called to this plant as being one of the most promising, by Dr- John F. Gray. In Allentown it was proved, especially by Dr. Freitag; in 1856 we got another attempt by John C. Peters, with large doses of the tinc- ture. Afterwards, at the suggestion of Dr. Gray, it was given for dropsies. Dr. Marcy proved the 3d. The best reports of cures in hemorrhages from uterus are from Dr. Marsden, of York Spring, Pa.

^ Mind. Bewildered.

Feels as if she could do nothing but cry ; don't want to speak,

very low-spirited. iLow-spirited and nervous. ^Ascites and chronic diarrhoea. I Stupor. ^Hydrocephalus. ^ Sensorium, Dizzy in the head.

^ Inner Head. iPain in forehead in the morning. ^Ophthal- mia. Frontal headache, sick at stomach, restless at night. Heaviness of the head, evenings ; aching in the small of the back and limbs.

■ Hydrocephalus ; stupor, sight of one eye totally lost, the other

eye slightly sensible ; constant involuntary motion of one arm and leg ; forehead projecting ; sutures open. Stage of exu- dation.

■ Hydrocephalus acutus. Dizzy headache.

* Outer Head. iForehead projecting, sutures open, d Hydro- cephalus. " Sight, Eyes. I Sight of one eye totally lost, the other slightly sensible, d Hydrocephalus.

Pleat, redness of the left eye, feeling as of sand in the eye ; early in the morning.

I Eyes inflamed ; worse morning and evening.

Pressure in the right eye as if pressed outwards.

Fine stitches in the right eye. ^ Nose. I Violent irritation of the Schneiderian membrane, resem- bling a severe attack of coryza.

I Cold in the head.

Nostrils and throat filled with thick, yellow mucus, on waking in the morning.

I I Nose stopped up.

APOCYNUM CANNABINUM. 448

^ Face. I Face expressive of mucli anguish. ^Dropsy.

Face bloated after lying down ; passes off after sitting up. I Face bloated; of a bluish lead color, also lips. ^ Heart dis- ease.

■ Face much swollen. ^ Hydrothorax.

^ Lower Part of Face. I l Dry lips ; if taken in the evening this

is the first symptom next morning. " Taste and Tongue. Taste bitter, sub-acrid, in the fauces. Tongue greatly coated, brownish-white.

I Tongue dry, immoderate thirst. ^ Hydrothorax. ^^ Mouth. Dryness of the mouth on awaking ; thirst.

Constantly spitting ; increased secretion of mucus and saliva in mouth and fauces. ^^ Throat. Thick yellow mucus in the throat in the morning ; unpleasant degree of heat. Pressure on the r. side of throat. ^* Thirst. ■ Great thirst, d Hydrothorax.

I I Great thirst, but water disagrees, causing pain, or is imme- diately thrown off. 6 Dropsy.

I Thirst on waking.

^° Eating and Drinking. Distension about the stomach and hy- pochondria after a moderate meal. Feels as if she was hungry, and when she tries to eat, it settles in epigastrium, turns sour and hurts her. ^® Nausea and Vomiting. I l Nausea after sleep.

Violent vomiting, with prostration and drowsiness, cold skin.

I I Distressing vomiting at intervals, d Menorrhagia.

I Patient becomes very drowsy and vomits very often; pulse slow.

I Considerable gastric disturbance. ^ After scarlet fever.

" Scrobiculum and Stomach. I Sense of oppression about the epigastrium and chest, so that there was the greatest diffi- culty in getting breath enough to smoke a cigar, or to speak with any comfort, and this happened after lighter meals than ordinary.

■ Sinking at the stomach on awaking.

I I Stomach so irritable, not even a draught of water can be re- tained, d Dropsy.

■ Great irritability of stomach and vomiting. ^Menorrhagia.

■ Congestion of the liver, of the portal system; followed by

ascites. ^^ Abdomen. ■ Abdomen very much distended and painful. d Ascites.

■ Bloated abdomen and limbs, d Amenorrhoea.

■ ■Ascites.

■ Ascites with chronic diarrhoea.

Decided distension of the abdomen, especially after a moderate dinner ; all the sense of fullness seemed about the stomach.

^^^ APOCYNUM CANNABINUM.

liver and spleen, while the lower bowels did not appear more flatulent than common. ^^ Stool and Rectum. I Evacuations very scanty.

I Bilious stools ; loose, but not very copious. 21 XT ?°^®^^ sluggish, but feces not hard or costive.

Dull aching pain in kidneys, with increased secretion_ of straw colored urine, sinking at stomach, dry mouth, sighing. See 26, 27. ''

I Urinary difficulties, d Dysuria. 6 Strangury

II Urine diminished to one-third of usual quantity, detention of the urine, with paralysis of the lower extremities. Urine light or sherry-yellow colored, no sediment on cooling.

I Very profuse light colored urine, several gallons a day.

I Urme high colored and very scanty, d After scarlet fever.

I Urine high colored, diminished in quantity, and voided with difficulty. 6 Ascites.

I Urine diminished to one-third the usual amount, without pain or uneasiness about the kidneys or bladder; on the contrary chest organs seemed remarkably comfortable ; they seemed simply torpid. "^

Th^e Httle water that was passed flowed as easily as if it were

■ Urine suppressed, d Meningitis infantum.

22 w 't^ !^°'^ inveterate case of wetting the bed at night, in a girl

I Very profuse flow of blood, preceded for a day or two by a

vital powers rallied, d Menorrhagia. I Most exhausting monorrhagia for about six weeks.

■ Blood expelled in large clots, sometimes in fluid state.

o Menorrhagia.

■ The moderate flow of catamenia for a day or two suddenly

sets in with such violence that she cannot be out of bed. tf Menorrhagia.

■ Shreds or pieces of membrane, with the fluid blood. 6 Men-

orrhagia.

Amenorrhcea in young girls; abdomen and legs bloated.

■ Metrorrhagia continuous or paroxysmal; fluid or clotted-

nausea, vomiting, palpitation; pulse quick, feeble, when 24 p ™^^®^ ' fainting, when raising the head from the pillow. l:'regnancy. ■Cough during pregnancy, sometimes short and

9Q

APOCYNUM CANNABINUM. 450

dry, sometimes deep and loose ; if very deep, it pains in the stomach. ^^ Larynx. I Could not utter a syllable, although perfectly con- scious ; answering by signs. 6 Hydrothurax.

Unpleasant heat of larynx and fauces.

Hoarseness.

^* Kespiration. Sighing.

Short respiration.

I Could scarcely speak for want of breath. 6 Heart disease.

I Could only breathe in a sitting posture, with the head thrown forward, d Hydrothorax.

I Panting for breath, d Heart disease. I I Oppression of the chest on awaking.

Oppression about the epigastrium and chest, difficulty in get- ting breath enough to speak ; after a light meal. 6 Hydro- thorax.

Irresistible disposition to sigh.

■ Agonizing difficulty of breathing. ^Dropsy. I Short and unsatisfactory respiration.

I Gasping for breath. ^Hydrothorax.

■ Difficult breathing, entirely unable to remain in a recumbent

I Dropsy.

I Great dyspnoea, wheezing breathing and cough; could walk with great difficulty, d Dropsy of pericardium. ^' Cough. Dry cough, with scanty expectoration.

Short, dry cough.

I Cough dry, hacking, suffocative, and incessant, d Hydro- thorax.

Cough worse at night.

■ Violent attacks of a hoarse cough at night, with vomiting.

■ Short cough, alternating with a deep cough.

■ Loose rattling, with oppression of the chest.

■ Scanty expectoration of white mucus.

■ Hemorrhage from lungs.

■ ■Hydrothorax. d After scarlet fever.

■ Hydrothorax and anasarca depending on organic disease of

the heart. •^ Heart and Pulse. ■Palpitation very troublesome whenever she attempted to move about the house, d Menorrhagia.

■ Dropsy of pericardium; heart's action scarcely perceptible;

face bloated and anxious looking.

■ Very feeble, with a quick pulse.

■ Small weak pulse. ^Hydrothorax.

Pulse 45 between attacks of vomiting ; feeble, d Menorrhagia.

■ Pulse small and irregular. 6 Ascites.

■ Pulse weak and irregular, d After scarlet fever.

^^1 APOCYNUM CANNABINUM.

■ Almost pulseless and disposed to faint whenever she attempted

31 -D 1*^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ P'"^^- ^ Menorrhagia.

Slight soreness in the region of the kidneys when bring- ing the muscles into action.

''Upper Limbs. iFinger nails of bluish lead color. ^ Heart disease.

^ Lower Limbs, i Stiff knees.

Hard aching in both knees ; fears inflammatory rheumatism. ILLdema of the feet and ankles, general dropsy; also after typhus.

I Lower extremities, penis, scrotum and abdomen swollen.

Lying, face bloated ; better sitting up ; cannot lie, dropsy Moving about the house, < palpitation. See 29

,6 1.T ^^""^^^ "^'^^ S""^^^ difficulty, d Dropsy of pericardium.

General restlessness.

"Sleep. Drowsy in afternoon, restless in night.

On going to bed desire for sleep ; with inability to sleep. I Drowsiness; vomiting, weak. ■ Stupor.

Restlessness ; little sleep.

Evening; heaviness of head; aching in back and limbs; eyes more inflamed ; going to bed, skin hot. 39 m N'gfit: restless; wetting the bed, 21 ; violent attack of cough. Temperature and Weather. iFrom a cold, during a sleigh-

APOCYNUM CANNABINUM. 452

ride, after the flow of catamenia had set in, menorrhagia last- ing four and a half weeks. *^ Fever. Heat of the skin on going to bed.

Sweat ; when the skin moistens, the dropsy improves. I Clammy sweat. ^ Hydrothorax.

I Body covered with large drops of cold sweat. ^ Heart disease. .

*^ Attacks. Paroxysmal menorrhagia.

I Dropsy of the serous membranes.

I I Acute inflammatory dropsy.

1 1 Dropsy, with great thirst, but water causes pain or is vom- ited ; after typhus, scarlatina, cirrhosis ; but mostly uncom- plicated with organic disease.

■ General dropsy after scarlet fever.

I Rheumatic stiffness. ^® Skin. I I Skin dry and harsh. 6 Ascites.

Skin cold, with vomiting. See 16.

Skin hot, evening going to bed. ^^ Stages of Life, Constitution, i Woman, set. 24, mother of three children, black hair and eyes, fair complexion, dis- posed to uterine hemorrhage.

I Woman, get. 40, mother of several children and a hard worker, dark complexion, dark eyes and black hair, d Menorrhagia.

Women with amenorrhoea.