Ricinus communis, Linn.

Natural order , Euphorbiaceæ.

Common names , Palma christi, Castor oil plant.

Preparation , The oil expressed from the seeds.

Authorities.

1 , Langier, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1828, p. 207, effects of repeated employment of the oil as a cathartic; 2 , Mun. de la Med. Cont., 1838, Venice (A. H. Z., 19, 64), effects of an emulsion of eight ripe seeds, with water; 3 , Bergius, Mat. Med., effects on a man, of chewing a single seed at bedtime; 4 , Journ. de Chim. Méd., 1856 (S. J., 94, 296), a man ate the seed in place of the oil; 5 , Med. Times and Gaz., 1861, 1, 555, a man swallowed three fresh seeds (death in forty-six hours); 6 , Pharm. J., 1866, effects of eating a few seeds; 7 , Prof. Houze de L'Aulmont, Archiv. de Gen., 1867 (S. J., 146, p. 41), a woman took 30 to 50 grains of the seeds in milk; 8 , Cameron, Med. Times and Gaz., 1870, p. 581, effects of eating seeds, in two children; 9 , omitted; 10 , Rapp, La Tribune Med., No. 160, September 10th, 1871, a man ate a number of seeds with the intention of purging himself; 11 , Sharp, M. H. Rev., 1876, p. 745, took 1 grain of 1st cent. trit., night and morning, for three days.

HEAD

Vertigo (after a few hours), 9 ; (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Headache (after a few hours), 9 ; (after eleven hours and a half), 10, 11.
Severe headache (third day), 9.

EYE

The eyes are convulsed and drawn upward in the orbits, the conjunctiva injected, and copious lachrymation; pupils only moderately dilated (after a few hours), 9 ; (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

EAR

Buzzing in the ears (after a few hours), 9.
Humming in the ears (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

FACE

Features drawn (after a few hours), 9.
Pale face (after a few hours), 9.
Face slightly congested (fourth day), 9. [10.]
Face pale ; and the features strongly contracted (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

MOUTH

Tongue coated white and dry (second day); white (fourth day), 9.
Tongue furred and rather dry, 8.
No cerebral symptoms, but twitchings of the mouth were noticed once in the small boy, 8.

THROAT

Burning pain in the gullet accompanied the vomiting, 6.

STOMACH

Appetite and Thirst.
Anorexia (second day), 9.
No appetite (fourth day); returns (sixth day), 9.
Great thirst, 8.
Burning thirst (after a few hours), 9 ; (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Pyrosis (after three or four hours, and on second and fourth days), 9. [20.]
Pyrosis lasting four days (after three or four hours), 10.
Nausea and Vomiting.
Nausea and vomiting, 2.
Nausea, then vomiting; the matter vomited contained fragments of seeds and drops of oil (after three or four hours); the nausea and vomiting are persistent; the matters vomited are liquid, slightly colored by a little bile, and contain only a few mucous threads in suspension (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Nausea (after three or four hours); followed by vomiting, which contained fragments of the seeds and drops of oil floating on it; at 5.30 P.M., the vomited matter is fluid, lightly colored by some bile, and holds some glairy filaments suspended; the vomiting lasts till 3 A.M.; vomiting again (second and fourth days), 9.
Violent profuse vomiting, 7.
Violent vomiting and purging, accompanied by burning pain in the gullet and stomach, with all the symptoms of Asiatic cholera, 6.
The following morning he was attacked with violent vomiting and purging, which continued the whole day, 3.
Vomiting without pain, 2.
The substances ejected from the stomach were of a pultaceous nature, 8.
Yellowish-green vomitings and violent colics (after six hours), 5.
Stomach. [30.]
A kind of bar across the pit of the stomach, which caused profound anguish (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
A sensation as if a bar lay over his stomach, with profound anguish (after a few hours), 9.
The pit of the stomach is very sensitive, and from this point as a centre, pains shoot towards the umbilicus and hypochondria; pressure, whether hard or gentle, neither relieves nor aggravates them (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

ABDOMEN

The different segments of the abdominal recti can be seen successively and individually contracting under the skin (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Rumbling in the abdomen, 2.
The patient feels as if all his intestines were violently drawn together (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Violent colic, 4. [40.]
Violent colics and yellowish-green vomitings (after six hours), 5.
Cramps with the diarrhœa, 9.
Pain over the abdomen increased by pressure, 8.

STOOL

Violent purging with the vomiting, 6.
Bloody diarrhœa, 7.
Diarrhœa without pain, 2.*
Purging with vomiting, 3.
*A few diarrhœic stools; in three or four hours after taking the seeds the alvine dejections became more frequent and more copious, they escaped without griping or colic, in the form of a serous fluid, containing slimy matter; after about ten hours the diarrhœa became almost incessant , and was colliquative, the evacuations presenting the same appearance as in cholera, 10.
Stools frequent and watery, 8.
Three or four hours afterwards he passed several loose stools; the stools became more numerous and copious, were passed without tenesmus or colic, formed of serous liquid mixed with mucus; about 4 P.M., the diarrhœa became incessant, with cramps and chilliness; at 5.30, the diarrhœa becomes colliquative, and the stools look as in cholera. Diarrhœa continued (second and third days); moderate diarrhœa without tenesmus or colic (fourth day); some diarrhœa (fifth day); only two stools (sixth day), 9. [50.]
Complete confinement of the bowels for five days; this made him uncomfortable and caused headache, 11.

URINARY ORGANS

Complete anuria, at 5.30 P.M., since 10 A.M. (first and second days), 9.
At 10 A.M., he passes a small quantity of dark-colored, thick, and highly albuminous urine (second day); urine still scanty, with large precipitates, by heat or Nitric acid (third day); still very albuminous (fourth day); ceases to be albuminous (sixth day), 9.
Complete suppression of urine since taking the seeds (after eleven hours and a half); emission of a small quantity of deeply-colored, thick, and highly albuminous urine (second to fifth day), 10.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS

Voice very veiled (after a few hours), 9.
The voice is decidedly changed (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

PULSE

The pulse is normal as to frequency, but extremely small , and now and then scarcely perceptible at the radial artery (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
Pulse normal in frequency, but so small that sometimes it can hardly be felt at the radial artery (after a few hours), 9.
Pulse 130, 8.
Pulse weak, 2.

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES. [60.]

Gangrene appeared in one foot and necessitated amputation, 4.

GENERALITIES

Very pale and listless, 8.
(Anæmia very marked, with great lassitude), (fifth day), 10.
Profound adynamia, it takes two persons to support the patient (after a few hours), 9.
Convulsions, 4.
Muscular contractions (after a few hours), 9.
Extreme collapse, accompanied by purging and vomiting, 8.
Extreme lassitude (second day), 9.
Great weakness; the patient has to be held up by two men (after eleven hours and a half), 10.
The muscles of the limbs, as well as of the trunk, are affected with very painful cramps (after eleven hours and a half), 10. [70.]
Cramps (second day); in long intervals (third day), 9.

SKIN

Jaundice very pronounced (fourth day), 9, 10.
The skin became saffron yellow, 4.
A pruriginous eruption, or redness and itching, at the wrists and bendings of the knees, 1.

SLEEP

A great desire for sleep, 8.

FEVER

Chilliness with the diarrhœa, 9.
Coldness (after ten hours), 10.
Some fever (second and third days), 9.
Perspiring freely, 8.
The skin is moist and cool, especially of the extremities (after eleven hours and a half), 10. [80.]
Forehead covered with cold sweat (after a few hours), 9 ; (after eleven hours and a half), 10.

CONDITIONS

Aggravation.
( Pressure ), Pain over abdomen.

SUPPLEMENT: RICINUS. Authority.

12 , Lond. Med. Gaz., 1840-1, vol. ii, p. 739 (Amer. Hom. Obs., 1876, p. 78).

It has caused salivation, 12.

Ricinus