Cocculus indicus

Volume II — Main text

COCCULUS. Cocculus indicus, Anamirta cocculus, Wight and Arnott (Menispermum cocculus, L.). Indian cockle. Nat. Ord ., Menispermacea. I. Provings.- I . HAHNEMANN, Fragmenta de Viribus. Contains 156 symptoms from self and 6 from authors. 2. IBID., Mat. Med. Pura, vol. I of original and translation. Contains 333 symptoms from self, 218 from 8 fellow-provers, and 6 from authors . II. Poisonings.- 1 . A druggist, of fine sensibility, and healthy, though but recently convalescent from an acute disease, some years ago wished to ascertain the taste of the C. ind., and, taking about half a

grain, rolled it with tongue over palate, finally swallowing it. He was immediately seized with dreadful anxiety, which increased every moment ; he became cold all over ; limbs were stiff, as if paralysed, with drawing pains in their bones and in back. Symptoms increased from h. to h. (aggravated from time to time with tobacco and coffee), till after 6 h. anxiety, stupefaction, and immobility had risen to greatest height, with fixed, sullen look, ice-cold sweat on forehead and hands, and great repugnance to all food and drink. At slightest increase or decrease of temperature of room (75° F. ) he expressed displeasure ; every loud word put him into passion. All he could say was that brain felt constricted as by a ligature, and that he expected speedy dissolution. He wished to sleep, but when he closed eyes immediately started up again, so frightful (he asserted) was sensation he felt on going off, like a hideous dream. Pulse was very small, but its frequency was unaltered. Camphor effected speedy reaction and relief, but next d. he was still uncommonly weak, and all parts which during the direct action of the C. were painful internally, were now tender to slightest touch. Bowels remained constipated for several d. (HAHNEMANN, Lesser Writings, tr. Dudgeon, p. 377.) 2. A boy, æt. 12, weakly, cachectic looking, suffering from ague and worms, ate on April 3rd a cake made of two scruples of cocculus seeds and cheese. After a few m. disgusting taste, burning in fauces and stomach, then vomiting 10 times without relief. The pain spread to umbilical region and over abdomen. Got mistura oleosa and purgative clysters . On April 6th he came into the hospital ; confusion and stupefaction of head, vertigo, anxiety, with great restlessness ; forehead hot, covered with clammy sweat ; eyes turned upwards, face earthy looking, physiognomy expressing great pain ; tongue furred white, dry on borders, bitter taste, unquenchable thirst ; frequent vomiting of a thin green fluid ; cervical vessels pulsating strongly ; breathing quick ; no pain in chest ; stomach very painful ; complained of heat, constant burning in stomach and bowels, especially about navel ; whole abdomen distended, hot, and very painful ; frequent yellowish-white, fluid stools ; urine red without sediment ; dry skin, with general intense heat ; pulse 120 ; 15 leeches to abdomen, 2 drachms castor-oil, enemata, emulsion of rice mucilage to drink. This treatment was continued, and from Ioth he got calomel, aq. amygd., laudanum. The symptoms continued, especially the diarrhea, vomiting, sopor, and delirium.-20th. The whole mouth was studded with aphthæ, which sloughed so rapidly that on 21st all the soft parts of the mouth were destroyed and the teeth fell out. Abdomenmeteoric ; diarrhœa of putrid-smelling stools ; death ensued on 22nd, with signs of abdominal gangrene. P.M. on 24th.-Dirty red blood exuded from mouth, which was swollen, especially on r. side ; face livid ; a bedsore on back and sacrum ; prepuce grey ; dura mater bloodless, vessels of arachnoid filled with dark fluid blood ; between the membranes dark serum, in both side chambers light-coloured serum, and in base of skull 2 oz. of reddish serum. Convolutions of cerebrum softer than normal ; in r. pleural sac some light-coloured serum, in l. pleural sac ash-grey serum ; r. lung nearly hepatised ; pericardium full of light-

coloured serum. On opening abdomen a strong cadaverous smell. Bowels filled with gas, discoloured on outside, their convolutions stuck together and to the abdominal wall with false membranes, the omentum displaced. The abdominal cavity contained two pints of serum like that in l. pleura ; on the liver an exudation of cheesy character. Stomach moderately distended, outwardly discoloured, its walls thin and brittle, its inner surface towards fundus deep red, at œsophageal and pyloric orifices a cheesy substance. The small intestines had thin, easily-torn walls, the last third ash coloured and their inner surface covered with a slimy, dark, cadaverous-smelling fluid ; colon much distended with gas, containing whitish-yellow faces, the whole mesentery covered with the above-described false membrane so as to form sacs filled with the same sort of serum as in the l. pleura. Pancreas, liver, and gall-bladder, which contained dark blood, normal ; spleen smaller than normal, and hard ; r. kidney small, 1. unusually large, its structure normal. (SCHÖLLER, Est. med. Wochensch., No. 37, p. 1011 , 1843. 2. AQuoted woman,in æt. Frank's Mag. , i, 717.) 60, swallowed a handful of powdered cocculus beans . After h. she fell to the ground, began to tremble, vomited, and was carried to her bed unconscious. After 1 h. she was found to be profusely perspiring, her temperature elevated, unconscious and insensible, but the motility not extinct, pupils normally dilated but insensible, pulse full and strong, 80, respiration accelerated and laboured. During the examination there came on clonic spasms in upper extremities, followed 5 m. later by general tonic spasms, with cyanosis of face and frothing at mouth. After venesection to 8 oz. the spasms ceased, pulse 110, still unconscious. After 2 spoonfuls of infus. ipecac. she vomited twice copiously. After h. consciousness and sensibility were partially restored ; after 5 h. the temperature was normal, perspiration gone, consciousness perfectly restored, pulse 100. Next d. pulse and temperature normal, complains of weakness, pressure in chest and stomach, head confused, complete loss of appetite. The following d. these symptoms were better, but appetite still bad ; it did not return till the 5th d., and then was not very good. (DuTZMANN, Wiener med. Presse, No. 21, 1869.) 3. A young man in a fit of insanity took the poison (quantity not stated) with suicidal intent. After 2 h. violent tonic and clonic convulsions and danger of suffocation, with violent distortion and jerks in the limbs ; the teeth, which were pressed together, bit the protruding tongue ; bloody froth was on the mouth and nose and was ejected at every expiration. The body was in a state of tetanic stiffness, which only gave place to the jerkings for instants, and he was covered with cold sweat. Pupils dilated, eyes staring, consciousness apparently lost ; pinching the body immediately caused convulsive jerks ; pulse normal, neither quick nor irregular, cardiac beats quiet. No diarrhoea nor vomiting. In a short time death occurred from suffocation. (Рома, Gaz. Lomb., xxi , 1870 ; quoted in N. Z. f. hom. Kl., xvi , 119.) Picrotoxinum, an alkaloid obtained from fruit of Cocculus, C19H14O5