Lobelia Cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis, Linn.

Natural order , Lobeliaceæ.

Common name , Cardinal flower.

Preparation , Tincture of the plant.

Authority.

1 , Dr. S. R. Dubs, took 10 drops of tinct., one dose, Trans. Am. Inst. of Hom., vol. 1, p. 200.

MIND

• Disposition to sing, which I was continually doing whilst walking up and down the parlor (after thirteen hours and a half).

HEAD

• Head feels light, with dull pain in the forehead and occiput, at 6 A.M. (second day).
• Headache, dull and distressing, with fulness in the forehead and base of the occiput; the latter part was peculiarly painful, the pain increased by motion or shaking the head (after five hours); increased afterwards; very little pain in the forehead, but the pain is still throbbing, and almost insupportable in the occiput and nape of the neck (after eleven hours).
• Slight shooting pain in the forehead, with an eruption of small vesicular pimples in the centre and upper part of this locality; they feel sore on passing the hand over them; the pain in the occiput is very slight (after thirteen hours and a half).

EYE

• Eyes burning and watery, with dread of light, and feel sore on closing them, at 8 A.M. (second day).
• Soreness in the eyes, with smarting and slight watering; great repugnance to the light of a lamp (after eleven hours).

NOSE

• Dryness of the nose, with fulness, followed by sneezing (after one hour and a half).

FACE

• Dull pains in the upper maxillary bone of each side, with aching in the molar teeth (after seven hours).

MOUTH. [10.]

• Burning sensation, with stinging in the tongue and fauces, which lasted nearly fourteen hours (after several minutes).
• Tongue raw and sore, very red, especially at its tip, and a painful blister on that part (after five hours).
• Half a pint of cold water very much relieved the pain and burning in the tongue and fauces; the pain and oppression at the chest were also alleviated (after fourteen hours).
• Mouth and fauces dry, with a raw and distressed feeling extending down to the epigastrium, at 8 A.M. (second day).
• Unpleasant taste in the mouth, in the morning and through the day (third day).

THROAT

• Dryness and rawness, from the mouth to the epigastrium (third day).
• Throat sore and dry, with disposition to swallow, as also to hawk up phlegm (after five hours).
• The soreness of the fauces is diminished, but the burning and pricking sensation remains the same; the soreness has extended lower down to the pharynx, and upper part of the œsophagus (after nine hours).

STOMACH

• Appetite very indifferent (third day).
• No appetite for breakfast (second day). [20.]
• Thirst for cold water, of which I drank half a pint (after fourteen hours).
• Some nausea, at 8 A.M. (second day).
• Much distress at the epigastrium, at 8 A.M. (second day).
• Dull distressing pain about three inches below, and a little to the left of the epigastrium (after twelve hours).
• Dull heavy pain in the epigastrium, with sensation of a weight or load (after twelve hours).
• Sticking pains, with sensation of a load at the epigastrium (third day).
• Unpleasant sticking pain in the epigastrium, which lasted five minutes (after nine hours and a half).

ABDOMEN

• Sticking pain in the left hypochondrium, which came on suddenly and so violently as to induce me to cry out; I placed the ends of my fingers over the spot, and the pain was at once moderated; lasted about five minutes (after two hours and a quarter).

STOOL

• Stool at first thin, and then more consistent (after two hours and a quarter).

RESPIRATORY ORGANS

• Oppression of breathing through the day, with sticking pains on taking a deep breath (third day). [30.]
• Oppression of the breathing, with dull and distressing pain in the lower part of the sternum, with the same feeling on each side forming a kind of circle; relieved by eating lightly upon the part with the hand (after twelve hours).

CHEST

• Pricking pain in the left lung, coming on several times during the day, and lasting several minutes each time (third day).
• Severe stitch in the left side of the chest, which compelled me to press with the hand to moderate it, as it nearly took away my breath; it continued about ten minutes (after two hours).

NECK

• Stiffness of the nape of the neck (after seven hours).

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Great weakness of the lower extremities (third day).
• Throbbing and weakness in the lower extremities, so much so, with the increased headache, as to cause me to lie down (after seven hours).
• Sticking, like the pricking of needles, in the inner part of the right thigh, just above the knee (after thirty minutes).
• Prickings, as from needles, in the calf of the left leg and the heel, worse in the latter part (third day).
• Severe pricking pain with itching in the left heel, so great as scarcely to be borne (after seven hours).
• Sticking, like the pricking of needles in the sole of the left foot, shooting inwards, passing away in a few minutes (after twenty minutes).

GENERAL SYMPTOMS. [40.]

• Debility and languor of the whole system, with weakness, as from a sprain across the kidneys (after twelve hours).
• Throughout the day, great debility of the whole frame, but more especially of the lower extremities; they are so much fatigued by any exertion, that it is with difficulty that I can drag them along; my knees bend under me in walking (second day).
• Most of the symptoms continued, though with less intensity for two weeks, and it was at least three weeks before my stomach recovered its usual tone, and my usual good appetite returned (third day).

SLEEP AND DREAMS

• Whilst lying down, great sleepiness, with difficulty of falling asleep (after seven hours).
• Starting in sleep, with jerkings of the hands (after more than seven hours).
• Constant dreaming, with extreme lightness of the head (after more than seven hours).

FEVER

• Hot sweat on the forehead, with throbbing in that part, and at the base of the occiput (after seven hours).