Elaterium
By Timothy F. Allen — The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica
Ecballium elaterium, A. Richard. (Momordica elaterium, Linn.)
Natural order , Cucurbitaceæ.
Common names , Squirting Cucumber; (Germ.), Spring gurke; (Fr.) Concombre purgatif.
Preparation , Tincture of the immature fruit; triturations of Elaterinum (C20H28O5 ).
Authorities.
1 , Caleb B. Matthews, M.D.; experiments on several individuals, with 2d dec. dil. of the extract, Trans. Am. Inst. of Hom., 1, 124; 2 , Dr. Robert T. Cooper took 1st dec. dil. for seven days, then poured spirits upon the solid drug, and took 24 and 50 drops; two weeks after, 3 drops daily for six days, with 1 drop tinct., in addition, on the fifth day; 3 , Dr. Dickson; effects of carrying the plant in the hat, A. H. Z., 73, 206, from Fror. Nat., 21; 4 , Morris; experiment with 1/20 of a grain of Elaterine, Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journal, 35, 342; 5 , Christison; effects of doses of 1/10 of a grain in four cases in Edinb. Royal Infirmary, ibid; 6 , Wolodzka; Dissert. de l'Elaterium, 1857; effects of 5 milligr. of Elaterine; 7 , Schroff's experiments with Elaterine, Lehrb. d. Pharm.
MIND
HEAD
- Confusion of the head, followed by headache, 7.
- Severe pain in the head in the evening, which was not perceptibly increased after a drop of the tincture; dulness of head remained till late at night (fifth day), 2.
- Violent headache, with sensation of constriction of the temples and forehead (after half an hour), 3.
- Forehead.
- Slight aching in the forehead (seventh day), 2.
- Dull pain in region of causality, 1.
- Temples.
- Pains in the temples, 1.
- Sides.
- Dull pain in region of combativeness, right and left sides, 1.
EYE. [10.]
- Sticking, as of a splinter, in the inner canthus of left eye, 1.
EAR
- Sticking pain near the rim of the cartilage of left ear, 1.
NOSE
- Epistaxis (after eleven hours), 7.
MOUTH
- Tongue coated with a dirty-brown fur (sixth day), 2.
- Bitter taste in the mouth, 1.
- Bitter taste, with salivation, 7.
THROAT
- Pain in the back of throat, as if scalded (after half an hour, first day), 2.
- Scraping in the throat, 7.
- A feeling as if the choana and upper part of the œsophagus were enlarged, 1.
- Pains in the left sterno-cleido-mastoideus muscles, near its insertion into the sternum, 1.
STOMACH
- Appetite. [20.]
- Loss of appetite, 7.
- Eructation.
- Eructations of flatus, 1.
- Eructations and nausea for two days, 7.
- Eructations and nausea, relieved by sneezing, 7.
- Nausea and Vomiting.
- Nausea, which continued five hours, till after two liquid stools, 6.
- Nausea, inclination to vomit and vomiting, repeated four times within two hours, at first slimy, afterwards colored with bile, with increase of salivation and eructations of air, flatulence, rumbling in the bowels, 7.
- Constant nausea and disposition to vomit, 1.
- Feeling of sickness (after half an hour, first day); very sick for two or three hours after; had to lie down to prevent sickness from coming on (third day), 2.
- Vomiting (in two cases), 5 ; (after two hours), 4.
- Vomiting lasted nearly the whole night, and was repeated several times, 3. [30.]
- Vomiting a dark-brown fluid mixed with food, without pain, flatus, or nausea, but accompanied with much prostration and feeling of great weakness at the stomach, at 7 A.M. (two days after gtt. 50), 2.
- Vomiting of a small quantity of clear liquid; the vomiting was frequently repeated at very short intervals; three hours later, discharge of a very copious bilious greenish substance, and of all the contents of the stomach, with very difficult vomiting, 3.
- Violent vomiting and eructations of the odor of bad eggs, 7.
- Stomach.
- Pain in the pit of the stomach, with violent colic (after half an hour), 3.
- Feeling of stricture or oppression at the epigastrium, 1.
- Dull pain in the epigastrium, 1.
ABDOMEN
- Dull pain in the right hypochondrium, 1.
- Abdomen retracted, 7.
- Rumbling of flatus in the course of the cæcum and colon, 1.
- Discharge of flatus per anum, 1. [40.]
- Griping (in third case), 5.
- Pain in bowels, coming on in the warmth of the bed, 7.
- Dull pains in the bowels, 1.
- Cutting pains in the bowels, like the griping of medicine, 1.*
- Iliac Region.
- Pain of a dull, aching, pressing kind over the crest of the right ilium, round to the back, extending deep into the pelvis, 1.
ANUS
STOOL
- Diarrhœa.
- Purging (in two cases), 5.
- Copious dejections (after two hours), 4.*
- *Copious liquid stools (after six hours), 7. [50.]
- Dirty yellow stool two hours after breakfast; evacuation at 8.30 P.M., without pain, first part of natural consistence, the second soft (sixth day); awoke at 7 A.M. with desire for stool, but had none (seventh day); awoke at 2 A.M. with desire for stool; had a very copious liquid motion, painless, followed by five others in the course of the morning, all painless and very liquid, dirty color, with irregular intervals between them; seemed to continue until the bowels were fairly emptied (two days after gtt. 50), 2.
- Dull olive-green discharges, 1.*
- Discharges of dark masses of bilious mucus, 1.
- *Watery discharges from the bowels of a frothy character, 1.
- Constipation.
- Costiveness, 1.
URINARY ORGANS
- Increased flow of limpid urine, 1.
- Quantity of urine seemed to increase (fifth and sixth days). Sp. gr. 1.015; no deposit with heat; quantity if anything diminished (seventh day). High-colored; sp. gr. 1.022 (after gtt. 50), 2.
- Urine acid, reddened litmus; sp. gr. 1.020; scanty, pale, after dinner (fifth day). Sp. gr. 1.028, high-colored, and scanty; no deposit with heat (sixth day), 2.
RESPIRATORY ORGANS
- Unpleasant smell to the breath (sixth day), 2.
CHEST
- Sharp pains at the lower part of the sternum, passing through to the spine or lower angle of the right shoulder-blade, 1.
NECK AND BACK. [60.]
- Pains under the right shoulder-blade, 1.
- Fugitive, sticking pains in the lumbar region, more on the right side, 1.
- Very slight aching pain in the region of the left kidney (third and seventh days), 2.
SUPERIOR EXTREMITIES
- Pains extending from the shoulder to the ends of the fingers, and shooting back up to the elbow, 1.
- Dull pains in right shoulder, forearm, and hand, extending to the fingers, 1.
- Sharp, shooting pains in the left axilla, near the insertion of the pectoralis major muscle, 1.
- Sharp, sticking pains in the fingers of the left hand out to their extremities, 1.
- Sharp, sticking pains in the muscular parts of thumb, 1.
INFERIOR EXTREMITIES
- Shooting, and also dull, aching pains in the left thigh, in the course of the sciatic nerve, extending down to the instep, and out to the extremities of the toes, 1.
- Pain in the right knee, extending into the instep and toes, 1. [70.]
- Pain in the great toe of an arthritic nature, 1.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
- Weakness for two day, 7.
- Great weakness followed the attack, 3.
- Felt very weak when going to bed at 10 o'clock (after gtt. 50), 2.
- Sharp, fugitive, or dull, aching pains, now here, now there, 1.
- Pains mostly affecting the left side, but also the right, 1.
- The symptoms occurred very soon after the administration of the medicine, 1.
SLEEP
- Incessant gaping, lasting nearly an hour, 1.