Solanum Nigrum

Solanum nigrum, Linn.

Natural order , Solanaceæ.

Common names , Black nightshade; (Fr.), Morelle noir.

Preparation , Tincture of plant.

Authorities.

1 , Pihan Dufeilly, Journ. de Chim. Méd., iv, p. 143, poisoning (from Roth, Mat. Med., 3, 5); 2 , Hirtz, Gaz. Méd. de Strasburg, 1842, ibid.; 3 , Camerarius, Wepfer Hist. Cicut. Aquat., p. 288, [Edition, Basel, 1679, p. 226, a communication from Dr. Camerarius concerning the poisoning of three children, aged six, four, and three years, by eating the berries of "Solanum vulgare" (Nigrum). -T. F. A.], ibid.; 4 , Rucker, poisoning of four persons, Commercium Litt. Norinberg, ibid.; 5 , Journ. de Chim. Med., 1840 (Hygea, 13, 403), poisoning of three children; 6 , same, a case; 7 , Tardieu, "Empoisonnement," poisoning of a child by leaves; 8 , same, another case; 9 , same, another child; 10 , Kontyu, Preuss. Med. Zeit., 1862 (A. H. Z., Mon. Bl., 6., 31), a child poisoned by leaves and berries; 11 , Lembke, Allg. Hom. Zeit., 45, 74, proving with tincture, doses of 5 to 50 drops; 12 , Moreaux, Élements de Thérap., poisoning of a boy by berries (from Hale's Compilations, Trans. Hom. Med. Soc. State of N. Y., 1870); 13 , Eberle, Therap., a girl ate berries, ibid.; 14 , Same, a child ate four ripe berries; 15 , two boys poisoned, Journ. de Chim. Méd.; 16 and 17 , omitted ; 18 , Gataker, effects of infusion of 1 to 3 grains of leaf, ibid.; 19 , omitted; 20 , J. M. Cunningham, proving with tincture, took first day, 10 drops at 5 P.M.; second day, same at 7 P.M.; third day, 15 drops at 8 A.M.; sixth day, 15 drops at 7 P.M.; seventh day, 15 drops at 7 A.M.; eighteenth day, 20 drops at 9 A.M. and 2 P.M.; twentieth day, 20 drops at 8 P.M.; twenty-second day, 20 drops at 7 A.M., ibid.; 21 , symptoms, by Louis Deventer, from MS. from Dr. C. Hering.

MIND

• Delirium, with stammering speech, efforts to escape and to get out of bed, 7.
• Delirium, 8.
• Delirium, cries and convulsions, 3.
• Piercing cries, such as are heard in cases of hydrocephalus (third hour), 2.
• Dull drowsy feeling, with indisposition to study (twenty-third day), 20.
• The understanding seems lost; the patients do not appear to comprehend what is passing around them; but every now and then they utter indistinct words, like delirious or intoxicated persons (in three hours), 2.
• Complete cessation of mental faculties, 15.*
• She was found entirely insensible, lying in a deep apoplectic stupor , all the muscles relaxed, the face flushed, and the pulse and irregular; she continued in this state about six hours, then gradually recovered, 13.
• A state of stupor and coma, attended with fever, 12. [10.]
• Coma with twitching, 6.
• Comatose sleep, 10.

HEAD

• Vertigo.
• Vertigo, 1, 5, 6, 21.
• Vertigo, nausea, and colic, 1.
• Vertigo on rising and moving about, with dizziness before the eyes (fifth day), 20.
• Brain seems to swim; vertigo worse on moving the head (twentieth day), 20.
• Sensation as if the bed was turning rapidly in a circle, within ten minutes after going to bed (twenty-first day), 20.
• Feeling, on stooping, as if everything was moving around in a circle (twenty-third day), 20.
• Great vertigo, on rising in the morning, somewhat relieved on going out into the open air (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• While talking the body seems to reel in various directions (after 50 drops), 11. [20.]
• While walking the body inclines to the left (after 50 drops), 11.
• General Head.
• Dulness of the head, followed by dilatation of the pupils (after 10 drops), 11.
• Dulness of the head, with slow pulse and contracted pupils (ten minutes after 25 drops), 11.
• Dull pain in the head, at 11 A.M. (fifth day), 20.
• Dull heavy headache, at 8 P.M. (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Dull heavy headache, continuing without intermission (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Dull throbbing headache, during the forenoon (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Heavy sensation in the head, on waking in the morning as if he had not had enough sleep (twenty-third day), 20.
• The head seems too heavy (after 35 drops), 11.
• Fulness and heaviness of the head, 21. [30.]
• Slight fulness in the head (after about an hour), 20.
• Feeling of lightness in the head (twenty-first day), 20.
• Headache, 6.*
• Violent headache, which wakes him up at night, 3.
• Constant and violent headache, .

EYE

• Wrinkles around the eyes, on the upper lip, and on the fingers (eleventh day), 4.
• Eyes wide open, moist, and sparkling (in three hours), 2.
• Redness of the eyes, 21 ; (twenty-fourth day), 20. [70.]
• Fulness and tension in the eyes, 21.
• Eyes feel dull and heavy (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Burning in the eyes (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Eyes very sensitive to the light (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Eyes feel as if there were sand in them, on waking in the morning (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Brow and Orbit.
• Slight pain over left eye (after one hour, second day), 20.
• Severe pain in the supraorbital region, on waking in the morning; it passed off in the course of an hour, leaving a dull heavy sensation in the forepart of the head (third day), 20.
• Severe pain over the eyes, aggravated by motion and stooping (third day), 20.
• Violent pain in the supraorbital region, on waking in the morning; worse on arising and from the slightest motion; the least misstep sends violent pains through the temples; the acute pain passed off about 10 A.M., leaving a sensation as if the forehead had been bruised (fourth day), 20.
• Dull heavy pain over the eyes, with insipid taste in the mouth, on waking in the morning (sixth and seventh days), 20. [80.]
• Sharp shooting pain over right eye, at 4 P.M. (eighteenth day), 20.
• Violent pain over the eyes, going off in the course of an hour, at 9 P.M. (twenty-second day), 20.
• Severe pain over eyes, almost unbearable when looking at a bright object (twenty-third day), 20.
• Dull bruised feeling over the eyes, on waking in the morning (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Lids.
• Biting in the margins of the lids (after 40 and 50 drops), 11.
• Burning sensation in the eyelids, 21.
• Pain in inner canthus of left eye (twenty-third day), 20.
• Lachrymal Apparatus.

EAR

• Subsequent to the poisoning the child suffered from the most violent parotitis, 10. [110.]
• Stitches in the ear (twenty-third day), 20.
• Everything heard seems at a greater distance than natural (after 50 drops), 11.
• Buzzing before the ears, 21.

NOSE

• The nose is of a deep-red color (fourth day), 4.
• Considerable sneezing (with discharge from nose), (twenty-third day), 20.
• Discharge during the day of a thin watery substance from the nose, with considerable sneezing; great discharge of water from right nostril, the left being closed, as from a cold (twenty-third and twenty-fourth days), 20.
• Burning in the nose (twenty-fourth day), 20.

FACE

• Highly congested face, expressive of wildness and anxiety (in three hours), 2.
• Swollen and flushed face (second day), 1.
• Flushed face, 1, 13. [120.]
• Face red, swollen, 5.
• Red, bloated face, 15.
• Red, fatigued face, 15.
• Expression of fright and terror, 9.
• Face pale, 8.
• Face looked as though he had been intoxicated, at 11 A.M. (twenty-third day), 20.
• Sharp neuralgic-like pain shooting from the lower jaw up into the left ear, leaving suddenly and coming as suddenly (twentieth day), 20.
• Lips dry and blistered (twenty-third day), 20.
• Lips and tongue feel dry as if scalded (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Trismus (after three hours), 2. [130.]
• Very sharp pain running from the lower jaw up into the left ear, of a neuralgic character, at 10 A.M. (twenty-fifth day), 20.

MOUTH

• Tongue sore as if burnt (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Dryness of the back of the tongue and arch of the palate (after 10 drops), 11.
• Dryness of the mouth (after 35 drops), 11.
• Great dryness of the mouth (after 40 drops), 11.
• Mouth very dry (after 50 drops), 11 ; (twenty-third day), 20.
• Insipid taste in mouth (with pain over eyes), on waking in the morning (sixth and seventh days), 20.
• Utterance becomes uneasy, 1.

THROAT

• Dryness in the throat, 21.
• Stitches in the right side of the throat (twenty-third day), 20. [140.]
• Raw sensation in throat, painful on swallowing anything solid or liquid (twenty-third day), 20.
• Throat very sore on swallowing (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Tickling sensation in throat, causing him to cough frequently (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Fauces dry (one hour and a half after 25 drops), 11.
• Constant sticking in the fauces, especially on swallowing, at times stitches shooting from the fauces towards the drum of the right ear (after 40 drops), 11.
• Left tonsil feels swollen, with soreness on swallowing, 15.
• Left tonsil feels swollen as from cold, sore on swallowing (twentieth day), 20.
• Feeling as if there were a splinter in the right tonsil (twenty-third day), 20.
• Stitching pain in tonsil (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Sensation of cramp in the œsophagus (after twenty-five drops), 11. [150.]
• Deglutition is effected only when their jaws are forced wide open in order to make them swallow liquids, 2.
• Throbbing of the carotid arteries, at 8 P.M. (twentieth day), 20.
• Violent beating of the carotids (twenty-third day), 20.

STOMACH

• Appetite and Thirst.
• Want of appetite; they go to bed without wanting their supper, 1.
• Thirst, 21.
• Great thirst, causing me to drink often, and in large quantities (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Very urgent thirst, but the liquids taken were soon vomited up again (second day), 2.
• Unquenchable thirst, 1.
• Excessive thirst, 5, 6, 15.
• Eructations.
• Empty eructations (with burning in the stomach), (fifth day), 20.
• Heartburn. [160.]
• Slight heartburn, of short duration, immediately after eating breakfast (seventh day), 20.
• Heartburn, with nausea, at 6 P.M. (eighteenth day), 20.
• Violent heartburn after eating dinner; burning sensation up into the œsophagus, passing off in the course of an hour (twentieth day), 20.
• Heartburn after going to bed in the evening (twenty-first day), 20.
• Heartburn, in the afternoon, lasting for about an hour (twenty-second day), 20.
• Nausea and Vomiting.
• Nausea, 1, 21.
• Nausea, with sparks before the eyes, continuing until he went to sleep (twenty-first day), 20.
• Nausea and retchings, 12.
• Nausea, with efforts to vomit, followed by profuse vomiting, at first of mucus, afterwards of bluish or grayish-black liquid, 5.
• Vomiting, 6. [170.]
• Vomiting of all food, 6.
• Loathing vomiting of ingesta, 15.
• Vomiting of ingesta, then of a blackish-green liquid, 1.
• Copious vomiting, at first of mucus, then of a thick, blackish-green liquid, 1.
• Seldom failed to either vomit, sweat, or purge the patient moderately, or to increase the quantity of urine; it sometimes occasioned a giddiness, especially when it made the patient sick (nauseated), but neither the sickness or giddiness were constant symptoms, and when they happened they generally abated or ceased entirely after the first dose, .

ABDOMEN

• Violent cutting in the umbilical region (after thirty-five drops), 11. [190.]
• Abdomen excessively distended and tense, 8.
• Meteorism to such an extent that he seems almost to swell up visibly, 2.
• Colic, 10.
• Colic and ineffectual urging to stool, 1.
• Pain in bowels (after one hour, second day), 20.
• Pain, at 5 P.M., as if the intestines were cut with knives, which continued until after supper, when it gradually subsided (fourth day), 20.
• Pains in the abdomen and desire to lie down; after about an hour the pains increased and were accompanied by nausea, without vomiting, 7.

ANUS

• Tenesmus in the anus, 5, 15.

STOOL

• One or more of the natural evacuations were almost always increased, 19.
• The bowels, which have been somewhat constipated, are rather loose; stools semifluid; 10 A.M. bowels still somewhat loose; evacuations of a yellow color, somewhat watery, at 5 P.M. (fourth day), 20. [200.]
• Loose evacuation of a yellow, watery character, ate 10 A.M., followed by burning pain in the stomach, extending upwards, with nausea (fifth day), 20.
• Constipation, with small, dry, hard stools (eighteenth day), 20.
• Bowels somewhat costive (twenty-fourth day), 20.

URINARY ORGANS

• If a sweat did not break out, then an extraordinary discharge of urine was the consequence, and frequently followed by a purging, 19.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS

• Respiration rapid, 8.
• Difficult respiration, 5, 15.
• The breathing is quick, but easy, 2.
• Stertorous breathing, 1.

CHEST

• Slight oppression of the chest (soon after ten drops), 11.
• Constriction of the chest, 21. [210.]
• Pressure on the sternum and at the tenth dorsal vertebra (after thirty-five drops), 11.
• Cutting pain in left side (twenty-fourth day), 20.

HEART AND PULSE

• Anxious feeling in the region of the heart, 21.
• Pulse very rapid, scarcely perceptible, 8.
• Pulse rapid, irregular, 6, 15.
• Small and very frequent pulse (in three hours), 2.
• Frequent and somewhat irregular pulse (second day), 1.
• Pulse from 90 to 95 (twenty-third day), 20.
• Pulse 95, during forenoon (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Pulse about 95, at 8 P.M. (twenty-fourth day), 20. [220.]
• Pulse slow, small, and soft (after thirty-five drops), 11.
• Pulse small and slow (after twenty and forty drops), 11.
• Pulse full and irregular, 13.

NECK AND BACK

• Neck feels sore and stiff, as if bruised; worse on moving the head (seventh day), 20.
• Severe pain in muscles of neck (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Great pain in the back of the neck, and shoulders, and lower extremities (with fever), (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Pain in back of neck and between shoulders (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Bruised feeling in the back and limbs (seventh day), 20.
• Pain in back and limbs, at 9 P.M. (twenty-third day), 20.

EXTREMITIES

• Restlessness in the limbs, with carphologia, 8. [230.]
• Pain in limbs (and back), at 9 P.M. (twenty-third day), 20.
• Wandering pains, first in the shoulders, then down the arm, then in the lower extremities (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Severe pain in all the limbs, at 8 P.M. (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Painful drawing in arms and feet, 21.

SUPERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Arms heavy, as if prostrated, especially the right (after fifty drops), 11.
• Dull, heavy pain in right arm, extending down to the ends of the fingers, at 10 A.M.; this continued until 3 P.M., when it gradually disappeared (fifth day), 20.
• Pains extending down the left arm of a lancinating character, at 9 P.M. (fifth day), 20.
• Pain shooting through left arm and wrist (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• Pain in the left shoulder and right wrist (after fifty drops), 11.

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Gait unsteady, heavy, insecure (after 35 drops), 11. [240.]
• Trembling of the lower extremities, especially of the muscles of the thighs, like small, successive jerks (after 20 drops), 11.
• The lower extremities seem prostrated, especially the left (after 50 drops), 11.
• Weakness of the thighs (ten minutes after 25 drops), 11.
• Pain in the right knee, extending upwards towards the hip (fifth day), 20.
• Legs feel sore on walking, as if bruised (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Compression in the left calf, as before cramp (after 35 drops), 11.
• Crawling in the left calf (after 50 drops), 11.
• Pulling pains in the calves (twenty-third day), 4.
• Swelling of the feet (fifty-second day), 4.
• Tearing on the back of the left foot (after 50 drops), 11.

GENERALITIES. [250.]

• Coma, convulsive agitation, plaintive cries (third day). A Singular proceeding is observed in the midst of their convulsions; they frequently stretch out their little hands, as if to grasp something, then carry them eagerly to their mouths, and go through the motions of mastication and swallowing (in three hours), 2.
• *The most violent general convulsive agitation (in three hours), 2.
• Convulsions, tetanic rigidity, and death, 1.
• Convulsions and spasms; they stretched their hands during the spasms, as if they would grasp something, carrying their hands to their mouths, chewing and swallowing, etc., 15.
• Spasms, with twitching, followed by tetanic rigidity of the body, and death, 5.
• Trembling, violent starting (in three hours), 2.
• Tetanic rigidity of the whole body, 15.*
• He lies on his back in a state of entire prostration, disturbed, at intervals, by spasmodic movements (second day), 1.
• (Increased distension and prominence of the varicose veins), 21.
• Restlessness, 7. [260.]
• After the attack the patient was extremely weak, 10.
• Lassitude of the whole body, without inclination to sleep, 21.
• All the muscles relaxed, 13.
• General heaviness (after 5 drops), 11.
• Bruised feeling all over body, at 9 P.M. (twenty-third day), 20.
• Violent pain in every muscle and joint, on waking in the morning (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• All the muscles of his body feel sore to the touch (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• From bodily exertion, great tiredness and vertigo, 21.
• Great sensitiveness to cold air (for several weeks after being cured), 4.
• Great sensitiveness to cold air, 21.

SKIN. [270.]

• Red blotches, like scarlatina, irregularly dispersed over almost the whole cutaneous surface (in three hours), 2.
• The palms of their hands are of a greenish blue color (in three hours), 2.
• The face, eyelids, lips, hands and feet are greatly swollen, with intolerable itching of those parts (first day, in the evening), 4.
• The hands, feet, and nose are greatly swollen, very painful, and black (second and third days), 4.
• The hands and feet are swollen, and covered with black spots (second and third days), 4.
• The swelling is very painful, it enlarges, becomes shiny, hard, and deep red; and, in several places, quite black (second and third days), 4.
• The black hue of the swollen parts grows deeper, the fingers are stiffened, and on the upper part of the sternum appears a large round blotch of a deep-red color (fourth day), 4.
• The tip of the nose, the hands, from the tips of the fingers to the knuckles, and the toes to the tarsal joints, become quite black, as if regularly dyed (fourth day), 4.
• A few vesicles appear on the back of the hand, which break, and discharge a yellowish and very acrid fluid (seventh day), 4.
• The swelling diminishes, as also the black discoloration; desquamation commences (seventh day), 4. [280.]
• Eruption like confluent small-pox; sloughs are formed on the fingers; the eyelids are agglutinated so as to exclude the light; the patient is tormented by an itching burning at the extremities (twelfth to fourteenth days), 4.
• Large blisters on both arms, which discharge acrid serum (eighteenth day), 4.
• The sloughs are detached from the face, and the right hand swells up again (eighteenth day), 4.
• The face cleans off, but the hands are again covered with hard and very painful crusts, which fall off and are soon replaced by new ones (twenty-first day), 4.
• Swelling of the face, arms, abdomen, scrotum, and penis (fifty-fourth day), 4.
• A few small pimples on the back of the hand, which itched violently (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Violent itching of both arms, not relieved by scratching (first day), 4.
• Painful and itching sensation in chronic ulcers on the feet, 21.

SLEEP

• Sleepiness, 21.
• Very sleepy during the whole forenoon (twenty-third and twenty-fifth days), 20. [290.]
• Very sleepy all day (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Deep sleep, 14, 15.
• Night very restless, sleepless, with hallucinations and carphologia, 9.
• In the middle of the night he wakes up uttering groans, which are wrung from him by a violent headache, 1.
• Feeling, on waking in the morning, as if he had lost several night's sleep (sixth day), 20.
• Feeling, on waking in the morning, as if he had not had enough sleep (twenty-first day), 20.
• Passed a very uneasy night (twenty-second night), 20.
• Sleep disturbed by dreams, which caused him to awake several times in terror, with a sensation of falling from a great height (third night), 20.
• Sleep disturbed by dreams of snakes, which caused him to awake several times in fright (fifth night), 20.
• Sleep disturbed by dreams (twenty-second night), 20.

FEVER. [300.]

• Alternation of coldness and heat (fifty-first day), 4.
• Slightly feverish; flushes of heat across the face, at 3 P.M. (sixth day), 20.
• Fever all afternoon (twenty-third day), 20.
• High fever on going to bed, which continued for about half an hour, when a profuse perspiration broke out and lasted about half an hour, thoroughly saturating his shirt, and the sheet he was lying on (twenty-third day), 20.
• High fever, at 2 P.M., with great pain in the back of the neck, and shoulders, and lower extremities (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Slight fever; heat and redness of the face (twenty-sixth day), 20.
• Some fever, at 8 P.M. (twenty-fourth day), 20.
• Fever during the forenoon (twenty-fifth day), 20.
• The child at first had fever, and afterwards was in a comatose condition without fever, had dilated pupils, coated tongue, painfulness in the præcordia, distension of the abdomen, with, at times, screaming and grasping at the abdomen, and constipation, 10.
• Fever attended the stupor and coma, 12. [310.]
• Burning dry heat (in three hours), 2.
• Burning skin covered with sweat (second day), 1.
• Hot skin covered with sweat, 15.
• Hot skin, sweaty, 6.
• Heat or warmth diffused in a few hours over the body; a plentiful sweat succeeding this heat, and a purging the next day, 19.
• Heat in the head and back (after 50 drops), 11.
• Increased heat of the head (twentieth day), 20.
• Heat in the face, hands, and along the back (after 50 drops), 11.
• Increased heat and redness of the face, at 11 A.M. (twenty-third day), 20.
• Flashes of heat running up and down the back, at 8 P.M. (twenty-third day), 20. [320.]
• Profuse perspiration (after fever, on going to bed), (twenty-third day), 20.
• Profuse sweat over the whole body, 5.
• Frequent sweats over the whole body, 15.
• The whole body is bathed in perspiration, 1.

CONDITIONS

• Aggravation.
• ( Morning ), On rising, vertigo; on waking, pain over eyes; insipid taste in the mouth.
• ( Light ), Pain over eyes.
• ( Motion ), Vertigo; headache.
• ( Misstep ), Pain in temples.
• ( Close room ), Headache.
• ( Stooping ), Pain over eyes; pain in left temple.
• ( Sunlight ), Weakness of sight.
• ( Swallowing ), Pain in throat; soreness of left tonsil.
• ( Walking ), Cramp in pit of stomach.
• Amelioration.
• ( Walking in open air ), Headache.