Dirca Palustris

Dirca palustris, Linn.

Natural order , Thymeleaceæ.

Common names , Leatherwood, Moosewood, Wicopy.

Preparation , Tincture from the inner bark of the branches.

Authorities.

1 , Dr. E. H. Spooner took 25 drops of tincture at 10 A.M.; 60 at 5 P.M., first day; 80 drops at 9 A.M., 105 at noon, second day; 25 drops at 11 A.M. third day; N. Y. Journ. of Hom., 2, 424; 2 , Y. L. Y., man aged 42, took 10 pellets saturated with tincture, every half hour for three days; from Thesis, by E. B. Squier, N. Y. Hom. Med. Coll., 1876; 3 , T. G. L. male, aged 14, took same as last for two days, ibid.; 4 , E. H. B., female, aged 25 (four months pregnant and of late suffering from "wind pains" in upper part of rectum, causing distress when sitting), took 3d dec. dil. every half hour one day, ibid.; 5 , Y. H. C., male, aged 28, took pellets of tincture every half hour for five days, ibid.; 6 , E. B. S., male, aged 26, took tincture in water, then on pellets every half hour for four days, ibid.; 6 a , same prover, six months afterward took the 30th dil. every half hour for four days, ibid.; 7 , A. Z., female, aged 41, took 30th dil. every night for a month, ibid.; 8 , Mrs. A.M. M., aged 45, took 2d dec. dil. every hour for two days, ibid.; 8 b , same, second proving; 9 , R. R. T., male, aged 26, took 3 drops of tinct. every half hour, first evening, every hour, second day.

MIND

• Emotional.
• Uneasy and sensation as if something unpleasant were to happen (second day), 6a.
• In daytime was constantly expecting some bad news; everything seemed to worry and annoy, 7.
• Sense of apprehension, throughout the proving, as of some trouble, which may have depended upon the morbid state of the mind at the time of the proving, 6a.
• Intellectual.
• Time seemed to pass slowly, 7.
• Can hardly control the action of the mind, can neither think nor study; dull and bewildered (third day), 8b.
• Felt dull all day (sixth day), 6.
• Dulness of mental powers, and great inertia all day (fourth day), 8.
• Dull feeling, and indisposition to talk (seventh day), 6.
• Absent-minded about everything, in writing spoiled several letters by writing the wrong words often, 8b. [10.]
• Difficulty in thinking what word to use while writing, 7.

HEAD

• Vertigo.
• Vertigo on walking; seems as if would fall to left side (second day), 2.
• Head feels light and dizzy; seemed to incline to left side (not marked), (third day), 8.
• General Head.
• Congestion of the head; sense of fulness in the head, neck, and chest (second day), 8b.
• Head felt dull for two or three days (after fourth day), 5.
• Pains all through the head, vertex, and occiput, extending down into the spine (third day), 8b.
• Sensation of fulness in head, especially between the temples and in front (first day), 9.
• Sensation of fulness in head, with pain in temporal region and in front, in the morning (second day), 9.
• Head feels full and heavy, in the morning (third day), 8b.
• Head felt full and heavy, but did not really ache (third night), 5. [20.]
• Slight headache; not marked (first day), 6a.
• Forehead.
• Great congestion and pressure in the forehead, in the morning (fourth day), 8.
• Languid, dull feeling in the forehead, at 9.30 A.M. (second day), 1.
• Continued headache in the frontal and temporal region, in the afternoon (first day), 4.
• Intense congestive headache in frontal region, with darting pains inward from each temple (seventh day), 6.
• Sensation as if the lobes of the cerebrum were drawn forward toward the frontal sinuses (eighth and ninth days), 6.
• Temples.
• Pains in temples (fifth day), 6.
• Headache in temporal region (fourth day), 5 ; (sixth day), 6.
• Headache in both temples, extending inwards; lasted half an hour; relieved by hard pressure, at 3 P.M. (first day), 5.
• Slight headache in temporal region (second day), 6a. [30.]
• Severe headache in temporal region, extending towards the centre, at 7 P.M. (second, third, and fourth days), 6a.
• Headache in left temporal region, extending towards the centre, dull, oppressive pain, towards evening (second and third days), .

EYE

• Slight haziness of retina (on ophthalmoscopic examination), (third day), 6a.
• Eyes felt sore (second day), 6a.
• Eyes sore and painful to touch (third day), 6a.
• Sensation as if the brows were corrugated, and as if the brain were also drawn down (eighth day), 6.
• Lids heavy (third day), 6a.
• Photophobia (seventh day), 6.
• Photophobia on awaking, which continued through the day (second day), 2.
• Much photophobia (sixth day), 6.
• Great photophobia, especially from gaslight (second day), 6a.

EAR. [50.]

• Some time during each day, a roaring in one ear for a time and then in the other, then stopping entirely, 7.

FACE

• Face red, full, and bloated, in the morning (fourth day), 8.
• Face pale (second day), 2 ; (fifth day), 6.
• Face pale and sunken (third day), 6a.
• Face very pale (first and second days), 2.

MOUTH

• Tongue.
• Tongue light, and smooth (first day), 5.
• During all the time the tongue was covered with a thin white coating, thicker at the base, 7.
• Tongue coated smoothly, and evenly white (second day), 2.
• Tongue white; thinly and smoothly coated (seventh day), 6.
• Tongue coated smoothly and thickly dirty-white; apparently thicker towards centre and far back (fourth and fifth days), 6a.
• Taste. [60.]
• Sour taste in mouth (fourth and fifth days), 6a.

THROAT

• Acidity in throat, at 9.30 P.M. (first day), 1.
• Fauces red and raw (seventh day), 6.
• Fauces rose-red and dry towards evening; hurts to swallow food or liquids (second day), 2.
• Hurts to swallow (seventh day), 6.
• Throbbing of the carotids (second day), 8b.

STOMACH

• Appetite.
• Appetite less than usual, 7.
• Thirst.
• No thirst, at 1.30 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Eructation.
• Eructations, at 11.35 A.M.; 12.15 P.M.; 8.30 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Empty eructations (for an hour), (thirty minutes after second dose, and at 9.30 P.M.), (first day), etc., 1. [70.]
• Eructations of sour-tasting gas (second and third days), 2.
• Nausea.
• Nausea on taking the drug, and for some time after; more marked in afternoon (second day), 9.
• Stomach.
• Uneasy feeling as of a lump or weight in the stomach, continuing several days (after third day), 2 . [This prover had formerly been a chronic dyspeptic, and described these sensations as being the same as he experienced when afflicted with that trouble, and for this cause could not be persuaded to take any more of the drug.]

ABDOMEN

• Hypochondria.
• Severe lancination pains in left hypochondrium, with tympanites; the pain increasing and spreading over the whole intestinal region (third day), 8.
• Umbilical.
• Constant pain in the abdomen just above the umbilicus, constantly biting, with exacerbations, at 10 P.M. (first day), 5.
• Warm or slightly burning sensation about the umbilicus, at 7.30 P.M. (first day), 1.
• Burning in abdomen below the umbilicus, at 12.30 P.M. (second day), 1.
• Griping about the umbilicus continues, at 8.40 A.M. (fourth day), 1.
• Griping and aching in abdomen below the umbilicus, not relieved by change of position, at 1 P.M. (second day), 1.
• Sore pain in and below the umbilical region; continued pain, but with aggravations (third day), 6a.
• General Abdomen. [80.]
• Abdomen swollen and tender to pressure (first day), 5.
• Abdomen swollen slightly (second day), 2.
• Tympanites (third day), 6a.
• Abdomen tympanitic, with some pain, at 9 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Rumbling in the bowels (second day), at 10.20 A.M. (fourth day), etc., 1.
• Slight rumbling in bowels, with passage of flatus, at 7.30 P.M. (first day), 1.
• Flatus, at 12.15 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Flatus and eructations, at 3.15, 8.30 P.M. (second day), 1.
• Flatus and severe colicky pains in abdomen, followed by stool, which was somewhat consistent, with great soreness and smarting of the anus; the colic seemed to be somewhat relieved by bending forward. Colic pain relieved by stool, but smarting of the anus remains, at 1.30 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Frequent passage of fetid flatus for an hour (fifteen minutes after second dose, first day), 1. [90.]
• Feels as if there would be a movement of the bowels, but have no pain, at 9 A.M. (third day), 1.
• Some discomfort in the abdomen, which is still tympanitic, at 2 P.M. (third day), 1.
• A continued discomfort in abdomen all the evening, like "stomachache," with passage of flatus (first day), .

RECTUM AND ANUS. [110.]

• Throbbing stitching pain in the anus, and colicky pain in the abdomen, at 10 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Soreness of anus, at 3.15 and 4.30 P.M. (second day), 1.
• Great soreness and smarting of anus (part of S. 88), smarting still continues, 2 and 2.45 P.M. (third day), 1.
• Smarting of anus after stool, at 3.15 P.M., still continues at 5 P.M., (second day), 1.
• Slight desire for stool twice during the day (fourth day), 6a.
• Tenesmus and straining at stool. (Remained fifteen minutes at stool (third day); yesterday as long as half an hour), 1.

STOOL

• Diarrhœa.
• Diarrhœa, towards evening; watery mucous stool, with pain in bowels, not entirely relieved by stool (ninth day), 6.
• Slight diarrhœa, 6.
• Profuse diarrhœa; four copious stools during the day (second day), 9.
• Watery diarrhœa, in the evening, with much tenesmus, only partially relieved by stool (fifth day), 6. [120.]
• Violent purging, with tenesmus (third day), 8 . [This prover had been the subject of arsenical poisoning, and described this condition as being similar to the proving of that drug.]
• Soft diarrhœic stool, with flatus, at 8 A.M. (second day), 1.
• Loose, watery stools, partially relieving the pain in bowels (second day), 3.
• Stool, at first consistent, afterwards, thin, fecal, slimy, with flatus.
• Stool does not relieve the griping and contracting pain in the bowels, at 1.45 P.M.; watery, thin, yellowish, fecal, no relief to the abdomen, at 2.30 P.M.; sudden, gushing, watery, followed by thin fecal discharge, at 3.15 P.M.; watery, preceded by some rumbling of bowels, watery, bubbling, yeasty stool, with flatus, at 4.30 P.M. (second day); somewhat consistent at 1.30 P.M. (third day), (part of S. 88); with colic and griping at 8 A.M. (fourth day); thin, fecal, at 8.50 A.M. (fourth day), 1.
• Passage of fecal mucus with the flatus, before rising (second day), 1.
• Constipation.
• Constipation; small pasty stool, very insufficient (eighth day), 6.
• Constipation followed the catamenia, for several days, 8.
• Constipated, no desire for stool (third day), 3.
• Constipated, and no desire for stool (fourth day), 6a.
• Constipated during the entire proving, stool small, sticky, and unsatisfactory, 7. [130.]
• Constipated; passage of a little soft fecal matter, not watery, but thick (third day), 6a.
• Constipated; desire for stool, but passed only a small quantity of frothy mucus (fifth day), 6.
• Constipated; could pass only small insufficient stool (second day), 6a.
• Bowels regular, moving after each meal (before proving); at noon felt desire for stool, but could pass only a small quantity of mucus (first day); desire for stool, with passage of only a small quantity of mucus (second day); passage of small, unsatisfactory, pasty-like stool, in morning (third and subsequent days), .

URINARY ORGANS. [140.]

• For some had pain and soreness in region of bladder (after four days), 5.
• Urine diminished and high-colored (third day), 8b.
• Urine less than normal, and with white, sometimes reddish, sediment, 7.

SEXUAL ORGANS

• Seemed as if the uterus were too low, and would come out at stool (second day), 4.
• Menses two days sooner than usual, not so profuse or long lasting as usual, 7.
• The catamenia were followed by an astringent action (third day), 8b.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS

• Stinging pain in larynx, from without inwards; very sharp pricking pain and sensation of suffocation (tenth day), 6.
• Cough worse in the morning, and appearance as of a slight cold (third day), 3, 6.
• Raising mucus, quite offensive (first to fifth days), 5.
• Dyspnœa (second day), 8b ; (eighth day), 6. [150.]
• Dyspnœa from slightest exertion (second day), 2.
• Noticed dyspnœa on going upstairs (after two days), 9.
• Exertion of going upstairs even slowly caused much dyspnœa (second day), 6a.
• Great dyspnœa from exertion (seventh day), 6.
• From walking up a slight elevation entirely out of breath, with palpitation of heart, vertigo, and pale face (second day), 2.

CHEST

• Oppressive feeling in the chest, with dyspnœa and desire to clear the throat, with much spitting (first day), 4.
• Felt sore through the chest; seemed as if I had a slight cold (second day), 4.
• Sharp pain in right thorax, running down into abdomen and up into the left shoulder (first day), 9.
• Went to bed as usual and slept until the latter part of the night, when awoke with sharp pain low down in right side; this lasted for a few minutes, then stopped for a moment, and then began again as before; when this stopped fell asleep again; don't know how long I slept, but was awakened by pain as before, and had three of these spells before morning; had slight pain in small of back before going to bed, and in my side, that seemed to run around to where the severe pains were afterwards felt; the abdomen had been soft before, but since the pain had become hard; during the pain could feel hard lump, where the pain was in the right side (first night), 4.

HEART AND PULSE

• Excitability of heart's action from least motion (ninth day), 6. [160.]
• Pulse slow and weak (eighth day), 6.
• Pulse very weak and slow, but excited by the least exertion (seventh day), 6.
• Pulse 75, normal; 90 at 7 P.M.; 60 and very weak at 9 P.M. (third day), 8.
• Pulse 70 at 6 P.M., normal; 85, full and strong, then suddenly became weak and irregular ; could feel it change under the finger, at 8 P.M.; 65, later (second day), 8b.
• Pulse 84 (11 P.M.), (first day), 6a.
• Pulse 80 at 8 A.M.; 84 at 11 P.M. (fifth day), 6a.
• Pulse normal at 80; slow and soft (second day), 2.
• Pulse 80 at 7 P.M.; 76 at 9 P.M.; 72 at 10 P.M.; 68 at 12 M (first day); 80 until noon; 72 at 4 P.M.; 76 at 7 P.M.; 68 at 9 P.M. (second day), 9.
• Pulse normal, 76; 80 (first day), 5.
• Pulse 72 and weak (second day), 6a. [170.]
• Pulse 60 and very weak (fifth day), 6.

BACK

• Great pain across the back and through the loins (second day), 8b.
• Dull heavy pain across the back in the region of the kidneys, accompanied by a crawling sensation and occasional darting pains (third day), 8.

SUPERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Dull neuralgic pain in both shoulders and arms, rendering it almost impossible to keep them still (tenth day), 6.

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Felt weak and trembling in limbs when standing; on going to bed at 10 P.M. felt feverish, and in short time perspired freely (first day), 2.
• Muscles of both thighs were sore and stiff; this lameness extended down to the knees, making it difficult to get out of bed, or to rise from a chair (first day), and continuing throughout the proving, more or less, 7.
• Noticed neuralgic pain in left leg, extending down, 3.
• Neuralgic pains in foot and leg from foot to knee (second day), 4.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS

• Weak and languid; desire to lie down, at 1.45 P.M. (second day), 1.
• Great prostration, at 9 P.M. (third day), 8. [180.]
• Very marked prostration, so weak could hardly walk (second day), 8b.
• Cannot sit quietly in one position (second day), 6a.
• Felt very tired, toward evening, although had done nothing to cause it (tenth day), 6.
• Felt weak (first day), 9 ; (second day), 6a.
• Felt weak all day and as if I could not be on my feet much (second day), 4.
• Was obliged to lie down, feeling as if my senses were leaving me, at 12 M. (third day), 8b.
• Sense of fulness and sluggishness throughout the entire body (third day), 8b.
• During the first of the proving the symptoms seemed to be aggravated every four days, but later on every two days, 7.

SLEEP AND DREAMS

• Sleepiness.
• Felt sleepy and dull (second day), 2.
• Sleeplessness.
• Sleep long in coming, restless, and disturbed (first night), 1. [190.]
• Slept but little through night (fourth day), 6a.
• Slept but little through the night, felt sleepy but could not sleep (second night), 2.
• Sleep full of dreams (second night), 1.
• Dreams.
• Dreamed at night of dead bodies, 7.

FEVER

• Felt hot and restless at night; could not sleep (seventh day), 6.
• When head ached less or stopped; feet were warm, at other times were cold and could not get warm, 7.
• Perspiration on hands (first day), 9.

CONDITIONS

• Aggravation.
• ( Morning ), Fulness in head, etc.; cough.
• ( Afternoon ), Nausea.
• ( Evening ), Diarrhœa.
• ( Coughing ), Pain in half of head.
• ( Gaslight ), Photophobia.
• ( Motion ), Pain in temple; pain in half of head; pain in occiput.
• ( Walking ), Vertigo; pain in bowels.
• Amelioration.
• ( Bending forward ), Colic.
• ( Pressure ), Headache.
• ( Stool ), Pains in bowels.