Narcotinum
An alkaloid obtained from Opium, C22H23
By Timothy F. Allen — The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica
NO7
Preparation , Triturations.
Authorities. (Nos.
1 to 8 , Dr. Tully's provings, Bost. Med. and Surg. Journ., 1832, vol. 7, p. 28)
1 , a healthy man took 2 grains of Pelletier's N., and after one hour and a half, 4 grains more; 2 , another man made same experiment; 3 , same experiment in a man; 4 , a man took 8 grains; 5 , a man took 1/2 a grain, repeated after two, five, six, and seven hours; 6 , a man took 1/2 a grain, repeated after tow, four, five, six, and seven hours; 7 , W. T. took same as last; 8 , a man took 1 grain, repeated after one, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, and ten hours; 9 , Schroff, Lehrbuch der Pharm., effects of 7 to 15 centigrammes; 10 , same, effects of
Muriate of narcotin in two men, 2 decigrammes each; 11 , Rabuteau, from Schroff, effects on himself of 4/10 gramme; 12 , Fronmuller, from Schroff, effects on himself.
MIND
- Emotional.
- Pleasant mood, 9.
- Calm, placid, and pleasurable sensation (after two and three hours), 5.
- Highly pleasurable sensations, difficult to describe; different from the exhilaration of Opium (after half an hour), 4.
- Intellectual.
- Difficulty in confining the attention to a book so as to understand it (after six hours, second day), 8.
- Slight mazy, dozy, and pleasurable state, unable to read or fix the attention upon anything, for half an hour (after seven hours), 5.
HEAD
- Confusion and Vertigo.
- Attempted to read, but could not, on account of confusion of the head (second morning), 3.
- Mazy and confused feeling in the head (after three hours), 1.
- Slight mazy and confused feeling of the head (after one hour and a half), 3.
- Slight degree of maziness of the head (after three hours), 8. [10.]
- Slight mazy feeling of the head, so as to render it inconvenient to confine the attention to a book (after one hour), 5.
- Mazy and vertiginous sensation of the head, which was rather pleasant than otherwise (after eight hours and a half), 7.
- Some vertigo (after three hours and a half), 8.
- Some vertigo, especially on motion (after six hours); relieved by sleep (after seven hours), 5.
- Vertigo on rising from the bed (after five hours and a half), 3.
- Vertigo and nausea, increased on motion (after four hours), 2.
- Slight vertigo and slight headache, on motion or exertion (after one hour and a half), 3.
- Considerable vertigo, much increased on exertion or motion of any sort (after three hours and a half), 1.
- Considerable vertigo and mazy feel in the head (after three hours and a half), 2.
- Could not stand still or walk without staggering (after five hours and a half), 3. [20.]
- Sensation exactly like incipient intoxication (after five hours), 8.
- General Head.
- Headache (third morning), 3.
- Headache and roaring in the head, 9.
- Slight headache on waking, but disappearing after breakfast (second morning), 8.
- Forehead.
- Pressure in the frontal region, 10.
EYE
- Injection of the eyes, 9.
- Pupil.
- Pupils inclined to dilate, 12.
- Dilatation of the pupils, 9.
- Slight dilatation of the pupils, with congestion of the eyes, 11.
- Pupils contracted (after three hours), 4. [30.]
- Pupils considerably contracted (after seven hours), 8.
- Vision.
- Could not see very distinctly to read, as there was a sensation of a blur before the eyes (second day), 8.
- On looking at minute objects, they appeared blurred (after three hours), 4.
FACE
- Expression of the countenance strikingly dull and heavy; and something about it besides this, which is indescribable (after three hours), 4.
- Redness of the face, 9.
MOUTH
- Sensation of dryness and clamminess of the mouth (second morning), 3.
- Dryness and clamminess of the mouth and fauces (after three hours), 2.
- Mouth felt dry and clammy, but looked moist to the eye (after three hours), 4.
- Mouth dry and clammy in a slight degree (second morning), 1.
- Taste flat, not bitter, 9.
- Speech. [40.]
- Some difficulty in talking intelligibly, not only from confusion of the mind, but from inability to manage the organs of speech, 1.
- Speech somewhat thick (after three hours and a half), 2 ; (after six hours), 8.
- Speech thick and indistinct (after five hours and a half), 3.
- Speech began to be thick and indistinct, and almost stammering (after three hours and a half), 4.
- Slight thickness of speech (after five hours), 1.
STOMACH
- Appetite.
- Little or no appetite (second morning), 3.
- Little appetite for breakfast (second morning), 2.
- Little appetite for dinner or supper (first day), 4.
- Thirst.
- No thirst (after three hours), 4.
- Nausea and Vomiting.
- Nausea (second morning), 3. [50.]
- Slight symptoms of nausea on motion, 1.
- Slight nausea on motion or exertion (after three hours), 4 ; (after three hours and a half), 8.
- Vomiting (second morning), 3.
- Vomiting, followed by singultus, for a short time, 6.
- On little motion or exertion there was instantaneous nausea and thorough vomiting, the paroxysms consisting of three retching efforts; this vomiting was remarkably kind and easy, and ceased as suddenly as it began (after six hours and a half), 4.
- Sudden vomiting, retched three times, the process of vomiting being far easier than is common with me (after four hours and three-quarters); recurred several times, 2.
- Suddenly seized with nausea and vomiting while walking; passed by as suddenly as they came on; paroxysms of vomiting remarkably easy (after seven, eight, and nine hours), 6.
- Vomiting a little, and in a remarkably easy manner (after five hours and a half); after vomiting, all the symptoms were temporarily relieved (after six hours), 3.
- Stomach.
- Slight sensation of uneasiness in the epigastrium (after fifteen minutes), 4.
- Disagreeable sensation in the epigastrium (after four hours and a half), 1. [60.]
- Slight darting pains in the stomach, continuing but a few seconds at once (after four hours and a half), 3.
STOOL
- It produces less constipation than Morphine, 12.
- No discharge from the intestines for two days, 6.
- No discharge from the intestines and no tendency to one for two days; am ordinarily more inclined to a lax condition than to costiveness, 7.
URINARY ORGANS
- On attempting to evacuate the bladder, it was slow in contracting, and the process required an unusually long time (after five hours), 1.
- On attempting to empty the bladder, found its contractile power much impaired, the process being difficult and slow, but not at all painful (after six hours), 3.
- On attempting to empty the bladder (which had not been done for a long time), there was at first total inability from deficiency of contractile power; at last, after considerable effort, the urine began to flow, and continued to do so very slowly till it passed off, the process occupying half more than the usual time (after four hours), 2.
- At bedtime, was entirely unable to void any urine, partly from deficient secretion, and partly from want of contractile power in the bladder, 5.
- Great torpor of the bladder, so as to be entirely unable to empty it, in all probability (judging from circumstances) a deficiency in the secretion (after eleven hours and a half); after nineteen hours suppression or retention, succeeded in voiding a moderate quantity of urine perfectly natural in appearance (second morning), 8.
RESPIRATORY ORGANS
- Voice.
- Change of voice and hoarseness (after six hour), 8. [70.]
- Hoarseness (after three hours), 2 ; (after five hours), 7.
- Quite hoarse (after five hours and a half), 3.
- Considerable hoarseness (after three hours and a half), 3 ; (after five hours), 5, 6.
- Prominent hoarseness (after four hours and a half), 1.
- Cough.
- (Considerable chronic cough removed), 2.
- Respiration.
- Breathing short and hurried, on walking (after five hours and a half), 3.
- (A slight chronic dyspnœa and an accompanying irritative cough were relieved), (after three hours and a half), 2.
CHEST
- An agreeable sensation of warmth in the chest, with deep respiration, 9.
PULSE
- Acceleration of the pulse, 6 to 11 beats, followed by as much or more retardation below the normal, 9.
- Pulse 80 (ordinary frequency) before taking; irregular and varying, according to rest and motion, from 72 to 80 (after half an hour); 72, somewhat softer and smaller (after two hours and a half); 64, very soft (after three hours and a half); 56 (second morning), 3. [80.]
- Pulse 72, natural standard, before taking; 64 (after one hour); 56 (after six hours); 72, immediately after a walk (after seven hours), 7.
- Pulse 72, before taking; 56 (after two, three, four, five, and six hours); 50 (after seven hours); 56 (after eight and nine hours); 52 (after eleven hours and a half), 6.
- Pulse 72, before taking; 68 (after half an hour); 64 (after two hours and a half); 64, considerably softer and more compressible, somewhat smaller (after three hours); 60 (after four hours); 60, moderately reduced in force and fulness (after four hours and a half), 2.
- Pulse 72 before taking; 64, (after one hour); 64, a sensible and obvious diminution in force and fulness, though not a great one (after one hour and a half); 56, evidently stiff softer and smaller (after two, three, and five hours), 6.
- Pulse 70 before taking; 60 (after half an hour); 72, softer and more readily yielding to pressure (after two hours and a half); 56, very soft and compressible (after three hours); 56 (after four hours and a half), 1.
- Pulse 68 before taking; 55 when sitting; 65 when standing, very soft and compressible (after three hours); 54, while sitting (after three hours and a half); 48, while sitting (after four hours); 52, but extremely variable on slight motion or exertion (after six hours), 4.
- Pulse 68 before taking; 60 (after one hour); 56 (after one hour and a half); 52, supposed to be rather softer than natural (after two hours); between 50 and 56 (after three hours); 64 (after five hours); 56 (after six hours); 52 (after seven hours), 5.
INFERIOR EXTREMITIES
- When walking a slight vacillating gait (after five hours), 1.
- Gait staggering (after three hours and a half), 4.
- Slight staggering on attempting to walk (after six hours), 8. [90.]
- On attempting to walk, his gait was perceived to be unsteady and slightly staggering (after three hours and a half), 2.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
- Disinclined for any exertion, and not disposed to conversation (after seven hours), 5.
- Considerable languor and lassitude (after three hours and a half), 1, 8 : (after four hours), 4 ; increased by motion (after three hours and a half), 2 ; when quiet (after three hours and a half), 3.
- Much languor and lassitude after a walk (after seven hours), 7.
- Much fatigue, exactly as after violent running, after a walk (after five hours and a half), 3.
- Weakness, 9.
- On the whole, sensations quite pleasant (after six hours), 8.
- When quiet, sensations quite pleasurable (after four hours and a half), 3.
- When quiet, the general sensations were described as rather agreeable, 1.
SKIN
- Peculiar disagreeable crawling in the limbs, 9. [100.]
- Some itching of the surface (after four hours and a half), 1.
- Incipient itching of the surface (after six hours); increasing afterwards, 8.
- Considerable itching of the whole surface, more intense, however, in the nose and on the inside of the thighs (after one hour); increasing for two hours and a half, after which it gradually subsided, 4.
- Very considerable itching of the surface (after four hours and a half), 3.
SLEEP AND DREAMS
- Sleepiness, 9.
- Began to be sleepy (after one hour and a half); which symptom gradually and regularly increased four hours and a half; so sleepy as not to be able to keep awake when still; and more especially when sitting (after four hours); remained asleep in a chair for two hours; sleep perfectly calm, easy, and quiet (after four hours); there was less somnolency, but it again returned; in the evening made calls on friends, but on sitting down soon fell asleep in my chair, so took care not to stay long in one place; later fell asleep in chair on ceasing to converse, though there was no material difficulty in keeping awake when engaged in conversation, 4.
- Uncommonly sleepy, so as to have considerable difficulty in keeping awake from 7 to 9, then till midnight was not sleepy; for the remainder of the night slept as usual, 7.
- Considerable somnolency (after four hours and a half), 1 ; (after five hours), 2.
- Considerable somnolency (after five hours); increased (after seven hours); almost uninterrupted sleep in a chair; sleep extremely quiet, easily aroused out of it, for an hour and a half (after ten hours); rather sleepy during the forenoon (second day), 8. [110.]
- Considerable somnolency, so that it was difficult to confine the attention to a book (after five hours); for the succeeding half hour had repeated naps in a chair, 6.
- Considerable somnolency (after six hours); for the greater part of an hour, so sleepy as to yield to it, and sleep in a chair, though so lightly as to be aroused by the most inconsiderable noise in the room, 5.
- Considerable somnolency; when dozing there was perception of all sorts of grotesque figures dancing before the sight; when the sleep was a little disturbed, there was a sensation of falling into an immense pit in company with the same sort of figures, but when the sensation of falling existed, there was starting (after five hours), 3.
- Dozing in the chair, 1.
- Slept from 7 1/2 till 10 in the evening, awoke for ten or fifteen minutes, and did not wake again till 6 o'clock (second night), 3.
- Sleep sound all night, much as when under the influence of Opium, 1.
FEVER
- Chilliness.
- Chilliness over the whole body (after one hour), 10.
- Chilliness and chattering of the teeth (after five hours and a half), 3.
- Coldness, 9.
- Chilliness in the back, 9. [120.]
- Cold hands and feet (second day), 2.
- Heat.
- The temperature of the body at first rose 2 Centigrade, and afterwards sank 28, the same effect was observed in the warmth of the hand, 9.
- Slight universal sensation of warmth (after fifteen minutes), 4.
- Heat and redness of the face, 10.
- Sweat.
- Increased transpiration, 9.
- Free perspiration (after four hours), 2.
- Considerable perspiration (after three hours), 3 ; (after three hours and a half), 1.
- Such a degree of sweating as to render all the clothes next the skin quite wet (after five hours and a half), 2.