The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica
Jalapa jal.
General
Jalap. Convolvulaceæ.
Native to Mexico, from whence the first roots were brought by Coxe, in 1827. The flowers are large and lilac purple, the roots tuberous. The tincture is prepared from the dried and finely pulverized root.
It has been much used by the Old School as an active cathartic, generally in connection with other drugs. Its action was found to be violent, and in overdoses dangerous.
The symptoms contained in Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 5, p. 181 , are from Noack and Trinks' Materia Medica, to which we add a small proving by Jeanes, made with the fourth dilution, in 1844.
Mind
Great restlessness with anxiety.
Inner head
Violent headache.
Pain in head ; smarting in skin of forehead.
Hearing and ears
Humming in ears.
Lower face
Dryness of lips.
Taste, speech, tongue
Biting and smarting of tongue.
Inner mouth
Stinging on tongue and in fauces.
Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting
Flatulent and frothy eructation with abatement of pain.
Nausea and vomiting.
Hypochondria
Pain in right hypochondrium.
Abdomen and loins
Severe griping, cutting pain in bowels, < at night.
Pain in middle of abdomen and in region of left superior flexure of colon.
Pain in cecum.
Flatulent rumbling in bowels.
Colic ; violent pains in small intestines, as if abdomen would be cut to pieces.
Inflammation of intestines.
Stools and rectum
Stools : violent, excessive ; bloody ; watery, with weak pulse ; sour smelling ; with great restlessness and anxiety.
Before and during stool : cutting colic.
Pain in sigmoid flexure of colon.
Soreness of anus.
Diarrhœa in infants : child is quiet all day, but screams and tosses about all night.
Infantile diarrhœa, general coldness, blueness of face.
Urinary organs
Pain and pressure in region of bladder.
Male sexual organs
Thrilling sensation in urethra whilst urinating.
Neck and back
Severe pain about superior margin of left scapula.
Upper limbs
Pain in thighs.
Lower limbs
Smarting on inside edge and at root of left great toenail, with heat, tearing and pulsation.
Pain in large joint of great toe.
Burning of soles of feet.
Limbs in general
Aching in arms and legs, most right side.
Nerves
Fainting fits ; weakness.
Excessive uneasiness and tossing about of limbs.
Time
Night : severe cutting, griping pain in bowels < ; child screams and tosses.
Fever
Febrile attacks.
Great disposition to perspiration of head and superior parts of body.
Locality and direction
Right : pain in hypochondrium ; aching in arm and leg.
Left : pain in superior flexure of colon ; severe pain about superior margin of scapula ; smarting on inside edge and at root of great toenail.
Sensations
As if abdomen would be cut to pieces.
Pain : in head ; in right hypochondrium ; in middle of abdomen ; in region of left superior flexure of colon ; in region of bladder ; in thigh ; in large joint of great toe.
Violent pains : in head ; in small intestines.
Severe pain : about superior margin of left scapula.
Tearing : at root of great toenail.
Severe griping, cutting pain : in bowels.
Cutting colic.
Aching in arms and legs.
Stinging : on tongue and in fauces.
Biting : of tongue.
Smarting : in skin of forehead ; of tongue ; on inside edge and at root of left great toenail.
Burning : of soles of feet.
Soreness : of anus.
Pressure : in region of bladder.
Pulsation : in great toe.
Thrilling sensation : in urethra.
Dryness : of lips.
Relations
Compare : Camphora (diarrhœa with coldness), Coloc . (colic).