Atropinium atro.

Atropine. An alkaloid of Belladonna. C 17 H 23 NO 3 . The effects of the Sulphate of Atropine, the preparation most in use, are included. Solution.

Blepharospasm. Convulsions. Enuresis. Epilepsy. Eyes, affections of. Gastric ulcer . Locomotor ataxy. Mania. Neuralgias. Pancreatitis . Spinal irritation. Stammering. Tetanus. Vision, disorders of. Wryneck.

Atropine , as the most active principle in Belladonna , produces, as we should expect, most of the characteristic effects of that drug; but at the same time the two are not identical. Atrop . produces hyperæsthesia of the sensory nerves. The most numerous symptoms have been observed in the eyes. All kinds of illusions of vision. Everything appears large. Motes over everything. I once cured with it a lady who had an appearance of shadows passing over whatever she looked at. It has shown an affinity for the pancreas, which relates it to Iod ., Kali iod ., and Iris . A case of chronic wryneck, of three years' standing, was relieved and finally cured within two weeks by injections of 1/120 into the platysma, the dose being increased up to 1/20th. This was in old-school practice. It has caused difficulty of speech: frequent stuttering, especially at words difficult to pronounce; articulation indistinct, rapid and chattering.

It antidotes: Muscarine and Opium. It is antidoted by: Op. and Physostigma. Like Bell., it is a right-side medicine.

Frenzied with excitement. — Spectral illusions; sees insects and crawling things and tries to catch them. — Mania, tries to escape. — When spoken to often turns his head to wrong side.

Vertigo on turning head suddenly. — Feeling as if head were screwed up; walking caused the most severe sticking pains; > towards 11 a.m., and disappeared by evening. — Head very hot. — Headaches of epileptics. — Sticking pains in back of skull and over eyes, < every motion and stepping. — Sticking l. temple on waking, extending into ear and eye; > moving in open air. — Headache, with flushed face, blindness, and delirium.

Objects appear large, with red halo. — Everything seems elongated, objects appear in a cloud. — Clouds of flies; motes; bright spots; stars; flashes. — Figures on carpet appear constantly and successively to rise in her face. — Diplopia. — Sharp neuralgic pains in and about eyes. — At 9 p.m. eyelids heavy, difficult to keep open.

Face hot and very red. — Deathly pallor.

Mouth dry. — Tongue thick; cannot articulate distinctly. — Tongue semi-paralysed. — Speech slow, embarrassed, stuttering, chattering.

Burning caused by coughing. — Dryness. — Dysphagia; swallowing causes paroxysms of suffocation. — Throat dark red.

Vomiting of food; after hot drinks; with severe sticking pains in umbilical region. — > After vomiting. — Region of stomach very sensitive; swelling in pyloric region.

Frequent micturition. — Involuntary, but scanty; nocturnal enuresis. — Cutting, drawing pains in l. ovary, extorting screams, > bending; ovary swollen and tender during menses. — Epilepsy from ovarian irritation.

Failure of action from chloroform and other cardiac paralyzers. — Accelerated pulse.

Burning in back under sternum and in region of stomach. — Spinal irritation, pressure causes pallor, nausea, belching, and retching.

Numbness; heaviness; paralysis of limbs.

Hyperæsthesia of some nerves: ophthalmic, auditory, olfactory, vaginal, spinal, solar-plexus, nerves of uterus and bladder. — Great desire for open air (faintness). — Very weak in the open air. — Giddiness and staggering. — > From motion.

Disturbed by gastric pains. — Restless through night. — Waked by frightful dreams.

Atropine. C 17 H 23 NO 3 .
Discovered in 1833 as being the alkaloid in the berries, leaves and root of Atropa Belladonna ; it was at first used in the Homœopathic School by such as wanted something stronger, and proved years after. As it is, we have to regard all the symptoms, provings, poisonings and cures, as very uncertain. See Fehling's Dictionary, vol. i, 1871, p. 902. The only trustworthy preparation is the Atropinum sulphuricum . This may have been the drug used in many cases in which it was not considered worth while to add the name of the mineral acid.

Vertigo on rising in morning.
Furious delirium at night.

Fine drawing, very sensitive stitches across forehead and temples, recurring every few minutes, lasting some seconds.
Dull pain in temples, at intervals, and transitory.
Very sensible sticking in left temporal region on waking in morning, extending into ear and eye ; > moving in open air.
Sensation as if head was screwed up ; < walking ; < towards 11 A. M. ; > towards evening.
Sticking pains in back of skull and over eyes, < from every motion and on stepping.
Severe headache, beginning in occiput, passing over right side, locating over eyes and in balls, followed by an epileptic attack, with unconsciousness.
Headache, with flushing of face and head, with rush of blood to head.
Periodical headache, coming on suddenly, increasing rapidly, until intensely severe, making blind and delirious.
Headache of epileptics.
Sudden pain soon making her blind and delirious, lasting three hours ; no nausea and vomiting ; no flushing of face ; pain deep in brain ; dreads attacks.
Slender married woman, æt. 32, nervous temperament ; headache once a month, not with catamenia.

Sharp neuralgic pains in and about eyes.
Eyelids felt heavy and difficult to keep open.
Sharp pain under right eye, with slight pain in temples.
Neuralgic pains, commencing under left orbit, and running back to ear, lasting perhaps ten minutes at a time, and then disappearing for fifteen or twenty.
Opaqueness ; violent pain ; dacryorrhœa ; photophobia ; swelling of lids. θ Keratitis.
Dimness of vision, with dilated pupils.
A bad incised wound of cornea, with protruding iris.
(Atrop. externally and Arnic. internally ; cured in seven days.)
Blepharo-spasmus and irritability of eye ; with corneal ulcers.
Conjunctivitis, with lachrymation.
Erysipelatous inflammation of conjunctiva and lids.
Amblyopia ; diplopia and chromopsia.
Iritis, if exudation has taken place, and inflammation is violent, to prevent adhesion.
Used for purpose of lessening intraocular blood pressure in inflammatory diseases of internal structures of eyeball, and also in inflammations of cornea and even conjunctiva.

Mouth and throat dry.

Dark, red, dusky hue of throat.
Difficult swallowing from great dryness.

In affections of diaphragm Atrop. stands between Bellad. and Stramon.

Frenzy, with distressing abdominal pain, occasionally leaves her ; pulse quick ; tongue dry ; skin hot, but sweating. θ Peritonitis.

Catarrhal dysentery.

Congestive states of kidneys and liver, with disturbance of right heart ; neuralgia of head ; nausea and vomiting ; soporous condition. θ Bright's disease.

Ovarian neuralgia, with headache, or epilepsy.

Puerperal convulsions. θ Albuminuria.

Locomotor ataxia.

From sleeping in a damp bed, acute rheumatism ; pain in all his limbs, which are swollen and red ; no sleep ; general feverish and profuse sweat.

Moving : sticking in left temple better.
Stepping : sticking in back of skull worse.
Walking : sensation as if head were screwed up worse.

Muscular spasms in different parts of body.
Tetanus.

Morning : vertigo on rising ; sticking in left temple on awaking.
At 11 A. M. : sensation as if head were screwed up, < ; > towards evening.
Night : furious delirium.

Open air : sticking in temple better.
Sleeping in damp bed : acute rheumatism.

Right : occipital headache passes side ; pain under eye ; disturbance of right heart.
Left : sticking in temple ; neuralgic pains commence under orbit and extend to ear.

As if head was screwed up.
Pain : in all his limbs.
Stitches : across forehead and temples.
Sticking pain : in left temporal region ; in back of skull ; over eyes.
Sharp pain : under right eye.
Distressing abdominal pains.
Neuralgic pains : in and about eyes ; under left orbit to ear ; in head.
Dull pain : in temples.
Heaviness : of eyelids.

Influences cerebro-spinal centres, involving head, throat and eyes.
Vessels increase in volume, not in tone.

Nervous, but not hysterical temperaments.

Very similar to Bellad .
When Bellad . fails give Atrop ., both affect principally right side.
Antidotes : Opium, Physostigma .
In Opium poisoning, has been found useful when applied hypodermically.

Atropine and its salts, obtained from Belladonna, are prepared for use by trituration.

Physiological Action similar to Belladonna.

Bell., Hyosc., Stram., Sulphur, (Secale c.).

Appears full and stupid. ▶ Convulsions; especially of limbs; beginning in neck and face. ▶ Clonic spasms of biceps flexor cubiti and of muscles of jaw, agg. by disturbing the patient. ▶ Clonic cramp in face and limbs (moves arms forward in front of chest). ▶ Staggering, then falling, with convulsive movements of limbs, then pupils much dilated, heart beating rapidly, tongue curled to roof of mouth, lips, mouth and throat dry, convulsions about once in five minutes, glossopharyngeal not responsive to tickling. ▶ Twitching in head and arms, with vomiting, face red, then pale, pleasant delirium, head thrown from side to side, fingers closed, arms flexed, convulsions of upper limbs, looking as if deeply drunk, after three hours clonic spasms over whole body, passing into toxic ones, pupils dilated, no reaction, difficult deglutition, voice hoarse and thick, skin insensible, dry, bluish-white, no fever, pulse small, frequent, soft, irregular, intermittent, respiration accelerated, superficial.

▶ Jerkings; especially in legs, arms and face, when attempting to drink the arm contracted suddenly and the water was spilled, and when walking one or both legs contracted, throwing one to the ground. ▶ Hands tremulous and eyes closed, but she became quiet and drowsy, then kicking and throwing her arms about, limbs weak, unable to stand, face flushed, then meddlesome and pleasant delirium, picked at her clothes, tried to get out of bed, imagined she was sewing, nursing her child or shopping with her sister, then repeated sighing and yawning, then unconsciousness and stupor, eyes closed, pupils dilated, muscular system relaxed, except trismus, deglutition almost impossible, respiration labored and like that of an intoxicated person, lids closed, conjunctivæ injected, eyes brilliant and staring, tongue, hard and soft palates glazed and parched. ▶ Face flushed, pulse full, strong, hard and bounding, respiration almost stertorous, somnolency, impairment of senses, when aroused and raised up he would look around wildly, and when addressed in a loud voice muttered incoherent words, tremor, weakness, especially of lower limbs, so that he was unable to stand, though there was considerable strength in his arms, involuntary micturition. ▶ Convulsive trembling of one or another muscle.

▶ Startings in women; S. at any sudden noise; at night when nearly asleep as if frightened (Bell., Sul.). ▶ Busy with his hands, pulling the bed-clothes about. ▶ Restlessness; in morning on rising and unrefreshed; with agitation of body and mind; with sleeplessness; with haste, becoming a desire to fight. ▶ Impossible to keep him in bed and difficult to keep him from walking about. ▶ Sensitiveness; to sounds and objects at night, with symptoms akin to early stage of meningitis, in morning rapid pulse, furred tongue and hot, dry skin. ▶ General discomfort. ▶ Weakness; morning on rising; in morning, lay in a half-dreamy sleep and after dressing great desire to lie down again; in open air; during stool, with nervousness, general discomfort and sweat; and trembling all over. ▶ Faintness and need of fresh air. ▶ Anæmia.

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