Digitalinum
Clarke - Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · John Henry Clarke · 7,511 chars · source ↗
General
Digitalinum.
An active principle (glucoside) of Digitalis purpurea. C5 H8 02. (Schimiedeburg); C27 H45 O15 (Kosmann). Trituration.
Clinical
Asthma. Diarrhoea. Emissions. Exophthalmus. Heart, affections of. Palpitation. Spermatorrhoea. Vertigo. Vision, hallucinations of.
Characteristics
Digilalinum is a poison of very great activity. It produces a profound effect on muscular tissue, both voluntary and involuntary, more especially on the heart. It causes profound prostration, even to inability to move a muscle. Paralytic weakness; numbness; tremulousness of the limbs.
Cold, clammy surface. Gooseflesh. The heart is slowed, or else its action is made rapid and feeble or "sensation as if the heart stood still." Digitalis has: Sensation as if the heart would stand still if he moved. According to Hale Dgn. is specially indicated in cases of "overburdened heart where it is constantly labouring." Irregular and intermittent action.
A sinking, faint sensation is felt at the epigastrium, nausea and vomiting of yolk-of-egg matter, shivering, diarrhoea, the stools not being noted characteristically white as are those of the plant. Sensitiveness of eyes to light and nose to odours. Disorders of vision and hearing are very numerous. One prover noted "frontal headache, dazzlings, loss of appetite, sinking at epigastrium, intestinal flatulence, borborygmi, eructation, slight abdominal pains; urine abundant; great fatigue; painful heat in evening but no thirst." For a whole day pressure in supra-orbital region towards frontal sinus, and when walking a feeling as if the ground gave way under his feet.
Sexual weakness is shown in: Deep sleep in which an emission occurs without waking him;" and "Sexual power diminished or quite abolished temporarily." Dgn. has cured the following case: Mrs.— had for over a year swelling of right hand and fingers, which she thought to be rheumatic. Digitalis has the symptom, "swelling of right hand and fingers," and this would have been given but only Digitalin was at hand. This was given in 4x. After the second dose the swelling began to subside, and in two or three days was completely gone.
(H. W., xxvi. 552). The heart pains are < lying on left side. Many symptoms appear on waking in the morning; chilliness and fever in afternoon and evening.
Confusion of the head is > walking in open air. Symptoms are > after dinner. Drinking = nausea, and vomiting. Pains in trunk < during rest.
Relations
Compare: Digitalis, Conium, Gratiol., Tabac., Gelsem., Secale. See under DIGITALIS.
Mind
Agitation
Hallucinations
Irritability
Sometimes dejection, sometimes hilariousness
Inability to fix attention; or to take in what is read.
Head
Vertigo, with unsteady vision; inability to fix distant objects
Objects seem to turn horizontally from l. to r.;
> closing eyes
Head thrown back
Lancinating pain in head; hot and confused towards evening
Forehead heavy, hot
Headache in morning, worse in afternoon, and increasing in evening to a violent migraine
A peculiar sensation of drawing, of raising up in occiput and vertex; afterwards a pressure in occiput.
Eyes
Sensation as if the eyes were becoming larger and were starting from their orbits; exophthalmus
Hallucinations of vision
Muscae volitantes, in evening upper part of visual field seemed shaded by a cloud
Flickering and dazzling
A large bright spot advancing, sometimes resembling a ring showing prismatic colours;
< after exertion
Circles floating before eyes
All objects in a room seem to run together
Yellow vision
Halo round candle flame.
Nose
Frequent sneezing and coryza; with pressing, throbbing pains in arms; nasal mucus streaked with blood in morning; smell lost.
Face
Face hot, red, and feverish; or else very pale.—Constant jerking of upper lip of l. side.
Teeth
Burrowing, sticking, pulsating pains in teeth; l. upper eye tooth; r. back lower teeth; l. and r. upper incisors.
Mouth
Tongue large and smooth with a saburral coating
Saliva rather thick, flows slowly from the mouth
Bitter taste.
Stomach
Violent sensation of hunger on waking
Very great thirst, esp. for beer
Drinking renews nausea and vomiting
Nausea
Violent vomiting; yellow like egg; white sourish mucus; with great sensitiveness of eyes to bright light and the nose to odours
Faint, sinking sensation
Feeling of fulness and nausea as if contents of stomach rose up in throat
Pinching or contracting pain
Stitches immediately after dinner.
Abdomen
Abdomen retracted without colic
Emission of much offensive flatus, in morning, immediately after rising, followed by copious pasty stools with violent griping
Stitching lightning-like pains
Violent labour-like pains from small of back into abdomen as if menses would appear.
Stool And Anus
Urgent desire for stool
Stools: diarrhoeic; loose; or soft without being diarrhoeic
Constipation; stool like rabbit's.
Urinary Organs
Urine increased; very abundant
Decidedly diminished
Falling off in urea and chlorides, increase in phosphoric and sulphuric acids.
Male Sexual Organs
Activity greatly depressed and even abolished.—During deep sleep an emission which does not awaken him.
Female Sexual Organs
Menstruation two days too early without usual premonitory pains.—Menstruation more profuse.
Respiratory Organs
Symptoms of cold, hoarse so could hardly speak, with violent sticking pains in larynx
Voice extinct
Short hacking cough; whitish-yellow sputa
Breath short; while walking; on waking.
Chest
Rush of blood to chest
Rheumatic pains; constriction; stitches
Pains in the r. or l. side
Rheumatic pains l. chest just below axilla only on motion
Boring l. chest from scapula forward to precordial region < deep breathing
Sticking in l. side between nipple and axilla, evening in bed, while lying on l. side
Throbbing-sticking, pulsating pains.
Heart
Sensation as though heart stood still for a moment while playing the piano
Peculiar sensation in heart with anxiety, and trembling with standing still, in the evening while sitting
Stitches corresponding to heart pulsations
Palpitation with dull sticking in heart while walking
Violent palpitation in bed lying on l. side
Action tumultuous, irregular
Pulse: slow; irregular; intermittent; jerking; hurried
Pulse not corresponding to heart's impulse, small, thready, nearly imperceptible, while heart is strong and hammering.
Neck And Back
Neck stiff in morning (l.)
Violent pain in neck
Violent pain between scapulae like cramp with oppression of breathing
Painful sensation as though scapulae would be drawn together.
Limbs
Limbs tremulous; weak; unsteady; heavy as if paralysed; pains < during rest.—Pains are sticking, pressive, pulsating.
Upper Limbs
Pressure in shoulders
Drawing pain in biceps muscle
Pressure; throbbing, tearing in elbows (r. at 4 p.m.)
Pressing asunder in the fingers.—(Swelling of r. hand and fingers.)
Lower Limbs
Cramp in thigh and calves
Pains in knees; above r. knee
Sprained pain in r. ankle
On walking sensation as if the ground sank away under the foot
Numb sensation of l. foot obliging him to move it frequently
Pressing asunder of toes of r. foot.
Fever
Chilliness and shivering
Feet and hands cold, palms moist
Shivering over back, esp. sacral region
Heat in nape rising up into head and extending over whole body
Profuse sweat at night
Cold sweat; after a cup of coffee
Bathed in cold sweat.