Atropa Belladonna. Deadly Nightshade. (Greece, Italy, Britain.) *N. O. Solanaceae.Tincture of whole plant when beginning to flower.
Clinical
*Abscess. *Acne. *Amaurosis. *Apoplexy. *Bladder weakness. *Boils. *Brain, affections of. *Bronchial glands, disease of. *Carbuncle. *Colic. Constipation. *Convulsions. *Cough. *Croup. *Delirium tremens. *Depression. Diarrhoea. Dysentery. *Ear, affections of. Enteric fever. *Epilepsy. *Erysipelas. *Erythema. *Excitement. *Eye, affections of. *Fear, effects of. *Glandular swellings. *Goitre. Gout. Haemorrhoids. Headache. *Heart, affections of. *Hydrocephalus. Hydrophobia. *Hyperemia. *Influenza. *Kidney, affections of. *Lung, affections of. *Malignant pustule. *Mania. *Measles. *Meningitis.*Menstruation. *Mouth affections. *Mumps. *Neuralgia. *Nose, affections of. *Nyctalopia. Nymphomania. *Paralysis. *Parametritis *Perichondritis. *Perimetritis. *Peritonitis. Phlegmasia alba dolens. Pleurisy. Pneumogastric paralysis. Pneumonia. *Pregnancy, disorders of. Puerperal mania. Rheumatism. *Roseola. Scarlatina. *Sensitiveness. *Sleep, disorders of. *Smell, disordered. *Strangury *Taste, disordered. *Tenesmus. *Testicles, affections of. *Thirst. *Throat, sore. *Tongue, affections of. *Tuberculosis. *Ulcers. *Uterine affections. *Vaccinia. *Vertigo. *Whooping-cough. Worm fever.
Characteristics
*Belladonna acts primarily on the brain, and Teste very acutely explains the diversity of its action on men and animals by suggesting that it acts with an intensity proportionate to the brain development. On goats and rabbits it has no poisonous action whatever. On carnivorous animals it acts with moderate intensity. On man it acts with highest intensity. But on idiots, as Hufeland mentions, it has no more action than it has on some of the Carnivora. An enormous number of the symptoms of *Belladonna are developed in and from the head and sensorium. Conformably with this, the pains of *Belladonna run downwards, i.e., away from the head. (*Sil, and *Gelsemium have a pain running *up the back). To understand right the action and uses of this great medicine it is necessary to bear in mind some leading features which characterize its action in all parts of the organism.But before alluding to these I will briefly refer to its correspondence to scarlatina.Cases of *Belladonna poisoning have frequently been mistaken for cases of scarlatina.But it is the smooth form only, these presenting a smooth, even, red surface that come under its controlling action and prophylaxis.When such an epidemic is about, any one who may be exposed to infection may obtain almost certain immunity by taking *Belladonna two or three times a day.
The several points to be remembered about *Belladonna are that it is a medicine which has great general *sensitiveness and also sensitiveness of the special senses, sensitive to light, to slightest noise, to motion or jar as when some one touches the bed. This is one feature which renders *Belladonna so appropriate in hydrophobia. It is a *chilly medicine, sensitive to changes from warm to cold, to *draught of air, to damp weather, to chilling from having the head uncovered, or *having the hair cut, better from being wrapped up warmly in a room. Under this drug there is a remarkable quickness of sensation, or of motion, the eyes snap and move quickly. The pains *come and go suddenly no matter how long they may last. They are in great variety, but throbbing, burning, and *stabbing are very characteristic: “stabbing from one temple to the other.”
The great intensity and variety of the head pains has caused *Belladonna to be regarded as the headache medicine *par excellence. Congestion of blood to the head. Vertigo, mostly at night on turning over in bed, or when getting up in the morning, also when walking and on every change of position. Headache with flushed face and brilliant eyes, dilated pupils. Feeling in brain like swashing of water. Throbbing, pulsating headache, with beating arteries and violent palpitation of the heart. It has cured a very severe headache in a nervous man occurring whenever he was exposed to tobacco smoke. In the mental sphere are mania, rage, disposition to bite, scratch and tear things. Fantastic illusions when closing eyes. Dull and sleepy, half asleep and half awake. Spasms and twitchings are very marked. Many disorders of vision. *Heat, redness and burning are three great characteristic notes of *Belladonna, and are constantly cropping out in the pathogenesis. The face is purple, red, and hot, or yellow. Redness and pallor alternate. The mouth is exceedingly dry without thirst. Stinging in oesophagus, worse swallowing or talking. Esophagus feels contracted. Sensation of a hand clutching intestines. Stool in lumps like chalk. Spasmodic contraction of anus, obstinate constipation. Bleeding piles, back pains as if breaking. The menstrual flow is hot, of light colour, or bad smell. Cough short, dry, tickling, similar to cough of *Rumex and Phosphorus Whooping-cough, with crying or pains before the attack, flushed face, nose-bleed and bloody expectoration, sparks before eyes, stitches in spleen, involuntary stool and urine. Paralysis of lungs and heart (vagus nerve). Violent palpitation of heart. Stitches in chest. Swellings of breast with bright red streaks radiating from center of inflammation. Rheumatism worse by motion. Sweat on covered parts only.
A striking picture of *Bellad. is sometimes seen in cases of worm-fever. A case (aged 3, pale, feeble child) reported by Lutze had the following symptoms: Awakened, or at least sits up at night in bed screaming, cannot be pacified, wets bed at night, passes worms now and then, cheeks and ear-tips brilliant scarlet, other parts of face, especially round mouth, white as snow, eyes brilliant, staring, pupils dilated. Skin dry and hot like fire. On being spoken to coaxingly flew into a violent rage. *Cina 200 had ameliorated. *Belladonna cm. and m. cured permanently.
*Belladonna is a great children’s remedy, not less important than *Chamomilla Complaints come suddenly, hot, red face, semi-stupor, every little while starting or jumping in sleep as if it might go into convulsions. A very general characteristic of *Belladonna is worse on lying down. It refers to headache and all kinds of inflammatory affections. Some characteristic symptoms are: “Tenderness of abdomen, worse by least jar.” “Pressing downward as if contents of abdomen would issue through vulva, worse mornings, often associated with pain in back as if it would break.” Starting, twitching, or jumping in sleep. Moaning in sleep. “Sleepy, but cannot sleep.” The characteristic skin of *Bell is: “Uniform, smooth, shining, scarlet redness, so hot that it imparts a burning sensation to the hand of one who feels it.” “Sweet on covered parts only” is also a marked symptom of *Belladonna
A number of cases of poisoning have been reported from application of *Belladonna plasters to the skin, classical symptoms of the drug being produced and no little danger to life. One practitioner was warned by his patient that she could not tolerate a *Belladonna plaster, but he, thinking there must have been a mistake, and that cantharides must have been in the plaster she had formerly used, had one made up under his own eyes and applied it himself. In less than one hour there was an unbearable pain and when the plaster was removed the surface was found to be blistered.
A case of poisoning reported in the *Medical Press (September 9, 1891) brings out the profound and long-lasting effects of the drug. Three children, aged 7, 5, and 3 1/2, ate a number of the berries. Three days after, a doctor saw them. The condition of the eldest was as follows: pupils dilated to maximum and insensitive to light, pulse frequent, breathing feeble and hurried, skin dry, bright red, temperature lowered, extremities and face cold, urination and defecation suspended. *Coordination was lost, the patient staggered as if drunk and acted like a mad person. When asked his name he would shout as loud as he could, *falling backwards with his hands in the air, his legs slightly bent as if about to sit down on a low stool, and then tumble on the floor. When raised from the ground and seeing his friends again he began to talk without ceasing, laughing, and singing local melodies in a boisterous manner. *Suddenly his whole demeanor would change into a melancholic depression of agony, he would look blank and wild on all around. He would instantly jump up, run at the wall, and endeavor to spring on the highest articles in the room with the strength of a wild animal, and it was with difficulty that his movements could be controlled.
The youngest of the three lay depressed, in a soporific condition, eyes closed, skin cold, limbs powerless. Pupillary reaction, tendon and muscular reflex were almost gone, while the sense of heat and cold still remained On shouting loud in his ear, he slowly tried to open his eyes in wonder, when shaken and put on his feet he *made two or three steps backward as his elder brother and fell senseless on the floor. The second eldest lay in a deep sleep, face cyanotic, skin of extremities and part of body dry and cold, breathing feeble, pulse scarcely perceptible. Loudest crying, or shaking could not rouse him, feeling and reaction lost. Washing out the stomach was affected in the eldest, but no evidence of the berries was obtained in that way. A long injection tube was inserted into the rectum and irrigation with hot and cold water alternately was carried out, with the object of exciting peristalsis. This was successful. Besides a great quantity of black-brown masticated fruit with skins and seeds, broken berries were found to the number of 28 in the case of the eldest, 39 in the second, and 37 in the youngest. Pilocarpine and morphia were injected in the case of the eldest, and camphor subcutaneously in the other two. The skin was rubbed, warm applications administered and rectal injections of milk, egg and brandy.
