Diseased potato. Tincture of the affected tubers.
Clinical
Anus, prolapse of, patulous. Breasts, painful. Breath, offensive, Constipation. Epistaxis. Headache. Ileus. Irritability. Menses, interrupted. Noma. Odour of body, offensive. Pruritus vulvae. Rectum, prolapse of. Scalp, painful. Sciatica. Scurvy. Skin, darkness of. Tenesmus. Tongue, cracked. Vertebrae, pain in, pulsation in.
Characteristics
The “Potato murrain” is characterized by “the rapid putrescence of the leaves and haulm, which is first indicated by the presence of a little mould, *Peronospora infestans, which preys upon the tissues, spreading rapidly in every direction. The tubers also exhibit brown spots on their surface and within their tissues, and according to circumstances decay with greater or less rapidity” (*Treas. *of Bot.). In 1846 the sudden inroad of this disease led to the fearful famine in Ireland, which resulted in the death of thousands. Mure made the first proving of *Sol.*t.*ae., using a potato “in an entire state of decomposition, without, however, being completely rotten.” Effects of eating diseased potatoes, some of them fatal, have been observed, and these have been added to Mure’s. The symptoms of the proving were pretty severe, and one of the most important _ prolapse of the rectum _ has been confirmed by the poisoning cases. A man and three children ate boiled diseased potatoes, and among their symptoms were these: “Pain of an acute character was referred to the region of the anus, which on examination was found perfectly patulous and exquisitely tender to the touch. Two of the four patients had prolapsus ani, which was probably caused by the violent and ineffectual efforts to discharge the contents of the rectum. There had not been an evacuation of the bowels, nor had they passed water, except in drops and with extreme suffering, for six days. On introducing the finger into the rectum, which caused acute pain, it was found that the intestine was completely filled, to within an inch of the orifice, with a solid substance.” The foul odour of the diseased potato is reproduced in the breath and body odour of the patients. Lips cracked and raw, gums bleeding, tongue coated, thick, cracked, throat inflamed and ulcerated with sensation of something sticking in it or a fleshy growth. In one poisoning case a condition of noma of left cheek was induced. *Peculiar Sensations are: Of water splashing on head, as if brain were leaping in skull (on stooping). As of something sticking in throat. As if there were a fleshy growth in throat. As if a spring unrolled in left hypochondrium. As if a hollow body were turning rapidly in chest. Of stoppage in trachea. Of something becoming detached from sacrum. The urine has an oily pellicle. Excruciating muscular pains. The symptoms are worse by touch and pressure. Headache is worse on waking, by smell of alcohol, walking at 5 p.m., sleeping, working (headache). Cold water causes shock.
Relations
Mure gives the following as the closest analogues of Sol-t-ae.- the order indicates their relative importance: Bryonia, Arsenicum, Plb., Nux vomica, Sepia, Stron., V. tric., Squil., Pulsatilla, Graphites, Alumina, Mercurius, Nat.m., Ignatia, Calcarea *Compare: Sensation of machinery inside, Nit.ac. Constipation, black balls, Opium Prolapsus ani, Podophyllum, Ruta. Patulous anus, Apis., Phosphorus
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Quarrelsome, irritable mood.- Bad temper.- An unintelligible expression irritates her so that she would like to break everything and bite her hands.- Dread of work.- Hypochondriac mood.- She wants to enjoy a change of scenery, &c.- She fancies she is miserable, and dwells much on the future.- Rises in the night imagining that there are thieves behind the curtain, but dares not look, asks others to do it.- Crowd of ideas.- His attention is easily disturbed by other things.
Head
Confusion.- Heat in head, evening.- Heaviness of the head, in the vertex, on stooping and then raising head again.- Catarrhal dulness of head, especially forehead.- Sensation on stooping as if brain leaping in skull.- Lancinations as if brain would burst open.- Sensation of water splashing in head.- Headache at noon, worse by the smell of spirits.- Head feels too heavy, she has to make an effort to support it. Pressure above eyes, on waking.- In the forehead: violent pain, all day, stitching pain, with dulness of head, and disposition to fall forwards.- Slight beating in temples.- Sensation as if the hair would be torn out on vertex.- Painful sensitiveness of scalp and roots of hair, cannot bear combing, better after stirring about and talking.
Eyes
Prickling about the lids, the surface of which is red.- Spasmodic contraction and twitching of left upper lid.- Burning in lids.- Prickling and burning in eyes.- Congestion of the conjunctiva.- Profuse lachrymation, on waking.
Ears
Ringing in the left ear.
Nose
Repeated sneezing, followed by feeble cough. – Nose-bleed. Pressure at root of nose. – Smell of blood.
Face
Face hot and red.- Mounting of heat to face, now and then.- Red pimples on cheeks. – Desquamation of face.- Face pale, bloodless, much swollen, especially about eyelids, nearly closing them.- Bluish-black, fetid ulcer of left cheek.- Upper lip bleeding, cracked.
Teeth
Swelling of mucous membrane of the inner margin of the two incisors. – Teeth loose and very painful.- Gums, especially lower, spongy, oozing blood.- Teeth covered with white mucus.
Mouth
Dry mouth.-The mucous membrane of the velum palati seems to become detached here and there.- Tongue pale.- Thick tongue, 2 A.M.- Tongue swollen, cracked, early in the morning, coated white or yellowish white, or coated white, with red tip, or yellowish along the median line.- Prickling in right half of tongue.-Breath horribly fetid.
Throat
Mucus accumulates in throat and seems to cover whole anterior part.-Feeling as of a fleshy growth in throat.- Feeling as if something sticking in throat which she cannot bring up, followed by expectoration of a small, hard, yellowish-grey lump.-Fauces and mouth inflamed, ulcerated in patches.- Inflamed fauces, unable to swallow saliva.
Appetite
Canine hunger. Salt taste. Taste of raw potatoes. Food tastes as bitter as gall. Great desire for spirits and oranges. Burning thirst.
Stomach
Eructations followed by rumbling in stomach.-Sour eructations causing a cough.- Acidity, bitterness, and gulping-up, after eating. -Cardialgia after breakfast, dinner and supper.-Pain in stomach, with red face, after breakfast.-Spasmodic pains, griping-tearing at night.
Abdomen
Sensation as if a spring were unrolled in left hypochondrium.- Pains and working in the bowels, early in the morning.- Painfulness of abdomen to contact along the median line.-Belly hard, swollen, dropsical. -In abdomen: pain after eating, spasmodic pains, as though the bowels became twisted together, dull pains in the hypogastric region, at night, pain with chilliness, rumbling, the clothes cause a feeling of tightness.- Emission of flatulence, also with colic.- Pain, as if sprained, in right groin.- Stitch in right groin near inguinal ring.
Stool and Anus
Frequent urging to stool.- Stool scanty, with straining, passing off in small, black lumps (balls).- Has to strain until tears come.- Hard, large, lumpy stool, with violent burning in anus and rectum. Stool hard and large, followed by two liquid stools. Copious greenish-yellow diarrhoeic stool.- Constipation for five days.-Violent colic previous to stool.- Alternate protrusion and retraction of rectum during stool, with feeling of chilliness of body.-Prolapsus recti.- After stool rectum alternately falls and returns again. Contraction of sphincter ani.- Strong pulsations in perinaeum and right ring finger.- Acute pain in anus, which was found perfectly patulous and exquisitely tender.- Great heat in anus.
Urinary Organs
Region of bladder distended.- Difficult micturition. -Heat (and pain) in urethra after urinating.- Constant micturition while at stool.-Urine reddish, mingled with mucus.-Urine: very thick, becoming covered with white mucus after standing, soapy, turbid, of a dingy yellow, with copious white sediment, turbid, dingy yellow, covered with an oily pellicle.- Pain in urethra, after urinating.
Male Sexual Organs
Weight in right testicle all day.
Female Sexual Organs
Twisting pains through uterus.- Feeling of dislocation in hip- joint with pain in womb after a slight exertion.-Flatulence presses on uterus. Menstrual blood rose-coloured.- Suppression of the menses.-Menses smelling of foul fish, mixed with black coagula.-Small pimples and intolerable itching of labia.- Spasmodic pains striking through uterus.- Burning and itching in vagina.
Respiratory Organs
Constriction and difficulty of breathing, caused by dryness of mouth.-Hoarseness on walking.- In trachea: tearing, prickling, with cough, tearing, with phlegm, sensation as of an obstacle, followed by cough and expectoration of a lump of hard, yellowish- grey mucus.- Cough with expectoration of yellow mucus, at night. Dry cough, day and night.- Cough as from stoppage in pharynx.- Expectoration of lumps of black blood, early in the morning.- Constant involuntary sighing.- After eating choking and difficult breathing caused by dryness of mouth.-Suffocation owing to previous day’s dinner not digesting well, has to rise 3 A.M.
