(* Experiments with Lactucarium (the inspissated juice) are here included; the French Lactucarium is chiefly prepared from L. sativa, the German and English from L. virosa, the American from L. elongata. Fronmuller; Die Narkot. Arzneim., 1869. *) + Common names: Poisonous Lettuce; (Germ)., Gift-Lattich; (Fr)., La laitue vireuse.
Introduction
Lactuca virosa, Linn. Natural order: Compositae. Preparation: Tincture (prepared from equal parts of the expressed juice of the herb and 80 Percent Alcohol).
Mind.
Emotional. Lively mood (secondary action). Merry delirium, which began about midnight and increased until morning; sang, jumped about on his bed, and played all sorts of antics (boy). In the evening after grief, stupefying headache, violent contraction in the larynx, inclination to weep caused by the grief; though Lactuca seems to cause sadness with exalted fancies, so that the worst fears and apprehensions are aroused by the merest trifles (after 12 hours). Internal uneasiness, anxiety (after 8 hours). Extremely ill humored from the slightest cause (2nd and 3rd day). Fretful mood, with disinclination to work (second to eighth days). She is fretful, excited by trifles, and aroused to anger (1st day). Very fretful but depressed mood (1st day). Peevish mood (1st day). Intellectual. Unusual disinclination to work, ill-humor; it does not trouble him in bed (second day. Diminished power of thought (after a quarter of an hour). Mental labor cannot be accomplished; the thoughts become confused; or no connected train of thought can be carried on (1st hours). Stupefaction.
Head
Confusion and Vertigo. Confusion of the head; in the morning (2nd day); (2nd morning). Confusion of the head, lasting 12 hours. Confusion of the head in the morning, as after a debauch (2nd to 5th day). Confusion of the head, in the morning after rising, with pressing from within outward in the forehead and orbits (after 8 hours). Confusion and dulness of the head (after 1 hour). The head is confused and heavy (2nd morning). Confusion in the forehead (while bruising the fresh herb). Confusion in the forehead externally, alternately more sensitive, now in the right, now in the left frontal eminence; on stooping, there is at times short transient stitching through the left eminence (2nd, 3rd and 4th days). Confusion in the right side of the forehead, in the morning, for several minutes. The head is befogged, dizzy, though without impairment of the power of judgment. Vertigo, also from the exhalations, (from 10 to 15 grains of Parisian Lactucarium); (from Lactucarium Genuinum). Even the odor causes vertigo. Vertigo; it suddenly became black before the eyes; the threads ran together while sewing; but if she looked off of her work for some time vision became better (after half an hour, and recurring several times during the day). Vertigo in a warm room, with a feeling of too great fullness in the head (after half an hour). Vertigo and heaviness, especially in the occiput (soon after taking, and lasting a long time). Vertigo, together with heaviness in the limbs. Slight vertigo (immediately). Whirling vertigo, lasting half an hour (after half an hour). Dizzy and confused in the head, as if she would fall; as if she had not slept through the night (soon). Dizzy and heavy, especially in the occiput (soon after taking, and lasting a long time ). Somewhat dizzy in the head, in the morning on rising (2nd day). He became dizzy on suddenly moving the upper part of the body, in the forenoon (1st day). Lactuca intoxicates from eating it, or even inhaling the fumes when cooking. General Head. Heaviness in the head, with some transient stitches in the forehead, especially in the region of the left frontal eminence (after one hour). Headache, in the afternoon (first and third days); (first night and 2nd morning). The head seems too large, distended, with slight vertigo (after a quarter and half an hour). Some headache, as if full and confused (after half an hour). Dull headache (after 3 hours). Dull headache lasts for a long time (after three quarters of an hour. Dull headache, especially in the forehead (after 2 hours). Dull headache, with great indolence and physical prostration (1st day). The head is very painfully shattered by slight cough, so that a whirring and pressing remain in it for a long time afterward (1st day). A waving pulsating sensation in the head, while at rest in the forenoon (1st day). Shaking and swaying in the brain on every motion of the head, so that it threatened to make her dizzy, and she was obliged to close her eyes in order to relieve it; for a short time (after 1 hour). Forehead. The forehead is hot, with burning pressive pain in it, in the evening (1st day). Transient frontal headache, in the morning on waking (2nd day). Drawing pain in the forehead. Indefinite, transient, drawing headache, extending from the temples toward the forehead (after a quarter of an hour). Slight pressure in the frontal region gradually increases, and becomes at last decidedly painful ( after 10 minutes), (from 2 grains of the extract). Pressive pain in the forehead, aggravated by the warmth of the room (after 4 hours). Sticking pressive pain in the forehead, as from a dull knife (after 12 hours). Some dull jerks in the frontal region, the first hour. Pressive frontal headache after slight mental exertion, involving the eyes (after 12 hours). Pressive frontal headache constantly becomes prominent, accompanied by a feeling as if the whole brain were loose (after 2 hours). Temples. Dull pain within the head, in the fore and upper part of the left temple, on violently moving the head sideways while washing the face, aggravated on each renewed shaking of the head; lasting in a slight degree, aside from this motion, for two hours (after a quarter of an hour). Pressive pain from within outward in both temples. Constant pressing outward pain in the left temporal region, sometimes shooting through the whole head (after 10 hours). Tearing pain in the right temporal region (after 3 hours). Vertex. Pain in the region of the vertex (after half an hour). A small spot on the vertex is painful more externally (clavus hystericus), in a woman of 25 (after 2 hours). Parietals. A seated dull pain in a small spot on the left parietal bone, in the afternoon (1st day). Extremely painful drawing in a small spot on the right parietal bone, which is also painful to touch, in the afternoon (1st day). Sharp pressive pain in one side of the head, as if on the bone (after 3 hours). Occiput. Heaviness and pressure in the occiput. Indefinite painful sensation in the occiput, and here and there in the head, the whole forenoon. Dull pain and heaviness in the occiput (after 1 hour). Pressive tense feeling in the occiput, with heat in the forehead and cold hands (1st hours). Compressive pain in the occiput. A pressive heavy feeling in the occiput, the whole afternoon (1st day). External Head. A small painful spot suddenly appears near the crown externally, which is still more painful when touched (after 5 hours).
Eye.
Weakness of the eyes (soon). Weakness of the eyes for a few minutes, during the first hours. Slight transient burning in the eyes. Biting in the eyes, especially in the external canthi, so that she is obliged to rub them much, which, however, makes them worse. Biting pain in the left inner canthus (after 1 hour). Brow. Transient griping above the eyebrows (after a quarter of an hour). Extremely acute pressive pain in the glabella, lasting ten minutes (after 10 and 14 hours). Lids. Margins of the lids covered with mucus (1st and 2nd days) Slight burning in the lids during the day, while writing (1st day). Burning pain in the lids, especially of the right eye, with dimness of vision and dilated pupils (1st and 2nd days). Ball. Pressive pain, with a feeling of tension in the right eyeball (soon). Pupil. Dilatation of the pupils; (6 to 8 grains of Paris Lactucarium). Pupils very much dilated; in the boy especially the iris was almost invisible (2nd day). Vision. Vision became dim, with burning in the eyes. Weak dim vision (from frequent eating of lettuce). Vision impaired; the eyes seem clouded, but the film disappears on looking intently at anything (after half an hour). Vision is periodically and momentarily obscured by a slight film, in the forenoon (1st day). He seeks here and there before he can find anything (after a quarter of an hour). After closely examining the capital letters in a newspaper he mistook M for P, and O for V, and the efforts to read caused strong congestion of the eyes (boy; 2nd day). Unable to distinguish anything. On trying to read could not make out a single letter, large or small (man and woman; second day). On stooping, muscae volitantes, after dinner (after 5 hours). Visual hallucinations (in delirium); fancied he saw an ink stand, a soldier, etc. on his bed (boy; 2nd day).
Ear.
Alternating drawings in the ears. Some dull stitches, followed by tension in the left ear (after 10 hours). Hearing. Slight humming and feeling of fulness in the head and before the ears (after half an hour). Roaring in the ears; (1st night). Violent whirring before the ears, in the evening in bed (1st day).
Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.