Zoonomia; Or, the Laws of Organic Life, Vol. II

by Erasmus Darwin

[1]. As musk, castor, asafœtida, valerian, essential oils.

[2]. Externally the vapour of burnt feathers, of volatile salts, or oils, blisters, sinapisms.

These reclaim the inverted motions without increasing the heat of the body above its natural state, if given in their proper doses, as in the globus hystericus, and palpitation of the heart.

The incitantia revert these morbid motions more certainly, as opium and alcohol; and restore the natural heat more; but if they induce any degree of intoxication, they are succeeded by debility, when their stimulus ceases.

[II]. Observations on the Revertentia.

[I]. The hysteric disease is attended with inverted motions feebly exerted of the œsophagus, intestinal canal and lymphatics of the bladder. Hence the borborigmi, or rumbling of the bowels, owing to their fluid contents descending as the air beneath ascends. The globus hystericus consists in the retrograde motion of the œsophagus, and the great flow of urine from that of the lymphatics spread on the neck of the bladder; and a copious salivation sometimes happens to these patients from the inversion of the lymphatics of the mouth; and palpitation of the heart owing to weak or incipient inversion of its motions; and syncope, when this occurs in its greatest degree.

These hysteric affections are not necessarily attended with pain; though it sometimes happens, that pains, which originate from quiescence, afflict these patients, as the hemicrania, which has erroneously been termed the clavus hystericus; but which is owing solely to the inaction of the membranes of that part, like the pains attending the cold fits of intermittents, and which frequently returns like them at very regular periods of time.

Many of the above symptoms are relieved by musk, castor, the fœtid gums, valerian, oleum animale, oil of amber, which act in the usual dose without heating the body. The pains, which sometimes attend these constitutions, are relieved by the secernentia, as essential oils in common tooth-ach, and balsam of Peru in the flatulent colic. But the incitantia, as opium, or vinous spirit, reclaim these morbid inverted motions with more certainty, than the fœtids; and remove the pains, which attend these constitutions, with more certainty than the secernentia; but if given in large doses, a debility and return of the hysteric symptoms occurs, when the effect of the opium or alcohol ceases. Opiates and fœtids joined seem best to answer the purpose of alleviating the present symptoms; and the sorbentia, by stimulating the lymphatics and lacteals into continued action, prevent a relapse of their inversion, as Peruvian bark, and rust of iron. See Class [I. 3. 1. 10].

[II]. Vomiting consists in the inverted order of the motions of the stomach, and œsophagus; and is also attended with the inverted motions of a part of the duodenum, when bile is ejected; and of the lymphatics of the stomach and fauces, when nausea attends, and when much lymph is evacuated. Permanent vomiting is for a time relieved by the incitantia, as opium or alcohol; but is liable to return, when their action ceases. A blister on the back, or on the stomach, is more efficacious for restraining vomiting by their stimulating into action the external skin, and by sympathy affecting the membranes of the stomach. In some fevers attended with incessant vomiting Sydenham advised the patient to put his head under the bed-clothes, till a sweat appeared on the skin, as explained in Class [IV. 1. 1. 2].

In chronical vomiting I have observed crude mercury of good effect in the dose of half an ounce twice a day. The vomitings, or vain efforts to vomit, which sometimes attend hysteric or epileptic patients, are frequently instantly relieved for a time by applying flour of mustard-seed and water to the small of the leg; and removing it, as soon as the pain becomes considerable. If sinapisms lie on too long, especially in paralytic cases, they are liable to produce troublesome ulcers. A plaster or cataplasm, with opium and camphor on the region of the stomach, will sometimes revert its retrograde motions.