Petroleum - General symptoms - T.F. Allen

GENERAL

General

Rock-oil; Stein-oel; Oleum petrae.

The crude Rangoon oil, thin and light yellow, is to be used.

(Morning), Angry.

dejected, quiet. on waking, ill-humored.

confusion of head. heaviness of head.

dulness of head. headache.

on rising, headache. on waking, sticking pain in forehead.

pressure in occiput. unable to open eyes.

vision dim and misty. bloody mucus blown from nose.

in bed, right articulation of jaw painful.

canine teeth too long.

dryness in the mouth. bitter, sour taste.

hawking of mucus, with headache.

dryness in mouth and throat.

eructations tasting like bad eggs.

heartburn. after waking, nausea.

pressure in the stomach.

pain in stomach. clawing in the stomach.

5 A.M., pain below umbilicus.

rumbling in bowels. cutting colic.

on awaking, cutting in the abdomen.

4 A.M., wakened by cutting in the abdomen, with nausea and diarrhoea.

on awaking, erections.

emission, followed by heat.

on awaking, desire for emission in genitals.

pressure upon sternum.

pain in small of back.

after rising, extremities seem stiff.

in bed, arm stretched itself.

sticking in right hand.

after rising, weakness in the knees.

on waking, tearing in the heels.

on rising, trembling. weakness.

exhaustion. on entering house after going out, faintness.

on waking, burning in the hands.

itching of the whole body.

weary and sleepy. snoring in sleep.

on waking, heat in the whole body.

4 A.M., wakened by perspiration on back..

(Evening), Vertigo, with roaring in the ear.

in bed, vertigo and nausea.

after walking in the open air, headache.

tearing headache. pain in right side of vertex.

stitches in vertex, followed by pressure.

pressure in the eyes. twitching before eyes.

roaring in left ear. tearing in a hollow tooth.

sticking in teeth. hiccough.

clawing in stomach. on going to sleep, abdomen much distended.

griping and rumbling in abdomen.

cutting colic. griping in abdomen.

feeling of diarrhoea in the abdomen, without stool.

in bed, rattling in trachea.

dyspnoea. while sitting still, palpitation.

orgasm of blood, with bitter taste.

weariness and stiffness in small of back and coccyx.

bruised sensation in limbs.

stiffness and arms. picking in a wart on the finger.

in bed, pain in warts.

tearing in left knee. while walking and lying down, sticking in right knee-joint.

swelling and heat in sole of foot.

on lying down, heaviness and bruised sensation in limbs.

in bed, whole body jerked together.

while sitting still, sleepiness.

chilliness. 10 P.M., internal shaking chill.

shaking chill. coldness.

cold feet. 5 to 6 P.M., heat.

after lying down, perspiration on head..

(Night), Sticking toothache.

much micturition. cough.

oppression of chest. pressure upon upper part of sternum.

heaviness in the limbs, and weariness in the back.

gouty pain in hip, knee, and ankle-joints.

cramp in the calves. cramp in tendo Achillis.

cramp in soles of feet.

restless sleep. dreamy slumber.

coldness in right lower extremity.

feet cold. heat..

(Walking), in open air, hypochondriac.

vertigo. sticking jerking in head.

sudden nausea. violent pulse.

stitches in body. rapidly, muscles of left thigh felt stiff.

weakness of right knee.

cramp in left knee. painful jerking in right leg, from knee-joint.

pain in tibia. pain in muscles of right lower leg.

sticking sensation from above knee to foot.

thighs stiff and heavy.

tension in foot. burning over the whole body..

Pain about an inch above right eyebrow, and painfulness of the bone, then a pressure, only when stooping (after fifteen minutes). Ditto, but also very slight pain there when not stooping.

this also occurred afterwards now and then, but there was no pain or pressure when not stooping.

when stooping and repeatedly pressing the bone, the pain in bone is worse at the first pressing (after fifty minutes). Nearly all gone (after three hours and one-third). The same symptoms on stooping as before (after fifteen hours and five minutes). Pains in head as before (9.30 A.M., second day). Pain and tenderness of bone to pressure returned, just above right supraorbital ridge, when stooping (forty-eighth day). After rising from bed, the same slightly.

after breakfast just as before (forty-ninth day),.

Slight tenderness to touch of under surface of right supraorbital ridge (in bone) near inner canthus.

not affected by position.

this was noticed slightly last evening (10 A.M., second day). Pain in same spot of supraorbital ridge when head was bent down (11.20 A.M., second day). Tenderness of orbit less.

when repeatedly pressing it, it is most tender to the first pressure (4.10 P.M., second day). Supraorbital ridge less tender.

on stooping, pain over right eye (in same spot as before), and tenderness of bone there to pressure (7.45 A.M., third day). Pain in ridge, worse on stooping and walking (10 A.M., third day). Pain in ridge felt when stooping only, especially directly after stooping.

some tenderness still (1 P.M., third day). Pain in same place in orbit on beginning to walk in open air, soon going off on continuing to walk (between 12 M and 1 P.M., third day). Tenderness less.

pain in ridge only felt directly after stooping, going off soon even if I continued the stooping posture, and less severe.

pain in same spot for a minute when beginning to walk in open air, going off on continuing to walk, and less severe than before (after 1 P.M., third day). No pain in ridge (even on stooping) on rising from bed, and little tenderness.

soon the tenderness increased, with pain, worse on stooping.

much better in afternoon (fourth day). Scarcely any tenderness, and what existed was first felt at 8 A.M. (fifth day). A little more tenderness and pain in ridge, in morning (sixth day). Some pain, but very little tenderness, at the same part of ridge, in morning (eighth day). Tenderness of bone to touch at under surface of right supraorbital ridge (inner end), whether stooping or not.

sometimes pain over ridge when not stooping, during morning (forty-ninth day),.

Eruption of nodules and pimples on the exposed skin, speedily breaking out on those who are, for the first time, engaged in the manufacture, lasting for a few weeks or months, and then generally diminishing or disappearing.

In a few exceptional individuals the eruption does not disappear, but assuming a chronic character, produces so marked and prolonged an affection of the skin that the general health becomes impaired, and the cessation of this employment becomes a necessity.

In the acute form of the eruption, which soon appears in those exposed to the influence of crude paraffin, the skin of the hands, wrists, arms, feet, and legs becomes covered with a rash of bright-red nodules, closely approximate to each other, and usually largest and most numerous on the wrists, or wherever the dress tightly embraces the skin.

the dorsal aspects of the parts being most severely affected, and the palms of the hands and soles of the feet enjoying a complete immunity.

similar nodules arise, though to a less extent, on the face, neck, and other parts of the body to which the oily matters find access.

on examining minutely the skin of those affected in this way, the following are the leading peculiarities of the eruption the bright-red nodules, hard to the touch, tender on pressure, varying little in size, which is about equal to that of a grain of barley, are of a rounded form, and consist each of a single hair-follicle with the parts immediately surrounding it, which are inflamed, indurated, and reddened.

the hair emerges from the very summit of the nodule, and the orifice of the hair-follicle is much enlarged and easily visible to the naked eye as an aperture of a magnitude similar to that of a pinhole in a card.

the dilatation extends to the deeper part of the follicle, which forms the kernel of the inflamed knot, the retention of its contents evidently contributing to the inflammatory induration around.

the gaping mouth of the follicle exhibits masses of cast-off epithelial scales, dry and friable instead of greasy and tenacious.

the nodule has little of the tendency to run on to suppuration observable in an ordinary comedone, and its contents cannot be squeezed out.

on the contrary, the redness and induration, after remaining for some little time, gradually diminish, and finally disappear, leaving the hair-follicle enlarged, and its mouth gaping so as to exhibit the retained epithelial masses, these latter being rendered more distinct by continued retention and accumulation of dirt.

in fact, the acute form of the eruption consists of successive crops of these nodules, which are at the same time seen in all stages of their growth, full development, and subsidence.

while the skin between them, studded with the black gaping mouths of such follicles as have already passed through or are about to undergo the process, retains, contrary to what is observed in the chronic form of the malady, its natural pliancy and elasticity.

In all paraffin-workers patency and enlargement of the hair-follicles continue, to some extent, so long as they are engaged in this manufacture, and the black dots in the skin of their hands and face strike the eye of the observer at once.

men with dark complexions and strong hair being especially deformed in this way, while fair complexions and light or reddish hair escape comparatively unaffected.

a few exceptional individuals, with swarthy complexions and hairy skins, suffer so much from an exaggerated patency of the follicles that they are compelled to quit their occupation and seek a more suitable calling.

When the disease assumes a chronic form it exhibits the following characteristics.

the backs of the feet and toes, the dorsum of the hand, and the backs of the fingers between, but not over, the joints, exhibit a peculiar honeycombed appearance of the skin, which is elevated, thickened, and inelastic, so as to prevent or render difficult and painful the flexion of the fingers and hands.

these elevated honeycombed patches are of natural color, and not inflamed (except where the isolated papule exhibits the appearance described under the acute form), but consists of densely grouped arrays of hair-follicles, with the indurated cutis between and around them, the follicles packed with dry brittle accumulations of epithelial scales, so extensive as to be easily visible through the dilated mouths of the follicles, these latter being large enough to admit the extremity of an ordinary probe.

the hairs themselves have disappeared from these patches, having probably become atrophic from the pressure of the epidermic masses, while cracks and bleeding fissures traverse the indurated parts, and in rare instances a follicular abscess gives variety to the picture.

the knuckles of the fingers and toes, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet remain unaffected by the disease.

in the subjects of the chronic malady the complexion is pale and the tongue foul, while the loss of flesh betrays the effects of the sleepless nights caused by the constant irritation and pain of the skin of the affected extremities,.

On the front of the thighs and legs, and the backs of the forearms, there is a vesicular eruption.

it is everywhere similar in character.

on the thighs there are some thickened patches of cuticle and sordes covering part of the eruption.

the vesicles are aggregated in places and isolated at the margins.

there is no itching in the affected parts, but some irritation is complained of (after three weeks).

two days later, has had two baths.

some of the cuticle and sordid matter is removed from the thigh, and the nature of the disease is better seen.

some of the vesicles seem inclined to be pustular at their summits.

a hair is seen in the centre of each of them,.

The patient was unable to bend the head forward or to turn it on account of the pain caused by the development of abscesses on the nape of the neck.

these furuncles were associated with a moist eruption on the margin of the hair of the occiput, like eczema.

one boil after another opened and discharged, and the vertigo and other heat symptoms disappeared,.

Slight nausea, which increased (before two hours and a half).

before 7 A.M. the sickness of the stomach had increased, so that at one time I thought I should vomit.

so great during the day that several times I was obliged to lie down.

the attacks came on every ten or twenty minutes, and lasted from three to five.

they extended up into the throat, and the parts about the larynx seemed constricted,.

Free movement. diarrhoeic, lightish-brown color, and very thin, at 6 A.M. an.

an hour later, had an urgent desire to have a movement, but did not go out, and it passed off.

the desire, ineffectual, however, returned a little later. No more movements of the bowels till about 6 P.M., when a natural movement occurred (second day). At 3 A.M. was awakened by an urgent desire to have a stool.

movement very free and watery, came with a gush, a little pain just before and after.

awakened again at 5 o'clock and had another similar movement.

also another at 6 A.M.

at 8 A.M., had an ineffectual inclination to a movement (third day),.

When putting right foot to ground in walking, sudden sharp pain in outer side of right thigh, but most felt at outer side of hip and outer and anterior part of knee.

it came on every time I put my right foot to the ground, making me limp.

after a few minutes was only felt in right knee (when walking as before).

afterwards, when sitting and raising right leg to cross it over left, pain in right knee.

all this lasted five to ten minutes (10 A.M., sixth day), .

Violent tetanic spasms.

the patient suffered frightful pains, at times followed by general rigidity.

accompanied by incessant cries.

after ten minutes' quiet, the paroxysms would return with renewed violence.

during this no liquid could be taken, and six men were unable to hold the patient on account of the violence of the paroxysms,.

After riding, descending from a carriage, and walking up and down in the open air, sudden violent nausea and so great weakness that she sank down, with inclination to stool, very cold sweat on the head, throat, and chest, and complete paleness of the face and blue rings around the eyes.

after a stool violent chill, and afterwards, in the evening, some heat,.

A slight vexation affects her very much.

the taste becomes bitter.

the appetite is lost. a short walk then affects her.

she was frequent diarrhoea, orgasm of blood on falling asleep, eructations and nausea, restless sleep, and the next morning a trembling and waving through the whole body, diarrhoea, and an internal misery, so that tears constantly stand in her eyes (after nine days),.

Sensations

Painful sensitiveness of the skin of the whole body; all clothing is painful,

The skin on the left side of the back is painful, as if abraded,

Burning over the whole body, while walking,

Burning in the hands, in the morning, on waking (after six days),

Burning in the palms of the hands (after four days),

Burning itching on the external malleolus,

Itching of the lids; he was obliged to rub them,

Itching in the skin, with a shaking chill,

Itching over the whole body, in the morning, while still half awake,

Itching of the tip of the nose,

Itching here and there in the face (from the vapor),

The nipples itch and have a mealy coating,

Itching in the bend of the elbow (after twelve days),

Itching in the palms of the hands (after sixteen days),

Itching on the finger-joints,

Itching in a red spot on the upper and inner side of the thigh,

Itching stitches over the whole body, with great anxiety, at 7 P.M.,