From these symptoms it will be seen that the effects of the drug
correspond to many spinal symptoms, but more especially to what is known
as spastic paraplegia. Indeed, Struempel asserts that it produces a
perfect picture of this disease.
It is not so often that such a perfect picture of a disease can be had
as in this instance. The disease itself is easily recognized by the
stiff, spastic gait; the spasm of the adductors, causing the knees to
strike each other, or to become locked, causing the patient to fall; the
shuffling of the feet; the excessive muscular rigidity and the other
well-known symptoms of paraplegia.
Therefore, reasoning from our law we would expect the drug to be of
service in such cases, and although our pathogenesis of it is coarse we
may be permitted to apply it to a disease whose symptomatology is of the
coarse order; for it is often difficult to elicit any fine and
characteristic symptoms in diseases like ataxic and spastic paraplegia.
It has been recognized as a remedy by but few of our writers on nervous
diseases. O'Connor finds that marked benefit follows its use in old
cases of myelitis with marked spastic symptoms. Bartlett, in _Goodno's
Practice_, recommends it in excessive knee-jerk and rigidity. Hart
speaks of it as a remedy in locomotor ataxia, but the absence of sensory
symptoms and the presence of exaggerated reflexes would seem to
contra-indicate it in this disease. He also speaks of it in spinal
anemia, giving as symptoms: "Numbness, followed by pain in the lower
extremities; sensation of a band around the body; unable to step or
distinguish one limb from another"--symptoms which I am unable to find
that the remedy produced. Elliott also speaks of it.