[Illustration]
This species is spread all over South-America; it prefers cultivated
and sunny regions. Its trunk, which is from 25 to 30 feet high, is
covered by the persistent bases of the leaves. The top-leaves form a
thick tuft; they are large, pennate, with numerous folioles, ensiform,
alternate and sessile, attached to a strong rachis or spike the petioler
portion of which is garnished with long and sharp prickles. The flowers
are monœcious with a papyraceous perianthus having six divisions. The
male flowers have six stamens and three internal, erect and converging
folioles. They form ramose spathes in fusiform masses, placed between
the bases of the leaves. The female flowers are scattered; the ovary is
sub-cylindrical, surmounted by a short style with a bilobate stigma. The
fruit is oval, oleaginous, of a reddish yellow, surrounded by a hard and
angular pericarp. We have had it drawn of a large size in comparison to
the tree.
The fruit is triturated.
_First day_ (in the morning).—1. Ennui when alone. Bitter eructations.
Nausea. Drowsiness in the day-time. 5. Heat in the face. Throbbing pain
in the nape of the neck. (In the afternoon): pain in the middle of the
chest, as if pricked by pins. The breathing is embarrassed. Hammering
pain all through the head. 10. Vacillating gait. Loss of appetite.
Beating at the left arm, as if drumming on it with the finger.
_Second day._—Swelling of the right leg. Pain at the foot when walking,
whenever the foot touches the ground. 15. The same pain is felt when
touching the sole of the foot with the hand. Itching all over. He feels
strong and healthy. Small vesicles on the swollen leg. They break when
pressed upon, a little fluid spirting out. 20. Similar vesicles break
out on the left leg, arm and on various other parts of the body, without
any swelling. Merry mood, and laughter, even when alone. Remembrance
of a former shipwreck. Pain at the right knee as from a blow. Pains at
the right leg as if stung. 25. Continual itching all over. Pain as if
contused at the right side of the chest. Swelling, roughness and itching
of the skin of the right leg. The skin seems to be thicker. Acute pain at
the lower past of the left leg, as if a penknife had been thrust in.
_Third day._—30. The leg is less swollen. Colic after taking a cold
drink. Sadness. Pain at the bend of the knee, as from a blow. Desire to
vomit. 35. Violent colic. Weakness of the legs. At candle light the sight
becomes confused; when writing he makes the letters much larger than
usual. Throbbing pain in the calves. Breathing embarrassed, with a sigh.
40. Hammering pain at the tibia, nape of the neck and right foot. Pains
in the right shoulder, as from a blow. The sight is weaker than before.
Shuddering. White urine. 45. Blackish stool. Constrictive pain around
the neck as if a string were tied round. Good appetite. Out of humor.
Disobedient. 50. Wants to cry (weep).
_Fourth day._—The foot swells up more and more. Hammering pain in the
foot all the time. Lancinations in the throat when swallowing. Pain in
the abdomen, with sensation as if bruised. 55. Throbbing toothache.
Prickling in the larynx when drawing breath. He approaches his hand to
the fire without burning himself, whereas another person got burnt at
the same distance. An hour after, he feels very keenly that he had been
burnt. Stinging pain in the throat when swallowing saliva.
_Fifth day._—60. Bad smell in the mouth, after drinking water. Cough with
lancinations in the sides. Heat in the tongue when taking dinner, so
violent that he was obliged to stop eating.
_Sixth day._—The swelling of the leg increases. The vesicles on the right
leg and foot have dried. Other vesicles break out on the left leg and arm.
_Tenth day._—65. After a complete disappearance of all the symptoms, he
smells of the drug and afterwards takes 10 drops of the mother-tincture.
After taking them, bad smell in the mouth. Foul eructations. Merry mood.
Hammering in the temple. 70. Lancinations in the right side of the chest,
every 5 minutes, less during rest. Breaking out of vesicles which are
full of water and larger than the former ones. Itching every 5 minutes,
especially at the legs. On each side of the pit of the stomach the skin
appears thicker, with pain in the last false ribs as if a peg were stuck
in there.
_Eleventh day._—Swelling of the right eye. 75. He is unable to look at an
object steadily. Lancinations in various parts of the body, especially
when going down-stairs. Tumor at the left arm. No sleep at night in
consequence of the violent itching. Swelling of the left eye. 80.
Frequent diarrhœa. He vomits up a cake as soon as he had eaten it.