2a. Aconitia affects a portion of the cranio-spinal axis in the same manner that strychnine affects the whole.
2b. The focus of the action is the medulla about the roots of the pneumogastric hypoglossal, and spinal accessory nerves. Thence its influence radiates along the cranio-spinal axis with rapidly-diminishing intensity, as far forwards as the centres of the third nerve, and as far downwards as the origin of the phrenic. The centres about the focus of action are more or less in a state of constant excitation, while those towards the limits are sometimes in a state of depression and sometimes in one of excitation; thus, for example, during a spasm the pupils may be completely contracted, but in the intervals, and always after moderate doses, they may be slightly dilated. And so also with the diaphragm; it is enfeebled by small doses, and is alternately affected by spasm and exhaustion after large ones. Occasionally, however and during the more violent suffocative spasms, the muscles of the whole of the anterior part of the body, including the anterior extremities, are involved in the attack.
2c. Beyond the limits above indicated it exercises a depressing influence on the cranio-spinal axis, almost amounting to paralysis.
2d. The action of the alkaloid on the sensory function appears to be co-extensive and co-equal with that on the motor function, the area for intense action having the same limits, beyond which the anaesthesiant action rapidly diminishes in intensity. Thus, while the head and neck are deprived of sensation, the rest of the surface is only partially affected, and the sensibility of the further parts of the body only slightly or not at all disordered. (Opium cit.)
3. DYCE DUCKWORTH. Experiments on cats and rabbits, with preparations of Morson and Smith. Given internally it occasions in the first instance a sensation of intense tingling in tongue and fauces, and almost immediately there supervenes an extremely abundant secretion of saliva, the involuntary flow of this liquid seeming to prove that at the same time the influence of the will upon the act of deglutition is almost entirely effected; the respiratory functions are troubled in their turn, respiration becomes laborious and spasmodic and is accompanied by cries more or less vigorous according to the dose employed. One then observes vomiting, which may be referred to a disturbance in the function of the vagus, because in the examination of poisoned animals one finds no lesion of the stomach. Later still, sensation is entirely suspended; the animal, as if mad, tosses itself about wildly, makes vain attempts to walk, takes prodigious leaps, and then falls on its side in a state of prostration, interrupted from time to time by convulsions; lastly, as ulterior phenomena, one observes the relaxation and growing embarrassment of the respiration, and, finally, a general and complete paralysis and death. Pupils in first phases of poisoning are more or less contracted, they dilate, on the contrary, extremely 2 or 3 morning before death, and remain in this condition at the moment when animal expires; after death they are sometimes dilated, while at others one observes in one or in both of them the alternatives of dilatation and contraction, and these variations sometimes do not cease till 12 hours after death. When, instead of giving a. internally, Fleming injected a solution of it into the veins, the dilatation of the pupil supervened almost immediately without being preceded by a contraction, which seems to be due to the fact that the poison acts then with a greater rapidity. The contraction again is very transient, and is rapidly succeeded by dilation, when a is given internally in sufficient quantity to kill rapidly. (Brit. Medorrhinum Journ., 1861, i, 224.)
4. MACKENZIE. Conclusions from numerous experiments.
4a. Aconite and aconitia act primarily on the respiration, by their influence on the respiratory centre and peripheral sensory branches of the vagus.
4b. They have no direct action on the heart, and only affect this viscous secondarily, through the medium of the lungs.
4c. Their action on the nervous system consists in firstly irritating, and secondly paralysing the peripheral sensory nerves and post. roots of the spinal nerves. They increase the irritability of the peripheral motor nerves and of the motor columns of the cord.
4d. They do not induce muscular paralysis, but, on the contrary, increase the irritability of voluntary muscle.
4e. They induce convulsions, mainly through their augmenting the irritability of the anterior columns of the cord, the motor nerves, and the muscles.
4f. They firstly increase and secondly diminish temperature.
4g. Death ensues from asphyxia and respiratory collapse. (Practitioner, xx, xxii.)
5a. Aconitine is a narcotico-acrid poison whose irritating properties manifest themselves especially in the mucous membranes.
5b. Aconitine acts on the nervous centres, and successively on the medulla, the cord, and the brain.
5c. The symptoms appear in the following order: abolition of respiration, of general sensibility, of reflex sensibility, of voluntary motion.
5d. Aconitine disturbs the functions of the heart by acting on the cardiac substance itself.
5e. The effects of the poison on the peripheries nerves succeed to those it exerts on the central organs.
5f. The excitability of the nervous filaments, motor or sensory, disappears from their terminal extremities sooner than from their trunks. (LIEGEOIS et HOTTOT, Journ. de Physiologie, iv, 520. 1861.)
6a. As mechanical arrest of the circulation destroys sensation before voluntary motion, and as aconitia is a powerful heart poison, it occurred to us that perhaps it might paralyse by arresting the heart. Our experiments, however, disprove this surmise, for general and complete paralysis ensues far quicker after aconitia poisoning than after mechanical arrest of the circulation.
6b. Since, after complete paralysis, the motor nerves still readily conduct impressions and the muscles contract upon galvanic stimulation, it is evident that the paralysis depends on the influence of the aconitia on the central nervous system.
6c. Later, the poison abolishes the excitability of the motor nerves and the muscles, and also of the sensory nerves; and this effect, we have shown, is not due to its paralysing action on the heart. It must therefore act directly on the tissues.
6d. Does aconitia affect all the tissues in an equal degree, or has it an especial action on certain tissues? If it manifests the same affinity for all tissues, then their functional affinity should cease in the order of their activity, and the phenomena should be of the same kind and occur in the same gradation as after simple arrest of the circulation by extirpation of the heart. This, however, does not happen; for, after arrest of the circulation, we find that sensation continues as long, or almost as long, as voluntary power; but after poisoning by aconitia sensation is speedily abolished. Thus, in our experiments, sensation was destroyed, on an average, in 4 minutes while voluntary power continued 20 minutes. We must conclude, therefore, that aconitia has an especial action on some part of the sensory apparatus.
6e. Does it act on the afferent nerves, on the sensory tract of the cord, or on the sensory perceptive centre of the brain? According to Liegeois and Hottot it first paralyses the centre and then the nerves. While we think their experiments are open to objection, we think probably their conclusion that aconitia abolishes sensation by its influence on the brain is correct; and we shall also show that the early loss of reflex action is like wise due to its effect on the brain, for in brainless frogs it abolishes reflex sensation much more slowly.
6f. We must conclude, we think, that probably aconitia has a special action on the sensory perceptive centre. Again, we must admit that it has an especially poisonous to the heart. Hence, whilst it is a poison to all tissues it is especially poisonous to some. (RINGER and MURRELL, Journal of Physiology, i, 232.)
7a. BOEHM injected minimal doses (5-20 mgr.) or aconitinum muriaticum into the lymphatics of the thigh of frogs, and observed after a few morning on the exposed heart that the contractions became irregular. These irregularities appeared first in the auricles. After a while the disorder increased to cardiac spasms set in irregular paroxysms, interrupted at first by longer, after as while by shorter periods, during which the heart’s beat was more or less regular and rhythmical; still it could be observed that the activity of the ventricles was much inferior to that of the auricles, the latter giving 3 to 6 times as many beats as the ventricles. After these alternations of spasm and rhythmical contractions had lasted more or less time, according to size of dose, the picture gradually changed. The heart began to stand still relaxed in half diastolic for an increasingly longer time after 6 or 8 regular beats. These pauses in the beginning lasted only 10 to 15 seconds; but when mechanical and other irritations were avoided their duration gradually became longer, and the intervening beats of the heart became always weaker and more superficial; still, if very large doses were not given, it was always some time before the action of the heart entirely ceased. Even after several hour he observed from time to time weak contractions in the auricles, when the action of the ventricles had already perfectly ceased. In the last stage of their activity the ventricles show only quite superficial movements. The heart gives the impression that its muscles had lost their ability to obey the regular rhythmical irritation or impulse to motion. After 5 to 7 hours the last vestige of motion had ceased.
Hughes was a great writer and a scholar. He actively cooperated with Dr. T.F. Allen to compile his 'Encyclopedia' and rendered immeasurable aid to Dr. Dudgeon in translating Hahnemann's 'Materia Medica Pura' into English. In 1889 he was appointed an Editor of the 'British Homoeopathic Journal' and continued in that capacity until his demise. In 1876, Dr. Hughes was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Organization of the International Congress of Homoeopathy Physicians in Philadelphia. He also presided over the International Congress in London.