11. A woman, aged 27, of bilious temperament and robust constitution, hitherto in enjoyment of perfect health, admitted to hospital in consequence of suspected syphilis from nursing a child. Appearance good, appetite, all functions and pulse normal, nipples slightly excoriated. On 4th day got 2 drachms of acon. extract. 5th. – The same. 6th. – 3 drachms. 7th. – 1/2 oz. 8th. – Little appetite, skin and eyes yellow colour darker, complains of nausea, cardialgia, anorexia; must keep her bed, 1 oz. 11th. – At night nausea, vomiting, and delirium, expression much changed, look extinguished, can scarcely speak audibly, 1/2 oz. 12th., night very restless, got out of bed several times, could not get in again without help, is tied down, great anxiety; no medicine. E., is unable to speak, lies in a stupefied state, eyes closed, facial muscles twitch, trismus, slow labored breathing, pulse quick, irregular; skin burning hot. A pound of blood abstracted. 13th. – Jaundice slightly improved, other symptoms increased, abdomen swollen; the blood drawn has a yellow surface with soft crust. Another venesection; barley broth with 6 grs. tartar emetic, and 2 clysters with 20 grs. of tartar emetic in each. In the evening much worse. Venesection to 1 pound. 14th. – Soporous state, labored breathing, with rattling. Barley broth with tartar emetic again prescribed, but she died at night. Post-mortem. – Cerebral vessels full of blood, no extravasation in ventricles, stomach covered with black gangrenous spots. (OTTO, Reisen, Hambg., 1825, pt. i, p. 377.)
12. A man who had a very small wound the size of a pin’s head on his thumb cut some acon, the juice of which came in contact with the wound. He immediately felt horrible pain in the whole arm, especially in the thumb, had cardialgia and praecordial anxiety, with fear of suffocation, syncope, inward heat and thirst, and other dangerous symptoms, so that he thought he must die. The arm became bright red, swollen; the pain was to intolerable that he nearly fainted. The arm went on to suppurate, a quantity of pus was discharged. He recovered in 14 days. (ROEDER, in Alberti Jurispr. med., vi, obs. 24.)
13. A young lady, aged 19, had suffered from spinal irritation. Went to St. Moritz, where she could walk four or five miles. Pain recurred, and she went to Hastings. On 3rd November, after a walk in north-east wind, had pain in head and neck, chiefly left side. Next day weak, pain along left occipito- cervical and trigeminal nerves. Aconite tinct. was painted on twice (November 5th).; it caused numbness and tingling of lips. 6th. Tinct. again applied as it drove away pain. At 9 a.m. eyes and nose felt sore as if she had cold in the head. At 1 p.m. burning soreness of eyes increasing, skin of neck numb, and lips tingled much. At 3 p.m. photophobia, left eyelid much swollen, conjunctiva injected, its vessels enlarged, bulging, and tortuous, of a bright pink colour. Forehead, face, ear and neck hot to touch, right side cool. Pupils widely dilated; vision greatly impaired; could not read ordinary print. Lips dry; tongue projected to affected side; pulse 88. At 6 p.m. pain in eyes and photophobia greater, but no neuralgia. Ophthalmoscope showed art. cent. ret. distended, and retina congested. Sensibility greatly impaired where liniment had been applied. (Symptoms same as those caused by section of sympathetic; secretion is blunted in parts supplied by nerve; nervous control over blood-vessels withdrawn; power of movement reduced.) (BAGSHAWE, Pract., xi, 21.).
Experiments on animals
Dr. Jousset poisoned three rabbits by hypodermic injection of acon. Dyspnoea convulsions and paralysis were the chief symptoms; in two right ventricle was full of clots, left contracted and empty. In third mitral valve was thickened, and presented at its edges, between its leaves, the red fibrinous deposits which belong to serous inflammations. Dr. Jousset adds -“These three rabbits presented under the influence of aconite the some variations of temperature that we have already noticed in the experiments made on man, that is to say, when the dose has not been too strong in the first injection, the temperature is raised from 38 to 40, which is lowered to 31 at the moment of death. In the case of the second rabbit, who was given 40 drops in two injection s before taking the temperature, there was produced a rapid fall of the temperature from 40 to 36, then oscillations which caused it to vary from 37 to 39 (without any fresh injections). The next day the first injections made the temperature rise from 38 to 38.5, then it fell to 36o.
“The same phenomena were noticed in the third rabbit. In the case of this one we used an extract of aconite instead of alcohol saturated with the drug so as to avoid the effects of the alcohol.
“The result of the autopsy of this last rabbit in showing the localisation of the action of aconite on the endocardium induced us to make the experiments over again with a view to special observations on this point. This we did in the spring with the assistance of our young friend and colleague J. P. Tessier.
“Three rabbits were poisoned with subcutaneous injections of extract of aconite. The effect of the poison was very slow as the first extract given was very weak, and it was only after several weeks of the administration of the poison that the rabbits succumbed to its influence. The first two died with symptoms of convulsions, very predominant on one side of the body. The last rabbit was killed.
“The condition of the heart was about the same in all three.
“The sigmoid valves were healthy; they were thin, without color, transparent, and visible only when raised with the point of a needle. The mitral valve was thick, as if infiltrated with a transparent jelly, having a slightly yellow tint; fibrinous granulations of a very pale grayish colour, as large as a millet- seed but rather longer, were found in the thickness of the valve chiefly nearest its free border. The last rabbit experimented on, the one which had been subjected to the action of aconite for nearly two months, showed in a part of the mitral valve a milky spot which occupied a third of the valve. The tricuspid valve presented the same sort of appearance, but less marked. The auricles and the right ventricle contained coagulated blood. The left ventricle was empty. The liver and the intestines were congested, especially in the rabbits that died spontaneously. The lungs were bloodless. The liver of one of the rabbits contained small granulations, hard and yellow, like millet-seed.
“It should be observed that in the healthy rabbit the mitral valve is always much thicker than the other valves of the heart.” (Bull. de la Soc. Medorrhinum Hom. de France, xiv.)
2. Aconite, when introduced into the system of one of the lower animals, produces, in the first instance, weakness of the limbs and staggering. The breathing then becomes either slightly accelerated, or slow and labouring. The paralysis increasing, the animal is at last unable longer to support itself, and lies down upon its side, with the extremities stretched out in a relaxed state. The general sensibility of the surface is impaired, and, towards the fatal termination, is altogether lost. Blindness, to a greater or less extent, soon supervenes; the breathing becomes gradually slow and more imperfect; and after a few spasmodic twitches, death by asphyxia occurs.
On examination of the body immediately after death, the heart is found beating with considerable strength, nor does its action cease for some time. The peristaltic motion of the intestines also continues. The irritability of the voluntary muscles is impaired, as is evinced by their being less easily excited to contraction by mechanical irritation than is usually the case, although they still respond readily to galvanism. General venous congestion exists; the right side of the heart is distended; there is engorgement of the venae cave, of their tributary veins, and frequently of the brain; venous blood may usually be detected on the left side of the heart and in the aorta. The blood coagulates, and the muscles become rigid as usual. (FLEMING, op. cit.).
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.