10b. Nov. 5th, 6 a.m., took gr. v. dissolved in water. In 1/4 hours uncommonly early call to stool, and loose evacuation; then headache and much rigor. After breakfast (1 h.) belly-ache. At 11 a.m., 5 gr. more. About noon uncommon burning in hands and feet. In afternoon and towards evening aching and shooting in thyroid gland, which had been enlarged but painless for years. At 6 p.m. again 5 gr. Soon after great eructation, pressure and heat in sinciput; increased secretion of mucus in mouth and scraping feeling. Afterwards, after taking some milk (10 p.m.), some eructations. Great wakefulness until 12:30, with constant straining and pressure on belly and discharge of flatus. Burning on some chaps on fingers, where, next m., some unusual collections of pus appear beneath the skin. 6th. -5gr. In 1 hours eructations, frontal headache, chilliness. At noon again 5 gr., and increased number of pimples on face. In afternoon much rumbling in bowels and discharge of flatus. At 6 p.m. 5 gr. more. Next morning great lassitude in all limbs, as if sleep had been insufficient; itching pimples on podex. 7th. -Gums somewhat swollen, and more sensitive than usual; pimples on podex painful on lying down at n. 8th. -At 10 a.m. 5 gr. After 2 hours painful erosion on middle of tongue. Great secretion of mucus in mouth and nose, in afternoon and evening 9th. -Much itching on hands and rest of body. At 10 a.m. a powder (presumably of 5 gr. -EDS.) and again at noon. Burning in fauces and esophagus; disposition to eructate. At 5 p.m. another dose. Frequent call to micturate, as had indeed been the case for several day previously. At 7 p.m. another powder. Very sensitive reddened gums. 10th. -Gums, especially of lower teeth, swollen and very sensitive; a yellow painful vesicle on mucous membrane between lip and left lower canine. At 11 a.m. another dose. Increased flow of urine and loose evacuation in afternoon. In evening transient pinching in right ear, as has happened several times before these last d. Uncommon lassitude. 11th. -On rising, ball of right foot swollen and tender as if from frost (there was none); unusually severe coryza. In evening tender red swelling of right toes, like chilblains. 12th. -Coryza and tender swelling of ball of foot are still present, and continue throughout 13th and 14th. 15th. -Many itching pimples on thighs and hands. In evening swelled ball of left foot burned and was painful. Uncommon sensitiveness of both feet to wet and cold, which for several afternoons past has caused pain in bowels, flatus and chilliness. Great increase of urine, and frequent calls to pass it, especially in afternoon. On 16th and 17th, in addition, left ala nasi was internally swollen and tender. With abdominal troubles was great depression of spirits, which did not go off till about midnight. On 18th and 19th the medicinal disease seems to have attained its height; ball of left foot was very painful in e. On 20th, and still more on 21st, spirits got better, and a marked feeling of improvement ensued; pains in ball of foot gradually subsided. (Ibid.) 11. MAYER. Nov. 5th. At 6 a.m., after taking 5 gr., a slight headache, which did not last long. Felt no other effect, though during day he took 6 doses of 5 gr. each. On 7th, in evening took 10 gr., after which he slept quietly. On 8th, from 7 a.m. till 4 p.m. took 5 gr. every 2 h. Till evening felt scarcely any action; but about 7 p.m. a sort of anxiety possessed him, lasting about 1 hours, and then going off again. Slept quietly at n. 9th. -In m. slight headache, with nausea, going off on smoking; nausea alone recurred at 3 p.m., while lying down, going off on rising. In evening same anxiety recurred. Lay in bed from 11 to 1 unable to sleep-an unprecedented occurrence. 10th. -Felt uninterrupted aching in chest, most on left side; also itching or rather burning in left sole and calf, particularly in former, where it was most persistent. At night cough with stuffed cold, keeping him awake till 1: next morning quite right, save occasional stomach-ache. Pulse regular, save that during the anxieties it quickened, and there was rush of blood to head. On 11th, itching on glans penis, lasting 8 day (Ibid.) 12. REICHMANN. Jan. 15th. In afternoon, took gr. v. Soon afterwards, and for some time thereafter, considerable thirst, pains in chest and oppression of breathing. At night terrifying dreams, low spirits, and sometimes considerable excitement. Soon afterwards, eruption of pimples on legs and inflammation. (Ibid.) 13. RUNGE. On Nov. 5th took, at intervals, 6 doses of 5 gr. each. The 6th and 7th passes without effect. On 8th, at 8 p.m., 10 gr. were taken, and repeated at 10:30. Tongue and whole inside of mouth were reddened, especially a spot on palate which had been excoriated by a hard crust, and also parts below tongue; on lower lip two small hard swellings. On 9th, took at intervals seven doses of gr. x each. Redness of mouth, especially towards evening 10th. -At 7 a.m. evacuation surrounded by watery mucus; same about 1; flatus very fetid. In course of day redness of mouth diminished, especially about inner surface of gums. Lip swellings almost gone. Towards evening, itching on arms and still more on feet. 14th. -Tenderness of mouth goes off more and more, and had quite ceased by 16th. (Ibid.) 14. VULPIUS. Jan. 8th, took gr. j. Immediately an irritation causing cough, of short duration only. On 12th, gr. vj produced nothing besides this. On 13th, took gr. x. Soon after, slight rigor over whole body, confusion and weight of head: during day, a good deal of chilliness. (Ibid.) 15. L. G-. Health sound, pulse 72. At 7 a.m. took 5 gr. of 1x trit. of amm. carb. in water. Soon accumulation of mucus in larynx, followed by slight roughness of voice. 7:10. Throat feels full and obstructed; increased mucus in fauces; ringing in right ear; eructation. 7:30. Occasional sneezing; perspiration on forehead. 7:45. R. submaxillary gland tender to touch. 8. No appetite for breakfast; after eating distention of stomach, followed by urging to stool before usual hours; felt very languid for 1/2 hours after stool; slight irritative cough at intervals. 9. On going out of doors, chilly; fresh air causes sneezing and slight sore throat; backache in lumbar region while walking. 9.030. Chilly again, with perspiration; pulse 84; griping in bowels, with flatus. 10:15. Usual stool. 10:40. Ache in lumbar region; muscles of legs feel sore and bruised; feverish heats and thirst; felt sleepy and tired; slept 1/2 hours; woke with headache and coryza; pulse 90. 12:30. After a good meal all symptoms relieved. (Dr. WOODWARD, Medorrhinum Era, Jan., 1885.).
Poisonings
1. A young man slept in a room next to the pharmacy in which was a large bottle containing about 50 lbs. of ammonia (alkali volatile). This burst in the night. He woke with feeling of constriction of throat and great difficulty in breathing. He rushed into the pharmacy and was completely suffocated, and would have died had not a nurse come and extricated him from his dangerous position. When seen by the reporter, he was still in the corridor leading to the pharmacy. He was immediately taken into open air. His gestures betrayed the greatest anxiety; his face, the features of which were much discomposed, was covered with red spots, more marked the nearer they were to the natural openings; the sense of nostrils and lips was destroyed; a quantity of bloody foam exuded from mouth and nose; the tongue, bright red, seemed deprived of its epithelium, some parts of it were covered with a layer of mucus which might have been mistaken for a false membrane; all the buccal cavity presented the same appearance; the patient could hardly speak, his voice was so feeble; he complained of biting pain in throat which soon extended to chest; there was extreme difficulty of breathing and threatening suffocation; auscultation revealed a tumultuous rale; thirst extreme, but swallowing almost impossible; the attempt he made to swallow brought on a tiresome cough, which brought up, at rare intervals, mucus; skin hot and dry; pulse weak, irregular, and quick; no convulsive movements; eyes red and sparkling; forehead burning to the touch, its blood-vessels distended. He was bled freely, which stopped accompanying the expectoration. He had injections of vinegar and water, which were painful; at the end of 2 hours auscultation showed signs of improvement in the respiration; he seemed to suffer less. His complaints were all about his throat; swallowing soon became impossible. Leeches were applied and astringent gargles given, also emulsions, frictions, purgatives, enemata, and baths. At the end of 48 hours he was out of danger. For some days afterwards he presented the signs of acute bronchitis, and had aphonia for 5 or 6 days. This went off and he is quite well. (Journ. de Chimie, Aug., 1840.) 2. M-, age 44, compositor, on 8th September swallowed with suicidal intent more than 100 grammes (3iij) of liquid ammon. He immediately experienced great anguish, a sense of suffocation and constriction of throat, horrible tearing pain in stomach, and vomiting. Soon became unconscious for a short time, and was brought to the hospital, prostrated and cold. Treatment, warm applications to body and drinks acidulated with acetic acid. Next day calm, but complained of mouth, throat, and stomach, several small white spots on inferior aspect of tongue. All throat bright red. Velum palati, uvula, and pillars of fauces slightly swollen. Upper part of larynx very painful; deglutition extremely painful, voice feeble. Epigastrium excessively painful to pressure, rest of abdomen tender, not painful. All he drinks is ejected by vomiting, which is accompanied by liquid blood in considerable quantity. During day vomiting continues, and he has copious liquid stools of a deep red colour, and extremely fetid, evidently chiefly composed of blood. No sleep. -10th. More calm, deglutition still painful, sensitiveness of epigastrium-11th. Sensitiveness of epigastrium increased, abdomen distended, slightly tympanitic. Stools of character, very copious. Tongue still shows white spots. No redness or prominence of papilla. – 12th. Less pain in stomach, epigastrium less tender. Chief sufferings in fauces and esophagus. Great pain in swallowing. Stools as yesterday. -13th. Swallowing still difficult. Vomits all he swallows. Stools less copious, but still liquid and red. Emaciated and prostrated. -14th. Injection of conjunctiva, sclerotic yellow; swallowing less difficult. -15th. Stools still liquid, but no longer bloody. -16th. On both forearms smooth red patches, not very sensitive to touch. Anterior veins of a dark blue colour, not prominent. -17th. The red patches much increased in size, extend all over forearm, back and front, and even up the inside of upper arm. Conjunctiva of left eye swollen, yellowish semi-transparent chemosis. Swallowing still difficult. Tongue red, papilla prominent. -18th. Redness of arms extended up inside of upper arm, doughy feeling of subcutaneous tissue. The pain of the red eruption is so great, he cannot move his arms the least bit. The patches are pale red with a yellowish border. Veins of arms more apparent and livid. The chemosis of left eye prevents closure of lids. Lids themselves swollen. Skin dry and hot, pulse 120, very small. Respiration frequent and short. Diarrhea continues. Tongue pale, not furred. Great prostration and emaciation. Excitement and tendency to delirium, voice weak and hoarse. Died in the evening -P. M., 36 hours after death. Greenish discoloration of abdominal walls; no rigor mortis. Redness gone from arms, but where it has been epidermis is detached, cellular tissue beneath infiltrated with serum. Axillary glands slightly swollen, their substance bright, red, only moist and rather soft. Contents of skull normal. Both pleura contained a large quantity of red serum. Some adhesions at apices of lungs. Both lungs of a dark red colour, mottled with small black spots. A quantity of frothy serum escaped when they were cut into; the congestion is more towards the apex than the base Bronchial m. m. reddened. The aryteno-epiglottic folds are swollen, red. Epiglottis very red on its upper surface, not on its lower, its edges show small excoriated scars. Right side of heart filled with soft blackish spots. All the inside of right ventricle and of left auricle dark red. In aorta a fibrinous clot flattened like a rib and extending into brachio-cephalic branch of left carotid. Lining membrane of aorta dark red. Pharynx bright red and swollen. All the esophagus appears deprived of epithelium, its m. m. dirty grey-coloured, studded with deep ulcers and apparently destroyed in a great part of its extent. Large cul-de-sac of stomach at one side and in front of cardiac region shows a round ulcer 3 c. m. diameter, the centre occupied by a blackish slough; the rest of m. m. not altered, of a dark green colour where in contact with liver. Valvula conniventes of duodenum and jejunum thickened, m. m. dark coloured. Mesenteric glands considerably swollen, grey coloured, soft, the upper ones more altered than the lower ones. Liver yellow, like boot leather, extremely friable, quite bloodless. the scalpel rendered somewhat greasy by incision. Spleen dark red, softened. Right kidney enlarged, its capsule thickened; its tissue, especially towards periphery, unusually soft, friable like the spleen, all the softened tissue of a grayish-yellow colour. Tubules under microscope empty or containing altered cells, or those replaced by a fine granular substance of dark yellow colour with oil globules. The substance of pyramids shows many empty tubules, others filled with the fine granular and fatty substance. All the tubules of cortical substance seem filled with the granular fatty substance. No blood globules. Malpighian glomerulus scarcely distinguishable. In the calices of the pelvis there is a semifluid ochre-yellow layer adhering to the unaltered m. m. This under microscope seems to be the same granular fatty substance found in the tubules. L. kidney large, discoloured, softened on its surface, not less than right kidney. (POTAIN, Journ. de. Chimie med., viii, 311.) 3. A woman, age 24, swallowed about half a wineglassful of mixture containing a large quantity of strong solution of ammonia put into it by mistake. She immediately fell backwards in a state of insensibility, and appeared as if choked. When seen about 6 hours later she complained of severe burning pain down throat and in epigastrium, which was tender on pressure. There was great debility, the voice was reduced to a whisper, and the countenance expressed anxiety. There was also great difficulty in deglutition, the pupils were widely dilated, breathing difficult, tongue coated with white fur, painful, and tender; two or three patches of its mucous membrane peeled off, and there were convulsive twitches of right arm. Patient did not entirely recover till after lapse of 10 days; on 5th day there were still great pain and tenderness in epigastrium and left hypochondrium. (Lancet, April 4th, 1856.) 4. A man, in a fit of passion, swallowed about 3v of a solution or the carbonate. In 10 m. he was seized with stupor and insensibility; out, upon the application of stimulant remedies, he recovered. He suffered for some time afterwards from severe irritation about fauces and esophagus. (TAYLOR, Poisons, sub voce.)
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.