2nd. The medical attendants themselves in certain cases took great precautions in order to prevent any transference of the ointment (4 cases).
3rd. These secondary eruptions have been observed on infants in swaddling, clothes, and on a patient whose limbs were paralyzed.
4th. The antimonial eruptions on the place where the ointment has been rubbed in leave cicatrices; the sympathetic eruptions do not.
5th. If the patient’s fingers are the cause, how does it happen that the secondary eruptions do not occur more frequently? and especially how is it they do not occur very often on the eyelids, nose, lips, cheeks, face? They have never been seen in these situations; and yet does not a person apply his fingers to his face far more frequently than to the ano-genital region?
6th. What is to be thought of those cases where the pustules fail to make their appearance on the spot subjected to the frictions, but are developed elsewhere (3 cases)? and where, the friction having been discontinued, pustules appear elsewhere 2-5 weeks later (2 cases)?
7th. On the mechanical hypothesis, how is it that the ano- genital eruptions are not more frequent? whereas they occur extremely rarely in proportion. (Gaz. Medorrhinum de Paris, 1860.) 24. The same author cites 5 cases in which postulation of parts of the alimentary mucous membrane occurred after the free administration of tart. em., and 3 in which it was observed on the surface of the peritoneum after a large quantity of antimonial ointment had been rubbed upon the abdomen. (Loc. cit.).
Experiments on animals.
1 a. Viborg found that when tart. em. was injected into veins of horses, in doses of 12-30 gr., it occasioned frequent and small pulse, trembling and twitching of muscles of skin, gaping, and a drooping look. On injection of 60 gr. the symptoms were very striking: pulse grew very frequent, and breathing spasmodic and noisy; there were thin dejections, a copious secretion of sweat, tears, and saliva; automatic movement of lips and tongue, as in the act of licking, grinding movement of lower jaw, restlessness, stretching of limbs, scratching of flanks with hind, feet, repeated movements of head towards same parts, and tremulousness with spasms of shoulders, neck, and hams. When quantity injected reached 120 gr., the symptoms were sudden and violent. They consisted of cramps, vertigo, paralysis, and death within 3 hours.
1b. According to Lippe and Hertwich, when substance was administered by stomach in doses of 3j of every 3 or 4 hours, there occurred, sooner or later, diarrhea, debility, increased secretion from mucous membranes, and, if medicine was continued, a soft of typhoid condition, with diminished plasticity of blood. A single dose of 3ss caused frequency of pulse, thirst, borborygmi, and muscular spasms; 3j caused death in about 8 hours;, same result in 2 1/2 hours.
1c. Pecholier, in this experiments upon animals, found rate of pulse to fall, on an average, 20-25 beats a m. under influence of doses of grs. 1 or 2; rate of respiration and temperature declined in like proportion. The more minute experiments of Ackermann confirm this statement, showing that immediately after injection of a solution of tart. em. into veins pulse rises rapidly in frequency, even by 50 in m., after which it sinks below original rate. After poisonous doses, acceleration is slight and transient, but decline in frequency rapid until a few minutes before death. It also becomes irregular. Uniformly arterial pressure is diminished, while duration of pulse wave is lengthened. The venous system becomes everywhere engorged; parts like the tongue and gums, which in health possess hue of arterial blood, become first pale and then dusky in colour. The temperature falls lower the longer such a condition lasts. (STILLE, op. cit.) 2. Dr. NEVINS experimented on 16 rabbits, the doses varying from 1/2 to 2 gr.: it required from 12 to 73 gr. to cause death. For first few day no striking symptoms were present; the animals lost spirit in great degree, and gradually became emaciated, but continued to take food almost to hours of death. All who lived beyond 10th day had diarrhea (rabbits are incapable of vomiting). Spasms were not present in a single instance; but several died in violent convulsions. The mouth was very severely ulcerated in several. P. M. Emaciation often extreme, so that not a trace of fat remained in body. Stomach frequently inflamed in patches but not throughout; sometimes, but rarely, ulcerated; always more than half full of blood; pylorus frequently so much thickened and indurated as to resemble cartilage under knife. Small intestines frequently inflamed in patches, rarely ulcerated; intestinal glands sometimes excessively enlarged. Liver generally congested in parts, occasionally inflamed, hard and brittle. Kidneys generally more or less congested, sometimes one only. Bladder generally distended with urine and more vascular than usual. Trachea and lungs frequently congested, sometimes highly inflamed; the two lungs seldom alike. In several cases extensive extravasation of blood upon surface of lungs, liver, and stomach, and below mucous coat of cecum. Heart generally full of black, uncoagulated blood. (Loc. cit.) 3. Dr. CAMPBELL found 5 gr., applied to a wound, kill a cat in 3 hours. Inflammation was set up in the wound, and vivid redness within the stomach. (CHRISTISON, op. cit.) 4a. Dr. B. W. RICHARDSON introduced into cellular tissue of large dog 3j of tart. em. in of distilled water. After 1/2 hour shivering and vomiting, latter repeated, much flatus and once purging. In 1 hours body quite powerless, limbs and breath cold, pulse and respiration greatly reduced, comatose sinking, death in 1 hours 40 m. Respiration survived heart 3 m. P. M. General venous system greatly engorged, and on inner surface of stomach, along greater curvature, a patch of bright pink 2 in. by 1 1/2. 4b. A dog made to inhale antimoniuretted hydrogen died in 3 hours 45 m. Same P. M. appearances; also pleural cavity contained 3vj of pinkish serum, which, on being poured into a hot tube, coagulated firmly into a jelly-like clot, whence clear serum exuded. 4c. A wound in a dog being dressed with tart. em. ointment for 7 days, animal lost appetite, became thin and exhausted, and died on 7th day. There was no vomiting or purging. Same P. M. appearances. (Lancet, 1856, i, 508.) 5. If one injects into the veins of an adult dog, of medium size, 6 or 8 gr. of tartar emetic dissolved in 4 oz. of water, there are at first vomiting and dejections more or less repeated; then it becomes manifest that the animal has difficulty of breathing, its pulse becomes frequent, then slight tremors like those which accompany chills appear; the breathing becomes more and more difficult, the pulse irregular and even intermittent; the saliva becomes more copious; the animal becomes restless, and knows not what attitude to take or preserve; the symptoms become more intense, and death ensues about 2 or 3 hours after the injection. In opening the cadaver, one sees that the lungs are profoundly altered; they have changed their natural hue for one of orange if the animal is young, of violet if it is older. The crepitation proper to the pulmonary tissues has almost completely disappeared; on incision, the lung substance is found gorged with blood, and as if hepatised at some points, while at others it appears to have undergone splenisation. The mucous membrane of the alimentary canal is injected. (MAGENDIE, De l’emetique, p. 36.) 6a. A strong and active rabbit, breathing normally 80 times a m., took each day 3 doses of tart. em. of 25 centigrammes each, at 4 hours intervals. At the end of 3rd day the appetite had markedly diminished; the respirations had risen to 110. On the 5th day 3 liquid-stools, greenish brown. During the next 3 day frequency of respiration fell; on the 8th it was 60, noisy, and like that of an animal that had been running; it seemed more difficult. The number of respirations continued to diminish; on the 11th breathing was 42, as noisy, and more and more laboured; the inspiration much prolonged. On the 15th day the animal took only 2 doses. In evening I found it lying on its side, breathing very noisy, and 37 only; some convulsive movements in head and limbs. It died same evening.
6b. P. M.-A little serosity in left pleura; its colour dead white. The left lung is dark red, slate-coloured in its two lower thirds and in all its upper border; it is especially on the convex surface that this tint is most decided, and it is sprinkled there with blackish points. On the concave and internal surfaces the same coloration exists, but it is more grayish; two spots here are almost gangrenous in appearance. The superior third is congested and has an emphysematous strip. The right lung is red, and simply congested. Crepitation is absent in the two inferior thirds of the left lung, and its density is increased; at apex, signs of emphysema only are present. The right lung crepitates throughout, but perhaps less than normally. Section of base of left lung shows granitic appearance even more than on surface; at certain points it has an ashy appearance; on scraping there is removed a little sanious liquid, bloody and grayish; a piece placed in water sinks to the bottom; the cohesion is much lessened, the finger penetrating easily, and reducing the tissue to putrilage. The trachea contains a thick liquid, tenacious and bloody; it presents a decided red punctation throughout, and towards the lower part a large wine-red patch; the mucous membrane is thickened especially at this point, and is easily stripped off. The redness diminishes gradually along the right bronchi, where the mucus is not very abundant; in those on the left it is very intense and extends farther; they contain, like the trachea, a good deal of sanious sanguinolent mucus;: towards the ramifications the tint is more grey. On section, one sees little bubbles of liquid forming at the cut ends. In the heart, no blood in left cavities; right auricle showed fatty degeneration, and this with its ventricle contained clots. In the digestive tract there was only a little redness; some slight serosity in peritoneum; liver brownish; mesenteric vessels gorged with blood.
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.