ARGENTUM NITRICUM (see vol 1.
p.350)
II. 10. On June 23rd a pharmacy boy was brought to the Hospital St. Louis at 1 a. m. in a state which seemed to indicate imminent death. He was completely unconscious, without sensation in any part of his body; upper limbs and muscles of face were agitated by convulsive movements; jaws were strongly clenched, eyes turned up, pupils very much dilated and insensible to light. Evidence showing that he had taken nitrate of silver, Zss of sea – salt was given in Zj of water every 15 m. After 1.1/2 hours there was sensible improvement; pupils were less dilated, convulsions and clenching of jaws had ceased. The saline solution was continued for 5 hours more. Sensibility was now less blunt, and patient had very severe epigastric pains. It was not till midday, 11 hours after admission, that general sensibility of surface returned and patient recovered his speech. At 3 p. m. he fell into profound coma, which state lasted 2 hours; and similar seizures were repeated on 23rd and 25th. It was not till end of latter day that his state became altogether reassuring. Nothing now interrupted his convalescence, and he left on 29th, having only slight epigastric pains. Patient stated that he had swallowed Zviij of the nitrate, suspended in black currant ratify. (Bull. de Therap., xvii, 195.)
11. The following symptoms were observed by Dr. J. O. MULLER, probably on patients.
11a. After 10 dr. of 6th dil., nocturnal pressive stupefying pain round about the head, especially severe in temples and forehead, with heaviness of whole body, troublesome dreams and nausea. (In a woman, aet. 30.)
11b. Pressing, digging headache, with chilliness and great bruised feeling of limbs. (In a young, strong man.)
11c. After great itching the previous evening, dryness and weakness of eyes; development of blood – vessels all around, red bundles of vessels distributed here and there, red blood – points, exudation of blood on conjunctiva bulbi. The fingers drawn crooked in a spasmodic way, so that she could not open the hand, which was closed to a half – fist. (In a lady, aet. 60.)
11d. Chorea – like spasmodic movements of upper and lower extremities; spasmodic contraction of adductors of fingers; she can hardly separate the fingers, which are pressed closely towards one another; severe pain in sacrum. (In a girl, aet. 8.)
11e. For four successive day, always at 6 p. m., attack of fever; general chilliness, followed at a short interval by general heat, the former of long duration, and immediately recurring if uncovered during the heat, the latter accompanied by visible pulsation of the left temporal artery. Both stages without thirst. After the termination of the attack, which lasted 2 to 3 hours, painful swelling of scrob. cordis, with great anxiety. (In a sensitive girl of 20 years.)
ARNICA (see vol.
i. p.379; vol. ii, p.726)
II. 29. A robust lady of 48 took, by mistake, 15 – 20 dr. of tinct. in a wineglassful of water. The taste telling her what she had done, she swallowed mustard and water until she vomited freely. She seemed very little, if any, the worse for the mishap, till 14 day after, when inflammation began at inner canthus of right eye, extending in a few hours to whole left cheek and side of face, then to right side. Her general condition became more and more involved, till on the 4th day she became so ill that she had to go to bed. She felt so cold and shivery that she had a large fire made in bedroom, and put seven blankets and a rug on to the bed. In 6 – 7 hours she became warm, and flooding came on (blood dark) so profusely, that as soon as she attempted to rise it came away “all of a gush.” The inflammation of the face, which now had many blisters upon it, was at once relieved by the flooding, which lasted 5 day (She had taken belladonna and rhus.) After erysipelas and flooding had gone, she had irritation of skin – itching wheals like nettle – rash – between her breasts and on the abdomen, and now (five weeks after the poisoning) there is a large crop of them on the thighs. The sensation felt on scratching was “beautiful.” Irritation was relieved by bran – water, but not by simple water. Ever since the poisoning, she stated, her sight had been failing; there are no spots before the eyes, but everything seems dim, and now she cannot read without using her husband’s glasses (before the poisoning her sight was extremely good). Her pupils are dilated. There was desquamation of the skin after the erysipelas. (Patient was still menstruating every few months.) (BURNETT, The Organon, i, 231.)
ARSENICUM (see vol.
i p, 396; vol;ii, p.726)
1. 34. A. W. W., in full health, pulse 65 and regular, took 3 dr. of 1x dil. Arsenic is not sufficiently soluble to make a real ist dec. dill. possible. EDS in Zss water at 1 p. m. Immediately offensive taste in mouth, followed by sudden neuralgic pains in right temporal region. 1:10, painful formication of right arm. 1:20, oppression of lungs, with asthmatic cough. 1:30, sneezing and catarrhal discharge from nose. 2, slight nausea and weariness. 2:30, copious urine (had been relieved at 12:30). 3, neuralgic pains in left temple, with nausea and flatulent bowels. 3:30, feverish heat, pulse 85, temp. 99.1/4. 4, copious urine, with increased weariness and desire to sleep. 5, entire body feels swollen and oedematous, especially hands, with continued heat. 6, epigastric distension, with soreness and aversion to food; slept long and profoundly during n. 2nd day – General malaise during forenoon; no special symptoms till about 4 p. m., then slight rise of pulse with heat and thirst, attended by weariness and mental depression. 8, drawing and cramp in left hand, with restlessness and mental activity. Thirst attends. No sleep till after midnight. (Dr. WOODWARD’S provings, Trans. of Int. Hom. Convent., 1881, p. 26.)
35. C. S., in full health, pulse 72 and regular, took 1.1/2 gr. of 1x trit. well dissolved in water at noon. Immediately occurred distressing nausea, with failure of vision, pallor of countenance, and difficult breathing; followed by cardiac oppression and prostration. 12:30, a painless watery evacuation of bowels, with increased exhaustion. 3, a second diarrhoeic stool, with tenesmus. 3:30, feverish heat, pulse 90, much restlessness, thirst, and apprehension. 5, fever continues; face exhibits oedema, especially about eyes. 10, on retiring offensive foot sweat; could not breathe easily in a reclining position; was restless and sleepless until midnight. This fever continued slightly for a week, showing exacerbations during afternoon and e. During this time there was soreness and tenderness of epigastric region, with variable appetite. Bowels were irregular, alternately torpid and loose; and bodily weight decreased by 4 lbs. (Ibid.)
36. Mrs. M. W., in full health, pulse 72 and regular, took gr. of 2x trit. in water at 10 a. m. Soon, burning pains in stomach, with nausea and desire for cold water; pains extend upward to pharynx. 10:10, sharp lancinating pain in head, relieved by cold wet towel or open air on affected part. 10:25, burning pains in eyes, with photophobia, followed by sharp stitches in chest and heaviness on sternum. This was attended by mental anxiety and fear of consequences. 11, felt very weary, but could not keep still; back ached as if bruised, with rheumatic pains in shoulders and hips. 11:30, headache, with soreness of scalp and itching, followed by fluent coryza. 12:10, unusual call to stool; abdomen hard and full; stool offensive and watery. Afterwards ineffectual desire to urinate. 1, slight but irritating leucorrhoea for a short time. 3:45, feverish heat, pulse 84 and intermittent, internal heat and external coldness, followed by external heat, throbbing headache, and thirst. N. sleepless from pain and involuntary twitching of limbs. (Ibid.) II. 83. I happened to call on a friend 10 day ago, and noticed that his daughter (a young lady of 21) was suffering from what appeared to be an attack of jaundice. I had seen her about a week previously, when her skin was perfectly free from discoloration. I found on inquiry, that she had been taking during the interval, up to the day before my last call, 2 dr. of liq. arsenicalis twice a day under the advice of a physician, but that her mother had induced her to lay aside the medicine on account of the symptoms produced. These were – unbearable heat in eyeballs, with scalding tears; skin of body feeling dried up; all previous day extreme languor, with constant inclination to lie down; and loathing of food. There was also oedema of eyelids, which was much lessened, as well as all the symptoms save the jaundice, since the drug had been discontinued. (HARMAR SMITH, Monthly Hom. Rev., xxx, 447.)
84 a. Charles J., aet. 6, was admitted Jan. 11th, 1890, suffering from chorea. He was treated with liq. arsenicalis, beginning with 3, gradually increased to 10 min., 3 times a day. On Feb. 13th the temperature, which had previously been normal, rose to 101, and slight malaise and anorexia were complained of. The drug was stopped, and the symptoms abated. A few day later there was weakness in right arm and in both legs. The drug was resumed on the 26th, 4 min. 3 times a d. A few day later dark brown pigmentation of the skin was noticed in axillae, back of neck, and popliteal spaces; this rapidly increased till the whole body was pigmented, except the face, the complexion of the latter becoming at the same time of a pink and white colour. As the pigmentation was presumably due to the A., this was again left off. At this time there was marked paralysis of both legs, chiefly effecting the extensors of the feet and toes; the knee jerks were absent, and the reaction of degeneration was well – marked – the extensor muscles not corresponding at all to the faradaic current but well to the galvanic. They also showed marked wasting. The upper limbs were scarcely at all affected, slight weakness of the right arm being all that was observed.
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.