Apocynum cannabinum
After I. 8, add “(Ibid., p.313); and after I. 9, “(Ibid., p. 314).”
Aranea scinencia
P. 332, l, 16 after “bed” insert “At 8 next m. took 2 dr. more.”
Arnica. – After II. 27, insert the following:
28. An excitable but otherwise healthy man, in the prime of life, took for headache pulv. rad. arnic. gr. vj. After 8 m. terrible palpitation, which became so violent that he could hardly utter a word; look fixed and anxious, general coldness of body, and very severe vertigo, increased together with the anxiety and stupefied feeling by vomiting; the jaw hung down. Vinegar removed all the symptoms in 1/2 h. (HAHNEMANN, Hufeland’s Journ., v, pt. i, 8; Lesser Writ., 376.)
Arsenicum
P. 444, after II, 52, insert the following:
52. bis. At a meeting of the Pathological Society in December, 1887, Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson made a communication on arsenical cancer, of which the following abstract in the British Medical Journal on the following Saturday:
Arsenic Cancer. – “Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson, F.R.S., desired to make the proportion that the internal administration of arsenic in large doses over long periods might produce a form of cancer which was the epithelial variety, but presented certain peculiarities. He showed a drawing of the foot of a gentleman who had taken arsenic for psoriasis for many years; a corn on the sole of the foot ulcerated, and at first had the appearance of perforating ulcer. Perfect immobility was not followed by any improvement. The palms of the hands also became affected, small corns developing. the growth in the foot was excised, and the patient recovered. The patient was now under the care of Professor Chiene; the microscopical examination was inconclusive. He also showed drawings of the hands of an American physician who had taken arsenic for long periods in considerable doses. A rough condition of the palms and soles developed, though the psoriasis was cured. These early growths were never papillary. This patient then got on the front of the wrist of the left hand a growth in the subcutaneous tissue, the other hand also became affected; the growths perforated the skin and fungated; they had the appearance of a syphilitic lesion, but the patient had never had that disease. The growths were scraped away and also excised; microscopical examination was again at first inconclusive, but the opinion finally leaned to the view that the disease was cancer. The patient then came to Europe, and in deference to the opinion of several surgeons, antisyphilitic remedies were fairly tried, but gave no result. Both hands were amputated; the patient died eighteen months later. Nodules of epithelial cancer were found in the axillary glands on the left side, in both lungs, in the supra-renal capsules, in a rib, and in other parts. He also showed drawings from another case of a lesion of the palms, exactly resembling the corns seen in other cases. This patient had a cancerous growth in his neck, and took arsenic in large doses for months together; the skin became muddy and thick, the patches like psoriasis developed upon the elbows and other parts, but in the palms and soles the corny masses formed but were not followed by cancer. About five years ago Dr. Clifford Allbutt had given him the particulars of a case of young lady who had taken arsenic for pemphigus for many years with occasional intermissions. An ulcer had developed on the crest of the ilium, the glands enlarged, a tumour formed in the thigh, and the patient died at the age of 25, owing to the enlargement of these growths. Mr. Hutchinson also mentioned a case which had been under the care of Mr. Waren Tay and himself. The patient was a clerk, aged 34, who had taken arsenic for a long time for psoriasis. The palms of his hands and soles of his feet were speckled over with corns when he applied at the Skin Hospital; finally epithelial cancer of the scrotum appeared, and was excised; the patient was then lost sight of. He though the facts he had brought forward warranted him in advancing the theory that the cancer in these case was due to arsenic, with the hope that attention might thus be more generally directed to the point.”
P. 454, l. 15 from bottom, for “irritation” read “irritation.”
Arum triphyllum
P. 478, l. 15 from bottom for “12th” read “13th.”
Baptisia
P. 512, l. 25 from bottom, for “dry on rubbing” read “dry, and on rubbing it.”
P. 513, l. 8 from bottom, for “barn” read “bare.”
Barium
The following case is a fuller account of ii, 7. A woman, aet. 42, took by mistake in the m. 1/2 oz. Baryta mur. for stomach derangement. Soon she got nausea, retching, spasmodic distortion of facial muscles, twitchings of hands and feet, followed by vomiting of a slimy watery fluid. Her anxiety and spasmodic retching increasing she sent for a neighbour, who found her sitting doubled up on the bed. She could not lie down, appeared to be terribly anxious, and said in a weak, hoarse voice, “I feel I have myself! I shall die!” The convulsions increased the ineffectual retching continued, and she died in strong convulsions 2 h. after taking the drug. P.M. next d. at 11 a.m. Large and small omentum very red, their vessels full of blood, stomach concentrated, vasa brevia full of blood; peritoneal covering of stomach dark reddish brown and highly inflamed; 3 1/2 inches from the cardia and 9 lines from the lesser curvature posteriorly an oval hole penetrating the coats of stomach, its edges much swollen and the m.m. of stomach for 2 inches round it much thickened and covered with bloody mucus. All the m.m. of the of the stomach inflamed and covered with coagulated blood and mucus, the muscular coat not softened; the cardia, pylorus, and duodenum, together with jejunum and ileum, much inflamed, their membranes dark reddish brown and congested with blood; all the colon down to rectum morbidly contracted, so as to appear to have only half the calibre of the small intestines. The colon was inflamed throughout and contained several ounces of a thick, slimy, brownish-red fluid mixed with coagulated blood; the m.m. thickened and covered with bloody mucus. Many ecchymosed spots, 1 inch long, 2 1/2 inches broad, all throughout the colon. Fauces, and oesophagus slightly inflamed. The liver was adherent to diaphragm, and when cut into exuded thick blackish blood; gall- bladder contained a gall-stone, the bile pale yellow, very watery; spleen full of similar blood. Lungs marbled dark blue, exuding much dark blood when cut into; some serum in pericardium, heart soft, coronary arteries, vena cava and arteries of heart filled with thick black blood. Vessels of dura matter and sinuses distended with blood, also the cerebral vessels and plexuses. (Most of the above appearances were evidently old-standing disease.)
Belladonna. – After II, 11, insert the following:
12. A boy, aet, 6, found a plant of Belladonna and are some of the berries. In e. he sprang out of bed and was delirious, he
spoke incessantly, was gay, and frequently laughed; he was quite unconscious, and did not know his parents. He did not sleep all night, ran about the room, threw away a piece of bread offered to him, imagining it was a stone. Pulse very slow, full, pupils enormously dilated, insensible to light, abdomen distended. Six leeches were applied. In e. he was quite sensible, pupils still dilated. On waking, m., complained of pain in head and legs. (GOLDSCHMIDT, Casper’s Wochensch., No. 42, 687, 1838.)
13. A girl, aet. 2, ate 2 berries. Soon afterwards bowels moved several times. Increased turgor of whole body, burning skin, hurried movements of hands, and very red face. These symptoms soon subsided (GERSON, Casper’s Wochensch., No. 48, p. 1116, 1833.)
14. A widow, Clara D-, aet. 50, a man, M-, aet. 72, and his wife ate each 14 berries, and a man, G-, ate a large number of berries. After 1 h. all had pains in umbilical region, extreme thirst, dryness of mouth and oesophagus, with constrictive feeling in throat. Soon afterwards constant laughing, maniacal hilarity, they leaped up, danced, and made curious gesticulations and various movements of the body with great rapidity. These attacks ended in loss of consciousness and they fell to the ground. After 6 to 7 h. their condition was the following:- The eyes half closed, threatening expression, the conjunctiva injected with bluish-red blood, the iris almost invisible; cheeks purple, lips dry, skin burning with partial sweat, respiration deep, sometimes yawning, pulse contracted, very quick, intermitting; swallowing difficult, so that liquids in small quantities could only be partially ingested, the rest was ejected with increase of convulsions; the facial muscles were extraordinarily mobile, the convulsions varied in degree, sometimes stopped altogether, then recommended, the extremities performed the movements of the ordinary avocations, the old woman went through the movements of spinning, her husband seemed to be chopping wood. After tartar emetic they vomited some of the berries. Next m. Mrs. M- was conscious, she urinated frequently and had several stools, convulsions and dysphagia had completely ceased, the skin was uniformly moist, pulse freer but still intermitting, pupils still dilated; she had occasionally delirium with floccillation. That n. slept well and awoke next morning quite well. Clara D – was in same state except that the tongue was studded with numerous aphthae, followed by detachment of epithelium. For several d. she had anxiety, palpitation, and frequently flushing of face. Both woman suffered long from anorexia, weariness of all limbs, great weakness of lower extremities, and they had no recollection of their symptoms. G – next d. had a cessation of the symptoms, but he lay in deep coma; the pulse was full, regular, skin moist, great congestion of head, and obstinate constipation. He was bled and purged. In e. epigastric region distended and very tender. Next m. he sat up in bed, was awake for several h. and spoke. During d. he had alternation of unconsciousness of a short time and delirium for a long time; pupils less dilated, eyes not injected but watering, the tongue furred, and it and neighboring parts so dry he could hardly articulate; body soft; after a clyster several normal stools, no more convulsions. In e. pulse contracted, quick, skin hot, face red, great restlessness, could with difficulty be kept in bed, passed several times pale urine, at length rattling respiration, meteorism, and death after 72 h. M- died sooner. The first n. he had blue patches in face, rattling respiration, meteorism, and death from paralysis of lungs after 37 h. P.M. (next d.).- Intestines distended with gas, inflammatory redness of stomach slight, greater in small intestines and mesentery. Bladder contained 1/2 pint urine, its peritoneal covering inflamed. Heart’s cavities filled with black coagulated blood, heart’s substance very friable, lower lung lobes and a large portion of diaphragm inflamed, bluish red. (Ibid.)
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.