6. Stephen Martin, 18, sensible and temperate, always had good health till attacked by fits at 15. He could assign no cause. Dr. Badeley thought they possibly originated in the stomach, where there was great acidity. The fits occurred at uncertain intervals after the first attack, generally about every 3 or 4 weeks. They l. a violent pain in the head, and particularly in the eyes, continuing next d. Between the fits and sometimes on their approach, he felt a sensation like flashes, or quick passing vapours behind his eyes, followed by a bewildering feeling, with a violent pulsation in the head, and a temporary deprivation of sight, so that he could see only a small part of anything at a time. These sensations were removed with the fits by the use of argent nit. unassisted, after leeches, blisters, emetics, mercurials, bark, steel, zinc, valerian, and turpentine had failed. The turpentine he soon discontinued, from the violent irritation it excited in the bladder. The argent. n. was taken in doses of gr. iss three times a day, made into pills with bread- crumb, and continued a year and a half. The fits gradually lessened in frequency till they entirely left him. The pills had no purgative effect. “The dark colour did not make its appearance till some months after the fits had left him. As there had been no return of his complaint, I had not seen him for a quarter of a year; but upon calling as I passed through the village, his mother desired me to observe the alteration that had taken place in his complexion. Not having seen or read of a similar effect from that medicine, and having given in it such small doses, I did not impute it to that cause. Indeed, the disease being cured, I paid little attention to his colour, till I read the cases published by Dr. Roget in your 7th vol. These induced me to take an early opportunity of calling again, when I found the colour of his skin greatly increased, although he had discontinued the nitrate of silver 6 months. It is now near two years, and his face still retains the leaden colour, his bosom rather darker with a purple hue, the roof of his mouth, inside of his cheeks, and back of his tongue dark; the tunica sclerotica much discoloured. As blisters on negroes rise white, I applied two to Martin and found they did the same, which, I think, proves the seat of the colour to be in the rete mucousum. He has been now perfectly free from any symptoms of epilepsy during two and half years.” (BADELEY, Medorrhinum -Chir. Trans., ix, 235.)
7. HELLER (Archiv, i, 324) found no silver in blood or urine of patients taking it for a length of time, whereas faeces contained it largely. He also found gastric juice precipitate it as chloride, and concludes that this passes through the alimentary canal unchanged. But the discolouration of the skin fully proves that absorption does take place when the medicine is exhibited in small but long-continued doses. (PEREIRA, op. cit.)
8. A patient was treated with arg. nit. for a hemiplegia for 2 months. On Feb. 19th she complained of her mouth, which presented signs of a stomatitis characterized by swelling of the gums, which were of a dark red, with violet border near the teeth, and a very great sensitiveness of the mouth, especially to heat; metallic (not foetid) odour of breath; no salivation. In spite of suspension of drug this increased next day, but on the 21st, after chlorate of potash, it subsided, to return slightly on March 5th. (Bull. de Therap., 1866, p, 86.)
9. A man, accustomed for 12 months to dye his hair and beard with a strong, solution, suffered from general weakness, confusion of thought, loss of memory, tinnitus aurium, and defective sight, which symptoms ceased soon after stopping the dye. (Quoted from Schmidt’s Jahrb. for 1874, by Dr. PHILLIPS, who adds-“Within my own experience I have known men suffering from the same cause, with giddiness, vertigo, [ “Graves observes that when given to person affected with various diseases, it occasions vertigo and headache.” (STILLE, op. cit.) ] and marked nervous depression, amounting almost to melancholia, and recovering quickly after ceasing the application.” – Mat. Medorrhinum, p. 391.).
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.