6. The inconsiderate use of A. may sometimes occasion somewhat grave accidents, such as M. Alibert recently saw at the Hospital St. Louis, in the case of a man who had been gorged with decoction of A. flowers after a fall. He had obstinate vomiting, vertigo, convulsions, and the symptoms could not be subdued till after some d. (BIETT, Dict. des. sc. med. 1812. Probably same as 5. -EDS.)
7. On Aug. 6th, 1864, a middle-aged man was brought to the hospital (on previous e.) swallowed about 3j of tincture of A. For a short time patient had felt nothing but a little burning in the throat. He had slept during the n., but next m., 8 h. after swallowing the tincture, a violent pain had come on at pit of stomach, worse on pressure, with malaise and great weakness. Two hours later patient was found in a state of collapse. Eyes were sunken and glassy; pupils dilated and insensible to light: pulse about 100, feeble, irregular; skin cold and dry. He was given 20 drops of laudanum with some brandy; and after a second dose, aided by warm coverings and hot bottles, began to improve. Next day he left the hospital quite recovered. (“Arnica Case of Poisoning by Tincture of,” reported by H. BERTIN, M. R.C. S., Lancet, vol. ii, 1864, p. 571.)
8. Mad. M-, et. 32, took at 10 a.m. on Feb. on 23rd, as an emmenagogue, two glasses of an infusion of A. flowers. In 1/2 h. violent vomiting came on, with great congestion of head, headache, vertigo, &c. In afternoon, frequent diarrhea with sharp colic; also severe pains at pit of stomach, making her cry out loudly. Between 6 and 7 p.m. a bad fainting-fit occurred. I found her at 8:30 in complete collapse, though the attendants spoke of her as already somewhat better; face was drawn; skin cool, without sweat; pulse 54, thready. She complained continually of violent pains in stomach, which hot applications did not relieve. An opiate caused pains to diminish up to midnight, when they ceased, and patient slept till m. I found her, on 23rd, still very prostrated, but without pain and more cheerful. Skin was still remarkably cool, pulse 60 and small. No more diarrhea. On 24th was summoned to here at 6:30 a.m. Violent pains at stomach had returned; she felt congested in lungs almost as if hemorrhage would occur. Catamenia had appeared slightly; there had been a liquid stool; pulse was small and slow. the opiate and a hot sitz-bath were ordered. Menstrual flow was not increased by latter; and in evening gastric pains became yet more severe. Pulse was scarlet to be felt, 60. Under morphia pains disappeared, and were again checked by it on a recurrence during n. and next e. In m. pulse 80, fuller; patient complained only of weakness and heaviness of head. From this time, under nux vomica, &c., she continued to improve. (SCHUMANN, Schmidt’s Jahrbucher, 1868.)
9. Mdlle. K-, et. 20, took some, in evening of Feb. 24th, for like purpose. She was seized, during n., with violent vomiting, watery purging with continued urging to stool (so that she could hardly quit the close-stool all the n.) and excessive pain at stomach. The continual vomiting brought up only small quantities of tasteless yellowish fluid. Face and extremities were cold; temperature of general surface normal; pulse full, retarded. The epigastrium only was sensitive to pressure. This continued in spite of ipecacuanha and opium, with cold; but vomiting and diarrhoea diminished. Pains returned yet more severely during n., and remained all next. d., being aggravated by hot poultices. Morphia was freely used, and pains subsided, to return again at noon on 27th and 28th. On Ist March catamenia flowed freely, and pains gradually and finally departed, leaving weakness and loss of appetite. (MEDING, Ibid., 1870.)
10. A cavalry soldier took, to prevent recurrence of a tertian fever, a wineglassful of an infusion of A. flowers every 2 h. Very soon after first glass he felt a great working in the stomach; something then seemed to get on the chest and press it; respiration was embarrassed; there followed pressure on head, swimmings, startings in limbs. He could not get up; fell, and was unable to stand. This curious state lasted 1/2 h.; each glass renewed it, but with less intensity. (BARBIER, Traite de Matiere Medicale, 1837.)
11. A guardsman, troubled with palpitation and a convulsive trembling of the left arm, was put on a decoction of A. The first glass provoked nausea in a few m.; at the same time came a general shuddering, drawings extended into limbs, even to extremities of fingers, accompanied with indescribable sensation, also by involuntary movements. The chest could scarcely expand, and the respiratory muscles were in a state of tonic contraction. (Ibid.)
12. Louis Meline, et. 28, big and strong, in excitement health, carried on July 21st too heavy a load, which caused him pain in the back and oppression, without cough or spitting of blood. His mother made him drink a very strong infusion of A. flowers. Soon after, M-felt a general agitation, which went on increasing to such a degree that on the 4th day he had general tetanus of right side. This state continued 3 day, when I saw him. Chloroform inhalation caused cessation of spasm, but for a time gradually decreasing in extent; and he died on April Ist. There was no autopsy. (TURCK, Journ. des connaiss. medchirug., 1853.)
13. I once saw a large dose of A., taken by a young girl for a culpable object, followed by very violent abdominal pains simulating peritonitis, and complicated with a general nervous agitation. (Ibid.) 14. Grillot has observed, from an excessive dose of A., severe vertigo, lasting several hours, and preventing the patient from standing or sitting upright. (Ibid.)
15. In 1870 I attended an architect who had fallen from a scaffolding and was picked up much bruised. He had been made to swallow immediately a teaspoonful of tincture of A. in eau sucree; and a compress of the same tincture somewhat diluted with water had been applied. Several vomitings had followed; and when I saw the patient I prescribed Arnica 6, but continued the compresses. At the end of this time the patient was seized with a constant and most fatiguing hiccup, which lasted 48 hours before yielding to nux vomica. (IMBERTGOURBEYRE, loc. cit. Sachs is here quoted as acknowledging the power of A. to induce hiccup.)
16. A woman who had tertian fever for 4 months took 3j of A. flowers in infusion. It caused dullness of sight; the next paroxysm was more severe. Two d. later she took a yet stronger infusion; and considerable dullness of sight ensued, with vertigo, trembling, anxiety, violent vomiting and diarrhoea for some h. A long deep sleep followed, from which she awoke in good condition. The fever disappeared. (BIRD, Harless’ Rhein Jahrbucher, 1825.)
17. On July 16th, 1869, Mr. X-, et. 66, gouty, fell violently on one knee. Though pain was severe he was able to return home, but had scarcely sat down when he felt a strong rush of blood to the bruised. Fearing gout would settle there he hard part bathed with tinct. of A., for 7 h. consecutively. He also took the drug internally. By evening, 10 h. after fall, all pain had abated; but during n. came on sleeplessness; frontal pain as if part were strongly congested; pain in temples on coughing, in nucha on standing, and in whole body when lying as if it were on pebbles; vertigo, bilious vomiting; mouth cool, with thirst, desire for strong drinks; blurred vision; pulse frequent. The next day he complained of serious difficulty of sight; frequent diplopia; hallucinations of vision; he could not judge of distances and saw only half an object. Intelligence and memory were good; gait uncertain, motion awkward; want of appetite; thirst as before; still slight vertigo. 18th. -Does not quite know where he is, or recognize rooms he enters. Constantly sees a bright light with l. eye, which disappears on closing that eye, but reappears on closing both. These symptoms lasted 4 d. altogether; but the visual hallucinations continued some time after. (GAILLIARD, Journ. du Disp. Hahn., Jan.,1870.)
18 a. Drs. Galoni and Manzoni, of Rome, describe (Giorn. di Roma, June, 1867.) a vesicular eruption, with redness and swelling, resembling phlyctenoid erysipelas, as having followed the local application of A. It commences by slightly raised pink points on the place rubbed, which multiply and increase and become an infinite number of miliary vesicles resembling, though less in size, the eruption produced by croton oil. The eruption, accompanied by tumefaction, extends beyond the points touched by the application, and may be accompanied with fever in proportion to its intensity.
18 b. Nothing being easier than to repeat this experiment, we rubbed the posterior part of one forearm with a cloth well soaked in undiluted tincture of A. At first only a uniform redness was produced; but in 5 m., at the root of each hair, a little sharp red point appeared, which soon became a little papule, umbilicated on account of the presence of the hair-bulb. We repeated the rubbing three times in the day, but could not continue it long without causing a little blood to exude from each papule. Next day they were mostly sunken, but some converted into small pustules; others had a small scab of dried blood. During and after the friction, on the points touched and a little beyond them, there was a tingling similar to that felt when the electric brush is passed over the damp skin. The eruption ceased with the use of the tincture; was not produced when this was much diluted; and simple alcohol of the same strength produced only a diffused redness without the eruption or sensation described. (GUILLEMOT, op. cit.)
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.