34. A man reduced to powder, 14th and 15th Nov., a large quantity of A., using the precautions he had ordinarily found effective to save his face. During 2nd d. of work he had frequent desire to micturate, nausea in afternoon, and in evening, after leaving off, vomiting of glairy sanguinolent mucus. On returning home, he felt nose, eyes, and mouth on fire; his throat seemed contracted, making deglutition difficult and painful; his saliva was tinged with blood. N. was bad: on 16th, respiration became painful; he felt as if pricked at innumerable points of skin. Next n. no better; on 17th, same symptoms, to which were added intolerable pain with swelling in penis, ardor urine, papules on hands, wrists, and forehead, painful swelling of hands and right arm. His face was covered with pustules; his eyes became red and his lids swollen and sore; his chest and stomach painful. When physician saw him on 18th, all his symptoms were so increased that he thought he could not live; pulse was frequent and contracted, respiration very embarrassed, stomach painful, kidney, bladder, and penis gave him cruel pain, urine suppressed, eyes, face, and throat as before described. Improvement now set in, but on 19th there were still crusts on face, papules on arm, wrists, and hands, lids and red and swollen. A week later he became the subject of a general pruritus, which lasted till beginning of December. (DEHENNE, Journ. de med., 1759. See other cases in Imbert-Gourbeyre; also ii, 9, a.)
35. G. M-, et. 13, a strong healthy boy, drank a quantity of “sheep dipping” (a liquid containing soap, sulphur, and, besides other ingredients, a large proportion of arsenic). Violent vomiting quickly ensued whereby most of the fluid was ejected, but was followed by all the symptoms of acute arsenical poisoning. Under treatment by emetics, emollients, &c., these gradually passed off, and patient was apparently well in a fortnight; but in a month he came with his face, head, hands, and feet swollen, the surface of the whole body of bright red colour, not unlike the early eruption of scarlet fever. No constitutional symptoms. After a few day the skin partially desquamated, and this was followed by an attack of psoriasis, extending over the whole body, including the face. At the same time the hair of his head, eyebrows, and eyelashes fell off, and the nails loosened and followed suit. No history of any skin disease in the family, and the boy had been always strong and healthy, but was now thin and anemic. Treated for 12 months with only trifling improvement, and was then put on a course of ars. (Fowler’s sol. mv t. d. in sarsaparilla), when the hair and nails grew rapidly; he grew rapidly in flesh and strength, and his weight increased; the scales fell off, healthy skin taking their place, and in two months the boy was again well and strong. The skin disease never returned. (J. NICHOLLS, M. D., St. Geo. Hosp. Reports, iv, 220.)
36. Mrs. -took 1-1 1/2 teaspoonfuls of A. Within 2 h. she was found sitting up in a chair, tossing her arms about, apparently perfectly unconscious of surrounding objects and events. In 1/2 h. more she was able to speak, and said that vomiting had occurred 15 m. after taking drug on an empty stomach. Dejections now became frequent and involuntary, and continued for some day, with great excoriation and pruritus. Vomiting did not cease till after 48 h. Some of contents of stomach were green, and before entire subsidence of sickness appeared muco-sanguineous. Gums swelled much; mouth sore; edema of face and feet; paralysis of hands and feet; remarkably small and indistinct pulse, with kind of spasmodic catch in breathing, and sensation in head as if a carpenter was at work with hammer and chisel; gritty feeling in eyes, which she was continually rubbing. After 8 or 9 day she was able to leave her bed, complaining only of boils [ See also IMBERT-GOURBEYRE, p. 75.] in different parts of body, costiveness, conjunctivitis, lameness in walking, with loss of feeling in hands and feet. (Lancet., 1845, i, 640.)
37. Dr. M. D. THOMPSON visited a lad, et. 18. He was cold, pulseless, restless, complaining of cramp in upper and lower extremities; countenance sunken; anterior part of neck and chest livid. Had been attacked with vomiting and purging 6 hours previously. In 1 1/2 h. he was much worse and died. P. M. Integuments of neck and anterior part of chest, arms as far as elbow, lateral parts of chest bounded by cartilages of false ribs, whole of back part of body as far as knees (except nates and dorsa of scapula), were copper coloured. The colour was not in elevated spots, like secondary syphilis, but was diffused without any apparent elevation over whole surface described. There was intense venous congestion within head and thorax. A. was found in the body. (Ibid., 1840-1, i, 882. IMBERT-GOURBEYRE cites several observations of “petechiaes ou ecchymoses arsenicales,” though none so widely diffused.
38. Some years ago, a patient of mine who came annually to Royal, though well, at his own instance, to add to each glass of mineral water some drops of Fowler’s solution. Thereupon appeared large brown patches on each side of forehead, which persisted several day, and only vanished on his abandoning this curious mixture. (IMBERT-GOURBEYRE, who adds several other instances and testimonies of the occurrence of similar discolorations.)
39. May 3rd, 1857, a young woman came for treatment of a quotidian of 5 day standing. She received 4 dr. of Fowler’s solution in three doses daily, taking it for 12 d., fever ceasing from 6th d. During the last week there was considerable itching about neck and arms, without sign of eruption; and during last 3 day there was seen about neck desquamation as after scarlatina. (IBID., who adds other observations. See also BERRIDGE, Nos.93 and 219 (9).)
40. Van den Dale is quoted in Frank’s Toxicologie as the observer of a case of poisoning where during the first 10 day there appeared, in connection with a pseudo-membranous diarrhea, general desquamation and falling of hair and nails. (IBID., with other testimonies.)
41. Schafer has related a case of chronic poisoning with divers phenomena belonging to paralysis of limbs, which patient survived. There was a remarkable state of the nails, which were hard and eroded, the terminal phalanges being much atrophied. (IBID. see also BERRIDGE, No. 543.)
42. As a proof that the area Celsi (alopecia areata) can be produced by a derangement of the nutrition of the hair soil, I given the following case in which a disease of the hair soil which had all the characters of alopecia areata came on after the internal administration of ars. for a long time, and on leaving off the ars. healed spontaneously. A boy of 6 was brought to me on 21st April, 1868. For 3 years has suffered from fits, the longest interval between which was 4 weeks, but he sometimes had several in 1 d. In these fits he loses consciousness, does not know anyone, jumps about, laughs and sings. The fits last from 5 m. to several h. After fit, yawns and complains of cold. The boy’s memory is bad, and intelligence not great, but he is sly and given to filthy tricks. Appetite great; stool constipated. On 21st April, got sol. Fowleri 5 grms., Aq. mellisse 10 grms. 3 drops to be taken m., noon, and n. -28th. He got 4 drops for a dose three times a d. The fits only returned once in 8 d. The medicine was continued in increasing doses till he took 15 dr. 3 times a day = 5 dr. of the sol. Fowleri 3 times a day. During this time the mother told me that the boy’s hair came out much, and one spot of the scalp was bald. This spot was on occiput above protuberance, the size of a crown, round and bald, only a few thick black hairs and some downy hair grew on it. The skin of the spot was quite soft, smooth, without scales or scabs. There was a smaller spot, size of half-a-crown, on the left parietal protuberance, of exactly the same character. There were no microscopic fungi on or near the hairs. I discontinued the arsenic, and when I saw the body 2 months later his hair had grown thickly all over. In other respects he was no better. (WYSS, Arch. d. Heilk., 1870, xi, 395.)
43. On two successive evening, after taking some gruel prepared by the poisoner, a man was attacked by pricking and burning of tongue, throat, stomach, and bowels, and with vomiting and purging. Five d. after, he had inflamed pimples round lips, and sense of burning in mouth; nostrils similarly affected; eyes bloodshot, with burning pain; tongue swollen, throat red and excoriated, and in both a tormenting sense of burning; he had likewise swelling, with pricking and burning pain, of belly; excoriations and ulcers round anus, and intolerable burning there; vomiting and bloody diarrhea; low, tremulous pulse; laborious respiration; and great difficulty in speaking and swallowing. He died on 9th day (CHRISTISON, Poisons, 3rd ed., p. 306. Ulceration is a frequent occurrence in those who work with A., as shown by Imbert-Gourbeyre.)
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.