ATROPINUM (see vol, i, p.546)
II. 12. Mr. A -, aet. 26. Of 1/2 gr. of sulphate dissolved in 15 teaspoonful of water, a teaspoonful was (by mistake) administered every 1/4 hours until 1/4 gr. had been ingested. Pulse was 145, temp. 100, respiration 42; face congested; he was extremely restless, very talkative and silly. He answered questions correctly, however, when addressed; but would soon pass into an hysterical condition with delirium. Dryness of throat, with burning; intense, throbbing headache; disordered vision and pupils widely dilated. Micturition frequent and copious. Soon after doctor had entered patient vomited profusely, complaining of loss of sight; there were slight convulsive twitchings of facial muscles with trembling of limbs. Would sleep for a few m., then wake with a start or scream, throwing himself across the bed. He would plead not to be buried alive or burned, and was calmed with difficulty. Emetics, followed by stimulants and opium, were given freely, together with cold bathing. The next day he still suffered with a sore throat, which was red and congested. Intense, throbbing headache, especially in frontal region, and scalp extremely sore to touch, ” feeling as if separate hairs were tied tightly together.” There was double vision with bright flashes before eyes, pupils still largely dilated; lids red and sensitive, feeling as if pepper had been put into them; deafness, with ringing in ears. Great thirst, but nothing tasted good, and nausea and vomiting followed every attempt at drinking. Mind was fairly clear, respiration still hurried, pulse fast but strong; restlessness still a prominent symptom, with trembling of limbs and feet, feeling as if heavy weights were attached to them. Complete retention of urine compelled of catheter for it for 2 day; and bowels were constipated, perhaps from the opium. It was a week before patient fully recovered. (B. F. Church, Publ. of Mass. Hom. Medorrhinum Soc., ix, 67.)
13. a. On Feb. 26th of this year a lad aet. 12, who though healthy was of slightly nervous temperament, was sent to me by Dr. Phillips, of Warwick, as he was suffering from defective vision, and the use of the eyes for study caused headache. It was easily recognised that hypermetropic astigmatism was the cause of all his trouble, and, in order to estimate accurately his error of refraction and thoroughly paralyse his accommodation, I ordered two or three drops of two grains to the one ounce solution of atropine to be instilled into the eyes three times within an hour on the Thursday morning, and again three times during that day, three times during Friday, and once on Saturday morning, on which day he was to visit me for correction. This would make ten instillations, spread over two days. When he was brought to my rooms on Saturday he had all the symptoms of atropine poisoning, staggering and unsteady gait, dryness of throat and tongue, picking at imaginary objects in the air, talking, or rather muttering, incoherently, smiling, and occasionally laughing outright to himself. I was able to rouse him to attention for a few minutes, so that he would answer questions and do what I told him; but he soon relapsed. The face was slightly flushed, but there was no rash; pulse small and rapid. Pupils were only moderately dilated, and responded but slightly to light. The mother assured me that she had most carefully used the drops as directed, but as the lad had seemed strange the previous afternoon she stopped using them, so that they had only been put into the eyes eight times in all. I ordered him at once to be taken home and kept as quiet as possible. Milk diet and small doses of Dover’s powder were the treatment, but throughout the day he continued to get worse, and in the evening tetanic spasms came on with delirium; in fact, he became so bad that, as I was absent from town, another medical man was called in. He at once recognised what had happened and quieted their fears, and in a few days the little patient got all right, but it was a week or two before he became well enough for me to correct his astigmatism.
13 b. The second case was that of a remarkably healthy old gentleman, named J. K -, aet. 73, who consulted me on March 5th preparatory to an operation for cataract. Being wishful to see if the cataract was mature up to the periphery, I instilled three times, in about twenty minutes, two or three drops each time of a 2-gr. to the ounce solution. The pupil dilated readily, and after finishing the examination I noticed that he spoke thickly, and did not answer questions readily. He got u; to walk and fell back into the chair and soon became almost unconscious. Paralysis was so complete that he was quite helpless, and had to be carried to the cab, his face becoming suffused, and the body covered with an erythematous rash; pulse so rapid that I could scarcely count it. I ordered the same treatment, and in a few days he recovered, but had no tetanic spasms whatever. (S. Mathews Owens, Lancet, 1890, ii, 443.)
14. I prescribed for a child of 3 mo., suffering from whooping – cough, a mixture containing gr. 1/200 of the sulphate in a fluid drachm. The mother gave the child a teaspoonful early the next m. In a few m. it turned a deep red, “like scarlet fever,”over its face and the upper half of its body; the perspiration was checked, and the skin became hot and dry. |This continued for 5 h. Next m., at my request, she gave only half a teaspoonful; the same effect was produced, but lasted only 2 h. On the 3rd m. she gave only 4 dr., and this time without any effect; but 6 dr. on the following day produced the redness, though it only lasted 1/2 hours (6 dr. of the sol. were found = 15 min., which would contain gr. 1/200 of A.) No narcotism was produced by any dose. (Sadler, Medorrhinum Times and Gaz., 1868, i, 391.)
15. A man drank by mistake Zi of a 4 gr. to oz. solution. I saw him 15 m. afterwards, at 12 m. He was lying down, being unable to stand; face was flushed, and there was intense vertigo, but he was able to talk, and said distinctly that he knew he must have taken the drug. Pulse was 140, resp. correspondingly increased. The countenance wore a peculiarly anxious expression; eyes were wide open, and he shaded them with his hand, not liking the light; pupils largely dilated. There was formication all over the body, and tingling at the end of fingers and toes; tongue was moist to sight and touch, but the man said it felt ” as dry as a chip,” and the throat seemed almost as if its sides were stuck together. Hallucinations of sight and hearing were also present, but were soon forgotten. (Sewall, M. H. Rev., xxvi, 426.)
AURUM (see vol.
i, p.496)
II. 9. A man, aet, 66, gilder of picture frames, spare, muscular, of acutely sensitive nervous temperament. In June, 1985, suddenly and without cause or premonitory symptoms, was prostrated with pain in lower spinal column, lasting 30 m., and then ceasing. 2 day later was attached again with similar pain, but causing more prostration, profuse perspiration, and nausea. This lasted 24 h. Again, 2 day later, by similar pain, but located over the course of left sciatic nerve in the hip. This periodicity continued, pain never commencing in daytime, always ceasing at sunrise, and usually beginning after falling asleep for an hours or two. Pain worse in decubitus, relieved by standing upright or walking. This went on for nearly two years. For first 12 mo. general health continued good, but then want of sleep began to tell upon him, and under ” active treatment” in a hospital he got much worse; legs and body swelled; there was obstinate constipation; and nerves became so acutely sensitive that motion was torture, and a mere touch on the ankle knocked him down. Dr. Smith found him in March, 1867, suffering from great hypochondriacal depression of spirits, longing for death, restlessness, impatience of contradiction and irritability; there was shaking of head, stoppage of nose, jerking twitches in left buttock, painful stiffness in hip. Remission of pain in day and evening, recurrence at n., pain lightning – like, darting between hip and ankle. Could bear to pound on the affected thigh with fist, but still a slight contact when unexpected had filled him to the floor. (Heber Smith, Trans. of Amer. Inst. of Hom., 1869, p. 262.)
BAPTISIA (see vol.i,512)
I. 14. Dr. Sutherland, after taking, Nov. 18th – 22nd, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, and 20 dr. of tinct. without effect (a frontal headache experienced on 22nd he ascribed to working in a warm room with vitiated air), on 24th, at 4:30 p. m., took 30 dr. Tendency to pressure in frontal and temporal regions, especially during and for a short time after moving about, was noticed during e. Dec. 1st, at 11 a. m. took 40 dr. Same sort of fulness in the head 3 hours after dose; it went away before 4:20 p. m., when he took 13 dr. more, but nothing followed. After waiting awhile to see if remote symptoms would appear (which they did not), on Jan. 16th, at 4:15 p. m., he took 150 dr. It left after swallowing a hot disagreeable sensation in fauces and throat, causing secretion of thick saliva with desire to swallow. At 8 p. m. took 100 dr. more in a little water. Felt a little sensitive to cold air, but this was not long lasting or very uncomfortable. 17th. – Was conscious of discomfort in left frontal region on first awakening, but it had gone off 1/2 hours later when he got up. 18th. – An abundant unformed but faecal motion at 9 a. m., with some tenesmus. During day felt some lameness and soreness in right lumbar muscles, especially when bending forward. About 3 p. m. an extremely small motion, consisting of about a teaspoonful of tenacious blood – streaked mucus. 26th. – At 11 a. m. took 350 dr. in a little water. For a short time after swallowing it throat in region of larynx was irritated, roughened as if scraped; at 8 p. m. pulse 92, temp. 99.5 o (these are the maxima noted in health). 27th. – On rising from stooping, decided but transient vertigo. No further symptoms notice; and pulse did not rise above 84 that evening, or temp. above 99:25 o. (N. Engl. Medorrhinum Gaz., xxiv, 566.)
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.