Introduction
Artemisia Absinthium.
Provings
1. Dr. H. P. GATCHELL gave unknown quantity to a lady of good health but nervous temperament. She reports-great tranquillity, felt soothed as if going into a beautiful dream, followed by apathy, foolish look, idiotic manner; tremor, then thumping of heart, felt towards back; feet very cold; eructations; distention of stomach and abdomen; great lassitude, wants to lie with head low; eyelids heavy; stomach feels cold; nausea; tongue protrudes and feels thick, so that she cannot speak distinctly; pain above eyes, which itch; dizziness on rising up; constant desire to urinate; food lies heavy; darting pain in right ovary. In evening very much bloated; uncomfortable irritated feeling of stomach. Next day still bloated; very weak; no appetite, loathes food; scalded feeling in throat; urine of deep orange colour and strong horse-like smell. (U States Medorrhinum and Surg. Journ., v, 293.).
Poisonings
1 a. The accidents which arise from intoxication with absinthe are above all derangements of motility. They are convulsive phenomena. Foremost among them is epilepsy, which, unlike that incident to alcoholism, belongs to the debut, that is to say, may manifest itself after the first excesses, at the end of a relatively short time. The epilepsy of absinthe differs also from that of alcohol in its form. Whilst the latter most frequently manifests itself at a very advanced stage, and generally presents only an analogy more or less close to a true attack of epilepsy, the absinthic epilepsy, on the contrary, has all the characters of a genuine and complete attack. The patient becomes pale, loses consciousness, falls sometimes with a cry, the face is contorted; this is followed by tonic convulsions, with tetanic rigidity of the limbs and trunk, which is raised up; then clonic convulsions of the limbs, the face becomes violet and cyanotic, respiration rapid, irregular, stertorous, froth from the lips sometimes bloody if the tongue is bitten, at last a comatose state, with stertorous respiration, which lasts a longer or a shorter time. After the person recovers consciousness he seems stupid, dazed, and recollects nothing of what has passed. Sensibility is very obtuse, and during the attack anesthesia is complete. Sometimes the epilepsy of A. is not complete, but consists only in vertigo or temporary absence of mind, -as is seen in true epilepsy. The third characteristic of the epilepsy of A. is its short duration. It comes on violently after great excesses, and ceases completely as long as the patient remains sober, but as soon as he recommences drinking it makes its appearance afresh. There may be one attack only, or several during the day or following days; but usually there are three or four.
1 b. Is this epilepsy of A. the effect of acute or chronic intoxication? We believe that it is an acute symptom which manifests itself at the outset of chronic intoxication, found more often in those who drink to excess habitually; its appearance is never long delayed after the person has begun to drink A. to excess. After drinking for six months or a year, some day the person drinks to excess and the attacks come on. Acute alcoholic mania or delirium tremens is equally an acute symptom during chronic alcoholism; they also may come on in a relatively short time, while the epileptiform attacks of alcoholism show themselves only at a very advanced period. Persons who are attacked by the epilepsy of A. drink 8, 12, or even 20 glasses of A. a d. Others drink but 3 or 4, and yet have the paroxysms.
1 c. A circumstance of great importance is the predisposition. We find a large number of drinkers who have never had attack or only slight ones. There are others, on the contrary, who are attacked from their first excesses.
1 d. A large number of persons, habitually sober, on drinking occasionally a glass of A. become affected with a kind of intoxication, with pains in the head and sensation of constriction in the temples. Such persons tolerate, without trouble, a larger quantity of alcohol, and experience no symptoms from it.
1 e. Dr. Voisin says that the epilepsy produced by alcohol is usually characterized by long intervals between the attacks; the epilepsy of A. by the very large number of attacks in a very short space of time. I have reported a case in which there were from 150 to 200 attacks in 24 h. Drs. Marce and Magnan have observed the same thing. (CHALLAND, Etude sur l’Absinthisme, &c., 1871.)
2. Cl-Louis, et. 32, came to Bicetre, 31st Oct., 1863. This man, who was in excellent health, had lived soberly until the beginning of 1861, at which time he became a wine-seller. He contracted, about this time, the habit of drinking. At first he took wine and brandy; then a little absinthe. The alcoholic phenomena were not slow to make their appearance. Giddiness also occurred at times. During 1863 Cl-, to give himself more strength, partook more largely of the absinthe. The fits of giddiness became frequent, and, at some days’ interval, there came on two attacks with sudden loss of consciousness, falling, grimacing, convulsions of the arms and legs, bloody foam on the lips, and biting of the tongue. One of these attacks took place in church during a funeral; the other occurred on the stairs; in both cases in a most unexpected manner. Delirium with terrifying hallucinations soon distressed the patient, and made it necessary to put him under supervision at Bicetre. He arrived there 31st Oct., 1863, presenting symptoms of acute alcoholism. He recovered fairly quickly, and at the end of a month he was allowed to leave. On returning home he quickly betook himself to his former habits; on the other side the alcoholic effects were not slow in making their appearance. A little later, after a fresh abuse of absinthe, there occurred an epileptic fit exactly like the preceding ones. The patient was again sent to Bicetre 28th April, 1864, where he stayed, to recover himself, until the beginning of June. Let out again, he for some time forswore the absinthe, but he recommended at the close of each day to take a little wine and brandy. His sleep became bad; hallucinations showed themselves in their usual distressing manner; the appetite went, masses of phlegm were expectorated each m., and the limbs trembled and shook. This state lasted 2 months; but Cl-. finding himself so weak, had resource once more to his favourite liqueur. The absinthe soon brought on new fits of epilepsy. Cl-entered Bicetre for the third time 5th Dec., 1864. At the time of his entry he still bore upon his tongue the marks of his teeth, a striking token of his last fit.
Such is this observation, not to call it an experiment. The subject was a strong man, a stranger up to then to all effects of alcohol and to all convulsive phenomena. He began by an excess of wine and brandy and became alcoholic; then he applied himself to absinthe and became epileptic. With the first residence at the asylum the alcoholic effects disappeared; once out, he began to drink again, and then the alcoholic effects returned; he took absinthe-a new attack of epilepsy. Again at the hospital, cessation of effects. For the third time, excess in wine and brandy, alcoholism; excess in absinthe, epileptic fits added. The hospital again and sobriety, cessation of effects. Could the effect be more intimately connected with the cause? Can one not divide the two poisonings, that by the alcohol and that by the absinthe? (Journ. du Disp. Hahn., viii, 116.)
3. A druggist’s shopman was found early one m. lying on floor, perfectly insensible, convulsed, and foaming at mouth. I was sent for, and found him no longer violently convulsed, but insensible; jaws clenched, pupils dilated, pulse weak, slow, and compressible. From time to time he uttered incoherent expressions, and attempted to vomit. Under emetics, stimulants, and internal warmth he gradually recovered. He was found to have swallowed 3ss of oil of wormwood. On recovering, he had totally forgotten all circumstances connected with the case. (WM. SMITH, Medorrhinum Chir. Trans. xlvi, 23.).
Experiments on animals
1. Essence of absinthe produces in animals fully characterized attacks of epilepsy, with precursory phenomena, and often accompanied by psychical disorders of a very remarkable kind. (CHALLAND, op. cit.) 2. Messers. Magnan and Bonchereau found out by simple and decisive experiments that the effects caused by the use of absinthe drunk as a liqueur, epilepsy in particular, were determined, not by the alcohol itself, but chiefly by the absinthe. The other plants which are used to impart an aromatic flavour to the absinthe have proved themselves harmless in experiments on animals. It has not been the same with absinthe, as one can see by the following experiments:-In a large glass bell is put a saucer filled with essence of absinthe, of which the vapours are exhaled in to confined air of the bell. Introduce an animal, for example, a guinea-pig, and examine it while it is there under the influence of the absinthe. The poor brute, at first surprised by the smell, stretches out in all directions its little pink nose. The first moments of the new order of things do not appear to it to be so very disagreeable; but the pleasure, if it exists, is not of long duration. The guinea-pig, after having repeatedly perambulated its glass cage, begins to grow impatient; it runs with furious leaps, trying to find a way of escape. It has had enough of the absinthe. But the way out does not exist. The animal ends by falling on its side; you see it draw up its little paws, which become stiff and motionless. Then all at once it shakes with convulsive shocks. The pointed nails of the guinea-pig glide over the glass; a frothy slime covers its snout; then the epileptic attacks ceases, and the animals falls again inert. Absinthe causes the same epileptic attacks in cats, dogs, and rabbits. In a few minutes the mischief is done; the absinthe has exerted its poisonous influence.
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.