10. a. Dr. Smyth Williams took C. i. for neuralgia, in fluid extract. Getting no effect from 20 dr. he took first Z and then Zi latter dose as he went to dinner at 6 p. m. After dinner he went to his study to work. ” All at once,” he writes, ” it seemed that I saw the letters I was looking at in a somewhat indistinct manner. They were faintly marked, and wavering, as if they moved about over the page. Looking around me, the room seemed as if filled with mist. My head felt as if floating in air. My heart beat with unwonted force and frequency; I took out my watch and succeeded with much effort in counting my pulse, which I found to be 120; I could hear and feel the heart. I now first thought of the C. i. After a few m. the sight cleared and the mind regained its lucidity; but the cardiac symptoms increased, and the heart at length reached 150 beats per m., these being, however, less strong in proportion. I began to feel oppression and malaise, and, having sent for a colleague, went to bed. My friend vainly tried to count my pulse, so rapid and thread – like had it become. I myself felt as if my heart were compressed and bloodless, vibrating with extreme rapidity, and ready at any moment to stop. I felt, however, quite calm.”
10b. Vomiting was induced by the finger, and digitalis and veratrum viride administered. This was about 8 o’clock. The heart now gradually quieted down, and at 9 pulse could be counted, and was found 130. An hours after he fell asleep, and did not wake till m., when he felt well but weak. It was 2 – 3 day ere his heart regained its natural action. It should be stated that the organ had some degree of hypertrophy, compensatory of a mitral lesion, and accordingly beat normally at the rate of 90 per m. ( Therapeutic Gazette, Jan., 1885.)
CANTHARIDINUM (See vol.ii, p. 18.)
II. 1. A farmer, aet. 36, suffering from chronic suppurative ostitis of the humerus, received from a charlatan for the supposed gouty pains a powder, which he took at one dose, in beer, May 25th, 1875. During the day he was seized with nausea, vomiting, lumbar pains, and afterwards with colic; towards evening there was considerable looseness of the bowels, and during the night profuse sweats, with exacerbation of the pains and vesical and rectal tenesmus. Weakness rapidly became extreme, and death occurred early on the m. of the 26th. At the autopsy was found greenish coloration of the abdomen, with post – mortem ecchymoses on the back; upon the cheek and ear of the left side were dusky spots as large as a pea, with the consistence of leather to touch and on section. The genital organs were without morbid appearance. The stomach was found dilated by gas, and contained 150 grms. of a greyish – brown, foetid liquid, in which were present small, hard, yellow masses; in the pyloric cavity was bright inflammatory redness; elsewhere the mucous membrane was unaffected, but the vessels were greatly injected. There was redness and tumefaction of the duodenum and of the neighbouring portion of the jejunum, but no ulceration; vivid injection of the mesenteric vessels. Within the peritoneum was an effusion of a sero – sanguinolent fluid amounting to about 150 grm. The great venous trunks were found filled with dark but liquid blood; the arteries were empty; kidneys congested; bladder empty and normal, but the vessels of its neck were engorged with blood. In the pleural cavities there were almost 100 grm. of sanguinolent serosity, with some cretaceous deposits at the apices. Within the pericardium was a brownish serosity to the amount of 90 grm. The vessels of the brain were filled with a dark – coloured fluid blood; a slight amount of serosity within the two ventricles. The small bodies found in the stomach and on the coats of the intestines were made up in great part of brilliant scales of a blue colour from the elytra of a coleopterous insect of the genus Meloe, the species being very probably M. proscarabeus. As cantharidin is the active element in all these blistering beetles, we give the above poisoning under its heading. (Viert. f. gericht. Medorrhinum, Oct., 1875.)
CARBO VEGETABILIS (see vol. ii, p. 23.)
II.a 1. May 20th, 1875, Mrs. J. L. C. came to me very much alarmed about herself, with a remarkable train of symptoms. Her first complaint was of an alarming numbness in all the external parts, which she feared threatened paralysis; also a peculiar mental weakness and confusion, as well as general weak and faint condition of body, especially in m., preventing rising till late. She complained of rheumatic pains and lameness, worse in arms and thighs; stopping of breath; palpitation, and anguish in all vital regions. I soon saw that there was no paralysis, or danger of it; but probably some drug – action. I therefore went through a systematic examination of the case, with the following result: Great anguish, especially in evening; restlessness; irritability. Ideas slow; confusion; memory lost periodically. Oppressive headache above eyes, with nausea; vertigo on slightest motion of head. In eyes itching, smarting, burning; near vision; twitching of eyelids. In ears, ringing, humming, pressure. Face pale; drawing and tearing in facial bones; twitching of upper lip. Drawing and tearing pain in teeth; looseness of teeth, soreness of gums, also of tongue. Difficult deglutition; pain in throat when coughing. Aversion to meat, very marked and continued; appetite lost; taste bitter; simplest food causes distress; heartburn; constant nausea, with tremulous feeling. Pain in hypochondria, as if from a bruise; pressure and cramp in lower abdomen; constipation, with soft stool. Urine diminished; frequent urging to micturate. Oppression in lungs and heart; palpitation. Painful stiffness from neck down entire spinal column; feeling as if wrists were too short; feeling of numbness in hands and feet, and these, with knees (which are stiff), ” go to sleep ” all the time. Formication all over skin; burning; chilliness, with flashes of heat. Very drowsy in day; falling asleep very late at night; frequent starting in sleep, with strange fancies.
After getting this remarkable train of symptoms, I said: ” You have been taking carbo vegetabilis to excess; your symptoms present a complete picture of it.” She then acknowledged that she had been doing so. She had begun with eating bits of charcoal for heartburn, and ” to sweeten the stomach “; but latterly she had been in the habit of triturating it in a mortar to an impalpable powder, and taking it in that form, about half a teaspoonful 2 or 3 times a d. On discontinuing the charcoal the symptoms all disappeared in a few day (G. Nelson Smith, Am. J. of Hom. Mat. Medorrhinum, ix, 183.)
CARBONEUM SULPHURATUM (see vol, ii, p.29, 731)
II. 11. a. A man, aet. 32, was admitted into the Salford Royal Hospital on March 3rd, 1888. In April 1887 he began to work in the ” curing – room ” of an india – rubber factory, where he was compelled to inhale fumes containing a large proportion of bisulphide of carbon. He had always enjoyed the best of health until the beginning of his present illness; had been a total abstainer for 16 years, and had never smoked or had syphilis. Son after commencing work in the factory he began to suffer from headache, giddiness, and drowsiness; tongue was dry, and taste of bisulphide constantly present. These symptoms disappeared (as they usually do) in the course of a few weeks. At beginning of Jan. 1888 headache returned, and was accompanied by delirium and illusions of sight; he was compelled by frequent attacks of giddiness to take to bed on the 10th. So – called ” rheumatic pains ” were then felt in knees and ankles, and face and hands became yellowish in colour. He was also subject to attacks of unconsciousness coming on suddenly and without cause while he was in bed. About end of Feb. legs were noticed to be weak, and lower halves of legs felt numb. Sexual desire was abolished. On admission into hospital delirium and other cerebral symptoms had disappeared. Patient could neither walk nor stand without support; but on being well supported on each side, he was able with great effort to drag the toe of one foot about 3 in. in front of the other foot. As he lay in bed there was distinct drop – foot on both sides; he could barely move the toes, and could not perform dorsal flexion on the ankle. He was able to raise the heel from the bed slowly and with difficulty; the legs could be adducted forcibly, but abduction was weak. No wasting could be detected. The knee – jerks and the plantar and cremasteric reflexes could not be obtained, and there was no ankle clonus. Almost complete loss of sensation as regards touch, pain, and temperature existed below middle of leg. On squeezing calf – muscles some pain was complained of, not confined to parts pressed on, but described as shooting upwards and downwards. The functions of bladder and rectum were performed naturally. Upper extremities were perfectly normal in every respect. Faradic contractility of muscles of legs was somewhat impaired; with the galvanic current muscular contraction was normal, and contraction occurred with a weaker current on cathodal than on anodal closure. No vaso – motor or trophic disturbance was present. Taste and smell were normal; but patient complained of weakness of vision, interfering somewhat with reading. His colour vision was not tested till March 15th, when it was found perfect, and the range of vision was found normal on both sides. (By this time, however, the defect of sight had almost disappeared.) The pupils reacted to light, and the discs were healthy.
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.