2 b. At 9 the patient was found lying with her knees drawn up, complaining of severe burning pain, chiefly at epigastrium. There was marked tenderness on pressure over that region, and over the left lumbar region; she said her abdomen was swollen, but it was not at all noticeably so. She was still vomiting occasionally, but no odour of paraffin could be detected in the small amount of mucus which was brought up. She could extend her legs, but said that she had less pain when they were drawn up. The exacerbations of pain produced a marked increase in the tremors of her hands. On taking the bedclothes off her abdomen to examine it, there was a distinct though not strong odour of paraffin from the skin. Her breath emitted a strong odour of paraffin. At 10:15 the abdominal tenderness was more general and more marked, so fomentations were ordered every two hours, and she was fed with warm milk given frequently in quantities of an ounce at a time. She had just been vomiting. At 3 a. m. on the 16th the abdominal tenderness was less, though she was still lying with her knees drawn up to diminish the pain. The odour of paraffin from the breath was not so strong. She had not slept at all, and occasionally imagined she saw cats in the room. She said, however, that she had not slept the previous n. either. She was still vomiting now and then, so 15 gr. of subnitrate of bismuth were given, which checked the vomiting for a time. At 5 a. m. she passed 8 oz. of urine with a trace of paraffin odour, and a slight ” greasiness ” on the surface after standing. When she was seen at 11 the pain and tenderness in her abdomen were much less in degree, and had changed in character. The pain had become griping, and was situated near the umbilicus. The tenderness was in the right iliac fossa and lumbar region. She had not vomited since 8 a. m., and did not vomit again. Her breath, but not her skin, still had the odour of paraffin. Temp. 99.8 o, pulse 110. About 1/2 hours later she passed 3 oz. of dark red urine, containing both blood and albumen copiously. In the afternoon the pain was much easier. She passed 3 oz. of dark crimson urine, which gave a marked reaction with tincture of guaiacum, and contained 1/2 gr. of albumen and 12 3/4 gr. of urea per oz. At 11 that n. she was sleeping quietly; her breath still emitted the odour of paraffin. By midnight her temperature was normal, and it did not rise much above normal again. Half an hours after midnight (March 17th) she passed 6 oz. of ruddy, amber – coloured urine, which gave a slight reaction with guaiacum, and contained a trace of albumen and 17 gr. of urea per oz. Shortly after midday she passed 10 oz. of urine similar in colour to the last. Guaiacum showed a trace of blood, but there was no albumen; the urea was 18 gr. per ounce. Later samples showed neither blood nor albumen. The total urine passed on the 17th was 28 oz. In the afternoon the paraffin odour had gone from the breath, and there was only very slight tenderness in the abdomen, hypogastric in position. The tremors in the hands had almost gone. On March 18th her bowels were moved, but there was no blood in the stool. That evening she needed a drachm of bromidia to procure sleep. During the day she passed only 13 oz. of urine, containing almost 12 gr. of urea per ounce. The next day the urine was practically normal again, both in quantity and quality. She was discharged on March 22nd. She had no feeling of illness, and was eating and sleeping well, her only remaining symptom being slight tremors. (S. W. Carruthers, Lancet, 1890, ii, 442.)
2 a. A gentleman began using paraffin as a hair restorer about Feb. 1st, a little being rubbed on the scalp every n. The following is his report:
Feb. 1st – 28th. – No result apparent; indeed, hair seemed to be getting much thinner. March 1st – 31st. – Had a hard dry cough, worse on lying down after applying for P. Often coughed for 1/4 hours at a time. No pain of any sort, but was frequently kept awake for an hours or two in the n. with the cough. I did not seem to have a cold at this time, and the cough went away during very cold weather with the wind in the east. April 1st – 30th. – Began to have bad headaches in back part of head, from crown down to nape of neck; these always came on during any mental exertion, such as casting a few columns of figures. I woke every m. regularly at 4 with a headache of this sort, and feeling more tired than when I went to bed; also frequently had a crick in the neck, and a feeling of pain and stiffness in the right heel when getting up and starting to walk. About same time became extremely constipated, with considerable bleeding from every motion; and veins on nose got much more marked than ever they had been before. Complexion was dirty yellowish; no appetite; loss of flesh; much perspiration on least exertion. About May 7th I left off using the P., and in a few day bleeding stopped, and constipation got much better; headache also gradually got better; in about a fortnight they were entirely gone. (My hair is not very different from what it was when I started.)
2 b. My wife used P. for six mos. in the same way, beginning 3 mos. before me. Her hair is now very much thicker. For last 2 mos. she had constant headaches down back of neck and head: it was this which enabled me to find out the cause of mine. She also suffered very much from constipation, and complained of great weakness, always feeling tired. Suffered much from corns; also got a wart on hand and pimples amidst hair and on neck; great itching of skin, especially on head; scabby eruption behind ear. These symptoms gradually disappeared on discontinuing the use of P., but a month after she had a very severe earache ending in suppuration, which has lasted a fortnight.
2 c. The people next door, who were also restoring their hair, complained of the most frightful headaches, which they were told were neuralgic. (Burnett, Hom. World, August., 1891.)
3. Dr. Dyce Duckworth observed case of a workman in a paraffin manufactory. He often spilt some on his trousers, and generally saturated the parts over his thighs; his hands and forearms were often covered with the oil. After working for a week an eruption appeared. There is now (after 3 weeks), on front of thighs and legs, and on back of forearm, a vesicular rash; it is everywhere similar in character; on thighs there are some thickened patches of cuticle and sordes covering part of the eruption; the vesicles are aggregated in places and isolated at the margins; there is no itching in the affected part, but some irritation is complained of. Two day later: – patient has had two baths; some of the cuticle, &c., is removed from the thigh, and nature of disease is better seen; some vesicles seem inclined to be pustular at their summits; a hair is seen in the centre of each of them. (Medorrhinum Times and Gaz., 1864, II, 650.)
4. Dr. Ogston communicates effects on workmen similarly brought into contact with P. in a manufactory at Aberdeen. Eruption of nodules and pimples speedily appears on exposed skin of those who are for the first time engaged in the manufacture, lasting for a few weeks or months, and then generally diminishing and disappearing. In a few exceptional individuals it does not disappear, but, assuming a chronic character, produces so marked and prolonged an affection of the skin that the general health becomes impaired, and the cessation of the employment becomes a necessity.
4 a. In the acute and recent form, the skin of hands, wrists, arms, feet, and legs becomes covered with a rash of bright red nodules, closely approximating to each other, and usually largest and most numerous on wrists, or wherever dress tightly embraces skin, – dorsal aspect of parts being most severely affected, palms and soles enjoying complete immunity. Similar nodules arise, though to a less extent, on face, neck, and other parts of body to which the oily matters find access. On examining minutely the skin of those so affected, the following are the leading peculiarities of the eruption: – The bright red nodules, hard to touch, render on pressure, varying little in size (= about a grain of barley), are of a rounded form, and consist each of a single hair – follicle with the parts immediately around it, which are inflamed, indurated, and reddened; the hair emerges from the very summit of the nodule, and the orifice of the follicle is much enlarged and easily visible to the naked eye as a ” pin – hole ” the dilatation extends to the deeper part of the follicle, which forms the kernel of the inflamed knot, the retention of its contents evidently contributing to the inflammatory induration around; the gaping mouth of the follicle exhibits masses of cast – off epithelial scales, dry and friable instead of greasy and tenacious. The nodule has little of the tendency to run on into suppuration observable in an ordinary comedone, and its contents cannot be squeezed out; on the contrary, the redness and induration, after remaining for some little time, gradually diminish and finally disappear, leaving the hair – follicle enlarged, and its mouth gaping so as to exhibit the retained epithelial masses, mixed with dirt. In fact, the acute form consists of successive crops of these nodules, the skin between them retaining its natural pliancy and elasticity. Men with dark complexions and strong hair are especially liable to this persistent patency of the hair – follicles, those of fair complexions and light or reddish hair escaping comparatively unaffected.
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.