11. Seven soldiers drank freely one evening of a mixture of honey, water, and tinct of C. In 3/4 – 2 hours all began to feel weight, heat, and slight pinching in epigastrium and umbilical regions, followed by sharp colic, nausea, and vomiting. At same time there was sharp burning pain in penis, especially at extremity, with frequent desire to urinate; then followed copious stools. They were given an emetic, and taken to hospital. There M. Tassart found them with pale and sunken face, looking terrified; heat and contraction of throat; excessive pain at epigastrium and umbilicus, worse on pressure; frequent vomiting, ardent thirst, slight pains in hypogastric and lumbar regions; desire to micturate every 2 or 3 minutes, with difficult expulsion of a few drops of bloody urine, causing in passing acute pain as if hot iron were passed along urethra, felt most in membranous urethra and at meatus. One only had painful erection (for 5 minutes). Pulse frequent, small, feeble; skin moist, slightly cold. No headache, delirium, or convulsions. Demulcents and camphor were administered. Next morning diarrhoea, which was simple, had ceased after 3 hours; tongue red at borders, yellow at centre; throat much reddened, same feelings in it; urinary symptoms same, and urine found to be highly albuminous. Slight headache. Amelioration now set in. Next morning urine less red, still albuminous, and containing some white pellicles. This condition persisted till the morrow, when all other symptoms had
disappeared, but by 4th day was gone. (TARDIEU, Etude sur P. Empoisonnement.)
12. Six young men had, during a period of 6 months, unknowingly taken with their food powdered C. by mistake for pepper. The only marked general symptom was great restlessness. There was no affection of the nervous system, nor any disorder of the bowels. The appetite was unaffected. No pain was experienced in renal or lumbar region. About 3 hours after meals, there was slight pruritus of glans, with desire to micturate, and ardor urine. Desire for micturition continued 2 – 4 hours, and then gradually ceased, leaving some irritation along urethra. There was neither priapism nor any extraordinary erotic feeling; but
one had a copious mucous discharge from urethra. ( Journ. de Chim. Medorrhinum, 1847, p. 17.)
13. A lunatic, aet. 40, at 7:30 a. m. swallowed by mistake 3 ss of C. plaster containing 3ij of powder. An ipecacuanha emetic was immediately given, which caused copious and frequent vomiting. In about 2 hours whole mucous membrane of mouth was bright red, and lips covered with small blisters. After vomiting there was great coldness of surface, and after 5 hours pulse became contracted and sunken. A slight febrile reaction followed, but yielded to progressive sinking. After 10 hours abdomen tympanitic, penis (glans especially) livid, but without erection. Urine passed was mixed with blood. Death took place in 24 hours. On inspection, vessels of brain were found gorged with blood, and a quantity of serum was effused in ventricles and between convolutions. Heart and lungs were healthy. Interior of stomach was covered with red spots interspersed with ecchymosis, in centre of which was seen an adhering particle of powder. Intestines healthy, but left kidney red and gorged with blood, and ureter internally very red; bladder thickened, and its mucous coat injected with blood. ( Ann. de Theridion et de Tox., 1844.)
14. a. Some soldiers mixed tinct. with coffee in mistake for brandy. Within 4 hours of taking it they had to be sent to hospital. “I shall never forget,” writes Dr. Palle, “the sight that met my eyes as I entered the ward. Scattered about the room, some, squatting, were making painful efforts at micturition and defecation, passing with difficulty bloody urine and red, viscid mucus; others, bent on their beds, were vomiting repeatedly, and a few, pale and collapsed, were suffering intense agony.” In general, face was congested, eyes sparkling, pulse frequent, skin covered with sweat; features, distorted on all sides, showed most intense terror. Penis was swollen and painful, but not rigid; none were affected with amatory desire or priapism; dysuria and vesical and rectal tenesmus were noticed in all. There was also burning and constriction in throat, pain in epigastrium, and vomiting of bile and food; but no convulsions, delirium, or other cerebral disorder.
14b. One of the most striking symptoms observed was the weakness of the lower extremities, which occurred in several of the patients. The arms were unaffected.
14c. All had albuminuria, but in association with haematuria. As the blood left the urine, the albumen also disappeared. (PALLE, Journ. de Pharm. et Chim., Juin, 1871.)
15. a. Martin, one of the soldiers mentioned in No 11, came
off less well. On morning of 14th (drink having been taken on 15th), he had – besides symptoms of companions – general prostration of strength, skin cold and covered with sweat, penis flaccid but seat of incessant pain. At 5 p. m. extremities cold, covered with viscid sweat; pulse feeble and compressible, 90; vertigo, headache, pain in knees and calves, continual agitation of lower extremities. No sleep at night; covered all time with copious cold and viscid sweat; next morning some symptoms less, but belly tense and tender, and colic severe. No urine since 10 p. m., but frequent watery stools, sometimes involuntary, with much blood, tenesmus, and pain at anus. Pulse scarcely perceptible; intelligence intact; knees acutely painful, but without redness or swelling. Towards 10 a. m. he fell into coma and at 10:30 expired.
15b. Post-mortem.- Much livid ecchymosis at posterior surface of body. Whole digestive canal inflamed, with vesicles in throat, swelling in stomach and intestines, postulation and ulcerations in colon and rectum. Kidneys hyperaemic; mucous membrane of pelvis and calyces presents deep red points, and that of ureters numerous minute ecchymoses. Bladder contracted, its lining membrane red but not swollen, with a few ecchymoses. Corpora cavernosa of penis, and whole urethral mucous membrane, intensely congested. Lungs and heart contained much dark blood. Knee – joints were without synovial fluid; synovial membrane deeply red and covered with a thin layer of viscous material. (TARDIEU, op. cit.)
16. a. A boy, aet. 12, had been ailing for 3 weeks when it was found that schoolmates had given him an apple into which they had inserted a quantity of C. He came to Dr. Dunnel, September 26th, 1861, for swelling of prepuce, red, hot and diaphanous. It was not so large as yesterday; then size of small hen’s egg, now of large walnut, and there issues from beneath it a purulent secretion. On 24th commenced great soreness in urinating which is rather worse to – day. He complains also of pain and stiffness of limbs with numbness; is continually tired, and more especially on right side of body; headache, with dizziness, brain feeling as if stiff; right half of face quite swollen; letters on paper are green and yellow, and he cannot distinguish an object till he nearly closes lids, and shakes head 2 or 3 times; conjunctiva slightly suffused; has increased drumming in ears. Nose swollen, red and sore inside, several itching burning vesicles upon it; continual stench before nose, passing down throat, which is inflamed, with burning soreness. Loss of appetite, but no sickness, or tenderness at epigastrium; bowels unaffected; has a yellow spot size of florin on abdomen near umbilicus, and another on inside of left thigh. Painful tension along inguinal canals to testicles, and around pelvis. Violent jerking of heart, that runs quite to head. Is constantly cold, cannot sleep after 2 a. m. because of it, although he is very sleepy. Is alarmed and agitated; feels worse in open air; has sour eructations, especially after drinking. 27th. – Has taken Camph gtt. x every 4 hours. Continues much the same, only legs are weaker; pelvic region and testicles much distressed; penis, and especially prepuce, covered with small blisters, as if from an epispastic; less swelling; throat very painful; chilliness continued 28th. – No relief; whole penis covered with itching blisters, that break and scab, much more numerous than yesterday; not so chilly last night, but could not sleep. 29th. – Slept last night; legs and right arm same; sight rather better; itching on penis, and dragging pain in spermatic cord, worse. Is continuing camph. 30th. – Swelling of point of nose increased; and has itching vesicles on shoulders and elbows. October 2nd. – Vesicles on penis have spread over legs, and some have appeared on fingers; their itching is so bed as to prevent sleep; nose very much swollen in morning but less so towards night 4th. – Very lame, more so than ever; eruption on legs worse. 5th. – Lameness unabated; less itching but more soreness; vesicles have formed scabs, under which exuded purulent matter. Rest broken; is constantly dreaming of quarrels and fights with boys, in which he beats in their heads with his fist, and is covered with blood; talks loudly in sleep. Taste in mouth as of resin or pitch; no appetite, least particle of food satiates him. Is so intensely sore over body that he cannot endure his brother, who sleeps in
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.