4 b. His wife, when she had remained for some time with him in his workroom, was seized with headache and muscular debility; she fell into a state analogous to his own, but much less severe. Their young child, after passing 3 days in the workroom, was seized with a kind of furious delirium, and rushed on his father to bite him.
4 c. In March, 1854, V. D.-entered the Bicetre. He was thin and pale, and his breath smelt strongly of the sulphide. He could walk only with a stick, and had pain in limbs, which were much diminished in size, especially in the muscular parts. He resembled a man under the influence of lead, the hands hanging bone, from weakness of the extensor muscles parts. He resembled a man under the influence of lead, the hands hanging prone, from weakness of the extensor muscles; the flexors, however, were also weakened. Muscular contraction was feeble and tremulous, and fibrillary quivering was readily induced. Sensibility and electrical contractility were normal; and the intelligence was clear. There was an intermittent but very distinct bruit de souffle in the cervical vessels, as might have been anticipated from the general weakness and pallor. There was no organic disease in the chest, but he had frequent short cough.
4 d. Treatment had little effect, but residence in country improved him much, solar light and heat being found specially beneficial for the pains in the limbs. In following January, being much better, he returned to work. Impotence, however, had remained absolute; and anaemia and even thinness persisted. headaches soon returned, and patient, seized with vertigo, was frequently obliged to leave work abruptly, and wander about, hardly knowing what he did. He was also subject to fits of terror without justifying cause. (DELPECH, Mem. sur les accidents chez les ouvriers en caoutchouc, 1856.)
5. The following is a summary of 24 cases observed by Delpech, occurring under similar circumstances: “The work-people may live for weeks or even months in the poisonous atmosphere before the severe symptoms occur, but, as a rule, they experience some inconvenience the first time they remain long in the bad air. The attacks repeat themselves daily and gradually get worse and worse. the chief thing is an intense oppressive headache, spreading from the root of the nose towards both temples, with a feeling of giddiness and of intoxication, of which the work-people complain when they go home in the evening. In several cases it was noted that a more or less marked excitement now showed itself. These people became remarkably lively chatty, and excitable, and their sexual passions were greatly excited; sometimes their appetite for food became insatiable. This stage of excitement, however, is not only often absent, but almost always intermingled with many symptoms of depression. All, without exception, complain very quickly of an evident loss of muscular strength. In later stages, many were troubled with remarkable loss of memory. They fell into a deep apathy, could not think, strove in vain for the words they wanted and spoke with a stammering and almost paralysed tongue. Their mental condition was strikingly obtuse, the energy of the will greatly
depressed. With this were associated many anomalous symptoms in the sensory and motor spheres. The faculty of vision declined, beginning with a slight obscuration of the field of sight and going on to complete inability to recognize small objects. Hearing also was greatly impaired, and a great many complained also of a persistent and troublesome ringing in the ears. The loss of muscular power was generally most noticeable in the extremities and in the severer cases there was a considerable amount of paresis so that the patient could only walk with the help of crutches or sticks. All movement was accompanied with a feeling of fatigue. As regards sensation, there were severe lancinating pains in various groups of muscles, increased by pressure; formication; anaesthesia of the soles; and almost constant complaints of a feeling of icy coldness in the whole lower half of the body. Cramps and fibrillary contractions of various muscles and muscular groups were very seldom absent. Severe cramp in the calves commonly harassed the patient during the night; and several epileptiform convulsions occurred in several cases.
5 b. In the domain of what are called the vegetative functions the anomalies are less uniform. Apart from the rarer cases in which the appetite is enormous, digestion is always more or less impaired. A good many suffer from vomiting, others from severe and very frequent attacks of colic. In the early stages of the poisoning, diarrhoea and constipation alternate with each other; in the later stages, the latter predominates, and is generally associated with troublesome flatulence. The urine is generally in normal quantity, and contains neither albumen nor sugar, but is passed with a painful sensation of scalding. The organs of circulation and respiration exhibit no special alteration in their action. The sexual passion, which is increased at first, rapidly declines at a later stage, and finally, there is complete psychical and physical impotence, with decrease of the size of the testicles. In women who work long in the india-rubber factories, menstruation always takes place prematurely, and is more profuse than it should be. They never have a child, and their sexual appetite becomes entirely lost. Youths who are exposed during pubescence to the influence of the poisonous gas, never develop properly.
5 c. As regards the general condition of those poisoned, it has been noticed that a good many suffer from a febrile movement at night. Sleep is disturbed with bad dreams, generally associated with nightmare, and sometimes prevented by pains and cramps in he muscles. When the poisoning is protracted, the patients lose a good deal of flesh, but no special atrophy of muscles has been met with.
5 d. A fatal termination is rare, but so also is complete restoration to health. The nervous system continues depressed, and in some cases a definite psychosis supervenes.” (BOEHM, Ziemssen’s Cyclopedia, xvii.)
6. The following is the Report of Committee appointed to investigate the action of the vapours of bisulphide of carbon and chloride of sulphur on sight and health. A mixture of chloride of sulph. and bisulph. of carb. is used in rubber factories and gives off much vapour. The two substances act in the same way; it anything the bisulph. is most powerful. The earliest and most constant symptom is a severe heavy pain in forehead or temples, the head feeling as it compressed in a vice or supporting a heavy weight. The earliest symptoms of the stage of exaltation are loquacity, vertigo, feeling of drunkenness on going from shop to open air. Temper irritable, spirits variable, hilarity alternating with dejection. Appetite enormously increased, often excessive sexual excitement. Objects seem veiled in a mist, this sometimes relieved by taking food. Some who had vertigo complained of constantly seeing an open hole close to them into which they were afraid of falling. Hearing impaired. General hyperaesthesia of integument sometimes. In the stage of depression, appetite fails, insomnia and sleep disturbed by distressing dreams, spirits dejected, indifferent to surrounding circumstances. Memory fails, shown by forgetfulness of words when talking. The hyperaesthesia of skin is replaced by loss of sensation in limbs, often reaching to groin and deltoids-not affecting trunk. Painful cramps, muscular weakness, especially of lower limbs, loss of sexual desire, sometimes complete anaphrodisia. Fingers seem stiff, awkward and numb. Appearance of fog before eyes and dimness, most observed in daylight. Pupils dilated but active In some there is pallor of disease and even loss of definition of margins. These symptoms increase in severity if patient remain at work, the loss of memory becomes absolute the muscular weakness so great patient cannot stand without support. Improvement commences when patient is removed, but is slow. The most intractable symptoms were the anaphrodisia and weakness of lower limbs. (Trans. of Ophthal. Soc. of U. K., v, 157. 1885.)
7. James W. M.-, aet 20, had worked for 10 months in “casing room” of an india-rubber factory, exposed to vapour from bisul carb., 32 parts, chloride of sulph. 1 part, for 4 or 5 hours daily. After 3 or 4 months health began to fail, weakness of limbs and nausea. Headache as if head opened and shut, once free epistaxis, numbness. The weeks before admission to hospital found when riding on omnibus could not see people on pavement. Next day could only read with difficulty, since then sight became worse. V. with each eye separately 5/70, reads 12 J. badly at 6″, not improved by glasses, can distinguish blue and yellow but not red and green. no medicine, only constant current employed. After 22 months sight improved and could recognise red and green. Had ill- defined scotoma for red a little to the outer side of centre in each field. (NETTLESHIP, Ibid., v. 149.)
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.