Similar symptoms continued to recur for some day later. ( Am. Journ of Hom. Mat, Medorrhinum, May, 1875.).
Poisonings.
1. Dr. Bazire, having undoubted confidence in ch., gave his wife, when attacked by intermittent fever, 16 grm. in short space of time. She fell soon into stupor with weight in head, swimming, dimness of sight, deafness, &c., and difficulty in moving. He now gave her 35 grm., on which previous symptoms increased with frightful rapidity; she became entirely deaf and blind, respiration was much embarrassed, pulse poor, skin cold. Being at this time himself threatened with the fever, he took within a short time 60 grm. by mouth and rectum. Same symptoms appeared as in his wife; he rapidly lost sight and hearing; respiration was frequent and shallow, as in pneumonia; pulse small and irregular; limbs icy cold. In spite of this he continued to take drug, and in 8-9 days had consumed 3v. Dr. Reveillon, then called, found him covered with cold sweat; completely deaf and blind; breathing difficult and rattling; stupor profound; he looked in face like a man dead drunk. When he could be made to hear, he answered rationally; but soon delirium supervened, breathing became more embarrassed, and he died. An autopsy could not be obtained. Mad. B -, released by her husband’s illness from further poisoning, recovered slowly, with impaired sight and hearing for a long time. (GUERSANT, L’Hom. Mil.,1878, p. 485.)
2. Man, aet. 45 – 50, took by accident 3 iij in solution at 6 a. m., and went for walk. An hour later felt uneasy in stomach and head, as if intoxicated; little by little his strength left him; sense of turning in head increased; he had nausea and cardialgia. He persisted in his walk, but malaise grew insupportable; he fell and lost consciousness. He was taken to a house and after some hours came to himself and was brought home. Seen at 2 p. m. he was found lying supine, motionless, face pale, lips and fingers slightly livid, extremities cold. Temperature of whole body was subnormal; breathing slow and interrupted by sighs; slight syncope from time to time; pulse regular, but slow and extremely small, hardly perceptible; heart – beats corresponding; pupils very dilated; sight and hearing quite extinct; voice very feeble; great thirst; tongue not dry, but pale at edges and coated white in centre; breath nearly cold. Under warmth and stimulants he gradually recovered. ((GIACOMETTI, Ann. Univ. di Medorrhinum, xlvii, 389.)
3. Man took dose of 3 grm. to avert a periodic asthma. Some hours after tinnitus, stunned feeling, vertigo, and horrible vomitings. Seen 7 hours after he was found blind and deaf, “Dr. Meniere has seen persons who, after the long-continued use of Ch. in strong doses, have had tinnitus for years. He cites also a case of a child which became deaf after taking it, remained so for years, and could not be completely cured.” (See also Bailly, Gaz. Medorrhinum de Paris, 1850. Koch finds in such cases the membrana tympani of a tendinous whiteness, apparently the result of chronic inflammation and thickening. Berl. kl. Woch., Dec. 5, 1881.) Dr.van Buren reports an amblyopia of three weeks” duration, and quite intractable, after 4 gr. doses every 4h. for a week(N.Y.Journ. of Medorrhinum, vi, 8i) delirious, unable to walk for giddiness, vomiting constantly. Symptoms gradually subsided during n. (TROUSSEAU and PIDOUC, Opium cit.)
4. The disturbances of vision have been carefully described by von Graefe. After small doses, photophobia, as well as temporary amblyopia, is frequently observed. Under continued use of larger doses, however, graver disturbances of function occasionally show themselves, which may persist for a long time and obstinately resist treatment. Thus, a man to cure an intermittent took ch. in increasing doses till he had swallowed 30 grm. While dose was being increased one third daily, weakness of vision appeared in r. eye, followed in a few days by complete blindness, left eye remaining healthy. Nothing abnormal was revealed by ophthalmoscope 3 mos. later, but quantitative appreciation of light had disappeared from right eye. As v. Graefe regarded disturbance of the intracranial circulation as the cause of the affection, blood was drawn from temple. quantitative appreciation of light first returned, motion of hand could next be appreciated, and after some time eye returned to its normal condition. In another case, in which 1.8 grm. was taken daily for same purpose, and in which bilateral amblyopia of high degree appeared, full power of vision returned spontaneously in left eye, but right regained only power of reading large print.
5. Large doses often dim sight and sometimes cause temporary blindness. I have noticed on some occasions that the defect of vision is strangely limited to one eye or begins first in one eye. the pupil of the affected eye is very generally dilated, and sometimes to an extreme extent. After 10 gr. doses ophthalmoscopic examination found “in I 1/2 h. disc and retina both very anaemic; disc looks dry, and vessels running over it smaller than usual.” In 2 1/2 H. “both sides now decidedly paler than last time”(NICOL and MOSSER Brit. and For. Medorrhinum Ch.Rev., 1872, i,203). Dr.Hammond has obtained opposite results. In a man who had taken 10 gr., retina and tympanum were found sharing in hyperaemia of external parts; and in a cinchonised rabbit the same condition was seen in the brain, when a hole was made in the cranium(see Brit. Medorrhinum Journ., Jan. 8, 1876). Koch also finds congestion and haemorrhage in the ears of small animals poisoned by it(Berl. klix. Woch., Dec. 5, 1881). (RINGER, Opium cit)
6. In 1858 Gubler observed that after taking a full dose of quinia, he experienced tinnitus in the left ear only, and this effect recurred on several occasions. It then occurred to him that he was at the same time suffering from hemicrania of the opposite side, an affection to which he was subject, and he suspected that the vascular congestion of this side might have prevented the toxical effects of the quinine from being developed. (STILLE, op. cit.)
7. a gentleman, after a thorough wetting during a fire at a theater, was taken with inflammation of right great toe. Physician pronounced it gout, from which patient had never suffered; and ordered leeches and various remedies without effect. At last, thinking he saw something periodic about it (which patient could not confirm), he gave Ch. Scarcely had a few gr. been taken, when attack of fever in due form supervened, violent chill, followed by heat and copious sweat; it returned next m. at same hours (though no more drug had been taken), but was slighter, and next day only traces of it were felt. “Similia similibus,”exclaimed the patient; but the physician would not admit it. However, the toe was no better. (HYGEA, xvii, 301.) [*”M.Piorry formally denies that Ch. produces intermittent fever in healthy persons. However singular this effect may seem, we can assure him that we have seen several instances of it, and we are happy to be able to cite in support of our ascertain the authority of M. Gondorp, one of our most distinguished military surgeons. The result of the experiments which he has made on himself is that Ch. excites on the healthy body genuine attacks of intermittent fever”(AUBER, Revue, Medicale, 1840, i, 461*].
8. The quinine fever has been observed by M. Geurard, member of the council of Health. This distinguished practitioner has informed me that he once received into the wards of the Hospital St. Antoine at Paris a workman in a quinine factory. he was the subject of a tertian fever, against which Ch. failed completely. He was then given salicine with perfect success. (GUERSANT, L’Hom. Mil., 1879, p. 362.)
9. A girl, aet. 7, who had frequently suffered from intermittent fever, had a tertian. comatose symptoms supervening with each paroxysm, Ch. was prescribed, a gr. every 2 hours during the apyrexia. the child took the Ist and 2nd powder without inconvenience, but had hardly taken the 3rd when there occurred suddenly shivering and chill for 15 or 20 m., then heat extending over whole body, which passed off in 1/2 hour with gentle perspiration so that patient could leave her bed. After every succeeding powder same symptoms set in. Reporter witnessed next day one of the attacks (which was slighter than those of previous d.). the patient was pale and complained of chill and
shivering; lips and nails became bluish; pulse spasmodically contracted, but little altered as to frequency. This state continued perhaps 15 m., when a moderate general heat followed; face and lips grew red again, pulse stronger and fuller; patient often longed for drink; at last general perspiration appeared, and in 3/4 hour the little girl was quite well again. The expected paroxysm set in at the right time, but was slighter and without coma. The powders were continued; and the bark fever occurred after each, but slighter, till from the next m. they ceased entirely. The intermittent paroxysm also did not return. (HIRSCHEL, Hufeland’s Journ., vol. Ixi.).
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.