10. Two men got every morning and afternoon a decoction of 1 1/2 oz. coffee beans (roasted), which was double the strength of their ordinary drink. The effect was, urea diminished, quantity of urine passed increased, increase of heart’s action, quick pulse, excitement, perspirations, anxiety, vertigo, faintness, and sleep disturbed by disagreeable confused dreams. (Dr. J. LEHMANN in BRILL, Das Kan, 82.)
11. It will perhaps be remembered that several years ago I published some accounts of a peculiar characteristic symptom of coffea which had not been recorded as pathogenetic, namely: “Terrible toothache, relieved only by cold water held in the mouth – aggravated by everything else. ” I have frequently verified this symptoms in practice, and so have many of my colleagues. I now have the pleasure of recording a case of poisoning by coffee, where this symptoms in practice, and so have many of my colleagues. I now have the pleasure of recording a case of poisoning by coffee, where this symptom was the most severe and persistent of all its effects. Mr. W -, a young lawyer, wishing to perform an important mental labour in writing, drank 1 cup of intensely strong coffee without milk or sugar about 8 p. m., After writing several hours he was seized with such an intense pain in the teeth of the right lower jaw (not decayed) that it drove him nearly crazy. He came to my office after midnight to get some relief. He had already observed that no application relieved the pain but cold water. So soon as the water became warmed in the mouth the pain returned. Not knowing that he had taken a poisonous quantity of coffee. I give him coffea 3, but to my surprise he came back in the morning reporting no relief. I then gave coffea 200, but no relief came in six hours. Then he told me about his coffee poisoning. Electricity was tried, and gave relief for several hours after the first application, but subsequent applications were of no benefit. He then tried a variety of nostrums for several day but none gave more than temporary alleviation. I gave him nux vom. and cham. to antidote the coffee, and pulsate. for “relieved by cold drinks” (see Hull’s fahr), but no benefit accrued. The odontalgia gradually wore away in a week, leaving him so nervous and shattered that he was fully convinced that coffee was really a potent poison. We have now the necessary evidence corroborative of the power of coffee to cause and cure this kind of dentalgia (E.M.HALE, Hahn., Monthly, ix, 465.)
12. Drinking coffee to excess each time produces more or less of the following primary symptoms: – Great loquacity; his brain feels clear and is active; he feels strong enough to do anything; feels impelled to push things; wants to keep going ahead and doing something; veneration for the Supreme Being and love for family; desire to perform good deeds intensified (benevolence excited)l; stinging pain in locality of amativeness on left side; pulse full and frequent. Then the following secondary symptoms: – Sensation of heaviness in the forehead over the eyes, and cold clammy perspirations all over the body, but chiefly in the palms of the hands; feet and hands cold; on account of easy perspiration chilliness and shivering from the least exposure to cold air; chilliness general shaking and chattering of the teeth; cannot get warm; the chills ascends from the fingers and toes to the nape of the neck, and thence to the vertex; when chilly, cayenne pepper taken internally produces general warmth and makes him feel fearless and courageous; vertigo with whirling sensation in the head, occasioning a general faint feeling, with aggravation when thinking-has to banish reflection; with vertigo burning in the stomach; vertigo partially relieved by a change of position, and general amelioration of systems from moderate out-door exercise; on going to sleep starts up suddenly in affright with groans and fear of falling, or of some impending danger; great sleeplessness from mental and nervous excitability; timidity and fear of sudden death, this fear sometimes occasions trembling from head to foot; muscular jerking; jerking of limbs; great lassitude and general debility; pulse variable, often weak and almost imperceptible, sometimes intermitting; sensation of heaviness in cardiac region; frequent micturition; profuse and colourless urine; at close of micturition a slight milky discharge (probably prostatic),
attended with a smarting or burning sensation at orifice of urethra; afterwards cutting pains below the bladder, in sphincter vesicae or region of prostate gland; great fulness in epigastrium and partial loss of appetite; cold water and cold food aggravate the distress in the epigastrium and left chest; left side generally affected; constipation only when drinking coffee. (H. V. MILLER, N. A. f. of H., N. S., iv, 87.)
13. When I drink 2 cups more than usual I feel weakened, ebullition in the hypochondria, trembling in limbs, vertigo, and a kind of intolerable fearfulness. (ZIMMERMANN, Von der Erfahrung, p. 577, quoted by Wibmer.)
14. After drinking several cups of strong coffee in afternoon I had restlessness, heat, tendency to tremble, palpitation of heart and sleeplessness, lasting till midnight. (HOFFMANN, Medorrhinum rat. sys., iv, pt. i. p. 209, quoted by Wimber.).
Poisonings
1. A man aet.66, who never took wine but consumed coffee in large quantities, latterly to the extent of 30 cups per diem, had, after some gouty symptoms with great prostration and weakness, a fully-developed attack of delirium tremens, which was cured by laudanum 5 dr. every 2 hours (HORING, Medorrhinum Correspondenzbl. d. wurtemb, arztl. Verbascum, left, 204, quoted in Frank’s Mag., 68).
2. An unmarried woman, aet. 27, whose menses had not appeared for 2 months, boiled 1 1/2 oz. of green coffee beans in 1.1/2 pints of water for 3 hours. This she drank on going to bed at night. She repeated this for 3 successive night. After the 3rd dose she was forced to call in the doctor at midnight. He found the following state: – She has an expression of the greatest anxiety, walks up and down room without resting, though her arms and legs tremble and feel as though they would beak at every step., still she walks easily though unsteadily. She has a waxy pale complexion. She sometimes feels flushes of heat, at others like a cool air blowing on back; this is followed by hot rushes of blood to head, though cheeks are not much reddened. She feels terribly tired and prostrated. She did not sleep on either of the 2 previous night after taking the decoction, nor can she sleep to-day though feeling great need for sleep, on account of all sorts of thoughts chasing one another through her brain. Bits of poetry and verses from the Prayer-book occur to her. In her head she feels as if its contents went slowly round, first in one direction and then in another, and along with this there is a continual ringing in ears. A lump of lead appears to her to be nailed on to the parietal bones. Every movement of the head aggravates its symptoms. There is a mistiness before the eyes. She cannot bear candle light, its flame seems surrounded by a broad dim halo, and it causes her a painful pressure between eyebrows. the conjunctiva palpebrum is slightly reddened, especially at edges of lids, the conjunctivae bulbi slightly injected in canthi and around cornea. Cornea dull, iris contracted but movable, blue rings round eyes. Ringing in ears. She is painfully affected by every step and every word spoken by others. She feels best when there is absolute quiet. The face is much swollen, of a waxy-yellowish hue, like that of a dropsical person. Lips and tongue pale as in anaemia, at same time dry. Taste in mouth and throat like that of some soporific powder she once took (opium?), disgusting, making her feel faint. Loathing of every sort of food; the only thing she likes is water in small quantities. Nausea and inclination to vomit. Distension which compels her to open her dress. The gastric region is much distended and projecting, filled with flatulence, extremely tender to touch, less so to pressure. Painfulness of hypochondria, belly feels alternately warm and cold, rumbling that causes heat and compels her to bend forward and lay her hand on it. The abdomen is tympanitic, the hepatic region very tender. After the 1st dose she had a copious motion, nothing since then. Frequent urging to urinate with discharge of scanty pale urine, accompanied by disagreeable tickling. Spasmodic feeling deep in uterine region which she cannot further describe. She feels as if something would force its way outwards but cannot on account of its always causing spasm. Palpitation of heart, a trembling vibration is perceptible to others. Fresh air relieved he a little. The doctor treated her with cold water outside and inside, and gave her 1/2 a gr. of opium in 6 doses, and she soon recovered. (KAPPER, Zeitsch. f. hom. Kl., iv, 194.)
3. A female servant, aet. 27, drank on Sunday in 1 hour 32 cups of coffee made out of 4 oz. of coffee beans. When she had drunk the greater part she felt ill, went out, vomited a little with difficulty, then she swallowed a glass of brandy with carraway seeds, and then drank the remaining cups. She now felt intolerable heat, the blood rushed to her head, and she broke out in general perspiration. She threw off he upper garments and stood for some time in a drought of air. She became very giddy and was put to bed. At 10 p. m. she had intense fever, great head, violent headache, spasmodic contraction in throat, rattling respiration, and could not speak. She was somewhat relieved by a few spoonfuls of vinegar and cold water, but passed a restless and sleepless night. Next morning great vertigo, shooting pains in abdomen, great urging to urinate with inability to pass a drop. Blood-letting and calomel. The headache and pain in belly lessened, the urinary difficulty remained the same,, the hypogastrium was swollen, tense, and painful. On the 3rd day she went to a midwife and had the urine drawn off. Seen by the doctor on the 5th day. Abdomen swollen and hard, especially in vesical region where it was very sensitive. A pain, which was quite independent of external pressure, in the left upper part of abdomen, close pendent of external pressure, in the left upper part of abdomen, close below the spleen; no appetite, stomach painful to pressure, food caused nausea. She was weak and disinclined for work, but there was no fever. There was great ischuria, she could hardly pass any urine, only a few drops after repeated attempts, accompanied by burning and pressure in bladder, urethra, and genitals. Well in a weak. (TROSCHEL, Medorrhinum Zeit. v. Verein f. Heilk. in Preussen, 1843, No 21, p. 92, from Frank’s Mag., i, 41.)
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.