9. A somewhat corpulent woman of 33, habits not strictly temperate, took at 11 p. m. one Thursday nearly 3j of tinct. Within 3 hours she experienced severe pain in stomach, with vomiting, first of food, then of thick bile; thereupon followed bilious diarrhoea, stools growing thinner, and mixed with small white membranous fragments. This continued more or less all night. On Friday morning patient complained of numbness in feet and hands. To this succeeded a pricking feeling, as if (so she expressed it) they had been. All joints of fingers and toes, and also wrists and ankles, were very painful, and toes and fingers were painfully flexed at times. Pain in shoulder-joints succeeded, and, on Saturday, in hips and loins. It was also increased in intensity, so that she said she thought she should go mad. Ultimately almost all the bones and joints were affected with pains, which were of a gnawing dragging character. Just before these symptoms were at their height very profuse sweats came on, and were of a very sour odour. I may mention that to the pains in the joints were added, on Sunday morning, great stiffness and pain in back of neck and occiput, which was aggravated by moving head; there was also a feeling as of something tightly bound round head; and on moving tongue and in swallowing she experienced sharp pain about root of tongue. She asked me if she had not got rheumatic fever. The pain in the joints continued exceedingly severe long after vomiting and purging had ceased; it was still so on Tuesday. (HENDERSON, Lond. Medorrhinum Gaz., 1838-9).
10. Six persons drank from a bottle containing tinct. sem. colch. under the impression that it was brandy and bitters. Two soon died after vomiting and purging. a. A boy, aet.15, was the following day in “a paralysed state” but quite conscious. Brought to the hospital his symptoms were: cold extremities, pulse weak, between 80 and 90; appearance of great suffering, face very pale, lips but slightly red, tongue normal. Abdomen fallen in, gastric region painful also to touch. Sensibility and motility normal. Expression of face showed great suffering, thighs drawn up, still inclined to vomit, great exhaustion, violent abdominal pains. consciousness clear, pupils normal, night very restless, repeated stool, no vomiting. Collapsed features, pulse scarcely to be felt or counted, quite cold extremities, sopor, death. P. M. – Sunken eyes, stomach filled with sour yellowish fluid, m. m. of cardia easily detached, gall- bladder full of urine, vena cava ascendance filled with thick, dark, cherry-coloured blood, right ventricle of heart full and left ventricle partially filled with dark blood, also large blood-vessels, cerebral membranes distended with blood, also vessels of cerebrum and cerebellum, sinuses unusually full.
10 b. A man, aet. 44, when admitted to hospital had marked paleness of face and of visible m. m., deep-lying dull eyes, expressive of great suffering, great collapse, temperature of skin diminished, skin feels moist and clammy like that of a cholera patient, pulse from 80 to 90, small and weak, abdomen flat, little pain when pressed strongly. Stools yellow, bloody, liquid; at night vomiting pulse 108, small, scarcely perceptible, irregular and intermitting, temperature of extremities lowered, abdomen slightly painful to pressure; suppression of urine for 24 hours, bladder not distended. No sleep, no appetite, much thirst, great prostration, headache all night, perfect consciousness, died at 1:45 p. m. P. M. – Stomach filled with a sour fluid like curdled milk; its blood-vessels full, kidneys congested, vena cava ascendent distended with thick, dark, cherry-coloured blood, heart distended with dark blood, cerebral membranes congested.
10 c. P. M. of man, aet.30, who was not observed during life. Stomach shows network of blood-vessels, its inner surface scarlet red, is distended with a sour greenish fluid, gall- bladder empty, on outside of small intestines numerous – coloured spots. Kidneys unusually full of blood, bladder contains about a tablespoonful of acid urine. Vena cava ascendent much distended with thick, cherry- red blood, right ventricle full of dark blood, very little in left ventricle. Cerebral membranes distended by blood, also substance of the brain, sinuses filled with dark blood.
10 d. A boy, aet. 14. Eyes stand open, bluish lips; small curvature of stomach with distended blood-vessels, stomach filled
with acid fluid, m. m. pale, its posterior surface presenting small purple spots; liver full of blood, gall-bladder full; both kidneys much congested, bladder filled with acid urine; vena cava ascendent filled with dark red blood, both ventricles of heart filled with dark blood, also great blood-vessels; cerebral sinuses filled with blood, cerebrum very full of blood. ( Casper’s Viertelj. f. gericht. Medorrhinum, vii, 1, 1854.).
Experiments on animals.
1. a. 30 dr. of a vinous infusion of C. diluted in 3j of water was injected into the jugular vein of a moderately-sized dog. The pulse was 140 in its natural state. In 5 morning dog had tremulous motion of muscles with fluttering of pulse, accompanied with nausea. In 14 morning p. 180, with frequent intermissions. In 4 hours p. 120, of natural strength and frequent intermissions. In 7 hours a natural motion; p. 140, no intermission. At end of 3 days same dog swallowed 60 dr. of same infusion. In 2 hours he was languid, pulse wiry and weak, 140. In 4 1/2 hours less languor, p. natural. In 8 hours natural motion, in 11 hours well.
1 b. Into the circulation of another dog 160 dr. of same infusion were injected. The animal instantly lost power of voluntary motion, respiration slow, and pulse hardly to be felt. In 10 morning pulse was 84; inspirations natural, 40. In 20 morning p. 60, inspirations 30, and a tremulous motion in hind legs. In 1 hour p. 115, irregular; animal in state of violent tremor, inspirations could not be counted. In 1 1/2 hour tremor gone; p. same; ineffectual attempts to vomit for 10 morning, accompanied with great languor. Inspirations 54. In 2 hours p. 150 very weak; 1.1/2 oz. urine voided, 2 liquid stools, and twice vomiting of a quantity of mucus tinged with bile. In 3 hours vomiting again, and another stool; p. too weak to be counted. In 4 hours very languid. In 5 hours vomited bloody mucus and died. On opening body stomach contained mucus tinged with blood, surface of duodenum was universally inflamed, less so that of jejunum and ileum, but that of colon more so than that of ileum. (Sir E. HOME, Philos. Trans., 1816, pp. 259, 263.).
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.