10. A lady and her 4 daughter partook of soup cooked in a copper vessel. After 2 hours all five were attacked with violent and horrible pains in stomach, followed by violent convulsions affecting chiefly the abdomen and extremities. They then screamed
loudly, like howling or the croaking of fronts. They raised themselves up in bed, and their movement should not be restrained by strong attendants. Their reason was quite deranged, they appeared frightened and endeavored to escape, their eyes sparkled and seemed to be coming out of their head. They had a wild look. The attacks were so frequent as to be almost continuous. When one was attacked, as soon as the others heard her screams they became furious and were attacked in the same way. Th mother and youngest daughter recovered nearly completely, but their abdomen remained painful, hard, and tense, their stomach remained weak, and they had constant pains between the shoulders, in elbows, hough, etc. with relaxed state of all limbs. Their look is distraught, but their intellect and speech normal. But they are still subject to fits, which come on quite unexpectedly. (COSNIER, four. de Medorrhinum, iii, part 4,263. 1755.)
11. A lady partook of some food seasoned with pepper which had been pulverized in a mortar which had been used for pounding blue vitriol and not properly cleansed. She complained of colic and anxiety, woke at midnight feeling a if stiff all over, hands, cold, face swollen, red, with large drops of perspiration on it, eyes straining and dim, tongue swollen, stiff, and as if paralysed, pulse full and hard, breathing short and laboured. An emetic was administered. After vomiting several times she complained of dreadful burning and cutting in abdomen, precordial anxiety and throbbing and roaring in head; extreme want of power of collecting thoughts, she spoke much nonsense. She got milk to drink; At 4 a. m., fell asleep and woke somewhat relieved and could think better, but next day could not hold up her head nor stand on her feet, and felt burning, cutting pains in bowels. It was the 3rd on before she old go about alone. (WILLICH, Baldinger’s neues Mag. f. Aerzte, vii, part 2, 118.)
12. May 22nd, at 5 p. m., I was called in haste to see the family of Mr.B–. Finding 5 or 6 patients ill, with vomiting and other violent symptoms, I at once inquired what articles had been eaten at dinner. at once inquired what articles had been eaten at dinner. Was informed that nothing more than usual was taken except a dessert of cream-puffs, which had been purchased of a confectioner that day. It was afterwards fully proven, as then suspected, that these cream – puffs had been cooked in proven, as then suspected, that these cream – puffs had been cooked in a copper kettle not thoroughly cleansed. In all there were over 30 persons affected by eating them; all violently, in the same manner, and with no perceptible difference in those who had eaten but a part of one. Mr. B-‘ family dined at 2 p. m. The poison manifested itself in the younger children as early as 3:30, but by 6 p. m. all were suffering violently, except 2 young ladies who had eaten the dessert, and who escaped with only a taste of copper in the mouth and some pain in the lips. The symptoms of the other 12 were as follows: – Violent vomiting of greenish water, coming on suddenly, and attended by copious greenish diarrhoea, and violent pain in bowels; feeling as if intestines were drawn into knots, in most cases continuous, in some paroxysmal, with inclination to draw knees up, and press hard upon bowels. With 3 of them this vomiting and diarrhoea became bloody, excessively bloody in one instance, though these 3 had but little pain in bowels, and much more cramping in limbs. In 2 cases (children) stools were involuntary during collapse; one of them bloody, the other not. The majority of them had involuntary passage of urine. The vomiting was attended in each case by burning nausea arising from stomach to throat. Even the children complained of this. After the above symptoms had continued for from 30 to 60 morning, they sank into a semi- unconscious state, voice very faint, eyes half open, fixed, glassy, not sensitive to light, pulse very weak, in some quickened, in others slow, difficult to arouse, and when aroused, complaining of cold and of violent pain in the abdomen, the older being aroused by nausea to vomit, the younger vomiting without arousing, frequent singultus, often loud enough to be heard all over the house, the patients being unconscious. In one case the vomiting was followed immediately by a succession of sharp cramping spasms in the chest, causing the young lady to scream out. During this collapse the patients were covered with a cold clammy sweat especially on the forehead, but would lie quietly, only moaning-cheeks and eyes sunken, bluish hue of face, and lower jaw hanging down. This stage lasted from 1 to 3 hours, and was followed by reaction; the patients still complaining, however, of occasional severe pain in bowels, and vomiting. Now thirst appeared, and a I permitted ice, they ate it continually without any bad effects, though the stomach ejected everything else. It did not allay the vomiting, however. As the pulse rose and they became warm, violent cramping, paroxysmal, in the calves appeared – in two cases drawing one limb sideways and backwards, but always relieved by rubbing. They opened their eyes, the body became warm, and they rested quietly, but not asleep. Throughout the whole attack, with the exception of the lady who had the spans of the chest, there was not the least restless-they seeming too weak to move a finger. From this time the danger seemed to have passed, though some of th symptoms remained for several day, as, for example, taste of copper; occasional cramp in bowels; in one case, vomiting of what had been eaten for breakfast, though at no other time; weakness and pain (aching) in limbs; no movement of bowels (in any) for 6 or 7 day; very great desire for acids, they want nothing else; and, of course, great exhaustion. There was one characteristic symptom experienced by every one, from commencement of attack to time of collapse, namely, severe pressing pain from temples in a straight line to angles of lower jaw, as if a stick or splint were on each side, crushing face inwards. Equally marked was the burning and nausea arising from stomach to throat. One adult lady had, when first attacked, an uncontrollable desire for camphor, to which she had always heretofore, been peculiarly average. The collapse in this same lady lasted for several hours, and she say that the only thing she remembers during that time is an imaginary slight of her physician. The severe symptoms seem to have all passed off in about 10 day, leaving the patients in their usual health again. (C. W.BREYFOGLE, M. D., Medorrhinum Inv., viii, 481.)
13. Woman, aet.18, was brought into hospital January 24th, having swallowed solution of sulphate on 18th. In 5 morning she had vomited, and then took slat and water, which promoted the vomiting considerably; throat became very painful and felt burnt, and abdomen was swollen tender, and painful. She passed a good night, but next day had constant pain in region of stomach, and vomited everything, solid and liquid; there was also some diarrhoea. The vomiting diarrhoea and abdominal pain continued till day or admission, when she was suffering chiefly from exhaustion; she had some pain in abdomen, and unpleasant coppery taste in mouth, nausea without vomiting, and diarrhoea; tongue white and furred; general exsanguined state of surface; pulse 150. After treatment, she lost by 27th all pain save headache, and recovered appetite. (TODD, Lancet, 1841-2, ii, 145.)
14. Woman, aet.28, swallowed, October 20th, large dose of verdigris. Very shortly afterwards she was seized with great anxiety, vomiting, acute pains and swelling of abdomen, sensation of burning heat in throat, coldness and severe cramp in extremities, oppressed pulse, swelling of face, sparkling eyes. Had an emetic. On 21st, at 2 a. m., deglutition very painful; hardness and swelling of neck; abdomen tympanitic, and painful on least pressure; countenance heavy; face flushed, pulse oppressed. Deglutition became more painful during day; mucous membrane of mouth altered in appearance in several places; stiffness and swelling of neck notably increased; face and eyelids swollen and red, eyes prominent; abdomen flattened, but extremely sensitive, and rectum so painful that she could not bear an injection. On 22nd, tendency to coma was observed. Face was pale; lips swollen; gums ulcerated; copious discharge of viscid saliva. Neck had become softer, and man ecchymosed spots wear observed on it. Copious stool, first since poisoning; some blood which was drawn showed inflammatory coat. She had several spasmodic fits. On 23rd, a quantity of viscid glairy matter was vomited, of greenish colour and tinged with blood; she suffered also occasionally from spasmodic attacks. On 24th, epistaxis and general cramps came on and stool and urine were completely suppressed. P. M., whole body became cold, and convulsions supervened, which lasted till evening but abated on occurrence of free evacuations by stool and urine. On 25th, she was somewhat better and able to pronounce a few words. On 26th, ulcers of mouth began to heal. On 27th, she vomited some greenish, glairy matters, but from this date gradually amended, though complaining occasionally of epigastric uneasiness. (GUILLO, Journ, des Conn. Medorrhinum Chir., 1843).
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.