Patient recovered health and strength, yet after this was often subject to nervous ailments, and became sensibly affected not only by smell of paints, but even handling of some kinds of metallic inodorous bodies gave him anxiety, tremors, faintings, and many other uneasy symptoms. (MOUNSEY, Phill. Trans., i, 19).
22. C. S.-, aet.18, a copper-plate printer, was admitted July 3rd, complaining of severe colic. He stated that while sitting reading on the previous evening he was suddenly attacked with acute pain in abdomen; he felt “just as if someone had struck him violently in the belly. ” The pain, which he described as a “dead pain, increasing every now and then, ” had lasted 14 hours; it was increased by pressure,; bowels acting; felt very sick. Had peculiar sallow, almost clay-coloured complexion, and anxious expression; lips livid and eyes sunken; tongue tolerably clean, but round gums is characteristic purple line of copper poisoning. He has been a copper-plate printer for 2 years; in cleaning the plates he inhaled a good deal of greenish dust-like verdigris. He had two similar attacks before this; the 1st, in October, lasted a fortnight, the other, a month ago, lasted 3 days. 7th. – Better; no more colic, only a little pain when bowels act (from medicine); face less sallow and anxious looking; purple line well marked. 10th. – Looks still better. On 14th dismissed cured, but line on gums still distinct. (HARLEY, Lancet, 1863, ii, 129.)
23. A patient came under my care with a dark green line on edge of gums, and a similar stain along at least half of each tooth. He was a coppersmith. His general symptoms, which were of a chronic character, were vertigo, gastrodynia, flatulence, dyspnoea, frequent vomiting, some degree of wasting, and a peculiar coppery taste; tongue moist and flabby, pulse hard and full. The workmen in the factory (15 besides himself) all complained of lassitude and giddiness, and a disinclination when not at work to take exercise or to go about. Some were exceedingly thin and pallid. All had a greenish stain on their teeth, varying from a light bright green to a dark greenish brown. Their perspiration had a bluish green tinge. (CLAPTON, Medorrhinum Times and Gaz., 1868, i, 658.)
24. A man, aet.33, employed at copper-smelting works, was admitted September 7th with circumscribed pain in epigastric region, frequent vomiting (especially after food), occasional haematemesis, loss of appetite, soreness of gums (which had a slight blue line apparent), and looseness of teeth. Had been ill for 6 months, and this was 2nd attack within 15 months. Has got much thinner, looks haggard, and feels very depressed. Under treatment he gradually improved, and was discharged convalescent in a fortnight. (Two other precisely similar cases follow.) (CAMERON, Ibid., 1870, i, 581.)
25. A man, aet.27, arrived in Boston November, 1855, and engaged himself to a coppersmith. About middle of March, 1856, he first noticed deviation from his uniformly good state of health; but some time previously he had occasionally noticed peculiarly sweetish taste in mouth, and slight constriction in fauces, with sense of nausea. Symptoms of which he now complained were, peculiar sense of weight, weakness and oppression in epigastric region, disagreeable and nauseous taste in mouth, failure of appetite, constipation, ultimately becoming very obstinate, general languor and prostration. These symptoms were soon followed by cardialgia, morbid sensibility of epigastrium and hypochondria, sinking, disposition to remove some offending substance from stomach (without nausea), and epigastric palpitation. These were soon followed by neuralgic pains in various parts of body, paroxysms varying in intensity and duration, more persistent in head and hips than elsewhere; great weakness of hips and lower extremities; giddiness; numbness of different parts of arms and legs, which under certain circumstances was attended by intense pricking pains in various parts of body; peculiar sensation of right hand and forearm, consisting in sense of constriction and of great increase of size, it seeming to him at times to be larger than his whole body, and its motions not fully under the control of his will; also a difficulty in urinating, consisting in a painful inability, requiring considerable time and effort to relieve the bladder; shortness of breath; occasional paroxysms of coughing unattended with any physical signs of disease of lungs; great wakefulness; profuse night sweats; rapid emaciation; and great depression of spirits. When first seen (May 17th) he presented no striking indications of illness except some pallor and thinness of face, but he detailed the above symptoms. Tongue was coated with a light brown or cream-coloured fur, except edges and tip, which were clean and of pale red colour, whole tongue being moist. Gums were lax and spongy for about 3/16 in. from teeth through nearly whole extent; he had occasionally spit blood from mouth, especially on rising in morning. Pupils abnormally, dilated, insensible to strong light. Pulse 58 – 62, moderately full and regular, but weak. The sponge gums were so retracted from teeth as to leave a narrow bevelled surface through their whole extent, and on this was a delicate shade of red purple. (SALTER, Bost. Medorrhinum and Surg. journ., iv, 121.)
26. The watch manufacturers at Besancon, who continually handle gold and copper, are very liable to phthisis. The symptoms the men suffer form are, – paroxysms of fear, pulse frequent, skin hot, throat dry; most of them complain of pain in epigastrium, in region of kidneys, and in head; many suffer from indigestion and diarrhoea; and others have feeling of constriction and acute pain in throat. Teeth are in all such cases coloured more or less green and almost bronzed. These symptoms are especially striking in the apprentices, who are almost exclusively occupied in filling copper. In many cases the symptoms take a severe form; acute colics, fever, burning thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea or obstinate costiveness, are observed. Nutrition also is mostly impaired, muscles are badly developed, complexion haggard, look miserable.
The continual absorption of small doses of C., and its local and direct action, the frequent repetition of toxic and febrile symptoms, and the cachexia at last produced by it, are the causes of the prevalence of consumption among these men. (PERRON, Medorrhinum Times and Gaz., 1861, ii, 488.)
27. Copper produces in the worker in it a form of enteritis, of which the chief symptom is a colic with remissions. The workman bends himself double to relieve it; the belly is tender on pressure; there is headache and inclination to vomit, diarrhoea or constipation; vomit consists of bilious fluid, first stools are often green; fever is frequent, there is often lassitude. (BLANDET, Gaz. Med, 1845.)
28. J. MD -, aet.17, had been employed for 2 1/2 year in a Venetian blind manufactory to mix “Olympian green” – which is carbonate of copper – with turpentine, and to remove the paint from old blinds with sand -paper. His skin has a pale chlorotic look, and the gums round the incisors, canines, and bicuspids, especially of lower jaw, are a bright maroon colour. The gums are somewhat retracted and slightly ulcerated. There is great emaciation and weakness but no local palsy. For last 6 mos. he has only had one stool a week, and has been seized every 3 or 4 day with fits of fierce pain round navel, relieved b pressure and disappearing by stool. With the pain in loathing of food and occasional vomiting. He is distressed with a constant cough, but there is no evidence of tubercular or other disease in lungs. He suffers much from chilliness, almost amounting to ague fits, which sitting by the fire does not relieve, but it brings on weakening sweats. (MAPOTHER, Medorrhinum, Press and circular, 1870, i, 465.).
29. MAISONNEUVE states that working in pure metallic copper without heat causes no bad symptoms; but in heated rooms particles of oxide and cupric salts in the air may cause disturbance. The symptoms he has observed are,- very intense dyspnoea with laryngeal and bronchial spasm; colic, which may be accompanied by vomiting or diarrhoea; pain in upper and middle abdominal region increased by pressure, sometimes limited to pit of stomach, sometimes a little lower down; occasionally some fever. The attack is genially over by the next morning, rarely extending over 2 or 3 day (Arch. de Medicine Navale, January., 1865.)
30. From chronic poisoning with C. SCHOLITZER reports complete lameness of right hand; right arms inconstant pronation, hand bent at right table to arm, thumbs drawn into palm, fingers flexed; motion of elbow remains good, but in hand, especially in joints of fingers, extension is impossible and flexion only partial; upper extremities much emaciated, right more than left right hand nothing but skin and bone. (Deutsche Klin., 1859, p. 194).
31. Some people on board the “Vestal”had been taken suddenly ill. On 6th one man was seized in an instant with dulness, stupidity, and headache; he fell down and struggled so hard that it required six men to hold him; he shortly became delirious and behaved in the most extravagant manner. On 7th several more men were seized, and on 8th to the number of 16 more. They are all at times outrageous and mad, they snap with their teeth at those who hold them and struggle very much. On fancies himself a captain and gives orders accordingly; a second calls out, “Ground ivy to sell; ” a third, “Old chairs to mend; ” one spits in your face and laugh; on is very merry an sings; his neighbor is surly and ill-natured; and another mopes in a corner, stupid and insensible. They all have their lucid intervals, and they complain of pains in the bones and of headache. Pulse during the fit is full, quick, and strong; then sweat breaks out and it becomes soft; their eyes appear red and inflamed; their looks are wild, their speech incoherent; they sleep little. None complain of gripes and few of nausea. At the first several vomited, but no immediate relief followed. The people are chiefly seized after dinner. The whole recovered in 2 or 3 days. Dr. R – attributes these attacks to the copper vessels used in cooking their food. A few months afterwards the like malady prevailed in the “Adventure” and was attended by the same odd symptoms. The copper vessels were found to be very foul, and on remedying that fault the disease stopped and about 15 who were seized with it recovered. (RAMSAY, Medorrhinum Obs. and Eng., ii, I.).
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.