Experiments on animals.
I. Having tied the oesophagus of a healthy pigeon I injected 0.1 grm. of neutral acetate into crop, dissolved in 2 grm. of water. In few morning began violent oft-repeated retchings, and shivering all over body; soon after greenish-grey faeces passed; next straining to vomit, then more green faeces, quick respiration, growing constantly louder; violent shivering and wavering of whole body, till, in a few morning more, bird collapse; opened and shut mouth continually, with very laborious breathing; then died. P. M. – The crop, which contained some grains of tartar, had a blue fluid in it; a thin membrane of a greenish blue was easily drawn off from the under lying muscular coat; oesophagus coloured blue outside, and in glandular stomach there was a bluish-green greasy mass; intestines much reddened, vessels strongly injected, showing themselves dichotomous, on some spots red is dark lower intestines filled up with white greasy mass; kidneys distend with blood; liver brownish-red, very full of blood, as also lungs; spinal cord was affected, – at least hyperaemia of its sheath is unmistakable. A second pigeon which had 0.5 grm., exhibited similar symptoms. (KOCK, N. Z. f. h. Kl., xvii, Nos. 20, 21.)
2. Into another pigeon 1 grm. of same was injected in 15 grm. of water. Shortly commenced efforts at vomiting and convulsions, soon followed by actual vomiting. Breathing was quickened and distressed, audible; faeces as before; bird shivered, on ground, and jerked wings (apparently in convulsions); eyes were fixed, and head often quivered; 2 hours after administration, quite exhausted from want of breath, and shivering, it let its head sink and died. P. M. – Crop,
oesophagus, and stomach as in 1st case; m. m. of intestines quite eroded and soften, peeling off in bluish – green bits, especially in duodenum. Kidneys and liver hyperaemia; peritoneal coat of both greenish. Bronchial tubes look green, as well as their continuations in the lungs; inner surface of larynx much eroded, with bluish membrane sticking to walls. Blood-vessels of brain exhibited much blood, brain itself normal. Investing membrane of cord less full of blood than in others. Fluid dark red blood in heart. (Ibid.)
3. Another pigeon had 2 grm. in 18 grm. of water. After 5 morning breathing at once became difficult, so that whole body began to shiver; this grew worse and worse and bird seemed anxious to vomit, but did not succeed. Hard faeces then passed. It seemed catching at air, eyelids opened wide, with pupils fixed and motionless. The whole body shivered; convulsive twitching of muscles was perceptible, and also alternate dilatation and contraction o pupils; respiration kept getting weaker, muscles seemed quite paralysed. Pigeon fell on its side, and soon died. P. M.- Throat somewhat reddened, contained mucus; no alteration of m. m. of alimentary canal, but intestines covered internally with numerous dichotomized vessels. Kidneys, spleen, and liver full of dark blood, as also heart and lungs. Membranes of brain covered with vessels tolerably full; on cutting through brain specks of blood are seen, and sheaths of cord also contain much blood. (Ibid.)
4. a. A rabbit received subcutaneously 0.06 grm. in 6 grm. of water for 5 days, and 1 1/2 grm for 6 days more, without any symptoms. From 12th to 15th day 3 ctgrm. Animal has lost it sprightliness; it steps slowly and with difficulty, generally remaining sitting in one place, and seem to have lost appetite, while it drinks more. From 16th – 22nd day 6 ctgrm. Its pace becomes still more difficult, almost dragging hind feet; daily amount of urine diminished, and traces of copper discovered in it by testing; much thirst and sleepiness; sudden starting and shivering all over. For 2 days 12 ctgrm. daily. Extreme languor and emaciation; 2 boils; right hind foot drawn up spasmodically, left dragging behind; traces of albumen in urine, which is scanty. On 25th day 18th ctgrm Walking very wearisome; left fore foot drawn inwards and disabled; total loss of appetite; shivering all over; head always moving from before backwards; breathing very quick; faeces no loner compact and globular, but soft and long; albuminous urine. On 26th day 24 ctgrm. Animal lay prone; head sinks, but is raised now and then, only to fall back again; respiration very rapid, mechanical convulsive gasping; constant jerking and shivering of while body; eyes closed; no ruined. On 27th day I found it lying dead in same position only rather turned to right, in a semi-fluid green pus, which it had probably thrown up, whilst hind legs and belly were wet with liquid faeces.
4 b. P. M.- Muscles anaemic and thin; lungs hyperaemic in slight degree;heart full of clotted blood, with septum of left ventricle four times as thick as right; liver very large, full of blood, and very firm; gall bladder full and dark green; scalpel, in dividing liver, gave sensation as of being met with some resistance, with crackling feeling as if it were cutting through a number of slender threads. Stomach and intestines natural. Spleen small, very hyperaemic, and shaped like a leech; kidneys externally pretty large, not particularly full of blood when cut; under microscope urinary canals were filled with immense quantity of small granules, which was fattily-degenerated epithelium detached from canals. Members of cord somewhat hyperaemic, those of brain normal. (Ibid.)
5. A second rabbit was treated similarly, receiving on 20th day 24 ctgrm. Symptoms as before; want of breath now clearly indicated; thorax rises and falls so fast that it looks like a shivering of the whole body; head is raised and falls again to ground; right fore foot is stretched forwards; animal falls prone, rocks from side to side, and dies on left. amidst frequent jerkings. P. M. – Muscles as in first case; lungs in lower lobes normal, in upper externally dark red, almost brown; when cut through a little blood issued, but more froth and serous fluid; heart, in both ventricles and auricles, contained congested black blood, septum of left ventricle and auricles, contained congested black blood, septum of left ventricle notably thicker than that of right. Vessels of retina much injected. Stomach and intestines normal; liver, not particularly large or hyperaemic, showed as in first case, scalpel meeting with resistance in cutting it, with crepitation, so that organ must be considered “granulated; ” spleen somewhat larger than in first case. Membranes of cord were here also hyperaemic, and cord itself on section showed insignificant specks of blood. Kidneys somewhat large, but on section not so pale as in former case; still there was some evidence of fatty degeneration of cells in urinary canals. (Ibid.)
6. a. The general effect of C. is, as Orifla, Blake and Neebe found, especially exerted upon the muscles of the trunk and heat. Harnack obtained the following results from the introduction into the body of a double salt, the nitrate of copper oxide and of sodium, – this salt being chosen because it does not produce clotting of the blood in the vessels. In frogs subcutaneous injection of 0.0005 to 0.007 grm. was followed in a few hour by muscular paralysis preceded by trembling. Muscular irritability was entirely lost without rigor mortis setting in. In warm-blooded animals there is unsteadiness in gait, weakness, and finally complete paralysis. The pulsations of the heart and the respiratory movements become extraordinarily weak and slow, as if about to cease entirely; the pupils become dilated. Although direct muscular irritability; is destroyed, yet sensation and the functions of the central nervous system remain undiminished until death. Rabbits die after the subcutaneous injection of 0.5 grm, dogs from 0.4 grm; but when injected direct into blood, former die from 0.01 to 0.015 grm., latter from 0.025 grm. It is a curious fact, that whether the doubles salt or the albuminate were used, it was observed that even when injected directly into the (jugular) vein it was hours before the physiological effect manifested itself.
6 b. Since the direct introduction of this drug into the blood of dogs caused no vomiting, while the introduction of even small doses by the stomach did excite it (Dlitzky, Harnack), it seems probable that the emesis is the reflex result of the irritation of the nerves of the m. m. of the stomach. (NOTHNAGEL and ROSSBACH, op. cit., sub voce.)
7. Lauder Brunton and West (Barth. Hosp. Reports, 1876) have experimented to ascertain whether cupric salt cause vomiting by irritation of the stomach or of the vomitive centre in the medulla. Into the jugular vein of cats they injected a neutral albuminate (which would not cause coagulation of blood), and retching and vomiting followed. Previous section of the vagi did not prevent the retching, but it did prevent evacuation of the stomach, and after section of the vagi and the splanchnic nerves neither retching nor vomiting occurred; hence they concluded that these symptoms depend upon gastro-intestinal irritation, not upon a direct excitement of the central organs. (PHILLIPS, op. cit., sub voce.).
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.