4. a. Injected under skin of back of frog 3ss of sol. of extract. In 10 m. decided loss of muscular power; could not jump, but drew up hind legs when placed in inconvenient position. Apparently complete sensory paralysis, for no movements of limbs took place on application of irritants. In 15 m. complete motor paralysis, but muscles of calf contracted on direct Irritation. Opened chest by division of sternum; heart was found in rhythmical action, 20 per m. After 1 hour from beginning of experiment, action of heart continued, 14 per m. Thee was then complete sensory and motor paralysis. After 2 hours action of heart had entirely ceased, but it could be made to contract by pricking.
4 b. Passed ligature round thigh of frog, including all parts save sciatic nerve, which was carefully separated. Then injected 15 min. of sol. In 10 morning muscular movements were observed to be feeble, and sensibility to irritants diminished. In 20 morning sensibility to pain appeared to be abolished, but muscular movements could still be executed. Then pinching of upper extremity, a strong galvanic current, and chemical irritants applied to other parts excited no reflex movements in ligatured limb. Galvanic, chemical and mechanical irritants applied to sciatic of ligatured limb induced active contractions of gastrocnemius. Direct irritation applied below the ligature to the muscles of the ligatured limb also caused them to contract. (This experiment indicates that G destroys the excitability of the sensory nerves before that of the motor, that it does not impair the muscular irritability, and that its action as a paralyzer is upon the centre and not upon the peripheral nerve- fibres.)
4 c. Pigeon: temp. of gullet 107o, resp. 48. Injected under integument of thigh 30 min. of same sol. In 5 m. voluntary movements-walking-disordered; resp. 30, laboured, expiration jerky and prolonged. In 10 morning legs wee paralysed, so that standing was no longer possible. Soon after legs were widely expanded, resting on floor, and agitated by a succession of short tremors, which at length extended to whole body. Eyelids partly closed. Still manifested consciousness, and attempted to move away head when approached. Sensibility was finally completely abolished, so that no form of irritant excited resistance or movement. Death occurred at end of 1/2 hour in a general convulsive tremor, in which eyes were closed, head drawn down, feet extended backwards, and wings widely expanded. Action of heart continued for several seconds after total suspension of respiratory movements. Just before respiration ceased, thermometer in gullet registered 104o
4 d. Kitten: axillary temp. 102o. Injected 30 min of sol. In 10 morning head depressed, resting on forelegs, which were doubled up; respiration laborious expiration jerking, abdominal wall falling in towards diaphragm suddenly; pupils dilated and eyes dropping; in attempting to walk forelegs are weak and relaxed, but hind legs are less affect; when tail is pinched, cat cries out and attempts, but ineffectually, to strike with foreleg; lips and tongue are dry, and tongue is frequently protruded; tail in constant vibration. In 15 m. after injection, began a series of backward movements, which were repeated irregularly every few morning. This backward movement is accomplished chiefly by the hind extremities, claws of forefeet catching in floor from loss of power to retract them. Cat is yet conscious of impression, for reflex winking takes place on touching ear and face, and she cries out when tail is strongly pinched. At end of 20 morning convulsive backward movements strongly pinched. At end of 20 morning convulsive backward movements more frequent and irregular; jaws widely separated, mouth parched; forelegs drawn up and folded under chest, and hind legs rapidly flexed and extended, without (at last) moving body. In 30 morning after injection complete muscular relaxation; respiration ceases, but heart continues to beat for 5 morning longer. Axillar temp. before respiration ceased, 98o (BARTHOLOW, Pract., v., 203.)
5. a. G. is a powerful paralyser. Its paralysing action is best studied in the frog. In these animals it often produces tetanus as well as paralysis. Whether we produce paralysis alone, or paralysis followed by tetanus, depends upon the sore. Thus, as a rule, with small doses of the alkaloid, we only get paralysis; with rather larger, quivering and tightened movements; and only after larger doses, decided tetanus. Is the paralysis due to influence on brain, cord, motor nerves, or muscles? It paralyses cord, leaving nerves and muscles unaffected. The tetanus is due to the action of the poison on the cord; and I draw special attention to the fact that paralysis always precedes the tetanus, – that gelsemia has the property of first weakening and then tetanizing the cord, thus corresponding to jaborandi, buxus sempervirens, and other drugs.
5 b. G. is also a powerful respiratory poison; indeed, this drug generally, if not always, destroys warm-blooded animals before it produces complete paralysis. It causes no primary quickening of respiration, and does not paralyse the phrenic or the intercostal nerves, and it acts after division of both vagi. It asphyxiates, as Dr. Burdon Sanderson has shown, by paralysing the automatic respiratory centre.
5 c. G. affects the sight in animals as man. Thus we poisoned a dog, and, after the production of slight muscular weakness, the sight became almost lost, for the animal ran straight against objects without trying to avoid them, evidently not seeing them.
5 d. Dr. Burdon Sanderson concludes, from a kymographic experiment on a rabbit, that G. exerts no influence on the blood pressure; and in 6 temperature experiments of my own upon rabbits the results obtained were simply, nil.
5 e. The local application dilates the pupils of rabbits and cats. The pupil of a cat being extremely sensitive, I thought that if the local application did cause primary contraction should elect it detect in this animal. In 5 observations the pupil in each instance became decidedly contracted before dilating. Its average time of commencement was 10 morning, of duration 24 morning; and it was followed by wide dilation.
5 f. I have said that the internal administration of G. contracts the pupil in man and the lower animal, and that dilatation occurs only on the supervention of asphyxia, disappearing under the employment of artificial respiration. It occurred to me that the direct action of the drug would ultimately dilate the pupil, but that a dose adequate to produce this effect so quickly paralyses the respiratory centre that before the drug has time to effect dilatation the animal dies asphyxiated. To ascertain the validity of this conjecture. I made a rabbit insensible with 7 gr. of chloral, then inserted a canula into its trachea, and injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the axilla 30 dr. of the fl. extr., at once commencing artificial respiration to prevent the advent of any asphyxia. In 17 m. I thought pupils were a little contracted; in 26 m. well marked signs of a paralysis set in, shown at first by difficulty in keeping up head; in 1/2 hours animal could not raise head off table, while it still retained considerable power over trunk and extremities. At this point eyes became prominent and pupils began to delight, and in 34 m. animal tumbled over on its side, and then I noticed that pupils were decidedly larger and eyes more prominent; but as after 1 hour pupil had not become widely dilated I repeated dose, injecting it in two places. Paralysis rapidly increased, till it became complete in anterior part of body, though over its hind legs rabbit still had power; at least these also became almost completely paralysed, and animal y on its side in helpless state. As paralysis advanced pupil dilated somewhat, till at last it became above double its original size, though it never reached the degree of dilatation observable in man and cats after the local application of the alkaloid. I noticed the animal retained the power of closing the eyes quickly and strongly, even after almost complete general paralysis, whence I conclude that the seventh or some of its branches is one of the last nerves to undergo paralysis. (RINGER, op. cit.).
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.