Poisonings.
1a. On Aug. 29th, 1853, being called to a young woman, aet. 24, I found her insensible, with a pale face and frothing at the mouth; the pupils widely dilated, pulse regular, full, 80 per m.; every few m. violent retching, only salvia being brought up. The stomach had been previously emptied by vomiting. She had apparently severe paroxysms of pain on the right side of her face, to which she violently applied her hand, then again became prostrate. Her breath smelt strongly of kreosote. A large molar tooth on right side, lower jaw, had a large cavity in it. I removed the tooth, and she scarcely seemed to feel the operation; after administering a mixture of sesquicarbonate of soda and finding her improving, I left her. In the m. she was better, but pale and weak, the pupils were still much dilated and the vision imperfect; this lasted several d.
1b. The patient’s own account is as follows: – “Whilst putting a piece of lint saturated with kreosote into my tooth, I accidentally swallowed it. In less than 1/4 h. I felt myself ‘going very low, ‘ my eyesight went from me, giddiness came on, and everything looked dark blue even the candles, my husband and everything. I felt a dreadful burning at the chest, and wanted water to quench it. I vomited and brought up the piece of lint and some food. I had great pain in the front of my head, and felt numbed all over. The pain at the chest continued 3 or 4 d. I did not know that my tooth had been taken out.”(J. D. JEFFREY, Assoc. Medorrhinum journ., 1853, p. 929.)
2. While experimenting with creosote on patients suffering from phthisis, &c., I found that if the first dose exceeded 2 or 3 drops, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, headache and heart of head were generally the consequence. One patient who began with the small dose gradually increased to 40 dr.; any addition to this dose caused extreme giddiness, insensibility, and vomiting, followed by headache for several day (ELLIOTSON, Medorrhinum – Chir. Trans. xix, 217.) 3. A child, aet. 2 swallowed from 20 to 30 drops of creosote. It soon lost consciousness, was unable to swallow, and its breathing was much obstructed and stertorous, it vomited, and passed urine of a brown colour, and frothed at the mouth. Evidently in great agony, constantly crying out, finally convulsions ensued, and death in 17 h. At the autopsy 51 hours after death, the body gave out a strong odour of creosote; the lips were discoloured, dry, and parchment – like; the mucous membrane of the tongue, palate, and oesophagus was of a dirty white colour. The brain and the lungs were engorged with blood, and the ventricles of the heart full of clots. (E. LABBEE, Dict. Encycloped. des Sciences Medorrhinum, I re Serie, xxiii, 103.) 4. LABBEE summarises its action as follows: – From a small dose there is noticed only a stimulant effect on the digestive tract. From a large dose there will first arise gastro – enteritis, with its accompanying pain vomiting, diarrhoea, & c.; then will follow vertigo, muscular feebleness, and circulatory and respiratory difficulties, due to absorption of the poison rather than to sympathy to the elimination of the drug, viz. bronchial irritation, diuresis, dysuria, and even strangury, with black colour of urine. After a massive dose, in addition to the above, serious disturbances of the neuro – muscular apparatus arise, such as muscular weakness, profound disturbance of the sensorium and mind, general trembling, spasms, convulsions and coma. The circulation and respiration are profoundly affected, the heart’s action being slowed, dyspnoea and suffocation coming on, terminating in asphyxia from excessive bronchial secretion, and arrest of the heart’s action. (Ibid.)
5. Mrs. M. D -, aet. 67, took by mistake 2 drachms of kreosote in a draught at bedtime. She complained of feeling “all on fire” after taking it. She lingered in great torment form Monday night until the following Wednesday, at 4 a. m. (Times (London), June 17th, 1839.)
6. a. STRUMPF speaks of a woman of 60 who took “a considerable quantity” of Kr. by mistake. She was immediately attacked by severe colicky pains, and within 3 hours had upwards of 40 very painful and bloody stools. She recovered under the use of oil, milk, and opium.
6b. When large doses have been continued for some time, they are apt to occasion dulness, giddiness, fainting, and some excitement of the circulation, with difficulty of breathing, nausea or retching, muscular lassitude, yawning, and constipation. The urine is generally augmented in quantity. Sometimes it occasions difficult micturition, and even strangury. The vapour, when inhaled, is said to occasion stupor. Corneliani relates the case of a woman who was attacked with faintness, trembling, efforts at vomiting, palpitation, &c., in consequence of the continued application of Kr. water to a large ulcer of the leg. (STILLE, op. cit.)
7. Dr. TESTE was consulted, in July, 1845, about an infant of 6 months, which was cutting its teeth badly. Kreosote 6 was given with great effect for a week; and a phial of the tincture was left in the parents’ hands to use in case of need. Two months later, the child was brought to him in extreme debility; pulse small and frequent; countenance sadly changed; eyes red and projecting; breath foetid as in mercurial stomatitis; entire anorexia, and vomiting; and scanty serous diarrhoea. The skin was covered with an eruption, prurigo – like forehead, pustular elsewhere; and the chest, hypogastrium, and upper thighs with round red spots, on some of which phlyctenulae appeared. There was also several ulcers with grayish base on gums and at commissures of lips, and a notable enlargement of the parotid and submaxillary glands. Inquiry as to possible syphilitic inheritance yielded decidedly negative results; but it came out that, a week previously, the child (though pretty well) seemed a little troubled with his teeth, and had been given the kreosote 6 times a day, since which he had fallen into the condition above described. the medicine was immediately stopped, and without further treatment the child speedily recovered its health. ( journ. de la Soc. Gall., i, 75.).
Experiments on animals.
1. MIGNET gave daily to a dog 2 mos old 8 dr. of diluted Kr. Its depressing effects were visible in the slow and painful gait of the animal, and the occurrence of frequent nausea, with tremulousness and emaciation. Cormack found that when given to dogs in doses of 30 dr. it produced salivation, vertigo, muscular twitching, and insensibility. The same dose, administered to a rabbit, occasioned violent convulsions and speedy death. In Mignet’s experiments, a dose of 3ij, administered to a young dog, gave rise to signs of distress, a fixed look, vertigo, dulness, and indifference. The respiration was laboured, whining, and irregular; a secretion of mucus appeared to obstruct the air – tubes and hung from the mouth; eructation and violent retching ensued. At the expiration of 2 hours the breathing became extremely laborious and interrupted by long intervals, the limbs were tremulous and jerking, and death speedily ensued. The principal lesion discovered was universal vascular injection of the gastro – intestinal mucous membrane. The lungs were gorged with blood, and in the heart and great vessels this fluid was more firmly coagulated than usual. (Stille.).
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.