14. I was giving it to a very intelligent lady, a physician’s wife for organic disease of the heart. She experienced no benefit from its use, but complained that it occasioned a symptom altogether new to her – a violent crampy pain in the region of the left ovary. (HOLCOMBE, U. S. M. and S. journ., i, 234.).
Poisonings.
1. A woman was bitten in the small of the leg by a cobra. I saw her about 10 hours after the accident. She had lost her hearing and feeling; and deglutition was much impeded. A torpor and listlessness pervaded the whole system, and from the moment of the bite had gradually increased. She took three Tanjore pills at 3 – 4 hours interval, and in about 8 hours gradually recovered feeling and slight, and could swallow more freely. She remained weakly for 8 – 10 day (PATRICK RUSSELL, Brit. journ. of Hom., xi, 84.)
2. A Debauch was bitten in the toe by a snake, which from his description appeared to be a cobra. A few drops of blood issued from the part, and he was sensible instantly of pain. When he came to me, about 1/2 hours after, the pain had advanced as high as the knee – joint; I gave him a Tanjore pill. In 10 m. more the pain had got to the top of the thigh and had become much more severe. I then gave him two more pills and some hot wine – past only of which he retained. Patient now complained of severe pains in his belly, which upon examination appeared tense and much swelled. Sense of tightness spreading fast to heart, and respiration becoming extremely laborious, an attempt was made to induce him to take two pills more; but deglutition being impeded a part of them only reached the stomach and was immediately rejected. From this time the structure of the oesophagus increased so much that nothing could be forced down the throat; he foamed at the mouth; his eyes stood staring and fixed; his pulse and breathing became hardly perceptible, and in short every vital motion seemed at a stand. I now applied spirits of hartshorn to his mouth and nostrils, by which in a few m. a strong sneeze being excited, he immediately began to breathe and soon pronounced the word “better.” After he had recovered a little, he told me he felt the pain descending retrograde in the same track in which it had risen, and expressed a strong desire to sleep. he slept for 1/4 hours, and upon waking vomited plentiful. he had now recovered his senses, and said he felt only a little pain in his foot, which at lastly descended to the toe. In the course of 2 hours he was able to walk home, but did nor recover the fatigue for some day (Ibid.)
3. A sepoy was bitten on the ankle by a large snake, believed to be a cobra, and was brought to Capt. Gander’s house within 1/4 hours after. His jaws were locked, his eyes fixed, and very little sign of life remaining; four large punctures were visible on the ankle, and on eaude luce being applied to these the man gave marks of sensibility by drawing up his leg. Two bottles of warmed wine were poured down his throat during 1/2 hours, the jaws being forced open so as to introduce a funnel; and the ammonia was constantly applied for 3 h. Patient was then without any sense of feeling whatever; and had it not been for a gentle heave of his breast every 2 or 3 hours he would have been thought dead. He remained in this torpid state 40 hours, and then began to show signs of returning of life. It was 12 hours more before he recovered his speech, and he continued many days in a very languid state. (Ibid.)
4. A serpent – catcher was bitten by a cobra in the fleshy part between the thumb and forefinger. he felt instantly a sharp pain in the part bitten, which soon spread over the palm and upwards on the arm. he felt also sickness at stomach, but did not vomit. In less than an hours hand and wrist considerably swelled, pain extended nearer shoulder, he was sensible of confusion in his head and a strong disposition to doze. From this time he himself was for several hours ignorant of what had passed; but those about him said that he at times showed much inquietude without making any specific complaint; at other times he lay moaning and dozing. Towards midnight startings about his throat were observed, his breathing became laborious, he could not speak articulately, and seemed not to perceive objects though his eyes were open. They had applied a poultice of herbs to his arm, and administered a secret antidote internally, but finding he grew worse and worse, Dr. R – was sent for. He did not see patient till next m., when he found hand and arm monstrously swelled, but senses perfectly recovered (they had returned about 2 a. m.); the man complained only of confusion of head, languor, and pain in arm. The parts about the punctures mortified. The gangrene spread over back and palm of hand and part of wrist, laying tendons bare, and forming an ulcer of considerable extent, which, however, healed favorably under the usual treatment. He recovered his health ion 8 – 10 day (Ibid.)
5. E. H. G -, aet. 31, keeper in reptile – house of zoological Gardens, went one m. to his charge partially intoxicated. At 8:10 a. m., while playing with a cobra, it made a dart at him, and inflicted a would on the upper nose. After 20 m. – having previously shown no symptoms save agitation at what had occurred – he began to stagger in walking and to speak unintelligibly; at same time movements, apparently convulsive, of mouth and of limbs were observed. He made no complaint of pain or other sensation. He was taken to the hospital, and during transient was observed to grow very rapidly worse. When seen by physicians (8:45) he moaned, grasped his throat with some eagerness of action, tossed his head from side to side, and moved his arms and legs in an uneasy, restless manner, not apparently convulsive. When asked in a loud voice is he felt pain, he made no reply, and gave no evidence that he heard or understood the question. He was unable to support himself in a sitting posture. His face generally was slightly livid; his eyes fixed; his pupils acting sluggishly to light. Skin was of natural temperature and moisture; pulse 120, regular in rhythm, but unequal in force, most of the beats, however, being tolerably full and strong. On upper nose were a number of small punctured wounds, front one or more of which a small quantity of blood had flowed. left eyelids, especially upper, were swollen and livid, lividity extending to right side of nose, but not to l. There appeared to be no swelling of tongue.
5b. These observations were made rapidly as patient lay on couch in the casualty room. He was immediately transferred to the ward, undressed, and put into bed. the interval that elapsed between his being first seen and his being put to bed, though certainly not exceeding 5 m., witnessed a material change in his symptoms. Just prior to being lifted into bed, respiration was 20 per m., very shallow, without stertor, and free from any sound indicating obstruction. By this time the movements of the extremities had entirely ceased, the lividity of the face had very markedly increased, free perspiration had occurred over surface generally, and pulse continued tolerably good. As it was evident the man was rapidly dying form respiratory failure, preparations were immediately made for artificial respiration. before it was begun, natural breathing had ceased, and pulse was 32 only, remarkably irregular both in rhythm and force, some of the beats being remarkably full and bounding. When artificial respiration had been continued 2 m., pulse was 70 and less irregular. it was persevered with of 50 m. Pulse continued of fair power and volume, maintaining, however, its characters of irregularity and inequality. On two occasions it was 104, and once 72. At no time was there any indication of recovery of natural respiration, but there was felt throughout, till within 1/4 hours of the cessation of the pulse, a clonic contraction of the sternomastoids, very irregular in rhythm. At 9:40 pulse ceased, and artificial respiration was discontinued. Skin had continued moist and, for the most part, warm till near the close. Lividity of face continued, but no other part was discoloured or swollen.
5c. P. M. (30 hours later). – Bloody fluid had continued ever since to ooze from highest and largest would on nose, others being closed by coagula, and from mouth and nostrils a considerable amount of frothy blood had issued. There was lived discoloration of dependent parts, both externally and in lungs, whose posterior aspect was gorged and almost black. Air – tubes throughout were filled with black frothy fluid, such as exuded on section of lungs; and their lining membrane (including that of lower trachea) stained with similar colour. Heart healthy; left side contracted an d empty; r, filled with dark fluid blood, in which was a little very loose coagulum. Alimentary canal healthy, save that stomach showed patches of pale colour alternating with patches of red – latter formed by aggregation of minute red spots (? alcohol). Liver and kidneys dark, but otherwise natural; spleen enormously congested, almost black, substance very soft, exuding on section very dark blood. In brain and spinal cord scarcely anything abnormal. During the dissection, it was noticed that the body exalted a peculiar sour odour. (Lancet, 1852, ii, 327.)
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.