3. A youth, aet. 17, on Jan. 6th swallowed the Ph. from a boxful of phosphorous matches without feeling any bad effects. – 7th, 10 a. m., he scraped the Ph. from 1 1/2 boxfuls into a cup of milk and drank the mixture. Soon he had fetid eructations and weakness. At noon he drank 3 glasses of beer. P. m., had a normal stool. 9 p. m., great sadness and nausea. Midnight vomiting of a sour brown fluid. After a restless n. he felt next m., 8th, very uncomfortable. Chilliness, shivering in the warm room. Dazedness, pressure and dizziness in head at times. Total loss of appetite, sour taste, tongue slightly furred, dryness of throat, constant thirst, rather increased than allayed by drinking water. He vomited twice, at same time rumbling and discomfort in belly, great exhaustion. After a dose of Nux v. 4 the symptoms ceased for 3 hours, then they returned as before. Next n. restless, woke often, frequent desire to change his position in bed. In the m. felt very exhausted and must yawn frequently, nausea still present, taste sour; milk tasted burnt; every smell, as of tobacco, wine or beer, increased the nausea. Tongue clean. Urine dark coloured. Next n., 9th, resembled the last. During day of 10th vomited once. Next n. very restless. – 11th. Exhaustion increased; he felt so weak, kept his bed most of the day, still some dazedness of head. The stomach pains were pressive from the beginning, rumbling in abdomen. Noon, a formed but not hard stool, same in e. In evening sour, sometimes fetid eructations; vertigo and stomach pain better. N. between 11th and 12th quieter, headache and eructations gone. Noon, took some milk, but soon threw it up. P. m. rumbling in belly and slight pressure in stomach. Great languor, constant yawning. N. between 12th and 13th restless, woke at 4 a. m. and could not get to sleep again. Head confused. No nausea, but eructations tasting of food. Slight pressure in stomach. Rolling and rumbling in belly. Urine dark, tongue clean, not so languid as yesterday. Bad appetite; distaste for meat and fat food. Still some thirst. Took another dose of Nux v. Better in e. N. between 13th and 14th better. Slept soundly till 4 a. m., fell asleep again but soon woke. – 14th, 8 a. m., got up and felt stronger. Head free, taste and tongue normal. Appetite not so good as usual. Some discomfort and fulness in abdomen just above navel. Noon, normal stool. P. m., rumbling in abdomen and pressure in stomach. Greater languor, desire to lie down. Bitter taste, especially after eating bread. N. good. – 15th. Slight pressure in stomach and rumbling in bowels. Languor. Skin of forehead and eyes slightly yellow. Urine dark. Says he has felt weak since 8th, cannot stand long, hands tremble so that he could not write. – 16th. Felt well, but skin yellower, rumbling in belly and pressure in stomach. Dark sediment in urine, faeces greenish red. Next n. slept well. – 17th. Urine clearer. Skin not so yellow. Stool greyish red. – 18th. Still languid, faeces normal. – 19th. Complexion normal. (ALWERT, A.h. Z, liii, 171.)
4. LAURA M – aet. 21, July 13th, poisoned herself with phosphorous matches. From 13th to 15th vomited everything. Went to bed on 15th. Seen on 16th, when she complained of taste of Ph. in throat, colic, vertigo, and headache; chilliness when she got up, thirst, and great weariness. The doctor, not knowing what she had done, gave plus. and visited her on the 17th. Lay in bed, uncomplaining. Pulse not very quick, but soft, skin moderately dry and warm, tongue dry, red in middle and shining, frequent drinking of small quantities of water, abdomen only slightly tender, gastric region very tender to deep pressure, complexion yellowish, on rising up complained vertigo and trembled. – 18th and 19th. Got up, did light work, ate several times, and complained of nothing. – 19th. One white fetid stool; vomited blood several times i n evening, and then lay down quietly in bed. – 20th. M., her mother found her lying on the floor, half unconscious, screaming horribly and tossing about. 5 p. m., cool skin; chest, belly, face and especially Conjunctivae very yellow. Pupils sluggish. Lay constantly on right side, writhed about much with upper part of body and head, screamed frightfully, bit into pillow and tore it with her teeth, bit her own fingers, also the spoon with which she was helped to milk, and spat out all fluids given her, frequently mixed with blood. Lips quite dry and bloody, eyes expressionless. Had passed neither urine nor faeces. She gradually grew colder, and died between 10 and 11 p. m. – P. M., 21st. Body already smelt badly, and was covered with many cadaveric suggillations. Much dark blood had flowed from mouth, the linen was fouled with grey faeces. Abdomen distended, its veins full of black blood. Nothing abnormal in brain or its membranes. Lungs bluish black. Heart collapsed, contained a little black blood; duodenum reddened. A small quantity of bloody water in abdominal cavity, but no abnormal congestion. Stomach and intestines much distended, looked blue or bluish grey. The beginning of the duodenum and some spots in middle of small intestines showed dark red through their peritoneal covering. Liver felt soft and withered, when cut into appeared of an intense yellow colour; gall – bladder empty. Kidneys contracted, bladder empty. Uterus empty, the m. m. of its fundus bright red. M. m. of stomach was thickened, bluish red, and gelatinous, and the fundus where the spleen touches it blackish grey. Its contents were bloody fluid mixed with a number of little black pieces. Intestines firm, pylorus of intense bluish red colour; the very much swollen m. m. nearly filled the tube; at the top of small intestine there were blackish masses, m. m. congested but less swollen. In the large intestine the swollen m. m. completely filled the bowel. Whitish – grey, unctuous masses of faeces without mucus in the colon smelt of Ph. (SORGE, op. cit., 98.)
5. Mrs. K – took a quantity of the heads of phosphorus matches in order to poison herself. She had repeated retching and vomiting. When seen 2 day afterwards she was lying in an apathetic state, with intermittent pulse; after 3 to 6 regular but weak beats there was a pause. The tongue showed two slimy stripes; no appetite, could hardly be induced to take any food. The 3rd n., like the previous ones, was restless. Next day pulse still intermittent about every 25th beat, and very small and weak. Repeated diarrhoea. Tongue without the stripes but dry. She resembled a person affected with typhoid fever. – 6th d. Constipation. Patient groans and sighs; very depressed in spirits. Pulse no longer intermits; right conjunctiva very yellow, left less so. Tongue moist and of a slate colour. – 7th d. Both conjunctivae very yellow; great sensitiveness of lower border of liver, when touched she screams with pain. Great tearing pain deep in chest. She feels the whole skin burning like fire. The burning pain seems to be in the oesophagus. Burning and tearing in right ear. – 9th d. Complains of stupid feeling in head; she says her head feels dead, but the intellect is clear. Great anxiety, which makes her wish to get out of bed, though she is unable to rise. Cold sweat of anxiety; rapid breathing without acceleration of pulse. Painful pressure in scrob. cordis. Wakes her husband at n. as she wants something to eat, must have some food every 10 m., though always something different. (GOULLON, Int. Hom. Presse, x, 496.)
6. A woman on March 21st ate an unknown quantity of Ph. rat – poison in food. After 1 hour felt very ill. She complained of great distension of abdomen, increased anxiety, later of burning and cutting in abdomen and violent thirst, with inclination to vomit, and soon afterwards diarrhoea, which lasted all n. and next day – 21st. 11 a. m., she had a wretched fallen – in face, could hardly keep on her legs, and began to talk nonsense in an unconnected manner. Soon afterwards became delirious, and died on the n. of the 21st. – P. M. Suffering expression on face, eyes sunken, surrounded by broad blue rings. The veins shone blue through the wax – coloured skin. The whole front of the surface of the body, especially the shoulders, chest, and abdomen, was studded with petechiae of the size of a hemp seed, somewhat raised and of a bright red colour. When cut into they were found to be deposits of thin bright red blood betwixt epidermis and cuts. The finger – nails of a bluish – black colour. Peritoneum and omentum red and inflamed. Mesenteric veins distended with dark blood. Stomach externally dirty grey and reddish. Duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of reddish – brown colour, dotted here and there with verdigris – coloured spots; colon of a reddish tinge. Stomach contained 2 oz. of a greenish – grey viscid fluid. On posterior surface of stomach near pylorus two sloughing ulcers with elevated blackish – grey borders. A third ulcer, the size of a sixpence, on the caecum had penetrated all the walls of the bowel and peritoneum. The m. m. of from cardia to colds intestines had a dark inflammatory redness, that of the colon was not inflamed. The left lobe of liver showed several bright red inflamed spots. The upper and under surface of diaphragm on the right side of the foramen oesophagum was inflamed and red to the extent of 1 inch. The upper lobes of lungs were slate grey and marbled; they crepitated. The lower lobes were full of venous blood, felt solid, and crepitated little. The right side of heart was distended by dark thin liquid blood. The oesophagus had a dark red ramified colour, its m. m. inflamed and corrugated; at the entrance to stomach it was dark grey, blackish and could be easily removed in shreds. The blood – vessels of the pia mater congested with blood; between it and and arachnoid a collection of yellow opalescent lymphous exudation as thick as plaster board, welding together the two cerebral membranes in several places. (GROBERNSCHUTZ, Medorrhinum Zeit. v. Verbascum f. Heilk. in Preussen, xii, 1843, No. 31, p. 137, in Frank’s Mag., i, 125.)
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.