13. Dr. E. COOLEY took, March 11st, 1869, at 4 p. m., 5 gr. of powdered root. 6, pain and pressure in temples, pain and suffocating feeling in throat and lungs; cough, with expectoration of tough mucus. 8, severe pain in temples; much coryza; feeling in throat as though it was burned; severe pain in right lung; feeling as though he were breathing through a sponge; almost constant expectoration of tough mucus. Restless through n., with pains in knees, arms, and chest; pain in forehead and temples very severe, with feeling of lassitude. 2nd. – 7 a. m., felt sore all over, from head to foot; pain in temples and forehead, in lungs, and in transverse colon; pulse hard and full. 11, all symptoms, save pain in bowels, somewhat aggravated; pain in back of neck, running down spine, in upper jaw, and in teeth. 3 p. m., pressure in head, as if it would burst; rheumatic feeling in all joints; pulse 110, full but soft; slight nausea most of the time. By 10 most of the symptoms were subsiding. 3rd. – At 8 a. m., 10 gr. 11, pain in temples with pressure outwards; pain and suffocation in lungs, throat, and fauces; severe coryza; pain in upper jaw and left lung; heat in head with slight dizziness and nausea; tongue coated yellow and dry; pain in loins and diminished urine. From this point symptoms began to abate. (Trans. of N. Y.State Hom. Medorrhinum Soc., 1870, p.332)
14. Dr. W.M. WILLIAMSON, Nov. 26th, 1870, about 5 p. m., chewed and swallowed juice of a small piece of fresh fleshy root. 5:30, general disturbed feeling in stomach, with dulness of head, increasing till 6:30. Went home, feeling better immediately upon going into open air. On then sitting down to tea unpleasant feelings in head and stomach returned, and he could eat nothing. 8:15, these symptoms nearly gone; dry sensation in upper pharynx; disposition to hawk and clear throat, without affording relief; sensation in right nostril as if tickled with a stiff feather. 27th. – 9 a. m., dryness and hawking continue, several small pieces of tough sticky mucus raised; smarting and stinging in nostril. After riding, 10 – 1, in an open carriage sensation in throat and nose almost entirely gone, but they returned after being a warm room about 2 h. Had 3 natural stools this day, very unusual. 28th. – All symptoms gone. (Trans. of Penns. Hom. Medorrhinum Soc., 1870 – i, p.179.).
Poisonings
I. Dr. W WARREN chewed 3 or 4 gr. of a freshly gathered root about 3 p. m., and another gr. of two an hours later, swallowing only the juice. At 4:30 felt dull pressing pain in forehead, with slight nausea, cool sweat on forehead, and sense of weakness. Took a meal with usual appetite. Nausea and headache, somewhat relieved by eating, soon returned with increased severity, and at 5:35 he began to vomit ingesta at intervals of 10 – 15 m. Nausea hereby relieved, but pain in forehead increased; dull bruised pain in occiput; constant flow from mouth of thick, ropy, tenacious saliva. 6:20, vomited an acrid substance, which caused sense of scraping and excoriation in throat; cool perspiration, especially on forehead and hands; great muscular debility and lassitude, with desire to lie down. 7, continued acrid vomiting, in intervals empty retching; muscular weakness increasing; dull pain through whole head; rawness in throat; all symptoms worse on motion and in open air save headache, which air relieved. 7:35, same; vertigo and dimness of vision set in, and increased; warm water and coffee were both rejected. Went to bed, which relieved all symptoms save sore – throat and salivation; sleep restless, disturbed during first half of n. by scraping and tickling in throat, which occasioned frequent disposition to cough. Next m. lassitude and indisposition to move; sense of rawness and scraping in throat and tonsils, as if something lodged at root of tongue; feeling of intoxication and weakness on rising and moving about; appetite at breakfast fair, all symptoms relieved by eating. His countenance looked sickly; sclerotics and face of dark yellow colour; bruised and sore feeling at pit of stomach, with pain there. He gradually improved, and by 4th day was quite well. (N. Y. Trans., 1865, p. 323.)
2. Dr. BAHRENBURG ate small portion of root, about size of cherry, and gave some to several friends, about noon. Soon after, all who had eaten it began to vomit. Matter ejected was first aliment and then a dark bilious substance, which came away freely. Purging now set in, and continued, with considerable griping and cramps, all p. m., vomiting also occurring every 15 – 20 m. Towards evening all were confined to bed; extremities cold, pulse very low, eyes deeply sunk in orbits, vomiting and purging still continuing. Some black coffee was taken and after this vomiting ceased, but purging (painless) continued. All passed a restless n., with some fever and considerable thirst; but next m. all dangerous symptoms had passed off. They felt very weak, especially in abdomen, with little or no appetite, for several days, during which the diarrhoea continued. (HALE, op. cit.)
3. Feb. 19th, 1865, at 8 a. m. I was called to a deaf and dumb boy, aet. 6, who had swallowed an h. or so previously 1-2 drachms of tinct. of P. His extremities were stiff, hands firmly closed, feet extended and toes flexed; eyes bleared and dancing; pupils contracted; lower lip drawn down; teeth clenched; general muscular rigidity and opisthotonos; pulse 85, soft; breathing difficult and oppressed, mucous rales audible throughout room. A messenger was dispatched for cupping case and mustard. During his absence (1 hour) muscular rigidity increased generally; chin was intermittently drawn down to sternum and relaxed again. Cold had been applied to scalp; and he was now cupped freely over temples and upper spine, with sinapism on neck and sternum, a stream of water being allowed to flow gently upon head. After an hour of this symptoms began to abate, and by noon jaws had so relaxed that he could drink a cup of milk. He then slept 20 – 25 m.; on walking, slight jerking and twitching of muscles, especially of legs. He made signs indicating pain in back of head and stomach. Cold water applications were continued, and at 4 he again fell asleep, and remained so for 1 1/2 h. The distressing symptoms had now almost disappeared, and next m. he was up and frolicsome, though sore and somewhat stiffened. There was no vomiting or purging, and urine was retained for 10 hours (GRIGGS, in Ibid.)
4. I was called, Sept. 25th, 1865, to see a boy of 8, suffering intensely, from cause unknown. I found him in great agony, saying that his stomach was “pinched together; ” there was nausea and violent vomiting. He acknowledge to having eaten a number of poke – berries, and their seeds and skin were found in the egesta. His throat felt sore and dry; fauces were congested and of dark colour, tonsils a little swollen. After vomiting ceased he had severe purging; stools were dark brown, and thin; there was severe pain in stomach on pressure, causing him to cry out. Vomiting and purging stopped 1/2 hours after my seeing him. He afterwards complained of slight nausea; burning griping pains in umbilical region; dimness of vision; tongue coated white, and spasmodic jerkings of arms and legs. He was put to bed and slept well during n., and next m. was well as ever. (C. H.LEE, in Ibid.)
5a. A woman, aet. 45, sanguine and robust, had had good health till a year ago, when she was laid up with rheumatism, followed by anasarca, &c. She was ill several months, but finally recovered, resumed active duties, and was to all appearance well save for a slight pain in right hip. A month later I was called to see her, and found her suffering intensely with pains in the joints, and in the bones of face and head, – suffering from which was so intense that she had not slept for nights. In addition, she was covered from scalp to soles with an eruption the like of which I never beheld. It consisted to erythematous clothes, of irregular shape, slightly elevated, of a pale red or pink colour, very sore and painful, itching slightly only on desquamation, but too sore to allow of any scratching for relief, and terminating in a dark red or purple spot, – taking about 30 day for each spot to pass through its stages, and the same time for the whole to advance from head to feet, so that it could be seen at one place or other in all stages of its development. There was no fever, or swelling save in face, and appetite was good. On examination I found “nodes” at the painful spots. Syphilis was absolutely excluded, and no mercury had been taken; but inquiry elicited the fact that about a month before she had been induced to take a “blood – purifying remedy”, consisting of a pint of whiskey with 3 oz. of poke – root in it. Of this she had taken a “swallow” three times a day until I was called.
5b. I made her discontinue the drug, and gave mercurius solubilis, 3x trit., which relieved the sleeplessness at once and finally also the pains. The eruption, however, grew worse rather than better, and even invaded the conjunctiva and the mucous membrane of nose and mouth. After 3 mo. it had left the external surface, but was visible on fauces and pharynx. (GRASMUCK, in Ibid., 4th ed., vol. i. Dr. G – mentions that in a similar case a severe rheumatism of left shoulder was induced, but gives no particulars.)
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.