An alkaloid obtained from fruit of Cocculus C12H14O5.
Provings.
Dr.J.H.HENRY reports the following symptoms as mainly produced on himself by taking P.(manner not stated) for five days. Sad thoughts; desire to sleep; pressive pain in epigastrium with coated tongue, frequent eructations and dyspepsia; nausea, with tendency to faint; inclination to vomit, with headache; flatulence, with foetid diarrhoea, followed by tenesmus, painful
and continued, seeming to extend all over bowels; violent sore pain in bowels, with diarrhoea and dysentery, and large and frequent discharges of urine, so that he became alarmed and took antidotes; soreness in 1.inguinal ring, as if intestines would protrude; feeling as if one wanted to get more breath, impeding respiration; back feels bruised, also drawing pain there; dragging sensation in r.arm; pain in 1.forearm, running up into shoulder; lower extremities feel bruised and paralysed, it relieves to bend them backwards, which they have a tendency to; constrictive painless sensation or cramp pain in lower extremities; pains in 1.outer ankle.(Amer.Obs., xv,16.).
Experiments on animals.
1. a. Falck’s researches show that fish become very restless, weak, and die from asphyxia; [*”When picrotoxin is added to the water in which they live, they make winding and boring movements of the body, alternating with quiet swimming, open their mouths and gill-covers frequently, fall on their side, and die rapidly of asphyxia.”*] frogs exhibit extensor convulsions and disturbed respiration, with diminution of cardiac pulsations; in doves there is in addition trembling of limbs and circular movement, with convulsions and salivation; in cats, also, there is ptyalism and convulsions, and they ultimately become paralysed; similar symptoms occur in dogs, with loud whining and scratching with feet.
1b. According to Roeber the convulsions of P.in contrast with those of strychnine are not of reflex nature. They assume the most various forms, and resemble compulsory movements. Pulmonary vague is excited, hence accelerated respiration and strong inspiratory dilatation of thorax-cause of latter symptom being that expulsion of inspired air is hindered by spasm of glottis. If vagus is divided beforehand this symptom is absent. During attacks reflex excitability is suspended, but it returns afterwards. Cardiac contractions are greatly retarded; heart is very much relaxed and dilated. After destruction of cerebrum symptoms are essentially the same; after that of optic lobes convulsions are less violent; after that of medulla oblongata tetanus ceases, and we get only a comatose condition. Hence Roeber concludes that P. irritates ganglia and medulla oblongata; and that the motor centres, the vagus centres and Setschenow’s reflex inhibitory centres are chiefly affected. Its influence on the heart depends partly on central irritation of vagus, but partly also on excitement of cardiac centres themselves. (BOECK, Ziemssen’s Cyclopaedia, xvii, 811.).
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.