3. A man and his wife who were both rheumatic consulted a druggist, who recommended them to take an infusion of S. A strong infusion was made, and the wife took cupful of it on going in to bed, and 5 m. afterwards the husband took a similar quantity, and went to place himself in bed, when he found his wife powerfully agitated making singular movements, her eyes fixed and starting and unable to reply to the questions put to her. At that moment, as she afterwards related, she felt as if a fire had mounted to her head, and also affected her stomach. The husband became sick and vomited; after which he wished to go out to get assistance for his wife, but he had scarcely gained the door of the room ere he felt so enfeebled that his knees bent under him, and he was forced to sit down, but in a few seconds he fell senseless to the ground; on recovering he vomited repeatedly was greatly agitated, became torpid, with a lethargic tendency, and lost for some time all sense of feeling. These symptoms continued 8 hours with the husband and 13 with the wife, and the latter was afterwards affected with gastric irritation which continued nearly a month. (THOMSON, Ibid., p. 819.)
4. a. An Indian labourer named Hitoo was condemned by the Court of Assizes to ten years’ hard labour in chains. He worked very unwillingly for about a month, and was brought into the prison infirmary on February 10th, 1846, in a state of insensibility, with stertorous breathing, dry black tongue, injected conjunctivae, and dilated pupils, pulse ranging from 100 to 120. He was said to have eaten stramonium, which grows where he was sent to work that morning, 6 1/2 hours previously. The stomach – pump was applied, which brought up many entire seeds and fragments of seeds of the datura stramonium; but the action of the heart soon became more feeble, and notwithstanding the administration of stimulants he continued to sink, and died an hour after admission, being about 7 1/2 hours after he was supposed to have taken the poison. The heart was felt beating several seconds after respiration had ceased.
4 b. The body was examined 19 hours after death, at which time there were evident marks of commencing putrefaction (therm. 88). It was muscular, 5 ft. 4 in. in height, and about 45 years of age. Head-Great turgescence of the integuments as well as of the dura mater, tunica arachnoides, and pia mater; brain firm and highly injected; the choroid plexus turgid, and the ventricles contained a little bloody serum; there was a small plate of bone deposited in the falx near the crista galli. Chest – Old ribbon-like adhesions between the pleura of left lung and that lining the cavity of the chest on the anterior part; the substance of both lungs very vascular in many parts; heart flaccid. Abdomen.- Liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and bladder normal; the stomach contained about 4 oz. of ingesta, composed of rice, 89 seeds of stramonium, besides many fragments, pieces of maniac, and tripe; there was a patch of extravasated blood the size of a shilling in the mucous coat of the larger curvature of this viscus, and a smaller patch of extravasation near the pyloric orifice; the whole mucous coat of the stomach was slightly congested; many entire seeds as well as fragments of seeds were also found throughout entire length of the small intestines. (ALLAN, Ibid., 1847, ii, 298.)
5. In the winter of 1825 I was called in the n. to visit Mrs. S. R -, who had been afflicted a few days with a severe cold, but who was suddenly affected on the n. of my visit with very distressing and alarming symptoms. I found her in a state of extreme agitation, declaring that she should not live, that she had taken poison which would immediately destroy her life. She was blind; the pupils were dilated to the utmost extent; her pulse was rapid so as scarcely to be counted, and very feeble. She had puked frequently; complained of pain and vertigo and great confusion in the head, faintness and indescribable anxiety at the stomach; was extremely restless, not at all disposed to sleep; her skin was cold and covered with sweat; countenance wild, exhibiting excessive anxiety and alarm; and, notwithstanding that her friends had made every effort to allay her fears, and satisfy her that she had taken nothing but herb tea, she still insisted that she had taken poison and should die. Alarmed myself at her singular appearance and symptoms, I inquired of her mother (who was an experienced nurse) what she had taken, and learned that she drank freely of a tea of coltsfoot and liquorice, the former having been gathered by the mother herself and carefully labelled, and the latter had the previous evening been procured of an apothecary. Fearing that some narcotic poison had been accidentally mixed into the ingredients of which the tea was made, I gave an emetic, which operated freely without affording relief. I then gave her 25 dr. of laudanum in a week brandy sling every hour, till relief was procured; applied mustard paste to her stomach, warmth to her extremities, and gave her freely of warm aromatic drinks. After 6 hours of the most indescribable distress and frenzied delirium she fell asleep, and remained in quiet repose for some hours. When she woke she was calm; so blind as to be unable to distinguish one person from another; pupils of the eyes greatly dilated; she was very thirsty; tongue dry; vomited frequently through the d. Pulse was frequent and soft. I was now satisfied that she was under the influence of stramonium. As I could gain no information from the apothecary, I examined the bundle of coltsfoot, and found it mixed with a considerable quantity of the leaves of the stramonium, which solved the whole difficulty. The thirst, dilated pupil, and dimness of sight continued for some day, when my patient recovered. (Bost. Medorrhinum and Surg. Journ., ix, 10.)
6. On the m. of June 24th, 1825, I was requested to visit Miss E. F -, who was represented to be in great distress and furiously deranged. When I arrived about 4 p. m. she had sunk into a state of complete insensibility, was unable to swallow any fluid, or to be aroused sufficiently to take the least notice of me or her friends. Previous to my arrival she had been greatly excited and delirious. I found that the pupils were dilated; the skin cold and moist; pulse 120 in a minute, small and soft; her countenance pale; extremities cold, &c. Her mother informed me that, being a little unwell, she had given her some lettuce and gold thread tea, which she took very reluctantly. This was taken at 11 a. m. I immediately directed that compresses be wetted in oil of turpentine and applied to her limbs while covered, so that rapid evaporation could not take place. An injection of the turpentine with sufficient laudanum to retain it was thrown up the bowels. Volatiles were applied to the nose, and warmth and friction to the surface to excite the action of the skin. Not long after this course was adopted she was suddenly aroused; was highly delirious, nearly blind, thirsty, mouth very dry. Her pulse varied from 110 to 125, very soft and compressible. If she raised her head from the pillow she had vertigo, vomiting, and faintness. These symptoms satisfied me that she had taken some narcotic and probably stramonium. I called for the cup of herb tea which was still standing, and found that stramonium had been used instead of lettuce in making the tea. I gave her brandy and water, and every 2 hours 20 dr. of laudanum till the extreme distress and restlessness abated; when quiet sleep was restored, all danger was over, and she recovered very gradually. (Ibid.)
7. In 1825 I was called in great haste to see Mrs. W -, et. about 40, who was represented to be in a profound coma, having slept uninterruptedly all the afternoon and evening of that d. Mrs. W – had just recovered from an attack of dysentery, of which disease two of her daughters were at this time seriously sick. When I visited the daughters in the m., Mrs. W – informed me that she was seriously afflicted with piles, which had followed her disease and were very painful, and she wished me to prescribe for her. I directed her to take a leaf of the datura stramonium as large as three of her fingers, and make a strong infusion and take it as an injection. She prepared the remedy and administered it herself, no member of the family having any knowledge of it. When her husband returned from church he found her asleep in her bedroom. As she had had so little rest during the sickness of her daughters, he was gratified to find her so quietly reposing, and directed that she should not be waked to tea. Before bedtime, however, he became anxious at the length of time she slept, and attempted to arouse her. All his efforts were unavailing. She was perfectly comatose. Under these circumstances I was sent for. Recollecting my prescription for her in the m., I hastened to the house and inquired if she had taken the injection. No person had any knowledge of it. Search being made, however, a vessel containing a large quantity of the leaves of stramonium was found, from which, as I afterwards learnt, nearly a pint of strong infusion had been drained off and taken as directed by injection, she not knowing that the plant was poisonous. Her symptoms were of the most alarming character, and exhibited the operation of that dangerous narcotic to a greater degree than I had ever before seen. She was perfectly insensible as if dead, unless irritated by the harshest means; her pulse was 120 in a minute, small and soft; pupils fully dilated; tongue flabby and hanging out of mouth; surface pale and cold; respiration slow and irregular. I gave her a wineglassful of oil of turpentine by injection; applied mustard and oil of turpentine to the surface; frictions, volatiles, &c.; put into her mouth frequently diluted brandy, spirit of ammonia, and other stimulants. It was many hours before she was effectually aroused. Before m., by the most persevering efforts-pinching her, stinging with nettles, external heat, internal stimulants, and turpentine injections-she revived, and after a while was enabled to tell the story of her proceedings with the stramonium. It was ten or twelve days before she entirely recovered from the symptoms produced by it.
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.