16. On Sept. 20th, 1840, two children, a boy et. 4, and a girl t. 2, whilst amusing themselves with the fruit of stramonium, bruised them between two stones, and being attracted by the seeds, still white, were induced to eat them. Some extraordinary sensation, some hallucination, interrupted their sport, which lasted for about half an hour, for suddenly the two children ran into the house, terrified and uttering cries. Their gaits was staggering; they leaped rather than walked; their face was red and excited, and the eyes haggard. They both complained of extreme pain at the lower part of the throat, and eagerly drank cold water. Ineffectual efforts to vomit soon supervened; the most violent contractions of the stomach only expelled some stringy foam from the mouth. The pupils became extremely dilated, the injection of the face augmented; both the children agitated with convulsive motions, and uttered hoarse, incoherent, and often inarticulate cries. Olive oil was given at once. The boy vomited copiously and experienced an almost immediate improvement; the girl was not so fortunate, and was soon attacked with violent delirium, so that she could with difficulty be restrained; her heart pulsated violently; she was violently agitated, and scratched the attendants who endeavoured to confine her to bed. Leeches behind the ears, sinapisms to the legs, and sugar and water as a drink, were prescribed, and these means quickly subdued the symptoms. The boy, indeed, seemed to be cured, save that he talked with great volubility, and often incoherently. In the evening the symptoms returned with the greatest intensity in both patients. During the n. the boy shrieked violently; his eyes sparkled; the heart pulsated with the most extraordinary violence; he suffered from the most ardent thirst, and passed urine almost incessantly; exposure to the light of a candle caused him to utter the most terrible cries. The girl was affected somewhat similarly, but less violently. She was more depressed, perspired from the entire surface, and passed scarcely any urine. Towards m. the symptoms had almost entirely ceased in the boy, but the girl was motionless and almost cold; her respiration was short, and her pulse small and quick. A cupful of water acidulated with vinegar was administered to the boy every 15 m. As the condition of the girl was more alarming, sinapisms were applied to her legs and thighs, and purgative enemata were administered. She soon passed several frothy stools, in which the seeds of stramonium were discerned. After 2 days passed in tranquil sleep the symptoms had all disappeared. (DASSIER, Dubl. Medorrhinum Press, vii, 54.)
17. Oct. 12th, 1777. M. S -, near 6 years of age, and of a healthy constitution. Between 12 and 1 p. m. the day before, she had swallowed three quarters of the seeds of a fresh, ripe, middle – sized thorn – apple. About 2 p. m. she began to look stupid, seemed to forget herself, and gave incoherent answers. At 3 p. m. they gave her some bread and milk, which she attempted to swallow, but could not, upon which they laid her down upon the bed, where she seemed to sleep for about half an hour; but when she awoke her belly, tongue, face, and eyes were obviously swelled, and the two latter were also very red. These last symptoms abated about 6 p. m., but from 3:30 to 7 p. m. she seemed to sit like a perfect idiot. At 7 p. m. she seemed to have a motion to stool, and passed a living lumbricus teres, 14 in. long, with a little water, but without any faces or relief of symptoms, for soon after she began to grow worse, biting a man’s hand, sometimes crying out that she saw cats, dogs, and rabbits, at the top, sides, and middle of the room; at other times with great eagerness catching at imaginary objects with her hands, and declaring that she saw many people who were not present. She suffered a continuation of these symptoms with little variation, and totally without rest, from 8 p. m. to 6 a. m. this m., being all that time restrained in bed by force in a raving and maniacal state. At 8:30 p. m. last n. she took about 1/2 oz of ipecacuanha wine, and about 1/2 hour afterwards, that not operating, they gave the child 4 grs. of powdered ipecacuanha, but without effect. Towards m. she had a small costive stool. About 8 a. m. she drank near an English pint of milk, and was become somewhat more composed, but still not rational. At 9 a. m. (the time at which I first saw her) I found her a little come to herself, but still frequently incoherent, and looking rather stupid. Her pulse was about 100 strokes in a m., and her breathing not difficult. I gave her immediately a powder composed of 4 grs. of calomel and 8 of jalap, and in 1/2 hour it made her throw up once very freely, upon which she immediately fell into a sound sleep, and did not wake till near 1 p. m., when she was perfectly sensible and composed, and made no complaint but of a pain in her head. 13th. – The purgative seemed to operate freely yesterday afternoon. She had 3 loose stools before 5 p. m., 2 more in the n., and 4 or 5 to – day. Since the operation she has had a tolerable appetite, slept well, and has no complaint but the remains of the headache. Pulse 96. 15th. – The remains of the headache went off yesterday, and she is now entirely free from complaint. (FOWLER, in Medorrhinum and Phil. Comm., v, 161.)
18. On June 23rd I was sent for in haste to see a child of Mr. C -, aet. 1 year and 8 months. On my arrival I found the child labouring under the following symptoms; – The whole body of the child was of a scarlet – red; skin hot and dry; tongue redder at the apex than the base, and dry; fauces almost white, and dry; respiration somewhat accelerated; pulse full, but not preternaturally frequent; face somewhat swollen; pupils enormously dilated and insensible to light; the muscles of the whole body convulsed, and the child screaming almost incessantly. At about 1:30 p. m. (a few m. after my arrival) I administered the following: – Calomel, gr. v; jalap, gr. v; to be followed in a few hours by a dose of ol. ricini. I then had warm pediluvia ordered, and also cold water poured continuously upon the head; after using these means for 20 m. the child dropped into an apparent sweet slumber. In about 20 m. more it awoke, and was like a mad child; it would hold out its hand as if it wanted a glass of water, then bring them to its mouth, and sip as if drinking water or other fluid; it would put its fingers into its mouth, and even bite them, and also its mother’s fingers whenever she put them about its mouth, also screaming incessantly. I had the cold water continuously applied to the head, and administered ipec., gr. v, followed by warm drinks every few m. I continued this for about an hour, but could not produce emesis. I then administered sulph. zinc, gr. v, followed by droughts of warm water, for 15 or 20 m., and again administered sulph. zinc, gr. v, in the course of 15 or 20 m. longer; vomiting commenced, and there was thrown up about 20 stramonium seeds, intermixed with some indigestible matter of the stomach. I endeavoured to keep up vomiting with some warm drinks (which the child took very reluctantly) and irritating the fauces, until it had thrown up 55 seeds. At this time (about 5 p. m.) the vomiting had ceased, although ineffectual efforts were made, and my efforts in reproducing it seemed to be unavailing. I had a mustard sinapism to the epigastrium, and the cold water assiduously applied to the head, which seemed to compose it more than anything else. At 9 p. m. the child went to sleep again; the pulse at this time natural; respiration natural; skin warm, and not so red as before; pupils still dilated very much, but previous to going to sleep the patient was much more composed. I then left the following powder: – Calomel, gr. v; jalap, gr. v; to be followed at 5 a. m. by a dose of ol. ricini. At 7 a. m. I found the patient much better than I anticipated, and was informed by the parents that they had to wake it to give it the medicine I had left; and when they had given it to him he soon went to sleep again, and did not wake till the m., when they administered the castor oil, but as it had no effect on the bowels when I arrived I ordered another dose, and another if it did not operate by 9 a. m. As I have remarked, I found my patient much better than I anticipated, although the pupils were very much dilated yet, and it could not yet walk; on attempting to walk it would stagger like an intoxicated man, and would fall, although rational. When I returned at 2 p. m. I found my patient running about, and was informed by the mother that the medicine had operated well (it took 3 tablespoonfuls of oil to move the bowels) and had brought away at least a tablespoonful of stramonium seeds. (FAUST, Charleston Medorrhinum Journ. and Rev., ix, 743.)
19. Charles L -, aet. 3, ate a few seeds with the following result: – He was not seen till about 5 hours after he had eaten them, at which time his sensorium was much disordered; there were strong convulsions, alternating with great excitement of mind; the pupils of his eyes were so much dilated as almost to obliterate the iris; pulse rapid and contracted; face and upper part of body universally covered with a vivid erysipelatous redness, which gradually disappeared after venesection. This state of things continued for about 14 h. The restoration of his senses was sudden and unexpected. Three days afterwards his body became covered with an eruption resembling rubeola, except that it was more prominent; this eruption lasted about 12 hours (GRIFFITHS, Am. Journ of Medorrhinum Sc., v, 251.)
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.