31 b. From 15th to 26th Oct. he took daily, at 7:30 a. m., 10 dr. of tinct. in half a pint of water. 18th. – Tiresome feeling, as if bruised, in small of back; slight trembling of hands and great trembling of right thumb; at n. heat of body much increased. 20th. – At 11 1/2 a. m., occasional violent shooting in right cheek – bone. 24th. – Itching in fingers; slight redness of fingers, which disappeared on pressure, but returned immediately that was removed. 25th. – In m. he noticed on inner surface of right ring and little fingers some white painless vesicles, size of a poppy – seed, which were partly in groups, partly isolated. 26th. – two vesicles close together on inner surface of 2nd joint of right middle fingers.
31 c.. On 27th Oct. and two following day he took each m. as much flowers of S. as would lie on the point of a knife in half a pint of water. 27th. – Sulphurous eructations. No other symptoms. 28th. – No stool; at n. drawing in small of back. 29th. – the drawing in small of back lasted all day and throughout following night; on right. ring finger some more vesicles appeared. (Ibid)
32. Dr. STERZ, of truieste, made four trials of S.
32 a.. On 1st Feb., 1846, at 6 1/2 a. m., he took 100 dr of 30th dil.; Both dils.and trits.were on centesimal scale the two following day 200 day 200 dr., and on 8th and 9th 300 dr., without any effect. From 25th Feb. to 2nd March inclusive he took daily at noon, 2 hours before dinner, 300 dr. of 20th. No symptoms. On 5th. After last two doses slight and transient burning in anus after moderate exercise. On 18th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, and 27th, at noon, 300 dr. of 10th. No symptoms. From 29th March to 3rd april inclusive, at noon 300 dr. of 6th. After third dose occurred persistent burning in external canthus of right eye, and at same time sensation as if a grain of sand was in it. Eye was not reddened.
32 b.. the 3rd trit. taken in doses of 20 gr. on 6th april, 30 gr. on 7th, 40 gr. on 8th, and 60 gr. on 9th, had no effect. After 2nd trit., which he took in dose of 50 dr. on 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th May, the following symptoms appeared: 5th. – In m. soft stool, with emission of much flatus having smell of rotten eggs; in hours after taking medicÀà
Poisonings
1. A child aet. 2, seemingly vigorous, had been given a small dose of S. with molasses, twice a day for some supposed impurity of blood. One evening she took by mistake a whole teacupful of the mixture, containing more than a tablespoonful of S. Early next m. she woke fretful and restless, and complained of being chilly. Head soon became hot, and extremities cold. Slight twitchings of muscles of face and extremities were noticed, which soon developed into a general convulsion. This subsided in a few m., consciousness returning slowly. In a few hours there came on a severe chill, followed by heat and perspiration, which lasted 8 – 10 h. The chill then came on more severely than before; and as soon as reaction was established the spasm returned, this time in the tonic form, affecting first the right side, then the front of the body, afterwards the back, and finally the jaws. The latter were so firmly set that nothing could be administered by the mouth. The whole abdomen had now become enormously distended and tympanitic, and the pulse feeble and intermitting. Simultaneously with the spasms, copious discharges from the bowels took place of the consistence of thin mush, of dark grey color, and very fetid. These were soon followed by subsidence of the spasms; the muscles immediately relaxed, and the child died instantly. No autopsy was made. (STEBBINS, N. Y. State Hom. Soc. Trans., vii, 732.)
2. J. K. -, aet. 32, smoked three pipefuls of S. one e in rapid succession as a cue for toothache. he then went to bed and fell asleep, but awoke in an hours in great fright and distress; his symptoms were – dyspnoea to a sense of suffocation, severe constriction of chest, extreme faintness, vehement palpitation of heart, and horror of instant death. There was general tremor; his head seemed to him distended, with loud noises in the ears; he distinguished especially a boring pain over left eye. His bowels were obstinately obstructed for 4 day, no action being produced by the various aperients he took. The day after smoking the S. he had intolerable itching over whole body; this was followed in a day or two, by the appearance of reddish blotches over trunk and extremities. He had severe pain across loins. When seen his face was pale and collapsed, with an expression of great anxiety; there was still vehement palpitation, pulse feeble and very irregular; considerable dyspnoea with sense of constriction; intense headache, with sensation as if head and ears were stuffed; loud noises in ears; tremor of limbs, with considerable itching of arms and legs, though no eruption was to be seen; he complained of pains throughout body. Pulsatilla, and a few doses of Aconite, were given; and after 9 day there were no symptoms remaining, save very slight uneasiness on taking a deep breath. ( Brit. Journ of Hom., iv, 92.)
3. a I have personally experienced considerable inconvenience from inhaling. S. fumes when superintending their employment. In addition to their inducing hemorrhoids, I have, on several occasions, been threatened with asthmatic attacks, to which I have no natural tendency.
3 b. A lady, who inhaled sulphurous acid for bronchitic asthma, derived some slight benefit, but a genuine hysteric paroxysm occurred and lasted several h. The same thing happened again and again, a species of choreic jerking accompanying the paroxysms; so that at length it was left off. (Similar effects followed even its external application of pediculi.) The experiment was now tried of burning a few gr. of S. n. and M. At first the patient liked it, and found it relieve her chest; but in a few d. I was hastily summoned, and found my patient laboring under the depressing effects of hysteria. (MORRISON, M. H. R., xiii, 159.)
4. We take as a type of sulphurous mineral waters those of the Eaux Bonnes in the Pyrenees. The elective action of these waters on the respiratory apparatus is incontestable. it is rare that after three or four weeks of their use patients fail to experience a sensation of acrid burning in larynx and isthmus faucium, a dry, choking, peculiar cough, with constrictive irritation at the entrance to the air passages a little dyspnoea mingled with feeling of weight and contraction of thorax, wandering pains in the walls of the chest, especially under the clavicles, and so forth. Catarrhs are frequently set up, and slight and transient hemoptysis are not uncommon. (TROUSSEAU et PIDOUX, op. cit.)
5. a. Towards the middle or end of the treatment of phthisis by the Eaux Bonnes the patient complains of more frequent, dire, and more painful cough, with feeling of heat and burning in the throat, and at the same time of pain in the body and drowsiness. Sometimes, the humid rales are superseded by dry souffles, as if the secretions of the small caverns were arrested. At the same time respiration in the unimpaired portions of the lung assumes greater energy, and denotes this by a vesicular murmur, which is stronger, more strident, and much like puerile respiration. One would say that the contractile element of the bronchi is increased, that their tonicity is enhanced, and that there exists, as it were, a spasm of the last bronchial ramifications and pulmonary alveoli. The Eaux Bonnes may go so far as to create artificial asthma.
5 b. There is no doubt that the Eaux Bonnes may bring on spitting of blood in phthisical subjects, since they are capable of producing the same result in individuals whose air – passage are quite unimpaired. (LEUDET, practitioner, xi, III – 113.)
6. The following pathogenetic effects of the Harrogate sulphurous waters were collected from self proving; from information given me by persons of both sexes who had drunk the waters and bathed in them, experiencing certain of their effects; and, lastly, from others who were under treatment for various ailments, which were more or less aggravated by their abuse.
6 a. Nervous system. – Temporary loss of sensation of one or more of the extremities semi – lateral in some persons; temporary loss of motion of one or both legs in others – of one arm in a little girl, from bathing twice during the day, 1 hours at a time; irritability of temper; low spirits; discontent; aversion to society, dissipated by motion in open air.
6 b. Cephalic region. – Pressive semi – lateral pain; heaviness of whole head; vertigo on motion; giddiness with nausea. Inflammation and agglutination of lids in m., with heat in eyes, which water when open, and prick conjunctiva reddened. (Being myself subject to a chronic relapsing ophthalmia, contracted in Africa five years previously, from which I was apparently free, it made its appearance on the 8th day. of a course of 6 oz. of the water taken twice daily. It was relieved by using same water, much diluted, externally. It also reproduced deafness in two persons who had suffered from this affection temporarily, with buzzing in ears and itching in meatus – relieved in open air.) Erysipelatous inflammation of nose, presenting a superficial shining, similar to that of drunkards, which disappears out of doors; eruption of red spots like measles on face, aggravated by sun and wind. Bleeding from mouth in plethoric persons; dryness or clamminess of mouth and throat; thirst; dry tongue; roughness of palate; metallic or sweet taste; thick saliva.
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.