4. WALTL made a decoction of ij of the root in Zj water; of this he took at 8 a. m. 1 teaspoonful. As after 1 hours he felt no effect he took a tablespoonful. After 3 hours he felt burning hot in his body, in 1/2 hours more he broke out in profuse perspiration, which lasted 5 hours 6 h. after taking the dose his room appeared quite dark, he could not bear the daylight nor keep his head upright, but must keep it sunk forward on his chest, otherwise he had suddenly violent pain in occiput. Pulse very quick; he felt sometimes hot, sometimes cold, was uncommonly prostrated; at length he vomited ten times, and had even more frequent stools; his features were sunken, face pale, covered with cold sweat, truly Hippocratic. Quiet n. (BUCHNER’s Rep., xxvii, 75.)
5. I have found that 1 dr. of the 1st dil., taken n. and m., will produce constipation in 4 or 5 d. The person on whom this was proved was a healthy young man. (SHARP, Essays in Medicine, p. 725.)
6. B. C.E., in full health, pulse 72 and regular, took 2 dr. of tinct. at 8 a. m. Immediately hacking cough, soon attended by hoarseness and expectoration. 8:15, distension of stomach with salivation eructations. 8:25, cold sweat on hands in warm room; spasmodic cough and tightness of chest. 8:30, spasmodic constriction of throat and lungs; involuntary twitching of extremities occasional cramps in legs; skin cold. 9, rumbling it bowels with retching, followed by ineffectual desire for stool. 9:15, urgent call to stool, which was copious. 10:15, pulse 90, weak and intermittent; violent pulsations of heart; occasional rigors and flashes of heat. 10:30, call to stool, loose, with nausea. 11, inward heat with thirst and external coldness great restlessness. 11:10, stitches in heart, extending to spine, with laboured breathing. 12:30, sharp pains in forehead an temples, extending to eyes. 2, stitching pains in bowels and renal region, followed by urination. 4, pulse 66; felt very weak; occasional numbness and faintness on motion. (Dr. A. W. WOODWARD, Trans. of Int. Hom. convention, 1881, p. 34.).
Poisonings
1. Two children, aet. 1 3/4 and 5 years respectively, took V. alb, by mistake, the former 4 gr., the latter 7 gr., doses considered to be fatal. Within a few m. both children became cold and fell down; eyes projecting as in suffocation, and saliva running from mouth. They seemed devoid of consciousness within 1/2 h. Tickling throat with a feather failed to induce vomiting, but rather aggravated symptoms Milk in large quantities had no effect but scanty vomiting, which only increased the faintness. Both seemed to be at the point of death. Distorted, projecting eyes disfigured cold countenances, lax muscles, closed jaws, respiration imperceptible. The infant was the worse of the two. The impending death by apoplexy, the failing irritability, at once suggested coffee as an antidote. Warm coffee was introduced into mouth through the clenched jaws, and in large quantities as an enema. Within 1 hours h. all danger was gone. Heat, consciousness, respiration returned. A long sleep, during which breathing was lower than usual, refreshed them. The children remained weak and emaciated; and every n. before midnight were attacked with a form of fever, which threatened to prove fatal in a chronic manner. Peruvian bark removed this sequela. Good health then ensued. (HAHNEMANN, Lesser Writings, p. 379.)
2. A distiller or Bremen found some dry roots of V., and thinking they were innocuous aromatic roots, he placed them in the retort and distilled brandy over them. After some time he gave this brandy to some members of his household. all who partook of this spirit became extremely tipsy and felt very ill with vertigo, vomiting, diarrhoea, & c. His coachman who was employed in driving his carriage drove about town like a madman. An old sempstress who had drunk a small quantity had to be supported by two persons to her house, and watery stools escaped from her involuntarily. All the symptoms ceased soon. (BARKHAUSEN, Medorrhinum Zeit. v. Verbascum f. Heilk. in Preussen, 5th Jahrg., 1836, No. 7, 35.)
3. A shepherdess baked V. root in her bread instead of caraway. Eight members of the family, aged from 1 to 80 years, ate of the bread and were attacked with pains in abdomen, with a feeling as if the intestines were twisted together in knots; vomiting (after 8 hours, in some only next d.) of green bile, the tongue swelled, the mouth felt as if excoriated, there was vertigo and loathing of food. (WAGNER, Rust’s Mag., xiv, pt. 3, 547. 1823.)
4. A girl, aet. 15, whose head has infested with vermin, had the powder of V. root sprinkled on her exuding head. She soon began to run about the room in raging mania; the heal was hot, face red, pulse febrile, eyes sparkling. The head was shaved, washed with sap, and mania soon passed off. (KOCHLING, Horn’s Archiv, 1xviii, pt. 2, 815. 1835.)
5. Three persons took at 9 a. m. an infusion of V. root in brandy.
5 a. A woman, aet. 60, after 1 hours had violent burning in throat, oesophagus, and stomach, then great nausea, vomiting of green mucus, urinary tenesmus, soon followed by stiffness and coldness of whole body; pulse from noon till evening could not be felt, respiration quite suspended for some m., then for some m. spasmodic and rattling; face and lips pale, pupils greatly dilated. She seemed to be deprived of reason and sense, was unable to swallow medicine or liquids, ammonia dropped on her tongue produced no effect. Strong rubbing with warm cloths gradually restored warmth, pulse, sensibility, respiration, sight, and power of swallowing. She got decoction of bark and camphor mixture. The next day she could answer questions, but usually lay in a comatose state, face red, spots like flea-bites on her body, pulse full and strong, headache. She was bled, and various medicines were administered. On the 3rd day she was out of danger, and only complained of weakness, urinary tenesmus, heaviness of head; she could take nourishment.
5 b. A man, aet. 60, thin, of delicate constitution with a tendency to haemoptysis, complained first of violent burning in throat and stomach, nausea, urinary tenesmus, insensibility, stiffness of limbs, and retracted tongue. After 15 gr. ipec. he vomited 3 or 4 times. After this the burning in throat and stomach subsided, but towards evening he had great exhaustion, dryness of tongue, dilated pupils, complete blindness, spasmodic, small, contracted pulse, and weak interrupted breathing. After being rubbed with warm cloths and taking tea and lemon-juice and decoction of bark during the n., was quite well next m.
5 c. An apprentice, aet. 28, after taking a small quantity, complained of burning in oesophagus and stomach, paralysed condition of limbs, and vertigo; all the fingers (except left index and thumb) were paralysed, stiff, and insensible; he felt like a flash of lightning from shoulder to hand; for a short time he lost his sight, pupils dilated. After an emetic of ipec the symptoms subsided in the evening, and he was quite well next day (Horn’s Archiv., xxviii, pt. 3, 1002, 1815.)
6. A fatal case is quoted by Berat from Schussler’s Medical Journal. A man took twice as much as could be held on the point of a knife, was attacked with violent and incessant vomiting, and lived only from m. to n. Gullet, stomach, an colon were here and there inflamed. (CHRISTISON, op. cit.)
7. On Aug. 4th I was requested to see a young married lady who was in state of collapse. About 6:30 p. m. she had taken by mistake Zss of the homoeopathic mother tincture, made in Germany from the green root. Immediately after taking it she felt soothed and quiet, having been exceedingly nervous before. At 10 her hands and feet became numb, a sensation which gradually extended over whole body. She attempted to rise, but had two attacks of syncope in rapid succession, and was taken immediately after with violent vomiting. At 10:30 I found her pulseless; heart beating feebly and irregularly; resp. 22, regular; eyes fixed and staring, pupils dilated, almost total loss of sight; body covered with cold an clammy perspiration; complete anaesthesia of skin; voice clear and strong, as in collapse of cholera; lips of a bright carmine; mind calm, clear, and collected, though she thought she was dying; incessant retching and vomiting, ejecta being viscid glairy mucus of greenish hue. There was no purging now; but after 3 enemata of brandy and ammonia, in water, which were retained, it set in violently with severe tenesmus. At 1 pulse was perceptible for first time, 38, feeble and intermittent; an now see distinctly; anaesthesia, vomiting, and purging continue. 3, pulse 44; temp. normal intense thirst. 10, pulse 96; vomiting only occasional; frequent bloody stools; marked pain at left iliac region, extending to left hypochondrium, with tenderness on pressure. 6th. – 6 a. m., pulse 100; restless night; tympanites; marked tenderness of left iliac region nausea, vomiting at intervals; tenesmus, with bloody stools every hours; anesthesia persistent; thirst intense. By 8th abdominal symptoms were increased, and mouth was affected – tongue dry, furred, and brown; gums inflamed and tender, bleeding freely at intervals; aphthous ulceration of palate; breath offensive; ptyalism profuse. On 10th state was much the same, though stools were no longer bloody; thee was still anaesthesia in lower extremities, and a profuse flow of blood from the uterus occurred during n., though catamenia were not due till 22nd. From next day improvement, continuing up to 18th, when she was taken at n. with violent tenesmus and catharsis, bloody stools, &c., and this attack lasted till end of September. (As, however, “marked insalubrity” of the hotel at which she was staying [and from which she was removed Aug. 29th] is mentioned, “caused by miasma and defective drainage,” and as there were then in the same wing as that occupied by her two cases of dysentery, one of which was “typho – malarial,” this second attack is more probably idiopathic than medicinal. It may be a question, moreover, whether the environment had not something to do with the unusually inflammatory character and prolonged duration of the original symptoms. – Eds.) (E. PEUGNET, M. D., NY. Medorrhinum Record, vii, 124.)
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.