2 b. The following was his own account of the attack. After saying that he had taken experimentally what he thought a safe dose, viz. 3j of tincture, at about 4:45 p. m., he went on – “My stomach soon afterwards whispered that I had admitted a troublesome guest. I went upstairs and sat down, thinking a cup of tea would set all right; but the uneasy constriction of the stomach continuing, with a tendency to sickness, made me retire to the closet. The sickness, once commencing, soon became alarmingly violent, with the most excruciating pain in the lower part of the stomach, in spot about size of palm. The feeling was as if all the warm drinks I took to provoke the vomiting went under the pain, making the constriction more and more violent. Finding the case desperate I sent off for medical aid. The pain continued to increase, and the ejection from the stomach was now of glairy mucus with blood, and there was running from nose and eyes. The most painful and profuse cold sweating now came on, and the breathing became more and more laboured. I could not help wondering at the absence of anything like heat or constriction of throat; my mind was perfectly calm; and, although I thought it more than probable that I should die, I did not feel alarmed. Hearing and recognising the voice of one of my medical friends is all I recollect for some time. Immense circles of green colour appeared round the candle, which, as vertigo came on, and I closed my eyes, turned to red. The pain continued excruciating at pit of stomach, and a slight tendency to cramp existed when my legs were touched.” The bowels were not moved until (after aperients) second m. (EDWARDS, Medorrhinum Times and Gaz., 1863, i,
5.)
3. Dr. WOODBURY prescribed for a gentleman, aet. 45, as an expectorant, 40 dr. of tinct. in 3j of water, a teaspoonful every 3 h. First dose was taken as directed, but after an hours, no effect being felt, patient ventured on a tablespoonful, left evening 20 dr. In 10 to 15 m. he experienced burning sensation in throat oesophagus, and stomach, dizziness and pain in head, with dimness of vision, dilated pupils, and severe nausea though little vomiting. Dr. W. saw him 1/2 hours after 2nd dose. He found him in great distress; very pale, with cadaverous look; convulsive breathing, almost to suffocation; pulse very small, about 40; extremities cold to elbows and knees; profuse cold sweat about hands and face; weakness and stiffness of limbs, with frequent efforts to vomit, and extreme prostration. Emetics (ipec., which acted freely), sinapisms, and stimulants were given. Patient became somnolent, soon followed by lethargy, which continued 4 hours, from which he awoke feeling much better, though weak, and complaining of an indescribable sensation, more felt in limbs than elsewhere. (HALE, op. cit.)
4. My little girl, aet. 21 mos., got hold of my pocket case, and I found her sitting down drinking medicine. she had a vial of V. vir in her hand, with the cork out, and its contents emptied. It had contained about 1/8 drachm of tinct. She could not have had the case more than 5 m. before I discovered her, but in 2 m. she commenced vomiting. I immediately gave half a cup of coffee, and went for some camphor, returning in about 5 m. Her jaws were then rigid, and nothing could be put into her mouth; pupils were widely dilated, face blue, hands and feet cold, no pulse could be found at wrist. I bathed her bowels and back with camphor, when she went into a spasm, with violent shrieks; body was bent backwards, arms rigid and thrown up over head, face dark blue, breathing suspended for several seconds; this lasted about 2 m., and then, after some moments’ ease, she went off into another spasm similar to the first. I put her into a tub of warm water, which soon relaxed whole muscular system. Vomiting kept on, with severe retching every few m. for 3 hours, when it gradually subsided; matter vomited was a white ropy mucus. She remained pulseless all this time, with blue hippocratic face; hands and feet were shrivelled up, as if they had been in water for a long time. When she was not vomiting she lay in a stupor, with pupils widely dilated. After 3 hours pulse could be counted; it was 36, and very feeble. In 3/1.2 hours after taking the V. she went to sleep, and slept quietly and soundly for 3 hours, then awoke well, save for a little weakness. (BURT, in Ibid.)
5. A man, aet, 45, had tertian ague. The febrile paroxysm was unusually severe, and lasted 12 – 18 h. He was taking arsenicum in the apyrexia, but I left a vial of tinct. of Verbascum v., and ordered 1 dr. every hours during the fever. By some mistake 5 dr. were given instead. When I saw him he had taken about 30 dr. I was informed that after the third dose he had perspired warmly and freely, vomited very profusely, and complained of burning in oesophagus and some pain in stomach. He seemed prostrate, and I was sent for. When I arrived his whole body was covered with a cold sweat; face, hands, and feet were very cold; pulse 30, full and soft, easily compressible (this was quite different from the small feeble pulse it sometimes causes). He had not had diarrhoea, and the vomiting was not very painful. His pupils were dilated, but there was no headache or dimness of vision. A few oz. of brandy sufficed to antidote the effects of the medicine. He had no more ague. (Ibid.)
6. A man, aet. 30, was under treatment for pneumonia. By mistake 7 – 8 dr. were taken every hours for 4 hours about 10 m. after last dose great uneasiness came on, followed in a few moments by intense pain in stomach. this pain was of a drawing, twisting, pressive character; stomach felt as if drawn tightly against spinal column, causing pain in back (dorsal region). There was at same time drawing pain in cervical region of spine. Patient could not lie on back, as it seemed to increase pressure of stomach on spine. this uneasiness and pain would culminate, every 5 – 10 m., in a paroxysm of sudden, powerful, and expulsive vomiting, after which there would be a lull of a few moments in the pain. During its intensity there was great nervous sensitiveness; the last noise, as talking, walking across floor, & c., would aggravate it excessively. The vomiting was not preceded by nausea, and was of mucus only; when, however, stomach had been emptied, there was excessive, painful, and ineffectual retching. The pain, vomiting, &c., reached its height about 1 hours after first onset, and subsided in about the same time (under morphia). (SMART, in Ibid.)
7. A man of 55, suffering from sciatica but otherwise strong, dosed himself with Verbascum v. macerated in whisky. For about 2 day he had taken sufficient to produce perspiration, but then suddenly increased dose. He was seized with vertigo and sudden prostration, soon followed by vomiting of bile, and then of mucus and dark – coloured blood; then severe retching and moaning, with great fear of death; pulse scarcely perceptible, and very slow – 40 to 45. this state continued about an hours, when I gave a dose of arsenicum 3. Soon after wards retching and vomiting ceased. During greatest depression he complained of being very cold, and his limbs were bathed in cold sweat. Most of the time between the vomiting spells he was lethargic, with slow nd difficult respiration. When vomiting ceased he complained of severe constriction about chest, with great anguish. These symptoms continued 10 – 15 m. He then became quarrelsome and delirious, striking and kicking with right hand and foot. At times these movements appeared to be involuntary. this mental condition changed to a happy and comical delirious state, which lasted 15 h. There was gradual return to normal pulse and temperature. For several day patient was troubled with a sour and acrid rising from the stomach. (Hahn. Monthly, viii, 46.)
8. A family had taken a large quantity of V. v. in mistake for a table vegetable. Five partook largely of the dish. In 30 or 40 m. they felt extreme sickness and distress at epigastrium, and made several ineffectual efforts to vomit. Prostration, cold extremities, with severe agues, soon followed. Some 3 hours after the poison was taken, I found two so prostrated that the pulse could not be felt in wrist and only slightly in carotids; was told their distress had been excruciating. there had been frequent and severe spasms of stomach and respiratory organs. These, with constant and ineffectual retching, temporary delirium and colliquative sweats, were the chief symptoms. They were given Zss sulph. ether, and mustard applied to epigastrium and extremities. three of them immediately vomited, and threw up a quantity of vegetables; the two most prostrated were not so affected. Repeated dose every 10 m. and frictions of tinct. capsici, when, after 40 m., free vomiting ensured, pulse and warmth returned, and the patients gradually recovered. (HUBARD, Boston Medorrhinum and Surg. Journ., xix, 31.).
Experiments on animals
1. From a number of experiments on dogs with V. vir. and veratrine it appeared that the most remarkable effect was on the pulse, which was diminished frequency to a remarkable degree, in one case from 110 to 14. In this case the dog became perfectly insensible to pain. The respiration was slow but full. In another the pulse fell from 142 to 34.(PERCY, Trans. of Amer. Medorrhinum Ast., xiv, 235.)
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.