Introduction
Oenanthe crocata, L. Hemlock water drop – wort. Nat. Ord., Umbelliferae.
Poisonings
1. In 1748 8 Irish boys, having taken this plant for water parsnip ate several of the roots. In 4 or 5 hours the eldest fell suddenly on his back and died in convulsions. Four others died in the same way, without having been able to utter a word from the instant the poison seemed to attack the nervous system. Of the three remaining one became furiously maniacal, but came to himself the next m.; another lost his nails and hair; the third was the only one who escaped free, having run two miles and drunk hot milk, which produced copious perspiration. (RAY, Phil. Trans., xx, 84.)
2a. March 20th, 1758, 17 soldiers of the garrison of Ajaccio poisoned themselves. On of them, having a mind to treat his comrades with good soup, had boiled in it a plant of which he had cut the leaves and root. They drank the soup with avidity, but in 1 hours some fell into syncope and convulsions. On had died before I arrived, 2 hours after supper; a second was expiring; a third showed no sign of life but trembling and convulsions. The activity of the poison was so great that I saw two fall into a swoon, while, at perfect ease about themselves, they were attending to their sick comrades.
2b. The author of this deadly feast seemed in the most hopeless state. The upturning of his eyes, the contraction of his lower jaw, the feebleness of pulse, the inability to move, feel, or know anything, with an universal chill spread over his whole body, seemed to be so many signs of death. After vain attempts to give an emetic I had him rolled and well shaken in a blanket by 8 men for 2 h. He recovered warmth, and then insensibly movement and life. The first signs were efforts to vomit, which, aided by an emetic, were effectual, and the vomiting went on for days, take what he would. He fell asleep for 15 h. On a April Ist his tongue was extremely sore and swollen, from being bitten during the convulsions. From 2nd to 5th his nose bled twice, and I bled him 3 times from the arm. The following day his sufferings abated. He remembered nothing that had befallen him from the Ist to the 3rd day of his illness. (VACHER, Journ. de med., 1863.)
3. A man about 40, when fasting, ate this root. He soon complained of great heat in throat; 1/2 hours after he became speechless, fell down unconscious, and was seized with terrible convulsions, which lasted 3/4 hours and ended in death. It was impossible to give any medicine, the jaws being closed by trismus the whole time. (BRY, Rec. period, 1xxxii, 63. 1823.)
4. In 1843 21 men of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, ate On. by mistake for celery. Nine were seized with violent convulsions and loss of consciousness 3/4 hours after. One, with face swollen and livid, and bloody froth issuing from his mouth and nostrils, stertorous and convulsive respiration, insensibility, and prostration, died in 1/2 h. Another, after being a prey to the most violent convulsions, was in a kind of apoplectic state, – insensible, speechless, with pupils dilated, face puffed and livid, respiration laborious, limbs contracted, and jaws fixed in trismus. On his recovering consciousness the convulsions were renewed, he fell into a coma, and died in a hours in a fresh convulsive fit. In 2 the convulsions gave way to maniacal delirium, with tossing about. Others felt numbness and feebleness of limbs. Two left hospital on 5th day, believing themselves cured, but returned, having been seized a new with syncope. Purgatives made them pass debris of the root on root on 6th and 7th d. They nevertheless succumbed, one on the 9th, the other on the 11th day of poisoning. (BOSSEY, Land. Medorrhinum Gaz., 1844, p. 289.)
5. The following is a resume of the post – mortem appearances in 6 fatal cases:
5a. Exterior aspect: Very marked rigidity of the corpse; hand strongly bent, with thumb applied forcibly to palm; nails bluish; small livid patches on front of trunk, on back part generally a deep purple discoloration, which also pervaded scrotum and penis. Face injected and puffy; eyelids slightly apart, conjunctiva slightly congested, pupils widely dilated; lips, groins, and ears purple; tongue showing through teeth and bitten at tip; froth issuing from nostrils. 5b. Nervous system; Incision of scalp let out great quantities of black fluid blood. Veins of pia mater, greatly distended, from numerous arborescent patterns on surface of convolutions and in their intervals. The cerebral substance is strongly injected, especially the white matter; so also the medulla oblongata. Serous effusion pretty abundant under arachnoid and in ventricles. Sinuses distended with much fluid blood. Sheath of cord strongly injected; vertebral tissues full of black fluid blood, and medullary substance redder than usual. In one man, who died in an hours, there was found beneath pia mater an escape of blood which covered both hemispheres.
5c. Respiratory system: Epiglottis deeply discoloured, with considerable injection of network of veins covering it. From glottis to ultimate ramifications of bronchiae, mucous membrane is deep red and covered with a thick layer of reddish frothy mucus. Lungs dull and blackish, with numerous small extravasations.
5d. Circulatory system: Heart contained much black fluid blood.
5e. Digestive apparatus: Papillae at base of tongue turgid and vascular. Velum palati, tonsils, pharynx, and oesophagus coated with glairy mucus and deeply livid. Lining of stomach and intestines scarlet, coated with viscid mucus, which membrane is strongly injected and looks mammillated, owing to prominence of numerous swollen follicles. He also were points of extravasation, and black lines along venous trunks. (BLOC, L’ Art Medical, March, 1874.).
Experiments on animals
1. Five decigrams of the resin were given, suspended in a mucilage of gum arabic, to an adult, well – conditioned rabbit. At first it suffered depression and sadness, refusing its food; soon after, some convulsions in forelegs and muscles of head and face posterior extremities refused their support. This state continued 20 hours, after which the animal gradually recovered. (BLOC, op. cit.)
2. six decigrams of the resin were diffused through a yolk of egg and slightly diluted with a little hot water; a full – grown small dog was made to swallow it. He at first exhibited the same depression and sadness as the rabbit, whilst the weakness of the extremities was still greater. Respiration short; the tongue hanging out and extremely dry; anxiety insupportable. The oesophagus was not tied lest it should occasion death. There was no possibility of stopping vomitings, which were glairy, reddish, and slightly blood, and no doubt carried the poison out. They were accompanied by fetid liquid stools and an abundant discharge of urine. After these evacuations, and even during them, the animal suffered convulsions and extremely violent spasms in anterior extremities, tail, and face. Gradually these sufferings abated. He took no food for 45 hours, and then slowly recovered. (Ibid.)
3. An adult strong rabbit, who swallowed 3 oz. of distilled water in which a quantity of the root was steeped, with the addition of a good deal of the essential oil, did not experience the least inconvenience. All the experiments seems to prove that the resin alone is poisonous and the other parts of the plant very little so. (Ibid.)
4. Sixty centigrammes of resin were mixed up with some minced meat, of which three boluses were made. One was administered to an adult dog of middle size by force, as the smell of the resin made him shrink back. In 20 m. he began to be restless, and he kept turning round upon himself, seeking for a comfortable position; 2 or 3 m. after he had nausea without vomiting. They gave him a second and then a third; the phenomena then became characteristic. At first growling, with increased anxiety; by degrees posterior extremities do not move in accord with anterior; at last he could not support himself. In 5 or 6 m. he had bloody stools, at first containing other matters, then blood only. Nausea returned more severe, as well as a violent hiccough. Four times he vomit white matters tinged with yellow and coated with bloody slime. The muscles of the face are contracted, with incessant anxiety. Trismus prevents the exhibition of an emetic; the vomiting and stools become more frequent. He tries to walk, knocks himself about everywhere, and does not seem to know where he is going. He falls back, is seized with violent contractions, and dies in 35 m. after the poison. No post – mortem. (Ibid.)
5. Forty centigrammes of the alcoholic extract diluted with a little water were given to a pretty strong rabbit. He suffered from depression, and refused food; convulsions ensued, hind legs became visibly weaker; muscles of the head and face contracted; this state continued from 9 to 12 hours and then he recovered. ( Ibid.)
6. a. July 12th, 6 a. m., I introduced into the mouth of an adult dog, in good health and fasting since previous evening, a teaspoonful of fresh juice. At once he made efforts to vomit, and uttered hoarse cries. He is much agitated, runs, and attempts to vomit, but in vain; foams at the mouth, and threatens to bite; often goes to drink, and seems relieved protem. About 9 a. m., after incredible efforts, he vomited all the liquid he had swallowed, refused broth, and slept calmly. On awaking ate a little, and drank eagerly and often. Gums, mouth, tongue, and pharynx are red and injected, with red patches at edge of velum pendulum and columns. Urine scanty, no stool, abdomen slightly distended, was left to rest all day, and fell asleep; plaintive barking at short intervals, trismus but little marked. At 8 p. m. he awoke, whined, and tried to vomit, changed his place continually, and rejected, with violent hiccoughs, food mixed with bile, smelling remarkably acid. Next day one diarrhoeic stool. At n. he seems better. I mixed a tablespoonful of fresh juice with 200 grammes of broth, which he took without repugnance. But he was almost immediately seized with retching, and rejecting the ingesta; went to drink as yesterday and lay down. At noon yawning and three diarrhoeic very fetid stools. Next day at 8:30 a. m. I was much surprised to find the animal, who seemed doing well overnight, with a death – rattle, after very fetid green stools; his eyes were stiff and glassy; skin dry, with an eruption or rather venous red spots on back and flank; jaws set fast; heart beating tumultuously and irregularly. He was nearly motionless, so I despatched him by cutting the jugular, and proceeded immediately to the post – mortem.
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.