Introduction
Nitrate of silver, Ag. NO3. Lunar caustic.
Provings
1. HAHNEMANN, Mat. Medorrhinum Pura, vol. iv of original, vol. i of translation. Contains a few symptoms only.
2. J-, student et. 22, blond, of phlegmatic temperament, but vigorous; liable to branny spots on neck. Took of 1x trit. as much as would cover point of knife, in water, each evening before retiring. After Ist dose, -metallic styptic taste, like ink, immediately; dizziness before falling asleep; restless sleep, dreamful, with much tossing about and frequent dazed awaking; woke early in m. with flatulent rolling and rumbling in bowels, and sensation as if he must go to stool. Three diarrhoeic stools at short intervals, the first evacuation being papescent and copious, the other two scanty and of a watery mucus, dark and fetid. Does not relish the usual breakfast (coffee and milk). The whole forenoon his limbs feel very weary and debilitated as after a distant journey, accompanied with great feeling of illness, dread of labour, drowsiness, chilliness, does not look well. No appetite; frequent rising of air. Feels chilly all over in evening (in the room). After 2nd dose diarrhoea in n; six liquid brown fetid stools. Sweat with chilliness as soon as he got warm in bed. After waking painful confusion in forehead; this disappears after eating. Weary, debilitated, no appetite. White slimy tongue; the papilla are enlarged, smarting like a sore. Looks very ill. Frequent emission of pale strong-smelling urine. Urine continues to drop out after the micturition is accomplished, with sensation as if the urethra were swollen. After 3rd dose drowsiness and tossing about in n., but no sleep. Palpitation. Sweat towards m. Tremulous weakness in the daytime, accompanied with general prostration and apathy. No appetite; food tastes like straw.
The prover could not be induced to continue the proving lest he should be too ill. On 6th d., 3 d. after he had discontinued taking the drug, his health was fully restored except some weakness in lower extremities. (Dr. J. O. MULLER’s provings, Oester. Zeitschr. f. Hom., vol. ii)
3. H-, man of 32, short and thin, of phthisical tendency, had syphilis and hydrargyrosis years ago, but now quite healthy. Proved drug like No. 2. After Ist dose-bitter, astringent, metallic taste, “as of verdigris,” causing nausea and retching; could not get to sleep for fancies and “images hovering before him;” then dreamful half-slumber for first part of n.; scarcely had he become quite when he was obliged to go to stool, with slight colic; he had sixteen greenish fetid mucous discharges during the night, which went off with a quantity of noisy flatulence. Great debility in daytime, even to exhaustion; lumbar region felt as if beaten to pieces. Papilla about l. margin of tongue became erect in the shape of reddish, painful pimples; the tongue pained as if burnt; fauces and esophagus felt burning and parched. After 2nd dose sleeplessness and tossing about in bed, with nervous excitement; in m. mouth and fauces were covered with mucus; he had to hawk and spit constantly. During d. titillation in the larynx inducing cough; several turns of dry and hacking cough; indefinable pain in the hypochondria. Cutting in sacrum and abdomen (also when touched); cutting and stitching in liver; violent empty eructations. White tongue; collection of a watery, tasteless saliva in the mouth. Trembling and beating in stomach. Copious diuresis. After 5th dose, the same nightly restlessness, with a good deal of urination; terrible headache in m. when waking, obliging him to gnash his teeth; shifting of flatulence in abdomen; two diarrhoeic stools in m. A good deal of urine is frequently passed through the day, sometimes with divided stream. Creeping and burning in anus. After 4th dose, paroxysms of dry cough at n., sometimes so violent that it induces vomiting; and starting of lower limbs, especially of knees, the concussion wakes him in affright. Mucus drips out of the urethra. Colic around umbilicus in forenoon (10), recurring several days in succession. Tension in axillary glands of r. side. The chest is filled with mucus; watery mucus in mouth and posterior nares day and n. The outer chest is painful to the touch. Two diarrheic stools in e. After 5th dose, cough and sweat at n. Three very profuse involuntary emission. After 6th dose there was no peculiar reaction perceptible; and the experiment was now concluded. The tension in the axillary glands, which was very troublesome to the prover, continued for several d. On 9th day of proving chancre-like ulcers were discovered on the prepuce; at first their tips were covered with pus, after which they became spread out over a pretty spacious depression, exhibiting distinctly the greasy covering of a chancre. They began to diminish next day after their appearance, and on 4. day they had dried up, except a little remaining dampness. (Ibid.)
4. P-, woman, et. 30, brunette, fleshy, choleric temperament, venous constitution; regular and in good health, save that for 6 years she had some mucous leucorrhea. Took same dose one m. at 10; but it affected her so much that she was unwilling to continue proving. On Ist d., immediately after taking drug bitter, astringent, biting, coppery taste in mouth, inducing nausea and retching; bluish colour of lips and soft parts of mouth; during d. frequent uneasiness in abdomen; at n. violent spasm of the stomach, waking her from sleep; a sort of twisting in the stomach, which extends down into the abdomen; towards m. she had several bloody mucous stools, without any particular pain. 2nd d., soreness in abdomen, with great hunger, abating after a meal, but then succeeded by trembling. Restless n., full of dreams. 3rd day, after dinner a fainting sort of nausea with violent palpitation of heart; she had it three times this afternoon. Extremely painful drawing and heaviness in the os sacrum, down the pelvis, as if the menses would make their appearance. Paralytic heaviness and debility in the lower limbs, so that she knew not where to place them. She feels so debilitated that she is scarcely able to walk across the room, complaining a good deal of rigidity in the calves. She is near falling asleep in evening while sitting in a chair. 4th d., repeated complaints about pain in sacrum and loins; heaviness in sacrum preventing her from sitting still; digging there which does not permit her to stoop; the sacral pain is relieved by standing or walking; the lassitude of yesterday continues to-day, although less, and seems to have become concentrated in sacrum. The catamenia appear a fortnight before the time, flowing only a few h. 5th d., pricking in the breasts. Swelling and pain of tongue as from submucous ulceration; ulcerated patches on mucous membrane of mouth, especially on l. cheek. Pain in throat when swallowing, as if swollen, or as if a splinter was sticking in the throat. Sticking drawing pain in hip down to tarsal joint. Sticking in l. side of chest. Sticking in the spleen, recurring for several evening in succession. Biting (itching?) in nose. Erection of papilla on l. side of the tongue. No stool since diarrhea had passed off (stool appeared on the day following). The mucous leucorrhea ceased (it reappeared in a few weeks, was quite bland, and much less copious).
5. Dr. MULLER, ET. 36, tall, slender, arterial constitution, melancholic temperament, liable to hemorrhoids.
5a. Took same dose as No. 4 at same time. Soon after taking drug, styptic constriction of mouth, metallic ink-like taste; some h. later, slight attack of nausea in stomach, with chilliness and shuddering, and peculiar feeling of stiffness in lower limbs, also gurgling noise in abdomen. (Giddiness as if intoxicated (very transient), most before eyes. Accumulation of much thick, tenacious mucus in the throat, obliging him to hawk, and producing slight hoarseness (all d.). Pain in l. nasal bone as if bruised, rigidity and squeezing in the nasal cavities. After eating, paroxysmal stitches in liver. Heaviness and drawing in loins, with great prostration and weariness, accompanied with a tumult in the knees and a tremor of the lower limbs, as after a fatiguing walk. The calves feel especially debilitated. Extremely disagreeable drawing and heaviness down the whole l. side of abdomen when standing. Fullness and oppression in the chest with desire to sigh. Accelerated and increased micturition, the urine being copious and pale yellow; passes the urine with a facility which he had never felt before, and which was almost pleasant; the stream was apparently larger. (The facility was only perceived to-day and next day; afterwards urination became difficult and almost fatiguing, although the quantity was the same.) Woke at n. in consequence of an acute pain in wrist-joint, as if sprained, accompanied with heat in the whole hand and restlessness in it, obliging him to change its position continually. In the m. he found a pimple not far from the joint, with pus in the tip causing a stinging pain as if a splinter were lodged in it. The tip with the pus was surrounded by a red, hard base of considerable extent. 2nd d., violent pain while sitting in sacrum, as if sprained, obliging him to rise (going off after several h.). Violent tearing, digging, raging pain below patella, first l. then r. Peculiar fullness in liver, which was sensitive, with occasional drawing and sticking there, especially when walking, sometimes reaching up into chest. Drawing tearing from knees into legs. 3rd d., violent pain while sitting in sacrum (m.), as if sprained, scarcely permitting him to rise, and not permitting him to walk about except stooping (recurring in the same manner the 4 following d.). 4th d., in m. on waking, tongue is dry as bark; even when washing the mouth with water the dryness is diminished only partly and for a short while; palate and fauces so dry that he found it difficult to articulate; burning pain in velum pendulum, palate, and posterior nares as if sore or as if corroded with pepper. Ringing in ears and diminution of hearing. Fine stitches in spleen in paroxysms. 5th d., through n. head feeling dull and stupid; in m., after waking, forehead feels full, with stinging digging in that region; these pains in the forehead increase after rising. Drawing sticking pain in left frontal eminence. Had no stool till this m. since beginning proving, though the bowels were generally loose, he having sometimes two evacuations a day; the substances discharged were dry and firm. Clear ringing before the ears, passing into momentary hard hearing with dull buzzing. Itching vesicles on the back, the itching being especially violent in evening and obliging him to scratch; here and there eruptions of small itching vesicles resembling scabies, especially on the chest and back towards the shoulders; intolerable itching at n. in region of boundaries of the hairy scalp in nape. 6th d., restless during n., owing to itching of various parts of body. Light sweat in m. On confines of hairy scalp and nape are seen irregular blotches, which itch violently and are sore when scratched; these blotches become inflamed after scratching for a time and appear to emit a humour. Headache in forehead (excited by drinking coffee), at first a dull drawing, afterwards a stitching pain. This day the itch-like eruption becomes more intense and spreads more; it becomes especially marked on back. The pains in throat and nose mentioned above reappear to-day, and are generally found to be constant and obstinate symptoms. 7th d., the eruption dries up (and disappears entirely on the day following, the itching having disappeared this d.). No more symptoms were now felt save some lassitude, pain in sacrum and throat, and the rigidity and squeezing in nose. On 9th d. he felt quite well.
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.