24. R. RAMAGE, M. D.-Refers no symptoms to attenuations, but took two courses of 0/. a. On 3rd d., fine red rash on face and neck, most on right; eyes felt swollen in m., conjunctival vessels congested; dull pain in umbilical and hypogastric, with frequent discharges of flatus. On 4th, orbital region and eyes much swollen and agglutinated on waking, with sensitiveness to light, conjunctiva slightly congested; pain along course of crural nerve, as if bruised, worse when beginning to move limb, better from continued movement; pain also in left iliac and inguinal region, hip, and knee, with occasional twinges in right knee; in evening feeling of heat and fullness in whole head; slept soundly. On 5th d., eyes same, but more congested; listless, languid, wants to sit still, no disposition to attend to business, cannot think clearly; face feels hot, with dull feeling in forehead; crural pain gone, but now pain and soreness along both sciatics, felt most in walking; feels tired all over; in evening violent frontal headache, with much prostration; every time he awoke at n. head ached. On 6th d., rash continues; feel nervous, and cannot concentrate mind; headache better, but head feels dull as if he had taken cold; less sciatic pain, but weak feeling about sacrum; more disposed to urinate than was his habit. On 7th d., stopping up of nose, with watery discharge; pains in legs not felt. On 8th d., rash still present; cannot remain long in one position, must move about; feels nervous and much prostrated; head dull, with vacant feeling in it; cannot concentrate mind on anything; eyes look as before; pains and flatulence as on 3rd. d.; dry cough, with feeling of tightness and oppression on upper two thirds of chest; n. restless and wakeful, depression on waking. On 9th d., head somewhat better; face less congested; dull and languid all d., easily fatigued when walking; still coryza; congestion of eyes abating; cough and oppression at chest continue; pain in both knees and in left hip when walking; restless n., sleep full of dreams with frequent waking. On 10th d., head much clearer; still coryza; eyes but slightly congested; cough and chest as yesterday; pain in left hip and inner thigh. On 11th day, head dull and heavy pain; nose stopped up; feeling in chest as if smoke had been inhaled, causing cough. On 12th, nose still stuffy, some discharge from it. On 14th d., loss of smell; still easily fatigued when walking. The med. had now been left off for some d., but the appetite had not been so good since, and some tenderness was felt at epigastric region. The sensation at the chest was so trying that he had to take several doses of pulsatilla, which now somewhat relieved. [ Under “stool” prover refers to this first proving the following, without specifying the day or days on which it was noted:- “All bowel symptoms worse during the day. Frequent stools of muco-purulent character, with much tenesmus and flatulence during their passage, and before them dull pain in umbilical region.]
24 b. In the re-proving there was taken (at what intervals is not stated) 3j of a solution of 8 grs. to the oz. On 2nd d., there was dull, not severe, frontal headache. On 3rd d. could not think readily till evening, had headache till 4 p.m.; troubled sleep, unusual dreams of quarreling and difficulty. On 5th d., head clear; thin whitish fur over middle of tongue from tip to base, leaving a small, well-defined space on each side clear and of natural colour; nose dry; quite a tender feeling in epigastric region, always present, but worse on pressing part. On 6th, still epigastric soreness on pressure; has coughed a little to-day, and voice is somewhat husky; an oppressed or stuffed sensation from larynx to bottom of sternum all day, and pain for greater part of it throughout upper part of left lung, but no soreness on pressing there; he can take a deep breath, but the air causes a disagreeable feeling behind sternum, and deep inspirations are followed by a cough. On 7th d., breathing was clear; tongue a little corrugated, and posterior part covered with a whitish- yellow coating, becoming lighter nearer tip; slight swelling of orbital region and moderate congestion of vessels of white, but no disagreeable sensation; epigastric tenderness continues as on 4th d.; appetite good; pulse 86, a little variable in volume, but regular in beat. On 8th day, tongue slightly furred; eyelids swollen, especially lower; slight photophobia; lachrymation in open air. On 9th day, severe frontal and temporal headache, coming on between 2 and 3, and lasting till 5 p.m.; while pain lasted aching part was sore to touch, and he felt listless and absent-minded. On 10th d., eyes as before. On 11th d., throat somewhat red, colour deepest “within the fauces,” diminishing from soft palate upwards, no soreness felt on swallowing; on waking in m. whole orbital region swollen and eyes congested; stuffed sensation all day through chest generally, more markedly felt behind the sternum, and from larynx to epigastrium; more or less continuous, dry, hacking cough came on about 4 p.m.; voice somewhat husky; nasal mucous membrane swollen, and passages somewhat obstructed; some exudation from nostrils. On 12th d., on waking, entire face swollen, especially orbital region; dull frontal headache; slight coryza; throat purplish red, and pharynx dry; no soreness, but disposition to hawk frequently, bringing up tenacious starchy-looking mucus; eyes felt uncomfortable; dry, hacking cough all d., but chest feels more free; through n. was at times chilly for a few m., then hot-heat dry and burning, involving entire frame, and lasting three or four times the length of the chilliness, no perspiration or thirst. On 13th day, from getting out of bed in m. throughout d. at times dull shifting pains through abdomen; copious loose stool at 9 a.m. with much flatulence; moderate discharge of tenacious whitish mucus from nose; still disposition to hawk and clear throat; pharynx and pillars of fauces are red, and their structures are angry looking, but not sore on swallowing; tongue white, save at edges and tip; quite an increased flow of urine during day, which seems to have relieved chest; cough is less troublesome, but voice husky. Nothing further is noted until 24th d., when, though he had ceased to take drug, dull frontal headache is described as coming on for 5 or 6 d. about 3, lasting till 9 or 10 p.m.; he could not concentrate mind, or recall names, and was indisposed to study or to speak to anyone while headaches lasted; still a little coryza; eyes slightly gummed in m. and feeling as of thickening of structures within lids, right eye worst; eyes smart and feel badly on reading for a time, vessels still somewhat congested; bloating of face gone; appetite not nearly so good as when taking drug; bowels regular; urine natural. On 28th d., headache mentioned on 24th had ceased for some d., but in its place a feeling of prostration and sinking in epigastrium, without pain, supervened at about same time, lasting an hours or so, with yawning and dull feeling in forehead. Stomach is disposed to ache every time cold water is taken. He remained for some little time more impressionable to cold than formerly.
24 c. “Two years have elapsed since I entered upon the proving of the ars. of soda. Many of the symptoms noticed while taking the drug have disappeared. Those which remain, or which have reappeared from time to time, will be mentioned under their appropriate headings:
“Skin. – The rash noticed during the proving has made its appearance on the face and neck at irregular intervals since, but has not remained long at any one time. A squamous eruption (not noticed either before or while taking the drug) has appeared on the chest along the sternum. The scales are quite thin, whitish, and when removed leave the skin slightly reddened; when the scales are allowed to remain, the parts covered by them become itchy, especially so when warm from exercise.
“Mind and disposition. – Am more restless than was formerly my habit; so much so as to be noticed by others. Not so cheerful as before proving. At times feel irritable, then have not the usual desire for study, although the mind seems clear and the memory as usual.
“Head. – The headache experienced while taking the drug passed off soon after I ceased taking it, and has not at any time since reappeared.
“Nose. – Since the taking of the drug have been troubled with nasal catarrh. The nose feels stopped up all the time, but it is worse at n. and in the m. During the day there is very little discharge from the nose, but a feeling as though the mucous membrane was swollen. In the m. the nose feels stopped up, and pieces of hardened bluish-coloured mucus are blown from it, after which the mucous membrane feels sore and raw. I take cold much easier than I used to.
“Eyes. – My eyes became sound as usual about 7 or 8 months after I ceased taking the drug, and have remained strong and well since.
“Stomach. – The tenderness of the epigastrium noticed during the proving remained in a moderate degree. Have had frequent attacks of indigestion, lasting several day at each time. At such times the stomach feels sore, and anything warm or heating causes a sensation of burning, and can be sensibly felt immediately on entering the stomach. Previous to engaging in the proving I had not experienced any tenderness or pain in that region.
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.