Introduction
Nat Ord., Aracea.
Provings
1. A little over 1 oz. of expressed juice was mixed with 9 oz. pure saccharum lactis, marked “matrix.” Of this a Ist dec trit. was prepared in usual manner. July 6th, prover, et. 36, took 10 grains of 1x. At 2 p.m., pulse 74, full, soft, and regular. In 5 m. peculiar acrid sensation in mouth and throat, but not sufficiently marked to be unpleasant. Heart beat so violently as to shake walls of chest. Pulse 80, full, hard, and somewhat jerking. 2:15 p.m., tingling or slight stinging sensation in fingers and toes, as when circulation is impeded. Pulse 80, small, and regular; artery seems to roll under finger, and requires considerable pressure to be correctly counted. 2:45, fine tingling sensation all over right hand, which is warmer and redder than left and appears somewhat swollen. Pulse 80, moderately full, and more regular. 7.0, shooting pain in left ant. inf. triangle of neck, near clavicle; aching pain in left forearm, left hand, and right humerus. Pulse 74, full, and nearly natural, but rather weak and irregular. 7:20, sharp shooting pains at styloid process of right ulna; right hand still remains somewhat red and swollen. Retired to rest at 9; slept soundly till 7 a.m. Head feels heavy and aches slightly in occipital and right parietal regions. Throat feels somewhat raw; rattling of mucus in larynx at every full expiration, but this disappeared after rising and moving about. Half an hour after breakfast shooting pains in right ear; they are transient but frequent, and leave feeling of fulness and slight aching in middle ear. 9 a.m., 15 grains of “matrix.” Late and insufficient stool. 9:15, eructation of flatus from stomach; fine tingling or pricking sensation in hands and feet, especially right; shooting pain down right thigh; flushing of hands and face; heart’s action increased, but not as violent as after taking 1x yesterday; aching in right humerus. 9:35, copious semifluid stool, with much flatus; eructations tasting of medicine; small accumulation of mucus in throat, the raising of which, by coughing, produces slight mucous rattling in larynx; disposition to swallow, arising from excess of mucus, but no unpleasant acrid sensation in throat, as he had expected. 10 a.m., pulse 74, full, soft, and regular. Feeling of warmth and fulness in left middle ear, similar to what was felt at 8 in right, but no shooting pains; probably this symptom arises from accumulation of mucus in l. Eustachian tube. 10:20, ear symptom has changed sides; warmth and fulness now in right ear; left ear normal. Disposition to swallow has subsided, but has left slight uneasiness in throat, and disposition to cough. Act of swallowing develops slight soreness in muscles of throat, and renews temporarily the feeling of warmth and fullness in ears, sometimes in one and sometimes in other, seldom in both at once. “I am satisfied that throat and ear symptoms, with exception of soreness, are owing to excess of mucus in throat, larynx, and Eustachian tubes.” 3 p.m., increased soreness of larynx, and greater disposition to cough; burning of soles of feet; heat, dryness, and smarting of eyelids; fine shooting pains in course of left spermatic cord. 5.0, preternatural heat in palms of hands; loose cough, with soreness of throat, closely simulating mild attack of catarrhal angina; soreness not very marked, except during deglutition; feeling of dryness and smarting in throat, kind of rawness, with sense of fulness, not really painful, but sufficiently annoying to attract constant attention, and producing continual disposition to clear throat by swallowing, coughing, or hawking. 9:30, retired to bed and slept well first part of n., but awoke about midnight with great oppression of breathing, kind of asthmatic attack, which, however, soon passed off, leaving considerable rattling of mucus in larynx and upper part of trachea. Noticed that rawness in throat and soreness in laryngeal region, which were present on retiring, had almost entirely disappeared. Slept badly rest of n. In m. raised by coughing small amount of mucus. No rattling of mucus at this hours (7 a.m.) except by forced expirations; undue secretion is now limited to larynx, but can be distinctly heard whenever expirations are prolonged. 8th, 8 a.m., natural motion of bowels; no flatulence. 9.0, 30 grains of “matrix.” 10.0, occasional emission of flatus from stomach; ear symptoms as before noted, but not so marked; fine pricking and tingling sensations in feet and hands for last 1/2 h., began in right foot, and afterwards affected in regular succession right hand, left foot, and left hand; occasional shooting pains have occurred during same time in following order: right malar region, right external malleolus, thenar eminence of right thumb, left malar region. Pulse 84, small and somewhat irregular. Occasional shooting and aching pains along right humerus and right thumb. 10:30, aching pain behind right ear, also in right shoulder; slight aching pain in precordial region and down left arm; also in right forearm over left eye; these pains are all very transient. 11.0, pain in bowels caused by incarceration of flatus; escape of flatus from stomach and bowels. 12.0, aching pain along outer aspect of left foot, immediately followed by similar pain in corresponding part of left hand; shooting and aching pains in left brachial plexus nerves. [ “Most arum pains are observed to be very transient in any one part, and to course along the extremities, sometimes in one direction, sometimes in opposite one; they are not very sharp, and are generally intermediate in character between aching and shooting. Those in the nervous trunks pertake more of shooting character, but always leave aching sensation behind them. Have not been entirely free from these pains longer than a few m. at a time, for more than 2 h., having noted down only the most prominent.
At first they were almost entirely confined to r. side; now they are limited chiefly to l. I have just had one of these characteristic pains in,. side of head; it began in l. occipital region, gradually subsided, and appeared successively in l. temporal and l. frontal regions. This remedy acts primarily and pre-eminently upon nervous system, and through it upon circulation.] 12:30, pulse 74, full, soft, and slightly irregular. 4 p.m., irresistible desire to pass urine, which is diminished in quantity, very high coloured, and has a burning or smarting effect on urethra. 6.0, Great languor and depression of spirits; dull, heavy aching in chest; sinking feeling at pit of stomach; aching along spine; particularly between shoulder-blades and in lumbar region; great weakness across loins; feeling of extreme prostration. Urine subsequently passed normal in amount and character. Symptoms last-mentioned continued to increase until exhaustion compelled him to retire early (8 p.m.). At this time slight perspiration on neck and breast, the first during proving. 9th. -Awoke at 6 a.m. greatly refreshed. Found himself quite hoarse; expectorated small quantity of thick mucus; throat raw and tender; rattling of mucus in larynx during expiration, but which ceased on rising, except when expirations were prolonged by voluntary effort. Conjunctivae highly injected; lids dry, stiff, slightly agglutinated at their edges, which burn and smart. Proving was continued through month, with development of but few additional symptoms. Bowels somewhat irregular, at one time slightly constipated, at another somewhat loose, but never any decided diarrhea. Paroxysms of dyspnoea would sometimes occur, with much aching in chest, and always associated with considerable secretion of mucus in larynx and trachea. On 10th, and also on 17th, shooting pains in right ear, sometimes very severe. On 23rd, an aphthous ulcer appeared on tongue, and on following d. mouth and throat became so sore that proving had to be discontinued. It was resumed, however, on 25th by taking 3j of “matrix.” this produced a violet asthmatic attack at n., and lighter ones on each succeeding n. for about a week, when they left altogether, but “there is still (Aug. Ist) an annoying cough, and a mucous rattling in the larynx, which indicate that this will prove a valuable remedy in laryngeal, bronchial, and pulmonary complaints.” Aug. Ist. -3j of “matrix.” Immediate effects similar to those already detailed. 3rd. -Deep shooting pains in right ear; cough from laryngeal irritation, worse at n. and when lying down; constant rawness of throat, hoarseness, and rattling of mucus in larynx. 4th. -Similar symptoms, shooting pains in right ear occurring frequently, and continuing sometimes 10 or 15 m. 5th. -Similar symptoms, ear pains still persistent. 6th. -Symptoms continue as before, with occasional shooting pains also in left ear. 7th. -No change in symptoms, except three copious bilious passages from bowels, attended with aching in abdomen and burning in rectum. 8th. -Bilious diarrhoea, borborygmus, and escape of much flatus from bowels. 9th. -Bowels regular; slight burning in urethra after micturition. 12th. -No marked change in symptoms until last night; coughed all night; in m. had very bad taste in mouth; tongue and mouth coated with foul, slimy mucus, having putrid taste; but the most important symptom was a purulent expectoration, consisting of thick, heavy, yellowish-white pus. 16th. -Since 12th have continued to raise this purulent secretion from larynx in large quantities. Last n. was so annoyed by gravity and persistence of laryngeal symptoms-violent cough, hoarseness, rawness of throat, and profuse purulent expectoration, which greatly alarmed his wife, that he took a dose of Spongia 3x, which so far relieved as to secure a good night’s rest, the first he had had since 12th. 17th. -Frequent copious emissions of limpid urine. 18th. – Inclination to urinate every h. or so during day; urine increased to 4 or 5 times normal amount; tenderness and slight smarting or burning of orifice of urethra, especially during micturition. Eruption of pimples, species of lichen, on nose; and patches of urticaria on right arm near elbow. During proving, i.e. for last 4 or 5 weeks, have been entirely free from an intolerable, itching of scrotum-a chronic pruritus-of ten or twelve years’ standing. Have also noticed during this time great diminution, and most of time an entire absence of, sexual desire, penis flaccid and relaxed. This condition of generative organs and a slight laryngeal irritation are the only pathogenetic symptoms remaining at this date (Aug. 22nd). (C. P.HART, M. D., Amer Obs., 1875.).
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.