Bovista


Proving Symptoms of homeopathy medicine Bovista, described by Richard Hughes in his book, A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis, published in 1895….


Introduction

Lycoperdon Bovista, SoW. Puff – ball. Nat Ord., Fungi.

Provings

A young woman, very sensitive to medicinal action, experienced from olfaction of mother tincture:- Anxious respiration; loss of strength, so as to be unable to get up or raise the head; anguish, feeling as if in a black fog; confused ideas; nausea; weight in head; strong pressure on forehead and especially in temples; breathing deep and noisy. In attempting to walk she fell and fainted; her trunk and limbs, she was told, became stiff. After great efforts to rise, she fell again and became still despairing of herself. Convulsive cough,; difficulty in breathing, which was deep and anxious; in a feeble voice she asked for help; a window was opened, and the fresh air brought her new life and great relief. (PETROZ, Journ. de la Soc. Gall., iv, 80.)

2. HARTLAUB. – Restlessness, anguish, unpleasant heat and weight in abdomen, and varying feeling of coldness through whole body; after 3 h. great depression, then alternating moods, and after 7 h. great sadness, amounting to melancholy; ill- humour, confusion of head; gloominess, also peevishness and irritability, for 14 d.; extreme indifference to all surroundings (9th d.); she is very absent minded, makes mistakes in writing leaves out whole syllables and writes several words entirely wrong (5th d.); on 13th day so absent that she cannot, even with great exertion pay attention to what is being said and done. Confusion and heaviness in occiput, with inclination of eyelids to close, and feeling as if eyes would be drawn backwards (especially in clear evening light), with anxiety and restlessness of body; whole head is confused and oppressed, and there are drawings about it, especially early in m., when also there is dizziness; frequent vertigo, with feeling as if his senses left him; when in early m. rising from seat, a kind of vertigo with stupefaction, so that he nearly fell down (2nd d.); dull headache, as from pressure over r. eyeball towards temporal region; headache, with weight, which makes her ill – humoured and unable to think continuously, pain is increased on lying, and is most severe on waking from mid- day siesta, when it is combined with a sort of pulsation in head, its chief seat being forehead near nose, which is stopped up; on waking at 3 a.m., very violent headache, in which he feels every pulsation, and which threatens to burst head asunder, gradually disappearing on outbreak of perspiration on head especially (17th d.); tearing pains in forehead, extending to left side of occiput and then back again to forehead, finally settling in left temple, where it remains several d. (10 thd.); pressing tearing in forehead, especially over orbits, extending into root of nose (6th and 7th d.); tearing in whole head, with weight and bruised feeling, continuing almost constantly. Feeling in right eye as if something were in it, with lachrymation (4th d.); pressure over eyes, as if something were in them, 1. eye being reddened (8th d.); reddened carunculae (32nd d.); he cannot open eyes in m. (6th d.); lachrymation in m.; on rising in m. feeling as of veil before eyes (4th d.) drawing in ears (3rd d.); stitches in r. ear; violent itching in ears, with some dulness of hearing; ulcer in right ear, with pain therein during swallowing. Scabby nostrils. After 14 d. face is very pale in m. on rising for several d. Swelling of cervical glands; pain in upper front teeth, which are tender to touch and on chewing, somewhat relieved on upper lip beginning to swell; this it continues to do till it hangs over lower one, and is in a line with nose; after swelling of lip had subsided a little left cheek began to swell; all swollen parts are tender to touch (14th d.). Dull toothache, which she had not had for years, followed by long lasting elevated pale swelling of upper lip, and therewith sweat all n. till m., especially on head (21st d.) In e. in bed, toothache, only relieved by heat (14th d.); toothache ceased on walking in open air; dull drawing pains in hollow teeth (12 h.); jerking toothache (5th d.); stitches in sound teeth, especially at n., so that he could not sleep, with ready bleeding of gums, pain relieved by sucking blood out of teeth with tongue; stitches in teeth go into eyes; toothache, as if exposed nerves were rubbed; teeth often become covered with mucus; as often as he sucks gums, blood oozes into mouth, and the gums pain; at times clear blood issues from gums without any sucking of gums; in m. on waking teeth gums, and lips are covered with clotted blood; in e. now and then teeth clap together, as in a chill. Cutting pain in tongue, requiring several d.; tongue yellow, furred in m. (7th d.) Stitching pain in palate, extending to chin, for some m. (1st d.); burning and heat in mouth, without thirst; much saliva collects in mouth; bad taste in mouth, with much mucus, bad smell from mouth. Every m. throat scrappy and phlegmy; frequent pain in throat. Constant excessive hunger, he cannot eat enough, and is soon hungry again. After food frightful pain in umbilical region, as if belly were cut with knife, for some m. (3rd d.); during and after midday meal extraordinary weariness (15th day, had same after e. meal on 1st d.); on 5th day great drowsiness after food. Thirstlessness; unquenchable thirst, in one who had previously never needed to drink (3 h.) Nausea. Fullness and anxiety in praecordia (1 h.). In afternoon colicky feelings in abdomen, and tendency to diarrhoea; cramp-like pain in abdomen, especially when inspiring and retracting belly (14th d.); frightful colic, so that he was obliged to bend quite double, and could not stand erect, with deep red urine and much thirst, cutting pain in front of abdomen in m., relieved after eating; distended abdomen, with pain there in (3rd d.); in e. in bed very violent pains in abdomen, as if all were dried up (3rd d.). Stool occurs at irregular times and is too hard; in secondary action it seems to make a hard stool soft. Flying stitches through perinaeum to anus and genitals. During micturition pain in urethra, as if urine passed over a sore place, also a red, hard, painful knot in skin of penis, which went on to suppuration (14th d.). Constant feeling of catarrh in nose, with swelling (15th d.); fluent and stuffy coryza with oppression of head’; nose much stopped up at n. (3rd d.). Hoarseness every m.; scratching in throat, with urging to cough (1st d.). Stiffness in neck in m. on rising (4th d.). L. arm felt lame and sprained, so that it was with difficulty he could raise it above head, pain increased so much during d. that at last he could hardly move arm, after sweat in m. pain greatly diminished; cramp-like drawing in tendons of left wrist sprained and ulcerative pain in left wrist in middle of palmar surface, only felt on touch or on flexing and extending hand; feeling of numbness in same. Flying stitches in l. leg, and in chest; cramp in left thigh; right leg is “utterly gone to sleep” in whatever position it is placed, for 1/4 h. (1st d.); shooting pain in left knee especially on rising from a sitting posture; stiffness and pain in left knee if he tries to stretch it out again after it has been bent for some time; towards m., in bed. cramp in calves, so violent that they are painful towards e., as if leg were too short (14th d.). General anxiety, weakness of body, eructations, nausea, distension of abdomen, emission of flatus, frequent yawning and stretching of limbs, with irresistible desire for sleep (2h.) sudden attack like faintness, while sitting at noon, as if objects turned upside down (3rd d.); bruised feeling in whole body, especially in joints of arms and abdominal muscles to touch, and on motion (14th d.); he felt very weary and exhausted after a short walk (6th and 7th d.). Extraordinary itching on right arm, for several d. (9th d.), later on both arms, with biting and burning after washing; itching over whole scalp, extending to neck, especially when warm, so violent as to compel scratching, which does not relieve; same on coccyx, where after scratching a scurf appeared, lasting some d. (1st d.); goose-flesh over whole body, with severe itching; itching of whole body in e., followed by outbreak of tetters (10 d.); itching and small pimples on head (3 weeks); hands are covered with small, dry, reddish pimples, which gradually disappear in a few d.; small sore places on hairy scalp, with itching; a previously existing wart developed a red point, suppurated, and disappeared (21st d.). Extraordinarily violent pains in corns, lasting a long time (18th d.). On 1st. n. very sound quiet sleep, and on rising later then usual in m. great lassitude, especially in legs, unremembered dreams (4th d.); vexatious dreams and waking every moment during. Chilly all d., with cold hands; chilliness every m. from 6 to 9. cold to touch externally, with griping in abdomen, without subsequent heat and without thirst; in evening on lying down in a warm room a shaking chill for some seconds (15th d.); constant coldness of hands and feet; intermitting fever of 8 d. duration, every e. from 9 to 10 violent chill, commencing with coldness on back, on 1st d. with thirst, without heat or sweat following, and always with violent drawing colic?(4th d.); paralytic and itching feeling in radial arteries of forearms (1st d.); copious sweat in axillae, while walking along in cold temperature (1st d.) (HARTL. and TRINKS, Arzneimittellehre, iii, 1. [ This is one of the vicious symptom-lists of the sub-Hahnemannic epoch, without any information as to subjects, doses, or relation between symptoms. We have given Hartlaub’s nearly complete, but a selection only from Schreter’s and Nenning’s.-EDS] ).

Richard Hughes
Dr. Richard Hughes (1836-1902) was born in London, England. He received the title of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), in 1857 and L.R.C.P. (Edin.) in 1860. The title of M.D. was conferred upon him by the American College a few years later.

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.