Introduction
Including bromine itself; hydrobromic acid (HBr.); bromal hydrate (C2Br3 OH); and bromoform (CHBr2); besides some other compounds mentioned in III [ These various preparations are mentioned, not so much with a view to their therapeutic employment homoeopathically, but for the light they throw on the neurotic action of bromine itself.-EDS].
Provings
1. GLOVER took for a month a saturated solution of B., at first 40 dr. in water 3 times a d., at last half a wineglassful. Sometimes slight pain in stomach, and slight action on skin and kidneys.
Of B. itself 1 1/2 dr. in 3ss of water gave him heat in mouth, oesophagus, and stomach, followed by colicky pains; 2 dr. gave nausea, hiccup, and increased secretion of urine. (Ed. Medorrhinum and Surg. Journ., lviii, 137.)
2 a. HORING took of a solution which contained 6 drops of bromium in 1/2 oz. He experienced a rough disagreeable feeling in oesophagus and some pinching in bowels. On the 9th d. he took 7, on the 10th 8 drops, this caused pinching in bowels and increased secretion of saliva. After taking on 11th d. 9, in all 72 drops, he had the same d. several pappy stools, also in n., and three next d. during which he had taken 1st d. 10, 2nd 11, 3d 12 drops. On the 15th d., after taking 13 drop he had some pinching and a scrapy taste. After 1 1/2 h. a thin, diarrhoeic stool, occurring 4 times till the following m.; the next d., after 14 drops, violent diarrhoea, which was allayed by a cup of strong coffee. In e. anxiety, oppression of heart, and headache. In other trials, during which he took in a fortnight in small doses about 3 drachms of the bromum solution, the same symptoms appeared. Pulse during last day of proving ward slow and hard.
2 b. He took for several successive d. 20 drops of the solution after food. After 3d., when he had taken 3j, he had two liquid stools at n., which on the 4th d. increased in frequency, and on 5th d. became diarrhoeic. Always after swallowing the dose he had burning in stomach. After 40 drops at once, besides pappy stools, he felt from tongue to stomach a very acute burning nausea, inclination to vomit; mouth filled with saliva, breathing oppressed and somewhat painful; some h. after taking the medicine he had headache and violent stitches in lungs on breathing deeply; frequent cough, pulse full, rather hard, at first slower, afterwards from 80 th 85 per minute.
2 c. H. also put 3 grs. of precipitated B. on a raw place in his arm (see K. brom., I, 1 b). After 12 h. he had violent pains in abdomen and eructations, and in 1 1/2 hours more watery stools in quick succession. (Ueber die Wirkungen des Broms, Tubing., 1838.)
3. A strong healthy medical student took in 9 d. 144 drops of the solution. He had the same symptoms as Horing, and pappy stools, which increased to diarrhoea. (Ibid).
4. BUTZKE took 1/2 drop of bromum in water and had nausea, eructation, roughness in throat, heat in stomach and salivation, pulse slow, and there was congestion in chest. The largest dose he took (30 drops of a solution of 1/2 drachm bromum 4 oz. water) caused burning in stomach and above symptoms. (Ibid.)
5. Vapor of bromine inspired by Horing caused increased secretion of saliva and tears, increased secretion of nasal mucous he had coryza, cough, increased headache, vertigo. On breathing very concentrated bromine vapor the respiration was much oppressed, saliva much increased, cough and pain in chest; after a while pains in abdomen and 2 h. later a very soft stool, which was repeated 3 times in afternoon and was quite liquid; slight tussiculation remained for several d. (Ibid.)
6 a. HEIMEMRDINGER took in m., fasting 5 drops of bromine in 1/2 oz, distilled water. Immediately cough with suffocative symptoms, respiration much oppressed, gasped for air; in the fauces first a disagreeable constricting sensation, followed by sensation of burning and soreness, salivation for 1/4h., and increased secretion of mucus in buccal and nasal cavities, frequent eructations and retching, when much mucus is brought up from oesophagus. In abdomen disagreeable; feeling of heat, pulse 70 (normal 64); after 6 m. slight vertigo combined with nausea and constant inclination to vomit, without actual vomiting, tongue moist.
6 b. Another time he took fasting 8 drops of bromine in 1 oz. water This caused great sensation of heat, increasing to burning, all down oesophagus to stomach, especially severe in fauces; secretion of mucus and saliva in mouth transiently increased, occasional rough cough, slight pressure in chest on deep inspiration: p. 70, frequent eructation; after 12 m., vertigo with nausea, pale face; after 1/4 hours p. 62, slight retching without vomiting; after 1 h. slight vertigo and eructation; in forenoon repeated discharge of urine, loss of appetite; afternoon, thirst, stool attended by slight tenesmus.
6 c. Bromine in gaseous form acted chiefly on respiratory organs. He had great tightness of chest, cough, besides slight burning in eyes, with cramp-like contraction musc, orbicular. palpebral., and increased secretion of tears and confusion of head. After 12 m. epistaxis with relief, p. quicker by a few beats; after 1 1/2 h. all symptoms gone. (Inaug. Diss., Tubing., 1838).
7 a. LEMBKE. March 14th. 4 dr. brom.1, fasting. Heat in occiput; frequent tackling in larynx with dry cough, instantly followed by tickling, cough causes pain to left of nipple inwardly; slight oppression of chest; heat on back, mounting to head and face; slight pressive pain and weight on forehead, especially when coughing; flatus; disinclination to read; empty eructation; dull pressing pain in bone of r knee; slight toothache in. a carious tooth of left upper jaw, same pain in a tooth of lower jaw later; frequent urging to stool with discharge of flatus, and pricks in anus; sneezing, bleeding from right nostril on blowing nose gently; slept long, dreamt vividly and got out of bed in sleep. After 24 h. a small painful pimple in fork in front of anus. Occasional dry cough with pain in left chest. After 36 h., pretty severe pressure in bone of left temple. 3rd d., m., blows blood from right nostril. 5th d., inflammation of fauces with dry cough from elongated uvula; thick yellow nasal mucus with streaks of blood; deglutition painful in m.; fauces dark red; urine for some d. dark and turbid, with red sediment.
7 b. April 17th. 8 dr. brom. 1, fasting. Immediately oppressed breathing; frequent deep. breathing as if enough air did not get into lungs; desire to urinate 1/4 hr. after urination; dislike to read; pressure and weight in forehead. After 10 m. eructation of air; nausea; dry cough with shooting pain in thorax to left of nipple; dazed feeling and heat of head; increase of watery saliva; roaring in right ear; empty feeling; weight in head; stiffness of nuchal muscles; frequent call to urinate; feeling of something in throat, causing hawking; itching in nose. After 3/4 h. qualmishness in pit of stomach; empty eructation; disinclination for work; feeling of exhaustion; warmth in stomach; eyes sensitive to light; vertigo drowsiness; pressive pain and weight in forehead with heat; rumbling in bowels and oesophagus; these symptoms last long; cold running over back; sweat in palms; cold finger tips; pain in chest and when coughing and blowing nose; pressure sometimes from stomach to oesophagus; pulse quick. After 1 1/2 h. occasional chilly feeling; urine become turbid on standing with ammoniacal smell; pain in right knee going downwards, feeling of heaviness in right leg; dry tongue; urine scanty, dark, and clear, passed with effort; stitches in orifice of urethra; tenderness of hypochondria and stomach with salivation. After 2h. transient stitches in hypochondria from right to 1.; no appetite; urging to urinate with tickling at end of urethra; shooting in canthi of eyes; itching in various parts of skin, relieved by scratching, but returning. After 3 h. profuse sweating palms; all symptoms relieved by eating; pain in left inguinal ring; sneezing. After 6 h. difficulty of fixing attention and bad memory; scanty dark urine; pain in left inguinal canal, especially when walking, on pressure and when coughing; bright red blood blown from left nostril. At n. little sleep; urine scanty, dark, turbid, with red sediment; blood blown from left nostril; coryza for 2d. After 3d. considerable pain in hepatic region, especially when pressed and when driving, with great distension and hardness in right hypochondrium, and feeling as of a hard sinking body, lasts 10 h.
7 c. May 1st 15 dr. brom 1. Soon difficulty of breathing; dull aching pain in forehead; teeth on edge; rumbling in bowels; eyes somewhat photophobic; loss of thought; need to breath deeply occasionally; rumbling discharge of flatus, and empty eructation; distant roaring in ears. After 1/2 h. dazed in head; pain under ribs especially on pressure, more in right side; weak feeling; scraping in fauces, compelling hawking; photophobia with aching in eyes on moving them; loss of thought; crawling under skin of occiput; drowsiness; pain in umbilical region increased by retracting abdominal integuments; nausea; contractive sensation in orifices of salivary ducts with salivation, tasteless; pressure in forehead above eyes, with frowning. After 1 h. coldness over back with cold hands and feet; shooting with pressure and squeezing pain in left side of larynx; pressure in forehead, weight in head, disinclined to think. After 1 1/2 h. pains in vesical region with urging to urinate; sensitive to cold air with cold feeling through back and down legs; hepatic pain; pressure in right frontal eminence; shooting pain from liver to umbilicus; sneezing; cool and damp hands; dull pain from spleen to spine; palpitation of heart; anxiety in chest, and difficulty of breathing. After 2 1/2 h. pain over right eye and photophobia. After 3 h. heart’s beats stronger, breathing deeper; scanty, dark urine; pressure in chest; in e. scraping and dryness in fauces. On May 12, inflammatory affection of m.m. of nose, fauces and organs of respiration with pain, difficult deglutition, cough, hoarseness, yellow nasal mucus, yellow expectoration, lasting a week.
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.