4. dec. 7th, 1866. Mr. -, aet. 20 or 21, short dark hair, blue eyes. Took 3j tincture in water, mixed with sp. ammon. arom., about 11 p.m. He read till about 1 p.m., then felt curious constrictive feeling in head, with inability to think. Dozed a little sofa in friend’s room; was heard chuckling to himself; woke every 5m., when it seemed to him as if h. had passed. After friend had gone to bed kept waking up thinking he was still in room, but or rousing himself recollected all then relapsed. About 1:30 a.m., went to bed; could not concentrate mind on anything; if he tried to think of anything his mind wandered into fanciful ideas. Felt kind of stupor, as if bound down by a loadstone, so that he could not move. When in bed thought he was still in his friend’s room (thinks he spoke to his friend and was cross because he received no answer, but of this he is not sure.) Kept waking all n.; slept later than usual next n. This prover used often to take acetate of morphia subcutaneously for a joke! He had taken 1/8 gr. at 6:30 p.m., and again at 10 p.m., It never thus affects him. (Ibid.)
5. Dec. 17th, 1866. – Same prover took 5 gr. alcoholic extract at 10 p.m. 11:30 p.m., feeling of distension of eyeballs, as if starting out of head; they ached when he tried to read. Felt drunk. Some dryness of mouth, without thirst. At 2 a.m., took morphia subcutaneously; seemed to pervade whole system, gradually driving effects of C, before it. C,. caused in him unpleasant sensation of body which he could not describe. (Ibid.)
6. Dec. 4th 1866. – Mr. – aet. 22, dark eyes, had taken spirit. amm. aroma. 3j about 6 p.m., which caused slight headache. Took 3j tinct. at 11 p.m., In 1 h. sleepiness, then singing in ears; then felt very jolly, bursting into laughter talked nonsense and could not stop; his voice sounded to him long way off. A friend in same room seemed to him long way of. Felt as a third person looking at himself and friend. Felt he knew where he was and yet did not. Room seemed larger. Pleasant sensation of warmth, beginning in spine and extending all through body. After going to bed sensation of heaviness and drowsiness; could not lift arms or legs. When in bed knew where he was and yet not; imagined he was at home and could hear usual sounds; by strong effort could recollect truth, then again repulsed. When in bed had dryness of mouth, lasting until next m. with thirst. Frequent nutrition at n., much in quantity. (Ibid.)
7. Dec. 9th, 1866. – Same prover took 70 minims, about 9:30 p.m., In 30 m. dryness of mouth with thirst, for some time. In 1 h burning sensation in stomach for some time. Felt drunk. Giddiness, everything seemed turning round for some time. Buzzing in ears, lasting some time. In 1 1/2 h. pains in forehead for some time. Great appetite; frequent micturition of much urine. In 2 1/2 h. felt sleepy for some time. Leaden feeling in limbs, as though he could not move them, for some time. Conjunctivae congested, without any abnormal sensation there. There symptoms lasted till between 2 and 3 a.m., when he took acetate of morphia subsequently, which removed them. They had, however, begun to diminish before he took it. (Ibid.)
8. Dec. 14th, 1866. – Mr. -, in good health, except a cold, took 3j of tinct. at 4:20 p.m., 9:30 feeling of exhilaration. Pricking pains, apparently on surface of heart of and on. Woke once in n., which is unusual. Next day 3ij in gum acacia and syrup at 3:50 p.m. 5 p.m., blood vessels of upper eyelids became very full and distended with feeling of heat, 5:30 p.m., same symptoms, with slight soreness of upper eyelids. Scalp and skin of forehead felt tightly stretched over skull, as a bladder over jar. Intermittent headache in spot left side of head, near anterior inferior angle of parietal bone. Curious shooting pain in left arm, from shoulder to tip of middle finger, producing in finger feeling of internal soreness, same as in neuralgic pains. Pain at one time concentrated itself in pulpy part of ungual phalanx, and at another at upper part of axillary border of scapula, whence it seemed to radiate, like wheel spokes, for distance of 2 in. 6:30 p.m., soreness of left finger remains, not increased by pressure or use. Conjunctiva of eyes covered with distended vessels; feeling of burning heat, more marked in eyes than in lids, and severe. 7 p.m., less constriction of scalp; continuance of burning heat about eyes, 7:25 p.m., increased redness of conjunctiva. Very subdued feeling; marked taciturn tendency. 7:45 p.m., feeling of lightness or buoyancy as though he could fall like a cork, without sustaining harm. Relaxation of muscular power. Other symptoms as before. 8 p.m., feeling of sleep could easily sleep if he were to lie down and give way to the feeling; but when necessary could always rouse himself all through experiment. Feeling of relaxation continues not at all inclined for physical exertion. Disposition to remain perfectly quiet without speaking. 8:30 p.m., bottle of lemonade revived him. 9.30. p.m., continued refreshed from the lemonade. 9:40 p.m., disagreeable effect began to subside, leaving a disposition to be silent and still. No headache; conjunctiva natural. 10 p.m., stronger disposition to sleep, which continued at 10:30. Same sensation at heart occurred during this proving as in former, but slighter. Woke at 4 a.m., and 7 a.m., which is very unusual. (Prover states that the eye symptoms come on him, but to a less extent, from anything which causes indigestion, as he considers it to be, e.g. from eating two suppers, extra glass of wine, smoking when not well, or from excessive doses of phosphate of iron. But in this case, in could attribute it only to Cannabis) (Ibid.)
9. Dec. 22nd, 1866, – E. W. B. -, in good health, except slight cough. 2:55 p.m., 3j tinct. At 4 p.m., was referring to MS. index of cased of poisoning, &c.; did not seem to know where to look for what he wanted; when found, head read it over to or three times without did not notice enough to describe. Knew it was effect of C., and felt alarmed lest he had taken too much. Then wrote down following symptoms. 4.8 p.m., feeling in head as of something going around in it, from before backward, on right side. This was transient. Feeling of pressure on both cheeks, in corresponding spots, about posterior border of malar bone; did not last long. Roused himself and could recollect all. 4.11, feeling for a few seconds as of something surging like waves up neck into head, seeming to try to press it forwards. 4:30, wanted to refer to something in his MS. Had to stop and think what he wanted to find, and where to look for it; had to think for some seconds before he could bring his mind to subject. 4.36, peculiar feeling of moving or “swimming” in head, with transient feeling of constriction round head. Lay down on sofa and dozed a little; singing in ears, went off when he got up. 4:50, feeling of something surging up from posterior part of head towards forehead. 5, Dizziness in head. Felt drowsy, and fell as sleeping in armchair. At one time he tried to write down reference in his MS. Wrote down first half correctly, though he felt he might write nonsense in state he was; on attempting to finish did not know what he had to write, and could only do so by looking constantly at passage in printed book while he wrote it in MS., and even then he omitted something. After tea, 6:30, no more effects. (Ibid.)
10. “While in Paraguay, I took about 2 gr of the extract sent over from England, about noon, breakfasted, and lay down for a siesta as usual. I woke in the midst of a wild, shapeless dream, in a state of extraordinary agitation and bathed in perspiration; instinctively I felt my pulse and found it beating at a tremendous rate, but so feebly that I could not feel that impulse of the heart against the chest. I thought a severe attack of fever coming on, but to my surprise my tongue was quite clean; thoroughly puzzled, I sat down and tried to make out what was the matter, but in vain, for my attention was principally occupied by a hallucination that time was indefinitely prolonged. I seemed to myself to have sat there for hours, and when I tried to think why I had done so I nearly lost all control over my reason, and a rapid whirl of confused and irrelevant thoughts prevented me from fixing my attention on one point for a moment, and it was only the effort of checking myself when falling which recalled me to myself, and then I suddenly recollected cannabis indica. But when did I take it? Surely it was yesterday – last week – days ago. Then with infinite trouble in confining my attention, I succeeded in reaching the conclusion that the best thing was to take an emetic, and then some strong coffee and brandy. I also remembered in a bewildered way that some native friends were to visit me that day, and feeling that I could not see them, I rang the bell for the servant to give him directions about them. After an apparent delay of a few weeks he came, but I could not remember why I summoned him, and only that I had done so, and moreover I felt that if I spoke to him I should only repeat some nonsense over and over again, so I stared at him in silence. He naturally thought from my wild appearance – pupils were widely dilated and my strange behavior, that I was mad; he turned pale that is, in an Indian, pale green and stammered out a few words. I was immensely amused at his scared look, and laughed long and heartily, yet never losing for a moment the feeling of intense anxiety with which I awoke. At last I so far succeeded in collecting my scattered senses as to give him directions. (Narrator then took a zinc emetic.) Feeling somewhat relieved and placing some water to boil in a flask over a spirit lamp, I sat down in my office and remained there apparently for weeks or months, feebly wondering why I did so, and if the water before me would ever boil, and what it was for when it did. I was aroused from my abstraction if the whirl and dull confusion of thought could be called so by the water boiling over, and then, with many pauses and periods of forgetfulness, I made a cup of strong coffee, and hastily swallowed it. I soon found myself better, and after some brandy and water lay down and fell asleep. I could eat no dinner that e., but next d. was in my usual state of health. (Communicated by IBID, Monthly Hom, Rev., xiii, 726.)
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.