Introduction
Vegetable charcoal made from the wood of the birch, beech, or any other tree.
Provings.
1. HAHNEMANN, Mat. Medorrhinum Pura, vol. vi of original (2nd ed.), vol. i of translation. Contains 720 symptoms from self and 3 fellow – provers. 2.IBID, Chronic Diseases, Part iii of original, vol. of translation. Contains 1189 symptoms, additional ones being from self only.
3. THOS. L. BROWN, aet. 26, health good, stout and florid. From October 24th, 1876, to 26th, inclusive, took 2 gr. 3 times daily of 2nd. cent trit. 27th.–Dull, heavy frontal headache, continuing from noon till bedtime; eyes weak, dry, glassy, wanted to keep them shut. 29th. – Another dose at 3 p. m. Nothing further till November. 1st, when he experienced the frontal headache again, most severe over right eye, boring, with slight dizziness; violent exercise caused it to extend into eye and become quite sharp; sense of fulness in brain. Also, sharp pain on outside of hip and thigh, commencing in morning and lasting till evening. Pain in hip recurred next day For some day right side of head in front was sensitive to strong movement. (Dr. C. WESSELHOEFT’S provings, Trans. of Amer. Inst of Hom. for 1877, p. 198.)
4. J. R. HUSS, aet. 23, health good. Took 2 grs of 3rd trit. 3 times daily October 27th, 29th, and 31st, November 1st and 2nd; twice daily November 3rd; once on 4th and 6th. On 10th, had toothache and gumboil ending in abscess over left lower wisdom tooth. ( Ibid.)
5. HERNRY HANBY, aet. 30, robust and sanguine. Took 2 gr. of 2nd trit. three times a day from October 23rd to November 10th inclusive. On 26th, general sense of dullness, with indifference to wishes or presence of those about him, and feeling weak in every way; had not slept well at night, turning and tossing all the time, soreness on lying on one side any length of time, could not find a soft place; woke at 5 a. m. with constricted feeling at sides of trachea, at 6:30 worse, pain on swallowing (mouth tastes as if there were lime in it); got up with pain in back of head, behind ears; at 7 p. m., constriction in throat returned, and seemed to extend to occiput, drawing head backwards. It continued for next three day, involving cricoid cartilage, which was sore to touch, and returned November 1st, with soreness and dryness of throat.
Stools had been loose and frequent on 24th, but a hard and dark one came on 25th, as also to-day (very unusual); abdomen was sore and hard, painful when lying on left side. Similar stool on 3rd, with great straining; heard feels full, with soreness of condyles of lower jaw; sharp shooting pain in chest while lying on left side. On 4th this continued, so that he had to lie all the time on right side, heat felt pressed down, so that he could hardly feel its action, with faintness and shortness of breath.[* it is noted on 21st that “heart symptoms continue,” but nothing is said of them during the interval.–EDS.*] On 10th pain in glenoid fossa, with swelling at back of neck, gone by 14th. On 23rd feeling as if a stone were in abdomen below umbilicus, and on 26th soreness from thence through the spine and up to shoulders. December 2nd.-Fulness and pressing down at vertex, sense of distension in parietal regions, pressure over eyes as if head were bound with band, itching all over scalp. 3rd.- Stitching pain in region of heart. 7th. – Tenderness over apex of heart, worse on coughing, increased on lying down, relieved on rising. 10th.- Return of constriction of throat, with much yellow thick mucus therefrom and from posterior nares; general soreness and tenderness over abdomen, which feels full and hard, though he has had to appetite for several days; darting pains as if a knife were running through stomach; pain in testicles for several day, also at end of penis, with tearing and stinging; urine of dark colour, scanty, and passed with stinging pain. 13th. – Constriction of throat continues, only worse, with feeling as if tonsils were swelled, difficulty in swallowing, and pain on coughing. 17th. – Fulness in head, with pressure from within outwards, as if it would burst, relieved at 5 p. m. 21st. – Same fulness and bursting feeling about sides of head, pressure on forehead relieved by counter – pressure; hardness of hearing; pain increased in right (?) side; shortness of breath. (Ibid.)
6. D. M. DYSENT. aet. 24, stout and florid, health good. Took two – grain doses of 2nd trit. 3 times daily from October 23rd to November 10th. October 28th. – Urine dark; severe temporal headache; cold hands and feet at noon. 29th. – Vertigo aggravated by stooping; perspired freely; weakness in lower limbs. 30th. – At 8 a. m. intense headache, sharp pains in temporal regions, nausea, loss of appetite, cold hands and feet. At 2 p. m. felt warm, perspired freely; urine dark and scanty; bowels loose but regular. 31st. – On waking very severe headache; nausea, without vomiting. At 2 p. m. diarrhoea, cold hands and feet, no appetite. November 1st, – Bowels moved in night; at 2 a. m. some headache through temples. 2nd. – Aching in lower limbs, morning; dark brown coat on tongue; scalp sore to touch; bowels moved 3 times. 3rd – Feel better; slept well; urine dark, scanty; bowels moved twice. 4th – Nothing worthy of notice; bowels not moved. 5th. – Slight headache; bowels moved once; urine dark and scanty. 6th and 7th. – Tongue coated, bitter taste, flatulence. (Ibid.)
7. W. E. GILL, aet. 24, fair and slender, health good. Took grain doses of 3rd trit. 3 times daily from October 23rd. to November 15th. October 25th. – Gulping up sour and bitter stuff, belching of bitter fluid 1 hour after eating; mind clear and in rather happy frame. 27th. – Still some gulping; urine free and light coloured, continuing so (no other symptoms mentioned) till November 13th. 14th. – R. hand inclined to go to sleep. 15th, 9 p. m., twitching of right thumb; legs and arms inclined to go to sleep, with beating and bubbling sensation in right deltoid. 16th. -Soreness of small of back coming on gradually, fine darting pains at times; small watery blisters on lips; have not cared to take as much exercise as usual; going to sleep about 5-6 p. m. 17th. – Sleepy feeling in legs and arms; feeling in left foot when put down as if bones where pressed apart; dull pain at internal condyle of left femur. 18th. – Woke with stiffness of left sternomastoid, sore to touch; cervical glands enlarged behind left ear; sensation as if meatus were swollen and sore. 19th. – Same condition, with hands and feet sweaty; sensation as if meatus were closing up; throbbing headache through temples. 22nd. – Glandular swelling begins to go down. 24th.- Chilliness in back; dry cough at 1 p. m. 25th. – Hoarseness this morning, lasting all day; dull pain under upper sternum; dry cough, painful, raising a little tenacious mucus; sensitive to air; urine often light coloured; somewhat constipated for several days past 26th. – Coughing on talking; sense of swelling in trachea, with soreness and sickish feeling in upper chest. December 1st.- Discharge from left ear; coughing still quite frequent; worse in the house. 2nd. -Coughing up saltish phlegm, with gagging; cough increasing during day; nose stopped up with thick yellow matter; burning of cheeks and anterior nares; headache from 3 – 5 p. m.; sensitiveness of scalp on small spot of vertex. 3rd. – Felt feverish in morning, coughed most of night, at 3:30 had to get up to avoid choking, sputa thick and viscid; headache in temples; weak, cannot walk without getting tired, and trembling of legs; in e. nares dry and hot. 4th. – Tickling in larynx, causing cough: took ipecac. with relief. (Ibid.)
8. W. OWENS, jun., aet 19, good health, stout and florid. Took 2 gr. or (probably) 1st trit. 2 or 3 times daily from October 24th, – 28th inclusive. 25th. – Headache (at noon) on rising or making any exertion; sleepy 3-4 p. m. 28th. – Dull headache 3 – 6 p. m. 29th. Constipation; sensation as if haemorrhoids would come down, with sharp cutting pains in anus. 31st. – Feeling as if sphincter ani would give way. November 3rd. – At 3 p. m. some headache; eyes felt pressed back in sockets as far as a line drawn from ear to ear, worse left side; pain increased on rising or starting to move. 4th – Very restless night; headache still, morning, the pain in left side darting and shooting towards parietal bone. 15th. – Still sleepy 3 – 5 p. m.; legs and arms become numb, as if going to sleep; still constipated; involuntary muscular movements of hands and feet; urine greatly increased, of natural colour. 19th. – Headache better, appetite extraordinarily good. (Ibid.)
9. W. H. PAINE, aet 25. After first dose of 1st trit. in evening slept well, but on walking next morning found heavy white coating on tongue; complete loss of taste; confusion of ideas; frontal headache extending to occiput; nausea, but not great; urine profuse, and often white; feet cold;unsteady gait, especially on going upstairs; some internal heat; slight constipation. The above symptoms lasted a week, save the coated tongue.[Observer does not say if he took any more medicine.– EDS.](Ibid.)
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.