Addendum- 1. During proving, mind and spirits were more passive, depressed. 2. Desire for cold water went off, and wish for warm drinks came on. 3. Pulse even in the febrile state was always normal. 4. No perceptible effect in urine and genitals.
20b. Before commencing the next proving, I observed myself attentively for more than a week, but noticed nothing peculiar that could be confounded with the symptoms caused by this medicine; moreover, I have not reversed my former proving of this medicine, in order to protect myself against the influence of the imagination, and I believe I have recorded all that happened to mind and body truly and faithfully. Although several symptoms, especially the affections of the mind and spirits, were extremely disagreeable and troublesome, and though my body to this day feels the effect, still I made the proving with pleasure and enthusiasm.
June 16th.[*The prover has omitted mention of doses taken during this proving. In all probability they were much as before.-EDs.*] At 2 p. m., slight confusion of upper part of head; at 5, pressing sensation in top of head; scalp in tender and hot to touch, also heat in upper part of head; after taking some mild beer, increased heat of head; painful sensation in eyeballs on looking up; no stool; profound sleep without dreams. – 17th. Diminished aching in head; sore feeling of upper part of scalp, and heat is felt there; aching extended into occipital protuberance; shooting pain and heat in index and middle fingers, which had been sprained by a falÀà
Poisonings.
I had sent Mr. N. – a bottle with about 3xij of tinct, he having, at my request, undertaken to prove the medicine on himself. He had given the bottle to his wife, remarking, by way of caution, that she must shut it up carefully, because it was poison. Various engagements prevented him from at once commencing the proving. This day, generally calm and intelligent, 38 years old, mother of seven children, on Dec. 17th, 1862, after her husband had left the house in a rage owing to her reproaches, drank, in a fit of jealousy, every drop of the tinct, intending to commit suicide. Being informed of this, I received about four weeks afterwards (at my own request to Mr. N. -) the symptoms which he had observed in his wife and had obtained from her, written out as follows: –
During first 3 days great excitement of mind, with quarrelsome and peevish humour. from 4th day, daily in forenoon and afternoon, violent burning in vagina, lasting each time a full hour; this till 18th d. From 8th day after poisoning, constant pricking and burning, as if from grain of sand, in inner corner of left eye, which had not quite left her after 14 d. At commencement of pains inner corner of eye was red and inflamed, with feeling of great heat there, and after 14 days eye was still weak and watery. During this time she complained of pricking in left side when sitting, and was often sleepy; at other times in
constant excitement. Often, in evening, violent palpitation, lasting some hours, which at other times commenced earlier after dancing. for several day she complained of violent pricking in throat, as if from a fish-bone. With this came on, also, hoarseness with dry cough, which at times brought up lumps of mucus; l besides soreness in nose, and sometimes redness and flying heat in face. At various times, severe pain in crown and left temple; headache so serious as to deprive her of power of thinking. Ever since poisoning, thinking has been difficult to her, and she easily forgets what she is going to do or has done. On 18th day, after supper fit of chill and nausea great tightness of chest; headache on crown and left temple; shortness of breath lasted one h. On next evening, pain in head returned, with chill; oppression and cramp of chest, with nausea. These sufferings continued till m.; at noon, after eating, sufferings returned, except chill,, instead of which came inward heat, with internal burning between chest and shoulder-blades. On the following day, no more symptoms occurred. (Ibid, 100.).
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.