Introduction
Colchicum autumnale, L. Meadow – saffron. Nat. Ord., Melanthaceae.
Provings.
1. [The following proving were made with the tincture prepared by mixing equal parts of the expressed juice of the root obtained in spring and alcohol, all except the proving by Bethmann, which was made with the tincture of the seeds. No information is given as to the doses taken or the persons who proved under the inspection of the reporters, and but little as to the period after ingestion when the symptoms appeared. – EDS.]
HAHNEMANN. – Tearing and tension in left side of face to ear and head; menses 7 days too soon; shooting – tensive pain between scapulae, chiefly when moving, so that he must walk crooked for some time. (Archiv, vi, 1, 147.)
2. STAPF. – Immediately, nausea and no appetite. After 3 hours, great distension of abdomen as though he had eaten too much, though he has eaten nothing; after partaking moderately of light food this feeling becomes much stronger and more tiresome. No time maintained: obnubilation of head; a sort of headache; formication under forehead; heat of mouth, thirst; disagreeable feeling in stomach as it raw; pain in abdomen as from incarcerated flatulence; pressure in abdomen; tendency to diarrhoea; urging to urinate, urine darker than usual; exhausted as after exertion; restless sleep; heat of body, night; sweat; out of humour, mistrustful, fears everything that occurs. ( Ibid.).
3. SCHWEIKERT. – After 1/4 hour, increased salvia, accumulation of water in mouth. After 1/2 hour, violent pressure in right occiput; in interior of nose warm feeling as in epistaxis; tensive pain in right cervical muscles externally and felt when swallowing; occasional oppression of chest; sleepiness, dislike for work, and confusion of head. After 1 hour, forcing feeling from abdomen to chest with anxiety and heat, especially of head, lasting 2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, feeling in nasal bones as from pressure of a weight. After 2 1/2 hours, drawing pain in teeth, like what occurs on drinking something cold after something hot. after 3 hours, drawing pain in front teeth lasting 10 hours; anxious oppression of chest all day. After 9 hours, some transient stitches in middle of tongue. The first 12 hours, urine somewhat increased, with some urging. No time given: crawling in tip of nose; tearing in right upper and lower jaw, with feeling as if teeth there were too long; great flow of saliva all day; several times nausea during dinner; urging to stool, with small hard stool or none at all, with pain in anus frequently during day; pressive pain in chest all day; pain in lumbar region; tingling and formication in single toes, in right ball, in fingers, ears, and some places on skin of face, as after being frozen, in evening. (Ibid.) 4. VON GERSDORFF. – Soon after taking med., sneezing. No time given: pressive pain on a small spot on right side of top of head, transient; here and there in head short squeezing pains
in circumscribed spots; tearing in left half of head up to crown; pressive – tearing pain in a small spot on right of occiput; transient squeezing headache close above eyes; tearing in a small spot of left occiput; formicating boring tearing on a small spot on right side of top of head, later the same pain came on corresponding spot on left side; tearing in right temple, tearing tension on a small spot on left half of forehead as if an ulcer would come there; drawing on left side of top of head going down to nose; eyes painful; pressive pain in right eye; quivering in right upper eyelids; slow visible drawing (like quivering) in left lower lid towards inner canthus; short violent sharp tearing in and around right eye; smarting in right eye, especially its outer canthus, with some lachrymation and feeling as if lids stuck together; suppuration of a Meibomian gland on left lower lid with swelling of lid; the nerves are much irritated; tearing behind right ear near maxillary joint, when touched it pains for some time; earache, then pricking in interior of ear as with fine needles; pricking shooting in left ear; creeping in nose; sore pain in septum of right nostril, very bad on touching part and moving nose; squeezing sensation in upper part of nose; sharp cutting tearing in left side of vermilion of upper lip; squeezing pain in right maxillary joint; boring on right side of nape, externally; pressive pain on right upper part of neck under ear, opposite maxillary joint, painful when touched; pressive pain in muscles on left side above larynx, on throat and in larynx; sore pain in teeth; painful prickling in upper molars; tearing in roots of left lower teeth; pressive pain in left lower molars; tearing high up in gums on right side above a place where a tooth had been lost; tearing in gums of left lower front teeth; tearing in left side of back of tongue; smarting creeping at back of fauces; great formication in throat exciting coughing and hawking of mucus; tearing on left side of back of fauces; constant creeping formicating sensation at back of palate as in catarrh; much mucus collects in throat of a greenish colour; during the formication in throat this mucus is detached, which must often be spat out; in morning rough in throat with hoarseness; on sneezing greenish mucus is often involuntarily ejected by mouth; much empty eructation in forenoon; slight feeling of oppression in scrob. cordis; burning externally to right of scrob, cordis; during supper out-pressing bellyache, close under scrob. cordis, relieved by eructation; tearing in cardiac region; when walking, morning severe pressure in upper part of abdomen; just under right short ribs in front pain as from incarcerated flatus; some cutting tearing on right side of upper abdomen, squeezing pressive sensation in left side of upper abdomen, extending to hip, transiently relieved by eructation; pain, as if raw internally, also when touched, between left hip and ribs; before and at commencement of dinner pressive pain about umbilical region with flatulent distension; violent sharp stitches in umbilical region; sharp out-pressing on left above navel; squeezing and tearing pain in abdomen near right hip; shooting here and there under umbilical region; pricking tearing in anus; creeping and violent itching in anus; intermittent burning in anus; tearing deep in nates, towards anus; burning in anus; stool not hard but scanty, pressed out with much effort; constipation for several day, and when he has a stool it is very small; first turbid, then bright yellow urine; more micturition than usual; in bed, morning after passing urine, intolerable creeping burning in urethra, with feeling as if more were to come, and when a few drops were passed burning sensation in most posterior part of urethra, cutting in anterior part of urethra; tearing in glans penis; formication in nose with sneezing; long-continued coryza, which is never very fluent, and in which much nasal mucus is expectorated; formication in trachea and in chest with cough; frequent tensive feeling in chest; squeezing pressive feeling in chest; obtuse tearing pain in right side of chest near axilla, which is followed by a sore feeling when touched or moved; burning stitches as if externally on right side of chest; obtuse stitches in right side of chest; in bed, morning and later during exercise several violent stitches in left side of chest; during inspiration and coughing stitches on left side of chest; violent stitches from within outwards in right side of chest, not when inspiring, but afterwards only when inspiring; sharp stitches in right side of chest; violent stitches on top of left side of chest; obtuse shooting pressure in top of right side of chest near arm; intermittent pressure, sometimes above, sometimes below, on small spots of right side of chest; obtuse shooting tearing deep in interior of right thorax, it is hard to tell whether it is more in the chest than the back, to left of spine; burning stitch in sacrum; severe pressive, obtuse enduring stitch in back under and between both scapulae; violent throbbing in left axilla that can be felt with hand; squeezing pain on left shoulder; pain a small spot under and almost in right axilla as after a below; frequent tearing pressive pain in right then in left axilla; continued obtuse stitch on upper inner angle of right scapula; throbbing on external aspect of left upper arm; dull tearing pressure behind right axilla; burning -pressive pain on inside of left upper arm near axilla; tearing on inner side of right and left elbows up arm; tearing in forearm near wrist; tearing in right wrist; tearing in back of right hand; tearing in and below distal phalanx of right little finger sometimes very violent; right hand trembles so much he can scarcely write; tearing in middle phalanges of right middle and ring fingers; shooting tearing in lower part of right had; rheumatic drawing in distal joint of left thumb; pain in distal knuckle of right thumb, as if a splinter was sticking in there; tearing under nail of left index; tearing in proximal joints of right little and ring fingers; pressive drawing in under part and ball of right thumb; tearing in hip; squeezing pressure on and above right hip; jerking tearing in upper part of right thigh; tearing in right thigh about hip; tearing in upper part of left thigh; tearing on inner side of top of right thigh; tearing in middle of left thigh in evening in bed; violent paralytic drawing in whole of right thigh in evening in bed; cramp in left thigh as though it were asleep; tearing pain just above feet knee in evening in bed; pressive pain in inner side of right knee; tensive tearing on lower half of left tibia; transient tearing from left hip down to leg; tearing in outer side of left calf; tearing in lower part of right calf; drawing tearing on right instep; tearing in a small spot on right foot 3 finger’s breadth below ankle near sole; tearing in inner bend of right foot betwixt ball of big toe and heel; tearing in left ankle – joint; tearing in left sole near toes; tearing in right heel near sole; pressive – drawing pain in left big toe, then in right big toe, then in middle left toes, the pain seems to be mostly in lower aspect of toes; the left big toe is painful as though the nail would grow into the flesh; shooting tearing in lower side of ball of right big toe; formication in inner surface of right big, 2nd, or 3rd toes as if asleep; a painful sharp boring stitch over nail at tip of right big toe; cold feet and hands; here and there on body, e.g. below scrob. cordis on right in side of left ribs, below axilla, in right hough, tearing tension in small spots; trembling empty feeling of whole body in afternoon immediately after dinner; frequent starting in affright out of sleep, with an idea that there are mice in the bed (on 2 successive night).. (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.