Introduction
Crocus sativus, L. Common saffron crocus. Nat. Ord., Iridaceae.
Provings
1. Symptoms elicited by Provings on healthy persons, under superintendence of Drs. Stapf and Gross; small quantities of tinct. being used, “none of the provers taking more than 12 gr. in all, some much less. ”
1 a. Giddy and staggering when rising from recumbent posture during night; whirling in head and heat in whole body; giddiness and great oppression of head; giddy in head (immediately); tensive oppression, first in forehead then in whole head, as if intoxicated (10 morning); head dull in front, as in intoxication, and whirling (in a moderately warm room, not in open air)-1 hour; dull feeling in head, with painful oppression in occiput 92 hours); sensation in head as if intoxicated, with oppression of eyes as though she could not see out of them, and feeling of heat in face (7 morning); gloominess in head, dull pain in eyes and momentary vertigo; frontal headache whole of 2nd and 3rd day after; taking drug; headache after waking in morning, pressure on vertex and heaviness of whole of whole head, he is scarcely able to support it; momentary drawing headache, right side, from behind forward, like a painful vein, somewhat external, recurring at intervals;pressive-drawing pain along narrow steak in centre of forehead (3/4 hour); over left frontal eminence from time to time a rapid broad thrust deep into brain, which makes him start (12 hours), leaving a momentary painful oppression, which is relieved by external pressure; headache over eyes, with burning and pressure in same, which induce rubbing, and increases considerably, especially in candlelight, towards evening; pressure in forehead; from left frontal eminence to left side of nasal bones a painful crampy drawing (1/2 hour); on left frontal eminence a dull tension; on same intermittent painful itching; under same sudden acute pain, as if a blunt arrow were pushed into it, this is followed by several thrust-like attacks of same pain (1st day); painful drawing in forehead, with nausea; dull headache on left side; dull pain in left side of head, spreading as a contractive pain into right temple, ears, and throat, where it is especially painful during deglutition; rhythmical pulsations in whole left half of head and face (2 1/2 hours); sudden clicking sensation on small spot over left parietal bone, as if a drop of water had fallen thereon from above; drawing pressure in right occiput; acute tearing in head and right eye, likewise in a left hollow tooth, with dimness of the eye and sensation as if a current of cold air were rushing through it; sensation on moving head as if brain were loose and swayed to and fro.
1 b. Dilated pupils (1/2 hour); very dilated pupils (in a few morning); somewhat contracted pupils (after several hour); eyes become dim, he can see nothing plain, and all things appear as in a mist (2 1/2 hour); after a few hour her eyes, usually clear and of acute vision, are misty, all things seem pale to her, as if a gauze were before them, this disappears for a moment on wiping eye, but soon returns (at 8 p. m.); darkness before eyes, after which sensation as if bright starts danced before them (2 days); the light is less bright, as if a gauze were between her and it; when reading he imagines he has a gauze before his eyes, [*Four other similar symptoms are recorded, possibly from separate provers; in one case the eyes felt dry.– EDS*] which disappears on frequent winking, – at same time pressure in eyeballs, becoming ere heaviness when eyes are closed, but returning on opening them again; aching in eyeballs, a s from looking through too strong glasses (without diminished sight) – 1 1/2 hours; he is frequently obliged to wink, and to wipe his eyes, as if a pellicle of gum were drawn over them (4.3/4 hours); inclination to close eyes firmly from time to time; tendency to ptosis, with dimsightedness (1/2 hour); pain in right eyeball in morning as of a stitch one point; sensation as if eyes became smaller (1/2 hours); while reading, the white paper looks pale red; sudden flashes before eyes, like electric sparks, in daytime (after several day); after reading awhile, even in daytime, eyes ache and feel sore and burning, with some dimness, compelling frequent winking; pressive pain in eyeballs, with profuse lachrymation and after cessation of pain great dimsightedness (7 hours); he cannot read a word without a rush of tears from the dim eyes (8 hours); sensation in eyes (only in warm room, not in open air) as if they would water all the time; on closing eyelids water runs out of them; feeling in eyes as from smoke; sensation in both eyes as if she had wept much, they feel swollen and tense, though others see nothing wrong in them (for several day); in another, same sensation with corresponding appearance; burning in eyes; burning-pinching under left lower lid (9 hours); very dry eyes; itching in lids of right eye, with sensation as if dragged towards outer side, afterwards in both
eyes (7 morning); creeping in left eyebrow, with sudden twitching in lids, and transitory sensation as if something were lodged upon the eye which ought to be wiped off (3/4 hour); twitching and itching of upper eyelid; visible twitching of eyelids, with sensation as if she ought to wipe something off eyeball (1/4 hour); creeping in eyebrows, he must rub them (1/4 hour); sore feeling in lids, by candlelight, with inclination to close them frequently and to wipe the eyes; burning in lids, worse when closing eyes; long-lasting dull pressive stitch in left lower eyelid (4 1/2 hours); when waking at night, she feels as if she could not open eyes, as if a weight were pressing on them, -if she forces them open, she feels a tension and pressure, and only succeeds after repeated attempts.
1 c. Glow in face, in morning on walking; very hot in face and fore-part of head; circumscribed burning red spots in face.
1 d. Cramp-like drawing in concha and meatus of ear, like otalgia (20 hours); pain in and behind right ear, like cramp (immediately); after lying down in bed, sound in left ear as of bells ringing at a distance, heard on stopping ear entirely, it continues till he goes to sleep, and only disappears on forcibly withdrawing thought from it (for several evening).
1 e. Dry lips, inclining to crack; smarting of lips; painful feeling of stiffness in throat on movement; scraping in throat – as after eating at meat – before and after coughing; sharp scraping sensation at back of throat, obliging hawking;l frequent hacking, occasioned by tickling in upper larynx during expiration; feeling like heartburn along oesophagus (9 hours);
sudden drawing in left side of throat externally and internally, extending into ear (1/4 hour); sensation during empty deglutition as if a hook were lodged in throat which could not be got away compelling hawking; sensation in throat after eating, as if a plug had been pressed in, more during empty deglutition on swallowing food, it continued till next day, uvula seems somewhat elongated, with feeling of pressure independently of deglutition; feeling as if uvula were elongated, both between and during deglutition; dryness and scraping in mouth; dryness in mouth and violent burning of one side of tip of tongue, as if vesicles would form upon it, very painful when liking or putting out tongue (on dorsal surface only); white-coated but rather dry tongue, becoming clean after breakfast; white coated, very humid tongue, papillae erect; a good deal of water in mouth, with slight smarting on tip of tongue, as if salt had been strewed there, with salt-sweet taste; unusual warmth in mouth; sweet taste at back of throat; repulsive, sour-sweet taste in morning after rising, going off after washing mouth; bitter taste t back of throat.
1 f. Eructations; tasteless eructations; frequent empty risings before breakfast; empty feeling in abdomen, with complete want of appetite; qualmish, disposed to vomit; qualmish and uncomfortable feeling from scrob. cordis into abdomen, where is a slight feeling on movement as if pinching would come on; great qualmishness and feeling of weakness in praecordial region, abating in open air; feeling of nausea in chest and throat, as though she would vomit immediately; transient pain in scrob. cordis; contraction in pit of stomach and below sternum; rumbling and working in praecordial region 91/4 hour); drawing in scrob. cordis, hither and thither, up and down (1/2 hour); single violent stitches in scrob. cordis; burning in stomach; distension of stomach and abdomen; fulness and pressure in abdomen, and at same time in chest, as if she had eaten too quickly and too much (but not after eating); a. m., on empty stomach, feeling of distension of abdomen; she feels very full after eating very little, as if she had taken too much, with loss of appetite; slight grunting in epigastrium with uncomfortable feeling; repeated bubbling in hypogastrium (2 hours); repeated grunting in abdomen, morning in bed; pinching on a small spot on left abdomen, on a line with umbilicus; drawing in praecordia, towards stomach, like colic; sensitiveness of stomach, as after catching cold there; after a wonted drink of fresh water, pinching jerks in abdomen; painless squeezing pressure as of a broad hard body in right upper abdominal cavity at each inspiration; flying pain as from pressure on a sore place, now in left now in right abdomen; colic, as from a chill; drawing colic as if menses would
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.