Introduction
Venom of several species of rattlesnake, especially C. durissus and horridus.
Provings
1. HERING. Vertigo; frontal headache; pain above eyes and in temples, worse on right side, with nausea and vomiting of bile is obliged to lie down; together with constipation; better from walking in open air. (Wirk. des Schlangengiftes, 1837. All symptoms here recorded wee obtained with 1st and 2nd trits.)
2. KUMMER. Pressive headache, with vertigo, nausea, and sensation of is comfort on movement, pain is worse above eyes, especially right, not continuous, but in paroxysms; pain in left breast and next day in right ( Ibid.)
3. LINGEN. Remarkable weakness of memory; makes mistakes in writing and does not spell correctly; excessive sensibility, as, for instance, to anything touching in what he reads; confusion of whole head; itching in angles of eyes; a little clear blood from nose; large pustule over left ala nasi, with drawing pain in neighbouring cheek, and redness an hardness of spot, continuing a long time; tickling on palate and fauces; shootings in pit of stomach; pappy stool; twice a sensation of cutting in glans penis; unusual sexual excitement, only by day, with complete relaxation of organs, indeed, apparent impotence; tickling in supra-sternal notch, as if in trachea, causing cough with expectoration, after a few day tickling only without cough; eruption of numerous distinct red spots (petechial), very small, with a few larger ones, between shoulder-blades; trembling in hand when at rest; itching in middle joints of fingers of both hands; rheumatic drawing in right popliteal space between tendons; stinging itching, flying to all parts of body, worst on shoulder-blades; in morning on awaking feels as if beaten; can hardly muster up courage to rise. (Ibid.)
4. SCHMOLE. Unusual obtuseness and stupidity 1st day, by reason of which he cannot express himself correctly, and therefore does not note down some symptoms; for a few day a certain diffidence in the selection of medicines, which previously had been a pleasant task; vertigo before eyes, even to falling, pupils a little dilated, face chalky-white, with blue around eyes (1st day); yawning; dull, heavy feeling in head; headache in whole forehead, which gradually became worse, until at last it was unbearable, then again a little better, and so continuing till evening (1/2 hour); headache which, though very bad indeed shortly before going to sleep, and especially on undressing, in morning after a good night’s sleep had vanished; pressing pain in balls on moving eyes, as if orbits were dry inside; dusky redness of left upper lid, with dryness and burning of inside of eye and redness of angle; fading of sight by reading; sensation as if right ear were stopped up, and drawing in interior of both ears,; painful drawing in right ear, with sensation of hear in it; heat in right ear and bruised feeling in lobes; drawing in rough ear, with painfulness of whole left side of head and paralysed feeling in left jaw-bone; pressing drawing pains, first in right jawbone and then in left, and then in both at one; from behind right ear drawing pain down neck; bruised sensation of right lower jaw and teeth; drawing-tearing pain from right shoulder up side of neck, as if muscles were stretched and being torn out, aggravated by moving arm backwards;in left neck posteriorly rheumatic drawing pain as far as shoulder; sour taste in mouth after ordinary breakfast; crushed sensation of entire right lower jaw, together with teeth; transient violent shooting downwards, almost like a blow, in an upper molar (2nd day); sudden transient pain in a right lower molar, shooting up and down in it a few times (1st day); painful roughness in throat; bruised, sometimes shooting, pain from larynx to chin, sometimes as far as lower teeth; scraping rancid sensation from pharynx down to stomach, with pressure in epigastrium; heartburn all day, especially p. m., with sensation as if whole oesophagus up to mouth were filled with rancid fluid, with eructations tasting of ingesta; eructation of acrid sour fluid after eating some white bread, and rancid eructations all p. m. (4th days); nausea and malaise, and feeling as if something rancid rose up in oesophagus; pressure in stomach and uncomfortable sensation about region of epigastrium, as if he had eaten too much – a similar sensation to that occurring before syncope, which came on a few morning later; cannot bear clothes round stomach and below right hypochondria (1st day only); pressing pain in middle of abdomen, below navel, as if too full there; deep pain in umbilical region, like violent burning (1st day); pain in left abdomen, like a splenic stitch from violent running, much aggravated by deep breathing 1st day, recurred 2nd day after stronger dose, but not quite so bad_; frequent diarrhoeic stools, with pain in abdomen from navel downwards; urine somewhat increased and of very high colour, reddish yellow (2nd – 5th day); Hoarseness and weakness of vice; larynx painful on being touched (2nd day); oppression in chest on sitting down, almost causing fainting (2nd day); a single violent sneezing, with stitch in right chest near shoulder, followed by pains in sternum; in middle of chest, rather or right, sharp sore pain and shooting, as if through sternum, increased by pressure, but not by deep breathing (1st day); continuous dull stitch in front of chest as far as left shoulder (1/4 hour), returning follow to sternum; pain under arm on right side, then on left; throbbing bruised pain under right arm on ribs, worse on touch and movement and at same time pain in right elbow; pain under left arm passing into left chest, much aggravated by deep breathing; in front of shoulder-joint, above axilla, several small soft tubercles under skin, and many continuous stitches as if from pins sticking into flesh, worse on bending arm backwards (2nd day); sudden pain over left nipple as if from a blow, lasting 2 morning, and recurring speedily (1st day); bruised pain in paroxysms in shoulder-blades, especially on moving arms backwards (2nd day); weight in arms and legs as if bones were made of heavy wood; in evening on sitting, painful paralysed sensation in bones of fingers, arms, and legs; drawing in bones of right arm as far as thumb and little finger, at same time heat and intolerable gnawing pain in left foot; in toes and front of fingers numb pains, as after cramp, several times (2nd day); bruised cramp-like pain in upper part of both arms; occasional dull pains in bones of fingers, especially right index; in 1st phalanges of right little and left ring finger; violent pain in right arm, immediately above elbow; dull tired sensation in right hand and fingers; dull pains in last joints of right hand; violent pain in left palm, as from sting of bee, but more cramp-like much worse on moving little finger, which pains in its first joint; violent dull drawing. pains in bones of left thumb; in left ring finger 6 time a shooting pain, with rapid pulsation, each time lasting only a few seconds (4th day); in first two phalanges of left little finger bruised pain, with pulsation at finger end; continuous dull painful tired feeling in legs; legs go to sleep readily if he lays one over other for a little; in morning on waking bruised pain in all bones, which passed any after rising; in whole right leg downwards sensation as if only half alive on extension, to which he is driven by involuntary impulse, upper part of body trembling till head shakes, with tension, of muscles of forehead and back; stretching drawing pain in bone from left hip to foot, with twitching in calf; violent tired and cramping pain in thighs towards abdomen, and passing backwards, as if he had greatly strained himself at sharing, – it feels as if flesh were dragged up; bruised pain in thighs, worse on touch or movement or several day; on walking out a few dull drawing pains in right knee-cap and shin, so that for a few morning he could hardly walk, then violent pains in hand and jawbone; when walking a few sudden pains in right knee, like gout, which returned and continued on sitting still (2nd days); gouty drawing through right knee and down leg, worse from standing on right foot (1 hour); dull drawing pain as if through marrow from left knee to sole; during and after a walk in the street sensation in right legs as if a tendon were being dragged up from sole through leg, foot being thus drag up; bruised pain in left calf, worse when touched (1st day); same in both ankles, very painful on walking; same in left tendo Achillis, increased by touch or movement (1st day); pressing drawing pain in both heels as far as ankles, feeling as if chiefly in bones; burning
and blunt pricking in right sole, with sense of leaden weight in foot; pain in sole near heel as if one had trodden on something sharp with feet (4th days); crampy feeling under left little toe, sensation as if something were twisting it round (1st day). Uncommonly sleepy at noon of 1st day, almost irresistibly so at same time on 2nd day; dreams he is travailing about all over world; at night many dreams or quarrelling and fighting, dreams he has quite broken with his father, who would no longer recognise him as his on; in morning on waking, bruised pain in all the bones, which passed away after rising (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.