Introduction
Yellow gentian.
Provings
I. D-, aet. 27th, bilious temperament, took, August 17th, 8 a. m., 150 dr. tinct. 10 a. m., weight and confusion of head when writing. – 18th, 7 a. m. 250 dr. after rising, 2 Soft stools, head felt as after drinking spirits, discomfort and pressure in left hypochondrium. 10 a. m., giddiness, pressure in eyeballs. 6 p. m., nausea. 19th, 6 a. m., 350 dr. soft stool; immediately increased warmth in whole body, wind in stomach. – 21st, 7 a. m., 350 dr. After 1 hour dislocation pain in left knee, saliva more consistent than usual, shooting in middle of sinciput, pressure in right hip near sacrum; frequent hawking, mucus hard to bring up, confusion of sinciput, increased heat of whole body, pressure in chest when moving. Pressure in sinciput, after midday. 4 p. m., conjunctiva slightly reddened, eyes painful; later, shooting in left upper lid. – 22nd, 7 a. m., 450 dr. Frequent hawking, confusion of sinciput, return of dislocation pain in left knee, limited to patella; some hoarseness. At 2, 3, and 4 p. m., 200 dr. Eructations, roughness of throat; heat and confusion of head, inclination to vomit, nausea, yawning slight vertigo. Felt as if should vomit, which makes his eyes water; the heat of head, especially of cheeks, increases; eructation and borborygmus, pressure in eyes, forcing and pressing in sinciput, tension of abdomen increasing towards evening, with dyspnoea, pressure in middle of chest to left of sternum. Stomach empty, shooting and tearing in sole when he bends toes much while walking. In evening eats ravenously. 9 p. m., sudden urging to stool, followed by copious stool, later tenderness of abdomen, eructation and belching with taste of sour wine, dryness of throat and mouth, pulse quick,. On going to bed could not sleep for a long time, woke up at midnight, felt hot; griping and cutting pains in abdomen, with quickened respiration. The pains continuing, he could not sleep, must toss about in bed. Lying on back with legs drawn up was the easiest position. Constant discharge of flatus upwards and downwards without relief; the belly continued full and distended and tender to touch, to above transverse colon, not so the gastric region. After 2 a. m. could sleep, but the pains in belly always disturbed sleep; great weariness and longing for sleep, but could not sleep, though he tried all positions. – 23rd, morning abdomen still painful, cutting when touched, especially from pubes to transverse colon. He must walk slowly, because the abdomen is painful at every step and movement, though he has had a stool. Pressive pain in hips and sacrum when he stoops, feels like a strap tightly drawn over hips. 9 a. m., soft light yellow stool after cutting in abdomen. 10 a. m., cutting in abdomen returns so violently that he must bend himself together, soon afterwards treat, proceeding from lumbar vertebrae. Pressure and weight in sacrum, aggravation of back and belly pains by movement, amelioration by sitting; earthy taste; exhaustion and prostration. Now the chief pain when touched is under the navel; rumbling in belly, fell as if bubbles rose up in it. 3 p. m., bilious diarrhoea. By next morning all symptoms gone (BUCHNER Hygea, xiv, 2.)
2. E-, medical student, aet. 26 1/2, of irritable constitution, suffered formerly from gouty symptoms. – August 15th, morning 200 dr. tinct. Transient febrile attack, like shivering, arising in back and rapidly spreading all over back of body like an electric shock. This febrile attack occurred 3 times at short intervals, followed by weariness, prostration and tension in limbs, pressure and tension in stomach, slight distension of abdomen, forcing down towards anus with tenesmus. – 16th, 6 a. m., 300 dr. Soon splashing and rumbling in belly, which is distend and tense, with feeling of fulness and weight, umbilical region when touched and pressed somewhat painful; distension and tightness of stomach outside and in, pressure there, with feeling of nausea and inclination to vomit, very transient, then forcing towards anus; confusion and weight of head, with tensive and pressive pain in sinciput and forehead, tightness of chest. -19th, 6 am., 500 dr. Anxious pressure in stomach, with feeling of nausea and inclination to vomit, tension and fulness of stomach, rumbling in bowels, distension, tightness and full felling of abdomen, with painful feeling in hypogastrium, especially about navel; inward pressure at navel; is comfort in whole abdomen, with forcing down to anus, numb feeling of whole body, and cross humour; confusion and dazed feeling of head; dull out-pressure in frontal region, uncommon fulness toughness, and distension of abdomen, with fetid flatus, general irritability and increased sensitiveness of abdominal parietes. All these symptoms worse in forenoon on moving, better in afternoon. – 21st, 6 p. m., suddenly felt in right hand a drawing, tensive gouty pain, with inflammatory redness on skin of knuckles of index and middle finger, with spasmodic and painful movements of this hand, especially in inflamed places. Up to 9 p. m. this pain constantly increased, wherefore he then rubbed the forearm, palm, and back of hand with some drops of the tinct., whereupon the inflammation and pains rapidly subsided. (He had had a similar attack some years before, but the pain and swelling then increased but soon subsided, leaving a peculiar pain and weakness of hand). Next morning felt a slight tensive pain in th affected knuckles, and since then the pain entirely disappeared. – 22nd, 6 a. m., 600 dr. Immediately irritation through nasal cavities as if coryza were coming on; soon afterwards watery discharge from nose, making him blow it; thereafter weight and pressure in stomach, with anxiety and nausea as though he would vomit, and difficult and deep breathing. The forcing and fulness of stomach and chest recurred between 8 and 10 a. m. Fulness and dull aching like heavy throbbing in had; he felt a constant upwards pressure in sinciput; formicating sensation in knees, aching tension in umbilical region fix pain in navel, as if drawn in, with dull, heavy, and full head, as if it were enlarged, and stopped-up nose; general painful feeling all over belly, with tension in hypogastrium;particularly severe tensive aching pain in right side of belly, more towards the back; general numb feeling through body. Consent urging to stool and frequent stools of more consistent character than usual. Urinary secretion increased. 23rd, 9 p. m., 300 dr. Sleep somewhat restless; in morning fullness and pressure in chest, with dyspnoea, some bellyache, with pressure in stomach and during to stool. (Ibid.,4)
3. St. – took, on august 26th, 6 a. m., a tablespoonful of the tinct. After 3 hours., dimness of vision lasting a few moments, during which he cannot see the person from whom he is buying pears; soon afterwards feeling of constriction of stomach, diminished appetite, restless sleep for several day; in afternoon aching in occiput; frequent pappy yellow stools. (Ibid. 7).
4. Dr. WATZKE took October 19th, morning, 10 dr. tinct. Swelling, fine shooting and constriction in throat, chiefly in back of palate, nausea, inclination to vomit, pressive pain in temples; in-pressing in umbilical region. – 11th. Forenoon and after 12 dr.; during forenoon remarkably hoarse for some hour – 13th. forenoon and afternoon, 20 dr. – 15th,50 dr. Repeated violent eructations, pressure in umbilical region, little appetite. 16th. 100dr., intense bitter taste for 1 hour, sinking in stomach; attacks of nausea; the plainest food caused pinching in belly and two slight slimy diarrhoeic stools in rapid succession. ( Oest. Zeitsch. f. Hom., i, 3,140.).
Poisonings
There can now be little doubt that gentio-picrine, the true active principle of G., is a bitter closely allied to quinine, alike in physiological and in therapeutic action. The effects of an overdose of G. itself are dulness, weight in head, oppression of forehead, and slight giddiness; symptoms, in fact, much resembling those induced by cinchona. The face becomes flushed, and the conjunctivae are injected. The bowels are relaxed 2nd the stools have a bilious character. It is probable that, besides the gentio-picrine, there is some volatile ingredient in G. which has a slightly inebriant action, since Planche states that water distilled over pure G. possesses the latter quality. (PHILLIPS, op. cit.).
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.