Introduction
Glyceric tri nitrate, C3H5(NO3)3. Nitro-glycerine; product of action upon glycerine of a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids.
Provings and poisonings
[*It is difficult, if not impossible, to draw any dividing line between provings and poisonings with this substance. We have therefore classed together all observations of its action on the human subject, arranging them in their chronological order, which is a matter of some historical interest.–EDS.*] – Its taste is sweet, pungent, and aromatic; but in ascertaining this great precaution should be used, for a very minute quantity put upon the tongue produces a violent headache for several hours. This effect was experienced by several persons in my laboratory, and I have frequently felt it myself. (SOBRERO, Comptes Rendus, February 15th, 1847.)
2. Dr. HERING, struck by the foregoing observation, tested Gl. (so named by him from its then chemical formula) on a number of healthy persons, and published his results in the Brit. journ of Hom., vol. vii (1849), and again more fully in his Amerikanische Arzneiprufungen Nos. 1 and 2 91853). From the latter work we select the following:
MORRIS DAVIS took 1/10 dr. Observed a kind of burning on sundry small spots on lips. After 10 m. throbbing in temples and rush of blood to head, temporal arteries throbbed perceptibly; pain over eye-brows; the slightest shaking of head increased headache, this lasted 30 m. On walking in street, all the objects seemed strange, the houses did not seem in their right places; the way home seemed 3 times longer than usual. (Am Arzneipr., 46).
3. Dr. JEANES took about 1/30 dr. In 30 seconds he felt as if something were moving in nerves from nape to head. Soon afterwards slight pain in the organ of wit, left side, the place was sensitive to slight pressure, but stronger pressure relieved pain. Then pain in forehead, in vertex, and whole head when sitting. After 2 minutes pain from spine up to head. When walking up and down he had a pain across shoulders, that extended to the arms, and was especially severe on the back of right hand on distal end of middle finger metacarpal bone. After 3 minutes when waling cracking in right hip-joint and afterwards twice in left knee. Pain in joint of right lower jaw and stiffness of it. Pain in both knees under patella on both sides of it. Crepitation in left ear. Headache extends through head with feeling of weight, worst in temples when the head is shaken. After 5 morning pain in metacarpal bone continued. Pain in head increased by moving head from side to side, not when moving it back and forward. After 7 morning cracking in right knee. Walking increase pains in limbs; the pains go from below upwards, then from above downwards, in arms. Cutting pain in both temples, goes downwards or to ears. After 10 morning a curious feeling in head, after the headache is relieved. Cold shudder down back, and while walking flushes of heat. After 12 burning heat between shoulders. After 20 minutes shooting pain from near right ear towards eye. 9 p. m., great dryness on soft palate. (Ibid., 47.)
4. A girl, aet 23, took 1/1000th of a drop of G. twice. Each time complained of numbness of lower lip with feeling as if it were swollen. She had also pain in forehead over eyes, palpitation of heat, pulse quicker by 20 beats. Numbness and fatigued feeling, so that it was a great exertion to raise the arm. (Ibid., 68.)
5. a. DR. D. JACKSON, on February 18th, being quite well and his pulse at 65, took 1/3 dr. of the saturated solution in alcohol. After 30” the pulse had become 80, and he had a disagreeable sensation of weight in sinciput. After 30” more the pulse rose to 90 and the frontal headache became very bad. In 1/2 hour the pulse fell to 70 and the headache was almost gone. On repeating the dose the pulse rose to 75 and the frontal headache was very violent, with a feeling as if the eyeball was pressed forwards and outward and stuck out. On taking another similar dose the pulse immediately rose to 112. The headache was very severe, the eyes became prominent and had red injected vessels, specks before the eyes, as in bilious headache, fulness in the base of the brain and violent throbbing of all the arteries of head and nape. The action of the heart was laboured, with a peculiar oppressed feeling. Ate being a short time in the open air, the severe symptoms were relieved, and there only remained a sensation of weight and a disagreeable feeling about heart.
5 b. February 23rd. Pulse 66. Took a whole drop of the alcoholic solution. In less than 1 m. the pulse was 124, hard, and almost incompressible. The heart beat violently. A lancinating pain went from cardiac region to back between shoulders. The headache, especially in the forehead, was hardly endurable, the disagreeable sensations at base of brain are more violent than before. The suffused eyes seemed to project, the pupils were dilated. Lightning flashes were constantly before the eyes, making reading indistinct. Tongue and mouth were as if burnt, tongue felt swollen and raw, and there were spasmodic twitchings in it. The chest felt contracted. After 2m. the pulse was 100 and markedly intermittent. The symptoms went off gaudily, and after 1/2 hours nothing remained but a feeling of fatigue and oppression of heart. (Ibid., 69.)
6. W. P.W. – took 1/300th dr. After 2 m. felt as if his chin were elongated down to his knees, he must constantly put up his hand to feel if it was so. Twenty years previously he had fallen and injured his chin, but had never felt anything unusual there till now. After 3 m. bruised pain in right organ of firmness, followed by pulsation there. After 6 m. pain over right eye and across upper border of orbits from right to left. After 8 m. continued pain in left organ of form, later on in both sides. ( Ibid. 49).
7. Dr. W. WILLIAMSON took, June 25th, at 5:30 p. m. 1/150th dr. after 1 m. pain in left hypochonder, pain under left patella. After 2 m. uneasiness in stomach and heat in gullet. After 3 m. heat in outer canthus of right eye, sore pain in orbital border, full feeling in right side of forehead. After 5 m. pain in left side of occiput and later in left side of forehead, pulse rose from 80 to 92, palpitation of heat, full feeling in upper part of abdomen, short stitches with heat in left eyeball. Memory defective. After 10 m. pulse 88, pain in organ of wonder right side. After 20 m. 5:55, took 1/30 dr. After 1 m. fulness in heart. After 2 morning pain in right organ of wit. After 2 1/2 m. some pain in left side. After 3 m. some pain in organ of benevolence, fulness of jugular veins, throbbing in left half of forehead, stiffness of nape, eructation, stitches in left tonsil. After 5 m. pulse 92, pain in left half of head, worst in vertex, pain in left organ of wonder, pain in coronal suture, stiffness and pain in lest side of nape, stitch in right temple, throbbing in left temple. Contracted feeling in right elbow. After 10 m. pulse 70, pain in forehead when he looks long at anything, rumbling in transverse colon, yawning and inclination to stretch backwards; bruised feeling in forehead where the pain was; sore and constricted feeling in head, aggravated by shaking head sideways and by leaning forwards. When he shakes head feels as if
brain were hard, loose in head and sore. After 10 morning rumbling in transverse colon, yawning and inclination to breathe deeply, face red and hot, especially round eyes, pain in eyeballs, stitches in left tonsil, taste like pine-wood. After 1 1/2 hour and again after 3 hours copious stool of soft faeces, flatulence in abdomen all evening Next day woke early with bellyache, followed at 6 a. m. by copious loose stool; had 6 more similar stools. Mouth in morning full of disgusting, thick saliva, and slimy saliva during day, which he must spit out, tongue seemed larger and was covered with white fur. Mind disposed to recall and dwell on injuries suffered long ago. 3rd day. – Tongue white and larger, with impression of front teeth, slimy feeling in mouth, no stool. (Ibid., 54.)
8. a. I (R. E.D. -), pulse 68, applied – January 13th, 1853, at 1:15 p. m.-the moistened cork of the bottle in which the saturated solution was kept to my tongue. In less than 5 m. pulse rose to 100. Head felt throbbing and bursting, especially above ears and at temples, and I experienced a choking sensation as if a ligature were tied round my neck, which kept the blood from returning from the head. Headache was much aggravated by shaking head. After about 15 m. it was felt most behind ears, except when head was shaken, when it was felt disagreeably in temples. Face felt congested, though it was not altered in colour. After 1 hour head still felt full and congested. After 2 hours I felt, while standing, an extremely violent shooting pain under ribs on right side (region of gall-bladder) that caused me to bend forward while it lasted, which was about 1/2 m.
8 b. On 27th I got some of the Ix dil. on my finger which I sucked off. That night I slept uneasily, and felt a dull, hard, pressive headache, chiefly in occiput, which went off before I got up. After luncheon (potato-soup) at 2 p. m., my bowels began to feel uneasy, and I soon had a copious loose motion. Whilst driving about in afternoon paying professional visits, I suffered severely from pain (griping) in lower part of bowels, apparently in rectum, and great inclination to go to stool. I succeeded in restraining this till 7 o’clock, when I was forced to return home, and my bowels were moved. Evacuation was loose but not copious. It seemed as if there were much more to come, but that their was an obstruction high up in the rectum. Before the evacuation I felt sickish and faint. The diarrhoea feeling was less felt while driving in open air than when in warm rooms with patients. After dinner I had another loose, scanty evacuation, after which all the symptoms went off.
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.