Introduction
L. Blue flag. Nat.Ord., Iridaceae.
Provings.
1a. Dr. W. A. BURT, May 15th, 1865, took 3 gr. of green root at 3 and 8 p. m. No effect, save locally from acridity of substance, and an unwonted emission at n. with amorous dreams. 16th. – – Mouth and tongue feel as if they had been scalded; natural stool, but anus feels sore as if sharp points were sticking in the part. At 8 a. m. 10 gr., so acrid that it was with difficulty he could get his breath; much salivation (as yesterday); constant distress at anus, which felt as if prolapsed. At I p. m. 20 gr. of dried root; it wan not acrid, but there was great distress in stomach 1/2 hours after taking it, lasting 2 h. No other symptoms. 17th. – – Took 30 dr. of a poor tincture. No symptoms, save that next m. he felt very irritable on waking. 18th. – – Took 40 gr. of green root. In 15 m. profuse flow of saliva and tears; mouth and stomach feel on fire; almost impossible to breathe, it is so acrid; pain and burning distress at stomach, for 1/2 hours awful to bear, continuing all afternoon and evening, cold water does not touch it; profuse flow of saliva all day, constant eructations of tasteless gas; sleep very restless all n., with bad dreams. 19th. – – Awoke at 4 with great rumbling and distress in umbilical and hypogastric regions, and with great desire for stool, followed immediately by a copious, thin, watery stool, which could not be retained a moment without much pain. Mouth feels as if it had been scalded; tongue thick and rough. At 8 another thin watery stool, with great rumbling in bowels, no appetite loss of taste. At 11 took 40 gr., acridity not felt so much. 1 p. m., great distress in epigastric region, profuse flow of saliva. 2:30, epigastric distress still increasing; very restless, could not be still a moment; felt as if he could not live, very much frightened; copious discharge of thin water from bowels gave no relief, inhaling chloroform eased somewhat. 3:15, another large stool of water tinged with bile, running from bowels in a continuous stream till nearly 2 quarts had passed, with great rumbling but no pain. This gave great relief; felt quite well at bedtime. Sleep very restless; amorous dreams with emission. Very irritable during next day; otherwise quite well. 1b. Took 50 gr. of green root, chewed it and swallowed juice at 11:30 a. m.; immediately great burning distress as before in epigastric region, but not much in mouth; profuse flow of saliva. At 2:30 p. m. large, yellow, papescent stool, with great rumbling and no pain; in 5 m. more, another large, watery stool; burning continues, it is fearful to endure. 2:45, flow of saliva abating; another watery stool, with colicky pains in epigastric and umbilical regions, which lasted for some hours; every few m. a copious water stool, with great rumbling in bowels. By 6 began to feel very faint and exhausted, knees weak and trembling; anus feels on fire. With stool at 7 some tenesmus; food rises very sour. At 9, feeling much exhausted, was compelled to retire. At 4 a. m. great rumbling in bowels, with desire for stool; had a profuse watery one, followed by great straining with passage of a little mucus. 5, another watery stool, followed by great straining, with passage of blood and mucus. 5:30, another stool of mucous streaked with blood, with great tenesmus. 7, stool of water and mucus with great straining; mouth tastes flat, tongue feels thick. 9, another copious stool of water and undigested food, with great straining; much exhaustion; eyes deeply sunken; teeth feel too long, and are very sore; dull, heavy headache; very hoarse; urine very scanty, of deep reddish colour; stomach very sour; bowels tender on pressure; loss of appetite. 10:30, another stool of mucus and water, with great tenesmus and rumbling; calves pain much in walking; thick flat taste. 12:45, small stool of mucus, with great tenesmus and rumbling; almost impossible to walk, limbs are so weak and painful; for last 6 hours mucus membrane of rectum has been prolapsed, with great smarting pains. 3, another small stool of mucus, with some tenesmus; urine very scanty, and burning when voided; constant eructations of sour gas; flying pains all though bowels. 10th. – Dull, heavy, frontal headache;; flat thick taste; quite hoarse; urine very scanty and red, causing burning all along urethra for 1/2 hours after voiding, glans penis swollen and red; severe backache; teeth all feel sore and elongated. 11th. – Felt quite well; but for two weeks occasional severe pains would shoot through temples. No constipation followed the diarrhoea.
1c. Dr. Burt now proved Iridin, the oleo – resin obtained from the blue flag. May 26th, 1866, at 11 a. m., took 4 gr. of Ix trit. At noon, dull, heavy, frontal headache; by spells, sharp pain in temples; tight constrictive feeling of scalp. 3.15 p.m. food rises very sour. 3.30, took 8 gr. 10, soft papescent stool without pain, but which rumbling; dull frontal headache; very restless at n., dreams of fighting, &c. 27th. – Much rumbling, with desire for stool; soft papescent stool without pain; flat taste in mouth; teeth feel elongated and sore, in back upper and lower molars dull heavy aching pain for 3 hours; pain in forehead and left temple, latter very sharp by spells; passed water but twice in day, very red in colour; restless n., emission with amorous dreams. 28th. – At 9 a. m. 10 gr. Frequent eructations of tasteless gas; rumbling all afternoon in umbilical region; pain in right kidney for 3 hours; teeth still fee elongated and sore; great desire to sleep in daytime; feel asleep while reading, and dreamed of dissecting a woman hanging up by the heels in his office, awoke very much frightened, made several ineffectual attempts to get up to shut the door, – it was a veritable nightmare. 4:30 p. m., 14 gr. Soft papescent stool at 9 p. m., hands hot and dry all day; restless n., dreams of snakes and everything bad, emission. 29th. – At 9 a. m. 20 gr. Hands hot and dry all day, could not fix mind on study; constant tasteless eructations; passed scanty urine m. and n. only, with great burning in urethra for 1/2 hours after; dull, heavy headache in forehead and temples, in latter sharp shooting by spells; dull, heavy pain in lumbar region all day; soft papescent stool at 2 p. m. 5, took 30 gr. Restless n., horrid dreams, great rumbling in bowels; emission with amorous fancies. 30th. – Mouth tastes flat; tongue coated white; headache as before, also lumbar pain; urine very scanty and high coloured; very soft yellow stool, with great rumbling in bowels but no pain. 31st. – Took 40 gr. at 3 a. m. Dull, heavy headache all day; great pain in lumbar and sacral regions, almost impossible to walk. At noon 18 gr.; soft mushy stool in evening, with usual concomitants; restless n., bad dreams. June 1st – Dull, heavy headache; back pains severely, very much worse on walking. At 8 a. m. usual stool and accompaniments; constant eructation of gas. 2nd – Took 5 gr. of the pure Iridin. A good deal of pain in forehead and temples. 5, severe umbilical colic every few m. for 2 hours; great rumbling; papescent stool in evening; restless n., dreamt of digging up corpses, and finally of falling into a grave, which woke him up in affright. 2nd. – Top of head has 26 pustules on it, some of them as large as a three – cent piece, situated on inflamed base of rose – colour, with red streaks running from one to another; they contained yellow matter, and were very tender to touch; gradually disappeared in 4d. Took 10 gr. at 4 p. m.; headache as usual, also rumbling, and similar n. 4th. – Took 20 gr. at 9 a. m., Same symptoms. 5th. – Same; headache very troublesome. 6th same, with profuse and frequent urination.7th. – Backache gone, but this day and next diuresis continued. On 8th felt quite well. (HALE, New Remedies, 2nd ed.) 2a. About 15 m. after taking 3x dil. uneasy feeling in scrob. cordis, with rumbling in hypogastrium, nausea, and eructations of wind. Dull pain in right parietal eminence, which increases steadily till it becomes a hammering pain, so much aggravated at first by motion that for the moment it appears unbearable, but by continued movement it gradually abates, returning again when at rest. Rheumatic pain in right shoulder, worse on motion, especially on raising arm. 2b. Immediately after taking Ix sneezing, nausea, and slight vomiting of watery and extremely sour fluid. About 2 hours after, stitch in lower occiput, more on right; severe rheumatic pain in whole right arm and in right knee, worse on movement but continuing while at rest; acute and extremely severe boring pain in right parietal eminence, causing him to bend down his head; pain in left side, as though ribs were pressing hard on lower portion of lung, unable to take deep breath for the sticking and cutting pain it caused; short dry cough, excited by tickling in larynx, headache much aggravated thereby; slight toothache in a warm room; rumbling and uneasiness in stomach, with diarrhoea but little pain, stools lumpy, brown, and very offensive; sweat over whole body, particularly in groins; dry cracked lips; sharp cutting pain in urethra when commencing to urinate. After taking medicine 5 day several small vesicles appeared on right wrist, which gradually formed into pustules, having depression in centre; these dried up in n., leaving crusts, which remained 9 day before disappearing.[ The prover thinks it proper to state that he had been attending a severe case of smallpox.] 2c. In 1/2 hours after taking nearly of tinct., feeling of rawness in throat; general languor; ill – humour; inability to fix mind on any subject; diarrhoea with colic; nausea for 1 hours, then several times vomiting of thin watery fluid of exceeding sour taste; heat over whole body, the chilliness, with cold hands and feet; head feels very heavy, with right supra – orbital pain; eyes dull, severe burning pain in right internal canthus, eye filling with tears; sense of heat and fullness of head, with flushed face; whenever attempting to laugh sensation as though a band was drawn tightly around forehead. Next day, sleepiness with great chilliness, only comfortable when near a hot fire, and even then chilly sensations are felt down back; violent tearing pains in right hip and knee, also in shoulders, very severe, when worst lasting only about 3 m.; cutting and stitching in urethra when making water, with coldness and itching over genitals, itching being worse on scratching; vomiting of sour matter as before. All n. chilly over whole body, though abundantly covered; weakness and despondency, thinks he is going to be very sick, then laughs at his fears, which, however, soon return; dreams of suffocation and fire; 6 dysenteric stools during n., with pain and rumbling in hypogastrium. After these symptoms had subsided, there remained sore – throat and slight headache. (Dr. J. G. ROWLAND’S provings, in Ibid.) 3. Prover took, at different times, 3x and Ix dils. and mother tincture. (No further information given.) Weakness and weariness in lower part of back for several day, when walking, pain in right hypochondrium and in several joints; sharp pain outside left arm when moving it; swelling of gums inside under left lower molars; redness of conjunctiva as from cold; for a day or two much fetid flatulence, which relieves pain in abdomen; a number of shooting, shifting, and momentary pains in joints of hands and feet, worse on motion; boils on back, face, and hands; pain along posterior part of right crista ilii; urine more copious; pulse accelerated. After increasing doses, taken more frequently, empty eructations and pain in stomach; unusual restlessness at n., sleep disturbed by starting; tensive and sticking pain in right shoulder during motion, particularly on raising arm (this set in soon after commencing proving, and lasted 6 weeks after discontinuing medicine); feeling of a greasy coating over mouth and tongue early in m., aching in stomach after drinking cold water; pains through day in almost all limbs; same joint pains as before, worst in evening, in writing, pains in phalanges of right hand and in end of right index (observed several weeks after proving); sharp pains in middle finger of left hand, succeeded instantly by similar pain in axilla of same side (occurring frequently during about 5 m.); diarrhoeic stool after breakfast and supper; vexed irritable mood, disposed to find fault. (Ibid.) 4. As No.3. Pulse somewhat accelerated; headache for 2d., with great depression of spirits and general debility, – 3rd day pain shot like an electric shock from right temple to left occiput, and continued for about 1/2 hours; crampy pains in right lumbar region in evening, continuing several hours, and causing sweat to break out; woke up unusually early, with dry mouth and general depression; headache occurred irregularly for several d. Pimple on left middle finger; next day inflammation had extended over hand; the day after it became more violent, and occasioned great pain, swelling was lanced, no pus found, but it was subsequently formed, and discharged through opening, round whose edges a fungous growth took place, pain extending up arm. There was a disposition to a similar formation on the index finger, but the inflammation soon subsided. During proving urine very copious, and of strong disagreeable odour; restlessness for 5 n. in succession. (Ibid.) 5. This prover (undescribed) took Ix trit. (in what manner not stated). Colicky pains during evening and n., obliging him to bend forward for relief, and attended with loss of appetite and great restlessness. Next day colic continued, but was immediately removed by a dose of nux vomica; no appetite; restless at n., with troubled dreams. Next day constipation (lasting several d.) several pimples on lower extremities and other parts of body, like mosquito bites; languid and feverish in afternoon, no disposition to mental or physical exertion. On 4th day flushed face, fever, drowsiness, loss of appetite; weakness and languor, with rumbling in bowels; the m. after, thin, watery diarrhoea, continuing through day, debility and anorexia; diarrhoeic stools next day, succeeded by umbilical colic in afternoon, ceasing at n. (Ibid.) 6. Dr. HOLCOMBE Proved an “exceedingly strong” tinct. of root, taking 2 or 3 dr. 4 times a day for 5 d. On 1st day no symptoms but a good deal of hawking and clearing of larynx. On 2nd nothing but a slight, dull, stupid headache. On 3rd day awoke with neuralgic pain in right face, with darting stitches in two carious teeth; pain affects chiefly infra – orbital nerve. No appetite at dinner. In afternoon, severe colic, first in right then in left flank, with urging to stool. Very frequent, copious, perfectly limpid urine. Neuralgia passed off in evening, and n. was good. On 4th day facial neuralgia again, involving all branches of trigeminus; it began after breakfast, with stupid or stunning headache, and lasted several hours with great severity. Urine same. In afternoon a good deal of foetid flatulence; two greenish – black stools, with burning at anus. 5th day – Neuralgia began again after breakfast, and continued with terrible severity for 20 hours; violent headache accompanied it, and general malaise. Urine became less frequent and quite high coloured; some disposition to stool, with burning at anus. Worn out by fatigue and suffering, he inhaled chloroform to get sound sleep, and abandoned proving. 6th day – Dull soreness where neuralgia had been. Violent call to second stool by sensation as if wind were forcibly distending rectum; no wind was discharged, but he was relieved after passing a little greenish dark matter attended with severe burning in anus. On 7th and 8th day no symptoms but frequent and painful hawking of tough mucus from larynx, and burning after stool, gradually diminishing. (Ibid.) 7a. Dr. CONRAD WESSELHOEFT, while preparing tinct., chewed (June 19th 1867) a slice of fresh root. It caused great burning in throat, with redness, lasting 2/1/2 h. He was suffering from severe (habitual) headache at the time; and this disappeared in 1/2 hour, though hitherto it had invariably lasted till he went to bed.
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.