9. The wife of the last prover proved common salt during a period of more than two months from the 30th dil. to 40 gr. of the raw material. She is forty years old. Descended from healthy parents, she was attacked as a child soon after vaccination by an inflammation of the eyes which lasted for years. The catamenia appeared in the sixteenth year without any trouble. In her eighteenth year she became affected with the itch. Although the latter was cured partly by internal, partly by external remedies (especially sulphur), still the prover were not from that period perfectly healthy. Up to her twenty – fifth year, when she married, she had oozing nipples, which symptom disappeared during her first pregnancy. She recovered afterwards easily and successfully from nine pregnancies. After each confinement, however, there appeared on the back of the hand near to the roots of the fingers an herpetic eruption, which often lasted a year and a half; generally so long as until she was again pregnant. Also during the time she proved the salt it was present. Her diet is simple, without coffee, or spirituous drinks, or seasoned dishes.
9a. The 30th to 20th dilutions – a lower dilution taken each day – from Nov. 11th to 21st induces no action. On Nov. 17th the catamenia ought to have appeared; they, however, remained away, most probably in consequence of becoming pregnant. 22nd. – 15th dil. On touching the lips with the moist tongue there was a sour taste; uneasy sleep; frequent walking. 23rd. – 14th dil. The same phenomena; sensitiveness of the gums to contact. During the 3 following days., in which the 13th, 12th, and 10th dils. were taken, the above symptoms gradually disappeared. 25th. – The stool which otherwise regularly occurred was absent. After 9th dil. (27th) the herpes was aggravated, with violent smarting and burning. After 6th and 5th dils. (Nov. 30th and Dec. Ist) a salt taste developed itself on lips and palate; the stool was hard and insufficient. After 4th trit. (Dec. 2nd to 8th), repeated in doses of 10 and 20 gr., and after 3rd trit. (9th to 14th) in doses of 10, 20, and 30 gr., the above salt taste disappeared again; stool harder than usual; nights continuously more or less uneasy, she awoke frequently and fell asleep again with difficulty. Nausea was felt during n. of 6th. Of 2nd trit. she took, Dec. 15th 10, 16th and 17th 20, 18th, 19th, and 20th 40 gr. On 15th chilliness in evening; cutting pain around navel at intervals at night; towards m. pressure on chest, a soft stool, chilliness. On 16th during day frequent intimations of contractive pains around navel. In n. these pains increased very much, and ceased only after a loose stool. Pains and looseness were repeated in course of n. 8 times. Chilliness even in bed and on getting up. Early in m, dulness in head and vertigo, so that she was obliged to lay hold of something. 17th. – The menses remained away for the second time. During day chilliness, stupidity in head, heaviness and pressure in occiput. In n. again flying contractive pain in bowls around navel, with oppression of breathing. If the pain ceases, then single stitches occur from sacrum into thigh. Towards m. pressure on chest; it is as if cavity of chest were too narrow. On 18th, chilliness throughout whole day; in n. pressure on chest, which towards m. became so violent that she was obliged to sit up in bed in order to be able to breathe. 19th, 20th, 21st. – Continued chilliness; conjunctiva and edges of eyelids became red and burning; throughout day frequent attacks of vertigo; periodical pressing on chest, aggravated at n. and towards m., united with dyspnoea, and compelling her to sit up; at same time constant pain in abdomen in region of navel, of contractive kind; sometimes stitches from sacrum into thigh; a kind of ringworm of the size of a penny piece showed itself on thighs. belly, and arms. From Dec. 22nd to Jan. 8th, she took Ist trit. in doses rising from 10 to 30 gr. daily. The above phenomena, which continued throughout whole time with more or less intensity, were accompanied with feeling of great weakness, early before rising, disappearing after getting up during first days of proving, but at last continuing whole day; swelling (knotty) of breasts, so that the least contact was painful; tip of nose became red, hot, painful. – subsequently there appeared once a group of vesicles size of a pin’s head, which filled with transparent lymph; at last these united and formed a scab. The ringworm increased from day to day. The breast symptoms one n. were so violent that in order to breathe she was twice obliged to rise out of bed. On last day of proving (Jan. 8th) she had a peculiar sensation in the hip – joints; it appeared to her in moving and turning the body as if the heads of the bones came out of the sockets.
9b. Jan. 9th. – Prover began with salt in substance. She took on this and the following day 5, from 11th to 16th 10, on 17th 20, and on 19th 40 gr. On 9th, throughout whole day, chilliness and weakness; only with trouble remained out of bed; cutting in belly around navel; difficult evacuation of a soft stool, she was obliged to press violently at the time; sensitiveness of breasts; transient attacks of palpitation of heart; difficult falling asleep; frequent dreams. 10th and 11th. – Same phenomena. 12th. – There was added increased secretion of mucus in genitals. 13th. – Early in m. on rising from bed spasmodic pains proceeding from navel, becoming of drawing character in sacrum, and terminating as stitches in hips and thighs. 14th. – The yellow thick scab from the nose without leaving any cicatrix behind. Otherwise phenomena of day before. Mucous discharge from genitals increased up to 19th. It was white. At same time frequent tickling in anus and stitches through rectum, so that she was forced to cry out. The catamenia remained away for the third time. The herpes disappeared, and arose again in other places, most numerously between the breasts. The spots are from size of a lentil up to that of penny piece, and itch, particularly on becoming warm. 40 gr. produced, soon after taking, flow of water in mouth and loathing, – symptoms which were repeated next m. without medicine. At same time great weakness, which forced her to lie down. The symptoms in breasts and abdomen disappeared towards 22nd. On this and following day she complained of coldness of feet; little finger and ring finger, likewise whole of left foot, were for I hours as if paralysed, gone to sleep, and numb. The discharge from the genitals gradually diminished, and by 30th had almost entirely closed. The sexual desire was during the whole of the proving suppressed. Up to Jan. 21st the herpes had spread over the whole body. It had at the end of the month, at the conclusion of the report of the proving, not yet disappeared. (Ibid.)
10. Wzl. H – ‘s three children took the dilutions, the triturations, and the raw material of common salt in the same order as himself, only each of them each time 50 dr. of the dilutions and 5 gr. of the triturations and of the raw salt. 10a. CARL, aet. 9, melancholic, dark, strong, large – boned, plump, hardened to heat and cold, never seriously ill, was affected neither by the high nor the low dilutions; even the raw salt, which he took sometimes exceptionally also in 10 and 20 gr. doses, produced not the slightest disturbance in his feelings. [ Six weeks after the termination of the provings Carl showed ringworm over the whole body, so that he appeared to his relations just as if he were pickled. WZL. H. ]
10b. EMILIE, a lively, fair – haired, blue – eyed, delicate girl of 5, always healthy, showed no indications of the action of salt from the 30th to 13th dil. (Nov. 11th to 24th). After the 12th dil. (25th) she complained of smarting and itching in different parts of the skin, which lasted till Dec. 7th, on which day solitary herpetic patches appeared all at once on several parts of the body. (she took from Dec. 2nd the 4th trit.) These disappeared after scaling off generally by the 8th or 12th day, only to give place to others, and this continued through the whole period of the proving. On the 23rd there were thirty of them present. Jan. 9th (5 day after she had begun to take crude salt) edges of eyelids became red, eyes in m. adhered together with scabs. This symptom continued till 16th. The ringworm totally disappeared by Fed. 3rd.
10c. GUSTAV, aet. 4, resembling in temperament and constitution his sister, healthy with the exception of an herpetic eruption about left eye, [ plus This eruption had appeared on the boy a year before. The skin round about the eye was red. On this basis appeared many small, somewhat pointed vesicles. These filled at first with a transparent, thin, yellow fluid, burst or were scratched, and By-and -by the skin commenced in the middle of the eruption to crack; from out of the cracks water oozed, which thickened into scurfy scabs. The lower eyelid was swollen, its conjunctiva slightly reddened. The eruption disappeared after the use of several doses of sulphur in the course of six months, but four weeks prior to the commencement of the proving again appeared. G. remained unchanged during the whole of the proving, only towards the end of it he appeared to diminish somewhat in bulk WZL.H. ] had similar ringworm on the body to Emile while taking the dilutions, only they were in his case much more numerous. Dec. 8th. – He received of the 4th trit., instead of the usual 5, by way of exception 10 gr. He was indisposed the whole day, easily offended, and cried on the least provocation. 15th (2nd trit.). – He complained much of smarting and itching at anus. He was at same time very ill – humoured, and cried readily. In evening he cried out that there was a needle in anus. Examination showed a living worm (oxyuris). On the following day there were several more live worms discovered. The smarting and itching continued till 20th, only in less degree. On Jan. 3rd he complained again of violent sticking. Another worm was found. He had up to the end of the proving frequent twitching in anus, although no more worms showed themselves. None were found in the stools during the whole time. The ringworm had not completely disappeared 4 weeks after. (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.