Introduction
Rock – oil, oleum petrae album. (For preparation see Brit. Hom. Pharmacopoeia.).
Provings
1. HAHNEMANN, Chronic Disease, part iv of original, vol. of translation. Contains 776 symptoms from self.
2. Dr. P. C.O. BENSON took 10 dr. of 1x dil. at 9:30 p. m. Before midnight felt pain in frontal region, with slight nausea, increasing, and inclination to belch wind, with slight pain in transverse colon and left lumbar region. Awoke at 5 with pain below umbilicus, rumbling, belching, and disposition to stool. Arose at 6; all symptoms increased; on movement pain in bowels became sharp and cutting, and increased desire for stool. Soon had a free movement, loose, lightish – brown, and very thin; pain returned just after. Headache, frontal dull and disagreeable. Before 7 sickness had increased so much that at one time he thought he should vomit. Still much rumbling in bowels, and at 7 again urgent desire for stool, but repressible. No more movement of bowels occurred till 6 p. m., when he had a natural stool. During day there was at times much sickness of stomach, almost to vomiting, so that several times he was obliged to lie down. The attacks came on every 10 or 20 m., and lasted 3 – 5 m. Frontal headache, at times quite severe, especially while the nausea remained, belching of wind, and constant feeling of weakness in rectum. At 3 next m. awakened by urgent desire for stool; movement very free and watery, with a gush; a little pain just before and after. Same occurred at 5 and 6. At 8 ineffectual inclination, and nothing more during day, but weakness was felt, especially in rectum and anus. Dull headache continued till 11 a. m., where it was relieved after a slight epistaxis. Tongue was coated white in centre, with dark stream along edges. Symptoms all passed off during 2nd day (Trans. N. Y. State Hom. Medorrhinum Soc., vi, 29.).
Poisonings
1. A peasant woman, aet. 30, had long suffered from endemic ague. She took, Oct. 18th, evening, a tablespoonful of P., hoping thereby to cure her fever. Soon she had violent pains in stomach followed by persistent vomiting of bile and blood and profuse diarrhoea. This continued all n. and next d. It sometimes ceased for a while, but was renewed by taking anything warm, as soup or milk. Seen on 18th, about 4 p. m., the following was her state: – Face distorted, features sunken, pale, cold as marble, cold sweat on forehead, eyes deeply sunk in sockets. Tongue thickly furred, dry; unquenchable thirst, but as soon as she took any drink it was thrown up mixed with bile and sometimes with blood. Respiration gasping. stomach and whole abdomen very sensitive to touch, severe burning in stomach, great restlessness, frequent tossing about the occasionally screaming. Stools watery and contained shreds of bowels and blood. Urine scanty and passed with violent pain. Constantly increasing anxiety, extremely small thread – like pulse, coldness and cyanosis of all the body, especially of the extremities, which were cramped down to toes and fingers, along with the other symptoms looking like cholera. After leeches for stomach and abdomen, poultices and various medicines, the patient recovered, but the urinary secretion remained scanty for some day, and the catheter had to be used to empty bladder. (JELLINCK, Wien. Mediz. Halle, 1861, No. 44; in A. h. Z., Mtbl., v, 6.)
2. A journeyman baker, aet. 23, on Sept. 11th, thinking he had got hold of a bottle containing brandy, whereas it contained petroleum, swallowed down three mouthfuls before stopping. A violent burning in his throat showed him his mistake. He rushed off to the doctor, and complained of violent contractive pain about navel and scrob. cordis, and of a disgusting bitter taste. His breath smelt of petroleum, pulse quick. He was put to bed, and had warm water to drink and cold compresses to abdomen. He soon began to vomit, a small quantity of petroleum was thrown up; the pains in the abdomen were relieved, but the burning in throat increased. After a few hours he had chills without subsequent heat, great thirst, and dryness of throat. During n. he only slept 1 hour, burning pain on passing urine, which smelt of petroleum. Burning in scrob. cordis, griping about navel. No stool. During n. violent headache over eyes, which was relieved towards m. – 12th. Pain in head and abdomen and burning in throat relieved. Thirst, no appetite, disgusting taste, frequent eructation, but without petroleum odour. The urinary symptoms better; feeling of weight in lower extremities. In m. chill and trembling of whole body, face cool, cheeks livid, fingers and nails blue. Pulse 66, hard. Temp. 36.6 degree C. He got Nux. v. 2 every 4 hours – 13th. During day much eructation, last evening vertigo and noise in ears for 1 1/2 h. Appetite returned. Tongue still furred. Yesterday and during n. 2 liquid stools. Frequent urging to stool. Pain in navel gone. Only slight pain when passing urine, which is clear, yellowish, and contains no albumen. (GROSS, A. h. Z., Mtbl., xxi, 27.)
3. After a poisonous dose of petroleum there came on inflammation of throat, violent colic, with inclination to vomit; a short time afterwards violent tetanic fits. The patient twists about in horrible pain, soon followed by stiffness, crying, and howling. After 10 m. of tolerable ease a similar attack of greater severity, during which he can take nothing to drink and makes violent efforts to vomit. The convulsions were so violent that 4 people could scarcely hold him. (HUMBERT, Journ. de Chimie Medorrhinum, in A. H. Z., Mtbl., xxii, 48.)
4. A case diagnosed as nephritis died under the care of Dr. O. Lassar. The urine had been highly albuminous, and contained “hyaline and granular cylinders.” At the necropsy body was extremely edematous, and the epidermis in places was raised in little blebs. Dissection showed dropsy of the cavities and edema of lungs, but no lesion of any organ to account for the dropsy, the kidneys being perfectly normal. “The most scrupulous histological investigation failed to find a trace of interstitial growth, proliferation of nuclei, amyloid degeneration, or more than traces of fatty degeneration of the epithelium.” The man dated his illness from an extensive inunction of the body with petroleum, used for scabies about 4 mos. before his death. He used the petroleum for 4 day, and at end of a week noticed swelling of feet, rapidly extending to abdomen and chest. In the course of 14 day it disappeared, returning again after 8 day, and persisted until death. While in hospital the radial pulse was noted to be small, empty, and of low tension; the blood – corpuscles were few, but the proportion normal. Temp. normal. Histological examination of skin showed localised areas of inflammation; along veins and lymphatics a small – celled growth, existed, and in all the layers of the cutis there was a widely distributed nuclear proliferation. Lassar said the dermatitis was doubtless the result of the petroleum inunction, and albuminuria was the result of the skin affection, the renal disorder being purely functional. The quantity of urine passed is not stated. ( Lond. Medorrhinum Record, 1878, p. 163.).
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.