Introduction
Claviceps purpurea, Tulasne. Ergot of rye, spurred rye. Nat. Ord., Fungi.
Provings
I. a. Six persons swallowed, at 9 a. m., each 3 cupfuls of water which had been poured when boiling hot on some ergot, in proportion of 2 lb. of former to 2 oz. of latter. In 2 hours 3 of the provers experienced feeling of increased feeling warmth in abdomen, particularly about stomach, malaise, and much nausea with inclination to vomit. These feelings went off by noon. The other 3 felt nothing but warmth and stimulation in stomach.
1 b. Five of the provers now swallowed, at 9 a. m., each 3ij of the powder, sprinkled on thin slices of bread and butter.
A. felt, an hours after dose, slightly painful sensation in epigastrium, some confusion in head, feelings resembling giddiness, with slight congestion in head, and red and warm face. At 11:30 considerable dryness of throat and soft palate, and periodically recurring pain in hypogastrium, often accompanied with risings of disagreeable taste. 12, slight qualms, increased secretion of tenacious saliva, transient inclination to vomit, passage of foetid flatus. 12:30, increase of painful tenderness of epigastrium and rumbling in hypogastrium, nausea and confusion in head continuing. I, a second stool, which was thin, and voided with some tenesmus. At 2, when he dined, all these symptoms, save for an occasional twinge of pain, had disappeared; but he felt very thirsty.
B. experienced, 1/2 hours after dose, warmth in stomach and dryness in mouth. Soon after, increased secretion of saliva, frequent eructations and slight nausea. These feelings increased till towards II, when he began to feel inclined to vomit; a walk did not dissipate the inclination, and at II he brought up a portion of the bread he had eaten for breakfast and the remainder at 11:30. 10 m. later vomiting recurred, with much effort; but, stomach being empty, nothing camp up but mucus. Nausea now abated, but eructation and increased secretion of saliva continued till after 12. Aversion to food lasted all day, and he still felt in evening lassitude and heaviness in limbs.
C. had, an hours after breakfast, violent nausea, sense of choking, abundant salivation, soon followed by pain in head and belly; no relief from lying down, from walking out, or from drinking coffee. Nausea, headache and abdominal pain (latter especially) were felt till 2, when he dined without appetite, but felt better afterwards. Towards 8 p. m. several fluid evacuations occurred, with cessation of all unpleasant symptoms.
D. describes himself as having felt 1/2 hours after swallowing drug, as if he had eaten nothing for some d. He became so hungry as to take his dinner with high relish at 11 a. m. In 1/4 hours after finishing it, however, he became sick, his mouth filled with watery saliva, and he shortly vomited all he had taken, with violent pain in abdomen. In 5 m. he again vomited, but only mucus. Nausea and pain were still present at 5 p. m. At this time shivering came on, lasting some m., and passed off with moderate sweating; therewith pain went away, and prover felt quite well.
E. observed following symptoms: – 10 a. m., increased warmth in stomach, nipping pain in bowels, face warm and flushed. 10:30, confusion and pain in head, dryness and some burning in mouth and throat. Dryness had barely lasted an hours when it gave place to great accumulation of saliva and mucus, which he had to spit out continually; at same time increase of pain in stomach and disgust to all food, amounting at 11 to desire to vomit. Abdominal pain was by this time so violent that he could not stand upright, but kept curled up in bed. There was no actual vomiting, even when fauces were irritated with finger, and between 11 and 12 his distress was intolerable. There was then rumbling in bowels, emission of a quantity of flatus, and towards 1 a thin foetid evacuation, which relieved the pain. At 3 p. m. a cup of coffee dispelled the nausea he still felt, and he was quite well in e.
c. Three weeks later, each prover took 3j in same manner.
A., soon after taking medicine, experienced warmth in stomach, frequent eructations, and headache for a few m. at a time. Towards 1 p. m. these symptoms disappeared, and he ate his dinner with appetite.
B. experienced same feelings, with addition of nausea, which went off, however, about 1 p. m.
C. felt, in 1/2 hours, the warmth already mentioned, with dryness in mouth; and 1/4 hours later, frequent eructations and increased secretion of saliva. At 11 he became slightly squeamish, and continued so till 12, but without vomiting. Appetite diminished; for several day he felt an aversion to fatty articles of diet and to meat.
The effects on day were almost identical.
E. took 3ij, and was attacked in 1/2 hours with colic and headache, and at 12 with rumbling in hypogastrium. These symptoms were quite bearable, however, and (together with giddiness, which had lasted 1/2 h.) went off at 1 p. m. Towards evening he felt very sick, and became so in the evening for several d.
d. Two months later some of the provers tested ergot which had been roasted, so that it had lost its characteristic odour. No effect followed in any, though the doses were raised to 3ij.
e. Four of the number now tried the effect of the meal of the spurred rye mixed with twice its weight of sound meal, and made into bread. They ate, at 10 a. m., each 3ij of the bread, buttered with goose-fat, and sprinkled with salt. They were all in perfect health, and save for some coffee and porridge at 6 a. m., had eaten nothing that d.
A., in an hours, had feeling of increased warmth in stomach, then increased secretion of saliva, some nausea, and congestion in head. After lasting less than 1 hours these symptoms began to wear away, and in 2 hours there was no trace of them save slight lassitude.
B. had watering of mouth, warmth in stomach, and congestion in head, 1 hours after taking the bread. He afterwards experienced violent rumbling in the lower belly, nausea, disgust for food, and violent headache. These symptoms continued for 3 hours, so that he could not eat his dinner, and he felt lassitude for some time.
C. had precisely the same symptoms at nearly corresponding times they continued 3 hours, l and left behind dull headache and lassitude in all the limbs.
D. felt nothing but some degree of nausea.
f. After 10 day, seven other persons joined in a second experiment taking 3iij each of the bread at 10 a. m.
F. and G. – In 1/2 hours great nausea and desire to vomit; accumulation of saliva in mouth; eructations, such as precede vomiting; confusion of head; burning in stomach, afterwards pressure and sense of fulness there, with headache. With A. these symptoms lasted till nearly 3:30 p. m.; but with B., who had bathed head, face, neck, and arms in cold water, they were felt in no great intensity till 2, when they gradually went away. He observed that, during the first effects of the medicine, pulse was somewhat accelerated, and also fuller and harder than natural. Both dined with moderate appetite at 1 o’clock.
H., left, and J. felt nothing for 1/2 hours, but then the above detailed symptoms came over them with much greater violence than with F. and G. All three were forced to vomit 2 or 3; times in an hours, but were not thereby relieved, for both nausea and headache continued violent till late in e. In H’s case, immediately after first vomiting, a very thin evacuation took place, preceded by rumbling; and he found great relief from bathing his head with eau de Cologne. These three provers fell into a lethargic state about 4 hours after eating the bread. I. observed enlargement of his pupils; none of them could, for sickness, eat till evening, and J. was very tired next d.
K. and left felt effects of drug in an hours after taking it; these resembled symptoms of F. and G., but there was more confusion of head and for 3 hours they felt drowsy; in F. pulse was unusually full, hard, and quick. By 5 p. m. no symptoms remained. (LORINSER, “Similar effects were obtained by Gross and an associate(CANSTATT’s Jahresbericht, 1845, p.256), and each took a drachm; and such also are the symptoms ascribed to the medicine by Raige-Delorme(Dict. de Medorrhinum, 2nd ed., xviii, 271).” Versuch u. Beob. uber d. Wirk. des Mutterkorns, Berlin, 1824.)
2. DIEZ took at 9 a. m., fasting, 3ij of powdered ergot diffused in water. At 10 there was increased secretion of saliva, mouth watering copiously with a limpid fluid for 2 hours; at 10:30, much sour eructation, inclination to vomit, confusion of head, giddiness, enlargement of pupils, momentary shivering alternating with feeling of warmth rising up into head, sweating on forehead, tongue white-coated, pulse 92 instead of 65, small but not irregular. At 12 he went to bed. Waking at 3, he felt confusion of head and some remaining lassitude. At 5 he voided a thin greenish stool. (PHOEBUS, Giftgewachse, p. 102.)
3. CORDIER took, April 16th, 7:30 a. m., 3ij, chewing it for a long time. He had a long-lasting peculiar taste and a sharp nauseating after-taste. 9:30 a. m., 2 or 3 eructations with the taste of the drug, slight discomfort in stomach, inclination to vomit. 10 a. m., there rose into mouth a gulp of colourless, clear, not viscid, very acid fluid, also tasting of the drug, which relieved the discomfort of stomach, but its passage over the tongue caused him to spit much and for a long time. 11 a. m., took breakfast with little appetite and vomited it 1/2 hours afterwards quite undigested. About noon, with more effort vomited a few mouthfuls of viscid turbid slime, with no traces of the drug in it. In afternoon became limp and ill, the transpiration had a disgusting odour, he felt out of sorts. Ate his supper as usual, and the taste of drug persisted till evening (Rec. period. de la Soc. de Medorrhinum, lxxxiii, pt. I, 20, 1823; in Frank’s Mag.. iii, 626.)
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.