24. Dr. J. O. MULLER made trials of the 100th and 30th dils., but elicited from them no effects worth notice. – On 21st Dec., 1845, before going to bed, he took 2 dr. of 6th dil. in water. The n. was undisturbed. “22nd. – In m., soon after walking, head hot, slightly confused; these symptoms went off after washing. The whole forenoon a state of mind partaking more of earnest exaltation than of depression or want of cheerfulness; weight in small of back, felt particularly on stooping; painful drawing about hypochondria insipid taste; dirty, thinly coated tongue. At noon, after walking much, I felt hungry, but without appetite. Without feeling satiated, the latter part of the meal was not relished. Throughout day great discharge of flatus and rumbling in bowels. In morning, afternoon, and evening, always soon after eating, passed a motion, half fluid, half lumpy, mixed up with gas, and attended with great noise from flatus. Frequent and copious evacuation of pale urine with but little odor (only towards the end it had a mouldy smell). Sore pain in whole abdomen, as if it were raw, particularly noticeable on taking a full breath, coughing, walking quickly, or taking any violent exercise. Itching at anus and round about it. 23rd. – Restless dreamful sleep; frequent waking and falling inspiration with anxiety, causing him to throw off the bed clothes. Pain in small of back with hypochondriacal discomfort. No appetite, and yet the food has the proper taste. Very tormenting shootings behind lowest left rib towards back, increased by breathing deeply; at same time rattling, respiratory noise in the large bronchial tubes. Eruption of furunculous pimples with a red areola, and very itching sensation especially on face. Frequent itching, burning, and smarting in canthi of eyes, making him rub them. In evening, by candlelight, a veil before the eyes; surrounding objects appeared to be enveloped in smoke; rubbing and wiping them had no effect. Tormented with flatulence. The accustomed motion did not take palace; flow of urine also was less frequent and scanty. 24th. – Very restless night; dreams of unfortunate and dishonoring events. Waking up in anxiety, heat, and perspiration. Redness of eyelids and conjunctiva. Gasping for breath, on account of constriction of larynx; throat appeared to be too narrow; face hot and turgid; eyes perceptibly projected out of their orbits; veins of forehead and temples were distended with blood; speech difficult; shrill whistling on inspiring, particularly noticeable on going upstairs. This very anxious state was accompanied by indescribable discomfort, want of steadiness, and dizzy feeling. Firm stool, with severe pressing. 25th. – N. as before, very restless. p. m., a peculiar discomfort in precordial region and hypochondria, extending up to throat, caused by tension, pinching, and tearing, now in stomach, and now in splenic and hepatic regions; l eructation of flatulence caused only slight alleviation At this time I was obliged to devote myself to an intellectual work, which occupied my attention and disturbed my night’s rest so much, that I discontinued the trial on the 26th, from which date I recorded no more symptoms. ” ( Ibid.)
25. a. A girl of 27, of healthy appearance, robust, well – formed figure, black hair, and good complexion of variable but generally cheerful disposition, with no perceptible ailment, regular menses; after having taken dilutions (100th, 30th, and 6th) without effect, took on 28th Dec., at 3 p. m., 5 gr. of the Ix trit. mixed with water. The next day the usual m. motion did not occur; it was not till p. m. that she had an unusually hard stool, accompanied by pressing and burning in anus. The burning lasted some time after the motion, so that she could not bear to sit. 29th. – At 3 p. m. 5 gr. of same. In evening violent itching and smarting all over body, particularly on and betwixt fingers; parts of body not sensitive itched when she touched them. She feels as if she were all alive beneath the skin; there was a feeling as if vermin were running about. No stool to – day (her bowels are always quite regular every day_. 30th. – N. very restless; anxious frightful dreams of the dead and dying; the speaks, weeps, and shouts in her sleep, so as to wake herself, and after awaking remains long in a confused state of mind. In m., after getting up, very much out of humor; during day, sad, lachrymose – she weeps if one attempts to console her. Makes mistakes as to time: she thinks it is much earlier than it really is; at the vesper bell (7 p. m) she contends with warmth that it is only 5 o’clock, and becomes quite angry on an attempt to convince her of her error. No appetite; no stool. Shooting pain in temples, close to eyes, on moving them or on looking at anything. 31st. – At n., when lying on back, pressure and anxiety in chest, with difficulty of breathing, to such a degree that the sweat exuded at every pore. She feels very weary, prostrated, and ill; complexion is pallid; natural tension of the facial muscles gone, so that her features appear discomposed as if worn out by long suffering. Anorexia; what she eats has no taste, she has no relish, and the morsel seems to stick in her gullet. In evening, cramp, stiffness and icy coldness of left ring – finger, extending up to elbow, corresponding to the seat of common extensor muscle. Severe pain in small of back, extending from hypochondria over the sacrum into the coccyx, and she felt as if everything would come out at anus. At n., when lying on back, troubled with colicky bellyache, with cutting in sides of abdomen, and drawing together about navel; this was followed by a scanty evacuation with much tenesmus and severe burning in anus. 1st Jan., 1846. – She feels quite prostrated and ill. Severe pain in small of back, on account of which she loses all power of supporting herself. Burning in anus so that she cannot sit. Bearing down from small of the back, as if menses were about to come on. Much eructation of air, accompanied in evening with hiccough. At n., when lying on back, she is threatened with another attack of colic like yesterday’s but this goes off on turning quickly on to side; only some pinching about navel remains in changed position; this, however, goes off gradually, after passing a good deal of flatus. 2nd. – She still feels in all her limbs as if suffering from a long illness. No appetite, but return of cheerfulness and interest in surrounding things, and pleasure in her household occupations.
25b. The prover could not be persuaded to go on with the trial at that time. It was not till 6th April that she would resume the proving. Up to that time she believed that she still felt some S. symptoms, such as pain in small of back, disturbed sleep, irregular bowels, occasional abdominal sufferings, &c. She now took before going to bed 10 gr. of 2nd trit., dissolved in about an ounce of distilled water. That n. she slept quite quietly and the subsequent days she did not record the few slight symptoms she experienced, as she did not think they were owning to the S. 9th. – To – day she complained of a peculiar headache, not easy to describe, accompanied by vertigo, and compelling her to keep quiet, and at its worst to sit still; she felt relief by shutting her eyes. During day she became excessively ill – humored. No motion of bowels. 10th. – She had a motion, but it was so hard that she could only get rid of it by pressing strongly, whereby anus felt sore, and evacuation was covered with blood. 11th – Frequent call to stool; nothing passed but a few drops of dark blood, accompanied by burning in anus. 12th. – A.m. she had dimness of vision; it seemed as if a veil was before eyes; sometimes she saw objects double; she could hardly see to do needlework, when sewing the sight went away completely. P. m. when walking a clot of blood slipped out of anus. She passed a very restless n. The following m. all her limbs felt as if beaten. All day long her humor was very bad. 13th. – She was again affected by the above – described headache and vertigo. To – day she was obliged to remain constantly seated, in order to keep off the attacks; they were rather less in the open air. P. m. this vertigo became extremely severe; there was with it nausea, inclination to vomit. twisting and turning in stomach, yawning, excessive prostration almost amounting to trembling of limbs, and occasional noises in head and ears. (The vertigo had this peculiarity, that it increased in violence on stooping or moving about, but was alleviated by sitting still.) The following day menses came on, at the proper time, but with bearing down pains from small of back into pelvis, which had never occurred before. They lasted the usual time; no alteration was perceptible in quantity or quality. There remained, for a long time afterwards, derangements of the evacuations, as regards both the time of their occurrence and their appearance; they were always hard and lumpy, and often accompanies by burning in the anus. In other respects no more symptoms remained from this trial. ( 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.