Mrs. H. W. A.- Proving of Lachesis 10m. Beginning February 14, 1887. A very nervous little woman who has never been very sick, but always very sensitive to surrounding atmosphere, so that she proves every thing she breathes.
February 14th-Took a few pellets dry on tongue, 1:30 p. m. Head felt better in a little while. Soon felt a severe, heavy, ache in both thighs as though they would come off or break. Slight amelioration by morning. Felt warm blood circulating in legs and feet; from knees down, are usually cold. Felt happy and jolly, in spite of severe aching. Could not stand as usual during shopping. Upper arms began to ache, 3 p. m., left worst. Pain in legs diminished, as pain in arms increased; could not carry a small parcel. Left arm aggravated by hanging. Left arm ameliorated by resting in coat. Aching moved upward to the shoulder, as though arm would drop out. Aching extending under scapula. Subsided into an uneasy ache after 5 p. m. Weight diminished. Was told I look pale. During evening had to rest the left leg on chair, and take off the shoe. Elevation relieved the leg, but left arm began to ache. Aching pain again went under scapula and posterior left lung. Could not lie on right side because of drawing sensation around the heart. Lying on left side agg. pain in arm, shoulder, lung and heart. Wondered if I would have heart disease, as my mother died of atrophy of the heart. Restless and suffocated all night.
February 16th-Could not study or give due attention. Heart ached and would stop breath as though it would palpitate, but it did not. Went to sleep that night listening to the beating in head and ears synchronous with heart beat.
February 17th-Aching of entire left side from crest of ilium to first rib. Aching under both scapulae, left the worst. Upper arm so heavy could hardly raise it. Sensation in arm as if it were pulled. Intense aching between heart and scapulae, and was afraid to stir or breathe, and would raise and lower the shoulder to get relief. Slight palpitation and pain in apex.
February 18th-Pain in apex followed by palpitation. Afraid some one would see and speak of the anxiety. Could hardly hold anything, would slip out of my hands. Feared the increasing palpitation which aroused me frequently in the night. Dreamed of riding in a strong wind which took my breath. Dreamed of riding on horse back. Going swiftly through the air gave me a sinking feeling in the stomach and left thorax. Waked holding my breath. Desire to unfasten dress from sternum to waist line. Could not study in evening, hated everything, books, paper, pencil, lectures; and medicine. Felt like squirming; has often come on since I began taking the drug. Afraid to go to sleep after retiring; put hand on heart to watch its beating. Could rest comfortably upon left side, with hand upon heart; so slept.
February 19th-During shopping, at noon, felt weak and sinking, from heart to stomach. Palpitation during lecture, 2 p. m. Kept moving about in chair. Sore under left scapula. Pressure of chair back caused palpitation, followed by cough. Could breathe better in open air, so took a long walk. Heart seemed to stop beating, then made extra exertion. Attacks of palpitation until 11 p. m. causing hacking cough each time.
February 20th-Slept well all night. Dreams, toward morning dreamed I was almost dead with heart disease, but did not wish my friends to know of it. Was in a crowd; was suffocated and feet so cold, like walking on ice. Wished to get in the air, but trying to get through the crowd caused palpitation. Thought my body had become mottled like a snake skin; thought it would be soon on my face, so that I could not go in company any more. Did not know why this was, but it was a punishment which I would understand in another world. Desired time to die to come quickly, for my heart ached so that I could -not be happy; -neither make my friends happy. Slight palpitation on rising. Increased so that I could not walk after 11 a. m. Tried heating by grate, no relief. Palpitation every few minutes so that I coughed, could not talk or laugh, must have dress unbuttoned. Aching all through left thorax, a dragging sensation. Frequent pain in second intercostal, seemed to pull inwards and down. (A creamy leucorrhoea on rising in morning, after sitting. Pain boring inwards in right occiput; old symptoms. Leucorrhoea, light green. Red sand in urine, adheres to sides of vessel, menses closed with pus-like discharge.
February 20th-Sixth Day. Burning in right ear and last upper molar. Tooth sore; felt as though it set in an ulcer. Must dry and warm the feet every hour or so. Palpitation in stomach after eating.
February 21st-Seventh Day-Violent palpitation while dressing; voice trembled so I could not talk. Great weakness of lower extremities. Then of upper arms. Was asked if I had mental anxiety because the face showed so much anguish. Was unusually happy unless talking, which caused palpitation. 10 a. m.; Violent throbbing of arteries supplying abdominal viscera, left side, extending into the rectum. Quick rapid beating, causing change of position. Nerve of the left leg seems to be twitching, throbbing. Wake with coldness, which causes me to crawl down in bed to warm and sleep. 5 a. m.; Sleep, dreams of pure white calf and cow. Waked in slight perspiration. Coldness continues until 11 a. m. and the cough comes on. (An old symptom now worse, K.) Must warm the feet. Stool irregular for a week, requires great effort, though small. Anus protrudes like cushion before pieces are passed. Try several times to appease the unfinished sensation. Must push tissues back, smarting long time after stool. Cough pains in left side abdomen and from perineum upwards. Copious leucorrhoea at stool or during any exertion. Backache relieved by passing hot creamy slightly stringy discharge-faint acrid odour. This flow often relieves knot- like feeling of left ovary; old symptoms. No appetite for breakfast or lunch because of throbbing in heart and left side. Eat well at 6 p.m. Burning in stomach. Cold water nauseates. Can feel cold water all through the abdomen. Hands burn. Veins in hands so must hold them up to get relief. Cold in morning. First day that have felt like study this winter.
This dose did not produce left sided sore throat. Ulcerated odour from stomach. 4:30 a. m.; for week have awakened cold and sensation of squirming. Coldness over heart, stomach, back. Flesh is cold. Amel. by moving about. Awake at 6 a. m. in slight perspiration. Sweat again p. m. Odour slightly of garlic. Frequently must arise at 5 a. m. to relieve backache by urinating. Old symptoms more prominent since taking the dose. Scarcely noticed before, (Kent).
February 28th-Fourteenth Day-Frequent quivering aching. Extensor proprius pollicis lame, nearly let me fall when standing on tip-toe. Aching in hypogastrium and inguinal region. Pain in uterus, going upward, while leaning forward. Burning in different spots of the body. Can spell correctly but not form letters rapidly, mix words. Feel quite happy. Smell of turpentine caused distress in lumbar region, extending downward and forward into ovarian and hypogastric region, like dysmenorrhoea.
March Ist-Cold feet, a. m. Felt lame and sweat while heating them offensive (subjective). Left upper arm cold, as if ice were upon it. Very sleepy, heavy eyelids. Waked early, with terrible distress in bowels and stomach. Followed by much flatus. Diarrhoea at 7 a. m.; watery, leaving burning and tenesmus in rectum for several hours. Left arm cold. Hands very hot and swollen. Burning in stomach after breakfast. Throbbing in left thorax and abdomen. Leucorrhoea better, catarrh worse. Pain in right fibula.
March 3rd-Twentieth Day-Slept better waked unrefreshed. Dreamed of birds and animals. Dreamed I was dying of dropsy from kidney disease. That water was collecting about the heart. Headache. Pain in back of head. Golden flashes above the eyes on closing them. Discouraged. That those despised who knew me best and had lost confidence in me. Felt that none understood my motive, which is good. Have lost the power to exert any influence. Am so tired that I fail in all undertakings. The physical and spiritual will not harmonize. Longing to break the tie that binds the spiritual to the physical. The influence of evil is uppermost. Morbid tendency to decide that wrong is right. Realize this only after it is committed, then feel crushed. Cannot rise above it. When alone the mortification of such mistakes nearly drives me wild. Cry for help and receive mockery. Lost all consolation so long derived from the unnumbered words of my mother. These griefs agg. by mental efforts to rise above them causing me to despise myself. Remorse, followed by tears. No strength of will to do desperate deeds. In moments of self-forgetfulness duties are performed with surprising ease and success. Self-consciousness that cannot be overcome. Grief at committing actions which at the time seem proper, but afterward seem improper. Grief crowds all else out of mind.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.