Introduction
Atropa Belladonna, L. Deadly nightshade. Nat Ord., Solanaceae.
Provings
1. HAHNEMANN, Fragmenta de Viribus, &c. Contains 99 symptoms from self and 304 from authors. 2. IBID., Mat Medorrhinum Pura, vol. i of original and translation. Contains 975 symptoms from self and 13 others, and 475 from authors. 3. WASSERBERG took pills of extract, and experienced dryness of eyes (with burning in these and in lids), and also of nose, mouth, and pharynx, with thirst. On increasing the dose suffered from headache, with confused dulness of mind and senses; reading by artificial light was difficult, lines seeming to skip up and down; felt vinous taste in mouth; pulse weaker and slower than usual; occasionally burning about cardiac orifice of stomach. (STOLL, Ratio Medendi, iii, 409.) 4. Twelve persons took extract in doses of gr. 1/8 to gr. 1 1/2 once daily. With certain exceptions, consequent upon individuality and difference of dosage, the following were constant effects: 4 a. Digestive apparatus. -Feeble aromatic taste; long- lasting dryness of lips, mouth, and fauces, with desire for drink, only temporarily relieved by drinking; redness of nasal mucous membrane; pappy taste; coated tongue; diminished appetite; nausea and urging to vomit; pressure and spasm at stomach; flatulent distension and flying pains in abdomen, becoming slighter after diarrhoeic stools.
4 b. Vascular system. -At one time quickened, at another retarded pulse; throbbing of heart, carotid and temporal arteries, with heat and redness of face, febrile movements and congestion to head.
4 c. Nervous system. -Impeded activity of tongue, speaking and swallowing difficult; clouding of senses and hallucinations; humming or singing in ears; sensitiveness of eyes; impaired or double vision; oppression and empty feeling of head; pressive frontal and general headaches; giddiness, reeling as from slight inebriation; general feeling of illness; no desire for anything; lassitude, in one case almost paralysis; varying sense of temperature; restless sleep, sleeplessness, torpor, vivid dreams.
4 d. Secretions. -Transpiration more or less increased, even to sweat; urine at times darker, increased, then afterwards diminished.
4 e. Isolated phenomena were:-Strong erections; a papular eruption and a boil on face; itching and moisture of perineum; short-lasting exaltation of general sensibility with marked cheerfulness and sense of comfort; slight epistaxis. The nervous symptoms commonly appeared after 3 or 4 doses, the gastric and congestive after larger quantities or more prolonged. use. (Wien. Zeitschr. d k. k. Ges., Jahrg. i, Bd. 2.)
5. SCHENELLER, one of the above, gives following details of his experiments:
5 a. Took alcoholic extract of whole plant in increasing doses; grs. 9 3/4 in 12 d. In 3 hours after gr. 1/4, pappy taste, with white furred tongue, and feeling of emptiness in stomach. From gr. 3/8 to 1, besides foregoing, dryness of mouth and larynx, hoarseness, collection of white tough viscid mucus in mouth, with frequent spitting; tongue adhered to palate; appetite diminished. These symptoms developed themselves in the course of an h., and gradually went off during d.; hoarseness was still present in e. After grs. 1 1/8 and 1 1/4, sensation of dryness extended to nasal cavity, with headache. The gastric symptoms increased to violent pressure in stomach, inclination to vomit, swelling of abdomen, formation of flatulence, and pinching in umbilical region. On skin of face a slight pimply exanthema broke out, which suppurated slowly and dried up in a few d. Two final doses of grs. 1 3/8 and grs. 1 1/2 produced all the above symptoms, but in still greater degree. The dryness of mouth was excessive, so much that he could hardly speak; he desired drinks without actual thirst. The fauces were redder than natural, and burning; in face such an increase of heat that it actually glowed, and became brownish red and turgid. In e. always severe pinching in abdomen, followed by soft motion; sleep restless. These symptoms continued in a lesser degree two d. after last dose.
5 b. Took inspissated juice of leaves, beginning, with gr. 1/8, and increasing by same quantity daily up to grs. 1 7/8. The first six doses produced exactly the same symptoms as the same doses of the former preparation. After gr. 7/8 to 1 3/8 head became confused, vision obscured, nose dry, sneezing occurred, and mucus mixed with blood was blown from nose; besides this, great pressure in stomach, in cardiac region, and pain in the lower part of larynx with hiccough, especially after eating. After grs. 1 1/2 head symptoms increased, pain in forehead and discomfort in great degree; conjunctiva and edges of lids injected; weakness of vision increased, without any dilatation of pupil. Remarkable weakness and relaxation of genitals; frequent call to pass water, which came only after great effort and guttatim; urine normal. After grs. 1 6/8 and 1 7/8, besides the above, dilatation of pupils, weariness of lids, ringing in ears, and uncommon sleepiness and dulness of intellect. In 3 d. all had returned to the normal state.
5 c. A single dose of grs. 4 1/8 was now taken at 7:15 p.m. In less than 3/4 h. dryness and burning of fauces came on with hoarseness; soon afterwards frontal headache, vertigo, and dryness of tongue. At 8:30 his sight failed him; letters swam whilst reading, and vertigo increased on any movement of body. About 9 there was dryness of nasal cavity and some frontal headache; pupils somewhat dilated; taste pappy; bad smell from mouth; pinching in umbilical region; fauces reddened; swallowing difficult; pulse rapid. At 9:30 former weakness of genitals observed; micturition caused no pain, but although there was great desire, urine flowed with much difficulty, and only after strong effort. At 9:45 frequent dry sneezing, with tickling, especially in nostril, and frequent burning at back of palate. The n. was restless; burning in head, palate, and fauces considerable; feet ice cold, and scarcely to be warmed; urinary secretion much increased and more easily passed, bright yellow in colour, and presenting nothing unusual. The following m. head still confused; lumps of tough mucus hawked up and blown from the nose, with great diminution of dryness; appetite diminished; tongue furred white. For a week afterwards he had sore-throat, difficulty of swallowing in a great degree, with considerable reddening of mucous membrane of mouth and fauces, and slightly swollen tonsils; there appeared on face, especially on cheek, along with increased heat, red irregular patches of the size of a crown piece, which disappeared and gain returned. All these symptoms declined gradually, and at the end of a fortnight nothing abnormal was present. (Ibid., Jahrg. ii, Bd. 2.)
6. FLECHNER. This prover, with two others, began with 2 drs. of tinct. and increased irregularly to 130 drs.
6 a. A dose of 2 to 30 drs., especially the latter, caused slight dryness of mouth and nose, insipid taste, yellowish fur on tongue, diminished appetite, dulness in frontal region, roaring in ears, weakness of vision, with normal rather contracted pupils; in one person also pain in back, in another stitches in region of shoulder, and in left side in region of false ribs.
6 b. From 35 to 60 drs. the above-mentioned symptoms in mouth and fauces increased to a distressing degree. There was burning in hard palate and throat with great redness of these parts, voice became hoarse, intestines distended with gas and painful. Head became dull there was vertigo, sleepiness, and frequent yawning; restless sleep. In two provers there were also transient stitches in region of heart, and tearing pain in head, region of shoulders, and feet. These symptoms continued, in a less degree, even on the following day when nothing was taken.
6 c. After doses of 65 to 130 drs. the above-mentioned symptoms increased, with the exception of the flying pains. Eyes became especially affected, there was foggy vision with vertigo, eyes seemed covered with a veil, reading very difficult, conjunctiva injected. Pupils in one case (from 110 drs.) dilated. Lastly, it was noticed that the urinary organs became affected, so that micturition was accompanied with great straining and difficulty.
6 d. On same d. in which one prover took 110 drs. he made an experiment with a local application to conjunctiva. A few drops were rubbed into right upper lid, and some trickled into inner canthus. About 15 m. afterwards there was some dilatation of pupil, which increased so that after 2 h. there was scarcely a line of iris to be seen. Margins of the lids became red, conjunctiva slightly injected; even pupil of other eye was somewhat dilated. Iris of right eye was sluggish in action, vision, very weak, and eyes seemed veiled. On next day, right pupil was still considerably dilated and vision very much restricted, especially in open air. At same time eye was drawn somewhat upward and outward. On 3rd d., vision was only somewhat weak; pupil remained dilated for second day. (Ibid., Jahrg. iii.)
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.