Selenium


Proving Symptoms of homeopathy medicine Selenium, described by Richard Hughes in his book, A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis, published in 1895….


Introduction.

Provings

I. (No information as to provers, doses, or time of appearance.) a. Very forgetful, especially in business matters, but when he is half asleep he remembers everything. Transient tearings deep in the head. Headache every afternoon. Headache after tamarind lemonade. He gets headache every time he drinks lemonade or wine, or sometimes tea, but not after water, chocolate, coffee, or brandy. Produces and cures old attack of violent shooting headache over left eye, compelling him to lie down, with external tenderness of head, profuse urination, anorexia and low spirits, also excited by walking in the sun and strong odours. Falling out of hair when combed. Greasy skin of face. glabella swollen as if pimples would break out. Itching vesicles in eyebrows. The hair of the eyebrows fall out. Small round vesicles with itching and pressure on border of eyelid as if a grain of sand were sticking there. Pains deep in orbits. Increased myopia.

1 b. Small pimples behind ear. In the deaf ear the wax is harder, in the good ear moister, increased in both. In a black sweat-pore near the nose a plug came out, followed-as never before-by some matter; afterwards the place inflames. Itching on edge of alae nasi, causing him to rub, frequently recurring. Pain in septum nasi as if a pimple would come. Itching in nose. She must often bore in her nose with her fingers.

1 c. Dislike to salt things. Upper lip broken out posteriorly. Less mucus in fauces and larynx, more comes from choana and nose. Tongue with thick white fur in m. Toothache as if the tooth were internally hollow, he must pick the tooth till blood comes. Teeth free from mucus, smoother and harder so that they crepitate on being rubbed with finger; at same time tongue furred. Little appetite, m. Hunger on getting up at n. Late in evening he has great inclination to drink brandy, though quite unused to it. Frequent longing for brandy. On smoking tobacco there comes a disgusting sweet taste on lips. On smoking before dinner hiccup and eructation. Before eating, rumbling in belly. After eating, exhausted, wants to lie down, without being able to sleep on account of throbbing in blood-vessels all over body; he feels the pulsation chiefly in belly. Pains in right side around and below last ribs, especially when inspiring, extending to renal region, everywhere very sensitive to external pressure. Red, itching, miliary rash in hepatic region. Violent shooting in spleen between left crista ilii and navel whilst walking, so that he can hardly get along. Loose stool, with subsequent sensation in anus as though he had had a hard stool. Cutting in abdomen followed by discharge of flatus, evening, repeated at n. Stool harder, at the end some blood. Stool passed with great effort, at end slimy. Stool hard, and so accumulated in rectum that it can hardly be evacuated.

1 d. Must always urinate after stool, and must wait long before urine comes. Urine scanty and dark coloured. Urine red, e. Feeling at point of urethra as if an acrid drop were being forced out. While sitting still and when walking a drop of prostatic fluid exudes from urethra with a very disagreeable sensation. Shortly before the stool comes, and soon afterwards, a drop of watery viscid fluid exudes from urethra. Pain along the urethra, and then a drop exudes. Prostatic fluid drops out. Itching pains in right testicle, e. Itching on scrotum. Perspiration on hypogastrium and pudendum when sitting. Unnoticed emission of semen in sleep. The semen in coitus and pollution, as also what drops out unnoticed, is very thin and quite inodorous. Emission with soft penis. Weak erections. Diminished sexual desire. Impotence with lascivious thoughts. He is excited to coitus only mentally, without physical desire; erection slow and incomplete; emission too soon, but long-continued voluptuous feeling. After coitus very weak and cross.

1 e. Sudden fluent coryza with much mucous discharge, which soon passes off. Fluent coryza every e. Gelatinous nasal mucus, sometimes small yellow lumps in it. Yellow, thick, lumpy nasal mucus. Increased hoarseness when singing, especially on commencing. He must often hawk, alternating with hoarseness. On hawking the mucus has often a spot of blood. Cough in m., though it is seldom and weak the whole chest seems to be involved in it; lumps of mucus mixed with blood are expectorated. Deep breathing like sighing. At n., when lying, pain in chest, in left side, also in sacrum now and then, interfering with respiration.

1 f. Tearing through left side of neck. Pain in region of root of tongue. On left side of neck over carotid a gland is painful, especially to pressure, at same time tearing pains along beck. Small itching papules on back. Sacrum feels lame without pain, m. Miliary rash on forearm. Tearing in hands, n. Cracking of wrist when extending or turning it. Inward quivering in left hand, on side of little finger. Itching on inside of wrist. Violent itching between third and fourth fingers. Itching on finger balls after scratching a white spot surrounded by red. Itching papules on hands. Itching vesicles on lower corner of left hand. A strip of skin peels off at side of nail till it becomes sore and painful. Tearing down posterior aspect of left thigh. A thin person from sitting becomes sore on the skin over tuberosities of ischium. Cracking of knee on moving it while lying. Cramp in calves, soles, near ankles, in flexor tendons of big toe, when lying, e. Cramp in sole on moving, n. and towards m. itching smarting pimples betwixt thigh and scrotum. itching and small pimples on nates. On left calf a lump which he scratches till raw, it continues to exude moisture for a long time. Itching of feet, e. On left inner ankle a flat pimple with pustule, painless, becomes a small ulcer. A spot he has scratched above ankle continues to discharge. Itching about and under ankle. Violent itching betwixt tendo Achillis and ankles. On inner side of right tendo Achillis a small lump on the skin that is neither itching nor painful. Rubbed off blister on knuckle of toe, m.

1 g. Frequent formication as if dust lay on small spots about mouth, cheek, chin, compelling scratching, which takes it away. Insuperable desire to lie down, also to sleep, thereafter all symptoms worse. When sitting at work must often leave off suddenly and lie down, without feeling anything but that it is impossible for him to do the least thing. Striking emaciation, especially in face, hands, and thighs. Pains in all limbs as from a chill. He must lie down as long as the heat of day lasts, and he remains half asleep; his thinking power is quite weak.

1 h. After midday siesta much viscid saliva. Sleeps profoundly all forenoon. Early in evening sleepy, then only half asleep, with frequent waking; quite wide awake at midnight; after reading again drowsy; has sound sleep only toward m. Cannot get to sleep for a long time, e. Jerking of whole body on going to sleep, e. Sleep with many unremembered dreams. Historical dreams about distant persons, n. Dreams of daily business. Wakes up at n. at every little noise. Wakes up from siesta and nocturnal sleep with great dryness of mouth, fauces, and esophagus; must drink much water, after which breaks out in perspiration. On waking is first stupid and then lazy, quite lively after washing. Feels very ill after sleeping. Long of getting to sleep and wakes early. From 3 a. m. he remains awake and feels well. Wakes very early and always at the same hour, however late he is of getting to sleep, after several weeks. He wakes up from profound dreamful afternoon sleep quite punctually at the very minute when it was time to go out, 14th d.

1 i. Much perspiration on walking out, a. m. The sweat on chest and in axilla makes stiff white marks on his linen. Heat of the skin as if it came out of an oven, he feels it outwardly not inwardly, though he is hot on large patches of the body, sometimes on the side, sometimes on chest, loins, and belly. (Cures too great tendency to perspiration when walking and in midday siesta, after previous great increase of it; when it begins to lessen the sweat has to him an agreeable odour.

1 j. Complete inability to do any work; though he always begins again he must soon leave off. After meal work continued zealously till at n. he is so uncommonly fatigued that for several days he can only think of the most necessary things, and it is only after a long time that he can go on with his work. Great loquacity. Dislike to person and to his work, but when he overcomes this can go on all right. Dreams of quarrelling and unnatural, disgusting cruelty. (HERING, Archiv, xii, 3, 193.)

2. a. Two dr. 4th dil. e. Jan. 28th. Much thirst, e. Frequent micturition, n. Tickling and scraping in throat, with need to hawk up mucus. Burning feeling on tip of tongue, which wakes him up. – 29th. Hunger, m. Dull stitches in forehead, temples, and eyes, after coming from cold air into warm room, a. m. and e. Sleepy at 9 p. m., must go to bed, and falls asleep immediately. Burning and itching on borders of right eyelids, he must rub them. Throat very dry, e. Increased appetite and hunger. No stool m. – 30th. Slept well n., can hardly wake up at 7 a. m. Dreamful sleep all about calculations. On waking m., a strong erection with voluptuous feeling. Great confusion of head, especially e. Pressure in stomach as if a spasm would come on. A kind of stammering, he makes mistakes in speaking, misplaces syllables, and can hardly pronounce many words, for 2 d. In the evening when lying beside his wife no erection, but on lying awake in m. has erection, but without sexual desire or voluptuous feelings. Late of getting to sleep n. – 31st. Wakes early. Disagreeable and intense dry feeling in throat.

Richard Hughes
Dr. Richard Hughes (1836-1902) was born in London, England. He received the title of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), in 1857 and L.R.C.P. (Edin.) in 1860. The title of M.D. was conferred upon him by the American College a few years later.

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.