Introduction
Asterias rubens, uraster rubens. Common star-fish. Nat Ord., Radiatae.
Provings
1. PETROZ. (No information given save list of provers.). Mad. B-. On Ist day, obtuse shoots in front of thigh. On 2nd day, shooting pain in right temple; dulness of hearing, most marked on right side. On 3rd day, face red and puffy; swelling of tongue; colic, followed by diarrhea; when upright, weakness of legs, to degree of needing help in walking; much heat in head, then in all body, desire for cold drinks and to feel cold within and without. On 4th d., face still red; liquid brown stool, expelled with force; shooting pain to right and left of lower sternum, of short duration, relieved by bending backwards. On 5th d., tongue not free to use, repugnance to speech; saliva more copious than usual; irritation of throat, already experienced, now becomes more sensible. On 6th day, throat dry. On 7th day, dull expression, something stupid about attitude and look. On 9th day, burning dartings in great trochanter and left coxo- femoral joint, going like lightning down to outer hamstrings. On 10 d., attacks of vertigo; heat of skin, fever towards m., chill, heat followed by cold. Without date, -drawing pain in tongue. (Journ. de la Soc. Gall., i, 225.)
2. Madlle. M-. On Ist d., head hot, surrounding air seems hot; eyes hot; constipation, fruitless desire for stool, symptom she had never had; fulness of head, which seems to distend at sides. On 2nd day, sadness alternating with almost unbearable cerebral excitement, desire to undertake any intellectual or physical work, to walk, or do any violent exercise, a state not at all like drunkenness intoxicants, is more a moral drunkenness; fulness as of congestion in head, and even at times as of rush of blood to head, with sense of heat and distension laterally, even to bursting; beating in head; boring pain over left eye, coming and going suddenly, making eyebrows contract, and slight dimmed as by fog; frequent emission of limpid urine; general anguish on womb like something pushing outwards; general feeling of menses coming on; fluttering in uterus; drawing pain in breasts; numbness of left hand extending to arm. At n., many dreams of people and events; strikingly clear visions, as if one saw, touched, and heard the people dreamt of, as when awake, but without painful impression. On 3rd d., sadness alternating with cerebral excitement as on 2nd d.; weeping with despair, succeeded by almost immediate calm; sudden pain right side of head; pain as of cranium being crushed; pain on top of head, as if cranium was splitting; eyes are drawn back (tires en arriere); flatulence which tires much after each meal, as it neither rises nor goes downwards; alternate swelling up and diminution of abdomen; drawings in walls of abdomen; difficult, firm stool; slight hemorrhoidal swelling; feeling of pressure on lower abdomen, impeding walking; unaccustomed moisture of vagina, which relieves; each m. in bed, exaltation of sexual desire; swelling, distension in breasts as before menses; cold in left arm, feel as struck by cold wind; lancinating pain in toes, especially in big toe of left foot, with very great heat, and sensitiveness which hinders wearing a boot, after sunset and indoors it gets worse, skin is red-more so from heat, cold air or water relieves directly, but heat of bed brings it on again, although it ceases during first half of n. (this pain came again several e.); great uneasiness in lower limbs in closed room. Desire for fresh air; aversion to everything which might increase heat of body, great desire to use cold-water lotions; sleep from 2 a.m. to midday; dreams as on 2nd n. of people and events. On 4th d., blood more violently to head; violent pressive pain in forehead, which seems to crush eyes with enormous weight; light hard to bear; no appetite, taste lost; slight redness with mealy efflorescence on chest; uneasiness in limbs, especially at bend of arms can hardly bear arms covered. On 5th day, pressive pain on right side of occiput which renders walking difficult; severe colic with chill alternating with puffs of heat to face; drawing sensation in right hip, as if leg was too long and drawn downwards; want of open air, anxiety, impatience indoors. On 7th d., blinking of eyelids, their free edge is red; pain in eyes from within outwards. On 8th, 9th, and 10th d., uncertain appetite, longing for highly-seasoned dishes, high cheese, liqueurs, coffee, tea. On 11th d., at left elbow, on olecranon, round red spot size of a franc; causes neither itching nor burning, becomes covered with a scurfy, dry, friable layer, which drops after 2 d., without leaving any mark similar eruption, less large, on front of same arm. Without date, -slight dartings in brain; great pressive pain at sinciput in m., disappears with difficulty during day through walk in open air; towards midday, headache goes off with feeling of explosion, in which there is greater clearness of thoughts; on chest a spot size of palm of child’s hand, causing violent itching, the redness disappeared after 5 or 6 d. (Ibid.)
3. M-. On 5th day, numbness of hypothenar eminence and little finger. On 6th d., ennui, sinking feeling, as if misfortune were going to happen, and if he knew what it was, would give way to weeping rather than bear up and be angry. Without date, -several soft stools in a day; feeling as of left breast being drawn inwards; dull, hardly perceptible, distant heart-beating, seems as if heart had stopped. (Ibid.)
4. M. M-. On 6th day, feeling of excessive anguish from midday to 3 p.m., as if misfortune were threatening, as if bad news were coming; then feeling as if one could give way to crying. Without date, -irritation, anger, seeking someone to pick a quarrel with; midday to 2 p.m., tightness in precordial region. (Ibid.)
5. P-. On Ist day, confusion in brain; weight of head after 1 h.; heavy head, heat, beating in head, face red; m., eructations violent and frequent; after evening meal general uneasiness; skin hot, pulse frequent and full. On 2nd day, beating in head on ascending, on walking; nausea; dull pain in left coxo-femoral joint in m. On 3rd d., bounding palpitations; when stronger they extend to epigastrium, with feeling of tightness; burning dartings in great trochanter and left coxo- femoral joint, going like lightning down to outer hamstring; shuddering with somnolency, skin hot, restless n. On 4th d. injected eyes; fatigue of lower limb. On 5th d., drawing pain towards inner part of chest from front backwards, under left nipple, extends along inner part of arm to extremity of little finger; hemorrhoidal flux. On 6th day, hemorrhoidal flux; hard to work in evening; deep dartings in front of thigh. On 7th d., dull hearing, sounds of river flowing, of waves; aversion to meat; in m., after much severe eructation, fatigue and great heat of stomach; dull pain by shocks in right side of abdomen and near navel; frequent urging to urinate, urine more copious; feeling of fulness in chest, causing syncope to be feared; during n. and m. uneasiness at heart. On 8th d., urine thick, viscous; heat in urethra on urinating. On 9th d., bleeding of nose. On 10th d., after moment’s reading, obliged to rest, tendency to sleep. On 11th d., symptoms disappear little by little, leaving moral sensitiveness, which makes one inclined to weep under influence of least emotion; formication in lower extremities; burning heat in feet; restless sleep. Without date, -frequent erections during sleep; pressive pain in forehead, feeling of fulness, contraction of muscles, and pressive tightening (serrement press if) over eyes. (Ibid.)
6. P. J-. On Ist day, recurring throat irritation, with heat of short duration. On 6th day, slight disturbance of intellect with general weakness; woke up at n. with great uneasiness; brain seemed shaken by electric shocks, head seemed empty, consciousness almost nil, fear of apoplectic attack for several min. at night; when he came to his senses pulse was hard, much quickened; right carotid beat violently; this lasted till evening next d. Numbness of hands and fingers lasting till end of 8th d. On 7th and 8th d., pain from joint of thumb to shoulder; drawing pain outer left thigh. Without date, -bleeding of nose 3 times in 5 d. Pain in right hip and all left side to shoulder-blade, lasts till 6th d., and gives rise to fever. (Ibid.)
7. Mad. T-. On Ist day, evening, extraordinary liveliness. Without date, -pain below sternum; very slight eruption between breasts; broken feeling in lower limbs; pain in joint of right foot. (Ibid.)
8. T-. On Ist day, vertigo on walking; sharp and transient dartings in forehead, in temples, especially in occiput; pressure in temples; dull pain seeming to take up whole esophagus; all left chest painful; discomfort increased by motion. On 2nd d., dull pain in muscles of precordial region; pain in tendons of flexors of left wrist; pain in right shoulder; pain in left knee; pain in joints of left foot. On 3rd day, shooting pains for several seconds in auditory canal, then centering in occiput, and there dying out; they return in course of d., but weaker; sudden very violent noise, but lasting less than a second, in both ears. On 4th d., dartings in brain on blowing nose, during first half of night; diminution of sensitiveness of limbs, especially of legs and thighs. On 6th d., pain in left foot, fixed at joint of big toe and first metatarsal, increased by motion and hindering all walking, like gouty pain. On 7th d., pain in joint of left elbow; severe itching round thumbnail of left hand; severe pain in joint of left foot, increased by walking; very severe itching in thighs and legs, increasing towards 6 p.m. and in open air. On 8th d., unbearable pain in left foot and in muscles of leg; a small excoriation made on leg by scratching is seat of pretty severe lancinating pain. Without date, -ephemeral vertigo. 3 d. after stopping drug pains recommenced in joints, especially in big toe and left foot. (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.