Introductions
Prunus communis, Huds. (commonly known as P. spinosa). Blackthorn sloe. Nat. ord., Rosaceae.
Provings
1. (Of a tincture of the buds gathered in April.) [The following pathogenesis is by Dr. WAHLE, who gives no information respecting the doses taken, the number of character of the provers, and very rarely mentions the period of the occurrence of the symptoms.] 1a. Dazed and gloomy in forehead. Head heavy and giddy. Pressive pain under skull as though the skull were pressed outwards with a sharp peg. Pressure outwards in sinciput. Pressing and aching pain as after exposure to great heat of sun. A painful jerking blow through right side of brain on moving. A violent nervous pain in left side of occiput, depriving him of thinking power. Outward – pressive pain in occiput. Outward – pressive pain in left occipital bone (after 1/2 hours). On stooping, such a violent pain in occiput that he loses power of thinking. Asunder – pressing headache almost depriving him of thinking faculty. Feeling as if brain were pressed together from all sides, not painful. Pressive sore pain in left side of occiput, extending into some teeth of same side. Pressive sore pain in sinciput, which goes off when he thinks of pain. In upper part of right temporal bone a very acute nervous pain, aggravated by external pressure. Out – pressing pain in sinciput. outward – pressing pain under upper right temporal bone. Outward – pressing pain under right temporal bone frontal bone, aggravated by external pressure. Squeezing pain in right temporal bone, extending into ear and causing earache. Outward – squeezing pain under right temporal bone. Outward – pressing pain in right side of sinciput after dinner. Pressive pain or right side of top of head as if pressed on by a sharp corner. Pricking as with a needle in skin of occiput. Jerking shooting pain on left parietal bone posteriorly. Outward – pressive pain in right frontal protuberance. Outward – pressing pain under left side of frontal bone. Jerking pain, commencing in right side of frontal bone, darts like lighting through brain out at occiput. Pressive pain from right frontal bone, through brain, to occiput. Outward – pressing pain in forehead, so that he loses his senses. Painful jerks in forehead, extending backwards. Itching in left internal canthus. Itching in right outer canthus, especially in edges of eyelids. Pain in right eyeball as though the interior of eye were torn asunder. Itching pricking in upper part of malar bone. Aching in left ear. Outward – pressing pain in right ear like earache. Outward – pressing pains above nasal bones. Tickling in middle of right nasal cavity as though he would sneeze.
1b. Pinching pain in right submaxillary gland. Shooting pain in left lower incisors. A very penetrating nervous pain in last left upper molar. Pressive pain in second left upper molar. A nervous pain in last. left lower molar, as though the tooth were torn out. Throbbing pain in last right upper molar, as though the tooth were forced out. A dislocative pain in last right lower molar. Dislocative pain in some molars when he takes something warm in his mouth. Pain in left lower canine and incisor teeth, like that felt when he has had something warm in mouth, and immediately thereafter drinks cold fluid. Pains in teeth as though he had had cold water in mouth. Pains as though the tooth were forced out, the pains go from one tooth into another. An indescribable sensation in several teeth, causing him to bite them together frequently, which relieves. Pains in several teeth as if they were forced up. Pricking pains in several teeth. From speaking she gets pain in chest, with sensation as if she became hoarse and lost the power of speech. Itching formication in tip of tongue and front teeth. A prick as with a needle on right side of tip of tongue. Burning on tongue as if it were scalded, not felt when eating, but at other times. Tongue covered with white mucus, but it is clean in the middle posteriorly. pasty taste after dinner. Strong taste. Bitter taste, m. She feels always satiated. When she has taken a few spoonfuls of soup, she is as full in the pit of the stomach as though she had eaten a great deal. She sometimes feel hungry, but is satiated after a few mouthfuls. Fulness and distension in scrob. cordis. Distension of scrob. cordis with such shortness of breath that she must rest 3 or 4 times when going upstairs. Oppression in scrob. cordis so that she can hardly breathe. Pain in abdomen as in cold wet weather. She cannot lie on either back or sides on account of a dreadful contractive pain in abdomen. On account of abdominal spasms he must walk very cautiously and softly so as not to shake the abdomen, otherwise the urinary troubles become much more severe. Cutting across the abdomen as though diarrhoea were about to come on, which prevents sleep. Breathing – pains and abdominal spasms relieved by bending upper part of body forwards. Itching crawling under abdominal integuments. Colicky pain an inch to right side below umbilicus. Pressive colicky pains in right side of abdomen, or as if single small parts of it were pinched. Abdominal pain as if he had eaten fruit, and drunk water afterwards. Pressive pain in right side of abdomen, so that he cannot lie on it, n. Pains as if something would be forced through in right side of abdomen just above navel. Pressive colicky pains in upper part of abdomen. Stitches in quick succession in right lumbar region, extending towards navel, which take away his breath. A stitch as from a stiletto in right posterior lower lobe of liver, which takes away his breath when walking. Pressive pain under right lobe of liver. Violent pressive pain in hepatic region. In the back of right side of abdomen a fluctuation like a bladder full of fluid. Painful pressure in hepatic region, felt most when standing. Twisting pains abdomen during discharge of flatus, as if diarrhoea would come on, which soon go off. Displacement of flatulence causing frightful abdominal spasms. Flatulence settles down on bladder, causing vesical spasms, so that he must cower together. Pain in belly as after a chill, with slight call to stool. Bellyache as if diarrhoea would come on. After transient cutting in abdomen diarrhoea with copious evacuation of faeces in a very costive person. Very painful stitches in right inguinal region, relieved by pressing hand on it. Pressing sensation from within outwards in the region of right inguinal ring, as if a hernia would burst through. After a slimy diarrhoeic stool violent burning in anus, as if salt were sprinkled on a wound. Spasmodic jerking in rectum when sitting. A pressive spasmodic pain on right side of rectum one inch off, as if an angular body were pressed in. Thin but dilatory stool. Hard stool and not every d. Must go to stool 3 to 4 times before she can evacuate anything. The stool looks like dog’s dirt. it comes away in small broken pieces, with much shooting pain in rectum, making her feel like to scream. Itching in anus. After a hard stool, bleeding from anus.
1c. Burning pain in sphincter muscles of bladder. Cannot sleep at n. on account of vesical spasms. He has urging to make water for hours at a time, with violent burning – smarting pains in bladder and urethra. Urine very scanty and quite brown. She must force much to pass urine. Bright, clear, wine – coloured urine, which deposits as white and sometimes sky – blue – blue sediment. The urine comes in a double stream as if the urethra had two orifices. As the urine is ejected there is for the moment considerable alleviation of the pain, but it remains obstructed in the glans, and causes the most frightful spasms in the urethra (ischuria urethralis) with urging to stool. Strangury. For 8 hours he has urinary tenesmus every 1/4 h. When he wants to urinate he gets a great burning pain in urethra, so that he must bend together, and yet no urine is passed. He has hurried urging to urinate; the urine, however, only comes as far as the glans, then seems to go back, and causes the most’ violent pains in the urethra. She must rise 6 or 7 times to urinate in the n., and each time passes half a pint (after an opposite condition). Urine passes more easily than usual. Burning smarting pain in urethra. He dare not grasp the urethra on account of a sore ulcerative pain. The prepuce is retracted over the glans with diminished size of penis. Pleasant itching on lower side of scrotum, relieved by scratching. Pain as if pinched on left side of scrotum. A persistent tickling itching in ovarian region, so that she would like to scratch, but scratching does not remove it. Painful throbbing in genitals. For 8 to 10 weeks every day some blood exudes from the vagina, while the longer it goes on the more watery it becomes. Menses very profuse; come very 14 day with much sacral pain. Thin watery metrorrhagia. Persistent leucorrhoea, which makes her weak. Leucorrhoea staining the linen yellow and making her sore.
1d. Frequent sneezing. Scraping and rough speech. Scraping in throat as if excoriated, causing short cough. Rough and scraping in larynx, causing cough, e. Crawling in throat causing short cough. During inspiration tickling in trachea causing cough. Cough caused by an irritation as if a feather were moved about in larynx; cough removed by holding in breath. Whistling cough. Heavy and oppressed round the chest. Dyspnoea when walking; the breathing is panting as though he were climbing a high and steep hill. Anxious short breathing. Heavy and anxious sensation in lower parts of chest, making him often breathe deeply. Tight and difficult respiration with periodical anxiety. Chest as if pressed in; on breathing it is very painful internally. Upper part of left side of chest tight for half a d. Feeling of weight in left side of chest causes him to breathe deeply frequently. The breath feels always as if stuck in scrob. cords. In centre of right side of chest pressive shooting pain, hindering inspiration, frequently going off and returning. A pricking stiff pain in left side of chest, aggravated during inspiration. Several successive stitches in middle of left side of chest. On the lower external left side of chest as if the part were pressed against a sharp corner. The pains under sternum and the oppression of chest seem connected with the fulness in scrob. cordis and the distension of abdomen. The pectorales majores are painful when grasped, as though he had got a blow there. During deep inspiration a shooting pain in the fleshy parts of the left mamma, which spreads on all sides and extends over the left shoulder when walking and sitting. Sacral pains when sitting. Pressive pains in sacrum. Obtuse shooting pain in right posterior inferior side of ribs, when pressed it is painful internally as if festering. In lumbar vertebrae as if festering, very violent when lying, alleviated by gentle movement, but much increased by continued movement; it then extends to hip – joint, and causes a sensation as if the ligaments were too short; he cannot lie on either side on account of the pains in hips. All the parts of back and sacrum are as if stiff, as if they had been injured. On deep inspiration, m., obtuse shooting pain betwixt shoulders, which extends to lumbar vertebra and takes away the breath. Two inches below left scapula near spine a pain as if a pin were stuck in when stooping. Pressive pain in nape on stooping, involving all the occiput. Pressive pain on top of right shoulder, ending in the triceps humeri and preventing him raising arm, lasting 1/2 h. A burning pain in left shoulder – joint spreading over chest. Swollen feeling in left axillary glands. Pressive ulcerative pain in left axillary glands. Pinching pain in right elbow – joint, which becomes a pressive pain when moved. Burning pain in left elbow – joint extending to wrist. Stiff pains in muscles of left forearm, hindering movement of arm. Pain as if burnt on outer side of right forearm. Pain as from a blow on left forearm. Cramp like pressure on outer side of right forearm, aggravated when grasped. When writing, a stiff pain in right forearm so that he can hardly hold the pen. Jerking pain in left forearm, making him start. Pain in right wrist as if a ganglion would be formed. Dislocative pain in right wrist when at rest. Spasmodic contractive pain in right hand extending to tips of fingers. Pulling pain proceeding from left fingers and extending through arm to pectoral muscles. A crushing pain in ball of little finger. Contractive pains in 2 right middle fingers. Painful drawing in right 4th finger. Pain as if burnt on outer side of right little finger. Pressive pain betwixt right thumb and index. Pinching pains first in left then in right thumb, lasting some minutes. Painful squeezing in right thumb from before backwards. A laming pain in right thumb. Dislocative pain in right thumb when writing, so that the pen almost drops. Spasmodic pain in left thumb. Stiff pain in right thumb. Pain as if sprained in proximal joint of left thumb (after 3 hours). Itching in some tips of fingers as if they were frostbitten. Deep internally below crista ilii a violent obtuse shooting taking away his breath, increased by lying back. Tired feeling in hip – joints. The hip pains are worst in the hours before midnight. Pricks as from a hot needle in thighs and nates, so transient that he must scratch now here, now there. On inner side of thighs and on nates, prickling itching, which when he leaves off scratching changes into quivering. Violent itching in middle of outer side of thigh; after scratching, pimples appear. Tensive pain on inner side of left thigh. Pressive pain in middle of right thigh. Tearing pain in middle of outer side of right thigh. Pinching pain high up on inner side of right thigh. Dislocative pain in right knee when at rest. Sensation of warm steam round about right knee. Jerking pain in left knee. Stiff pain when walking on inner side of left knee. No stability in left knee, as if it would knuckle under him. pinching pain in right hough. Weariness in knee – joints when standing. Pressive pain in angles of bones of left knee. When going upstairs the skin of calves and thighs feels stretched and as if swollen Pain as if a sharp peg were thrust into inner side of left calf. A laming pain going from below upwards in right leg. Pain as from a blow on middle of left tibia. Pain in tendo Achillis as if it would be torn away. Sprained pain under left outer ankle. Dislocative pain in left ankle join. Pressive pain in left tendo Achillis, which is often pulsating. Pain as if all were festering in whole of right sole. Stitches as with a bodkin in ball of left big toe. Stiff pains in left toes. Pain going from behind forwards in big to as if the distal phalanx would be pulled out. Burning in legs. Persistent restlessness in legs; he must always move them about. Several successive shoots in different muscular parts.
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.