Introduction
Urtica urens, L, small stinging – nettle; and other species of Nat. Ord. Urticaceae.
Provings
1. Dr. REDMAN COXE, jun., proved 1x dil. of U. urens, taking 3 times daily 12 dr. on June 1st and 2nd, 15 on 3rd, and 20 on 4th. 2nd. – Considerable burning in throat, with frequent hawking up of frothy mucus; slight pain in right deltoid. 3rd. – Pain in deltoid increased, especially in evening; could not put on coat without assistance. 4th. – No stool yesterday or to-day (remarkably unusual); pulse 6 beats faster; itching swelling all over fingers and hands; stinging pain in right eye and right parietal bone, compelling him to rub and press. 5th. – Still no stool; throat still burns, and causes him to cough, bringing up some frothy mucus; a large number of bumps on fingers and hands, itching at times very severely; pains in both arms, right worst, and in both ankles, of rheumatic character; pain in right side of sinciput. 6th. – No stool; took nux vom. 3. In 6 hours a natural stool, followed in 4 hours by several of whitish slime, with pain about umbilicus. For 5 following day had 2 – 4 stools a day, white and yellow, with slimy mucus intermixed; with these pains of colicky character and tenesmus. Pain in arms, and also “hives,” continued till 14th, when they disappeared. (HALE’s New Remedies, 2nd ed., p. 1107.)
2. Dr. A.R. SHAW, during week ending Dec. 9th, took 10 dr. of 1x 3 times a day 4th.- For a short time nausea and burning in throat; during and after m. stool raw burning in anus; p. m. and evening a small haemorrhoidal protrusion, itching and burning at times quite severe. 5th. – No stool in m. At 2 p. m. a small dysenteric motion-greenish brown slime, with urging and tenesmus, but no itching or burning. At 3, pressing pain in left eye. At 7, cramp-like pain in right deltoid, which feels tender; pain worse on rotating arm inwards; it continued all evening, and left arm felt slightly rheumatic. 6th. – On getting into bed last n., felt heat all over, with soreness of abdomen; pain in arm was increased by lying on it, and became very severe on moving it-a kind of sharp stitch darting through limb. To-day pressing pain over right eye and in eyeball; pain in arm very severe all day, extending all down front of humerus, muscles feeling very sore, as if bruised; at times pain of similar character in left arm. At 10 p. m. pain in left hypochondriac region, and stiff soreness inside left knee – joint; cannot stretch right arm from severity of pain, and is unable to raise it. 7th. – Pain in right arm all d. Dull aching in right sinciput, extending to malar bone. At 10 a. m. sensation of soreness inside left knee -joint; cannot stretch right arm from severity of pain, and is unable to raise it. 7th. – Pain in right arm all d. Dull aching in right sinciput, extending to malar bone. At 10 a. m. sensation of soreness in bowels while lying down, and on pressure a sound as if they were full of water. At times during day soreness in right side of chest. 8th. – Pain in arm gone; eyes feel weak and sore, with pressing pain over them; drowsiness when reading. At 9 p. m. a neuralgic pain in right face and forehead. A small stool with much straining; has been constipated for several day (very unusual). 9th. – During day slight pressure in head, especially over eyes, and slight pain in both arms, with rheumatic pain and stiffness in right wrist. At 10 p. m. a number of lumps and red spots on hands, and fever-blisters on lips, itching a good deal. 10th. – sore feeling, as from a blow, in left side of chest; all day fulness of head and giddiness, like a rush of blood to head; for an hours dull aching in head, with stitches in region of spleen. 11th. – Dull aching in occiput and over eyes; pain in eyeballs as if from a blow, with feeling as of sand in eyes. During day rheumatic pain in right wrist, slight, and not lasting. 13th. – Rheumatic pain in left arm, wrist, and fingers. (On 19th there was recurrence of fulness of head of 10th; and from 22nd to 30th he had itching blotches on his hands, as on 9th. These, however, he had on left hand before commencing proving. On July 1st an attack of dysentery came on, which lasted a week; on 13th it is noted that hands are still blotchy, but without itching.) (Ibid.).
Poisonings
1. The U. gigas of N. Australia causes by its sting a most acute pain, which is felt for months afterwards-a dull gnawing pain, accompanied by a burning sensation, particularly in shoulder and under arm, where small lumps often arise. Even when the sting has quite died away, the unwary bushman is forcibly reminded of his indiscretion each time the affected part is brought in contact with water. A scientific man, who had broken off a branch and carried it some distance as a curiosity, was wondering what caused the pain and numbness in his arm. (ALLEN’s Encyclopaedia, x, 47.)
2. A man touched, with first 3 fingers of left hand, one of the leaves of U. crenulata (an Indian species). At the time he only perceived a slight pricking, to which he paid to attention. This was at 7 a. m. The pain continued to increase. In an hour it had become intolerable; it seemed as if someone was rubbing his fingers with a hot iron; nevertheless there was no remarkable appearance, neither swelling, nor pustule, nor inflammation. The pain rapidly spread along arm as far as armpit. He was then seized with frequent sneezing and copious running at nose, as if he had caught a violent cold in head. About noon he experienced painful contraction of back of jaws, which made him fear an attack of lockjaw. He then went to bed, hoping that repose would alleviate his sufferings, but it did not; on the contrary, they continued nearly the whole of the following n., but he lost the contraction of the jaws about 7 p. m. Next m. the pain began to leave him, and he fell asleep. He continued to suffer for 2 day, and the pain returned in full force when he puts his hand into water. He did not finally get rid of it for 9 day (Ibid., p. 46.)
3. A woman of 38 drank by mistake two cups of a strong decoction of U. urens at bedtime. At 4 a. m. she was wakened by formication, heat, numbness, and smarting on skin of face, arms, shoulders and chest; lips, nose and ears swelled, and eyelids became oedematous, as if full of water, and closed. This increased up to noon, when upper part of body down to umbilicus, including breasts, was swollen but pale, and oedematous rather than inflamed; it was also covered with confluent small vesicles, like sudamina, from which serum oozed when broken. A sense of intolerable stinging (“urtication”) threw patient into a terror and anguish difficult to describe. In other respects she was free from suffering; breathing and circulation were undisturbed. She was bled, foot-baths and sinapisms were ordered, and the affected parts were pricked, a quantity of serum being discharged with diminution of swelling. On 3rd day face became free, but chest and arms remained affected with the eruption, which itched so that patient scratched off the blisters, which exuded a large amount of serum. On 6th day desquamation set in. Although patient had no children for 3 1/2 years, and had nursed none of the twelve to which she had given birth, her nipples discharged at first serum, and then a fluid having all the characters of milk. The lacteal secretion lasted 8 day after the chief troubles and subsided. In spite of nitre, and other diuretic medicines and measures, not a drop of urine was secreted for 12 day, although she began to eat on the 4th., and had alvine discharges. At last a mixture of asparagus and parsley restored the renal function. (FIARD, Journ. de Pharm., 1835, p. 290.).
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.