BY DR. STOKES.

(From the Monthly Homoeopathic Review, London, April 1859.)

CROTALUS HORRIDUS.-Jan. 22nd, 1852. S. E. S., a lady of bilious-sanguine temperament, unmarried, 35 years of age, subject to indigestion, took a drop of the 3rd dilution morning, midday, and evening. Fulness and pressure in the Stomach were relieved by the medicine. Appetite bad all day.

23rd. No medicine. Appetite bad.

24th. Weight on stomach and chest; breakfast lies heavy all day; standing up fatigues her much; tremulous weakness all over, as if some evil were apprehended; flatulence and eructation. Today took a dose of 4 drops, 3rd dilution.

25th.Stomach sore and tender on rising this morning; tongue red and sore; gums white; throat dry, with thirst.

26th. The above symptoms continue, but in a milder degree. They gradually ceased after the medicine was left off, and she got quite well.

31st. Took a pillule soaked in the 4th dilution in the evening. In the night she was wakened by a violent burning pain in the hypogastrium, going through to the sacrum; burning pain in epigastrium for half an hour, when it ceased after a stool.

Feb.1st. Stomach sore and tender; worse after food; urine scanty and red. After this felt very well for four days.

5th. The soreness returned in the epigastrium, extending upwards under sternum. Pains in stomach after breakfast and dinner.

8th. Headache, and cold feet The headache is in the vertex; pressive; comes on in the afternoon, and lasts till night, for three days. On the fourth day it changed to the forenoon, with heat and flushing of face. An attack of diarrhea now came on; after which the bowels were costive and evacuations hard, during a week. Anxious dreams; is drowsy and heavy in the evening; turns about very much in bed; is easily tired by slight exertion; the arms feel benumbed in the morning; the legs go to sleep, and tingle when sitting; lips and throat dry, without thirst.

25th. Menses a week too soon; free; preceded by weight in the head and ears; accompanied by pains in the abdomen and back, and cold feet. The period lasts some hours longer than is usual, and goes off on the 27th, with an intense frontal headache, which lasts from ten to one o'clock in the night. She had this night a cramp in the calf of one leg. In the evening, a sudden attack of sore-throat and bronchial catarrh, which went away on the morning of the 28th and returned at night. During several days there was some soreness of chest and cough in the evening.

Remarks. -The throat dryness, the catarrhal symptoms, the pain in the bowels, the premature and free menses in a person who had them scanty, and with a tendency to retardation, seemed to me to depend clearly on the action of the medicine. These were symptoms very unusual with the prover, who appears to. have been very susceptible to the action of crotalus.

NAJA TRIPUDIANS.-In 1854, while proving Naja tripudians for Dr. Russell, I asked Mr. MacSwinney, of Galway, to undertake a proving of it, which he kindly did. I give the record in his own words.

J. M'S., aet. 38, of nervous-lymphatic temperament, regular habits, commenced taking cobra (Naja tripudians) on the 4th of August. Dose, 3 drops of 2nd potency in one ounce of water. In the evening felt very tired and sleepy, and had to retire at nine o'clock; slept directly after going to bed.

5th. Thermometer at 62°. Awoke with a troublesome tickling in the larynx, attended with nausea, sneezing, and coughing. 2 p. m. Took 3 drops as before. Continuance of the tickling, with scanty viscid expectoration of tasteless mucus.

6th. Thermometer at 69°. Gasping for breath all this day, yesterday, and the day before; but particularly So today, with several deep-drawn inspirations. At 10 p. m. took 3 drops as before.

7th. Awoke early with hawking of viscid mucus. At 2 p. m. took 3 drops. Tickling continues, but less.

8th. At 1 p. m. took 4 drops, and felt immediately afterwards increasing tenderness over the trachea; gasping for breath both yesterday and today (thermometer 66°) for several hours; feeling as if there were a hair in the trachea.

9th. Thermometer at 66 °. At 2 p. m. took 5 drops, and soon afterwards felt increased tenderness of the throat and over sternum, lasting all day.

10th Thermometer at 66°. Today, an ulcer on the frenum of the tongue. This morning, on awaking, expectorated frequently a whitish viscid mucus. Soon after noon I took 12 drops. Almost while taking the medicine, felt all the above symptoms greatly increased, added to which I experienced a feeling of hollowness over the entire head, which continued for several days, and caused me to leave off further provings.

For other provings of the Naja, see the British Journal of Homoeopathy.

ERYTHROXYLON COCA.-Being anxious to ascertain on my own person the powers of this famed intoxicating drug, I procured some of the tincture made by Mr. Turner, from a sample of the leaf obtained in Covent Garden Market, and began by smelling, for the space of one minute, the mother tincture; observed no effects, but preserved the feeling of unruffled health I had previously enjoyed. On the 9th December, 1857, took, at 6 p. m., 10 drops of the strong tincture in a desert-spoonful of water. During the evening my hearing became painfully acute, and I felt something like expectation, the brain excited, and a rather painful pressure on the sides of the head. In bed, the pillows felt hard to the neck and head, hand although very sleepy, I turned and twisted about all night, and awoke tired and heavy next day, with aching shoulders. The dreams were of great activity. Last night and this morning the mouth and palate felt as if burnt with pepper.

10th. In the evening took 10 drops. Experienced the same painful constriction round the sides of head, and the same dreamy excited state in the night.

11th. At 9 a. m., took 10 drops, in water; repeated the dose at noon; and at 6.30 p.m. This evening felt very bouyant on walking out in a dense, chilling fog; felt very much elated; indisposed for food; ate very little dinner: and no tea or supper. Night again dreamy and restless.

12th. 10.30 a. m. Ten drops in water. Head very clear this morning. Daily evacuations delayed for three hours, and when passed, the rectum seemed dry; though the evacuation was soft enough and well formed, there was difficulty in voiding in. Appetite diminished; I could not take my usual moderate quantum of food. Night again dreamy; though this time I slept well and awoke fresh.

13th. Evacuation again delayed, like yesterday. Took 10 drops this morning.

After this my digestion became extraordinarily good, and continued so. The aptitude for work was increased, and the power of the muscles was notably augmented. I took no more at this time; but my sleep continued to be full of active, troubled dreams, notwithstanding which I awoke lively and vigorous every morning for about ten days afterwards, when the effects of my proving faded away.

Some months after this, Dr. Drysdale gave me a few leaves of Coca, and we each chewed a piece, both experiencing alight nausea and vertiginous feeling, incapacitating us for carrying on our literary labors for about an hour.

OSMIUM.-Being in excellent health, I took, on the 12th May, 1855, 2 grains of the 3rd trit. dry, at 8.30 a. m. On the 13th, same hour, same dose. All the afternoon had fulness and aching at the upper and back part of the head, in doors and out; worse by throwing back the head. 7 PM., repeated the dose. Next day, at 4 p. m., another dose. Had dull headache, like a band round the head above the ears. 10 p. m. repeated the dose. The dull headache extends from the base of brain into the jaws.

On the 15th, at noon, took 2 grains. At night, had dull aching at base of skull and in jaws. Irregular attacks of stabbing in the tips of the fingers, particularly those of the left hand.

16th. Arose very tired, with muddled head and aching limbs and body, and was thus all day. Evacuations delayed, small and constipated. At 10 a. m. took 2 grains. In the evening perceived the urine to be strongly scented, somewhat like violets; very highly colored, and apparently full of bile.

On the 17th, took no medicine, but still the urine was like that passed yesterday, and the occipital headache continued.

18th. At 11 a. m. took 2 grains, and again at night.

19th. Two grains at 11 a. m. All day yesterday and today there has been uneasiness in the stomach, increasing to anxiety and contraction; worse after food, and much aggravated by stimulants. I felt restless and fidgety. The bowels are confined, but move daily. Feeling so poorly, I took no more medicine on the 20th and 21st.

On the 22nd, took 2 grains in the forenoon. Slight rawness in the larynx, which increased until the 24th, when it was very severe laryngeal catarrh, the voice hoarse, weak, and low, and almost extinct. Lay in bed all the morning, and took three doses of mere. sol. and two of bell., which carried off the attack in the afternoon. Felt very weak and easily tired.

25th. Yesterday and today felt a drawing aching in the left quadriceps tendon, each side of the top of patella, varied by occasional shoots below the external malleolus, and on the instep of left foot.

26th. Today felt aching pain in the metacarpo-phalangeal joint of left thumb. The aching of the left knee continues, but is less severe, and ceases at night.

I am not positive that the laryngeal affection was medicinal, but I very much incline to think it was.

I began a second proving with the 3rd trit. on the 28th of May, by taking 1 grain at 2.30 P M At six o'clock felt a weakness of stomach, almost amounting to nausea, and aversion to cocoa, usually bo well relished. This, by-the-bye, occurred during the digestion of meat pudding, and required a glass of brandy-and-water at half-past ten to set matters right.

26th. At noon, took 1 grain, dry. This morning I arose feeling jaded after a restless, tossing night. Pulse 80 before taking the powder.

30th. At noon. Pulse 78. Took 1 grain, dry.

31st. At 11 a. m., pulse 84. Took 1 grain dry. Last night slept badly; tossed about as before.

June 6th. Began a third trial of this medicine by taking 1 grain of the 3rd trit. at 3 P.M. All the evening had distension of stomach and abdomen, although the dinner was only plain roasted mutton and potatoes. Passed a restless night, and had a dull head all the day on the 7th; the bowels were not moved until 4 p. m., and the urine was brown and scanty all day. At 3 p. m. another dose. At night there was slight gripping in the bowels; the evacuation was passed hastily, with burning at the anus; it was bilious, and partly fluid.

8th. This morning the urine was scanty, and strongly scented, but not so dark as before. Took 1 grain at 11 a. m. In the evening had again distension of stomach and bowels, with difficult passage of flatus.

9th. Urine scanty and dark colored. Took 1 grain this morning. All the afternoon the abdomen was very sensitive, and distended. No evacuation today; only a small lump, like a marble, passed, after trying very hard to relieve myself.

10th. This forenoon took 1 grain, dry. Again troubled with distension all the afternoon and evening. Next day took 1 grain; found my pulse 90; when I am well it is 72. Before dinner (which I take at 12.30), felt contractive pain and weight in epigastrium. This is often attended by a feeling in the stomach as if I had swallowed a lot of stones from a newly laid road. No appetite for dinner; bowels distended in the afternoon; pressure on both inguinal rings. No evacuation today until 10 p.m. it was dry, and full of air.

12th. Sleep restless every night, with dreams of painful events; I rise jaded. In the forenoon, constrictive pain in the stomach. Pulse 80. Bowels relieved at 10 a.m.;evacuation small in volume and quantity. Took 2 grains at noon; urine scanty and dark.

16th. Took no more medicine. The bowels remain costive, and the urine scanty and dark, but now begins to be more free and less colored. Several times I have felt the stabbing pains above mentioned in the tips of the thumb and fingers of the left hand. Sleep is haunted by dreams of activity, and of events of a serious and important character, but they are not remembered on awaking.

From the effects I experienced from this medicine, I judge it may be found a valuable aphrodisiac.

In about a week from the time I left off this last trial, my health resumed its usual vigor and evenness, which had been rather unpleasantly ruffled by this powerful drug.