Vergleich: Siehe: Gesteinsgruppe
Proving date: 1996
[Misha Norland, Andy Brachi, Jenny Hill & The School of Homeopathy
Proving Slate Misha
Norland (North Wales Slate)
October 1996
The remedy prepared from a
sample of best quality slate from a working quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd,
North Wales. The sample was "squared off" using a diamond toothed saw.
Acknowledgments The provers both in Czechoslovakia and North Wales
The Welsh Slate Museum for the
sample and copies of various historical documentsTG13
for three years of exploration and companionship participated willingly and
accidentally. Welsh Landscapeby
R.S. Thomas
To live in Wales is to be
conscious At dusk of spilled
blood That went to the making of the wild sky, Dyeing the immaculate rivers In all their
courses. It is to be aware,
Above the noisy tractor And hum
of the machine Of strife in the
strung woods, Vibrant with
sped arrows. You cannot live
in the present, At least not in Wales. There is a language for instance, The soft consonants Strange for the ear. There are the cries in the dark at night As owls answer the moon, And thick ambush of shadows, Hushed at the fields' corners There is no present in Wales, And
no future; There is only past,
Brittle with relics, Wind-bitten
towers and castles With sham
ghosts; Mouldering quarries
and mines; And an impotent people,Sick
with inbreeding, Worrying the
carcass of an old song.Introduction
The following text details two "dream" provings
with Welsh slate.
The sample, considered to of the best
quality, came from a working quarry near Blaenau Ffestiniog
in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was selected
by Mr. Owen Glyn Roberts
of the Welsh Slate Museum,
Llanberis. The sample was "squared off" using a diamond-toothed saw before being made into the
actual remedy by Helios Pharmacy.
Two provings were carried out
independently of each other, although using the same source of slate. The first was in Czechoslovakia (31/7/96): a large group of
people participated during a case conference.
The second was in North Wales (17/8/96); a much smaller group of people was
involved. Not all symptoms have
been included in an attempt to cut down on the volume of text.
The idea for the original proving came from the observation that powdered slate
is used to treat New Forest's
disease in sheep
by farmers in North Wales. This is an (infection?) of the eyes that
results in blindness. This text prepared by Andy Brachiand
Jenny HillFormation,
Physical Properties and Uses of Slate
Slate: from the French 'esclater', to split. Slate
is found all over the world, but the best geological conditions for its
formation were in Britain. All
British slate falls under the Palaeozoic
Era: Scottish is the oldest, being pre-Cambrian
(>500my's), while in North
Wales the Penrhyn and Ffestiniog
deposits are in the Cambrian and Ordovician periods respectively. The sample for the proving
came from the latter.
Formation usually starts as a
deposit of fine sediments of clay minerals, flaky in character, forming a mudstone. Under pressure, the minerals
align themselves in the direction that the rock lies in relation to the
horizontal (this is the bedding plane); the mudstone has now become shale. Further pressure and heat transforms the clay
particles into new minerals such as micas and feldspars; these new minerals reform perpendicularly to the
bedding plane and is known as the plane of cleavage: the resulting rock is slate. Industrial extraction
of the slate is achieved by using this natural weakness. The angle of the
cleavage also dictates the
method of extraction (open, pit, or mine). In the late 1700's black powder was introduced into the extraction process;
it's slow-burning quality was favoured as it was less likely to shatter the stone -instead, it would be dislodged along the
line of least resistance. The aim was always
to break away as large a block as possible from the quarry face as this
provided greater flexibility
in breakdown -in the Shire booklet is a picture of a 2000
t block. Breakdown of such massive
pieces of slate has gradually become mechanised over the years, although most
of the final splitting into
tiles is done by hand. The
widest and most well-known use
of slate is for roofing,
although by 1990 it accounted for only 5%
of roofing material in Britain. Until the end of the 1700's slate tiles could
be any size or shape; it was
General Warburton of Penrhyn Quarry who introduced
standardisation: in his scheme different
sizes of tile were named after
female aristocratic titles -eg
the 'queen' (the largest -30"
in length); and the 'countess'
(see the poem appendix 1). By contrast Cumbrian slate, being coarser, was less easy to fashion, and tiles were sold by
weight in batches of random
size. When the slate's
cleavage is not very pronounced, thick slabs can be produced which have a great
variety of uses such as
gravestones, snooker tables, mortuary slabs, and to keep food cool in kitchens.
Pulverising the slate gives rise to a dust (fullerite)
that can be transported by tanker. This is used to strengthen felt roofing and submarine
cables, as an ingredient in reconstituted roofing tiles as well as a base by the cosmetics industry. Locally to North Wales, slate chips are used as a base for paths and lawns (for
example it has been used to
provide a base for a local bowling green). Another use is in the treatment of a
disease in sheep called New
Forest's disease, in which the eye is affected -it
results in blindness. A peculiar
use given in the Shire booklet
is as a remedy for an "inward bruise" sustained by someone after a
riding accident. A History of
Slate with a particular
emphasis on the Quarrying and Mining of Slate in North Wales Slate mining in North Wales began with the opening of the Cae
Braich y Cafn quarry, later
to become the great Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda in the Ogwen
Valley in 1782; prior to this there had been slate-mining activity, but it was mostly for
local markets. Nationally, Welsh output was far ahead
of other areas and by 1882 92%
of Britain's production was from Wales
(= 451,000 t), half of this from the
combined output of the Penrhyn and Dinorwig (at the site of the Welsh Slate Museum) quarries. It was Baron Penrhyn
of County Louth that inherited Penrhyn Estates in
1782 and started to develop the
local slate reserves. "These early promoters of the industry were faced
with a tremendous challenge
because they were taking on workers who were steeped in rural traditions and did not readily
submit to organisation -indeed
the men felt they were independent of the management" (Shire) -this
attitude was reflected in, for example, working arrangements and payment
methods. The men worked the
slate in partnerships of four,
six or eight and these were known as 'Bargain Gangs'.
'Bargains' were let' by the 'Bargain Letter' when a price for a certain area of
rock was agreed. Adjustments
were made according to the quality
of the slate and the proportion of 'bad' rock.
The first Monday of every
month was 'Bargain Letting Day' when these agreements were made between men and management. Half the partners
worked the quarry face and the others were in the dressing sheds producing the finished slates. Slate
splitting isan
art and it took many years to acquire the necessary
skills. Those who did not manage to remained as labourers or 'rubblers' for the rest of their working days. Rubblers
helped to keep the galleries free from waste (one ton of saleable slate produced 30tons
of waste) and it is the mountainous heaps of this very same waste that is
perhaps the first thing to
strike someone visiting the old quarries nowadays. The men had to pay for their
ropes and chains, for tools
and for services such as sharpening and repairing.
Subs (advances) were paid
every week, everything being settled up on the 'Day of the Big Pay'. If
conditions had not been good,
the men could end up owing the management money. This system was not finally
abolished until after the
Second World War.Work in the quarries was dangerous. A
Government inquiry found that the underground workers in Penrhyn Quarry
had a death rate of 3.23 per 1000, a rate higher than coal mining. Accidents were
frequent. Fractures, contusions
and ruptures of varying causes
and degrees of severity were regular occurrences....
slate is very slippery when wet, and when combined with the leather sole of the
men's footwear the results
were frequently lethal. Apart from the explosive 'winning' of the slate, danger
also lurked in other areas of its production. Cuts
were common in the splitting sheds and on the floor of the galleries. Slate splits to a very
fine edge and would cut deeply if
a slab slipped while being loaded.
More insidious were the needle-like
splinters lying about all over
the working sites. Septicaemia
was common and usually proved fatal.
On top of the physical dangers of the quarries other health
problems were present. The slate was quarried
throughout the year in an area not renowned (pre-global
warming!) for its sunshine. The
climate, unsuitable and
overcrowded housing, inadequate diet together with the hazards of work, all combined to ensure the state of health of
both the quarrymen and their families was poor. Tuberculosis
was common among the people and
the men often suffered from silicosis. A link between
the inhalation of slate dust and silicosis was suspected in the late 1800's but
no conclusions could be made. A
report, in November 1893 by Dr Mills Roberts, surgeon at Dinorwig
Hospital, to the Dinorwig quarry manager W.W. Vivian,
concluded that a visit to Caernarfon to investigate the matter "was not of much service". A
comparison of respiratory diseases among the local peoples showed "women being 449, males not quarrymen
395 and 506 for quarrymen". Dr.
Roberts decided that the matter
was best left alone. Thus
health in general was always an important issue and the quarry owners went to
considerable lengths to take
care of their finite work force: health-care
facilities, especially the provision of hospitals was an important feature of the
industry from the 1840's onwards. Dinorwig was one
such quarry to have its own
fully equipped hospital; it is now a museum and can still be seen perched on the hillside. During its operation the
hospital was extremely busy,
with a constant stream of patients passing
through its four wards. In addition to the wards, the hospital had its own
operating theatre, a post-mortem room, mortuary and chapel. Dr. Mills
Roberts' skill as a surgeon was well known and he paid great attention
to the health and comfort of his patients. One example of his and a local blacksmith's efforts is given: "there
was a serious accident at the quarry and a man from Bethel called Edward Jones was in it. Both his arms had
to be amputated, one at the
shoulder and the other at the wrist. Thomas Hughes (the blacksmith),
with the co-operation of
Dr. Roberts made a contraption by which
the man could hold a spoon and knife to eat with and could take his hat off
when going to chapel. It was a
great boon to the unfortunate
man. Thomas Hughes made a clever job of it" (GCC).The ability to show respect, 'parch', to
the chapel minister was very important to the communities; they were
a very devout people with life revolving around religious practice. All
may not, however, have been completely puritan. Of interest
are comments made by an elderly doctor who visited the Dinorwig hospital
museum. She informed staff that the implements exhibited as being for the detection of kidney stones were in fact
used to open the urethra in
males suffering from gonorrhoea. She
also mentioned it was rife in these small closed communities at that time. A
recent article on slate in the
climbing magazine "On the Edge" may shed some light on this: ..... "Workers
would trek 30 or 40 miles for a six day shift, working in total
squalor and with absolutely no rights, for pennies. Pennies which the quarry owners would take
back in payment for lost tools, medical aid and through the camps full of ale houses and
prostitutes which were conveniently
located between pay day and home". Despite, or perhaps because, of the
difficult conditions, the men were an enterprising group with a strong inclination towards self-help. Friendly societies and benefit clubs
were set up to encourage saving
and to protect their families
against times of sickness; the University of Wales at Bangor owes its existence to the quarrymen of the Ogwen Valley. In the quarries themselves, the men
"developed their own
institution called the Caban. Within it the men
elected their own chairman,
treasurer and policeman. The Caban had strict rules of behaviour and the policeman could
impose fines for offences such
as swearing and smoking at the wrong times" (Shire).
Formal debates on current affairs or cultural
activities such as singing
would also take place in the Caban. In 1874 the North Wales Quarrymen's Union
was established,
lasting until 1922. Bitter clashes occurred
between management and the Union. "The longest and most bitter dispute was
the 'Penrhyn
lockout' (1900-1903) -this
became
a landmark in British labour history. It was from this background that radical politicians began
to emerge, such as David Lloyd George".(sources:
Shire album 268
"The Slate Industry" and Gwynedd County Council) Slate in North Wales Today The mine from which the slate was taken
for the proving remains a working mine.
Dinorwig quarry has
long since closed. The surrounding woodland and spoil heaps are now tame and
accessible to visitors... the
old industry replaced by the new... Dinorwig quarry is now Padarn
Country Park. To wander around
its walks and pathways is to see, smell, and feel the now gentle echo of the Dinorwig
Quarries, as Nature slowly reclaims what is left of this once great industry. It
is difficult to feel sad...
about the mining that produced
such scars in the landscape or the forces presently employed in this process of reclamation; as
those around me argue about preservation and heritage, tourism, carrying capacities and charges, to
me it is the very act of change that feels
right... part of the continuum
of life -organic, fluid and
vibrant. Trying to stop this change, to preserve it, will mark an end, and the echo of a vibrant landscape
will become its final breath... something very much part of the Welsh consciousness. The Sizes of Slates With reference to the uses section on tile
size: an extract from Ward Lock's tourist guide
to North Wales (date?? page
186) is given:
Slate is found all over the world, but the best geological conditions
for its formation were in Britain. All British slate falls under the Palaeozoic
Era: Scottish is the oldest, being pre-Cambrian (>500my's), while in North
Wales the Penrhyn and Ffestiniog
deposits are in the Cambrian and Ordovician periods respectively. The sample
for the proving came from the latter.Formation
usually starts as a deposit of fine sediments of clay minerals, flaky in
character, forming a mudstone. Under pressure, the minerals align themselves in
the direction that the rock lies in in relation to
the horizontal (this is the bedding plane); the mudstone has now become shale.
Further pressure and heat transforms the clay particles into new minerals such
as micas and feldspars; these new minerals reform perpendicularly to the
bedding plane and is known as the plane of cleavage: the resulting rock is slate.Industrial extraction of the slate is achieved by
using this natural weakness. The angle of the cleavage also dictates the method
of extraction (open, pit, or mine). In the late 1700's black powder was
introduced into the extraction process; it's slow-burning qualitywas
favoured as it was less likely to shatter the stone -instead, it would be
dislodged along the line of least resistance. The aim was always to break away as
large a block as possible from the quarry face as this provided greater
flexibility in breakdown -in the Shire booklet is a picture of a 2000 t block.
Breakdown of such massive pieces of slate has gradually become mechanised over
the years, although most of the final splitting into tiles is done by hand.The widest and most well-known use of slate is for
roofing, although by 1990 it accounted for only 5% of roofing material in
Britain. Until the end of the 1700's slate tiles could be any size or shape; it
was General Warburton of Penrhyn Quarry who
introduced standardisation: in his scheme different sizes of tile were named
after female aristocratic titles -eg the 'queen' (the
largest -30" in length); and the 'countess' (see the poem appendix 1). By
contrast Cumbrian slate, being coarser, was less easy to fashion, and tiles
were sold by weight inbatches of random size.When the slate's cleavage is not very pronounced,
thick slabs can be produced which have a great variety of uses such as
gravestones, snooker tables, mortuary slabs, and to keep food cool in kitchens.
Pulverising the slate gives rise to a dust (fullerite)
that can be transported by tanker. This is used to strengthen felt roofing and
submarine cables, as an ingredient in reconstituted roofing tiles as well as a
base by the cosmetics industry.Locally to North
Wales, slate chips areused as a base for paths and
lawns (for example it has been used to provide a base for a local bowling
green). Another use is in the treatment of a disease in sheep called New
Forest's disease, in which the eye is affected -it results in blindness. A
peculiar use given in the Shire booklet is as a remedy for an "inward
bruise" sustained by someone after a riding accident.A
History of Slate with a particular emphasis on the Quarrying and Mining of
Slate in North WalesSlate mining in North Wales began
with the opening of the Cae Braich
y Cafn quarry, later to become the great Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda in the Ogwen
Valley in 1782; prior to this there had been slate-mining activity, but it was
mostly for local markets. Nationally, Welsh output was far ahead of other areas
and by 1882 92% of Britain's production was from Wales (= 451,000t), half of
this from the combined output of the Penrhyn and Dinorwig (at the site of the Welsh Slate Museum) quarries.It was Baron Penrhyn of
County Louth that inherited Penrhyn Estates in 1782
and started to develop the local slate reserves. "These early promoters of
the industry were faced with a tremendous challenge because they were taking on
workers who were steeped in rural traditions and did not
readily submit to organisation -indeed the men felt they were
independent of the management" (Shire) -this attitude was reflected in,
for example, working arrangements and payment methods. The men worked the slate
in partnerships of four, six or eight and these were known as 'Bargain Gangs'.
'Bargains' were let' by the 'Bargain Letter' when a price for a certain area of
rock was agreed. Adjustments were made according to the quality of the slate and
the proportion of 'bad' rock. The first Monday of every month was 'Bargain
Letting Day' when these agreements were made between men and management. Half
the partners worked the quarry face and the others were in the dressing sheds
producing the finished slates. Slate splitting isan
art and it took many years to acquire the necessary skills. Those who did not
manage to remained as labourers or 'rubblers' for the
rest of their working days. Rubblers helped to keep
the galleries free from waste (one ton of saleable slate produced 30tons of
waste) and it is the mountainous heaps of this very same waste that is perhaps
the first thing to strike someone visiting the old quarries nowadays. The men
had to pay for their ropes and chains, for tools and for services such as
sharpening and repairing. Subs (advances) were paid every week, everything
being settled up on the 'Day of the Big Pay'. If conditions had not been good,
the men could end up owing the management money. This system was not finally
abolished until after the Second World War.Work in
the quarries was dangerous. A Government inquiry found that the underground
workers in Penrhyn Quarry had a death rate of 3.23
per 1000, a rate higher than coal mining. Accidents were frequent. Fractures,
contusions and ruptures of varying causes and degrees of severity were regular
occurrences.... slate is very slippery when wet, and when combined with the
leather sole of the men's footwear the results were frequently lethal. Apart
from the explosive 'winning' of the slate, danger also lurked in other areas of
its production. Cuts were common in the splitting sheds and on the floor of the
galleries. Slate splits to a very fine edge and would cut deeply if a slab
slipped while being loaded. More insidious were the needle-like splinters lying
about all over the working sites. Septicaemia was common and usually proved fatal.On top of the physical dangers of the quarries other
health problems were present. The slate was quarried throughout the year in an
area not renowned (pre-global warming!) for its sunshine. The climate,
unsuitable and overcrowded housing, inadequate diet together with the hazards
of work, all combined to ensure the state of health of both the quarrymen and
their families was poor. Tuberculosis was common among the people andthe men often suffered from silicosis. A link between
the inhalation of slate dust and silicosis was suspected in the late 1800's but
no conclusions could be made. A report, in November 1893 by Dr Mills Roberts,
surgeon at Dinorwig Hospital, to the Dinorwig quarry manager W.W.Vivian,
concluded that a visit to Caernarfon to investigate the matter "was not of
much service". A comparison of respiratory diseases among the local
peoples showed "women being 449, males not quarrymen 395 and 506 for
quarrymen". Dr. Roberts decided that the matter was best left alone.Thus health in general was always an important issue
and the quarry owners went to considerable lengths to take care of their finite
work force: health-care facilities, especially the provision of hospitals was
an important feature of the industry from the 1840's onwards. Dinorwig was one such quarry to have its own fully equipped
hospital; it is now a museum and can still be seen perched on the hillside.
During its operation the hospital was extremelybusy,
with a constant stream of patients passing through its four wards. In addition
to the wards, the hospital had its own operating theatre, a post-mortem room,
mortuary and chapel. Dr. Mills Roberts' skill as a surgeon was well known and he
paid great attention to the health and comfort of his patients. One example of
his and a local blacksmith's efforts is given: "there was a serious
accident at the quarry and a man from Bethel called Edward Jones was in it.
Both his arms had to be amputated, one at the shoulder and the other at the
wrist. Thomas Hughes (the blacksmith), with the co-operation of Dr.
Roberts made a contraption by which the man could hold a spoon and knife to eat
with and could take his hat off when going to chapel. It was a great boon tothe unfortunate man. Thomas Hughes made a clever job of
it" (GCC).The ability to show respect, 'parch', to the chapel minister was
very important to the communities; they were a very devout people with life
revolving around religious practice. All may not, however, have been completely
puritan. Of interest are comments made by an elderly doctor who visited the Dinorwig hospital museum. She informed staff that the
implements exhibited as being for the detection of kidney stones were in fact
used to open the urethra in males suffering from gonorrhoea. She also mentioned
it was rife in these small closed communities at that time. A recent article on
slate in the climbing magazine "On the Edge" may shed some light on
this: ..... "Workers would trek 30 or 40 miles for a six day shift,
working in total squalor and with absolutely no rights, for pennies. Pennies
which the quarry owners would take back in payment for lost tools, medical aid
and through the camps full of ale houses and prostitutes which were
conveniently located between pay day and home".Despite,
or perhaps because, of the difficult conditions, the men were an enterprising
group with a strong inclination towards self-help. Friendly societies and
benefit clubs were set up to encourage saving and toprotect
their families against times of sickness; the University of Wales at Bangor
owes its existence to the quarrymen of the Ogwen
Valley. In the quarries themselves, the men "developed their own
institution called the Caban. Within it the men elected
their own chairman, treasurer and policeman. The Caban
had strict rules of behaviour and the policeman could impose fines for offences
such as swearing and smoking at the wrong times" (Shire). Formal debates
on current affairs or cultural activities such assinging
would also take place in the Caban.In 1874 the North
Wales Quarrymen's Union was established, lasting until 1922. Bitter clashes
occurred between management and the Union. "The longest and most bitter
dispute was the 'Penrhyn lockout' (1900-1903) -this
became a landmark in British labour history. It was from this background that
radical politicians began to emerge, such as David Lloyd George".(sources:
Shire album 268 "The Slate Industry" and Gwynedd County Council)Slate
in North Wales TodayThe mine from which the slate was
taken for the proving remains a working mine. Dinorwig
quarry has long since closed. The surrounding woodland and spoil heaps are now
tame and accessible to visitors... the old industry replaced by the new... Dinorwig quarry is now Padarn
Country Park.To wander around its walks and pathways
is to see, smell, and feel the now gentle echo of the Dinorwig
Quarries, as Nature slowly reclaims what is left of this once great industry.
It is difficult to feel sad... about the mining that produced such scars in the
landscape or the forces presently employed in this process of reclamation; as
those around me argue about preservation and heritage, tourism, carrying
capacities and charges, to me it is the very act of change that feels right...
part of the continuum of life -organic, fluid and vibrant. Trying to stop this
change, to preserve it, will mark an end, and the echo of a vibrant landscape
will become its final breath... something very much part of the Welsh consciousness.The Sizes of SlatesWith
reference to the uses section on tile size: an extract from Ward Lock's tourist
guide to North Wales (date?? page 186) is given:
"In former times the different sizes of slates were know as
'duchess,' countesses,' 'ladies,' 'empresses,' 'queens,' and 'princesses.'These high sounding names were bestowed by
General Warburton about the year 1765 and were embodied by an old Welsh judge,
named Leycester, in the following humorous lines,
forming part of an account of a visit to the quarries:It
has truly been said, as we all must deplore,That
Grenville and Pitt have made peers by the score, But now,'tis
asserted, unless I have blundered,There's a man that
makes peeresses here by the hundred.He regards
neither Portland, nor Brenvill,nor Pitt, But creates
them at once without patent or writ; By the stroke of a hammer, without the
King's aid A lady, a countess, or duchess is made. Yet high is the station from
which they are sent, And all their great titles are got by descent; Andwher're they're seen, in a palace or shop, Their rank
they preserve, and are still at the top. Yet no merit they claim for their
birth or connection, But derive their chief worth from their native complexion,
And all the best judges prefer, it is said, A countess in blue to a duchess in
red. This countess or lady though crowds may be present, Submits to be dressed
by the hands of a peasant, And you'll see, when her grace is but once in his
clutches, With how little respect he will handle a duchess. Close united they
seem, and yet all who have tried'em Soon discover how
easy it is to divide'em. No spirit have they -they're
as thin as a rat; The countess wants life and the duchess is flat; No passion
or warmth to the countess is known, And hergrace is
as cold and as hard as a stone; Yet I fear you will find, if you watch them a
little, That the countess is fail, and the duchess is brittle. Too high for a
trade, yet without any joke, Though they never are bankrupts, they often are
broke, And though not a soul ever pilfers or cozens, They're daily shipped off
and transported by dozens.Themes of the ProvingThe list of themes given below were gathered from
all the proving symptoms. It is not intended to exhaustive, rather it should be
seenas an initial review.Unity,
wholeness: 1(?),32,41,58(?)The skin: 43,45,46 & skin symptomsBalance;
harmony: 38,49,73Things in two's: 1,6,7,11,20,21,24,25,33,35,38,40,58 and
splitting apart, dividing: 15,25,26,33Empathy and protection from danger
(especially children?): 5,9,30,32,75,83Open lovely landscapes: 1,27,30Enclosed
places; small rooms; darkness and underground: 8,21,27,28,29,33,44,48Colour;
cloth; dresses: 10,20,22,31 also yellow dust/fog/haze: 8Regulations,
punishment: 11,29,37,38(?) and being forced against one's will: 21,28Conflict;
harmony turning to conflict: 12,13,40Violence, danger: 47,48,59,60,61Dirt;
waste (inside -squalor): 4,8,16,44; (outside)47; also poverty: 5Injury;
hospitalisation; hospitals: 17,33,43,52Skiing: 15,17,53Materia MedicaDreams
Czechoslovakian dreams1/ About 2 little creatures who were holding each
other while walking through a landscape full of flowers (c1f)2/ I was wading
through water and mud to reach a patient who was being put in an ambulance. I
took off my shoes in case I might damage them. (c1f)3/ I forgot about puppies
in the fridge -they nearly froze. Crying about them in the dream. (c1f)4/ About
dirt and waste, I was taking it outside, then going through and sorting it out,
it was unpleasant. (c3f)5/ A poor woman in old worn-out black trousers. I
wanted to give her my old trousers but I cannot find her. A red topper, in it
half torn bills, the tracing ones (black from the back side), old but not used,
with torn off upper corners, therefore it cannot be used. (c4f supervisor)
(English unclear)6/ Half asleep: I saw two tiny figures (15cm) in red dresses
and toppers next to the topper with the bills -probably kobolds. (c4f
supervisor) (English unclear)7/ I went through old jugs and I was thinking
which to choose to finish the furnishing of my flat. I wanted to take a photograph
of the rain behind the window which created an interesting pattern, there was
not much light. I waited for lightning outside, I pressed the release, but the
view was blocked by my husband's mother (now dead). She told me that she had
spoiled my picture. Then I went into the yard to a wooden toilet, there were
two toilets, next to them were dustbins. On the doorknob of one of the toilets
there was fastened a yellow bicycle. I was angry and wanted to move it away.
(c4f supervisor)8/ The applications I had written nobody mailed. They were
lying around in disorder on the table for a few days. In the house where I
lived there was a huge mess in the corridor -thick layer of dirt and yellow
dust. I asked the housekeeper to ask the tenants to clean up in front of their
flats. He said it first to an old unpleasant woman. She said "I will take
revenge on you all". I felt it a wrong-doing to me. The woman entered the
door but there was not a flat behind it, only a steep and long staircase,
leading down. In the lit air there was floating a lot of dust above the
staircase, as if fog, but yellowish. (c4f supervisor)9/ I was sitting in the
corridor on the floor and protecting a poorly dressed infant with my coat
against a blizzard. The child huddled to me and said that it was nice and warm
there with me. (c4f supervisor)10/ I got a big bunch of white flowers with red
streaks inside the cups from my husband. Then some material for a suit, cut and
lightly sewed together, light yellow (cream) colour with little red and pink
flowers. Then white handkerchiefs with a red embroidery. (c4f supervisor)11/
Whenever I had a bad thought about God my knickers dropped down to my knees
(among other people). I forbade myself to think bad thoughts about him, but I
did it again twice with the same result. (c4f supervisor)12/ I was with my
family at a newly bought cottage, feeling calm, being at ease, sunny. Then it
turned out that we owned the cottage with some people we didn't know; a wax man
without teeth appeared. Then conflicts and arguments began because of a wrongly
parked car and a borrowed lawn
mower. Pleasant, calm atmosphere changed into tension, arguments.
(c5m)13/ With a schoolmate that I haven't met for about 20 years; we were
getting ready for a trip. I was looking forward to it -we were planning things.
Suddenly a child came to us who turned out to be his illegitimate child and
wanted to be looked after by him. My schoolmate took the child and put it in
the bus but where the child's mother was sitting (also a schoolmate); she
wanted to go somewhere. He gave her the child because he didn't have time to
look after it. She didn't contradict, but it turned out that his wife was on
the bus as well. Again, scenes changed to arguments and blaming each other, a
quick shift from calm and ease to arguments. (c5m)14/ Sitting at an English
lesson -a native speaker teaching. I understood half of what he was saying.
Atmosphere calm and pleasant. (c5m)15/ I was riding a bike. I remember that I
was watching the rear wheel of somebody in front of me, we were going quickly,
as if we were racing. Then suddenly the road split, several people in front
didn't cope with it, some of them fell. I finished the race on my skis. At the
end we were going with one of my colleagues with whom I used to go
cross-country skiing. (c5m)16/ We were going on the staircase, which was held
by a wide pipe through which waste was falling down. Then I woke upand thought: waste, dirt, hyoscaymus,
I will remember that. (c6f)17/ Pleasant despite seemingly unpleasant episodes.
Skiing when my ski tore out a piece of vein from my shoulder. My colleague
sewed in a new piece. It was connected above the skin and I was moving around
with it without any pain or feeling of injury. A patient went for a breast
ablation to another town, the following morning at home it fell apart. I was
examining the wound -a very realistic view, but no feeling of disgust, only
feeling sorry. I wanted to arrange surgery in a town in southern Bohemia, but
finally we agreed that it would be better to do it in our hospital. (c6f)18/ At
an office with my sister -practising. There was a daughter of another nurse Lenka, who is about 8 years old. We were looking after her
-she was wild. We were handing out contraceptive pills. Woke up when Lenka was getting more and more naughty -she was running
about the rooms. (c6f)19/Going by car with a friend -he driving, I in back. Car
stops and he turns and wants to kiss me. The moment he does he becomes totally
paralysed, faints and from the front seat he slops out through the open door.
As his head is sliding down the seat, his face, especially the lips, are
changing, protruding forward. I was sitting at the back and was not emotionally
touched either by the kiss or by the whole scene, it was as if I was just
observing everything from a distance. (c7f)20/ I am in a shop where there are
three dresses displayed, their colours are light blue, light orange and white.
I tried the white one on. I was surprised that she gave me this colour when I
had light orange shoes. The dress consisted of two parts. When I put it on, it
started to shrink and I had it on me like a dancer from the Pacific -a short
skirt and a top just under the breasts. In the morning I told the dream to my
friends -I didn't open my eyes so that I would keep the image in my mind. When
I opened them I was taken aback: one of the friends in front of me was wearing
a light orange blouse made of lace, exactly the same colour and material as in
the dream. She wore light blue trousers and white shoes. (c7f)21/ I am walking
around the room which looks like one in an old cottage -two little rooms and a
door opposite the windows. I go from the windows to the door and back -it is
quite dark there, so that I
don't see the furniture well. On the window sill there is some kind of
paper which I am supposed to sign -then I will be married. But I don't know
whether I should sign it. Inside I know that I shouldn't, but it is already
agreed. Feeling of being forced. (c7f)22/ In the middle of the night on a
journey to Brno. I don't know if I am going to have a place to sleep but I
don't mind. Suddenly I find myself at a famous painter's who doesn't live at
Brno. She is decorating a ceiling in a nice white colour, under the white a
blue pattern shows through. It is very nice, ornaments, plastic pattern; the
view of the ceiling is beautiful. (c8f)23/ I have a task to choose a present
for the fighter against fascists. In the shop a shop-assistant is showing a net
to me, but the net gets on his head and for a while he is hanging like a
hangman. But he gets out of it. Then I am choosing a dark blue case, velvet
inside, probably there are some medals inside. (c8f)24/ I am coming from work.
A doctor appears that I know. She is 52 and in her 6th month of pregnancy, she
has two adult sons already. They have conceived a child in their old age for
pleasure, it suits her. There is a mess at work. I go outside:there
is nice white snow. (C8f)25/ I am on a sandy beach, there are two huge cake
corpuses of 1,5 m in diameter and a huge bowl with yellow cream. I divided the
cream into two parts with a big 1 metre long knife. I meant to make the other
part of the cream brown and then put the two cake corpuses together. (C9f)26/
About dolphins, lying in a shop on the counter. Even though I have been
vegetarian a long time, I wanted to buy a dolphin to eat, without any guilt. I
took a big knife and started to slice it crosswise. (c10f)27/ We are going with
my 12 yr old son by underground, one carriage is armoured and the train goes
smoothly out into the open landscape where everything is fresh, everything is
growing and blooming. There is another train coming towards us, it seems that
the trains are going to crash, I want to jump out with my son, but at the last
moment the trains avoid each other and I wake up with relief. (c11f)28/ I am
expecting the arrival of my 7 year old son. The room I am waiting in is small,
dark (as if an old-fashioned inn). From various corners I can hear giggling,
which I don't understand. When I ask about it I get a mocking answer "look
forward to it, you'll see....". My son enters the room. It is a shock: he
is the same size, but he has a body of a builder or a miner -black, all
muscles. He is looking at me with big eyes and I feel aversion, love, guilt.
Feeling: the situation forces me to allow a small child to work. (c12f)29/ A
group of people is standing on the staircase leading down a deep black cellar.
They agree that it is necessary to tell one person that he is doing something
bad, leading a bad life. The stairs end with around iron gate which is rimmed
by a white strip (as in a barracks). The man is coming, other people disappear
and I stay alone. I know that I have to tell it to him. I find myself on a
slide, leading downwards. It's big, shiny, wooden, I am sliding very quickly,
whooping like a child. I jump right in front of him and tell it to him. I turn
my back at the slide, it seems dangerous. (c12f)30/ While I am looking for my
youngest son I can see a strange small child walking in the middle of the road
full of traffic. Danger. A stranger saves the child. The parents of the child
are coming, they are drunk. The stranger has a white plastic bag and in it very
big and thick cigarette ashes and remains
of black rollers. I am scolding the parents because of the child. They
answer that their hands are full. I tell them "hands full of such rubbish,
couldn't you throw it away!?" and he pointed to the edge of the road where
there are meadow flowers, heath and about 5 pieces of various minerals -black,
shiny, beautiful. A bit like coal and gold. (c12f)31/ I am a member of a
theatre group, a newcomer. We are going to play to a different town. I am
wearing peculiar lacquer-green dress (stiff -probably starched). It is heavy
like a stone. I don't know what I am going to play. I have chosen a small role
of a waitress who is reading a menu from a "green tree" (in Czech the
wordmenu means leaf). I have stage fright, even
though I know that if they forget about me or leave me out nothing happens.
(c12f)32/ Meeting with Ondra's father (I am divorced,
Ondra is my son from the first marriage) and his
wife. They tell me that Ondra is 16 this year and he
is coming to the Czech Republic for a holiday. I don't understand it. We are
sitting around the fire, everybody has been sleeping already. I am putting a
pile of stones into a column -they fit beautifully into each other. It is
snowing and gradually the snow covers everything up. All wake up. I have
noticed that Petr's (Ondra's
father) wife looks like his mother. I can see her varicose veins. We are
leaving. I go first through the snow, Petr with his
wife follow me. They walk into black mud, they want to go straight ahead, don't
want to obey me when I say they have to avoid it. They do not listen to me and
disappear in the mud. We try to save them. We feel sorry for them. (c12f)33/ I
was thinking about the dream all day. I suffered a lot, anguish, as if I should
split up, crack. I was in the hospital: my family and a lot of doctors were
there. It lasted a long time -I was awake, but not able to do anything. All the
time I was experiencing a terrible pain -torment. Towards morning all the
people left to agree on what to do with me. I was totally alone in the dark of
some room which looked like a grotto (den). Suddenly it started to twitch in my
right leg, in the knee. Two holes appeared and from these tapeworms (in
appearance) started to crawl out. They were plastic -I felt extreme relief. One
was white and the other black. From each hole about 5 articulations were
sticking out. Then the doctors came back with the family. They detested the
tapeworms. I was calming them down saying everything was all right, that they
only had to be pulled out. (c12f)34/ I was passing a table: there was a piece
of paper on it with the name of the remedy on it. I was curious but at the same
time didn't want to look -then I saw the name -Albumin. (c13f)35/ I was in the
house. Next to me there were two little boys sitting holding hands -I know the
boys. One was saying that he liked fat meat, the other that he didn't. They
started to cry because for some reason they had to come to an agreement about
it. I felt under terrible pressure from them, so that I couldn't stand it any
more. I pushed away their hands and they ran away. I said they had to come to
an agreement without me. I ran away to the garden where I was looking for an
armchair where I would sit and relax. (c35f)Welsh dreams36/ Dream of a large
flat square scale rather like a vet's scales only smaller with a message in
blue neon light travelling from right to left across the front edge of scale:
reading check your weight before stepping on. Woke with feeling of heat in my
feet and shivering over most of my body. Then felt again I was lying at an
angle, this time with my feet raised and head lower -I was awake -lasted about
5 mins. Everything felt a bit upside down -out of
balance -ie turned around. It's as if the balance is
wrong, all to do with balance. (w1f)
37/ About children -almost teenagers -a large group waiting -getting
restless, out of hand. They decided they wanted to go outside -I say you can't,
we won't know where you are. However then hit on the idea of putting out
cushions for them to sit on and then they all settled down; before this they
were getting out of hand, hyperactive. To me it all seemed to be about
boundaries, you have to put up a boundary otherwise people won't know -ie regulation will result in safety. They needed to know
how far they could go; putting down the cushions meant they could calm down.
(w1f)38/ All of a sudden a voice said "if you take two words away it's out
of balance and you have to put two back. This seems to be the theme of whole
proving for me: it's all to do with balance. (w1f)39/ Felt as though I dreamed
all night. Nothing spectacular but many people from my past appeared in the
dreams -especially from past working life. The themeswere
jumbled (w2f)40/ In a second seemingly very long dream. Again peopled with
individuals from my past. A school friend who I have not seen for 2 decades was
my "friend" in the dream and my first husband's step brother (not
seen for 15 years) was her mother in the dream. My friend and I were sharing
books and information and staying at a large mansion belonging to her
"mother". We were getting on well to begin with but my relationship
with her "mother" began to deteriorate. The house began to fill withother people and there seemed to be a sort of house
part in progress. There were also builders working on it supervised by my
friend Mark (presently working on my house in reality). The last scene in the
dream was of me packing all my things and preparingfor
a hasty departure as I could not bare the relationship with my friends
"mother" anymore. It was an emotional and difficult scene but I was
adamant that I must leave as the situation was untenable. (w2f)41/ Deep sleep,
several dreams. One in particular involved a strange
"sculpture"/object. It was like a 3-D oblong matrix which pulled
apart and then could be fitted together perfectly to make a seamless grey
metallic structure of great beauty and symmetry. The nature of this thing is so
far out of my usual experience that I have not adequate words to describe it
-especially the 3-D aspect of it -it was almost "Escher-like" in its
impossibility. I have the impression that the structure had been made for me
but the reasons why were not revealed. (w2f)42/ A second dream again involved
figures from my past -university life, old neighbours etc. It was rather like a
series of tableaux, not having any coherent theme, but bringing in these
figures in various contexts and situations (ie
driving in a car, in a lounge, in someone's house etc). (w2f)43/ Very heavy
dream! Involved me leaving a "meeting" with people I knew and coming
out into the road where I saw a "chrysalis" type structure (but round
rather than the usual shape) upon the ground. As I watched it, it turned into a
flat golden fish and then back into a chrysalis. I picked it up in my left had
and as I held it, it began to change again only this time into a snake. The snake
bit the centre of my left palm and it was very painful. After the biting some
period of time must have passed and when I looked down at my naked body I was
covered with a rash of tiny silver blisters in an amazingly beautiful pattern.
However I began to feel ill and my partner took me to some institution
(hospital, surgery?). I pointed out to the man some of the blisters on the back
of my left arm -they had become very large and full of pus. As he looked at
them, some burst and the fluid in them touched him. The last scene in the dream
before the clock went off was of Toby and I in this institutional room and as
he turned away from me I could seen that down his back was a drift and
patterning of tiny silver blisters. (w2f)44/ Dream about inheriting a house
that had belonged to an old man. Inside the house was very dirty
and dilapidated. There were 20-30 milk bottles (empty) standing around
with other detritus upon the cluttered tables and what seemed like work
benches. The place was very dark and the window small. It was not a very nice
place but somehow I felt at home there -orat least
comfortable being there. Did not wake with any other specific details. (w2f)45/
Mixed dreams -no major themes, some family in dream but also quite a few
strangers. One dream about skin reactions to essential oils (w2f)46/ Lots of
dreams, butfragmented. One in particular remembered.
I consulted someone about my itchy skin and was told to take urtica urens! The words "urtica urens" were repeated
over and over again for a period of time. (w2F) (NB prover
is a herbalist)47/ At a swimming partyon the Menai Straits, but there were cliffs there; the tide was
strong, going out. There were lots of people there swimming. My mother was
there, and she pointed out that the water was filthy (bits of shit on surface).
I dived in to water. People started shouting and there was a sense of danger. I
was being dragged towards something by the current (?) at great speed. But then
managed to disentangle myself and swim on. I was quite unconcerned! (w4f)48/
Lengthy, very involved dream. Involved taking a new car to Bangor from the
country with some other people. We wanted to go along a very small country
lane. There was new surfacing going on but this was very crude and rough -I
kept asking myself "why are we doing this?". We ended up walking the
last part -I went on my own for part of the way, along a stream bed. This
entered a cave, so I followed it and went underground. I eventually came to
another stream running at right angles to mine. This one was much larger and
faster than the one I was on and would have been very dangerous to cross -it
entered another tunnel on my right and disappeared in tot he depths of the
mountain. I was frightened and had to retreat. (w5m)49/ Dream concerned
unblocking ditches to allow water to flow. A comment was made by someone to me
"my family always keeps things on the level". (w5m)50/ Another was
involved in a javelin throwing competition -everyone had three goes -I won my
event. The odd thing about the javelin area was that it was crooked. (w5m)51/
Vague, but along the lines of a car race up-hill! Lots of people helping the
race competitors (w6m)52/ Vague, but to do with a medical room. (w6m)53/
Skiing: lots of snow and very pleasant. (w6m)54/ Another pleasant dream: on
holiday with the family -lots of fun, laughter and sun. (w6m)55/ Being taught
to paint on glass -a good laugh. (w6m)56/ Another nice dream: all to do with
conservation and renovation of an old building. (w6m)57/ Dreamt of a lot of
people. Kept seeing a guy with long hair -about 40; I knew him as a child. In
the dream I could see him as a younger person. But when I awoke this person
didn't exist -ie the person didn't exist in real
life, not someone she knew. I remember saying to someone "do you recognise
him?". Summary: dream is of a facefrom the past
but that that person does not exist. (w7f)
58/ With relations, including Cyril (= father in law). Cyril was as he
is now, but there was also another Cyril. I was saying to someone "how can
there be two Cyrils?" Then someone said "if
you look closely you will see they are the same" (even though apparently
different). (w7f)59/ I was inside the booth you pay at in a garage. 3 men were
trying to get inside to hurt me -there were also other people in the booth. We
were pushing against the doorto keep them out -they
were pushing to get in. I had to use my penknife to try and keep them away;
gingerly stabbing them; we managed to lock the door. They tried the windows and
then seemed to go away. We slept for a bit and then woke -beginning to getlight; suddenly they were back and were gong to cover
the openings / vents etc to cut off the air supply. (w8f)60/ Violent and
fearful dream; my head being cut by something; I tried to get help, a brain
scan etc in a hospital -but they didn't seem to be concerned, said I would have
to wait -only I was aware of how serious it was. But gradually felt the injury
improving, repairing itself. (w8f)61/ A strange dream -acting in a play; I was
locked in a room and someone set fire to it and I couldn't get out. (w9m)62/
Trying to arrange the layout for a document. Trying to fit a picture on a page
with text but the picture won't fit on. Feeling anxious and disappointed when I
wake up. (w10f)63/ Dream of keeping notes on the proving -I have to write
neatly and put labels on the notes. My notes are very scruffy. I tear pages out
of the notebook but it looks a mess. I look in a bag for a new notebook but
although the ones I open look unused they actually contain other people's
notes. I don't want to read them as they might be embarrassing. I can't work
out why I've got hold of these -was I given them to look after at the end of
the session? (w10f)64/ I'm writing my remedy notes on a creamy deep piled
carpet in blue biro. The writing is full of loops. The carpet is by the large
window in my mum's sitting room. The writing takes up from one end of the wall
to the other. I'm worried about what she'll say if she finds out but carry on
writing. (w10f)65/ In a department store with sister, looking in a glass case
of expensive very fine suede shoes. The shoes are very expensive -£160 is
written on a ticket. I think to self: why can't she make do with a pair for
£20? (w10f)66/ In an old fashioned train going down a steep hill. The train
stops on a bridge going over the valley. Me + 2 others leave the train to go
and get help. We use wheel chairs to ride down the hillside on a zigzag path. I
have problems ?? a wheel chair the right size but eventually I ?? one and set
off. The next part is hazy -we manage to save the train and there is a reunion
in a kitchen. (w10f)Mind67/ I went to my room, I felt sad, that I don't belong
anywhere (os), not even to the nature outside. I feel
uprooted, as if from a different world, from a different time (ns). I don't feellike doing anything, nothing is worth it. But I am
willing to yield to anything and anybody. Feeling of total resignation and
sadness (ns). (c4f)68/ Sitting at the fire in a good mood, remembered how I
tried to start a fire at the age of 12 and
burnt myeye lashes and brows. Nostalgic mood
when singing, remembered romantic loves from the age of 15 to 20, when it was
not about sex but romanticism, touches, songs, poetry. Tendency to cover the
ears. Wanted to say all this to my neighbour, but it seemed to me that I saw an
empty seat, despite the fact I realised she was sitting there. (c9f)69/ When
going to the shop: asking people, including K, what they wanted me to buy.
Bought ice cream for many people, but forgot biscuits for K. K came late to the
lecture; I started to feel very ashamed for my behaviour, strong feelings of
guilt. I wanted to explain and apologise. (c9f)70/ Feeling isolated all day
long. Words and questions come at me as violation. (c13f)71/ A feeling that my
body had disappeared -very light -did not want to speak -feeling that I would
not be able to. Wanted to get up and help with tea but felt unable to -body too
heavy. (w1f)72/ Feeling I was lying in bed at an angle across the bed (w1f)73/
When at K's front door -I got the end of the words mixed
up -ie transposed from one end to the other. Feel all
symptoms -physical, visual and dreams -amount to the same thing -ie everything is out of balance. (w1f)74/ While driving
car, felt very aware that I was gripping the steeringwheel
hard -body and legs felt very rigid -was aware of the acute angle of my legs to
my body (lasted about 20 mins). Gripping the steering
wheel too tightly was to do with the "angle of the body". (w1f)75/
Driving along -saw beer can in middle of road -wanted to pick it up so that the
oncoming cars would not run over it and hurt it; also the same feeling about a
piece of rope. I felt as if they had feelings -I experience this with birds and
animals all the time but never with objects. (w1f)76/ Sensation of aggressive
impatience came in waves -became first response to stimuli. An intolerant mood
quite out of character. (w3m)77/ Body felt as if much taller than usual, along
way from the ground. Feeling of towering over people and things (ns). (w4f)78/
Feeling of oppression; had to go outside and be in the open, gaze at the
garden; needed space, felt closed in, restless.79/ Urge to do violence with a
knife (ns). Was washing up, partner was on phone. Picked up the bread knife and
in a flash had this urge to cut his throat. Had a vision of doing it and what
it would look like. Quite unnerving. (w4f)80/ (Just on rising, 0800). A
prolonged waking up. Just want to sit and stare, no wish to go to work. This
makes me thing of old age. An indifference to everything, a blank staring into
space. Also physically, a sort of numbness, heaviness. No enthusiasm for work,
not exactly indolence, more an indifference to it. This persisted throughout
day. Wonder perhaps if stillness is not the best word, lack of activity. Not an
unpleasant space to be in. (2200) Tired -sitting and couldn't really be
bothered to go upstairs and have a shower. (w5m)81/ Have been talked into going
rock climbing tomorrow -something that would never cross my
mind, although it isnot happening against my
will! (w5m)82/ Very willing to argue, but when I became angry I said things
from an emotional rather than a logical background. (w6m)83/ Picked up a
hitch-hiker -can't believe I did this -first time for everything! (w6m)84/ Went
climbing pm -not happy about it. Felt quite clear about what I was doing but
made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes -eg climbing
in the rain, not doing the harness up. Couldn't see why it happened, explain
it. (w9m)PhysicalsHeada/ pain, pressive,
vertex: w8f, w10fSight & Eyesa/ "foggy"
vision: c2fx2; c11f; c13f(dimmed)b/ sharper vision: c3f: (close up); c5m.c/
pain behind eyes as though nettles being dragged along: w9md/ stinging pain in
eyes: w6m (prover attributes this to dryness -also
skin -almost as if dehydrated.Hearing &
Earsa/distortedc6f: as if hearing different words to the ones saidc13f: voices
in the dining hall merge together into humming, from the humming some voices
come out very clearly. The voice of my friend next to me comes from a bigger
distance than the voices farther away. The voices sound as if I was closed in a
soft space and they were softly filling the space.Limbs
in Generala/ as if the knuckles and back of the left
hand would explode: c12fSkina/Amelioration of existing stitching/stinging
pains:c1f: in legs.w12m: possible prophylaxis effect for one prover.w9m: midge
bites that have been itching all day stop (immediately after remedy) -this
persisted until day 5.b/ Appearance of new stinging pains: c1f.
c/ Appearance of an itching sensationc9f: itching on the left thigh,
then to right, tendency to scratch for a long time.c11f: itching eruption
(small papulae) right lower abdomen.w6m: itching left
lower calf, quickly became bloodshot-after 1 min another smaller area started
higher up calf. Three weeks later more general itching: elbows, thighs, backs
of hands feet and back.w9m: itching all over body (day 6 to 10).w2f: day 13:
skin itching throughout day, esp legs and arms, <
night, no obvious cause. persists to day 17 (records stop).d/ Formicationc6f:On
chin and lips (os from 15 yrs); left half of jaw,
mouth and left shoulder and shoulder blade (day 3). In left hand (day 4); also
from left shoulder blade to arm; more general formication
of hands over several days.c10f (supervisor): formication
of half of forehead.c12f: whole of left side of body formicating -also
sensation of contraction.e/ persistence of old nettle
stings: w12mf/ old bite re-started to sting: w3mg/skin becoming bloodshot:
w6mCured CasesIn order to fully understand this
remedy and to make it fully useful in practice it is vital that cured cases are
reported and published. If you have any cured cases please let the homoeopathic
community know about them.
About North Wales Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogenous metamorphic rock that
derives originally from shale- type sedimentary rock composed of clay or
volcanic ash. The Welsh slate industry began during the Roman period, when it
was used to roof the fort at Segontium now called
Caernarfon. The industry grew slowly until the early 18th century but then
expand rapidly until the late 19th century. During this time the most important
areas producing slate were in North West Wales, where slate was mined not
quarried. Penrhyn
and Dinorwig were the two largest slate quarries in
the world and Oakeley mine was the largest slate mine
in the world.
Slate is mainly used for roofing, but can also be used in thicker slabs
for other uses such as flooring.
Up until the late 18thcentury slate was extracted by quarry men on a
minor scale, they paid a royalty to the landlord, they carted the slate to
ports and shipped it to England, Ireland and France. This took a turn when
landowners began to operate the quarries themselves. The government abolished
slate duty in 1831.
The narrow gauge railways were built causing rapid expansion and the
railway being used to transport the slate to the relevant ports. The economy of
the Northwest was dominated by the slate industry in the late 19th century. In
1898 seventeen thousand workmen produced half a million tons of slate. Between
1900 and 1903 an industrial dispute at the Penrhyn
quarry led to a decline in slate. During the First World War the number of men
employed by the industry saw a dramatic decrease. Whilst the great depression
led to the closure of many small quarries. The competition from other roofing
materials saw the closure of most of the larger quarries during the 1960’s and
1970’s.
The term slate was also used for various objects made from slate rock
from a single roofing tile to a writing slate. This was traditionally a smooth
piece of rock, framed in wood and used with chalk to record charges in pubs and
inns. The term ‘clean slate and ‘blank slate’ derives from this use.
Slate is extremely durable for the use in buildings and can last for
several hundred years. It has low water absorption, which makes it resistant to
frost damage and breakages in freezing temperatures with natural slate also
being fire resistant and energy efficient.
Today slate has many uses from interior and exterior flooring, stairs,
walkways and wall cladding. It has other
uses too, it is a good electrical
insulator and is fireproof, and was used
to construct early 20th century electric switchboards and relay controls for
large electric motors. It was used for laboratory worktops due to its thermal
stability and chemical inertness. As many of us know from our school days slate
was also used as a black board during teaching, and in areas where high quality
slate was available it was used for commemorative tablets and tombstones.
History
The Diffwys quarry was the first largest
quarry in the area (1720). The landowners allowed individuals to quarry there
for a yearly rent and a royalty on the slates produced. The first landowner to take ownership of his
working slates was Richard Pennat. Lord Penhryn opened
a quarry during the same year and by 1792 was employing 500 men and producing
15000 tons of slate per year. Other quarries in Wales went in the same way and
were bought by the landowners or under other management. In 1974 the government imposed a 20% tax on
all slate sales causing the Welsh producers to be at a disadvantage as the
inland producers could use the canal network to distribute there products. No
tax was put on slate going overseas. In
1831 slate duty was abolished, by 1843 the Padarn railway
became the first quarry railway to use locomotives to transport slate. Other railways lines soon followed in
pursuit.
Machinery was gradually introduced to make it easier and this was
implemented at Blaenau Ffestiniog slate here was less
brittle. The slate mill evolved between 1840 and 1860 and was powered by a
single line shaft that ran along the building bringing together operations such
as sawing, planning and dressing. John greaves invented the greaves-sawing
table to produce blocks for the splitter. In 1879 a period of uninterrupted
growth came to an end when the slate industry was hit by a recession. By 1892
growth began to rise and this was mainly from the Blaenau Ffestiniog
quarry. However in 1917 slate quarrying was declared as none essential industry
and a number of quarries were closed for the remainder of the First World War.
The out break of world war two led to a severe drop in the trade and the
number of men employed in the slate industry dropped substantially. The demand for slate dropped as imports from,
France, Italy and Portugal increased. The decline of slate dropped in wales and in 1955 the Diffwys
quarry at Blaenau Festiniog closed. With further quarries in Wales following in suit. By 1972 the number of men employed at the
North Wales quarries were down to under a 1000, with little alternative
employment in the slate producing areas, resulting in the high number of
unemployment and population decreasing, due to young people moving away to find
work. During the 1980’s there was an increase for demand of slate, with
production coming from Blaenau Ffestining area. To
date the Penrhyn quarry is still producing slate and
is owned and operated by the Welsh Slate Ltd. Its opponent the Greaves Welsh
Slate Company produces roof slates and other slate products from Llechwedd quarry.
Folklore /Mythology
Curses were commonly inscribed on slates, and cursing wells were also
not uncommon in Wales but for it to be effective it had to have a northern
exposure. With Slate being considered
appropriate material for cursing, possibly due to its leaden colour. At the Anglesey ‘cursing well’ they would
present the slate with the name of the person that they wanted to be
cursed. The curser would then crawl
around the well against the path of the sun, uttering appropriate curses.
Cultural
The welsh slate industry was predominantly a Welsh speaking industry,
with the majority of the work force being from local areas of North of Wales.
The industry had considerable effect on the culture of the areas surroundings
the quarries, but also for Wales itself.
‘Caban’ or as we know it ‘Cabin’ was where the
quarry men would gather for their lunch and was often a scene of many
discussions, that would be formally minuted. Eisteddfodau is a welsh festival of
literature and music, these were held and poetry was composed and discussed,
with the larger quarries even having their own band.