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LIBRARY

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 MESMERISM;

HISTORY, PHENOMENA, AND PRACTICE

REPORTS OF CASES

DEVELOPED IN SCOTLAND.

" It is a very obvious principle, although often forgotten in the pride of prejudice
and of controversy, that what has been seen by one pair of human eyes, is of force to
countervail all that has been reasoned or guessed at by a thousand human under-
standings." Da. Chalmers.

" While an unbounded credulity is the part of a weak mind, which never thinks nor
reasons at all, an unlimited scepticism is the part of a contracted mind, which reasons
upon imperfect data, or makes its own knowledge and extent of observation the stand-
ard and test of probability." -Abbrcrombib on the Intellectual Powers.

EDINBURGH:
FRASER AND CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE.
W. S. ORR AND CO. LONDON.
W. CURRY, JUN., AND COMPANY, DUBLIN.
MDCCCXLIII.
KDINBURGH PRINTED BY T. CONSTABLE,
:

PRTNTER TO HER MAJESTY.

 /3 4-

PREFACE.

Men have differed, and will probably continue to

differ, regarding the theories which have been based
upon the curious phenomena known under the name
of Mesmerism ; but as to the reality of the more im-
portant of the phenomena themselves more espe-
cially those witnessed in the alleviation of human
suffering few impartial inquirers can long remain
in doubt.
The following pages have not been written with
the view of supporting any theory, new or old, ex-
planatory of Mesmerism, but principally for the pur-
pose of contributing to the stock of facts which
have from time to time been laid before the public.
The original intention of the writer was, merely
to bring together, in a connected form, the reports
of certain cases, which had attracted a consider-
able degree of attention. It afterwards occurred to
him, that a brief glance at the past history of
Mesmerism, with some account of what had recently
been accomplished in various parts of the country,
accompanied by descriptions of the processes in
use among the most experienced Mesmerisers, so
IV PREFACE.
as to form a manual of the science, might be
sort of
acceptable to a numerous body of readers. A work
of this kind, in a cheap and portable form, is so evi-
dently a desideratum, that he trusts no apology for
its appearance is necessary.
The work has been divided into nine chapters. The
first contains a brief sketch of the past history of
Mesmerism. In the second, some account is given of
the theories which have been entertained by various
writers on Mesmerism. The third is devoted to the
Mesmeric phenomena and states. The application of
Mesmerism to Medical Science is treated of in a po-
pular form in the fourth chapter ; and reports are
given, from authoritative sources, of numerous cases
in which this agency has been useful in surgical
operations, and in the cure of disease. The fifth
chapter, the longest in the volume, is occupied with
reports of cases which have recently occurred in
Scotland. Of two of these, some slight notices
have already appeared, but they are now reported in
a much more complete form. Dr. Mitchell's journal
of the most important of the cases that of Isabella
D can scarcely fail to be perused with interest.
In the sixth chapter, copious directions are given,
from the works of the most eminent writers, as to the
different methods of producing Mesmeric sleep, in-
cluding what Mr. Braid has termed Hypnotic or
Nervous Sleep. The topic of the seventh chapter
might have been included with the other Mesmeric
phenomena in a previous part of the volume, but as
the phenomena, classed under what
is denominated

Phreno-Mesmerism, continue to be the subject of

 PREFACE. V
much controversy, it has been thought better to
discuss them separately. The highly curious and
interesting Mesmeric experiments on the Brute
Creation, by Dr. Wilson, physician to the Middlesex
Hospital, are detailed at some length in the eighth
chapter. In the ninth, the work is brought to a
close, with a few general remarks.

Such is a slight outline of the contents of the succeed-

ing pages, in which Mesmerisers of the old, as well
as of the more modern schools, have, as much as pos-
sible, been permitted to speak in their own language.
The subject is as yet too little understood in all its

bearings, even by the best informed, to authorise

dogmatic and decisive assertion ; and although
there is much in the works of the older authors,
which runs counter to the ideas of some of more
recent date, it has not been considered necessary,
on that account, to exclude the opinions of either
from these pages. To all a free field has been given,
and the writer is desirous of being understood as
giving a place to opinions which have been pro-
mulgated by men, who, while they have certain
points of agreement, yet differ on certain others, and
not as himself adopting in toto the doctrines of any
particular school. He does not hesitate to avow his
belief in the ordinary phenomena of Mesmerism as
described in this volume, and in the works' of many
authors who have written on the subject. With re-
gard to other phenomena, such as those occurring in
the case of Isabella H , he does not venture to
offer an opinion. He will merely say, respecting
this case, that it has been fairly stated, and that the
gentlemen whose evidence is given are incapable of
 ;

VI PREFACE.
committing to paper what they do not believe to be
strictly true. He may further add, that the narra-
tive of the curious incident, atpage 134, was seen
and marked by him with his initials in May 1843,
and he has since been shown the original of the letter
received in the succeeding July, from the reverend
gentleman on the other side of the Atlantic. In
avowing a belief in Mesmerism, the writer is well
aware that few laurels are to be won. The Rev. Mr.
Townshend has aptly remarked,
" All the circumstances which are unfavourable to
Mesmerism end in one fatal word, contempt.
Every thing tends to raise a laugh at its expense
and against a laugh who shall have the courage to
contend? This is the last possible degradation.
Men love the mysterious and the proscribed, but they
shrink from the ridiculous. They can bear to be
thought wicked, but not to be deemed fools ; they
will endure to be hated, but not to be despised.
Now, Mesmerism has become not merely a persecuted,
but a ridiculous faith. There is no pomp of circum-
stance about it to uphold the proselyte who is called
upon to defend it to the death. The glory of martyr-
dom for its sake, is done away. There is no dig-
nity in suffering in such a cause."
The love of truth, however, and the desire for its

diffusion, will induce men to brave even the penal-

ties of such a position as Mr. Townshend has des-
cribed. With the late Richard Chenevix, the writer
is prepared to exclaim, u To me (and before many
years the opinion must be universal) the most extra-
ordinary event in the whole history of human science
is, that Mesmerism ever could be doubted." And,
 PREFACE.

with the Rev. Mr. Townshend, he would say to the

student who on the threshold of the inquiry, " Lay
is

aside all prejudice connected either with the origin,

name, or injudicious exposition of Mesmerism, and
try the subject, wholly and impartially, upon its own
merits. Unalarmed by the apparent strangeness
and incongruity of the phenomena to be investigated,
we should call to mind how frequently ' appearances
of external nature, puzzling at first sight, and seem-
ingly irreconcileable with one another, have all been
solved and harmonised by a reference to some one
pervading principle,' and should thus be led to sur-
mise that the irregularity and variations of the Mes-
meric world may be found, upon mature observation,
less inexplicable than a careless spectator could ima-
gine. Even should this hope be long deferred, we
are not, on that account, to deny the reality of well-
attested facts. Are these things so ? is the one great
question which we have and to separate
to ask ; this

from all its accidental accompaniments is the first

step towards its satisfactory solution." Having truth

for a guide, and caring nothing for the sneers of the
ignorant or the prejudiced, let the inquirer proceed
boldly on his path, and whatever men may say of
him, his reward will not be wanting. Let him de-
clare, in the sturdy language of Luther, u I am for
tearing off every mask, for managing nothing, for
extenuating nothing, for shutting the eyes to nothing,
that truth may be transparent and unadulterated,
and may have a free course."
With the foregoing explanations, the writer com-
mits this little volume to the hands of the public.
There is too little in it of what can properly be
Vlll PREFACE,
termed authorship to warrant him in inscribing his
name on the title-page, but being neither ashamed
of his opinions, nor anxious for concealment, he gives
it in this place.

"William Lang.

] , Claremont Street, Royal Crescent,

Glasgow, August, 1843.


CONTENTS.

PREFACE.
CHAPTER I. Historical Sketch,

.... 1

Mesmerism Ancient in its Origin Van Helmont and

William Maxwell Cures of Levret, Valentine Great-

rakes, Dr. Streper, and Gassner Mesmer, his birth,
Studies medicine at Vienna, his appearance in Paris,

Negotiation for the purchase of his Secret French

Commission of 1784 Report by Jussieu the Marquis

de Puysegur Death of Mesmer Spread of Mesmer-

ism on the Continent of Europe Its Introduction
into Britain by Mr. Chenevix Works of Mr. Colqu-
houn Baron Dupotet
Dr. Elliotson The Rev.
Chauncy Hare Townshend Mr. Braid M. La
Fontaine's visit to Scotland, and its consequences
Spread of Mesmerism in Scotland.

CHAPTER II.Theories of Mesmer and Others, . 11

Mesmer's Theory Opinion of Mr. Colquhoun French

Commissioners of 1784 Opinions of Cuvier, Gall,
La Place, Dr. Elliotson, Rev. Mr. Townshend, and

Mr. Braid Phenomena true, whatever Theory may
ultimately be adopted.

CHAPTER III. Mesmeric Phenomena and States, 19

Conclusions of the Second French Commission Mes-

meric States according to Kluge Mr. Dove's Classifi-

cation Somnambulism, or Sleep- waking Extracts
from the Chevalier Ramsay, and from Wordsworth

Clairvoyance Opinions of Mr. Townshend and Dr.
Elliotson Remarks upon the latter by Mr. Dove

and Mr. Colquhoun Anecdote of Colonel Gurwood
Mesmerism ought not to be rejected as a whole,
even although Clairvoyance should be set aside.
X CONTEXTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER IV. Application of Mesmerism to Medical
Science, 37
Treatment of Galileo, Harvey, Sydenham, Ambrose
Pare, Paracelsus, Groenvelt, Lady Mary Wortley Mon-
tague and Innoculation, Jenner and Vaccination, the
Newtonian Philosophy, &c. Sir Walter Scott's and
Dr. TVollaston's Opinions regarding Gas Light Re-
ception of Percussion and Auscultation, of Prussic
Acid, Quinine, and other remedies Mesmerism not
worse treated than other Sciences like it founded on

Truth Resolution of the Council of University Col-
lege, London
Mr. Colquhoun's ideas of certain Mem-

bers of the Medical profession Opinions expressed by
certain of them, and their mode of proceeding Cases
in which Mesmerism has been employed M. Jules

Cloquet The Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society
Mr. Gardiner of Portsmouth Mr. Prideaux of

Southampton Mr. Carstairs of Sheffield Dr. Engle-

due of Southsea Dr. Charlton, Royal Marines Dr.

Elliotson Dr. Simpson of York Mr. Chandler of

Rotherhithe Mr. Braid Dr. Elliotson and theOkeys
The Examiner's Opinion of the Members of the Me-
dical Faculty
Sir Humphrey Davy Dugald Stewart
Future Conduct of the Medical Profession.

CHAPTER V. Cases.
Isabella D , 65
First case to which Mesmerism was applied in Scotland
as a curative agent
Dr. Mitchell's introductory nar-
rative
Journal Descriptions given by other gentle-

men who visited Patient Stoppage of the Mesmeric
treatment, and renewed illness of Patient Narrative
of illness, resumption of Mesmeric treatment, and re-
sults of a Sleep of ten days
Dismissal of Patient's
Father from his situation, and certificate granted by
his former employers
Patient continues well.

Isabella H , 1 13

Introduction Continuation of a former Narrative
Account given by an English gentleman Description

of a place of business Testimony of a fourth witness
The investigation continued by same gentleman
Singular statement regarding the Rev. Mr.
Letter from the Rev. gentleman in reply to his Cor-

respondent Account given by another gentleman
Mr. Robert Chambers's statement.
Mary M , 140
Catherine M , 145
Agnes G , 150


CONTENTS. XI

PAGE
Walter B ,
154
JanetS , 157

A Mesmeriser Mesmerised, 159

CHAPTER VI. Mesmeric Processes, . . .161

Mesmer's Method School of the Chevalier Barbarin

School of the Marquis de Puysegur Description in

Zoo-Magnetic Journal Deleuze's Instructions Dr.

Caldwell's Method Rev. La Roy Sunderland's pro-
cesses Rev. Mr. Townshend's Mode of Proceeding
Description by Professor Agassis A
Mesmeric Pile
Mr. Gardiner of Roche Court's Method Mr. Braid's
Mode of Hypnotising His
Manner of awakening Pa-
tients
Dr. Elliotson's Method His Opinion as to In-

jury from too frequent Mesmerising Mesmerism not

operative only upon the Feeble Opinions of Mr.
Townshend, Dr. Caldwell, and Mr. Braid, as to the

extent of Susceptibility in Man Mesmerism ought not
to be practised by the Ignorant or the Unwary.

CHAPTER VII. Phreno-Mesmerism, . . .182

Believed to have been discovered about the same time in

the United States and in England Rev. La Roy Sun-

derland- Mr. Spencer Hall Dr.Engledue s Address
r

Proceedings of Messrs. Mansfield and Gardiner Case

of a young lady Experiments performed by Mr. At-
kinson, Mr. Brookes, Mr. Prideaux, Captain Valiant,

and Dr. Elliotson Mr. Spencer Hall's Lectures Dr.
Elliotson's Account of two youthful Patients Case
described in Dr. Binn's Anatomy of Sleep Experi-
ments at Dr. Elliotson's House in May 1843 Cases
related by Mr. Braid, Mrs. Colonel , Miss S., a

Methodist Lady, Miss R. Opinion of Mr. Vandenhoff,

the Tragedian Case described by Mr. James Simp-

son Reference to Case of Agnes G Case of a

Boy Truth of the Manifestations proved, explain

them as we may Opinions of Dr. Elliotson and Mr.

Colquhoun Results of mentally expressed wish in the
Case of Catherine M Erroneous Manifestations

may be produced Mr. Braid's Theory regarding the

Phreno-Mesmeric manifestations Subsequent Com-

munication from Mr. Braid Extract from Smellie's

Philosophy of Natural History Mr. Braid's directions
for operating
Inquiries in progress will solve the dif-
ficulties which surround Phreno-Mesmerism.

CHAPTER VIII. Trials of Mesmerism on the Brute

Creation, 215
General allusions of the Rev. Mr. Townshend, Mr.

Braid, and others Anecdote of the Duke of Marl-
 1

XI CONTENTS.
PAGE

borough Statement of Mr. Borrow Experiments
performed by Dr. Wilson on Cats of various ages, a
Terrier, a Drake, three Ducks ; on Fish, viz., Roach,
Dace, Gudgeons, and Loach ; a large Scotch Terrier,
Bantam Cock and Hen, She-Goat, two Terriers, Din-
mont and Dandie, Chinese Gander, a common Goose,
a large Newfoundland Dog, three Macaws, a Stable
Cat, two Pigs, a Calf, a Waggoner's Dog, a Horse, a
Male and Female Elephant, and a Lioness.

CHAPTER IX. Concluding Remarks, . . .233

The Rev. Hugh M'Neile's denunciation of Mesmerism

Clerical and Medical alliance Extracts from Bailey

and Jobard Satanic Agency the Clerical bugbear
Medical Tactics of a different description Extracts

from Sir Gilbert Blane and Dr. Chalmers Mesmer-

ism of all others the Science of Facts Remark of

Mr. Chenevix Opinion of La Place Facts not the

less true because explanation is wanting Phenomena
of Clairvoyance Phreno-Mesmerism Harder to dis-
believe than to believe upon the evidence adduced
Obstacles raised by injudicious supporters of Mesmer-

ism Observations of the Rev. Mr. Townshend Ob-

jections answered Non-professional practisers of Mes-

merism Opinion of Dr. Ziermann Difficulties still

to be surmounted Opinion of Fourcroy Mesmerism,
like other truths, will ultimately have its day of tri-
umph.

ERRATUM.
Page 43. line 13, for Art of Love," rend All for Love."
 ;

MESMERISM.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORICAL SKETCH.

Mesmerism, or Animal Magnetism, or, to speak

with stricter accuracy, the peculiar agency to which
both of these names are occasionally applied, seems
to have been more or less known in those bygone
ages of the world, whose records or traditions have
come down to our time. Animal Magnetism was
the name given to this agency by Mesmer, to whom
the merit of reviving, and making it known in modern
times, belongs; but as the adoption of a doubtful
theory is thereby, in appearance at least, implied,
the less objectionable term of Mesmerism has latterly
been employed. Our glance at its past history will
be very brief.
Without attempting to trace back to more remote
periods those curious phenomena which we now class
under the general name of Mesmerism, it may be
mentioned, that early in the seventeenth century,
Van Helmont, a celebrated continental physician,
exhibited a knowledge of the subject in his writings
and, in the year 1679, our countryman, William
Maxwell, laid down propositions very similar to
A
2 MESMERISM.
those which, at an after period, were brought for-
ward by Mesmer.
Mr. Colquhoun states, in his learned work on Ani-
mal Magnetism,* that about the middle of the seven-
teenth century, there appeared in England a certain
gardener of the name of Levret, an Irish gentleman,
Valentine Greatrakes, and a Dr. Streper, who pro-
fessed to cure various diseases by stroking with the
hand. The cures performed in this manner by
Greatrakes are authenticated by the Lord Bishop
of Derry, and many other highly respectable indivi-
duals. The Royal Society accounted for them by
the supposition, that there existed " a sanative con-
tagion in Mr. Greatrakes' body, which had an anti-
pathy to some particular diseases, and not to others."
At a still later period, Gassner, a Catholic minister,
a native of Suabia, having taken up a notion that
many diseases arose from demoniacal possession, and
could be cured by exorcism, performed a number of
astonishing cures, especially among patients affected
with spasmodic and epileptic complaints. Many
other instances of a like character might be adduced,
exhibiting traces of this curious agency; but we
come, without farther preface, to the individual who,
in modern times, was the reviver of the science to
which his name has been given.
Frederick Anthony Mesmer was born in Switzer-
land on the 23d of May 1734. He studied medi-
cine at Vienna, where he obtained the degree of doc-
tor, and settled as a physician. marriage with a A
lady of fortune soon afterwards raised him above
some of the cares which attach to the young medical
practitioner.
From an early age, Mesmer is said to have mani-
fested a love of the marvellous ; and, in the year
* Isis Revelata : An Inquiry into theOrigin, Progress, and Pre-
sent State of Animal Magnetism. By J. G. Colquhoun, Esq.,
Advocate, F.R.S.E. Edinburgh. 1836.
 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 3

1766, he published a dissertation, On the Influence

of the Planets upon the Human Body. He assumed,
that the influence operated by electricity ; but find-
ing that agent inadequate to the solution of all the
phenomena, he afterwards abandoned it for magnet-
ism. In 1773, upon the suggestion of Maximilian
Hell, professor of astronomy at Vienna, he resorted
to the use of the magnet, which he applied in the
cure of various diseases. Ultimately he discovered
that the magnetic rods employed by him were power-
less, and that the healing power, whatever it might
be, was resident in himself. The rods were accord-
ingly abandoned, the effects being produced by cer-
tain passes.
Mesmer now began to assume a mysterious de-
meanour, and, in no small degree through his own
folly, so great a prejudice was created against him,
that in 1777 he departed from Vienna, and early in
the following year made his appearance in Paris.
There, besides making a convert of Dr. D'Eslon,
he performed many remarkable cures in the class
of distinguished persons, and his fame accordingly
spread with great rapidity throughout the gay cir-
cles of that city. The members of the medical pro-
fession, however, set themselves in resolute opposi-
tion to Mesmer, and for a time he retired to Spa,
but afterwards, upon the persuasion of his friends,
returned to Paris.
A negotiation was attempted for the purchase of
Mesmer s secret by the French Government ; but
this having failed, the sale was carried on to private
individuals at the rate of one hundred louis a head.
It was a condition of each sale that secrecy should
be maintained; but this was broken through, and
the knowledge of the facts propagated by Mesmer
was soon widely diffused, with the disadvantage of
having many corruptions grafted upon them accord-
ing to the fancies of various individuals. The prac-
4 MESMERISM.
tice of Mesmer savoured in itself sufficiently of
quackery, and some of his disciples seem to have
followed it up in a still more foolish manner.
In 1784, the French Government issued a royal
mandate to the medical faculty of Paris, requiring
them and the pretensions of
to investigate the facts
the new doctrine. of the members of this
The bulk
famous commission had prejudged the question, and
like too many of the medical men of our own time,
were resolved that they would not be convinced.
The name of the celebrated Franklin is attached to
the Report that was issued, although it should not
have been there, as he is said to have been indisposed
at the time, and to have given little attention to
what took place. It would serve little purpose at
this time of day to expose the inconsistencies of this
Report, and those who feel any curiosity on the sub-
ject will receive ample satisfaction by referring to
the pages of Mr. Colquhoun.
There was one commissioner who refused to con-
cur in the Report adopted by his brethren. Jussieu,
a physician of the highest eminence, who devoted
great attention to the investigation, published a
special report of his own, presenting an entirely dif-
ferent view, and conveying an infinitely more fa-
vourable impression of the subject.
The blow struck by the French Commissioners did
not entirely answer the expected purpose. The
question still continued to excite a high degree of
interest in that country, but the breaking out of the
Revolution, and the wars which followed that event,
turned the public attention in other directions.
The Marquis de Puysegur, one of the most intel-
ligent of Mesmer s disciples, to whom the science is
under deep obligations, was the first to describe the
state of somnambulism. The Marquis, both at Paris
and on his estate in the country, devoted himself
with the utmost zeal to the propagation of the science;
 HISTORICAL SKETCH.

and the system, as improved by him, was introduced

into Germany in 1787, through the instrumentality
of the celebrated physiognomist Lavater. Journals
devoted to animal magnetism were established in
France and Germany and in those countries, as well
;

as in Switzerland, the magnetic treatment has pre-

vailed, more or less, for the last fifty years.
Meanwhile, Mesmer had retired to his native
country, Switzerland, and his death took place on
the 5th of March, 1815, at Meersburg, on the Lake
of Constance. His last years were devoted to the
practice of the magnetic treatment, for the benefit of
the poor ; and he exhibited his own belief in its effi-
cacy as a remedy, by submitting to the treatment in
his last illness, and is said to have experienced from
it great relief.
Many men of the highest eminence on the Con-
tinent of Europe, despite the din of war around them,
devoted a considerable degree of attention to Mes-
merism, and in progress of time it began to be heard
of in the works of the great German physiologists,
Sprengel, Reil, Authenrieth, and others
names as
well known on
the Continent as those of Harvey or
Hunter in Britain. In 1817, the practice of Mes-
merism was by law ordered to be confined to the
medical profession in the Prussian dominions ; and
in 1818 the Academy of Sciences at Berlin offered a
prize of 3340 francs for the best treatise on Mesmer-
ism. In Denmark, and even in Russia, about the
same period, the subject was brought under inves-
tigation, and in the latter country a committee, ap-
pointed by the Emperor, declared it to be a most im-
portant agent. These things could not go on without
challenging investigation in France, from whence the
first report of a commission had emanated, and, accord-

ingly, in the year 1826, a new commission of inquiry

was appointed by the Royal Academy of Medicine of
Paris. Various obstructions were thrown in the
6 MESMERISM.
path of the Commission, but at length, in 1831, the
Report came forth, acknowledging to the full extent
the truth of Mesmerism, and adducing a vast body
of evidence in its behalf.
In Great Britain little was known of Mesmerism
down to this period. The unfavourable report of the
first French Commission was supposed to settle the
question, and the unhappy wars which ensued de-
prived us, to a great extent, during many years, of
the means of intercourse with the Continent. In
1828 and 1829, the late Mr. Richard Chenevix, a
gentleman of large fortune and a Fellow of the
Royal Society, exhibited experiments to many of the
most eminent scientific men in England; but he was
scarcely listened to, and, with the exception of Dr.
Elliotson, no one seems to have cared for his labours.
Mr. Chenevix published a series of papers, entitled
" On Mesmerism, improperly denominated Animal
Magnetism," in The London Medical and Physical
Journal for 1829, and he was preparing a larger
work for the press, but, unfortunately for the in-
terests of science, he was called away by death in
1830.
In 1833, Mr. Colquhoun published a translation
of the French Report of 1831, with a copious in-
troductory preface. The manner in which his at-
tention happened to be first called to the subject
is not a little instructive. A medical friend of Mr.
Colquhoun's, of high standing in Edinburgh, aware
of that gentleman's extensive acquaintance with con-
tinental languages, was in the practice of sending
him, from time to time, various French and German
publications. Struck with the fact that these were al-
most all on animal magnetism, Mr. Colquhoun asked
his friend one day why he kept sending him works on
that particular subject. " Because I wish you to take
it up," was the reply. " Surely," said Mr. Colquhoun
in return, "it lies much more in your way, as a
 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 7

medical professor, to do so ;
this is a question for
the physician and surgeon." The strange rejoinder
was, " There is Dot a medical man in Britain who
will dare to take up this subject." Whatever may
be thought of the pusillanimity of the medical profes-
sion, we cannot regret that circumstances should thus
have led to the services of Mr. Colquhoun being
secured in making Mesmerism known in this coun-
try. In 1836, Mr. Colquhoun published his Isis
Revelata in two volumes, a work which exhibits a
large extent of learning and research ; and the trans-
lation of the Report of the French Commissioners
may be consulted in the appendix to the second
volume. The author was regarded by the bulk of
men as an idle dreamer, or, at best, as a literary
man amusing himself with a speculative subject ; and
little progress was made in opposition to the almost
universal prejudice that was abroad.
In 1837, Baron Dupotet, who had practised Mes-
merism in France, came over to this country ; but
his efforts were disregarded, until Dr. Elliotson took
him by the hand. As has been already mentioned,
Dr. Elliotson had witnessed the experiments of Mr.
Chenevix, and was glad of an opportunity of renew-
ing his acquaintance with the subject. The re-
sults were of the most successful description, many
cures of a highly singular nature having been accom-
plished. The jealousy, however, of the medical pro-
fession was roused, and it was resolved that Mes-
merism should, if possible, be put down. In conse-
quence of insults, to which it was impossible to
submit, Dr. Elliotson resigned, in 1839, his profes-
sorship in University College, London; and he ceased,
at the same time, to be physician to the hospital.
Had he not been a man of great independence of
mind, he might have been compelled to succumb to
the cabal raised against him. Not only did he sa-
crifice the emoluments derived from the hospital and
8 MESMERISM.
the professorship, but his practice as a physician was,
at least for a time, seriously injured. His large
private fortune, however, happily enabled him to bid
defiance to the efforts of his opponents with less
inconvenience than might otherwise have been the
case ; and he continued his inquiries into Mesmerism
despite the frowns of his brethren of the profession.
The success which has attended Mesmerism as a
curative agent in the hands of Dr. Elliotson, Mr.
Braid, and others, will be alluded to in its proper
place in a succeeding chapter.
In 1840, the Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend,
published his Facts in Mesmerism.* Many cases
of a highly curious and instructive description are
recorded in Mr. Townshend's volume, which forms a
valuable contribution to the study of Mesmerism.
In 1841, M. La Fontaine, a French Mesmeriser,
came over to this country, and by his visit paved
the way for much of the success that has since
attended the subject in the hands of others.
While in Manchester, towards the close of 1841,
it so happened, that some of the conversaziones of

M. La Fontaine were attended by Mr. Braid, a

highly respectable medical practitioner of that town.
Attracted by what he saw, the subject was taken up
with the utmost zeal by Mr. Braid, and the fruits of
his labours are to be found in the work entitled
Neurypnology.\ Mr. Braid attempted to bring the
question forward at the meeting of the British Asso-
ciation, held in Manchester in 1842 ; but let it never
be forgotten, that his offer to read a paper, and to

* Facts in Mesmerism, with Reasons for a Dispassionate Inquiry

into it. By the Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend, A.M., late of
Trinity Hall, Cambridge. London Longman & Co. 1840.
:

*f<
Neurypnology ; or the Rationale of the Nervous Sleep, considered
in Relation with Animal Magnetism. Illustrated by numerous
cases of its successful application in the relief and cure of
disease. By James Braid, M.R.C.S.E., CM. W.S., &c. Lon-
don : John Churchill. 1843.
 HISTORICAL SKETCH. if

produce as many of the patients as possible, whose

cases were referred to in proof of the curative agency
employed, was contemptuously declined by the com-
mittee of the medical section Mr. Braid, we are
!

glad to say, undaunted by this unworthy treatment

on the part of his medical brethren, still continues
to persevere in the Mesmeric, or, as he terms it, the
hypnotic method of cure.
We have already alluded to the works published
by Mr. Colquhoun ; but the practical investigation
of Mesmerism may, we believe, be said to have been
first introduced into Scotland about the year 1839,

by Mr. Dove, the same gentleman whose lectures, at

a later period, assisted greatly in directing attention
to the subject. Mr. Dove's experiments performed
at that time were witnessed by Sir William Hamil-
ton, and by Dr. Simpson,* Professor of Midwifery in
the University of Edinburgh,
both of whom, it may
be incidentally mentioned, are believers in Mesmer-
ism,
as well as by others of scientific note. Soon
afterwards Mr. Dove left Edinburgh, to enter upon
a literary engagement in Glasgow ; and the prosecu-
tion of the inquiry was abandoned by him for a
time.
In the autumn of 1842, M. La Fontaine visited
Scotland, and although his audiences were not nume-
rous, and a considerable amount of rude opposition
was offered to him, there were nevertheless some who
profitedby what the lecturer presented to their obser-
vation. The phenomena of Mesmerism were then
witnessed for the first time by the editor of this little
volume, and by Dr. James B. Mitchell, a member of

* Dr. Simpson is the author of the sceptical article on Animal

Magnetism in the last edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, an
article which we have often heard referred to as conclusive
against the pretensions of Mesmerism. At the time the article
was written, Dr. Simpson knew nothing practically of Mesmer-
ism and although committed so prominently against it, he has
;

had the candour to confess, that formerly he was in error.

1 MESMERISM.
the medical profession, at that time resident in Glas-
gow. In order that he might follow up the investi-
gation, Dr. Mitchell procured an introduction to Mr.
Dove, as stated in another part of the work in the
account of the case of Isabella D . This case
was, so far as we are aware, the first of any import-
ance which occurred in Scotland. Some articles re-
garding it, and other cases which succeeded, were
published in the Glasgow Argus in the early part of
1 843, and attracted a large share of attention. In
this manner the first impetus was given to Mesmer-
ism in Scotland. Lecturers speedily sprung up, and
went forth in every direction ; and there is now no
community of the slightest importance in the north,
which does not contain a numerous body of believers
in the truths of Mesmerism. Indeed, the members of
the medical profession are the only individuals who
may still be said to stand aloof as a class; but as the
connection between Mesmerism and the healing art
is discussed in a separate chapter, we will now bring

this brief retrospect to a close.

 II

CHAPTER II.

THEORIES OF MESMER, AND OTHERS.

Various theories have been from time to time

promulgated in explanation of the extraordinary
phenomena of Mesmerism. It was assumed by Mes-
was a reciprocal influence continually
nier that there
subsisting between the heavenly bodies, the earth,
and animated nature, through the medium of a cer-
tain very subtile fluid pervading the whole universe,
and capable of receiving, propagating, and communi-
cating every impulse of motion. " The properties of
matter, and of organised bodies," says Mesmer, " de-
pend upon this operative principle. The animal
body experiences the alternative effects of this agent,
which, by insinuating itself into the substance of the
nerves, affects them immediately. The human body
exhibits properties analogous to those of the magnet,
such as polarity and inclination. The property of
the animal body, which renders it susceptible of this
influence, occasioned its denomination of Animal
Magnetism."
Mr. Colquhoun, after remarking that the profound
and interesting researches of those eminent physiolo-
gists, Reil, Authenreith, and Humboldt, have gone
far, not only to demonstrate the existence of a ner-
vous circulation, but even to render probable the ex-
ternal expansion of this circulating fluid, goes on to
say, "Were we, then, to admit the existence of
this nervous fluid, of its sensible atmosphere, and its
analogy in other respects to electricity, it does not
seem to be a very violent or unphilosophical hypo-


12 MESMERISM.
thesis topresume that, in certain circumstances, and
under certain conditions, it may be capable of being
directed outwards, by the volition of one individual,
with such energy as to produce a peculiar effect upon
the organization of another. This hypothesis, too,
appears to be supported by the fact, that individuals
possessing sound health and great nervous energy,
operate, in general, most effectually in the magnetic
treatment ,*
and that weak and diseased persons are
most susceptible of the magnetic influence, and ma-
nifest the most extraordinary phenomena. Almost
all the practitioners of Animal Magnetism, indeed,
seem to agree in this, that the magnetic treatment
operates principally, if not entirely, upon the nerv-
ous system, and particularly upon those nerves
which are situated in the abdominal region."
The decision of the French Commissioners of 1784,
which is generally supposed to have been utterly
hostile to Mesmerism, was in reality principally
directed against Mesmer's theory of a fluid. The
facts, or at least a numerous portion of them, were
admitted, the theory being the main point of attack.

The Commissioners tell us we follow the transla-
tion in Mr. Townshend's work
" That which we have learned, or at least that
which has been proved to us, in a clear and satisfac-
tory manner, by our inquiry into the phenomena of
Mesmerism, is, that man can act upon man at all
times, and almost at will, by striking his imagina-
tion ; that signs and gestures the most simple may
produce the most powerful effects ; that the action of
man upon the imagination may be reduced to an art,
and conducted after a certain method, when exercised
upon patients who have faith in the proceedings."
The French Commissioners explained the whole
phenomena by attributing them to the power of
imagination. The celebrated Cuvier, who fully
admits the truth of Mesmerism, writes on this point,
 THEORIES OF MESMER, AND OTHERS. 13

as quoted by Dr. Elliotson in his Human Physio-

logy,*
" We must confess that it is very difficult, in the
experiments which have for their object the action
which the nervous system of two different indivi-
duals can exercise one upon another, to distinguish the
effect of the imagination of the individual upon whom
the experiment is tried, from the physical result pro-
duced by the person who acts for him. The effects.,
however, on persons ignorant of the agency, and
upon individuals whom the operation itself has de-
prived of consciousness, and those which animals
present, do not permit us to doubt that the proxi-
mity of two animated bodies in certain positions,
combined with certain movements, have a real effect,
independently of all participation of the fancy. It
appears also clearly, that these effects arise from
some nervous communication which is established
between their nervous systems."
In allusion to an investigation into Mesmerism
made by the well-known Gall, Dr. Elliotson re-
marks :

" It being, however, impossible to deny such facts

of Mesmerism as occur in some nervous diseases, are

they to be ascribed to mere imagination an excite-
ment of the feelings by the gesticulations and proxi-
mity of the manipulator, or to the operation of an
unknown power ? Gall admits this power, and even
does not reject the hypothesis of its connection with
a fluid. ' How often in intoxication, hysterical, and

hypochondriacal attacks, convulsions, fever, and in-

sanity, under violent emotions, after long fasting,
through the effect of such poisons as opium, hemlock,
belladonna, are we not, in some measure, transferred
into perfectly different beings
for instance, into

* Humav Physiology. Bv John Elliotson, M.D., Cantab.,

F.R.S. Fifth Edition. London Longman & Co. 1840.
:
 4 ;

1 MESMERISM.
poets, actors, &c.'Just as in dreaming, the thoughts
'

frequently have more delicacy, and the sensations

are more acute, and we can hear and answer ; just
as, in ordinary somnambulism, we can rise, walk,
see with our eyes open, touch with the hands, &c.
so we allow that similar phenomena may take place
in artificial somnambulism, and even in a higher
degree.' c
We
acknowledge a fluid which has an
especial affinity with the nervous system, which can
emanate from an individual, pass into another, and
accumulate, in virtue of particular affinities, more in
certain parts than in others.' admit the ex-' We
istence of a fluid, the subtraction of which lessens,
and the accumulation augments, the power of the
nerves ; which places one part of the nervous system
in repose, and heightens the activity of another,
which, therefore, may produce an artificial somnam-
"
bulism.'
A rigid mathematician, La Place, observes, that
" of all the instruments which we can employ, in
order to enable us to discover the imperceptible
agents of nature, the nerves are the most sensible,
especially when their sensibility is exalted by parti-
cular causes. It is by means of them that we have
discovered the slight electricity which is developed
by the contact of two heterogeneous metals. The
singular phenomena which result from the external
sensibility of the nerves in particular individuals
have given birth to various opinions relative to the
existence of a new agent, which has been denomi-
nated animal magnetism, to the action of the com-
mon magnetism, to the influence of the sun and
moon in some nervous affections and, lastly, to the ;

impressions which may be experienced from the

proximity of the metals, or of a running water. It
is natural to suppose that the action of these causes

is very feeble, and that it may be easily disturbed

by accidental circumstances ; but because, in some



THEORIES OP MESMER, AND OTHERS. 15

cases,it has not been manifested at all, we are not

to conclude it has no existence. We are so far from
being acquainted with all the agents of nature, and
their different modes of action, that it would be quite
unphilosophical to deny the existence of the pheno-
mena, merely because they are inexplicable in the
present state of our knowledge."
Dr. Elliotson gives his own opinion in these
words :

" I have no hesitation in declaring my conviction

that the facts of Mesmerism which I admit, because
they are not contrary to established morbid pheno-
mena, result from a specific power. Even they are
sometimes unreal and feigned, and, when real, are

sometimes the result of emotion of imagination, to
use common language ; but, that they may be real
and independent of all imagination, I have seen quite
sufficient to convince me." And, after giving the
particulars of some cases, he thus proceeds :

" These are the phenomena which I have wit-

nessed. To ascribe them to emotion and fancy, to
suppose collusion and deception, would be absurd.
They must be ascribed to a peculiar power; to a
power acting, I have no doubt, constantly in all
living things, vegetable and animal, but shown in a
peculiar manner by the processes of Mesmerism."
These sentences appear in the second part of the
" Human Physiology," published in 1837, and Dr.
Elliotson adds in the concluding part in 1 840 :

" I have now for three years carefully and dispas-

sionately investigated the subject by experiments
performed almost every day upon a variety of per-
sons ; and I not only repeat my firm conviction of
the truth of Mesmerism, but of the truth of many
points in it upon which I formerly gave no opinion,
because I had not then witnessed them, and was de-
termined to remain neutral upon every point on which
I myself did not witness facts.


16 MESMERISM.
" The production of the peculiar coma by Mes-
merism, independently of all mental impressions, is
a truth now admitted by a very large number of the
best informed, acutest, and least credulous men in
England."
The Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend, in his " Facts
on Mesmerism," affirms " that, productive of the
effects called Mesmeric, there is an action of matter
as distinct and specific as that of light, heat, electri-
city, or any other of the imponderable agents, as they
are called; that, when the Mesmeriser influences
his j>atient, he does this by a medium, either known
already in another guise, or altogether new to our
experience."
A theory of a different description has been ad-
vanced by Mr. Braid, in his ci Neurypnology."
While attending as a sceptic in Mesmerism the con-
versaziones of M. La Fontaine, Mr. Braid's attention
was arrested by the inability of a patient to open his
eyelids. He says
'-'
In two days afterwards, I developed my views
to my friend Captain Brown, as I had also previously
done to four other friends ; and in his presence, and
that of my family, and another friend, the same
evening, I instituted a series of experiments to prove
the correctness of my theory, namely, that the con-
tinued fixed stare, by paralyzing nervous centres in
the eyes and their appendages,* and destroying the
equilibrium of the nervous system, thus produced the
phenomenon referred to. The experiments were va-
ried, so as to convince all present that they fully bore
out the correctness of my theoretical views.
" My
first object was to prove that the inability
of the patient to open his eyes was caused by para-
lyzing the levator muscles of the eyelids, through

* By this expression I mean the state of exhaustion which fol-

lows too long continued or too intense action of any organ or
function. Note at page 16 of Braid's " Neurypnology."


THEORIES OF MESMER, AND OTHERS. 17

their continued action during the protracted fixed
stare, and thus rendering it physically impossible
for him to open them. With the view of proving
this, I requested Mr. Walker, a young gentleman
present, to sit down, and maintain a fixed stare at
the top of a wine bottle, placed so much above him
as to produce a considerable strain on the eyes and
eyelids, to enable him to maintain a steady view of
the object. In three minutes his eyelids closed, a
gush of tears ran down his cheeks, his head drooped,
his face was slightly convulsed, he gave a groan,
and instantly fell into profound sleep, the respira-
tion becoming slow, deep, and sibilant, the right
hand and arm being agitated by slight convulsive
movements.
" This experiment not only proved what I ex-
pected, but also, by calling my attention to the spas-
modic state of the muscles of the face and arm, the
peculiar state of the respiration, and the condition of
the mind as evinced on rousing the patient, tended
to prove to my mind I bad got a key to the solution
of Mesmerism."
Mr. Braid goes on to detail experiments upon
Mrs. Braid, and some of his servants, and then pro-
ceeds :

" I now stated that I considered the experiments

fully proved my theory; and expressed my entire
conviction that the phenomena of Mesmerism were
to be accounted for on the principle of a derange-
ment of the state of the cerebro-spinal centres, and
of the circulatory, and respiratory, and muscular
systems, induced, as I have explained, by a fixed
stare, absolute repose of body, fixed attention, and
suppressed respiration, concomitant with that fixity
of attention. That the whole depended on the physi-
cal and psychical condition of the patient, arising from
the causes referred to, and not at all on the volition
or passes of the operator, throwing out a magnetic
B
 8

1 MESMERISM.
fluid, or exciting into activity some mystical univer-
sal fluid or medium."
Such are the opinions entertained by some of the
most eminent writers on Mesmerism, and as we are
almost daily receiving fresh knowledge on the sub-
ject, there need be no hurry in building up a theory.
The phenomena of Mesmerism are in themselves true,
whatever theory may ultimately be adopted, and
probably inquirers would for the present be most use-
fully employed in scrutinizing and recording facts,
and leave the rest to time.


1.9

CHAPTER III.

MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES,

The Mesmeric phenomena

are so varied as much
so indeed as there are varieties in human beings that
they can only be alluded to here in very general
terms. The conclusions appended to the Report of
the second French Commission afford a tolerably
correct idea of many of the more important of these
phenomena, and we therefore proceed to lay them
before our readers, adopting the translation of Mr.
Colquhoun.
" CONCLUSIONS.
" The conclusions of the report are the result of
the observations of which it is composed.
" 1 The contact of the thumbs or of the hands ;
.

frictions,or certain gestures which are made at a

small distance from the body, and are called passes,
are the means employed to place ourselves in mag-
netic connection, or, in other words, to transmit the
magnetic influence to the patient.
" 2. The means which are external and visible
are not always necessary, since, on many occasions,
the will, the fixed look, have been found sufficient
to produce the magnetic phenomena, even without
the knowledge of the patient.
" 3. Magnetism has taken effect upon persons of
different sexes and ages.
" 4. The time required for transmitting the mag-
netic influence with effect has varied from half an
hour to a minute.
" 5. In general magnetism does not act upon per-
sons in a sound state of health.
 ;

20 MESMERISM.
" Neither does it act upon all sick persons.
6.
"7. Sometimes, during the process of magnetising,
there are manifested insignificant and evanescent
effects, which cannot be attributed to magnetism
alone ; such as a slight degree of oppression, of heat
or of cold, and some other nervous phenomena, which
can be explained without the intervention of a par-
ticular agent, upon the principle of hope or of fear,
prejudice, and the novelty of the treatment, the ennui
produced by the monotony of the gestures, the silence
and repose in which the experiments are made
finally, by the imagination, which has so much in-
fluence on some minds and on certain organisations.
"8. A
certain number of the effects observed ap-
peared to us to depend upon magnetism alone, and
were never produced without its application. These
are well established physiological and therapeutic
phenomena.
" 9. The real effects produced by magnetism are
very various. It agitates some, and soothes others.
Most commonly, it occasions a momentary accelera-
tion of the respiration and of the circulation, fugitive
fibrillary motions, resembling electric
convulsive
shocks, a numbness in a greater or less degree, heavi-
ness, somnolency, and in a small number of cases
that which the magnetisers call somnambulism.
" 10. The existence of an uniform character, to
enable us to recognise, in e\rery case, the reality of
the state of somnambulism, has not been established.
"11. However, we may conclude with certainty
that this state exists, when it gives rise to the deve-
lopment of new faculties, which have been designated
by the names of clairvoyance ; intuition ; internal
prevision ; or when it produces great changes in the
physical economy, such as insensibility, a sudden and
considerable increa.se of strength, and when these
effects cannot be referred to any other cause.
" J 2. As among the effects attributed to somnam-
 MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 21

bulism there are some which may be feigned. Som-

nambulism itself may be feigned, and furnish to
quackery the means of deception.
" Thus, in the observation of these phenomena,
which do not present themselves again but as insu-
lated facts, it is only by means of the most attentive
scrutiny, the most rigid precautions, and numerous
and varied experiments, that we can escape illusion.
" 13. Sleep, produced with more or less prompti-
tude, is a real, but not a constant effect of magnetism.
" 14. We hold it as demonstrated, that it has
been produced in circumstances in which the persons
magnetised could not see, or were ignorant of the
means employed to occasion it.
"15. When a person has once been made to fall
into the magnetic sleep, it not always necessary
is

to have recourse to contact, in order to magnetise

him anew. The look of the magnetiser, his volition
alone, possess the same influence. He can not only
act upon the magnetised person, but even place him
in a complete state of somnambulism, and bring him
out of it without his knowledge, out of his sight, at
a certain distance, and with doors intervening.
" 1 6. In general, changes, more or less remark-
able, are produced upon the perception, and other
mental faculties, of those individuals who fall into
somnambulism, in consequence of magnetism.
" a. Some persons, amidst the noise of a confused
conversation, hear only the voice of their magnetiser.
Several answer precisely the questions he puts to
them, or which are addressed to them by those indi-
viduals with whom they have been placed in mag-
netic connection ; others carry on conversation with
all the persons around them.
" Nevertheless, it is seldom that they hear what
is passing around them. During the greater part of
the time, they are completely strangers to the exter-
nal and unexpected noise which is made close to
22 MESMERISM.
their ears, such as the sound of copper vessels struck
briskly near them, the fall of a piece of furniture, &c.
" b. The eyes are closed, the eyelids yield with
difficulty to the efforts which are made to open them.
This operation, which is not without pain, shows the
ball of the eye convulsed, and carried upwards, and
sometimes towards the lower part of the orbit.
" c. Sometimes the power of smelling appears to be
annihilated. They may be made to inhale muriatic
acid, or ammonia, without feeling any inconvenience,
nay, without perceiving it. The contrary takes
place in certain cases, and they retain the sense of
smelling.
" d. The greater number
of the somnambulists
whom we have seen, were completely insensible.
We might tickle their feet, their nostrils, and the

angle of the eyes, with a feather we might pinch
their skin, so as to leave a mark, prick them with
pins under the nails, &c, without producing any
pain, without even their perceiving it. Finally, we
saw one who was insensible to one of the most pain-
ful operations in surgery,and who did not manifest
the slightest emotion in her countenance, her pulse,
or her respiration.
" 17- Magnetism is as intense, and as speedily
felt, at a distance of six feet, as of six inches ; and the

phenomena developed are the same in both cases.

" 18. The action at a distance does not appear
capable of being exerted with success, excepting upon
individuals who have been
already magnetised.
" 19. We
only saw one person who fell into som-
nambulism upon being magnetised for the first time.
Sometimes somnambulism was not manifested until
the eighth or tenth sitting.
" 20. We
have invariably seen the ordinary sleep,
which is the repose of the organs of sense, of the in-
tellectual faculties, and the voluntary motions, pre-
cede and terminate the state of somnambulism.
 MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 23
"21. While in thestate of somnambulism, the
patients whom we have observed, retained the use of
the faculties which they possessed when awake.
Even their memory appeared to be more faithful,
and more extensive, because they remembered every
thing that passed at the time, and every time they
were placed in the state of somnambulism.
"22. Upon awaking, they said they had totally
forgotten the circumstances which took place during
the somnambulism, and never recollected them. For
this fact we can have no other authority than their
own declarations.
" 23. The muscular powers of somnambulists are
sometimes benumbed and paralysed. At other times,
their motions are constrained, and the somnambulists
walk or totter about like drunken men, sometimes
avoiding, and sometimes not avoiding, the obstacles
which may happen to be in their way. There are
some somnambulists who preserve entire the power
of motion ; there are even some who display more
strength and agility than in their waking state.
" 24. We have seen two somnambulists who dis-
tinguished, with their eyes closed, the objects which
were placed before them ; they mentioned the colour
and the value of cards, without touching them ; they
read words traced with the hand, as also some lines
of books opened at random. This phenomenon took
place even when the eyelids were kept exactly closed
with the fingers.
" 25. In two somnambulists we found the faculty
of foreseeing the acts of the organism more or less
remote, more or less complicated. One of them an-
nounced repeatedly, several months previously, the
day, the hour, the minute of the access, and of the
return of epileptic fits. The other announced the
period of his cure. Their previsions were realized
with remarkable exactness. They appeared to us to
apply only to acts or injuries of their organism.
 ;

24 MESMERISM.
" 26. We found only a single somnambulist who
pointed out the symptoms of the diseases of three
persons with whom she was placed in magnetic con-
nection. We had, however, made experiments upon
a considerable number.
" 27. In order to establish, with any degree of
exactness, the connection between magnetism and
therapeutics, it would be necessary to have observed
its effects upon a great number of individuals, and to
have made experiments every day, for a long time,
upon the same patients. As this did not take place
with us, your committee could only mention what
they perceived in too small a number of cases to en-
able them to pronounce any judgment.
" 28. Some of the magnetised patients felt no
benefit from the treatment; others experienced a

more or less decided relief, viz., one, the suspension
of habitual pains ; another, the return of his strength
a third, the retardation for several months of his
epileptic fits ; and a fourth, the complete cure of a

serious paralysis of long standing.

" 29. Considered as a cause of certain physiologi-
cal phenomena, or as a therapeutic remedy, magnet-
ism ought to be allowed a place within the circle of
the medical sciences ; and, consequently, physicians
only should practise it, or superintend its use, as is
the case in the northern countries.
" 30. Your committee have not been able to
verify because they had no opportunity of doing
so other faculties which the magnetisers had an-
nounced as existing in somnambulists ; but they
have communicated in their report facts of sufficient
importance to entitle them to think, that the Acade-
my ought to encourage the investigations into the
subject of animal magnetism, as a very curious
branch of psychology and natural history."
The report, of which the above form merely the
conclusions, was signed by Bourdois de la Motte,


MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 2i>

President ; Fouquier, Gueneau de Mussy, Guersent,

Husson, Itard, J. J. Leroux, Marc, Thillaye.
Attempts have been made by many writers to
classify the states into which patients may pass
while in the Mesmeric sleep ; but none of these clas-
sifications has ever met with general approbation.
The phases of the Mesmeric sleep vary in different
individuals, and even in the same individuals at dif-
ferent times. The transition from one state into
another is sometimes almost imperceptible. The
boundaries between the different states are not easily
ascertained; and the states themselves occasionally
present some minute divergences, and are variously
complicated. Hence the extreme difficulty of any
exact classification. Mr. Colquhoun, in his Isis
Revelata, has given the scheme of Kluge, which is
divided into six classes ; and the following is the
abstract, in a slightly altered form :

First degree, which has been denominated that of

waking, presents no very remarkable phenomena.
The intellect and the senses still retain their usual
powers and susceptibilities.

Second degree. Half sleep, or the imperfect crisis.
Most of the senses still remain in a state of activity,
that of vision only being impaired, the eye with-
drawing itself gradually from the power of the will.

Third degree. The magnetic sleep. In this de-
gree the whole of the organs, through the medium
of which our correspondence with the external world
is carried on, (the senses,) refuse to perform their re-

spective functions, and the patient is placed in that

unconscious state of existence which is called the
Mesmeric sleep.

Fourth degree. Perfect Crisis, or Simple Som-
nambulism. The patient in this degree awakes, as
it were, within himself, and his consciousness returns.

He is in a state which can neither be properly called

sleeping nor waking, but which appears to be some-


26 MESMERISM.
thing between the two. He is placed in the very
peculiar relation towards the external world, which
will be better understood after a perusal of the cases
in a subsequent part of the work.
Fifth degree.
Lucidity, or Lucid Vision. In
this degree, which in France has been denominated
Clairvoyance, and in Germany Hellsehen, the pa-
tient is placed in what is called the state of self-
intuition. When in this situation he is said to ob-
tain a clear knowledge of his own internal mental
and bodily state is enabled to calculate, with ac-
curacy, the phenomena of disease which will natu-
rally and inevitably occur, and to determine what are
their most appropriate and effectual remedies. He
is also said to possess the same faculty of internal

inspection with regard to other persons who have

been placed in Mesmeric connection {en rapport) with
him.
Sixth degree.
Universal Lucidity. In this de-
which the patient possessed in
gree, the lucid vision
the former degree becomes greatly increased, and
extends to objects whether near or at a distance.
This exalted state of the faculties is said to be of
comparatively very rare occurrence.
Another classification has been adopted by Mr.
Dove, and was explained by that gentleman in his
lectures on Mesmerism. In this series of states, the
patient rises from the lowest, that of contemplative
abstraction, until he at length reaches the highest,
which has been termed devotional ecstasy. The fol-
lowing is Mr. Dove's classification :

9. Devotional Ecstasy.
8. Lucid Vigil.
7. Lucid Reverie.
6. Lucid Dreaming.
5. Oblivious Sleep.
4. Ordinary Dreaming.
3. Ordinary Reverie.
 MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 27

2. Ordinary Vigil.
1. Contemplative Abstraction.

Mr. Dove remarked upon the above classification

in the following terms in his lectures.
" Thus, as observed by Mr. Townshend, Mesmeric
sleep-waking has its shades and gradations, varying
from consciousness fully retained to its faintest
and thus, also, as re
twilight, or utter extinction
;

marked by Mr. Colquhoun and others, ' no patient

can reach the higher degrees of magnetism without
having previously passed, however rapidly, through
the lower/
" I have most carefully observed, and, as far as
possible, distinguished, the various mental states, ar-
ranged in their natural order, as they must be passed
through, one after the other, in all cases of entrance-
ment. But it must not be thought that it is those
states only here called lucid that occur in the pro-
cess of Mesmerisation. Many, very many, never
reach so far as the state of lucid reverie, or even
sleep at all. A
vast majority, indeed, will be found
not farther advanced than simply to a state of surface
sleep, occupying continuously such a position in this
natural order as that between ordinary vigilance and
ordinary reverie, or that of reverie, or continuous and

involuntary absence of mind itself a mere shade,
as it were, being taken off the power and state of
ordinary waking. Such a state every one of us
must pass through or cross, however rapidly, on his
daily way from vigilance to sleep, and on his daily
return from sleep to vigilance ; and all the difference
between this state, in such circumstances, and in
those of Mesmerisation, is, that in the latter case,
and in consequence of the Mesmeric operation, it is
steady and continuous for a time in spite of the will,
while otherwise it is momentary and fleeting the
mind and body rather crossing its place than exist-
ing in it.
28 MESMERISM.
" But there is a preliminary stage to even these
in Mesmeric operations
a stage in which some pa-
tients linger for a longer or shorter time a state of
fixed abstraction, whether momentary or by conti-
nuance a state in which the vigilant power of at-
tention isroused to a deeper pitch of intensity than
usual, even though the eyelids be closed and the

body passive a sort of ultra- vigilant contemplative
state in short, described by those who have expe-
rienced it as comparable to the drawing or bending
of a bow before the arrow has been shot to the mark.
And this, I have been assured by others, as well as
by my own personal experience, is the state in which
the reactive power of transfiguration is acquired. On
pointing out this state to Sir William Hamilton, in
Edinburgh, he was much struck with it, and re-
marked to me that it reminded him very much of the
primary effect of opium in producing a state of rapt
and fixed concentrative abstraction, afterwards fol-
lowed by the reactive flow of brilliant radiative ima-
gination, so characteristic of the mental labours of
the opium eater ; a remark perhaps induced by his
personal observation of its effects on Mr. De Quincy,
the celebrated English opium-eater, with whose own
opinion, moreover, I am well aware it coincides.
" It is in the state of ordinary vigilance almost
alone, or in states approximating to it, that there is
In some of the states
sensibility in the flesh to pain.
evolved or arrested in the Mesmeric operation, there-
fore, where the individual, of course, is not in ordi-
nary vigilance, there is no such sensibility except
through the body of another, who must be in ordi-
nary vigilance, and who thus, therefore, actually
stands to the Mesmeric or entranced patient in the
place of that very self-conscious concentrative power
of ordinary vigilance, which, in himself, is plunged
in oblivion, or absorbed in the radiative spirit of the
trance. It is by the same species of simple " indue-


MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 29

tion," if we may so call it, that the entranced or ra-
diative, in favourable or rare circumstances, appre-
and even colours, through
ciates tastes, sounds, smells,
such co-operation with the concentrative in another,
in ordinary vigilance, as really exists between the
concentrative and radiative in each of us, whether
in ordinary vigilance or not."
Other classifications have been formed ; but it is
unnecessary to enter upon these, sufficient having
been given to indicate the general ideas which are
entertained by Mesmerisers.
The state of somnambulism, or of sleep-waking,
as it has been more appropriately named, is one of
natural occurrence in man ; but we need not occupy
space with the host of cases of that description which
might be brought forward. Regarding this state,
Mr. Townshend remarks :

"That the state of Mesmeric sleep-waking is a

rise in man's nature, no one who has been conversant
with it can doubt.
" Separated from the usual action of the senses,
the mind appears to gain juster notions, to have quite
a new sense of spiritual things, and to be lifted nearer
to the fountain of all good and of all truth. The
great indication of this elevated state of feeling is a
horror of falsehood, which I have found common to
all sleep-wakers. Sincerity is their especial charac-
teristics ; they cannot feign or flatter ; they seem to
be taken out of common life, with all its heartless
forms and plausible conventions."
These remarks, although referred by Mr. Town-
shend to the state of sleep-waking, seem more espe-
cially applicable to that of clairvoyance. In the
Chevalier Ramsay's Philosophical Principles, a work
written in the early part of the last century, we find
some curious glimpses of the truths which Mesmerism
seems destined to unfold. Let the reader, for ex-
ample, compare the passage just quoted from the

:

30 MESMERISM.
Rev. Mr. Townshend with the following from the
work of the Chevalier Ramsay :

" God established that beautiful order of nature*

by which our mortal bodiesare subjected to sleep, so
that the most part of men
pass a third part of their
time in a state of inaction, which suspends the
augmentation and manifestation of moral evil in the
bad, the sentiment of physical evil in the good, and
repairs in all the forces of the body exhausted by
labour. In a paradisiacal state, sleep, according to
the primitive fathers, was voluntary and holy. It
was a mystical, spiritual repose before God, wherein
the mind, elevated by contemplation, retired into its
intellectual nature, suspended for a timeall com-
merce with sensible and exerted the noblest
objects,
functions of its angelical part. Sleep was not then,
as now, a short interval of phrensy, wherein imagi-
nation is filled with all sort of incongruous ideas ;

nor, as in some, a total insensibility, where the supe-

rior faculties remain in a kind of lethargy as well as
the senses."*
The poet Wordsworth, too, seems to have pictured
a similar state in the following lines :

" That serene and blessed mood

In which the affections gently lead us on,
Until the breath of this corporeal frame,
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul
While, with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things."

The state of clairvoyance presents phenomena

which, as described by Mesmerisers, are of so won-
derful a nature that we need not feel surprised at the
wide spread scepticism on the subject. Treviranus,
the famous botanist, said, in reply to the questioning
* Ramsay's Philosophical Principles, vol. i., p. 372. Glasgow :

Printed and sold by Robert Foulis. 1748.



MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 31

of Coleridge, " I have seen what I am certain I

would not have believed on your telling and, in all ;

reason, therefore, I can neither expect nor wish that

you should believe on miner So extravagant, in-
deed, do many of the accounts on record appear, that
it would, we are convinced, tend materially, at least
for a time, to the advancement of Mesmerism as a
practical and beneficial science, were it possible that
they could be forgotten. Believing, however, that
this is impracticable, we have not considered it pro-
per to suppress, in our record of cases, some extra-
ordinary details regarding this state.
The Rev. Mr. Townshend, in approaching this
branch of the subject, seems to have fully appreciated
the difficulties with which it is surrounded, and thus
expresses himself :

" The Mesmeriser witnesses the wonder, but does

not feel it in himself; the sleep-waker, who is the
subject of seems incapable of analysing his new
it,

sensations while they last, still more of remembering

them when they are over. The state of Mesmerism
is to him as death. He cannot, when he awakes,
reveal the mysteries of that great deep. His Mes-
meric feelings are to him as though they had never
been ; and less favoured, in this respect, even than
they who have beheld him in his unusual condition,
he is forced to take his own actions upon trust, and
to exercise his own faith, while he draws so largely
upon the realising faculty in others.
" It is manifest, then, that we cannot believe in
the clairvoyance of sleep- wakers, in the same man-
ner that we believe and know that we ourselves see
with our eyes. It is a fact which transcends our
present understanding.
" To what end, then, it may be asked, should I
statephenomena which will be believed by few, and
perfectly comprehended by none? Because many
things that are mysteries, are, nevertheless, profitable


32 MESMERISM.
subjects of contemplation. Whatever is beyond our
actual state of being is confessedly out of the pale of
empirical knowledge ; yet shall we, on that account,
banish the higher developments of nature from our
thoughts, or even from our own scientific examina-
tion ? Were all our ideas confined to that which we
certainly know, the domain of our intellect would be
limited indeed. Besides, by careful study, we may
always extend, though we cannot complete, our appre-
hension of things above us ; and, by discovering their
analogy to things already known, bring them at
least nearer to our experience. Clearly, then, where
there is so much room it is our duty to
for progress
advance, remembering that the point where we
should abandon enterprise has not yet been decided."
Dr. Elliotson, one of the most sceptical among
the Mesmerisers of this country, seems at length
inclined to admit, that such a state does really exist.
In his Human Physiology he records not only his
failures in obtaining a practical knowledge of clair-
voyance, but also the success of Mr. Wood, of whom
Dr. Elliotson says, that he " can place the same
reliance upon his honour, as upon the coolness and
force of his judgment." Mr. Wood's case, which is
described at length in Dr. Elliotson's work, was seen
at Antwerp in the presence of the Rev. Mr. Town-
shend, who acted as the Mesmeriser. Dr. Elliotson,
however, has never had a case of clairvoyance in his
own experience ; and his opinion, as given to a gen-
tleman who some time ago visited him in London,
was to the effect, that while there is every reason to
believe that such a condition does exist, yet that the
patient in these cases appears to be so much infected
with a disposition to deceive, that, as yet, it is
exceedingly difficult to say when, or upon what occa-
sions, their statements are to be relied on. In a
recent communication, in remarking upon this state-
ment of Dr. Elliotson's, Mr. Dove says,
 MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 33
" Dr. Elliotsou, while he candidly confesses that
it has not occurred in his own experience, admits,
that e there is every reason to believe that such a
state as that of clairvoyance does exist.' Cases of
excursive imagination, reverie, or dreaming, how-
ever, appear to be familiar to him ; and in respect
to such cases, it must be
since he has admittedly
not seen clairvoyance itself
that the remark in
question has been made, that ' the patient in these
cases appears to be so much infected with a disposi-
tion to deceive, that as yet it is exceedingly difficult
to say when, or upon what occasion, their statements
are to be relied on.' No reliance at all, in fact,
ought to be placed on statements made by patients
in such states, which cannot, with any propriety, be
confounded with the state of clairvoyance, though
frequently alternating with it, even in the best of
cases, just as the dreaming state of the mind of an
infant frequently alternates with its state of vigi-
lance ; but it does appear to me to be scarcely fair to
say, that the patient, even in such states of reverie,
delirium, or dreaming, is infected with a disposition
to deceive. On being he will find
tried, certainly,
no difficulty in imagining himself possessed of, and
will accordingly make unhesitating pretension to, all
the rarer faculties of clairvoyance; but the only
deception here is self-deception on his own part, and

on the part of those who listen to, or believe for a

moment in the existence of such faculties in such
states. Nevertheless, besides this spirit of strong
delusion, I believe, that in certain states of reverie
or delirium there does exist either a deliberate dispo-
sition to deceive, or an instinctive manifestation of
cunning, and a peculiar desire to astonish us with
lying wonders, reminding one of the spirit of decep-
tion so vividly manifested in the insane ; but such a
disposition is certainly not characteristic of the lucid
c


34 MESMERISM.
or ecstatic vigil, in which, on the contrary, we have
a manifestation of the very spirit of truth itself.
" One general source of perplexity and erroneous
inference in regard to the Mesmeric phenomena, I
conceive to be the fact, that states, in themselves
peculiarly different, and manifesting totally distinct
symptoms, are often confounded together under the
heterogeneous title of l the Mesmeric state/
-
Such
a title I find attached to a recent publication by Dr.
Elliotson himself; and I fear we have the same
source of erroneous inference manifested in the opi-
nion which he has given in connection with the very
remark which has called forth the present explana-
tion, namely, that ' there can be no doubt that a
similarity of symptoms attends every case, wherever
it may appear.' So far from this being the case,
though a few of the symptoms are manifested in
common, it must have been seen, amongst nearly
100 cases in all, which I have of late, from first to
last, brought under public notice in the city of Glas-
gow, that some patients manifest peculiar symptoms,
which do not appear at all in others. Mesmerisers,
in general, moreover, are in the habit of classifying
the various states in the natural order of their occur-
rence, as totally distinct states."
Mr. Colquhoun, in a letter, with which we were
lately favoured, says, in allusion to the same topic
" The state of clairvoyance is exceedingly rare,
and when developed by the magnetic processes, ap-
pears to depend very much upon the particular tem-
perament of the operator, and the constitutional pre-
disposition of the patient. The best, and most inte-
resting cases of the clairvoyant state, are those which
have occurred naturally, that is, without the employ-
ment of any artificial means. Of these, one of the
most remarkable, and the most authentic, is that
reported by the Baron de Strombeck, published in
Germany in 1813, and subsequently translated into
 MESMERIC PHENOMENA AND STATES. 35

French. In England, the inferior magnetic states

are frequently mistaken for the higher clairvoyance.
which is a source of much error and scepticism.
" The alleged propensity to deception in somnam-
been remarked by almost all the elemen-
bulists has
tary writers, especially in the case of females, and it
has been generally attributed to their vanity and
love of display. I suspect it is owing, in a great
measure, to the importunity or mismanagement of
the operator, or of those en rapport with the patient.
I believe it has never been known to occur in the
highest state of clairvoyance, in which the faculties
appear to be quite spiritualised. We
cannot, how-
ever, be too cautious in putting questions to somnam-
bulists, or taxing their powers too much, as they may
themselves be deceived, and deceive others, without
intending it. The thoughts and wishes of the opera-
tor also have great influence over his somnambulist.
In all cases, we ought to endeavour to discriminate
as accurately as possible the precise state in which
the patient may happen to be, in order to ascertain
what he is capable of doing with certainty."
An anecdote is related of Colonel Gurwood, the
editor of " the Duke of Wellington's Despatches," in
the substantial accuracy of which the utmost reliance
may be placed. The Colonel, when in Paris some-
time ago, was induced to visit a somnambulist boy,
with whom he had repeated conversations. Although
the boy had never left France, he gave the most
minute description of Colonel Gurwood's house,
rooms, closets, and their contents, in London, and
also of the Colonel's room in the Tower of London.
The anecdote has, we
understand, been narrated on
the authority of Colonel Gurwood himself, and it-
may the more implicitly be relied upon from the fact
of the Colonel being not only a man of the strictest
truth, but of great soberness of character. The
statements of a similar nature in succeeding pages,
36 MESMERISM.
have all been made by individuals in whose veracity
the most implicit reliance may be placed.
To those, however, who reject clairvoyance as be-
longing to the region of the impossible, we would
say, do not, therefore, reject Mesmerism as a whole.
It may be, that sanguine or credulous persons have
occasionally placed an undue reliance upon the state-
ments of sleepwakers, but it does not therefore fol-
low that mankind should be deprived of the benefits
which Mesmerism is capable of affording. The most
experienced Mesmerisers tell us, that the state of
clairvoyance is of rare occurrence, and comparatively
few consequently can be witnesses of the wonders it
is alleged to unfold. It is different in regard to the
other states ; and it would be folly to reject the bene-
fits within our reach, because of the supposed extra-

vagances of some of the believers in Mesmerism.

In the worst view of the matter, clairvoyance is a
harmless illusion ; and, leaving it for a time, let us
turn to the consideration of Mesmerism as a reme-
dial agent, destined, we believe, to ameliorate, in an
important degree, many of the ills which flesh is
heir to.


37

CHAPTER IV.

APPLICATION OF MESMERISM TO MEDICAL SCIENCE.

" Plagiarist ! liar ! impostor ! heretic !" were

among the expressions of malignant hatred lavished
upon Galileo, in 1609, as we learn from the record
of the of that eminent philosopher.
life The Pro-
fessor ofPhilosophy at Padua refused to look through
Galileo's telescope to see whether the satellites of
Jupiter really existed, and he demonstrated to his
own satisfaction that the facts could not be facts. In
writing to Kepler regarding this, Galileo says,
" 0, my dear Kepler, how I wish that we could
have one hearty laugh together. Here, at Padua,
is the principal professor of philosophy, whom I have

repeatedly and urgently requested to look at the

moon and planets through my glass, which he per-
tinaciously refuses to do. Why are you not here ?
"What shouts of laughter we should have at this
glorious folly !and to hear the philosopher of Pisa
labouring before the Grand Duke with logical argu-
ments, as if with magical incantations, to draw the
new planets out of the sky."
The immediate reward which our illustrious coun-
tryman Harvey received, upon promulgating the
doctrine of the circulation of the blood, was general
ridicule and abuse, and a great diminution of his
practice ;' and we are told by Hume, that no physi-
cian in Europe, who, at the time had reached forty
years of age, ever to the end of his life, adopted the
doctrine of the circulation of the blood.


38 MESMERISM.
Sydenham, another eminent physician, whose im-
provements form an era in the history of medicine,
was by many of his contemporaries called a quack
and a murderer.
The author of Fallacies of the Faculty* writes as
follows :

" AVhen a limb is amputated, the surgeons, to pre-

vent their patient bleeding to death, as you all well
know, tie the arteries. In the time of Francis the
First, they followed another fashion ; then, and for-
merly, they were in the habit of stanching the blood
by the application of boiling pitch to the surface of
the stump. Ambrose Pare, principal surgeon to that
king, introduced the ligature as a substitute; he
first tied the arteries. Mark the reward of Ambrose
Pare :he was hooted and howled down by the
faculty of physic, who ridiculed the idea of hanging
human life upon a thread, when boiling pitch had
stood the test of centuries. In vain he pleaded the
agony of the old application ; in vain he showed the
success of the ligature. Corporations, colleges, or
coteries of whatsoever kind, seldom forgive merit in
an adversary ; they continued to persecute him with
the most remorseless rancour ; luckily, he had a
spirit to despise, and a master to protect him against
all the efforts of their malice. What physician now-
a-days would dispute the value of antimony as a me-
dicine ? Yet, when first introduced, its employment
was voted a crime. But was there no reason ? Yes,
it was introduced by Paracelsus,
Paracelsus, the
arch-enemy of the established practice. At the in-
stigation of the college, the French parliament ac-
cordingly passed an act making it penal to prescribe
it. To the Jesuits of Peru, Protestant England
owes the invaluable bark ; how did Protestant Eng-
* Fallacies of the Faculty. By Samuel Dickson, M.D., late a
Medical Officer on the Staff. London Simpkin, Marshall,
:

&Ca. 1843.
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 39
land first receive this gift of the Jesuits ? Being a
Popish remedy, they at once rejected the drug as the
invention of the father of all papists
the Devil.
In 1693, Dr. Groenvelt discovered the curative
power of cantharides in dropsy ; what an excellent
thing for Dr. Groenvelt Excellent, indeed for no
! !

sooner did his cures begin to make a noise than he

was at once committed to Newgate, by warrant of
the President of the College of Physicians, for pre-
scribing cantharides internally. Blush, most sapient
College of Physicians !

your actual president, Sir
Henry Halford, is a humble imitator of the ruined
!"
Groenvelt
Lady Mary Wortley Montague, while abroad with
her husband in Turkey, had become acquainted with
the practice of inoculation for small-pox, and on
returning to England in 1718, she attempted to in-
troduce it into this country. With indomitable cou-
rage she tried the experiment upon her own children,
and was in consequence represented as an unnatural
mother, who cared nothing for her offspring. Lord
"Wharncliffe, in his life of Lady Mary, tells us that
" the faculty all rose in arms, to a man, foretelling
failure, and the most disastrous consequences ; the
clergy descanted from their pulpits on the impiety
of thus seeking to take events out of the hands of
Providence, and the common people were taught to
hoot at her. We now read in grave medical bio-
graphy that the discovery was instantly hailed, and
the method adopted by the principal members of that
profession. Very likely they left this recorded ; for
whenever an invention or a project (and the same may
be said of persons) has made its way so well by itself
as to establish a certain reputation, most people are
sure to find out that they always patronised it from
the beginning, and a happy gift of forgetfulness en-
ables many to believe their own assertion. But
what said Lady Mary of the actual fact and actual
40 MESMERISM.
time ? Why, that the four great physicians deputed
by Government to watch the progress of her daugh-
ter s inoculation, betrayed not only such incredulity
as to its success, but such an unwillingness to have
it succeed, such an evident spirit of rancour and ma-
lignity, that she never cared to leave the child alone
with them, lest it should, in some secret way, suffer
from their interference."
At a later period, when Jenner was endeavouring
to introduce the process of vaccination, he was assailed
with the utmost ridicule by the members of the
learned profession of medicine. Certain members of
the clerical body discovered vaccination to be anti-
christ, and the pulpit was the vehicle for fulminations
against it, in the same manner as at a previous pe-

riod against the inoculation of small-pox.

Dr. Chalmers, in speaking of the first reception
of the Newtonian philosophy, says, " Authority
scowled upon it, and taste was disgusted by it,
and fashion was ashamed of it." For more than
thirty years after the publication of Newton's dis-
coveries, says Professor Playfair, the Cartesian sys-
tem kept its ground, and actually the Newtonian
philosophy first entered the University of Cam-
bridge under the protection of the Cartesian, by a
stratagem of Dr. Samuel Clark, who quietly ex-
plained the views of Newton, without any appear-
ance of argument or controversy, in the form of notes
to a new translation which he published of the
French Cartesian work, long established as the text-
book by the tutors of the university.*
When the proposal was made for the introduction
of gas light, Sir Walter Scott ridiculed the idea, and
in a letter to a friend, sneered at the folly of those
who were actually talking of sending light through
the streets in pipes. Sir Walter, however, had too

* See Note to Elliotson's Human Physiology.

 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 41

much good sense to deny the existence of the light

when it was actually produced ; and, besides becom-
ing the chairman of a gas company in Edinburgh,
he took advantage of illuminating power at his
its
residence at Abbotsford. Wollaston, the well-known
man of science, is said to have declared of a similar
proposal, that they " might as well attempt to light
London with a slice from the moon."
Not many years have elapsed since Dr. Lardner,
at one of the meetings of the British Association, at-
tempted to demonstrate the impracticability of cross-
ing the Atlantic by means of steam. The fallacy of
the doctor's reasoning was soon after made sufficiently
evident.
Dr. Elliotson states, Human Physiology,
in his
that when Laennec published his great work,
first
he procured a stethoscope, and investigated his state-
ments. " For a length of time," he goes on to say,
" I found some at St. Thomas's treat percussion and
auscultation with ridicule, some with absolute indig-
nation, and others, for years, treated it with silent
contempt, who all, I am happy to say,
practice now
both. I was, therefore, in the habit of studying
them in the wards alone, and at hours when I ex-
pected to be unobserved. When I at length advo-
cated and taught them in the school, one of my col-
leagues, I heard, pronounced it nonsense, or worse,
in his lecture ; and, at the College of Physicians, I
heard a senior fellow, in a Croonian lecture, de-
nounce the folly of carrying a piece of wood, (some
called the stethoscope inutile lignum?) into sick
chambers, and making observations, to the destruc-
tion of all philosophical and dignified views, such as
became men whose minds have been enlarged by the
education which Oxford and Cambridge afford.
When another fellow of the College was asked his
opinion of auscultation in the wards of his hospital,
he at once, as I was informed by the gentleman
 ;
;

42 MESMERISM.
who asked the question, condemned it as nonsense,
and when told that Elliotson assured his friends that
'

he had a high opinion of it, and made his diagnosis

of affections of the chest with infinitely more accu-

racy by its means,' he replied ' Oh it's just the!

thing for Elliotson to rave about !' Yet good sense

and truth have prevailed. This physician is now
addressed as one who had the candour to examine
auscultation at an early period, when others despised
it, and who materially assisted to spread its adop-
tion."
The same eminent medical authority states, that,
for years after he published his work on Prussic
Acid in 1820, very few persons would employ it
and he was not only ill spoken of for recommending
what was useless, but, till very lately, condemned
for using dangerous poisons. In 1824, the formula
for Prussic Acid was withdrawn from the new edition
of the Pharmacopeia, then in course of preparation
u yet," adds Dr. Elliotson, " it is now employed
universally and daily by good practitioners of all
ranks." Similar statements regarding Quinine, and
other remedies now in good repute in this country,
appear in the work to which we have already re-
ferred.
The opposition of the medical profession has been
as virulently directed against Mesmerism as it was
formerly against other modes of cure now in daily
use, and, of course, scarcely any of the medical
periodicals will admit articles in favour of the ob-
noxious science. To such a height was the fury of
these learned and impartial men carried by the re-
ports of the cures performed by Dr. Elliotson, that
the council of University College, London, on the
27th of December 1838, came to the following reso-
lution :

Resolved, w That the Hospital Committee be in-

structed to take such steps as they shall deem most


APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 43

advisable, to prevent the practice of Mesmerism or
Animal Magnetism in future within the hospital."
We have thus the melancholy fact demonstrated,
that many of the greatest discoveries ever made were
received at the outset with ridicule and contempt.
We could conceive an ignorant mob acting in this
manner, but that men, with any pretensions to
science, should thus demean themselves, is most
humiliating to human nature. Yet truly may we
say with Dryden

" Books have spoil'd them,

For learn'd men are cowards by profession."
Art of Love-.

Mesmerism has been scarcely worse treated than

other sciences, and, having its foundation in truth,
will as certainly one day be taken under the protec-
tion of the medical profession in Great Britain, as
the Newtonian Philosophy was, after an interval of
thirty years, admitted into the University of Cam-
bridge. We have heard various theories started by
way of accounting for this unwillingness on the part
of medical men, even to inquire into the subject of
Mesmerism. In an appeal, addressed to them in
3 838, by Mr. Colquhoun, his ideas are thus given,

" It appears," says Mr. Colquhoun, u that there

are some persons, even of note, members of learned
incorporations, fellows of royal, and other privileged
societies, professors in ancient universities, &c, to
whom, at a certain period of life, the prospect of an
accession of real knowledge, instead of being agree-
able and satisfactory, is, on the contrary, rather un-

pleasant, painful, and humiliating. Every man who

then ventures to present them with novel facts or
ideas, or in any way attempts
to rectify or extead
their notions of things, regarded by them as an
is

invader,
a robber, an enemy to what they have
been accustomed to conceive to be their vested rights
44 MESMERISM.
in literature andscience. Goethe, the celebrated
German poet, isreported to have said, upon some
particular occasion, that when, from time to time, a
man arises, who is fortunate enough to discover one
of the grand secrets of Nature, ten others immediately
start up, who industriously and strenuously endea-
vour to conceal it again from view. It is so was
and probably ever shall be. The conflict between
light and darkness appears to be interminable. The
race of the obscurantists in politics, in science, and
in literature, promises to survive to the end of time.
To use the language of a favourite old author, they
are exceedingly ' angry with every one that hath
out-grown his cherry-stones and rattles, speak evil
at a venture of things they know not, and like mas-
tiffs, are fiercer for being kept dark.'"

One medical practitioner of the class so well de-

scribed by Mr. Colquhoun, has been heard to declare
that it was sinful to inquire into Mesmerism, and
therefore he would have nothing to do with it.
Another has stated that he preferred the authority of
the eminent men who had written against it even to
the evidence of his own senses, and there was conse-
quently no occasion for him to witness any experiments
in Mesmerism. While a third says that he cannot see
how medical men should be more called upon than
other people to look into the matter, and therefore
he will do nothing. Articles from Encyclopaedias
and antiquated medical reviews have been diligently
raked up, and put in circulation, for the purpose of
disproving Mesmerism. The facts to be seen on every
side were studiously neglected, and authority was
appealed to in order to prove that they could not be
facts. The doctors refused to look through Galileo's
telescope, and because certain things were written in
their books, they declined to examine the great book
of nature for themselves. The old practitioners are
resolutely opposed to innovation, and the more youth-
 ;

APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 45

fill, afraid of the frowns of their seniors, follow ser-
vilely in their footsteps. It has been widely stated
that Dr. Elliotson lost a large portion of his practice
in consequence of his adoption of Mesmerism, and so
medical men shut their eyes lest a similar fate should
be theirs. Let them take care, however, that they
do not keep them shut too long. Although the doc-
tors may be in the enjoyment of an antimesmeric
nap, the rest of mankind are tolerably wide awake
and if matters proceed for a short time at the present
rate, they will soon be the only individuals who, as
a class, refuse to recognise the truths which Mes-
merism unfolds.
In a non-medical work many details cannot be
expected of the vast variety of cases in which Mes-
merism may be beneficially applied ; and intelligent
physicians and surgeons who may be desirous of fol-
lowing up the subject, will, of course, examine the
original authorities for themselves. A slight retro-
spect, therefore, of what has been accomplished is all

that seems necessary here.

The case of the lady whose breast was amputated
for cancer, while in the Mesmeric by M. Jules
sleep,
Cloquet, recorded in the report of the second
is

French Commission, and has been frequently re-

published in this country. Attempts have of late
been made to call the truth of the narrative in ques-
tion, but they have merely brought disgrace upon
the journals which gave currency to the unfounded
statements. An analogous case, reported by the
Doctors Hamard and Oudet, was noticed about the
year 1837, in the Journal de Medecine et de Chi-
rurgie.
On
the 22d of November, 1842, the Royal Medi-
caland Chirurgical Society of London were presented
with an " account of a case of successful amputa-
tion of the thigh, during the Mesmeric state, without
the knowledge of the patient," in the District Hos-
4<> MESMERISM.
Wellow, Nottinghamshire. The Mesmeriser
pital of
was W. Topham, Esq. Barrister of the Middle Tem-
ple :" the operator, W. Squire Ward, Esq., surgeon
of Wellow Hall. The patient was a labourer, six
feet high, and forty-two years of age, named James
Wombell. The details appeared in many of the
journals at the time, and it is therefore unnecessary
to repeat them. Those who are desirous of further
information may consult a pamphlet by Dr. Elliotson,
entitled " Numerous Cases of Surgical Operations,
without Pain, in the Mesmeric State." * The com-
ments of Dr. Elliotson upon the discussion which
took place after the reading of the paper, and upon
the resolution of the Society at a subsequent meet-
ing, not to leave a trace in their records that this
fact had been presented to them, are, no doubt, se-
vere, but seem amply justified by the conduct of the
members.
Mr. Gardiner of Portsmouth, in a communication
to the Hampshire Telegraph, dated the 9 th of De-
cember 1841, gives the case of a young lady who
had a couple of teeth extracted while in the Mes-
meric sleep. He says, " Mr. Martin (a dentist of the
town) seized the tooth (a molar or jaw tooth) with
the forceps,
purposely prolonged the wrench, (as
agreed upon by Dr. Engledue, prior to his visit, in
order to test thoroughly the insensibility of the
patient,) and drew forth the tooth. Not a pang or
symptom of suffering! In a short time I restored
the patient to her natural state, in the usual manner.
Upon being told that the tooth had been extracted,
she exclaimed, ' Did I
feel it
!

a singular greeting
'

to a dentist's ears Mr. Martin then proceeded to
!

examine her mouth, and suggested the removal of

* Numerous Cases of Surgical Operations, wit/iout Pain, in the

Mesmeric State. By John Elliotson, M.D., Cantab., F.R.S.
London : H. Balliere. 1843.
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 4?

another tooth. The patient laughingly consented,

and sat again. In one minute and a half I again
entranced her, and she became, of course, insensible
as before. The tooth being in an advanced stage of
decay, was crushed under the instrument, and the
remnants were, with much trouble, extracted. Dur-
ing the whole of this trying operation not a groan
or complaint escaped the patient."
Mr. Prideaux, a surgeon of Southampton, in a
letter addressed to Dr. Elliotson, describes the case
of a patient who had a great number of decayed teeth
and stumps, from which she suffered severely, but
who still could not summon resolution to undergo
their extraction. "While in the Mesmeric sleep, and
at various sittings, Mr. Prideaux extracted, in all,
from the mouth of this patient, eleven teeth and
eleven stumps, the last being removed preparatory
to her being supplied with a set of artificial teeth.
During the sitting at which two of the most trouble-
some teeth were extracted, Mr. Prideaux says,
" The patient sat with the hands quietly folded in
the lap the countenance was placid and serene, and
the whole attitude that of repose." The other sittings
were attended with equally satisfactory results. Mr.
Prideaux mentions several other cases, and he states,
regarding one of these, " A fifth patient, on whom
I have operated during the Mesmeric state, is a
young lady who required to have several of her mo-
lares separated with a file, on account of the com-
mencement of decay, and one stopped. I found her
a most troublesome and restless patient, in her
natural state, shrinking when the cavity of her tooth
was touched, and complaining greatly of the unplea-
santness of the sensation of filing. I succeeded in
entrancing her at the first trial, in about five minutes,
and, in this state, she allowed me to operate for two
hours with the most passive indifference, assuring me
she felt nothing, except a slight sensation of heat,
 48 MESMERISM.
when the file was used rapidly and continuously for
sometime together."
Mr. Carstairs of Sheffield, besides extracting teeth,
in the " case of a lad about twelve years of age,
opened a large abscess behind the ear, inserted a
dossil of lint, and dressed the wound, without the
patient being sensible of pain." With like success,
he has " cut a large wart from the back of a female's
hand," and, in another case, inserted a seton, without
the slightest pain.
Dr. Engledue of Southsea, gives the following
case in a letter to Dr. Elliotson, dated December
1st, 1842:
" Miss K.,aet. 17, had suffered for two years
from a variety of symptoms, the result of spinal irri-
tation. The right knee was slightly contracted from
the commencement of her illness, but, for twelve
months preceding the operation, the contraction was
so complete, that it was quite impossible to separate
the heel from the back part of the thigh.
" For nearly three months she was regularly mes-
merised by Mr. Gardiner ; all the symptoms were
very much relieved, and some altogether removed,
by this treatment. The knee-joint, however, con-
tinued firmly contracted. I shall not now enter
into a description of the reasons which prompted me
to perform the operation of division of the tendons
at the back of the knee-joint ; my only object is to
report that the operation was performed during the
mesmeric trance, and without any manifestation of
feeling. Some hours after the operation, the patient
was demesmerised ; there was no expression of
astonishment, and no remark made, till some spots
of blood on the sheet of the bed attracted her atten-
tion. The proceedings were then explained to her,
and the effect can be more easily imagined than de-
scribed."
Dr. Charlton, assistant-surgeon, Royal Marines,
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 49

in a statement, dated, Melville Hospital, Chatham,

June 9th, 1842, wherein he says that he had pre-
viously disbelieved Mesmerism, gives the case of
Mrs. Gregory, nurserywoman to Mrs. Valiant, the
lady of Captain Valiant, 40th Regiment. The pa-
tient, Dr. Charlton states, who had been " for a long
time suffering from decayed teeth, which caused
much constitutional irritation, applied to me early in
May, complaining of headach, and pain in the upper
jaw of the most excruciating kind. On examina-
tion, the gums were found ulcerated, the alveolar
processes carious on the right side, and presenting
numerous spicula of bone projecting through the
gums, which were exquisitely painful on the slightest
pressure with the finger. Filing off the spicula of
bone was advised, and consented to. The perform-
ance of the operation having been proposed while
she was under the influence of Mesmeric sleep, was
undertaken on the 25 th of May in the presence of
Sir Thomas Wiltshire and Captain Valiant of this
garrison. Sleep was speedily induced by Sir Thomas,
and she was pronounced in a fit state to bear the
operation in half an hour.
"An incision was made on either side of the
alveolar processes extending from the incisor to the
molar teeth, dividing the gums, which were turned
back so as to expose the diseased bone. The spicula,
being considered the principal source of annoyance,
were filed off smooth with the jaw, the gums ap-
proximated, and creosote applied to the carious
points. The occupied fully five minutes. The
filing
patient, however, to my great astonishment, evinced
not the slightest feeling from the operation, and con-
tinued undisturbed in the enjoyment of profound
sleep for one hour, at the expiration of which time
she was awaked by Sir Thomas, appearing as if
aroused from a dream. Some minutes elapsed before
perfect consciousness became restored, when she ex-
50 MESMERISM.
pressed herself incredulous that any operation had
been performed on her jaw, being quite free from all
pain."
Dr. Elliotson himself, in the course of the work
already mentioned, which we would recommend to
the medical profession, as giving particulars that
cannot be entered into here, mentions the case of a
patient whom he found labouring under a very severe
form of St. Vitus's dance of nine years duration.
Dr. Marshall Hall prescribed " mustard cataplasms
to the spine, cupping on the back of the neck every
fifth day, and mercury to such an extent that not one
sound tooth is left in the patient's head." He treated
the case for three months, and wished to continue
his plan for a ticelvemonth. The friends, however,
interfered, and Sir Benjamin Brodie was consulted,
" who condemned the treatment in the most unquali-
fied manner, declined to prescribe medicines, or to
see the patient again, and stated that nothing more
could be done than to endeavour, by every means,
to strengthen the debilitated frame. Dr. Hall, how-
ever, wrote a letter, still in the possession of the
family, maintaining his opinion, and treating Sir
Benjamim Brodie's opinion most contemptuously."
On being consulted, Dr. Elliotson advised that, " as
Mesmerism had been begun, it should be continued
rather than the case be abandoned ; though I en-
treated them not to be disappointed, if no good
resulted." And he adds, " For the last four months,
Mesmerism has been daily persevered with ; and
the gradual but steady improvement in the strength,
the sleep, and looks of the patient, and the decline
of the disease, astonishes every one. Now that Dr.
Hall has learned the improvement by Mesmerism,
he says that he all along (while cupping every five
days, and giving mercury freely, and proposing to
do all this for twelve months !) suspected, and is
now (Mesmerism having done great good) perfectly
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. Ol

certain that the case was feigned! I should like to

observe his countenance when he says so."
In the Zoist* for July 1843, Dr. Elliotson gives
reports of cures of the same complaint in the practice
of Dr. Simpson of York, Mr. Prideaux of South-
ampton, and also in his own. The case of Master
Linnell of Northampton, nine years of age, had
baffled a great number of medical men, when at
length application was made to Dr. Elliotson.
" On January 4th, 1843," says the Doctor, " he
was brought in a coach to me, and obliged to be
carried into the house. Supported by his mother, he
walked with great difficulty from my dining-room
into my library.
u His debility was such, that he could not stand
a moment unsupported ; his head hung on one side ;
his tongue out of his mouth, which constantly slob-
bered ; his look was quite fatuitous ; he could not
articulate, making only inarticulate noises, and these
with extreme difficulty even yes and no were said
:

in the strangest manner, so as hardly to be under-

stood. He often fell into a passion at not being able
to articulate ; he ground his teeth and sighed greatly,
continually blew bubbles of saliva from his mouth,
and moved his tongue. The movements of the
disease had lessened, so as not to be in proportion to
his extreme muscular debility. He could use neither
hand for any purpose, and scarcely ever raised the
right. He was low-spirited and fretful, and often
cried almost without cause.
"His tongue was clean and moist, his appetite
good, and his bowels in the most healthy condition ;
his pulse was 74.
" He cried sadly at being brought to me, thinking
that I should give him loads of physic to swallow,
and blister him, as others had done.
* The Zoist ; a Journal of Cerebral Physiology and Mesmerism.
Published quarterly. London H. Balliere.
:


52 MESMERISM.
" Mesmerised him by vertical passes before his
I
face for half an hour. He sat well supported in an
easy chair, his head on his breast ; but he sat so
quietly in comparison icith his usual state, that his
mother noticed it. He was Mesmerised daily for
the same time in the same way."
Dr. Elliotson proceeds to narrate the progress of
the cure until the 1 5th of February, when the patient
was Mesmerised for the last time and thus con-
cludes,
" Nothing could be more decisive of the power of
Mesmerism than this case. The disease was getting
worse and worse at the time I began. An effect
was visible in a few days ; the benefit steadily in-
creased
and from being a slobbering, idiot-looking
child, his head hanging on one side, unable to speak
or stand unsupported, in three weeks he could stand
easily, and walk five miles. Not a particle of medi-
cine was given after the first day.
f'
The true gratitude of the boy and his mother
was delightful. But my medical reward was, that
the surgeon who attended him, and whose very name
I had never before heard of, gave way to such bad
feeling as publicly to attack me, by reiterating a silly
and ignorant string of sentences from a very dull and
feeble medical periodical called the Provincial Jour-
nal, but took care to omit all mention of the case
which led to his hostility."
The cases of Dr. Simpson and Mr. Prideaux, upon
which we cannot enter, were of an equally satisfac-
tory description.
In cases of insanity, Mesmerism has been fre-
quently applied with highly successful results. The
following is from Dr. Elliotson's Human Physio-
logy : m
" I witnessed a remarkable cure of violent perio-
dical insanity by Mesmerism. A young man had
every evening, for two or three weeks, been attacked
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. o3
with the most violent insanity, which lasted many
hours. Several straps were required across his bed,
and, in addition to these, three persons to restrain
him. His howlings always alarmed the neighbour-
hood. After a time, he had a stage of whistling,
and an uniform series of changes was always gone
through before the sleep came on in which the fit
always ended. Strong dozes of strong medicines,
and various means, had completely failed. I was
called in, and saw him during his paroxysm. I
Mesmerised him for three quarters of an hour in
vain, and he made many attempts to bite me. I
requested Mr. Chandler of E-otherhithe to Mesmer-
ise him the following and every night before the fit
began. This gentleman was so obliging as to accede
to my request, and perfectly cured his patient, who
at first laughed at such a mode of treatment, and
declared that he had experienced nothing, though,
on the first night that Mr. Chandler Mesmerised
him, the fit was entirely prevented ; and in a few
nights the Mesmeric process presently brought on
sleep, from which he quickly awoke into the fit, and
the fit became shorter and shorter, and milder and
milder. By Mesmerising him still, after the com-
mencement of the fit, sleep again came on, from
which he was awakened, by transverse passes, into
his healthy state. By inducing the Mesmeric sleep,
the fit could be brought on at pleasure in the day,
and as it was more inconvenient in the evening, Mr.
Chandler always brought it on early in the after-
noon, and by Mesmerising him always in the fit,
this was put an end- to sooner and sooner, till at
length it was arrested instantly, and then ceased to
return. The cure was effected in a very short time.
At the end of a year, through a fall, the disease re-
turned, but was cured by Mesmerism very quickly."
The details of this case, and of several others, in
which Mesmerism was beneficially applied in the
54 MESMERISM.
cure of insanity, were at an after period transmitted
by Dr. Elliotson to the Zoist, where they may be
consulted by those who feel desirous of pursuing the
inquiry farther.
The work of Mr. Braid, entitled Neurypnology,
contains accounts of a great number of highly inter-
esting cases. The phenomena induced by his mode
of producing sleep, and that of the Mesmerisers, Mr.
Braid, for a considerable time, conceived to be iden-
tical, and he still believes " the condition of the ner-
vous system induced by both modes to be at least
analogous ;* but he has latterly been led to think that
the agencies are distinct, because the Mesmerisers
assert that they can produce certain effects which he
has never been able to accomplish by his mode.
Perhaps, therefore, medical gentlemen who had
formed a determined resolution to have nothing to
do with Mesmerism, may be tempted to bestow a
few minutes' consideration upon the merits of Neu-
rypnology. They will meet in Mr. Baird's volume
with none of the ugly words which used to form
such stumbling-blocks in their path. The name of
Mesmerism is rejected, but then they have Hypnot-
ism, which means nervous sleep. Instead of to Mes-
merise, they have to Hypnotise, which means to
induce nervous sleep; and instead of Mesmerised,
they have got Hypnotised, meaning one who has
been put into the state of nervous sleep. These
changes will, we hope, please our medical friends,
and induce them to turn a favourable eye to the
cases which Mr. Braid has laid before them.
Hypnotism has been applied by Mr. Braid to
numerous diseases, and seemingly with great success.
He has tested its efficacy in cases where the senses
of hearing, sight, and smell were affected. In tic-
doloureux, spine complaints, paralysis, rheumatism,
both chronic and acute, nervous headach, epilepsy,
and several other diseases, he has also found it highly


APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 55

beneficial. Several cases of spasmodic affection are
referred to as affording "strong grounds to hope
that tetanus, hydrophobia, and other analogous affec-
tions, may be arrested and cured by this agency."
While Mr. Braid's treatise was passing through the
press, the above predication was happily realised in
respect to the former " intractable and generally fatal
disease." We extract the following account of the
case from the preface to the work :

" Master J. B., thirteen years of age, was suddenly

attacked with chilliness and pain all over his body,
on the evening of 30th of last March. I was called
to attend him the following day, when I considered
he had got a febrile attack from cold, and prescribed
accordingly. Next day, however, it had assumed a
very different aspect. I now found I had got a
severe case of opisthotonos to deal with. The head
and pelvis were rigidly drawn back, the body form-
ing an arch, and the greatest force could not succeed
in straightening it, or bringing the head forward.
Whilst the spasm never relaxed entirely, it frequently
became much aggravated, when the head was so
much drawn back as to seriously impede respiration.
The legs were also sometimes flexed spasmodically.
The effect of the spasm in obstructing the respira-
tion, and hurrying the circulation, was very great,
and seemed to place the patient in great jeopardy.
The pulse was never less than 150, but during the
paroxysm was considerably increased. It was evi-
dent I had got a most formidable case to contend
with, and that no time ought to be lost. I there-
fore determined to try the power of hypnotism, well
knowing how generally such cases end fatally under
ordinary treatment. He was quite sensible, and
the only difficulty in getting him to comply with
my instructions arose from the recurrence of the
severe spasmodic attacks. In a very few minutes,
however, I succeeded in reducing the spasm, so that
56 MESMERISM.
his head could be carried forward
to the perpendicu-
lar, his breathing was relieved, his pulse consider-
ably diminished, and I left him in a state of compa-
rative comfort. In about two and a half hours after
I visited him again, accompanied by my friend Dr.
Cochrane. The spasms had recurred, but by no
means with the same violence. Dr. Cochrane had
no difficulty in recognising the disease ; but did not
believe any means could save such a case. He had
never seen a patient hypnotised till that afternoon,
and watched my experiment with much interest and
attention. He seemed much and agreeably surprised
by the extraordinary influence which an agency so
apparently simple exerted over such a case. The
pupil was speedily dilated, as if under the influence
of belladonna ; the muscular spasm relaxed, and in a
few minutes he was calmly asleep. Having ordered
three calomel powders to be given at intervals, we
left him comfortably asleep. Next day, there was
still spasm of the muscles, but by no means so severe.

Whilst I determined to follow up the hypnotic treat-

ment, which had been so far successful, I considered
it would be highly imprudent to trust wholly to

that in the treatment of such a case. As I consider

such cases are generally attended with inflammation
of the medulla oblongata, and upper part of the
spinal cord, I bled him, and ordered the calomel to be
continued. The same plan was persevered in, hyp-
notising him occasionally for some days, administer-
ing calomel till the gums were slightly affected, cold
lotion to the head, and the antiphlogistic regimen,
till I considered all risk of inflammatory action past,

when he was treated more generously, and I am

gratified to say he now quite well."
is

In conclusion, Mr. Braid remarks, " I feel quite

confident that without the aid of hypnotism, this
patientwould have died. I sincerely wish it may
prove equally successful in other cases of the kind,
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. D /

and also that hitherto fatal disease hydrophobia.*

My anxiety to see it fairly tried in the latter disease
induces me to offer my gratuitous services in any
case of that disease occurring within a few hours'
journey of Manchester."
One of the cases of spasmodic affections that of

Miss Collins of Newark which led Mr. Braid to
think that his mode of treatment might prove suc-
cessful in the case just quoted, is thus recorded by
the father of the patient.
1,4
My daughter, sixteen years of age, had been
afflicted for six months with a rigid contraction of
the muscles on the left side of the Deck to so great a
degree, that it would have been impossible to insert

an ordinary card between the ear and shoulders, so

close was their contact ; and consequently she was
rapidly becoming malformed. She had had the best
advice to be procured in the country, and I had
taken her to London with a written statement of the
treatment previously employed, and had the opinion
of Sir Benjamin Brodie, who approved of what had
been done, but gave no hope of speedy relief.
" In consequence of seeing a report of a lecture
given on the subject by Mr. Braid, surgeon, St.
Peter's Square, Manchester, and a letter written to
that gentleman by Mr. Mayo of London, I went with
her, by the advice of Dr. Chawner, who, indeed,
accompanied us, and placed her under the care of
Mr. Braid, on Thursday evening, the 24th March
last, (1842.) In less than a minute after that gentle-
man began to fix her attention she was in a Mes-

* We learn from the Zoist, that in 1837, a case of hydrophobia

having occurred at Paddington, Mr. W
ood offered his services,
and although the disease was too far advanced for Mesmerism to
have any chance of curing it, the boy being within twelve hours
of his death, the effects were nevertheless satisfactory. This,
taken in connection with the statements of Mr. Braid,' will, we
trust, lead to further trials being made when this dreadful disease
.58 MESMERISM.
meric (neurohypnotic) slumber, and in another mi-
nute was partially cataleptic. Mr. Braid, then, with-
out awaking her, and consequently without giving
her any pain, placed her head upright, which I
firmly believe could not, by any possibility, have
been done five minutes before, without disruption of
the muscles, or the infliction of some serious injury ;
and, I am thankful to say, it not only continues
straight, but she has the perfect control over the
muscles of the neck. A nervous motion of the head,
to which she had been subject after her return from
Manchester, has entirely ceased, and she is at present
in excellent health. It is necessary to remark, that
at Dr. Chawner's recommendation she was frequently
watched while asleep, but not the slightest relaxation
was observed in the contracted muscles.
" Many respectable persons can bear testimony to
the statements here made.
(Signed) " James Collins.
" Newark, llth May, 1842."

Mr. Braid himself gives the following explanation

of themanner in which he treated this case.
" After the eyes had been closed, and the limbs
extended for about two minutes, I placed my left
hand on the right side of her neck, and my right
hand on the left side of her head, and, by gentle
means, gave a new direction to the sensorial and
muscular power, and was thus enabled, by art, rather
than mechanical force, in less than half a minute, to
incline the head from the left to the right of the mesial
plane. The muscular contraction being thus excited
on the right side of the neck, in muscles which had
been inactive for six months previously, was the
surest and most natural mode of withdrawing the
power from their antagonists, and reducing the
spasm of the contracted muscles on the left side.
After allowing the patient to remain two minutes


APPLICATION OF MEDICAL SCIENCE. 59

supporting her head, now inclined towards the right
by her own muscular efforts, to give them power on
the principle already explained, I aroused her in my
usual way by a clap of my hands."
AndMr. Braid subsequently adds :

" After the lapse of a year, Mr. Collins was so

kind as write to inform me his daughter continued
in perfect health, with complete control over the
muscles of the neck."
Mr. Braid gives reports of cases, amounting to be-
tween sixty and seventy, in the various branches of
disease which we have enumerated, and which we
hope his medical brethren will have the candour to
receive, in the manner they merit, as coming from an
intelligent member of their own profession. It is

really time that the disgraceful, and, in some in-

stances, unprincipled, opposition offered by medical
men to Mesmerism should cease. What, for example,
is to be said regarding such conduct as the following :

M I consider it necessary," says Mr. Braid, in his

preface, " to explain that my reason for having in-
serted some cases attested by the patients, and others,
is, that most unwarrantable interferences have been
resorted to by several medical men, in order to mis-
represent some of them. In one instance, in order
to obtain an attested erroneous document, the case
was read to the patient, and others present, the
VERY REVERSE OF WHAT WAS WRITTEN. However
extraordinary such conduct may appear, the fact of
its occurrence was publicly proved and borne testi-
mony to by the patient and other parties present
on the occasion when the document was obtained"
Surely it is for the honour of the profession that
such atrocious proceedings should be universally
scouted, and that the vilest of calumnies should no
longer be propagated in order to damage the hated
name of Mesmerism.
It was but the other day that a medical practi-


60 MESMERISM.
lioner in Glasgow stated not only that the Okeys',
the well-known patients of Dr. Elliotson, were im-
postors, but that the Doctor had publicly confessed
it to be so at a medical society in London. Listen
to what Dr. Elliotson states on this head in his Nu-
merous Cases, published in 1843.
" The cases of both sisters were genuine through-
out, similar but very differently modified, and it was
ignorance only which led any one to doubt them, and
it was heartless cruelty to slander two perfectly vir-

tuous and afflicted female children, who had been

carefully brought up, and had lived only with their
parents, and afterwards in a respectable family, till
they were seized with epilepsy. * * * The
display of disreputable unacquaintance with this kind
of case,and the composition of vulgar tirades by so
many professionalmen pretending to medical know-
ledge, was precisely the conduct which we witness
in the streets when a deranged or imbecile person is
pursued and hooted by boys and rabble, as though he
were master of his own condition and conduct, and
not the subject of an affliction profoundly interesting
to the philosopher and to the man who can feel for
others. Every thing stated or ever printed to their
disadvantage was an absolute falsehood ; I repeat
these words emphatically, an absolute falsehood"
He adds, a little further on,
u To accuse patients of imposition is very easy.
But it is a very vulgar, as well as cruel, habit,
founded on ignorance, presumption, and heartlessness.
We should never prefer such an accusation on light
grounds; and, to be assured of the grounds, we should
be well acquainted with the subject. He who is ig-
norant of a subject is surely not justified in giving
an opinion ; and yet medical men, and others, be-
cause they are ignorant of the phenomena of the more
wonderful and uncommon diseases of the nervous
system, and of Mesmerism, preposterously pronounce


APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. 61

the subjects of them imposters, and those, who know

the truth, to be fools, or rogues, or in league with
the devil. It was the same cause which made the
people pronounce Democritus mad, when he looked
for the source of insanity in the brain ; to pronounce
Roger Bacon a sorcerer, who knew physical facts of
which they were ignorant ; to ascribe epilepsy, St.
Vitus's dance, and numerous other diseases, to demo-
niacal possession ; to ascribe the phenomena of elec-
trical and galvanic apparatus to the agency of spirits,
as the savage supposed there must be a spirit inside
the watch."
An able literary and political journal, the Ex-
aminer, in remarking upon the conduct of the me-
dical profession on this question, says,
" If, as we apprehend to be the case, the existence,
of certain phenomena, undoubtedly of great interest
and probably of great importance in a physiological
view, is pretty generally admitted to be the result
of recent experiments, it is high time to cease calling
names, and begin rational discussion. The treat-
ment to which Dr. Elliotson has been exposed from
the time these questions were started, the members
of a liberal calling should surely have reserved for
the interested quack, or the vain pretender. There
had been as little of either in the career of this dis-
tinguished physician, as in that of the foremost mem-
ber of the profession he had so long assisted and
adorned. Policy and worldly considerations apart
no man had better claims to be respectfully lis-
tened to. His admitted learning, his foregone re-
cognised discoveries in medicine, his unimpeached
veracity and high character, as they qualified him
for that course which only the few are at any time
fit to take, should have saved him from those vulgar

imputations which the many are at all times prone

to indulge."
It is surely time that the word of an intelligent
 ;

62 MESMERISM.
physician or surgeon
of a man whom the world
would believe, without hesitation, on any ordinary
topic should be at once received when he unfolds
truths of grave import to society. It is surely time
to abandon implicit confidence in certain dogmas to
be found in books, and to walk abroad and behold
" the visible and living world."
" Nothing," says Sir Humphrey Davy, " has so
much checked the progress of philosophy, as the
confidence of teachers in delivering dogmas as truths,
which it would be presumptuous to question. It
was this spirit which, for more than ten centuries,
made the crude physics of Aristotle the natural phi-
losophy of the whole of Europe. It was this spirit
which produced the imprisonment of the elder Bacon,
and the recantation of Galileo. It is this spirit, not-
withstanding the example of the second Bacon,
assisted by his reproof, his genius, and his influence,
which has, even in later times, attached men to
imaginary systems, mere abstracted combina-
to
tions of words, rather than to the visible and living
world ; and which has often induced them to delight
more in brilliant dreams, than in beautiful and grand

What says the eminent philosopher, Dugald

Stewart, of those phenomena from which the bulk
of medical men turn aside in disdain ?
" Among all the phenomena, however," says
Dugald Stewart, " to which the subject of imitation
has led our attention, none are, perhaps, so wonder-
ful, as those which have been recently brought to
light, in consequence of the philosophical inquiries
occasioned by the medical pretentions of Mesmer
and his associates. That these pretensions involved
much of ignorance, or of imposture, or of both, in
their authors, has, I think, been fully demonstrated
in the very able report of the French academicians
but does it follow from this, that the facts witnessed
 APPLICATION TO MEDICAL SCIENCE. C3
and authenticated by those academicians should share
in the disgrace incurred by the empirics who dis-
guised or misrepresented them ? For my own part,
it appears to me, that the general conclusions esta-

blished by Mesmer's practice, with respect to the

physical effects of the principle of imitation, and of
the faculty of imagination, (more particularly in cases
where they co-operated together,) are incomparably
more curious, than if he had actually demonstrated
the existence of his boasted fluid. Nor can I see
any good reason why a physician, who admits the
efficacy of the moral agents employed by Mesmer,
should, in the exercise of his profession, scruple to
copy whatever processes are necessary for subjecting
them to his command, any more than that he should
hesitate about employing a new physical agent, such
as electricity or galvanism. The arguments to the
contrary, alleged by the commissioners, only show,
that the influence of imagination and of imitation is
susceptible of a great abuse in ignorant or in wicked
hands ; and may not the same thing be said of all
the most valuable remedies we possess ? Nay, are
not the mischievous consequences which have actu-
ally been occasioned by the pretenders to animal
magnetism, the strongest of all encouragements to
attempt such an examination of the principles upon
which the effects really depend, as may give to
scientific practitioners the management of agents so
and overbearing?"*
peculiarly efficacious
Facts, which were thus spoken of by Dugald
Stewart, and which have engaged the attention of
such minds as those of La Place, Cuvier, Treviranus,
Sprengel, Agassiz, Coleridge, Shelley, Chenevix,
Elliotson, Mayo, and Sir William Hamilton, cannot
certainly be unworthy the investigation of the mem-
bers of a literary and learned profession. In the
* Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind. London,
1827. Vol. iii., pp. 221, 222.
 ;

64 MESMERISM.
words of Hufeland, the celebrated German physi-
cian,

when writing upon this subject, " We stand
before the dawning of a new day for science and

humanity, a new discovery, surpassing any that
has been hitherto made, which promises to afford us
a key to some of the most recondite secrets of nature,
and thus to open up to our view a new world."
Since these words were penned, something has been
done to introduce this science into Great Britain.
In defiance of frowns and persecution, Dr. Elliotson
has practised Mesmerism, and he has latterly been
joined by some men who esteem it an honour to suf-
fer in so holy a cause. The reports of cases which
they have published, and the work of Mr. Braid, to
which we have already referred, will surely at length
arrest the attention of even the most obdurate. A
leading difficulty we know to be, that many have
expressed strong opinions in opposition, and now
have not the manliness to confess they have seen
evidence of those opinions having been erroneous.
Where is the shame of men acknowledging they
know more this year than last ? The medical pro-
fession are a stubborn and stiff-necked generation
but accumulated facts will compel them to yield and
move onward. The sooner they do so, the better for
their owncredit, as well as for the welfare of those
who repose confidence in their opinions. Whatever
may be their decision, the ultimate triumph of the
great truths of Mesmerism is secure.
 65

CHAPTER V.

CASES.

ISABELLA D-

This case, the first, we believe, to which Mes-

merism was regularly applied in Scotland as a cura-
tive agent, has been already slightly alluded to in
the brief historical sketch in the first chapter. The
physician, under whose advice the Mesmeric treat-
ment was applied, was Dr. James B. Mitchell, at
that time a resident in Glasgow, Mr. Dove being
the Mesmeriser.
It was Dr. Mitchell's intention to have prepared a
narrative of the case for the press; but he some-
what suddenly departed on a tour to the East,
with the task only in part completed. He had,
however, kept a regular journal during the pro-
gress of the Mesmeric treatment ; and the previous
history of the case had been obtained by him from
the relations of the patient. These documents were,
immediately before his departure, handed over by
Dr. Mitchell to the editor of the present volume,
with permission to lay them before the public in
whatever form he considered most suitable. The
introduction is given precisely in the words of Dr.
Mitchell; but the editor has taken the liberty of
considerably abridging the journal, more especially
in the latter portion, leaving out the notice of cer-
tain matters, only appropriate in a strictly medical
work. Other particulars have been added, after the


66 MESMERISM.
close of the journal, by gentlemen who had occa-
sional opportunities of visiting the patient.
We commence with Dr. Mitchell's introductory
narrative :

" Having had my attention called to the subject

of Mesmerism by the appearance of M. La Fontaine
in Glasgow, I was anxious to ascertain, from actual
observation, the real nature of the phenomena said
to be produced by certain manipulations. After
looking about for some time for a fit patient, I at
length heard of one that promised to be very sus-
ceptible, according to the experience of most Mes-
merisers. This was a young woman subject to con-
vulsive fits, of a very anomalous nature, which had
long withstood all the ordinary plans of treatment.
On hearing of this case, I caused the Mesmeric
treatment to be proposed to the friends of the patient
as a probable means of cure, and with some little
persuasion, (as they had never even heard of such a
thing,) they were induced to consent to give it a
trial.
" When I made up my mind to prosecute the in-
quiry into the merits of Mesmerism, I had been so
fortunate as to have procured an introduction to Mr.
J. E. Dove, a gentleman whom I knew to have had
a great deal of experience in the practice of Mes-
merism ; and on getting permission to put it to the
test in the above case, he was so kind as offer to
give me all the assistance in his power, and accord-
ingly was prevailed on to become the operator him-
self during the necessary term of treatment.
"The 11th of January (1843) was fixed on for
the first
visit. Accompanied, then, by Mr. Dove
and Mr. , a medical student, who had lately
had the management of the case, I proceeded, on
the evening of that day, to the residence of the
patient, at D works, near Glasgow, of which
her father was at the time foreman, and there, for
 ;

CASES. t)7

the first time, had an opportunity of seeing her.

The patient was equally a stranger to Mr. Dove,
" We found her to be a young woman of 28 years
of age, of a lively disposition, pale in the complexion,
and of a nervo-lymphatic constitution ; but, at the
same time, stout and fleshy in the frame. Her gait was
strongly indicative of pain when she began to move
about ; she stooped a little forward, and appeared to
have a habit of keeping one of her hands firmly
pressed on her side, as if for the relief of some uneasi-
ness felt in the part. There was a marked unsteadi-
ness of the head when addressing any one, and she
exhibited a considerable degree of nervousness on
our first entrance.
" We had
not been long in the room when she
was attacked with one of her fits. It announced
itself by a sort of yawn ; her eyes were shut, and
the head was slightly thrown back. The arms then
began to twist about, and in a few seconds afterwards
they became quite stiff, and being forcibly extended
by the side, they there remained in a permanent state
of rigidity, into which, by this time, the whole body
had likewise passed. The fit went off in the course
of two or three minutes, with a yawn similar to that
which had ushered it in.
" During its continuance, she was apparently
quite unconscious ; and on recovering, she said she
had no recollection of any thing that had passed
from the accession of the paroxysm. While under
its influence, she was insensible to ordinary stimuli
aud her friends declared, that they had never suc-
ceeded in rousing her out of a fit. She complained
of fixed pain in the left side, and in the shoulder
of the same side, which, she said, was sometimes
subject to very marked aggravations, invariably ac-
companied by an increase of the severity of the fits.
Her bowels have been long habitually costive, and
the catamenia have always been more or less irregu-


68 MESMERISM.
lar. The pulse was 130 on her recovery from the
paroxysm.
" Welearned from the patient's friends, that she
has been subject to the fits we just witnessed for
about twelve months, and that for several years pre-
vious she had been liable to almost daily seizures of a
somewhat similar nature, in which the whole body,
but especially the upper extremities, were violently
convulsed, without, however, passing into the state
of rigidity which characterizes the fits that have
occurred latterly. These twisting fits (as the pa-
tient's friends call them) were much more violent
to appearance than the rigid ones, and not unfre-
quently when under their power it was found impos-
sible, even with the united strength of two or three
individuals, to keep her down on a bed to prevent
her hurting herself.
" The fits she now labours under, although not so
distressing to look at, render her quite as useless as
did these more violent paroxysms ; and as they have
been increasing very much of late in frequency, the
poor girl has become a very great burden on her
friends, as she has to be constantly watched for fear
of being seized unawares,
the only premonitory
symptom of the fits being the deep-drawn sigh,
already mentioned as preceding the fit we saw. A
short time previous to our visit, the paroxysms had
been so frequent, as to extend to the almost incredi-
ble number of from sixty to seventy fits in one day,
and at present they are not much less frequent.
The patient has not been out of the house for about
a twelvemonth, and even in the house, she can
hardly be trusted to do the easiest household work.
" We gathered from the family the following par-
ticulars of the past history of the case :

" In the year 1 824, when was about nine

patient
years of age, she injured her left foot by a fall, and
by the advice of an acquaintance it was kept con-
 CASES. 69

stantly moistened with vinegar for some considerable

time, which, unfortunately caused the skin to give
way. By a proper change of dressing the sore soon
healed up, but the foot ever afterwards continued
painful on being used, and at present requires the
use of a soft shoe made on purpose. About a year
after this accident, she was suddenly seized with
acute pain of side and spasm, for which she was bled
by Dr. Craig of the High Street, and ordered some
common medicines, and, in a day or two, recovered
her ordinary health. She remained well for four
years after this, when she went to give some assist-
ance to a friend in keeping her house, at which time
she was again attacked with pain of side. Dr.
Buchanan of Gorbals saw her on this occasion ; he
bled her, and applied some leeches to her side, and
she again recovered. When seventeen years of age,
she went to work in the warehouse of a Mr. Auld,
a manufacturer, and while there she received a severe
blow on the left side, by which she was consequently
laid up once more with the former symptoms, accom-
panied, however, now by a most acute pain in left
shoulder, and an extreme degree of sensibility in the
skin of back, and both shoulders. The merest touch
of the skin on these parts caused the most excruciat-
ing pain ; and so very sensitive did the external sur-
face become, that the approximation of any object to
her body, even at the distance of half a foot, although
she was not otherwise aware of it, made her start as if
actually struck. Dr. Craig, who was called in, bled
her, applied leeches, and used various other remedial
measures, but with little relief of the symptoms.
Dr. Watson was sent for he ordered her blisters to
:

the side and shoulder, with considerable advantage

for the time. Shortly afterwards, however, she be-
came much worse, when the bleeding and blistering
was again resorted to by Dr. Thomson of Bridge ton,
but with no decided good effect. She could go about,
70 MESMERISM.
but was still symptoms. In
suffering under her old
this state she paid a visit to Dr. Thomson for the
purpose of consulting him, and while in his shop she
was suddenly seized with a sort of fainting fit, and
had to be taken home in a coach, and remained in a
state of complete unconsciousness during the entire
night. Dr. Craig was sent for; she was bled at
the arm by him, and gradually came round ; but he
had to remain in attendance for a considerable time
afterwards. Patient now continued to be subject to
attacks of pain of side and shoulder, which, from
time to time, became seriously aggravated, but always
again, at intervals, abated. In one of these attacks,
which took place when patient was about twenty
years of age, she consulted Dr. Samuel Clarke, who
prescribed for her various internal and external re-
medies, during a considerable period of time, but
with little or no permanent improvement. Not long
after Dr. Clarke's treatment was given up, the symp-
toms becoming much aggravated, Dr. Hannay was
consulted, but he found the case so inveterate, and
so little under the influence of remedial measures,
that he very soon gave up attendance. At this
period her chief symptoms were pain of side and
shoulder, extreme sensibility of the skin, habitual
constipation, irregular and insufficient menstruation,
and, at intervals, seizure of a sort of faint, during
which she entirely lost her consciousness for several
hours at a time. It was now recommended her to
try the public dispensary, at that time open for pa-
tients in Gordon Street. There Mr. Alan Burns
prescribed cupping, a liniment to be rubbed on the
back, and a tonic mixture to be taken three times
a-day. On returning home from the dispensary she
was attacked with one of the fainting fits, during the
continuance of which she had involuntary twitches
and tremours of the arms. Dr. Craig again saw her,
and once more bled her, but with no advantage. She
 CASES. 71

remained, till about three years before our visit, much

in the same condition, sometimes worse and some-
times better, dozed from time to time, and occasion-
ally bled, when one of her brothers died. This made
a strong impression on her, and caused a return of
all her worst symptoms, together with repeated at-
tacks of the fainting fits ; on this occasion she was
again bled at the arm. The faintings now became
more frequent, and continued so, with occasional re-
missions, for a twelvemonth. Rather less than two
years previous to our first visit, she went to assist in
D House, and while there, employed at heavy
work, was suddenly seized with most violent head-
ach, with increased pain of shoulder and sensitive-
ness of skin. These symptoms were soon followed
by a severe attack of the fainting fits, which then
became even more frequent than formerly. Patient
was visited both by Dr. Clarke and Dr. Craig.
They ordered her head to be shaved, and her back to
be rubbed with strong brine. From this time she has
been always more or less subject to attacks of acute
headach. Towards the close of the year 1841 the
fainting fits began to be uniformly accompanied by
tremulous motions of the upper extremities, which
gradually passed into twisting movements, and ulti-
mately settled down into regular convulsive pa-
roxysms. In December of that year, Dr. H. Rainy
was consulted for the fits. He prescribed various
sorts of pills and mixtures during two months that
patient continued under his care, but with no appa-
rent advantage ; for, at the time she was in the habit
of going to consult him, the attacks became both
more frequent and more severe, and at last obliged
her to confine herself to the house, after which her
mother continued to report her state to the doctor,
and to conduct the treatment according to his orders.
Patient now had so many as three or four attacks of
fits in the course of a week, and these of so violent
 ;

1 2 MESMERISM.
a character, that it sometimes required several per-
sons to prevent her injuring herself while in the con-
vulsions. Dr. Crawford of Calton took the manage-
ment of the case. A large blister was applied along
the whole course of the spine, and appeared to afford
considerable relief to the pain of shoulder, and by the
use of blisters, the pain of the side was made to
change its position ; but these were but temporary-
effects. Bleeding and blistering were continued at
intervals, the head was kept shaved, and a great
variety of tonics prescribed up to the time of our visit
but during that period the paroxysms only changed
from bad to worse. In August 1842, while labour-
ing under a very severe attack, it was recommended
to try a warm bath. This was accordingly done,
but she had hardly got into the bath when she was
seized with fits of a most violent description, differ-
ing in character from any she had before. In these
fits the convulsive twisting of the body only lasted a

very few seconds, and then passed into most complete

rigidity, in which state patient would sometimes re-
main for several hours, although usually the fit did
not last above a quarter of an hour. These paroxysms
gradually became much more frequent and numerous,
and have continued up to the time of our visit.
Shortly prior to this they amounted to the incredible
number of from sixty to seventy fits in the course of
a day. As the state of rigidity became more fully
developed, the morbid sensibility of the skin disap-
peared, and has never since returned. The pain in
side and shoulder has continued as formerly, up to
our visit; and although during one fortnight she
was quite free of fits the pain never left her."
So much for the past history of the case. We now
proceed with Dr. Mitchell's journal, commencing
with the first visit, on
January 11, 1843. We
had not been long with
our patient, before she was seized with one of the
 CASES. i 3

fits. It came on with a yawn, followed by slight

convulsive movements of the muscles of the face, im-
mediately succeeded by extension of the extremities,
and fixed rigidity of the whole muscular system.
This state continued for two or three minutes, with,
at intervals, some spasmodic action of the arms, and
then passed off with another yawn. Having waited
about a quarter of an hour after her recovery, Mr.
Dove being seated in a chair opposite patient, com-
menced making the usual passes with both hands,
held at about two inches from the body, beginning
at the head, and continuing them along the trunk
and arms. He had hardly made half a dozen passes,
when the patient was seized with another fit, and the
operation was continued during the fit without any
apparent effect at the time. This paroxysm was in
every respect similar to the former one, up to the
yawn with which the fits generally terminated, when,
instead of recovering immediately the use of her
senses, her muscles began gradually to relax, and
from the state of general rigidity, she passed into
one exactly resembling ordinary sleep, excepting
that occasionally there were a few convulsive twit-
ches in both arms. The same sort of manipulation
was Dext applied to the right arm, with a view to quiet
the twitching, and repeatedly after three or four
passes, the desired effect was produced. We tried
the same kind of passes upwards along the arm, and,
we thought, with better effect. In order to ascer-
tain if she was sensible to sound, her name was
called loudly in her ear ; but she gave no sign of
hearing. On repeating the call in a louder tone, she
all at once awoke with a start, as from a deep sleep.
On being asked if she had any feeling different from
common, she said that she had a curious sensation in
her right arm she farther said, that she heard us
:

speak to her just before awaking ; but felt unable to

 :

74 MESMERISM.
give an answer. The motherof the patient stated,
that in the fits it impossible to make her hear.
is

A
few minutes afterwards, while talking together
on the result of this trial, the patient went off again
of her own accord into the state of sleep she had just
awoke from. At first there was no rigidity of the
muscles ; but after a little while, a fit appeared to
come on, for the left arm became stiff, then the head,
and in immediate succession the legs and trunk the :

right arm alone remained disengaged, and in as per-

fect a state of relaxation as before the accession of
the fit ; for a very short time only it got rigid down
to the wrist, but soon recovered its mobility. The
attack terminated with a sort of gurgling sound in
the throat. During the fit, the manipulation was
continued from time to time both to body and arms
it was now left off.
Avery severe attack soon followed, with consider-
able convulsive action of the arms and trunk, going
the length of opisthotonos. This shortly subsided into
complete rigidity. The right arm alone again con-
tinued unaffected it remained perfectly supple, and
:

capable of performing voluntary motion, as was

shown by the patient putting her right hand to her
mouth. Without any passes having been made since
the accession of the paroxysm, it appeared to be pass-
ing off into the state of sleep, when severe hysterical
coughing came on, and continued without intermis-
sion, some Mesmeric passes were made, when it
till

ceased, and was succeeded by a state of quietness,

interrupted only occasionally by a single cough, and
accompanied with rather audible breathing. The
manipulation discontinued, another paroxysm of
coughing took place, which roused her out of the fit.
Passes recommenced, and a state of quietude again
produced, with occasional coughing and yawning.
"While in this state, cough appeared to be twice ar-
 ;

CASES. 75
rested, by the hands of the operator being held
steadily on the shoulders of the patient ; but this was
as often tried without effect. In a few minutes she
returned to the natural state, but the cough continued,
and a remarkable want of power in the tongue was
experienced. Her mother states, that patient has
had no cough since the commencement of the fits.

January 12. Pulse 130, feeble. Since yesterday
has had several fits, but none of great severity. In
none of them has the right arm become rigid, like
the rest of the body ; and she could, in one of them,
distinguish the voice when spoken to.
At three minutes past seven, the patient being
seated as before, in an arm chair, in front of the ope-
rator, Mr. Dove commenced by taking hold of both
hands of patient, at the same time desiring her to
look him steadily in the face. In one minute sleep
was induced. She was perfectly quiescent, no rigi-
dity, breathing rather deep, pulse 130. While in
this state some passes were made along both arms,
in a downward direction, without contact, without
any perceptible effect. At twenty-two minutes
past seven some convulsive movements took place
the legs became rigid, but both arms remained relaxed,
as had happened with the right one on the preced-
ing evening. At twenty-seven minutes past seven
patient commenced throwing her arms about, and
shortly afterwards convulsive twisting of the whole
body took place, accompanied by distressing hyste-
rical cough, which lasted for two or three minutes,
when she again relapsed into the quiescent sleep.
She was now asked to make a motion with her right
hand if she heard us speak, and immediately she
gave a sign. "When asked if she could not speak she
shook her head, opened her mouth when told to do
so, and nodded when asked if she was comfortable.
At thirty-two minutes past seven a few convulsive
movements appeared, but terminated in two minutes,
 ;

76 MESMERISM.
with slight cough, whereupon she awoke. On awak-
ing, patient declared that she could not tell whether
she had been asleep or awake, as she never before
had been in the same state.
The Mesmeric operation was again repeated, at
twelve minutes to eight, by holding the hands, as in
the former trial, and in half a minute patient was
asleep. An attempt was made to cause the rigidity
to reappear in right arm, as formerly when in the
fit, by making passes along the arm, with the hand

of the operator in contact. After a few passes, the

arm was forcibly extended, and became perfectly
rigid. On some passes being made in an upward
direction along the same arm, without contact, we
found that it would retain any position in which it
was placed, in fact, that it had become cataleptic.
The forearm, placed in a semi-bent position, remained
there without support. The hand was then raised
so as to point upwards, and it retained that position ;
the forefinger was made to point, while the rest of the
hand remained clenched. A few downward passes,
without contact, having been made, catalepsy disap-
peared; being repeated, with contact, rigidity was
produced ; relaxation followed a few upward passes
rigidity reproduced by downward passes without
contact, which passed off into relaxation by a repe-
tition of upward passes. On the upward passes
being continued the cataleptic state was again in-
duced. At ten minutes past eight there occurred
slow stretching of the arms, like that of a person just
awakened from an extemporary nap, and legs be-
came stiff, but patient soon fell again into her former
state of quiet sleep, without becoming rigid, and even
without a yawn.
The operator now directed transverse passes, with-
out contact, to the head, and slight cough came on,
but patient did not awake. Some upward passes
made along the whole body, after which a slight de-
 CASES. 77
gree of catalepsy was discerned. Transverse passes
to the head proceeded with, and the thumb of opera-
tor carried along the eye-brows from within out-
wards, (constituting, in fact, passes with contact,)
when patient awoke with a slight cough.
On recovering, she said that her sensations during
the sleep had been very agreeable.
January 13. At seven and a half minutes past
seven operator commenced by contact of the hands,
as on the preceding evening. In two minutes,
patient's head fell back in sleep, and she was in a
state of perfect tranquillity, excepting that there was
observable a slight tremulous motion of the eye-
lidsi Loud noises, such as calling aloud close to the
ear, clapping the hands, &c, appear to be unheard,
but the lowest whisper at the ear causes patient to
start. At twenty-five minutes to eight a fit was
ushered in by a few convulsive movements of the
body. In this attack, which was not strong, both
arms were exempt from the general rigidity. She
had some cough as it was leaving her. In the Mes-
meric sleep some degree of catalepsy was observed
in both arms. Downward passes, with contact, were
made along right arm, and rigidity followed; up-
ward passes, with contact, appeared to increase the
rigidity. Downward passes, without contact, brought
about relaxation. At five minutes to eight, trans-
verse passes, without contact, followed by three or
four rubs along the eye-brows, were directed to
patient's head, when she instantly awoke.
At two minutes past eight went gently off in a
fit. Head, as well as arms, remained in a state of
relaxation, and legs less stiff than hitherto. Fit
lasted two minutes.
Patient says, that formerly, when she came out of
a fit her limbs felt stiff and uneasy, but this time she
has not any of these sensations.
At seven minutes past eight patient was again put
78 MESMERISM.
to sleep as before. While in the sleep she started on
being called in a gentle whisper. Another fit came
on in which the legs and trunk only were affected with
stiffness. During the fit, upward passes, without
contact, directed to the legs and trunk, had the effect
of producing convulsive twitches in the legs, lessening
in some degree their rigidity. At nineteen minutes
to nine patient was awakened as before.
On coming out of the sleep she complained of great
pain of right side ; she was, therefore, again thrown
into the sleep, which was very placid. Some con-
vulsive action of the body ushered in another fit, in
which there was increased rigidity of the legs and arms.
About months ago, before the fits were so
five
fully developed, patient says she had pain in the
right side, which has since shifted to the left, where
it has remained till now.

January 14. Fits milder, shorter, and less frequent
since yesterday ; some pain in right side.
Shortly after we arrived, patient had a fit, in which
the arms, head, and neck were free, but the legs and
trunk still engaged. On coming out of it, there was
observable a tremulous motion of the arms and head,
but none of the legs ; yawning as formerly. This
fit did not last long. On recovering, the Mesmeric
manipulation was resumed, and she fell asleep at
twenty-seven minutes past seven, two minutes after
the commencement of the operation. Arms catalep-
tic, and some tendency to that state exhibited in the
legs. Attwenty-five minutes to eight another fit
came on.During its continuance there took place
a tremulous motion all over the body. The legs still
remained stiff; the arms were cataleptic ; and there
was no sign of sensibility to the voice, either in a
loud tone or whisper. The fit terminated in three
minutes. The legs and body were manipulated down-
ward, without contact. Some passes were made
along right arm, downwards, with contact, and ri-
 CASES. 7.9

gidity was the consequence ; some, with contact

upwards were made, and relaxation followed. In
the cataleptic state, passes conducted downwards,
with contact, produced rigidity, and upwards, laxity,
after a few passes; a few more upwards brought
back the pliant catalepsy. At three minutes past
eight there was a very imperfect fit. On again be-
coming tranquil, right arm was manipulated down-
wards, with contact, and tense rigidity brought on,
continued and pliant catalepsy produced, persevered
in and rigidity followed, by the same process taken
away, again produced, and once more made to dis-
appear, each succeeding alternation requiring less ma-
nipulation, till one or two passes were sufficient to
make the one state pass into the other. The right
leg was now manipulated in the same manner, and
the same phenomena were exhibited. A fit came on
while the leg was in the state of rigidity, and both it
and the left leg were rigid during the paroxysm,
but no other part of the body except the trunk. By
a few passes, with contact along eyebrows, the fit
was removed. The left leg, in its turn, was put
through the same process with the same result, the
number of passes requisite to change the one state
into the other gradually diminishing from seven to
two. At twenty minutes past eight a fit occurred,
during which the right leg remained disengaged. In
two minutes it passed off, and left leg and body re-
gained their mobility. Had another slight attack,
with a little coughing. In this fit manipulations
applied to the left leg produced no alteration on its
rigidity. Passes, with contact made down back, pro-
duced intense rigidity of the whole body; passes conti-
nued, brought on relaxation ; repeated, rigidity caused
again, and persevered in, relaxation re-established.
On being awakened, patient declares, that she has
no recollection of anything since she last fell asleep.

January 1G. Fits much milder, and not more
 80 MESMERISM.
frequent since the 14th. The only rigidity that oc-
curs now is a little in left leg. The character of the
paroxysm lately altered to what it used to he in the
early progress of the complaint ; the limbs are now
seized with a general tremour, instead of rigidity.
Considerable pain in back.
Set asleep by the process formerly employed at
five minutes to seven ; manipulation without contact
continued for ten minutes after accession of sleep.
Is cataleptic in the sleep, rigidity and relaxation
alternating, under the influence of precisely the same
passes. Readily answers questions addressed to her
in a whisper. A bit of twine, about four yards long,
was stretched between patient and an adjoining
room ; one end of it was applied to her ear, while
the person holding the other extremity in the next
room whispered as inaudibly as possible, at the ex-
treme end, " Lift your right hand/' and immediately
^ the order was obeyed, although to us in the room
beside patient the command was quite unheard.
This experiment was repeated several times, and
always successfully, when the order given was sim-
A string fifteen yards long was then then pro-
ple.
cured, and one of us, B , taking the end of it,
carried it outside the house, and down a considerable
flight of steps to the back court, the outer door, as
well as that of the room, being closed. Applying
his mouth to the end of the cord, B whispered
in succession the three following orders, which had

been agreed on by writing, " Put your hand to
./^ your head," " Clap your hands," " Lift your left
hand." Patient made an attempt to execute the
first order ; but failed in raising the hand the length
of her head ; it appeared as if there had been some-
thing opposing its passing beyond the breast. The
second order was executed correctly, but with a very
slow measured motion ; and the third was perfectly
obeyed. They were all repeated again and again.
 CASES. 81

When the end of the cord was removed from her

ear, while the orders were being given at the other
extremity, patient remained quite motionless, giving
no sign whatever of hearing. Being still cataleptic,
her hand was raised ; and while it was in that posi-
tion, she was told to raise it, as if it still lay on her
knee. She replied that she was unable. She was
asked, if she knew that her hand was raised ; and
she answered, that she did not feel it raised. On
being told to put down her hand, she did so, and
said she was conscious of it being put down. During
these experiments, we repeatedly clapped our hands
loudly at her ear, without detecting the slightest
appearance of sensibility : she only answered when
spoken to sotto voce.
There was a single candle in the room, which gave
a good deal of light ; but on patient being asked if
she saw any one, she said that it was too dark.
Declared that she could not open her eyes. Pupils
in a state of contraction. The candle was removed
to another room, and the door shut. She now said
that she saw us distinctly, and described accurately
those present, and any change of posture they chose
to take. There was but a glimmering of light in the
apartment from a lowered not enough, how-
fire,

ever, to allow me to distinguish

the objects she
described. I felt her eyes, and they were shut. She
was quite as accurate in her descriptions when I held
my hands firmly over her eyes.
The extreme sensibility displayed by patient to
the most inaudible whisper, suggested the idea to us,
that she might possibly be made to respond to a
mere mental order. We
all in turn tried her with
similar simple orders, such as had been given with
the cord,
" Move your right arm," " Touch your
shoulder with your left hand," &c. &c, but only
expressed mentally, not articulated ; and each of us,
in turn, found his wishes complied with. dis- We
 82 MESMERISM.
covered that the effect was more certain when all
J but the person wishing the experiment retired to
some distance from the patient. It appeared as if
the minds of those present exercised some influence
on hers, which, to a certain extent, counteracted the
operation.
She was asked if Mesmerism was doing her any-
good, and she replied, that it was the best thing for
her ; that she thought she would be well in a short
time; and that she did not require any medicine,
except a few common pills.
When the patient was taken out of the sleep, she
expressed the same confidence in Mesmerism, saying,
at the same time, that she felt greatly relieved by
the sleep, which had lasted about two hours. Dur-
ing this time she had six fits, none of them at all
severe. The only remaining rigidity occurs in left
leg ; the other limbs, during the fits, are affected by
spasmodic tremors. The left leg was neglected to
be manipulated, for the purpose of relieving it during
the paroxysm.

January 18. Patient was operated on yesterday
as usual by Mr. Dove ; but I was unable to be pre-
sent. Continues much in the same state.
On being put asleep in the usual way, it was
found, that besides being cataleptic, (as she has
always been these two or three last days when in the
Mesmeric state,) patient displayed a singular kind of
obedience to the Mesmeric influence. When one of
us held his hand a little way above that of patient,
the latter was attracted by it, and could be made to
follow either up or down, without being in contact.
This phenomenon appeared so analogous to catalepsy,
thatwe were inclined to believe it merely a superior
development of that state. In the catalepsy we
noticed, that when the patient's arm was made to
assume motion by which this
different positions, the
was effected did not appear to be communicated
 :

CASES. 83
from the hand in contact with it, but seemed to be
the result of the volition of the patient herself, acted
upon in some way by the person experimenting
in other words, that the movements of the arms of
the patient in the cataleptic state are not caused by
the communication of motion in a mechanical way,
but are dependent on some other influence, appa-
rently of the same nature as that exercised by the
hand when held at some distance from that of
patient, as in the experiment I have just detailed.
When the candle is in the room, patient says that
she cannot see distinctly : on its being removed, sees
better. She was told to get up, and fetch her work,
when she immediately rose, went into another apart-
ment, opened a small drawer, took out a stocking
that she had been engaged knitting, returned to the
room, and sat down to work. She stuck the wire
into her waist-band, arranged the ball of worsted,
and commenced operations, as if in her usual waking
state, although her eyes were shut the whole time.
There was no more light in the room than came from
the fire, by which we could with difficulty observe
how she was getting on. She continued knitting
with great rapidity, now and then letting down a
stitch ; but always taking it up with the utmost faci-
lity. Her head was bent over her work, as. if for the
purpose of using her eyes in the operation ; but on
our interposing a thick quarto volume, opened in the
middle, with both halves spread out, she, neverthe-
less, carried on the knitting with the same facility as
before, taking up a stitch when she happened to let
one down, and producing just as perfect work as in
her ordinary state of vigilance. The stocking is
what is termed rig and fur, which, of all kinds of
knitting, is that requiring the greatest degree of
attention. Having wrought for about a quarter of
an hour, on being desired to lay past her work, she
again got up, went to the other apartment, put the
84 MESMERISM.
stocking carefully back into its proper place in the
drawer, and returned to lier seat.
Re-seated, with an open book before her, she says
that it looks quite black : can make out the lines,
but cannot distinguish any of the letters. Could tell
when the back of the book was turned towards her,
instead of the printed side.
The room being made dark by the removal of the
candle, and her eyes, as usual, being shut, she can
distinguish all the persons present ; but could not
perceive them if any one stood in front between her
and them. When asked if her eyes are not shut, she
replied, " How could I see, if my eyes were shut."
On Mr. Dove's fingers being placed on her closed
eyes she seemed puzzled, and said that she could not
tell how she saw. She knew when Mr. Dove left
the room, but could not distinguish him after he had
left. When we inquired where he was, she said,
" He is in the kitchen ;" but, on being further desired
to try if she could see what he was doing, she ridiculed
the idea, as if she thought that we were making
game of her, and asked, " How can I see through
the wall ?"
Patient having complained lately of pain in the
back of the head, passes, without contact, were di-
rected to that part. After being taken out of the
sleep she had several fits of rather a more severe
character than any experienced for several days
past.

January 19. Patient passed a very bad night,
headach continuing extremely violent. As had
been agreed on last night, Mr. Dove visited her to-
day at twelve o'clock, and threw her into the Mes-
meric sleep, in which she remained till his afternoon
visit at half-past six. On arriving at seven o'clock,
I found her sitting in her ordinary state of vigilance,
cheerful, and entirely relieved of headach, and all
other pain. She had remained tranquil while in the
 CASES. 85

Mesmeric sleep, with the exception of a few fits

which passed off mildly.
Seeing the good effects produced by the long sleep,
we determined to Mesmerise her on leaving, and
allow her to remain all night in that state. After
going to bed, patient was accordingly put into the
Mesmeric sleep, and left in it for the night.

January 20. Patient was visited by Mr. Dove
this morning about nine o'clock, and found exactly
in the position in which we left her on the previous
evening. She was roused up and left awake till the
evening visit.
On going out in the evening I found that the day
had passed without a single fit ; she appeared cheer-
ful, and said she was much better.
When she had been once more set asleep, we pro-
ceeded to rouse her into the state of Mesmeric vigi-
lance by calling her by her name, and asking a few
simple questions. She soon became very lively; the
expression of her face was particularly pleasing, and
her manner and tone of voice frank and natural.
After we had gone on conversing with her for some
time on matters of no importance, she appeared tired
of such work, and at last said, she was Dot going
to sit this way doing nothing. We inquired if she
would take a seam ; she said she would, rose up,
went to the next apartment, and soon returned with
a frill that she had been engaged on during the day.
She commenced sewing; and, so far as we could judge,
did her work with more facility the darker we made
the room. We then advised her to give over sew-
ing for a little, which she did ; and on the candle
being again brought into the room, we examined
what she had done, and found it as neat as the part
she had sewed while awake. She now said, " I
want to go out." " But it is dark," I said. " No,"
she replied, " it is light ;" and rising from the chair,
she asked for her bonnet and insisted on going out.
86 MESMERISM.
With some difficulty we got her persuaded to remain.
When she was again seated, I lifted the candle and
brought it near to her face ; she started and said,
" Oh what is that ? What a terrible darkness !"
!

" What is it like V one of us asked. " It is like a

big black thing," she replied, with an air of discom-
fort. The candle was taken away, and the faint
light of the fire completely intercepted, after which a
looking-glass was presented to her, and she was
asked what she saw. She replied, she saw a glass,
and could distinguish her face in it. We
had just
light enough to make out that she had commenced to
arrange her hair, which had become a little disordered;
this finished, she tied her cap. When asked if she
perceived that her eyes were shut, she answered,
" No; I could not see if my eyes were shut;" but,
on looking more carefully into the glass she ex-
claimed, with an air of great surprise, " Yes ! I see
they are shut !" This appeared quite unaccountable
to her, but she did not ask us how it was, and would
immediately have forgot all about it, but we put the
question to her, " How can you see your own eyes
shut V to which her reply was, " I don't know, but
I see a clear light on everything."
The experiment of whispering at the end of the
cord was repeated with a view of ascertaining whe-
ther she could perceive sound as well with the cord
in contact with the epigastrium as when held at the
ear, and the result was that she did not appear to be
at all influenced by the whisper when the string was
applied to the region of the stomach. On the other
hand, however, a whisper, directed to the epigas-
trium seemed to be more distinctly heard than when
addressed to the ear. The great quantity of clothes
worn by patient perhaps interfered with the success
of the first of these experiments. She manifested
to-night the usual response to mental orders; an
effect being invariably produced by the conception
 CASES. 87
of the command, although not always the one de-
sired.
The whole body was extremely sensible to the
approach of the hand; without being touched, she
could be made to rise from her seat, and by the ap-
proximation of a hand to her foot, the latter could be
attracted and made to follow, as was the case with
her hands on former occasions. When two or more
hands were presented at the same time on different
sides to a hand of the patient's, the latter fluttered
about between them, as if uncertain where to fix,
being apparently equally attracted by all. As this
was continued, the motions of patient's hand became
quicker, and the sense appeared to acquire additional
acuteness. There was sometimes exhibited a sort of
repulsion from one of the hands, although not always
the same one. She was awakened about nine o'clock.
While in the Mesmeric sleep patient had one or
two short fits with slight rigidity of left side. At
the time patient was in one of these, a stranger who
was present, without consideration, passed his hand
two or three times down along left leg, with con-
tact, when all at once the whole body was thrown
into the state of rigidity. She was relieved from
this state by Mr. Dove making a few passes. After
being awakened there occurred two fits, in which
there was almost no rigidity, but instead very forci-
and stretching of the body and limbs,
ble twisting
which we were told had been the case in some of the
earliest fits.

Patient left in bed in the Mesmeric sleep.

January 21. Patient awakened at nine morning
by Mr. Dove still much refreshed ; but has had seve-
;

ral slight fitsduring the night. In the evening, on

being put to sleep, and room darkened as much as
possible, she declared herself now " in the light." A
card being put into her hand, she at once, and with-
88 MESMERISM.
out hesitation, described it as of a red colour, with a
small picture or engraving in the centre, and some
words above and below, all right ; but she failed to
read the words. Again, when there was light in the
room, a card of the same size and thickness was put
into her hand, with the intimation that we wished
her now to read the words on it, but she at once,

and decidedly, declared it to be another card a white
one, with a picture on it, but no words, also quite
right.
Left patient in the Mesmeric sleep till morning.
January
22. Patient awakened by Mr. Dove, as
before. Three or four fits to-day, as yesterday, but
of a mild character, and not of the rigid kind, but
like those she first had.
Patient again Mesmerised, and left asleep, in the
evening.

January 23. Patient awakened in the morning
and again Mesmerised in the evening. She very
soon attained her ordinary degree of Mesmeric luci-
dity. Says that she feels remarkably comfortable
in the Mesmeric state, which she describes as being
quite different from her common state of vigilance.
Room being darkened, and bandage placed on pa-
tient's eyes, Mr. Dove took my note-book and held
it before her, with his ring behind. She was asked
what she saw, and she replied, " I see a shining
thing." " Look and tell me what it is T " It is
your ring," was the reply of the patient.
The candle was again brought into the room, but
it was kept at a distance, and there was still very

little light. She said that she saw my watch when

I held it close to her forehead, but could not tell the
hour on it till after two or three trials. Her per-
ception appeared to be strongest when it was held on
the forehead, and not on the part of the head covered
with hair.
 CASES. 89

Patient is insensible to pricking or pinching ; but

she is able to perceive any motion communicated to
her body, as, for instance, when her arm is moved.
Two basins of water being brought into the room,
and patient's hand being dipt into them in turn, she
described the one, at a temperature of 115, as

" very cold, freezing," and the one at the tempe-
rature of the atmosphere, as " nice and warm."
The bandage being still retained, Mr. Dove sat
down opposite patient, put a bit of ginger root into his
mouth, and after chewing it a little, took hold of her
hands. He had no sooner done this than she ap-
peared to be tasting something, and answered, in re-
ply to a question, that she had ginger in her mouth.
This experiment was repeated, and varied with sugar,
with salt, and with pepper, and each of these sub-
stances was correctly tasted through the operator.
Left asleep in bed to-night as usual. Only one fit
to-day, which occurred just as she got into bed. We
have observed, that regularly every night she takes
a fit on that occasion.
January 25.
Awakened in the morning, and
again put to sleep at night.

January 26. Patient has had no fit since yester-
day, and feels her health much improved. Com-
plains of slight headach. Mr. Dove being unwell
to-night, did not Mesmerise patient on leaving, many
Mesmerisers being of opinion that an important in-
fluence is exercised by the state of the operator's
body.

January 28. Patient passed a miserable night
on the 26th ; but having been Mesmerised, as usual,
on the 27th, when I was unable to be present, is now
much recruited. Bowels, which formerly were very
irregular, have gradually become regular, without
the use of any medicine, except a few pills now and
then, which she has been long in the habit of taking,
but which she now requires no longer.
90 MESMERISM.
January 29. On leavingpatient in the Mesmeric
sleep last night, Mr. Dove had the bed made up in
such a way as to allow her to repose in a sitting po-
sition, and we find to-day that she has passed a much
better Mesmerism continued
night. in the usual
way, patient being regularly awakened in the morn-
ing and put to sleep at night.
January 30. An excellent night, and no fit.

Some ofthe former experiments were tried this

evening with occasional failures. Mr. Dove having
a hold of the patient's hand, took a pinch of snuff;
she began to cough as if there was something chok-
ing her, and at last made an effort to sneeze, calling
out, at the same time, with an expression of disgust,
" You 're putting snuff in my nose. I hate snuff."
A similar experiment was tried with ammonia.
Patient continues do
January 31. to well.
Patient has had no
February 1. but fits to-day,
complains some degree
of pain back.of of
February Complains headach and pain
2. of of
back. To-night patient could scarcely be got be-
yond the state of lucid dreaming, which generally
precedes that of lucid vigilance, and is a state in
which she often mistakes recollection of former im-
pressions for impressions of the moment; conse-
quently, her answers are any thing but satisfactory.
February 4. Yesterday morning, (3d February,)
when awakened accustomed time, patient had
at the
quite recovered her comfortable feelings. Last night
she had no fit on going to bed. Slight headach,
with some pain of side.
To-night patient was more than ordinarily clair-
voyant. The experiments on her sensations, and her
sympathy with the operator, were tried with uniform
success. Towards the end of the sitting, on the light
being withdrawn, she became very lucid, and on her
attention being directed to her own body, she said
 CASES. 91

she saw into it distinctly. Asked ifshe saw her

heart. Replied that she did, and described it as
small at the bottom and large at the top, with a di-
vision in it which she felt some difficulty in describ-
ing. Asked if she saw her brain. Said, with an
air of surprise, " 0, yes, I see it !"

" What like is
it ?"

" I see two pieces, and then another piece be-
hind." She then described " a thing going down
from it in four pieces," and strings like a chain all
down her back. Said she saw a sore on her side,
and another on her shoulder; that the former had
been much larger, but was now healing, that it had
already healed twice as much as its present size, which
she described as bigger than a pennypiece. She
added, that this sore would be soon well, as it was
rapidly contracting. With an expression of pain, she
told us, that all the blisters which she put on had but
done her harm, and that, if she had been Mesmerised
six years ago, she would now have been quite well.
In her ordinary state of waking, we found that
patient had not the slightest notion of even the
simplest facts in anatomy.

February 5. Patient improving rapidly.
In experimenting to-night on the production of
rigidity in the limbs while in the state of pliant
catalepsy, we found that it could be brought on by
passes without contact in any limb, although placed
in themost awkward and difficult position. As on
some former occasions, we ascertained that the intro-
duction of any foreign body into the hand, such as a
key, produces intense rigidity, and farther, we ob-
served to-night that this effect only takes place to a
very limited extent, or not at all when the foreign
body was previously handled and breathed on by
operator. Pursuing this subject farther, we took
four tea-cups, filled them with cold water, and one
of them having been Mesmerised (breathed upon) by
Mr. Dove, we presented them to patient, and dipped
92 MESMERISM.
her hand successively in the four cups, without any-
particular order, when she immediately recognised
the one that had been Mesmerised, and on coming
to it, so soon as her fingers touched the water, she
gave an involuntary start, like that produced by an
electric shock. This was repeated several times, the
order of the cups being varied, with precisely the
same result.
By
accident we found that patient exhibited ex-
treme sensibility to impressions made on the opera-
tor while he was in contact with her, and a far-
ther investigation discovered that the sympathy
established between them was so complete, that on
any part
his hair being pulled, his ear pinched, or
pricked with a pin, she immediately started, com-
plaining of being ill-used. "We had another ex-
ample of this sympathy in the effect produced on
patient by the operator throwing his arms out, the
movement made by him being instantly imitated by
her, although not always perfectly, yet in such a
way show an evident desire to perform the
as to
same motion. The number of motions, for instance,
always corresponded. This experiment was success-
ful even when the operator went into the adjoining
apartment out of the line of patient's vision.
It was very apparent to-night that patient's per-
ception of sound was much more acute at the hand
than at the ear or any other part the lowest whisper,
:

which made no impression whatever on the ear, un-

less when breathed into it, was readily heard when
addressed with the mouth close to the hand.
The room having been darkened, she again de-
scribed her body in much the same way as on the
previous evening. She said that it had the appear-
ance of crystal with red streams running through it
downwards, and darker streams returning upwards ;
that she saw the lungs " working," and had still a
distinct view of the sore places in her body.
 CASES. 93
"With regard to her views of light and shadow,
she says that all present, excepting herself and Mr.
Dove, are in the shadow.
Patient had no fit to-night on going into bed.

February 6th. Awakened in morning, and Mes-
merised in the evening as before. The sympathy
between operator and patient appeared very strong
at the commencement of this evening. When he
sat down opposite to her, and, no contact being main-
tained, performed the act of swallowing, the muscles
of her neck and throat were immediately put into
action and deglutition imitated. On operator nodd-
ing his head, patient replied by an imitative nod.
When he raised his hands, she did so likewise.
After a repetition of former experiments, we again
tried if she could perceive tastes through Mr. Dove
as before ; but apparently on account of the fatigue
occasioned by the exertions she had made, she failed
to distinguish them correctly. This has occurred
several times ; and on asking patient the cause of it,
she says it is a mistake, arising from inattention, by
which she confuses the recollection of former impres-
sions with those actually made at the time. In fact, it
would appear that this takes place in a sort of dream-
ing state between sleep and lucid vigilance, which
comes on when the patient has been exerting herself
in the Mesmeric state, and requires repose ; or it may
posssibly occur from some derangement of her health.
What proves this to be the case, and that the mis-
takes are not of the nature of failures among a num-
ber of fortunate guesses, is, that when fatigued, and
inclined to fell asleep, it is with difficulty she can be
roused to answer at all correctly, while, when she is
lucid, and free from the desire to sleep, her replies
are uniformly correct.
After an interval, patient was once more requested
to examine her body, and described the sore on her
side as almost well. She said that the sore on the


94 MESMERISM.
shoulder would get worse, and that, in consequence,
she would have two dreadful paroxysms of fits before
her complete recovery. That the first of these would
come on upon Thursday morning, (the 9th February,)
and continue all day ; that on Friday she would be
a great deal better, and on Saturday would appear
quite well; but that on Sunday (the 12th) she would
have the severest paroxysm she had yet experienced,
after which there would be no return of the fits.
She recommended that she should be kept in the
trance from Wednesday night till Friday morning,
and from Saturday night till Monday morning.
We conclude our extracts from Dr. Mitchell's
Journal with the following statement of the result of
the above prediction.
The fits came on exactly as patient had predicted,
the latter, moreover, beginning at the precise hour
(seven o'clock) on Sunday morning, previously fore-
told. The last fit of this dreadful and unintermitted
paroxysm took place, as she also foretold, about four
o'clock afternoon, since which period not the slightest
symptom of a return has been experienced.

It may be interesting to compare the accounts in

Dr. Mitchell's Journal with those given by other
gentlemen who had opportunities of witnessing the
phenomena evolved in this case. One gentleman
who visited Isabella D. about the end of February
described as follows some of the occurrences of the
evening :
" On
entering the apartment, Isabella D. was al-
ready in the state of trance, but was awakened (by
the operator rubbing her forehead with both his
hands) in order that we might see and converse with
her in her usual state. She was again thrown into
the sleep by the operator holding her hands, and
 CASES. 05

looking stedfastly in her face for about a minute,

when a deep drawn sigh announced that the change
was effected. Her head sunk back upon a pillow
placed for its reception, while the expression of the
face and the position of the whole body, became all
at once highly characteristic of the most perfect re-
pose. The eyes remained slightly open as in som-
nambulism, but this is said to be only the case when
the patient is Mesmerised more than once at a sit-
ting. A few passes down the head and face closed
the eyes, and in this condition a hand or limb placed
in any position, however awkward in her usual
condition, remained unmoved, which state was de-
scribed as that of pliant catalepsy. A few passes
down any particular limb produced rigid catalepsy,
in which the muscles appeared distended by some
powerful nervous influence. On inquiry, we were
informed that her pulse, which, in her ordinary state,
beats quickly, falls usually about twenty beats while
in this condition. Her eyes were now bandaged,
and a loud noise having been unexpectedly made by
striking two books together, showed that she was
insensible to external influence of such a nature. At
the same time, a cord, about fifteen yards long, having
been fastened to her right hand, and carried to an
adjoining apartment, and from thence down a stair
to the court below, the doors being all shut, served
as a means of communication between the patient
and one of the medical gentlemen. Orders or com-
mands, written by spectators in the apartment on a
slip of paper, and handed to the latter, were whis-
pered by him upon his end of the cord, and promptly
replied to by her in the performance of the com-
mands. Conversations held with her, by means of
the operator whispering upon the back or palm of
her hand, elicited the facts that she was possessed of a
double consciousness, answering to a different name
from that given in her usual condition, describing
 ;

96 MESMERISM.
her situation as one of great mental quietude and
happiness, and looking upon herself as a totally dif-
ferent individual from what she really is.* The
operator continuing to hold her hands, one of the
spectators slipped behind him and pulled his hair,
upon which the patient called out, that some one
pulled her hair; when he was pinched, she com-
plained of being pinched in the same place, although
she was in her own person quite insensible to pain.
When the operator held her hands, and imitated the
motion of swallowing, the muscles of her throat and
mouth assumed the appearance of the same action.
The effect of such experiments impressed upon our
minds the fact of a community of sensation.
" The room was now completely darkened, and
the fire covered up with a large board, the inter-
stices being filled up with cloths, to prevent a single
ray of light. In this state she was asked to describe
the appearance of the room, and the position of the
different parties present, which she did very minutely
and one gentleman present described his sensation
as almost overpowering, when, in a whisper, (with
her eyes still bandaged,) she described the altered
position in which he placed himself to test her
powers.
" It appears that this power of clairvoyance is

greater in proportion to the absence of light.

" The experiments, of which only the leading'ones
can be here detailed, were of such a nature, and so
conducted, as to leave us no alternative, unless we
were inclined to doubt the evidence of our senses,
but to believe that the science is entitled at the least
to a proper share of attention. Experiments were
also tried to show that it might be possible to lead
the patient to visit in imagination, and to describe
places and persons whom she had not previously seen

* Her Mesmeric name is Martha, her baptismal name Isabella.

 CASES. 97

or conversed with, for instance, houses, streets, and

even the interior of public buildings, which, we were
assured by the father, mother, and brother of the
patient, she was in her usual state utterly ignorant
of."
Another visit,early in the month of March, was
thus described by a gentleman, who was also present
on the evening above alluded to.
" Upon entering the house on this occasion, the
patient was and we were there-
in her natural state,
fore enabled to converse with her for some time be-
fore she was thrown into the Mesmeric sleep. She
described her health as continuing to improve daily,
and she had on that day been able, for the first time
during the last twelve months, to take a walk of some
length out of doors. The operator having proceeded
to throw the patient into the Mesmeric trance, this
was effected in about a minute and a half. He next
proposed to awaken her, in order to show the rapi-
dity with which she might be thrown into sleep after
having been once Mesmerised. This was accom-
plished by rubbing the thumbs upon the forehead,
immediately above the eyes, and the patient was
again able to enter into conversation in her usual
state. In half a minute she was once more put
asleep, and, after a second awakening, the effect was
almost instantaneous, the sleep having been produced
in less than a quarter of a minute. A
deep drawn
sigh invariably announced that the patient had pass-
ed into the trance, and a similar sign, with an in-
stantaneous cessation of the cataleptic state, attended
her awakening. This cessation of the catalepsy was
especially remarkable when the arm had been pre-
viously extended.
" Abandage of the most perfect description was
now placed upon the eyes of the patient. The ope-
rator being seated in a chair in front of the patient,
and holding her hands in his, a small quantity of
G
98 MESMERISM.
tartaric acid was put by one of the gentlemen pre-
sent into the operator's mouth. By a whisper on the
hand the patient was asked whether she had any
thing in her mouth ? Yes. What was it ? Could
not tell, but it had a nasty taste. Being pressed to
describe the taste, said it was a nasty saltish sort of
taste, but was not salt. Some common salt was then
administered, and in reply to questions similarly put
she said that she had salt in her mouth. Was it the
same kind of salt she had a little ago? No, the
other was a sour kind of salt, but this was real salt.
With a like accuracy she replied, upon a little sugar
being soon after applied. At a subsequent period,
when some other experiments were in progress, one
of the gentlemen observed that the operator had put
into his mouth a portion of an oaten cake which was
lying on a table in the room, and it occurred to him
to have the question put, Have you any thing in
your mouth now ? The immediate response from the
patient was, Yes, a piece of cake. A little sugar
was added by the same gentleman, and the reply
then was, that she was eating cake and sugar. The
operator's hands were also pricked with a pin, which
immediately called forth an expression of dissatisfac-
tion from the patient, who said that she felt pain in
the same place. Similar experiments were made on
the head, neck, and shoulders, with a like result.
During the whole of this time the patient was kept
closely bandaged, and, although repeated attempts
were made, it seemed plain that she was insensible
to pain in her own person.
" In the Mesmeric state, the patient describes light
as darkness, and darkness as light. Thus, a candle
wafted rapidly across the face was described by her
f
as a terrible darkness like black stones,' from which
she exhibited great anxiety to escape. On the other
hand, she could distinguish outward objects only in
total darkness, and in such circumstances she declared
 CASES. 99

that there was a body.

brilliant light centered in her
The loudest noise made in the apartment, no matter
how near, or how unexpectedly produced, failed to
excite the slightest attention ; but a gentle whisper
upon her hand, or at the ear of the operator while
grasping it, was immediately replied to. As has
been already stated, she is quite insensible to pain in
her own person, but when any individual grasped
her hand, upon whom experiments such as those
already mentioned were performed, she immedi-
ately displayed the most acute sensibility to pain, or
other disagreeable sensations. In short, many of
the sensations common to man in his ordinary state
seemed to be reversed or inverted during the con-
tinuance of the Mesmeric vigil.
" It has been stated that it is possible to lead the
patient to visit in imagination, and to describe places
and persons she had not previously seen or conversed
with. What degree of reality may be connected
with this, the operator confessed that he was unable
to say ; but that, at all events, if partaking only of
the character of a dream, it was exceedingly curious.
Perfect reliance could not, it was evident, be placed
in the statements made by the patient while on an
excursion of this description, as she evinced a dispo-
sition to move about from place to place with a
rapidity which it was impossible to follow, thus ne-
cessarily creating confusion in the minds of the list-
ners. The manner in which dreamy excursions
these
are performed is as follows
The operator, sitting
:

by the side of the patient, whispers the question upon

her hand whether she knows a certain place. On this
occasion it was a house in the west end of the city,
that she had before visited in the same manner, which
was indicated, and the reply was, that she knew the
spot. She was told to go there, and accordingly, in
a few minutes, said that she had arrived at the door.
She was requested not to enter, but to proceed
 ;

100 MESMERISM.
farther along the same street, and turn up the next
street she came to. In this manner she was, in ima-
gination, led to a particular residence, the external
appearance of which she accurately described, and
intowhich she was requested to enter. Arrived with-
in the portal, she found her way into one of the
rooms, in which she stated that four gentlemen were
sitting. One of these she described as an elderly
gentleman with white or grey hair,and after some
farther questions declared that he had a bodily pecu-
liarity of a somewhat striking description. At first

she stated that she had never seen the gentleman

before, but on being asked to look at him more care-
fully, said that he had been at her father's house about
three weeks previously with a well-known phy-
sician in town, whom she named. When at her
father's, the gentleman, she said, had on a blue cloak
but she could not recall his name. Strange to say,
the house to which the patient was led was that of a
gentleman who had visited her with the physician
referred to the statement regarding the bodily pe-
culiarity was also strictly accurate, although the de-
fect is so well concealed as to be unnoticed by a
merely casual observer. The coincidence was cer-
tainly curious, and the phenomena connected with
these imaginary excursions seem altogether calculated
to repay investigation. To dogmatise upon them,
in our present imperfect knowledge of the science
with which they are connected, would lead to no use-
ful result ; and perhaps the best thing that inquirers
can do is to confine themselves to an investigation of
facts, without, in the meantime, making any attempt
at explanation."
A third visit, about the middle of the month of
March, at which there was also present another
clairvoyante, Isabella H
, of whom some account

will be subsequently given, was described as follows,

by a highly intelligent gentleman, who was that
 CASES. 101

evening a witness of Mesmeric experiments for the

first time.
" Both the girls entered the room at the same
moment. The one who had been subject to fits of a
cataleptic nature was first operated on. She was
placed on a chair, at the back of which was a low
chest of drawers, and on this was a pillow imme-
diately behind her head. On a chair immediately
opposite, and very close to the patient, sat the ope-
rator. He began by taking hold of her hands, which
he held firmly for a few seconds, at the same time
looking steadfastly in her face. The patient's eyes
began to wink, as if drowsiness were coming on
irresistibly. She uttered a deep sigh, her eyes closed,
and her head fell back on the pillow prepared for it.
This did not occupy more than a minute from the
time the passes were begun. A bandage, consisting
of a white cotton handkerchief, and over it a dark
India silk handkerchief, was then tied firmly and
completely over the eyes, so that it was utterly im-
possible that she could see any thing whatever, even
if she had not been under the Mesmeric influence.

The operator, by a few passes near the left arm,

produced in it a state of rigidity and tension, which
rendered it difficult to move the arm or the fingers
of the hand. A few more passes reduced this rigid-
ity, and the arm and hand became pliant as before.
He then placed the ends of the fingers of his right
hand within about two inches of the patient's hand.
Immediately the fingers of her hand vibrated, slightly
at first, and inclined towards the operator's then, as
:

he continued to move his hand nearer, and again

draw it away, which he did frequently and rapidly,
never, however, allowing his hand to come actu-
ally in contact with her's, the patient's fingers and
hand became more agitated the hand rose from her
;

knee, and followed the operator's hand, which was

withdrawn and raised as if irresistibly attracted.
102 MESMERISM.
He now applied his left hand to the back of the
with the same motion as before, keeping
patient's,
always at the distance of from two to three inches.
This drew her hand back again, and the vibratory
inclination was now downwards. Again this was
counteracted by the operator's right hand being
brought to bear on the front of the patient's fingers,

which were then attracted upwards, her hand con-
tinuing to move up and down, or from side to side,
according to the position of the operator's hands.
" The power of the eye on the hand of the patient
was still more extraordinary. The operator fixed his
eye intently on the hand, which was at the time
resting on the patient's knee, and distant about a
foot and a half from the operator's face. The fin-
gers began to vibrate as before, the hand was raised,
and, as the operator withdrew his face, the patient's
hand followed in the same direction, until he removed
to a greater distance, and suddenly drew back his
head. At time the operator had turned to
this
answer a question of mine, and his back was towards
the patient. One of the gentlemen who accompanied
me was sitting at the right side of the patient, and
distant from her about three feet; and at this
moment he fixed his eyes intently on the patient's
hand, which the operator had placed again on her
knee in a state of perfect repose the hand turned
:

towards the gentleman, and the fingers moved and

vibrated upwards towards his face, which was bent
down, and steadily fixed about two or three feet
from the hand, and six or eight inches perhaps above
it.
" The operator next asked if we had any sub-
pungent taste, that we could
stance, of a decided or
put into his mouth ? I had a few strong ginger
lozenges in my pocket ; I placed one of them in his
mouth, while he was holding the patient's hands in
his. He then asked her, in a low voice, what she
 CASES. 103
had her mouth ?
in Her lips moved, as if in the act
e<
of tasting, and she replied, without hesitation, It is
ginger." I then took the operators seat, silently
putting into my own mouth a quantity of common
salt, from a salt-dish on the table. I took firm hold
of the patient's hands, and she was again asked what
she had in her mouth. Her lips moved again, as in
the act of tasting, and she hesitated. I had, up till
this time, kept the salt on my tongue, without any
action or suction, so that it was not dissolved, or, at
all events, had never touched the palate. The ope-
rator toldme to swallow the substance which I had
in my
mouth. This I accordingly did, and she im-
mediately said, " It is salt." Several of the other
visiters tried other substances, sugar, water, ginger
again, and she never failed to state, with perfect
correctness, what the substance was. One of the
gentlemen who accompanied me was sitting opposite
the patient, holding her hands in his, and when we
pulled his hair, or pinched his arm, or pricked his
hand with a needle, she shrunk at every one of these
operations,
told distinctly, and without a moment's
hesitation, whether her hair was pulled, her arm
pinched, or her hand "jagged with pins," as she
called it. The singular part of this experiment is,
that while she feels most acutely any thing that may
be done to a person holding her hands at the time, ,

she is totally unconscious and insensible in her own

person. Her own hands were pricked with a needle,
and a few hairs were pulled by the roots from her
head, without the slightest shrinking or symptom of
sensation. On being then told to walk into the kit-
chen, which was an adjoining room, she immediately
rose and went away."
We omit, for the present, any detailed notice of
Isabella H , and proceed to give the concluding
portion of the narrative.
" At this time, the other patient, (Isabella D ,)
1 04 MESMERISM.
who was under the Mesmeric influence, was
still

brought into the room, when a most extraordinary

scene was presented. It may be interesting, how-
ever, to observe, in the first place, that the two indi-
viduals alluded to are said to be still almost entire
strangers, and quite indifferent to each other, in their
ordinary state,
having only seen each other three
or four times, and, indeed, having been placed in the
trance together only twice before ; while the circum-
stance of their ever meeting at all, arose merely from
the fact of the second having been lately Mesmerised
for the first time by a gentleman who had, on a pre-
vious occasion, witnessed the singular phenomena
developed in the first case, and who, having at a
former period attempted some experiments in Mes-
merism, was desirous of renewing his acquaintance
with the subject. In his very first attempt with
this patient, it so happened, that he was not a little
astonished and disconcerted to find himself, all of a
sudden, in the presence of a clairvoyants of, at least,
as extraordinary a description as the one he had pre-
viously seen. The first operator, on entering the
kitchen, in order to lead his patient to the curious
interview now to be described, and, on desiring her
to go with him to see her ' sister,' as she called her,
was told that it was unnecessary, as she had already
been in close converse with her, and did not require
to do so, if we would only let her sister alone, and
not tease her with questions. He found her with
her hands locked into each other in a very peculiar
manner, and quite rigid, yet quickly and frequently
changed into other curious postures,
sometimes
across the breast, sometimes clasped together, &c. ;
and he could not persuade her to rise, until he
assured her we would go on teasing her e sister till '

she came into her presence herself. Instantly she

rose and walked, with convulsive rapidity, or rather
ran, into the adjoining apartment. The two then
 CASES. 1 05

hastily embraced each other with apparent rapture,

folded their arms round each other, and clung to-
gether with a rigid and tenacious grasp, that would
have caused pain to any one in a natural state. I
endeavoured to lift the hand of one of them from the

shoulder of the other, and with all my force could

hardly move it. The attraction seemed irresistible
and mutual. The impression left on my mind, when
I attempted to separate them, was, that it was a
violence to both. We remained about a quarter of
an hour after this meeting, during which time their
hold of each other never relaxed. The operator told
us, that it was with the greatest difficulty that the
two could be separated ; and that nothing but strong
persuasion, and the promise that they should be
allowed soon to meet again, induced them to part.
" The above is a very imperfect sketch of what
took place in the course of a series of experiments,
which lasted upwards of three hours. I went to the
house where these were conducted with a strong
feeling, that there must be collusion betwixt the
operators and the patients ; but this, at all events, I
am fully convinced, there was not, and could not be.
I offer no opinion on the extraordinary phenomena
presented in both the cases which I have endeavoured
to describe. If these phenomena be not referable to
any known principles of medical or psycological
science, they are sufficiently interesting and curious
to render them worthy of fuller and more candid
investigation than they have yet received."
It may be mentioned, that it was at a previous
meeting, similar to the above, of which no formal
record has been preserved, that the patients gave
themselves new names. In their ordinary condition,
it so happens that they are both named Isabella ; but

on being separated from each other on the evening

referred to, they stated, that the one was to be called
Martha, and the other Mary, and from that period
106 MESMERISM.
onwards they have recognised no other names while
in the Mesmeric trance. This peculiar attraction
towards each other of individuals in the higher Mes-
meric states, we have frequently witnessed in other
cases. They usually describe themselves as brothers
and sisters, andif brought into the same room, will
immediately, although blindfolded, evince a know-
ledge of each other s presence, and will converse only
with each other.
Meanwhile, Isabella D , or Martha, to adopt

her Mesmeric name, continued daily to improve, and

there had been no return of the fits. About the
period of the visit last narrated, one of the principal
partners in the establishment of which her father was
foreman, returned from England, where he had been
absent for some time ; and, upon learning what had
been going on in the family of John D , threatened

that he would dismiss the latter from his situation,

unless the visits of Dr. Mitchell and Mr. Dove were
instantly discontinued. An appeal was made to
this individual, setting forth the benefit which the
patient had derived from the treatment ; and, what-
ever he might think of Mesmerism, the cruelty of
putting a stop to what had evidently been productive
of so large an amount of good in her case. He was
also asked to become a witness of the Mesmeric phe-
nomena, and to judge of their reality for himself.
He did not avail himself of this offer, but renewed
the threat of dismissal ; and, unwilling to do any-
thing that might prove injurious to the poor man
and his family, Dr. Mitchell and Mr. Dove suspended
their visits to the house of John D .

The interruption of the Mesmeric treatment, and

the agitation produced in the mind of the patient by
this conduct on the part of her father s employer, led
to an exceedingly serious illness, although happily
unaccompanied by any return of the fits. It became
then, a question with John D whether he was to
 CASES. 107
lose his daughter or his situation, and we need scarce-
ly say that his mind was speedily made up to sacri-
fice the latter.Dr. Mitchell's journal of this illness
is also before us, but as a tolerably complete narra-

tive was drawn up at the time by the editor of this

volume, (who was afforded an opportunity of seeing
the patient awake from her ten days' sleep,) and re-
vised by Dr. Mitchell and Mr. Dove, it is given in-
stead of the daily record from the journal. The
following narrative was written about the 10th of
April 1843:
" Isabella D has now been entirely free from
fits for two months, though previously they had been,

in general, of daily occurrence, some of the paroxysms

extending to the almost incredible number of sixty to
seventy fits a day, the patient, indeed, being often
literally out of one fit into another during all that
time. Some weeks ago, an interruption of the Mes-
meric treatment took place, and the mind of the
patient was at the same time agitated by circum-
stances of an annoying and vexatious description.
On the evening of Thursday, the 30th of March, she
complained of severe headach, giddiness, and a feel-
ing of blindness, arising from the check which the
re-establishment of functions deeply affecting the ge-
neral health had thus received. Having been taught
by Mr. Dove to throw herself into the Mesmeric
sleep by a method similar to that lately pursued by
Mr. Braid of Manchester, but previously practised
by Mr. Dove in Edinburgh, she was recommended
by her parents to endeavour to do so on this occa-
sion, though, from the distressed state of her mind,
she had before temporarily lost the power. In this
particular instance, however, she again happily suc-
ceeded, and a visit from Mr. Dove having been
obtained at a later period of the evening, he con-
versed with her in the trance, and found that medi-
cal aid was instantly necessary. This was accord-
 !

1 08 MESMERISM.
ingly procured, and a considerable quantity of blood
was taken from the patient while in the trance.
"When in the state of what has been termed sleep-
waking, or somnambulism, the patient always talks
of herself as of another person. In the Mesmeric
state she calls herself Martha, and she talks of Isa-
bella (her real name) as of a totally different indivi-
dual. When asked about the complaints with which
Isabella was troubled, she described them with what
seemed to be the greatest accuracy, and indicated the
most suitable remedies. After the bleeding she
fainted away, but, strange to say, Martha was,
nevertheless, still able to talk, and, with the pallid
hue of death in her countenance, deliberately, and
with the utmost coolness and self-possession, directed
the proceedings of the attendants, and correctly told
the time at which the state of syncope was to cease
A bottle of smelling salts was afterwards applied to
the patient's nostrils, but without the slightest effect;
and no benefit was derived from such a source till
the medical attendant applied the salts to the nostrils
of the operator, while he held her hands in his, when,
on his powerfully and even painfully inhaling them
himself, the usual effect upon the patient was imme-
diately produced.
" Martha was asked, ' whether Isabella ought still
to be kept asleep V Answer, c Yes/ ' How long
would she remain asleep, without being re-Mesmer-
ised V ' Until the succeeding forenoon.' On Friday
it was resolved that she should still be kept in the

state of trance, and, without bringing her back to her

natural condition, she was re-Mesmerised, when she
said that Isabella would now remain asleep for a
period of twenty-four hours. On Saturday the same
process was repeated, and on Sunday she was allowed
to awake to her natural state for about twenty mi-
nutes, when she voluntarily returned into the trance.
" I should mention, that on Friday evening a doze
 CASES. 109
of salts and senna had been ordered by the physi-
cian, but an ignorant or careless apothecary had
mixed up some calomel with the doze. The effects
were seen on Sunday evening upon the mouth, which
got worse during several ensuing days. The Mes-
merising was now repeated once in the twenty-four
hours for a week, without any further awakening of
the patient to her natural state. After some days a

gradual improvement took place the headaches, &c.
were nearly gone, and even the mouth, which had
become very sore, began at length to improve. Martha
was consulted from day to day as to whether Isabella
should be awakened, but she continued for some time
to recommend a continuance of the sleep. At length,
after the interval ofmore than a week, she stated, on
Saturday the 8th instant, that Isabella might be allow-
ed to awake on the following day at twelve o'clock.
The operator asked, whether she could not undertake
to keep her asleep till one o'clock ; this she agreed to
try to do. It may be here mentioned, that, during
the ten days the patient remained in the Mesmeric
sleep, she reclined for the most part in bed, but at
all times, night or day, freely answered any ques-
tions put to her when whispered upon the hand.
The state of the mouth prevented her usual food from
being given to her, but she partook sparingly of
whatever was offered, it being principally adminis-
tered in a liquid state. Occasionally she altered her
position in bed, arranged the bed-clothes properly
whenever it was necessary, and sometimes even rose
of her own accord. Throughout the whole time she
continued insensible to external sounds, unless through
the medium of a whisper upon the hand, the eyes
also remaining shut.
" Shortly after 1 1 o'clock on the forenoon of Sun-
day the 9th April, the day fixed for awakening, ac-
companied by Dr. Mitchell, I entered the room of
the patient, where we were scon joined by Mr. Dove.
 '

110 MESMERISM.
The was lying on a bed, so arranged that the
invalid
head and the upper part of the body were much more
elevated than is usual when persons are in sleep.
The eyes were closed, the face pale, but the expres-
sion of the countenance could not be called unpleas-
ing. I was desirous of ascertaining from her while
in the Mesmeric state, whether she had a correct
idea of the lapse of time, and I soon learned that she
was well aware how long Isabella had been asleep
that this was Sunday and that the hour was then
half-past eleven o'clock. A bottle of smelling-salts
held at the nostril of Mr. Dove caused her immediately
to move, and she described the sensation accurately.
As the hour appointed by herself for awakening ap-
proached, the individuals present ceased from con-
versing with the patient, and sat down at some dis-
tance from her in the apartment. At about ten
minutes past one, according to the time by our
watches, she began to move, stretched out her arms
slowly, heaved one very deep sigh, and, having
rubbed her eyes for a minute or two, looked round,
and recognised the persons present. I should state,
that as the patient went to sleep on a Thursday,
when awakened on the previous Sunday she believed
it to be Friday, and after her renewed sleep of a
week, she now conceived that another day had
elapsed, and that this was Saturday. Upon being
asked how she felt, the answer was ( Much better
than yesterday/ ' Was the headach, &c, gone ?
4
Yes, quite.' ' Was she well otherwise ?' ' Yes,
except that her mouth was a little sore.' It was
then explained to her how this had happened ; but as
she was unacquainted with the operation of calomel,
she could not comprehend how the mouth could have
become sore in one night. Her father, who had just
come home from church, now entered the room, and
she immediately inquired what he was doing there
with his Sunday clothes on. A gentleman present,
 CASES; 111

for the purpose of trying her, said, This is the '

Saturday of the preachings you know, Isabella, and

your father will be going to church.' Qlt may be
as well to explain, that this was the Sunday on
which the half-yearly administration of the Lord's
Supper is celebrated ; that in Scotland this is preceded
by what is termed a Fast-day, which in Glasgow is
always the Thursday before the Sacramental Sunday,
and that on the previous Saturday there is also ser-
mon in the churches.] She answered that it could
not be the Saturday of the preachings, because the
Fast-day was not till next Thursday. Well, well/
'

said another gentleman, ' since you must know the

truth, this is Sunday.' ' And have I been asleep
for two whole days ? was her exclamation ; and it
'

was with some difficulty she could be convinced that

even this was true. Some farther conversation en-
sued, when it was deemed right to enlighten her as
to the fact that she had not only been asleep two
days, but had completed almost ten whole days in
that state. ' Isabella,' said one of the gentlemen
present, 'what would you say to this being the
Sacrament Sunday?' 'You 're joking with me,
now/ was her answer ; I know quite well that the
'

preachings are not till next Sunday ; next Thursday

is the Fast-day.' It was some time before convic-
tion came ; but when she was assured by her mother,
and others around her, that it was really so, it would
be no easy matter to describe the feeling of surprise
which her countenance exhibited.
" The effects of the ten days' sleep have been of
the most beneficial character to the patient. The
Mesmeric treatment for the general re-establishment
of her health is now proceeding without interruption,
and, as already noticed, two months have elapsed
since she had the slightest symptom of a fit. There
is, therefore, every seeming probability that an indi-

vidual who, for twelve or fourteen years, was a con-

 ;

112 MESMERISM.
firmed invalid, and who, during five years of that
time, was subject to this dreadful disease, will, by a
skilful perseverance in the present treatment, become
in time a useful member of society. Whatever may
be the general character of Mesmerism, it is vain to
deny that the curative process has, in this instance,
been thus far successful. People may dispute as
long as they choose about names, some arguing for
the existence of a magnetic fluid, and others declar-
ing the results to be merely the effect of imagina-
tion ; but whether the one or the other, is of little
consequence compared to the fact, that by means
such as have been described, and which are applicable
to a numerous class of diseases, the sick may be re-
stored to convalescence."
The above was written in April, and after the
lapse of months, the patient has had no return of the
fits.

Her father, however, has been made the suf-

ferer. The was carried out
threat of the employer
and because John D permitted his daughter,
whose case had for years baffled the skill of many of
the leading members of the Glasgow Faculty, to be
treated in the only manner that seemed likely to
save her life, he was dismissed from an employment
which he had held, with credit to himself, for the
long period of twenty-six years That there was no
!

other cause of complaint against John D is evi-

dent from the following certificate of character which

was given soon after the dismissal took place.
"Glasgow, 25th April 1843.
" We
hereby certify, that John D has been
in our employment since June 183 7, as a cooper, till
December 1834, since which time he has acted as
foreman of our work here to within the last three
weeks, and during the whole of that time we found
him uniformly attentive, sober, and honest.
(Signed) "G M & Co."
 3

CASES. 1 1

Mesmerism, therefore, has not been without its

martyrs even during the short time it has been prac-
tically known in Scotland. "We trust, however, that
conduct such as we have described will meet with
few imitators.

ISABELLA H-

This case has already been slightly alluded to in

the account of the preceding one ; but, unlike her
Mesmeric sister Martha, Mary, a young woman of
probably twenty-five years of age, was in the enjoy-
ment of perfect health. Some of the phenomena
now to be described are of an even more extraordi-
nary nature than those previously laid before the
reader. Asregards community of sensation between
the operator and patient, and other experiments of
that nature, they have been so often tested that there
cannot be the slightest doubt of their truth, and we
would only be disposed to hesitate when the power
is claimed on behalf of clairvoyants of being able to

see and describe what going on in other places,

is

possibly at a distance of many miles. Wonderful,

however, as these statements are, we have not thought
it right to withhold them. They have been all made
by men of character and probity, who are themselves
fully convinced of the truth of what they have
written ; and, without farther introduction, we com-
mence with the evening on which the Mesmeric inter-
view already described took place.
" The other subject of the experiments of this
evening was a remarkably pretty, interesting-looking
young woman, who had remained in the room the
whole time that the above experiments were in pro-
gress. She was thrown into the Mesmeric sleep or
state in about two minutes, by a different operator.
H
 ;

114 MESMERISM.
Her face became pale, and the features severe in
expression more markedly so, I thought, through-
out, than in the other case. The room was com-
pletely darkened, in order that the clairvoyance
might be more distinctly impressed on her. In reply
to queries put in a low voice, she answered also in a
low but distinct voice, that she was in a state of
'

perfect happiness and quiet, walking in light that

her own body was filled with light that all around
her was light,' &c. She answered a vast number of
questions in regard to the houses of different indivi-
duals, and the personal appearance of individuals
some of these with most extraordinary precision.
She was desired to describe the parlour of one of the
friends who accompanied me. She replied imme-
diately, that it was ' a square compact room, with
some pictures on the walls ; some large, some small,
and pretty far apart ; a high case at one side, like
a bookcase, with glass doors ; the light hung from
the roof; a lady was sitting at a table in the room
knitting or sewing.' '
"Was there only one lady
in the room?' 'Only one.' 'And in the house?'
' In another apartment, which seemed a kitchen,
there was another lady speaking to a servant-girl.'
' Were there any animals in
the house ?' Yes, a cat'

was near the lady in the kitchen.' This was an exact

account of my friend's parlour and domestic esta-
blishment. She was desired to go to my house, and
upstairs to the front room, then to describe the room.
' It
was a pretty room not the ordinary shape

not with four sides and there was a kind of cut in.'
She drew the plan of the room on the palm of her
hand with her fore-finger ; ' it is this shape,'
 ;

CASES. J 15

which it is. She was asked to go to Mr. J. B.'s

house in St. Mungo Street, Barony Glebe. She
went at once. ' It is round the corner, up stairs.'
' How many ' As
stairs up V
high as you can go
the top of the land.' This last query was put by
my friend, who had told Mr. J. B. in the forenoon
where he was going that night. Mr. J. B. said to
him, half in jest, ' Take her to my house in St.
Mungo Street, as I shall be at home all night/ The
situation of the house was described with perfect
correctness."
The following account was drawn up by a gentle-
man from England, who was on a visit to a friend in
Glasgow about the end of March 1843, and had two
or three opportunities afforded him of seeing Isa-
bella H .

" Learning, soon after my arrival in Glasgow,

that a gentleman with whom I was acquainted was
going to see a person Mesmerised, I requested and
obtained permission to accompany him. I was an-
xious to do so, as I had read some of the works on
Mesmerism, and the statements of the friends of this
science appeared to me so preposterous, that I had
become exceedingly incredulous on the subject. We
accordingly went to the place at the appointed time,
there being no one present, excepting my friend, who
knew any thing about me. I will not enter into a
detail of what occurred that evening, and will only
remark, that what are called the physical experi-
ments were eminently successful. The patient was
afterwards requested to go to my house, and describe
its external appearance and position ; also to go into

it, and to describe the furniture of one of the rooms,

which was, in some degree, peculiar. The descrip-

tion she gave was very nearly correct. What I saw
and heard that evening compelled me to alter my
opinion, and to acknowledge that Mesmerism was
real and not simulated.
 ;

116 MESMERISM.
" I was, however, very desirous of seeing more of
the phenomena, and willingly took advantage of
another opportunity of doing so. On this occasion,
there were eight gentlemen present. The patient
was Mesmerised in what I understand to be the
usual way, and her eyes were bandaged so as to
was impossible she could
satisfy all present, that it
see. The operator was, by a sign, desired to go into
another apartment, and to wish her to come to him,
which she did, first coming into the middle of the
room ; he was then requested to seat himself on the
opposite side of the room, and wish her to come to
him. She did so, stopping a little beside two gentle-
men in crossing over.
" Mr. C sat down before her, took hold of her
hands, and put something in his mouth known only
to himself ; she described it as being hot and very
disagreeable, her face, at the same time assuming the
expression of a person taking disagreeable medicine
she began to be sick, and was nearly vomiting. It
was the end of a cigar, and the gentleman said if he
had kept it much longer in his mouth, he would have
been sick himself. Mr. B sat down, took a
snuff silently while he grasped her hands ; it imme-
diately caused her to sneeze several times, and so
naturally as to satisfy us all that she actually felt
the sensation which snuff produces on persons unac-
customed to it. Ammonia was applied to her nose
without producing any effect ; it was then placed to
the nose of the gentleman who had hold of her hand,
who was desired to choose his own time for inhaling,
the moment he did so, she pulled away her hands,
said it was not right to do so, and that they had
put something to her brain. Mr. C also tried
taking snuff, and it produced the same results as
before. Asafcetida was inhaled by a gentleman,
and she described it as being very bad and disagree-
able.
 7

CASES. 1 1

" The light was flashed across her face ; she said a
great darkness had come upon her.
" These gentlemen tried in turn to wish her to raise
one of her hands, and they all said she had done so,
and the precise hand they had wished. She was
pricked with a pin without manifesting any feeling ;

but on the same being done to the gentleman in con-

tact with her, she pulled away her hands, and rubbed
them on the part corresponding to that which the
pin had been applied ; his hair was also pulled, and
she put her hand to her head in a similar way.
u Mr. A then requested her to go to his house,
which she did with no other clue, and described it
very accurately, giving an exact account of his wife,
and some other members of his household, and what
they were doing, so as completely to satisfy Mr.
A of her power of clairvoyance ; he said when
he left us, that he would not be able to sleep all night
after what he had heard and seen.
" The other gentlemen being engaged in conversa-
tion, I went up to the patient, and giving her my
hand, tried her powers in wishing her to grasp it or to
let it go, and endeavoured, by varying the wishes, to
puzzle her if she did it on a plan, as some have said ;

but she was invariably right.

" The above is a very short and imperfect sketch of
the transactions of the evening, which, to my mind,
were very satisfactory."
The following account was given by another gen-
tleman of Mary's powers of describing places at a
distance which she had never seen :

" The patient was requested to go to a place of

business in town, with all the internal arrangements
of which I was perfectly familiar. She replied, ' I
do not know it.' The Mesmeriser said, It is in '

Street, go and find it out.' Almost imme-

diately she indicated that she had discovered the
place, and was desired to go in, and describe what she
 8

1 1 MESMERISM.
saw. Her description did not accord with the state
of the premises ; but, strangely enough, I heard suf-
ficient to convince me that she had entered, not the
place desired, but a bank situated next door. She
was in the teller's room, and explained the position
of the long desk, and railings adjoining, with great
accuracy. Having been frequently in this bank, I
recognised at once the description she gave of it. She
seemed puzzled when asked to tell the use of the
railings, but at length said, ' I think they must be
for the salvation of the bank/ The word 'bank'
had not been previously made use of either by the
Mesmeriser or myself. She was now told, ' You
have gone into the wrong place ; go and seek the

one you were first desired to find out,' the place
being at the same time named to her. She then in-
dicated that she had found it, and was asked where
she was. ' At the door.' c
What kind of a door is
it V
i
It is just like an other door.' ' Well,
go in.'
' It is
locked and fastened.' ' How is it fastened ?'
'
There is a long dark thing across it, and a thing
like that' (doubling her fist.) Now, I was aware
that the door in question was fastened outside with a
long iron-bar and a padlock, the door itself being
locked besides. She was then told to open the door
and go in, which she accordingly said she had done.
' What
do you see?' 'I see a railing before me.'
' How ' It goes up that way,'
does the railing go V

(making a motion with her hand upwards all right.)
(
What is the railing attached to ?' 'I cannot say
what it is ;' but, on being more particularly ques-
tioned, she said it was a stair again right. She
was then desired to pass the railing, and proceed
through a large apartment to the door of a smaller
apartment leading from it. This room she was asked
' What
to enter. do you see V ' I see a very neat,
' What do you find in it
nice place.' V l There is a
nice desk a low desk' (correct.)
4
Is the desk
 cases. 1 1 y

open or shut V i It is open' (also correct, the desk
having that night been left open.) ' Is there any-
thing on the walls ?' ' They are

walls are neatly papered.)

very pretty* (the
' But do you
see anything

on the walls V i I see a number of things around
them.' '
Are they pictures V ' No/ ' What are
they V { I cannot tell ; one of them has a thing pic-
tured all round it.' I may here state, that round the
walls were several printed placards, and that one of
them had a very broad ornamental border round the
margin. 'Is there a carpet on the floor?' '
Yes/
(correct.) ' Are there any seats in the room V
'Yes, there are, one, two, three, and another seat.'
This question was repeated several times, and the
same answer received. In point of fact there were
only three seats in the room, and what she uniformly
represented as i another seat' could not be ascer-
tained, unless she meant the window-sill, which is
not unlike a seat after all. The patient was next
desired to state if there was anything upon the desk,
when she said there was a curious dark thing, which
she could not describe. Being asked if it was like
an ink -stand, she replied, ' it might ;' (in reality an
ink-stand stood upon the desk, but it was one of a
very curious construction, and even a waking visiter
might be excused for not being able accurately to de-
scribe it.) On being farther questioned, she said
there was a bit of paper on the desk
(correct.)
She was then asked to go into a dark closet, used
partly as a lumber-room and partly as a receptacle
for a certain description of goods, the latter being
placed above each other in large packages. When
asked what sort of a room this was, she said, ' It is
a curious-looking place, not like the last/ ' What
kind of a place is it V 'I think it is a place for put-
' What do you see in it V ' I
ting past things in/
see things laid, and laid, and laid,'
making a mo-
tion with her hand to indicate that the articles were
1 20 MESMERISM.
laid one aoove another.) This struck me as a very
accurate description of the packages already referred
to.
e
What more do you see V ' I see a number of
things lying about/ ' Describe
them more particu-
larly/ e I see a place where a number of other things
are laid, and laid, and laid/
tion with her hand as before.) '

(making the same mo-
What kind of a
place is that V
4
It has one, two, three, four, five
wards, I think/ e Does it look like a press V c Yes,
it is a press ; and it has folding -doors.' This was an
accurate description of a press in the closet, contain-
ing a quantity of paper, laid in the way described by
the patient. The patient was now requested to go
to another room on the premises, the door of which
she said was shut
(correct.) Having entered, she
said there was a large thing in it resembling a table

more than a desk, (correct) that there were many
things on it she could not describe accurately, fthe
table had lying on it a number of small papers in a
loose and irregular manner.] She said there was at
the foot of the table a large square thing, very thick
on the one side, and narrow at the other, this was
an accurate description of a portable writing-desk
which lay on the table, and also of its position.]
'
Are there any seats in the room V e Yes/ ' How
many V One, two, and another seat/
'
There
were, in fact, two chairs in the room, but what was
meant by ' another seat' could not be ascertained,
unless, as in the case of the other room, the window-
sillwas again taken for a seat. She then stated that
there was a seat just below the portable desk referred
to, in which she was also correct. In this room there
is one window only for light, but an opening pane of

glass is fixed in a partition, for the purpose of com-

municating, when necessary, with an adjoining room.
Being asked if any windows in the room,
there were
she replied, One,' and on being asked to look more
'

darticularly, she said, There is one window, and a

 CASES. 121

contracted looking thing, that is a window, and is

not a window.' If it is not a window, what is it ?'
fc

' It is a
contracted thing ; not a window, and yet like
a window.' ' Is it like a pane of glass ?' After a
she said, ' Yes, it is a pane of glass.'
little hesitation,
She was then asked if there was a carpet on the floor,
and correctly answered, ' No.' Being asked to de-
scribe what she saw on the floor, she spoke of a
number of articles too trifling to be of any conse-
quence in the investigation; but on being told to
look well, and see if there was any thing of a strik-
ing nature, she replied, ' A part of the floor is
marked off.' Well, what is it V After a moment's
'

hesitation, she drew back with an expression of fear,

and said, in evident discomposure, ' It is a horrible

looking place it's a dungeon.' '

e
A
dungeon is
!
there a door upon it ?' '
Yes.' "Well, lift it up.'
After a pause, ' Have you lifted it ?' ' Yes.' ' What
do you see ?' ' A
horrible looking place
it's like a

dungeon.' ' Have you looked down V 4

Yes.' ' Is

there any light in it ?' ' No

its not a nice place.'
' How
did you lift the door ?' '
There is a thing
upon it which men in the world would lift it by.'
4
What kind of a thing is that ?' ' I can't tell/ ' Is
it wood or iron?' ' It must be iron, for it is very
hard.' This description was perfectly accurate in
every particular. In the room there is a trap-door
on the floor, used for lowering articles to the sunk
flat, and the appearance below is not unlike that of

a dungeon the door is lifted by a small iron ring,
which she described as ' the thing men in the world
would lift it by,' as if to indicate that she re-

quired no such facility in doing it. The peep into

4
the dungeon,' evidently caused her considerable
annoyance.
" The patient was then requested to look through
the pane of glass referred to and state what she saw,
when she correctly described the room adjoining and
some part of its contents. Having been asked to go


122 MESMERISM.
in,she did so ; and among other things, mentioned
with great distinctness, a standing screen, which
stretched across part of the floor. This she called
' drapery,'
but very accurately described that it was
standing, not hanging, and the position it occupied
in the room.
" The above I vouch to be, in almost every particu-
lar, a correct description of the premises. In one or
two trifling matters there were some inaccuracies, but
these I believe to have arisen more from the manner
in which the questions were put than from mistake
on her part. It may be proper to state that she
never was in the place in her life, and that the
position of things was described by her which
no person on earth, except one, knew any thing
about."
We have now to adduce the testimony of a fourth
witness, who thus describes what fell under his ob-
servation :

" Besides the operator, there were four strangers

present, including myself. Before commencing I had
some conversation with the patient. She is a young
woman of apparently three-and-twenty, and, as far
as I could judge, in perfect health. I referred to
a previous meeting, and enquired if, on being
awakened, she had any recollection of what had pass-
ed. She said No / and added, that she never re-
'

collected any thing of what passed in the Mesmeric

state. The operator having proceeded to throw
her into the state of trance, this was effected in
more than a minute. Her eyes gradually closed,
little
and a sort of sigh, or, more properly speaking, a
long-drawn breath, announced that she was asleep.
The states of pliant and rigid catalepsy were now
exhibited, and here I observed that the same passes
which produced the rigid state, if continued too long,
brought the arm or leg back again to pliancy. I
then assisted to cover the eyes of the patient with a
bandage of the most complete description, and satis-
 CASES. 1 23
lied myself that, from the use of her eyes at least,
she could derive no possible assistance in any of the
proceedings which were to follow. While the ope-
rator was engaged with the other gentlemen in
another part of the room, and I was left standing
alone near the patient, I looked earnestly upon her
right hand
then resting on her knee and inwardly
(without even a motion of the lips) expressed a wish
that it should rise towards me. It did gradually
rise, and was extended in the direction in which I
stood. Another of the gentlemen present, afterwards,
at my on my making a sign to him
desire, or rather
to that effect, tried the same experiment on the left
hand, and with the same result.
" I had arranged in the forenoon with one of the
gentlemen present, that, at a time to be indicated by
myself, and without notice to the operator, he should
leave the room and go through a passage, and into
another room, and that, at the expiry of three mi-
nutes, he should wish the patient to come to him.
I had been told that, on several previous occasions,
a person had gone out of the room, and at once ex-
pressed a wish that she should follow, and that she
had immediately done so. But I thought it possible
that she might so follow because she heard the person
go out. To test the experiment properly, therefore,
I arranged, as I have stated, that the gentleman who
went out should not conceive his wish till the expiry
of the time I have mentioned. When the three mi-
nutes had expired, I looked towards the patient, and
observed that she still kept her seat ; but she was
sitting forward, in an attitude of attention, as if
listening, and she continued thus for nearly three
minutes longer. Thinking that the experiment had
failed, I said to the operator that he had better
speak to her. He accordingly approached her, and,
taking her hand, inquired if she wanted any thing.
She said, ' What is it you wish me to do V 4 Nothing,'
124 MESMERISM.
he answered ; I did not wish any thing.'
' But he
had misunderstood her question. It was evident,
from what followed, that she was asking for directions
from him as to what she ought to do. He then said
to her, Do you hear any thing ?' ' Yes ; she
'

replied, a voice calls me.' ' Well, then, go,' said

'

the operator. She paused on this, and then said,

4
Always asking something improper.' She now
rose from her seat, however, and came into the
middle of the room ; but the light from the fire, into
which this movement had brought her, seemed to
confuse her, and, after some hesitation, she said to

the way.'

the operator, ' I cannot find the way put me on
On this he led her to the door, and set
her face towards the darkness. As soon as this was
done, she went on with confidence and without hesi-
tation, walked through the dark passage, went
straight into the room in which the gentleman was,
and proceeded to the particular corner in which he
was standing.
" The following experiments in regard to taste
were then made : Some
pounded alum being put
into the operator's mouth, she hesitated, and said,
she had got something in her own mouth of a taste
like an orange. I tasted the alum myself, and it
seemed to have lost somewhat of its strength ; and
another gentleman present was of the -same opinion.
Another gentleman now took her hand, and I put
in his mouth a cayenne lozenge. She described it as
' a thing like a lozenge
hot and sweet.' This des-
cription was strictly accurate. I then put an acidu-
lated drop into my own mouth, and took hold of her
hand.
She called this ' something round a confec-
tion or sweetie.' But upon another gentleman put-
ting some common salt in his mouth, and taking her
hand, she said she had something ' wersh and watery'
in her mouth. She was now tried with tea, and said

she tasted ' something like aloes something which
 '

CASES. 125
drew the mouth together/ It was strong tea, and
of course astringent ; but the taste she described may
partly perhaps have been produced by some combin-
ation of the alum (which she had previously tasted)
with the tea ; for I observed, from several experi-
ments, that in some cases she did not immediately
perceive what was in the mouth of the operator
that, on the contrary, she did not seem to taste it till
some time afterwards. A
piece of sugar was next
put into the operators mouth, and she said she had
got something sweet. One of the gentlemen present
then put some bitter aloes into his own mouth, and
after he had it sometime there, he took hold of the
patient's hands ' What have you got now ? was
: '

;
asked. It is bad/ she strange stuff
said,' it is

and after an interval, during which her mouth was

moving as if tasting something unpleasant, she added,
4
It is awful bad.' Indeed, she got so evidently dis-
tressed and annoyed at the taste, that the operator
asked her if she would have some water. She eagerly
said she would, and some was procured in a glass.
A curious scene now
followed. She took it into her
hands, paused a moment, and then returned it to
him. ' Well, what is it ?' he asked. ' You have
not blessed it,' she said. He took it from her, held
it a few seconds, and then returned it, saying, ' Well

there.' She raised it towards her mouth, but again

stopped, and said, It is strange that you will not do
l

as you ought,' and then a second time gave it back un-

tasted. I did not know what she meant by having the
water ' blessed ;' but, in order still farther to pursue
the experiment, I motioned to the operator to give
it a third time to her without doing any thing to it.

He did so, and she now a kind of plaintive

said, in
voice, ' Must I take it this way V
The operator was
now about to comply with her wish, but, at my de-
sire, he asked, ' Can you not take it so.' To which
she answered, in a slow solemn tone, ' It is not meet
126 MESMERISM.
that I should/ The operator now took the glass, and
having breathed into it, returned it to her. On this
she drank from it eagerly. As she still complained
of the taste of the aloes, however, the operator asked
us if we had any thing pleasant to the taste, on which
I took her hand, and put into my own mouth some
acid drops, which I broke and swallowed. She re-
marked that ' that was pleasant that the taste was
better now/
" This was the experiments which
last of those
may be said to under Mr. Townshend's descrip-
fall
tion of ' facts connected with the senses, or which
illustrate the close affinity between the Mesmeriser

and his patient indicative of some medium of com-
munication existing between them/ What followed

was an experiment of a different class one, namely,
to test that extraordinary faculty, ascribed to Mes-
meric patients, of being able to describe places at a
distance, which they never could have seen, and to
tell what is going on at the moment in any given lo-
cality. I had agreed in the forenoon, with one of
the gentlemen present, that the patient should be
asked to describe the internal arrangement of the
house of a third party. In three rooms of it there
were articles of furniture so uncommon as to exclude
the possibility of a description being given of them

by guess and one of the rooms had, by previous ar-
rangement with the proprietor, been prepared that
evening in a particular way. I may mention, that,
while conversing with the girl, before she was put
asleep, I endeavoured to make her understand the
locality of the house in question Cbut without telling
her whose house it was,) so as to make sure that she

would get to it, in the Mesmeric state but she did
not know the place, and apparently could not follow
the description which I endeavoured to give her. I
need not go through the account which she gave of
it in her sleep-waking state. Suffice to say, that


CASES. 127
she found it out and described it with accuracy in-
cluding a minute description of the state of that
room which had been purposely arranged in a par-
ticular manner. In nothing did she go wrong, ex-
cept in describing the proprietor as being in one
room, when he was in another. It was altogether
wonderful. I offer uo opinion on the matter ; but
of this I am satisfied, that trick or collusion there
was none, and could be none. The introduction of
this experiment, by the way, was very curious and
striking. The following conversation took place :

(Operator,) ' Will you go to a particular place which

I wish V (Patient,) ' If I am permitted.' ' Oh !

but you are permitted,

I allow you to go/ f
But
you will recollect you are not my master in all
things/ Who is your master V { My master is
c

here.' ' Who is he V She answered slowly and

solemnly, * It is Christ/ After a short pause, during
which I experienced a feeling of awe, which was
participated in, I am sure, by the others present, she
added, ' I will go now ;' and then she went on to
give the description. One part of this was so strik-
ing, as to deserve special notice. Among other fur-
niture in one of the rooms, she was attracted by, and
described what she called a picture ; it was of a
peculiar shape, she said, which she described. The
description was most accurate ; but the article in
question is not a picture, but a mirror of a very
peculiar kind. Having described the shape, frame,
&c, she was asked, ' Well, but what is it a picture
of?' She could not tell; she said, 'It was dim/
1
Well, but you must go near and look at it, and see
what it is/ She apparently did so, for she imme-
diately fell into a state of violent agitation. ' What

is it V the operator asked. ' Oh she said, it is a

!

woman, and she is mad ! her head is tied up with

cloths. She is mad ; oh can she not be cured !' It
!

was evidently her own figure with the bandage



128 MESMERISM.
about her eyes which she saw
reflected in the mir-
ror ! At time she was in a state of great agita-
this
tion ; I felt her hands and arms, and they were shak-
ing violently, as with great terror, and she moaned
' What is the woman
like a person in distress.
doing V was then asked. '
Oh !' she said, ' she is
looking through these cloths.' 4
Do you know who
it is V ' Oh, no !' and she moaned again, and con-
tinued to tremble greatly. The operator seemed
now afraid that it was too much for her, and told
her to come away from the picture, (for still she did
not discover it was a mirror;) but she would not
leave it for some time
always reverting to c the
woman,' and that t she was mad/ At last, after the
operator had repeatedly desired her to leave it, she
said, that she had drawn away her head/
c

" I may add, that after I left, one of my friends

remained, and obtained from the patient a descrip-
tion of two other houses,
his own, and that of one
of his friends, in both of which she was strictly
accurate."
The writer of the foregoing was so much interested
in the subject, that he continued the investigation,
and at a subsequent period recorded the result as
follows :

" I have been recently induced to avail myself of

some additional opportunities of testing this very
wonderful science, and of observing more minutely
some of its more peculiar phenomena. I shall now
state some additional facts which have fallen under
my notice, because, whatever conclusion may be
ultimately come to, it is proper that parties, having
opportunities of observation, should contribute the
results towards the collection of facts which it is
essential should yet be formed before anything like a
satisfactory theory can be announced.
" One curious subject of inquiry is this, In what
manner does the -patient receive impressions of
 CASES. ] 29

objects at a distance ? for that this power is possessed,

I do not entertain the least doubt. Is it by means
of impressions conveyed from, the object to the mind

or brain ? in the way, for example, as the impres-
sions of distant objects are communicated to us by
means of the eye. Or is the patient brought into
more immediate connection with the object in some
other manner ? I cannot find a satisfactory solution
of this in any of the experiments yet made. You
will recollect the singularly correct description which
the girl, Mary, gave of a mirror of a peculiar con-
struction, which she called a picture. She described
it, in fact, as one would do who was actually looking

at it. But when asked to go near and tell what it

was a picture of, she discovered the reflection of her-
self in it, and described a woman, with her head and

eyes bound about with cloths, to her evident terror
and surprise. Now, the question is, How did she
come thus to see her own figure ? for bodily she was
not in that room, but in another place more than a
mile distant. I have not myself tested this matter
farther, but a friend, in whose report I have perfect
confidence, did so a few nights ago. She described
a mirror in my friend's house, which, as before, she
called a picture, and also mentioned the same appear-
ance of a woman standing before it. My friend then
put his hand over her head in a position as if holding
something; and on her being asked what else she
saw, she said that she saw in the picture a person
pouring something on the woman's head. He then
changed the motion of his hand, and she described
the altered position. Now, the singularity of all
this consists, not in the girl seeing my friend's hand
over her head, but in her observing it in the mirror.
" Another very curious phenomenon is the power
of describing not only the occurrences of the present
moment, but those which took place previously, and
at a time when the patient could not have been in
i
1 30 MESMERISM.
the Mesmeric An instance of this fell under
state.
my observation lately, as to which there could be no
mistake. She was asked to go to the house of a
particular individual, and into a particular room, and
to describe what she saw. She saw a bed
said she
that there was a gentleman in and that he was
it,

ill, and suffering great pain. ' Where V In his

'

leg and foot.' B

Which V ' His left ; and he is rest-
ing all his weight on the right, so as to give the
other ease.' She added, that the gentleman was at
the moment wishing most earnestly for a particular
medicine to give him ease. This and other state-
ments were accurate in the minutest particulars.
But what I allude to particularly was this. She
was asked if the gentleman was ailing in any other
way, and she described a particular affection, (diffe-
rent altogether from the other complaint,) stating
that it had begun to affect him many years ago.
She then told where it had first come on, and how,
and, she added, that after a particular event, which
she indicated, and which occurred many years ago,
it had become worse. All this was strictly correct.
I may add, that she prescribed for both complaints,
and that the though peculiar, were cer-
prescriptions,
tainly consistent with common
sense. Another in-
stance of the knowledge of past events occurred a
few nights previously, when I was not present. She
told of a particular lady, (of whom she had no pre-
vious knowledge,) not only how many children she
had alive, but how many were dead, and whether
they were boys or girls. I could add various other
instances of this kind.
" One of the phenomena, which has been very fre-
quently observed, is, that the patient describes light
as darkness, and vice versa, and that much light is

very unfavourable to her clairvoyance. She com-

plains in such cases of great darkness, and that she
cannot see objects distinctly. This refers more to
 ;

CASES. 131

the light in which the sought to be described

objects
are, than to the place where the patient is. This I
observed particularly a few nights ago, when I took
occasion to ask a description of a place at a consider-
able distance. At the time I put the questions, not
only was the room in which we were quite dark,
but it was dark outside, being eleven o'clock at
night; yet she said there was so much darkness
(light, of course) at the place I had directed her to,
that she saw very indistinctly. This I was surprised
at, until I recollected the difference of time. Upon
this, I inquired what o'clock it was at that place,
and she answered six o'clock. On referring to the
map, I found that the difference of longitude was
75 west, which gives exactly five hours, so that
eleven o'clock in Glasgow was equal to six o'clock
there,
just as she had stated. I may add, that she
could not tell where the place was, or the name of it.
She had merely been asked to find a particular per-
son, without being told in what country he was, or
whether he was away from Glasgow at all. She
said she saw him, and that he was far, far away
but the place she could not tell. The time which
she gave, however, (and it is singular that, in time,
she is always accurate,) proved that she was at the
right place, if, indeed, the description which she

gave of the gentleman's person and age, and other

circumstances, rendered any such proof necessary.
" In connection with this peculiarity of calling
light darkness, and darkness light, I may mention,
that she seems to make the same difference be-
tween cold and heat. One evening, a cup of tea,
pretty hot, was given to her when in the Mesmeric-
sleep. She drank part of it, and in answer to a
question, said it was cold very cold. The operator
then took the cup from her, and drank the remainder
himself, still holding her hand. She went through
all the motions of swallowing, and, when he had
132 MESMERISM.
finished, said, ' It is all done now, that is warm
and nice.' And, by the way, an interesting circum-
stance occurred on her taking this cup of tea. "When
she first got it into her hand, she returned it to the
operator, saying, ' It was not right he had not
blessed it.' The operator, on this, appeared to me
to breathe on it, as you will recollect he did on the
glass of water mentioned in my
former notes. But
this did not seem She said he had
to satisfy her.
not done it right, and that it had passed over the
cup. He was accordingly about to ' do it right,'
when one of the party suggested that a clergyman
present should pronounce a proper blessing upon it,
such as is done before meat. This was done. The
clergyman took her hand in one of his, and the cup
in the other, and pronounced over it a short impres-
sive blessing, adding a prayer, that we might be
directed aright in the subject which we were met to
investigate. Mary inclined her head, and listened
to this with marked attention. She then said, '
That
is good that is right these are good words,' and,
after a pause, she added,I have not heard so much
'

good The operator asked if she meant since

before.'
these Mesmeric experiments commenced ? She said,
4
Yes/ and repeated, I have not heard so many
'

good words since I came among you,' and thereupon

she drank the tea.
" On this occasion she gave a correct descrip-
tion of this same clergyman's* manse, which is some
thirty miles distant. She described its exterior ap-
pearance, the number of the rooms, the furniture and
arrangement of each, the number and appearance of
his family, the situation, shape, and interior of his
church, and various other particulars, all with great
accuracy. Among other articles in a press or ward-
robe in the manse, she discovered some ' little things
for going under the chin/ (his bands) but she could
not name them. Being asked what he did with them,
 CASES. ] 33
she said that he put them on when he went to speak
to the dead.
s
What do you mean by that V was
asked. e
How can he speak to the dead ?' c Oh,'

she said, ' to the dead in sin the dead in sin.' * And

do they attend to him ?' c Ah, no not all not all.'
After minutely describing the Study, with the ar-
rangement and appearance of the books, &c, she
added, of her own accord, * He must be a good man

he sets this place apart he sets it apart for good.'
The only thing in which she was wrong was, in de-
scribing the family as being in a particular room,
when, at the time, they were in another part of the
house.
" But the power of correct description is not al-
ways possessed by the patient. Immediately after-
wards she was desired to describe a house in Edin-
burgh, and then one in the country, both belonging to
a gentleman present, and although in both she de-
scribed some things with accuracy, yet there was
throughout much confusion in her answers, and some
of her descriptions were either incorrect or not intel-
ligible. The gentleman in question observed, that it
was sufficient to astonish, not to convince him. How
the clairvoyance should not be equal on all occasions,
is one of those phenomena which yet remains to be

accounted for. A natural cause to which to ascribe

it, would be, that as the evening in this instance was

far advanced, she might be fatigued, or the sleep

might have ceased to be so deep as before. But I
observed the very reverse on a former occasion, when,
during the first part of the evening, her answers were
very unsatisfactory, but after she had been some
hours in the sleep, and it had become very late, she
attained a very high degree of clairvoyance, and gave
the most correct answers to the questions put to her.
We are yet in the infancy of the inquiry, and it is
only by careful observation, and the accumulation of
facts, that a true theory can be formed."


134 MESMERISM.
Wehave subsequently received an additional
communication from the same gentleman, which we
give in his own words.
" In my former statement I mentioned that I had
made certain inquiries at Mary regarding a friend
abroad, and that her answers had satisfied me that
she had found the place of his residence, though it
was not named to her, and that her descriptions
must, in certain particulars, have been correct. I
transmitted a detailed account to my friend of all
that passed on that occasion, and I have since re-

ceived his answer the course of post being about
five weeks. The result is, that in some prominent
particulars she was correct, while in a great many
minute circumstances she was in error. This, there-
fore, cannot be taken as a decisive case.
" But about a fortnight subsequent to the first in-
terview I had another opportunity of meeting the
same girl, and, among other questions, I again asked
her about my friend abroad. The account of this
interview I likewise transmitted to him, and I have
just received his reply. I shall give you, verbatim,
the memorandum of the interview as I wrote it
down at the time, and shall then subjoin my friend's
answer. My
memorandum is as follows :

" Tuesday Evening, 9th May, 1843.

" ' Do you
see the Rev. Mr. now the per-
son you saw some nights ago V ' No ; he is far
away.' ' Look for him. You know his house. Go
into it. him now V e No ; he is nM
Do you see
there' Where is he T
' He is visiting a person
'

who is sick' Do you see him V

w
Yes.' ' What
'

is he doing V He is speaking to that man. He is

'

giving him medicines, and telling him what he ought

4
Is the man in bed V ' How old
to take.' Yes.' '

is he V ' Thirty-Jive' e What kind of house is he

in V c It is made of sticks sticks.' ' Is that house


CASES. ] 35
far from Mr. 's V * Not very far ; he can
walk to it.' ' Now, go back to Mr. 's house.

Who do you see in it V ( I see two females. I

see also another woman.' * Any one else ?' ' There

are two wee things' ' Do you mean children ?'

Yes.' * Whose are they ?' ' Is
not one of them
his ?' Which V ' The eldest one.' l
. Is there some
one carrying it ?'
4
No ; it is standing.' f
Why do
you think it is his ?' ' Because it is like him here.'
[[Puttingher hand to her mouth and chin.]
' Is a boy or a girl V i It is perhaps a boy ; but it
it

is dark. I cannot see well. It may not.' l Is the

other child his also V ' It
does not seem so. It is
not like him.' ' What o'clock is it there V ' It is

now ten minutes past sice'*

" My friend's answer is in these terms :

, 19^ June, 1843.

" S
" So remember, (and I think I re-
far as I can
member correctly,) I was, on the afternoon of the
9th of May, from home, visiting a person who was
sick, (since dead.) He lived about four miles from
this, in a log-house, or, as the girl says, a house
4
made of In addition to religious instruc-
sticks.'
tion and / was giving particular direc-
consolation,
tions about some medicines which the doctor told me
he should take. This, by the way, is a thing I very
seldom do, as I don't like the responsibility of pre-
scribing. The man was in bed; and his age, I
think, was about thirty-Jive.
u In my house, on
that day, there were two ladies,
Mrs. S and
her sister Mrs. There were R .

also two servants, but one of them was, in all proba-

bility, out. The ' two wee things' correspond with

* u At this time it was one or two minutes past eleven, p.m. in

Glasgow, which, according to the difference of longitude, gives
exactly the time at the place of the Rev. Mr. 's residence."


136 MESMERISM.
my little E and Mrs. S 's little boy, about
two years and a half old. A stranger, I dare say,
would say that the boy was more like me than E ,

as his features are more full and prominent. I think

it was between four and six that on that day I was

visiting the sick man."

u It will be recollected that it was after the descrip-
tion given of Mr. 's visit to the sick man, and

after she had given the account of his own house,

that Mary stated the time to be ten minutes past
six ; and though related above in few words,
as this,
occupied a considerable time in describing (consider-
ably more than half an hour,) her statement of time
is quite consistent with the fact that Mr. visited
the sick man c between four and six/ In all other
respects you will observe that the coincidence is very
remarkable, and, to my mind, excludes the idea of its
being the result of mere guessing on the girl's part."
The following statement is from the pen of a gen-
tleman who has had numerous opportunities of see-
ing the Mesmeric phenomena :

" I have been very frequently present when Isa-

bella H was Mesmerised, and am thoroughly
satisfied of the truth, not only of the physical pheno-
mena, but also of those of clairvoyance.
" I have seen the patient taken by the hand by
another, and articles having different tastes, whether
sour, sweet, bitter, salt,pungent and hot, or other-
wise, put in the mouth
of the latter, and the taste
distinctly told by the former, when blindfolded, and
a handkerchief, besides, suspended and held by others
between the parties.
" In regard to clairvoyance, I have asked questions
under circumstances in which the patient could by
no means have access to information so as to give a
power to answer by any ordinary method, and have
often received answers that were of such a nature as
to satisfy me that the objects described must have
 CASES. 137
been seen to be so described. I have had paintings
on a particular wall of a room described most mi-
nutely, and articles of furniture, where they were en-
tirely different from those in general use. I have
known persons described in an adjoining room, and

what they were engaged in all in accordance with
the facts. Also articles placed in rooms locked up,
with a view to proving the truth of clairvoyance per-
fectly described, more especially when the apartment
was darkened.
" I will only give the result of one meeting which
took place at the house of a respected friend, well
known in Glasgow. A gentleman present, recently
arrived from one of the presidencies in the East In-
dies, had his house in the capital city described in
such a manner, as completely satisfied him that the
patient was correct in her statements. His manager,
his domestics, his dogs, the machine for lifting water,
which he had no recollection of till described by its
appearance, and the creaking noise it made when in
motion, being of the nature of a Persian wheel. This
gentleman said that the description she gave of the
house, and which was most remarkably minute and
lengthened, could not apply to any other house in the
city, it being so different from the usual style of houses
there. A gentleman from the same locality, who left
Bombay within the last two months, and to whom I
afterwards related the circumstance, confirmed in the
most ample manner the first mentioned gentleman's
corroboration of the account by the clairvoyant, as
to the remarkably unique style of the house.
" The first mentioned gentleman's family, who now
reside at Highgate, near London, were described so
minutely, together with the other inmates of the house,
as left the gentleman no room to doubt the accuracy
of the description.
44
I allude to these occurrences as being the most
recent that have come under my observation, although
 1 38 MESMERISM.
I have been present when even more remarkable and
startling descriptions were given."
Mr. Robert Chambers, in one of the Numbers for
July 1843, of the well-known Edinburgh Journal,
has given the following details of some occurrences
during a visit which Mary paid to Edinburgh.
" A
friend of ours, a German, a man of letters and
extensive information, not previously a believer in
Mesmerism, asked her to accompany him to his father's
house on the banks of the river near Stettin ; she did
so, and described the country, the house, and every-
thing in it, with the greatest correctness. Another
friend, a lady, requested the patient to accompany
her to her father's house in a secluded part of East
Lothian ; she did so, described it minutely, as well
as its environs, and stated that in the parlour she saw
an elderly lady rubbing her ankle on a footstool, the
part being sore (the lady's mother really had a sore
ankle ;) even to the number of sacks in the barn, and
the way in which these were arranged, the descrip-
tion was found to be strictly correct. A third person,
who for several years has used an uninhabited house,
for the purpose of keeping some spare furniture, re-
quested her to go to it with him. This house, it may
be remarked, has been scarcely entered by any but
himself for the last four or five years. She, without
prompting or leading questions of any kind, described
the room in which his writing-table is placed, its
'\ two book-cases, one at each side of the room, the table
itself, and a wooden chair with a cut-down back, all

with the greatest correctness. In another case, a

neighbouring room had been arranged peculiarly, and
among other singular objects placed in it was a skele-
ton, which was seated on a chair, with a sheet round
it, and a cap upon its head. She said she saw some
one sitting in the room ; his head was smooth and cold;
he had no feeling. A gentleman of literary and sci-
entific attainments had her brought to his house, where
 CASES. 139
he had previously made some peculiar arrangements
for the purpose of testing the reality of her powers.
She was asked to say what was in a closed box placed
before her. She gave a vague description of some-
thing which proved to be a book with its back up-
c
permost. I then,' says he, c called her attention to
the thing next it, which she described as little and
round ; and she spoke of a string being attached to it,
and a bit of lead. Resting a little, I asked her to
look at the thing again, and to examine it closely.
She then began to move her forefinger backwards and A
forwards, and spoke of wheels. The article was a
pocket pedometer, with a string and small white-me-
tal hook attached, and, of course, a pendulum con-
nected with wheels in the inside.' This experimenter
had also placed a number of articles in the shelved
recesses at the bottom of his book-case. Having di-
rected her attention to these, she described with cor-
rectness a model of a ventilating apparatus and a hat-
box in one recess, also some articles in the lowest
shelf of another. He had placed, in the upper shelf
of that recess, a plaster mask of one of his sons, and
to this he directed her attention. She spoke of a
thing with a lion's face. Surely, thought he, that
cannot be the face of my son. Then she adverted to
another beast, and to a thing like what the Queen
wears on her head. His lady, standing by, observed
that she was evidently describing the royal arms. It
was held to be a failure ; but > in the evening, mak-
ing particular investigation into the subject, it oc-
curred to him to unpack a small patent coffee-mill,
which he had bought some months before, but ne-
glected, and which lay on the bottom shelf of the
recess. On the side of that mill was a small brass
tablet, affixed by the maker to denote his patent, and
which contained the royal arms. On the supposition
that she had not followed him from the lower to the
140 MESMERISM.
upper shelf, the description might be presumed to be
correct."
With this we
conclude the account of this highly
singular case. We
have contented ourselves with
adducing the testimony of witnesses, far above the
breath of suspicion, and leave our readers to judge of
what has been stated for themselves.

MARY M-

In this case, Mr. Gardner of Glasgow acted as the

Mesmeriser, and the details are given on his autho-
rity. The patient was seen by various parties dur-
ing the progress of the cure, who can bear testimony
to the general accuracy of the statements.
Mary M is about twenty-two years of age,

and had for five years been under treatment for dis-
eased spine. She had also been subject to nervous
attacks, although they never assumed a serious form
until about the commencement of the year 1842.
Soon after this, she was also seized with typhus
fever, and, on recovering felt in worse health than
before, suffering especially from a cold got at the
time of the fever, which affected one of her legs, and
in damp weather particularly it became swelled and
almost powerless. The digestive organs became
much impaired, in consequence of the treatment she
had to undergo for the spine ; and to such an extent
was this the case, that the medical men who attended
her were of opinion that she was in a most precari-
ous condition. In this way she continued to become
worse gradually, and her condition was aggravated
by an attack of St. Vitus' Dance, which seemed
likely to prove highly injurious to her constitution ;
 CASES. 141

her speech faltered so much at times that it became

difficult to understand what she said, and her face
twitched most immoderately.
It was while reduced to this state, that Mesmerism
was proposed as a remedy. The first time she was
Mesmerised was on the 20th of March 1843; after
the lapse of seven minutes she fell asleep, and slept
for six minutes. On the second occasion she was
asleep in three minutes, and slept for thirty minutes.
The next time she slept for an hour ; and so on in-
creasing regularly for a week, at the expiry of which
she slept twelve hours without intermission. After
being Mesmerised six times her speech was restored,
and the twitchings on the face vanished. During
the first week she had twelve fits. Her back, from
which she had suffered so much, began to improve.
Some symptoms of clairvoyance began to show them-
selves. During the second week she had eight fits,
but not so severe as the former ones, and her health
otherwise continued to improve, as did also her lucid-
ity as a clairvoyant. During the third week she had
four fits, which were gradually assuming a milder
character. She now began to examine her internal
structure, and when the room was rendered perfectly
dark, and her eyes bandaged, she described it with
great apparent accuracy. She also foretold when
the fits would come on, and their degree of severity,
with the utmost precision. One of her prescriptions
for herself was, that she should be kept for two
weeks, twenty out of the twenty-four hours of each
day in the Mesmeric sleep. In the fourth week she
predicted that she would have two very bad fits,
which were to be the last. They came on at the
period indicated, and there has been since no return
of the malady. The swelling and pain in the leg
were, after some time, entirely removed, and she is
now seldom troubled with dyspepsy.
Many experiments were performed in this case
1 42 MESMERISM.
similar to those described in that of Isabella D .

The Mesmeriser has frequently thrown her asleep

when in another room, and the patient not aware of
what he was doing. The power of the operator's
volition was shown by her rising and performing
any simple order, although only mentally expressed.
Her hands could thus be made to rise at will, and
fall in the same manner. She was never very lucid
while in the sleep ; her descriptions of places being
meagre. Several of the phrenological organs were
manifested upon being touched ; and that of alimen-
tiveness in a somewhat curious manner. It has been
mentioned that she was troubled with her stomach ;
and all that was necessary to restore it to the proper
tone, was to excite this organ while she was in the
Mesmeric sleep. A similar result was produced by
means of metals applied to the organ, without the
aid of the Mesmeriser. The application of metals
had also the effect of producing rigidity, and of again
taking it away. Thus, gold applied to the hand
rendered it rigid, and this was instantly removed by
the application of silver. Silver, again, in its turn,
would produce rigidity, and gold take it away, and
so on with other metals. By placing a piece of gold
in the lips, a fixity similar to that of lock-jaw has
been produced. The patient has been awakened in
this state, when no power she could exert could open
the mouth ; but instantly, upon another metal being
applied, the fixity was gone. The first time she
heard music played while in the Mesmeric sleep, she
pointed to the organ of tune as the place affected.
At a Mesmeric interview with Isabella D , such

as has been already described, Elizabeth was fixed

upon as her name, although her real name is Mary.
In the sleep, Elizabeth can be induced to influence
Mary to perform certain acts at some future time.
Thus the continuance of the Mesmeric treatment for
a time, being considered advisable, and the operator
 CASES. 143
finding it inconvenient to visit his patient daily, had

recourse to the system of making Elizabeth do the work

for him. Mary being asleep, and Elizabeth awake,
on a given evening, for example, the latter was told
to allow Mary to sleep till six o'clock on the follow-
ing morning ; to put her to sleep again at ten o'clock
evening, and to keep her in that state until six
o'clock on the succeeding morning. Unless Mary
was informed when awake, she was ignorant of any
arrangements entered into by Elizabeth ; and it has
happened that she has fallen asleep at the appointed
hour, quite unprepared, in some other apartment than
the one she usually slept in. When this occurred,
however, she was under no difficulty, as, although
sound asleep, she could walk with the utmost preci-
sion to her room and go to bed. In a similar way,
any arrangement made during sleep will be kept
when she is awake. She will awake quite unaware
of what she is to perform ; but, somehow, when the
hour comes, she feels impelled, in an undescribable
manner, to perform what Elizabeth has undertaken.
She will call at a particular place which she had
never previously visited, and which had been de-
scribed to her in the sleep, and deliver a message, or
ask some question ; at a particular hour of the day,
she will take up her Bible and turn at once to a cer-
tain chapter without at the moment knowing why ;
she will pull a certain flower in the garden, although
a great favourite ; and so on in similar cases. The
only proviso is, that the engagement be of a strictly
moral and correct description. Elizabeth would at
once spurn the idea of inducing Mary to tell a lie.*

* The utmost caution is necessary in experiments of this de-

scription, as from any unforeseen cause the patient is prevented
if
from carrying out the arrangement, through the absence, we
shall suppose, of the individual to whom a message is to be de-
livered, the consequences might be serious. Any risk of that
kind ought especially to be avoided, if the patient is at the time
under treatment for any ailment.
 ;

144 MESMERISM.
We may add to the above the following details
by a gentleman who saw the case while the cure was
in progress.
" Mary M has been Mesmerised during only
the three weeks past ; but, as she is of a highly ner-
vous temperament, the progress made has been greater
than it would have been under ordinary circumstances.
The physical phenomena of catalepsy, &c, are pre-
cisely similar to those seen in other cases, so that no
description is necessary. The faculty of clairvoy-
ance isdeveloped only in so far as the apartment
and spectators are concerned. It appears that this
patient is exceedingly fond of music, and a gentle-
man present having sung a plaintive air to her in a
low tone of voice, she evinced her gratification by
slightly moving her head and hands in proper time
and, upon being asked at the conclusion, in what part
of her system she experienced greatest satisfaction,
she pointed with his fore-finger to the exact situation
of the organ of tune ! The same gentleman was
asked to sing a different air, mentally ; in the course
of which she exhibited extreme attention, bending
her body forward, and evincing a wish to rise from
her seat. On being asked the reason, she stated she
felt a strong desire to go forward, the cause of which
she could not analyse. I have no doubt that such a
feeling was produced by my calling to her mentally,
which I did during the time the song was sung
in order to test the effects said to be produced by
strong volition.
" The operator next placed his finger on the organ
of Veneration, and after some seconds, during which
she was examined as to her thoughts, she stated that
she was thinking of her Sunday class, and was wish-
ing much to be able to rejoin it. Several other ex-
periments were made upon various organs, with re-
sults not so satisfactory, in consequence, it was said,
of their imperfect development.


CASES. 145
" It was proposed now to awake her ; immediately
before doing so, her pulse was counted, and was
found to be 54 ; on beiug counted again, immediate-
ly after she was awakened in the usual way, it was
63; an interval of only a minute or two elapsing
between the periods. It was said, in one case, to
have varied as much as 30 beats after one operation.
On perceiving strangers in the room, she expressed
considerable anxiety to the Mesmeriser, lest she had

been divulging any secrets the whole occurrences
being to her a perfect blank."
We conclude with the gratifying statement that,
after a long interval, and down to the period of this
work going to press, the patient has had no return of
the fits.

CATHERINE M-

In was the Mes-

this case the patient's brother
meriser,and we will allow him to describe it in his
own manner. As in that just narrated, the patient
was frequently seen during the progress of the cure
by many parties who can give a similar testimony to
the accuracy of the statements. The narrative is as
follows :

My having had a severe attack of hyste-

sister
rics,with nervous convulsions, I was induced to try
the effect of Mesmerism, having learned that nervous
individuals were very susceptible of that influence,
and that it was very beneficial in such cases. I was
the more anxious to try it, as I was aware that a
friend had been successfully practising it for some
months in similar cases. Never having seen the
operation performed, I was at a loss how to begin,
but having been informed that by the operator put-
146 MESMERISM.
ting his hands upon the subject's head, and breathing
gently upon it, the sleep could be produced, my first

attempt was made in that manner ; and, although not

very satisfactory, still the effect was sufficient to in-
duce me to persevere.
For the first ten minutes there was no apparent
change, but at the end of that time her eyelids began
to close, her head fell gently back, and in five mi-
nutes more she was asleep, which continued for about
three or four minutes only, when she awoke of her-
self. She felt, however, so very drowsy, that she
was obliged to go to bed, where she slept for several
hours, being the first refreshing sleep she had enjoyed
since her nervous attack a few weeks before.
My second attempt was made after an interval
of a few days, and in the same manner I produced
the same effects, only the sleep took place five mi-
nutes sooner than before, and continued for upwards
of ten minutes, when she awoke of herself, and feel-
ing even more drowsy than formerly, went to bed,
and slept for nearly a whole day.
These attempts were made in the forenoon of each
day , in the presence ofseveral friends. Previous to
operating again, I saw my friend putting his brother
to sleep, and was so much astonished at the effects
produced, that I resolved to proceed with my sis-
ter's case. In the third attempt, instead of put-
ting my hands on her head, I sat in a chair before
her, and holding her by the hands, gazed steadfastly
in her face. I had not done so for more than three
minutes, when her eyelids began to close, and she
was sound asleep. Profiting by what I had seen,
and desirous of ascertaining if she could hear through
the usual organs, I spoke at the full pitch of my
voice at her ear, but got no indication of hearing,
and made such noises as must have awoke her had
she heard them. I then tried if she could hear by
speaking upon the hand, and after several attempts,
 CASES. 1 4?

obtained a faint murmur which indicated, at all
events, that she heard through that medium. I next
tried to produce the rigid state, and for that purpose
made a few passes over one of her arms, but without
touching it. Before I had made half a dozen passes,
her arm became as rigid as stone. Leaving it in
that state, I put the other one in the same con-
dition, and then both legs, in which position she re-
mained until released.
The next time shewas put asleep was by my
friend on the evening of the day of the last experi-
ment. He bandaged her eyes, and speaking to her
upon the hand, after considerable perseverance, got
her to answer distinctly the questions which he put.
From this time she was regularly Mesmerised, at
least once every day.
"When put asleep, her eyes bandaged, and the room
properly darkened, she could plainly see every object
in it, described where each person was sitting, or if
they changed their position. Being anxious to ascer-
tain if she exhibited community of sensation with
the operator, I took a saltcellar in my hand ; but no
sooner had I touched the outside of it than she im-
mediately shuddered, and complained bitterly of salt
being put into her mouth. The same phenomena
took place when sugar was put into my hand, or any
other substance, of a strongly-marked taste. The
general mode of producing these phenomena is by
the operator putting the substance into his own
mouth while holding the patient by the hands ; but
so sensitive was she to impressions made through
me, that whatever I took in my hand while standing
in any part of the room, and not at all in contact
with her, was immediately perceived.
By this means, I made her imagine that she wa^
drinking water, &c, or tasting sugar, salt, bread,
or any other substance. These experiments extended
over a period of several weeks from the time of her
 ;

148 MESMERISM.
first sleep. Her
health began rapidly to improve,
her spirits revived, the nervous symptoms gradually
abated, and she seemed to be enjoying a state of
great comfort when compared with her former un-
happy one.
While under the Mesmeric influence, with her
eyes bandaged, she has employed herself at needle-
work for a considerable part of an afternoon, and
has been astonished, when awakened, to find the
work farther advanced than it was when she went
to sleep, and at the same time more correctly than if
it had been done in her waking state. One even-
ing, while on a visit in a part of the town at a con-
siderable distance from her own residence, she was
Jaken so unwell, that her friends found it would be
impossible for her to walk home. I Mesmerised her
in the usual manner, and while asleep she walked
home, and when awakened was much surprised
to find herself in her own house. Metals have a
very powerful effect wheD brought
in contact with
her ; for instance, can be attracted through
she
any part of the house by the operator holding a piece
of gold near to her head, and if the head be slightly
touched by it, a convulsive shudder is the conse-
quence, with the expression of extreme pain. She
always describes a bright yellow flash of light, and a
feeling of great pain when so touched. Iron has a
very disagreeable and similar effect as gold. She
has correctly described the ailments with which any
person may be afflicted who is brought in contact
'

with her, and has told the cause and symptoms of

the disease, and how it affected them. A
gentleman,
who had been absent from Glasgow for six months,
happened to call upon me, and she being put asleep,
he took hold of her hands, and asked as to his
health. She answered, that he had injured it by
living upon vegetable diet for some time previous
also, that he had a pain under the right breast, caused
 ;

CASES. 149
by severe cold ; which was just as she described.
all of
A little boy, (also a Mesmeric patient,) who is in a
very delicate state of health, and whom she had
never seen before, was brought to her, and both
were put asleep; when brought in contact, they
clung to each other with the greatest avidity; in
fact, it was found impossible to separate them with-
out awakening the boy, and exciting her organs of
cautiousness and conscientiousness. While clasped
in each others arms, she seems to feel all his sensa-
tions, and to enter into his mind, as she accurately
described his disposition and habits, what food he
was fondest of taking, and what agreed with him
best. Every thing that she said in reference to this
boy was corroborated by his mother and brothers,
who were standing by at the time, and were asto-
nished to hear it all so accurately described.
I have latterly several times put her asleep with-
out her knowledge or consent, by stealing behind
her chair, while sewing, and making a few passes
over the back of the head. Once or twice I have
put her asleep by merely willing that it should take
place, without expressing my will either by word or .

action. Another powerful proof of the will over cer- n!

tain individuals, while in the sleep, is the fact of any i

person being able to cause her to come to them by

silently willing it. This she will do while blindfolded
and although a dozen persons be in the room she has
invariably gone to the individual willing her, and
describes, at such times, that she feels something ir-
resistibly drawing her forward, and cannot stay back
by any effort of her own. I can also awake her at
any time by merely willing it, without any contact
whatever.
These are examples of the phenomena which have
been exhibited in this case, and the patient continues
in the enjoyment of good health.
150 MESMERISM.

AGNES G .

The narrative of this case has been furnished by

the gentleman who acted as the Mesmeriser on the
occasion.
" Happening recently to be spending a couple of
days at the house of Sir , Baronet, in the county

of , the subject of Mesmerism chanced to be-

come the topic of conversation. Sir inquired
if I had seen any thing of it. I mentioned I had
seen a good deal in private, on which he expressed
himself very anxious to witness a seance. I engaged
to write to him when T could obtain one in Glasgow,
but proposed, at the same time, that we might, in the
meantime, try something ourselves. This excited
some little surprise. In a few minutes I was seated
in another room, with a very interesting young
woman, Agnes G , an attendant of Mrs. ,

then on a visit to Sir , her father, the lady, at

my request, accompanying us. I had been asked if
I could show the connection between Mesmerism and
Phrenology, and this, I said, I should attempt to do.
" Within three minutes I succeeded in inducing
the Mesmeric sleep, which Mrs. , sitting behind

me to the one side, immediately perceived, and

quietly rose. I signaled to her to let the party come
in from the other room. On their entering I placed
a finger on the top of the young woman's head,
rather forward, viz. on the organ of 4 veneration/
She instantly raised her face, (her eyes being shut,)
as if looking upward, and clasping her hands, sunk
down on her knees in an attitude of prayer. She
remained in this position for a minute or so, while I
continued to hold my finger on the organ. On with-
drawing it she let down her hands and head. She
 CASES. ! a1

was then reseated. I next applied a finger of one

hand to the organ of ' tune/ on the one side of the
forehead, and a finger of the other hand to the other
side :she immediately commenced singing a com-
monplace air, I think the ' Flowers of the Forest/
After a minute or two I touched the organs of tune' '

with the thumb and a finger of one hand. During

the alteration she stopped singing for an instant;
but resumed the air on my again touching the or-
gans. I then applied the thumb and a finger of the
other hand to the organs of ' mirthfulness/ situated
above t tune,' on the external angles of the forehead.
The instant I did so she ceased to sing the first air,
and immediately commenced ' Ilory O'More.' After
a minute or two spent in singing this air, I took off
my hand from ' mirthfulness,' and on applying a
finger of that hand to ' veneration' (the other hand
all the while on \ tune') she instantly again made a
pause for a second or two, and then commenced,
and for a few minutes continued to sing one of the
common psalm tunes. I then (without knowing any
thing of the young woman's relations, one of whom,
as I afterwards learned, a brother, a soldier in a Re-
giment of the line, has been some years in India,)
applied a finger of each hand to the organs of ' coin-
bativeness.' She instantly sprang to the floor, and
lifting her hands clenched, and placing herself in a
rather masculine attitude, at same time raising her
voice, said, ' Tom, my dear brother, I will fight
along with you, Tom,' repeating these, and expres-
sions of similar tendency, several times, always in-
creasing in vehemence. At last, getting very pug-
nacious, as a sort of climax to the whole, and strik-
ing her right hand clenched on the palm of her left,
she exclaimed, with great energy and devotedness,
' I say, Tom, my dear brother Tom, I say I will
fight for you, my dear brother/ laying a great em-
phasis on the word 'for.' We
felt rather astounded,
1 52 MESMERISM.
not to say alarmed, at her belligerent propensity,
especially as the manifestations appeared to increase,
notwithstanding that from her motions as a figurante
it may easily be supposed I had it not in my power,

had I wished it, to continue to hold my hand on the

excited organ. With a view to allay the symptoms
I then placed my hand over the top of the head ge-
rally, viz. on the higher sentiments, embracing
{
'
hope,' ' veneration/ ' ideality,' and love of justice/
when a scene ensued I shall never forget. The
effect of this was instantly to excite feelings of the
highest order connected with matters that I do not
feel myself at liberty to commit to paper, but ex-
ceedingly honourable to the heart and feelings of the
young woman. She shed tears, and uttered a soliloquy
in language classically beautiful, and with an intona-
tion and pathos, and accompanied with a manner that
would have done honour to many of the followers of
the tragic muse. She was, however, so excited, that
I conceived it necessary to restore her to her natural
state, or, as the wits have it, to ' blow her out/ which
was accomplished, not without a little difficulty, by
gently rubbing her eyes and breathing on her fore-
head. Not the least remarkable part of the whole
scene was the change then produced. When she was
put into the trance, she was sitting with only the

lady mentioned and myself, I had her hands in
mine, crossed, and we were looking each other in the
face. When she came out of the trance she found
herself seated on a sofa, with several persons around
her, some seated by her. She looked astonished,
seeming to feel abashed, and from the pale, elevated,
sublime, and dignified tragic figure, shrunk at once
into the blushing unsophisticated coy girl. She
crouched in a timid manner, and ran towards the
door of the room, at the further corner, where a
number of the servants of the house had collected to
see her in the trance. But before reaching it she
 ;

CASES. 153
recovered her self-possession sufficiently to join in a
hearty laugh with the other servants.
" I may just add, that I had never seen nor heard
of the young woman before that day, nor had I
spoken to her previously to her sitting down to be
Mesmerised. By some omission, she had been merely
told that a gentleman at table was willing to ex-
amine her phrenological developments, if she would
submit to it, to which she agreed. But she declared
to me afterwards that she had not so much as heard
of Mesmerism. This accounted for a circumstance
that appeared a little singular to me when it occurred.
On taking her by the hands, and looking her in the
eye, she burst out into a laugh, which caused me to
tell her we had not sat down for that purpose, and
at this remark she appeared to feel considerably.
She mentioned that her father, who is dead, was a
soldier, and that her mother is an Englishwoman
this latter circumstance accounted in some measure
for her style of speaking, which is very different
from that of the working classes in Scotland. Upon
the whole., it was a very interesting scene, and com-
pletely confirmed some gentlemen present in the
truth of both Phrenology and Mesmerism. One
gentleman, well known in the county of ,

and advanced in years, gratuitously stated to me,

that from what I had mentioned previously he looked
upon me as- having been deluded, but now he frankly
owned that he was a complete convert, and that any
person seeing a similar exhibition must disbelieve his
own senses if he did not accord his belief. Sir
declared he had seen so much that he was perfectly
satisfied, and required no farther proof."
1.54 MESMERISM.

WALTER B-

In this case the patient a boy of eleven years of

is

age, delicate in constitution,and of a quiet inactive

disposition. The Mesnieriser is a brother of the pa-
tient, and was induced to try the experiments under
the idea that the latter was likely to prove suscep-
tible.
On the attempt being made, the operator
first

seated himself in front ofW. B , took hold of his

hands, gazed steadfastly in his eyes, and wished ar-

dently that he might be put asleep; in the course of
ten minutes a nervous twittering was observable in
the eyes, with a tendency to gaze upwards ; at the
end of fifteen minutes the twittering had ceased, and
the eyeballs were so much turned up that the pupil
was scarcely visible, the eyelids began to close, and
in two minutes more the patient was asleep.
W.B 'shands were now pricked, but he betrayed
not the slightest symptom of pain or uneasiness, al-
though it was severe enough to draw blood. Pinch-
ing and tickling were tried with the same result, no
sensation or consciousness being perceptible, with the
exception of a quiet smile upon the patient's lips. At
this stage of the experiments, the door of the room in
which the patient was seated, was shut violently,
when he slowly opened his eyes, rubbed his eyebrows,
and awoke.
At the next Mesmerisation which occurred, about
ten days after the first, W. B
was put asleep in
a much shorter period, not more than five minutes,
and seemed to be in a much more profound repose
than on the former occasion. He was found to be
cataleptic ; his limbs remained for an indefinite length
of time in whatever position they were placed ; and
 CASES. ] 55
a few passes made down the leg from the body made
it He was awakened when in the
perfectly rigid.
rigid state,and seemed not a little astonished at his
inability to move either hand or foot ; a few more
passes were made down the parts affected, when he
returned to his wonted freedom of action. No at-
tempt had yet been made to question the patient
while asleep, but on being awakened he was interro-
gated as to whether he recollected anything. His
answer was, " I remember closing my eyes, but am
entirely ignorant as to whether anything occurred
during my sleep."
On W. B
the next occasion on which was put
asleep,he spoke distinctly when questioned. Amongst
other questions, he was asked, " Are you happy ?"
he replied, " Yes, very happy." Being asked if he
wished to be awakened, he answered quickly, " Oh,
no." Again, how
long did he think he would remain
in the state he was
if left alone ? he replied at once,

and with great firmness, " Twenty -five minutes,"

and, strange to say, he awoke of his own accord at
the time specified. It may be stated, that on this oc- *
casion the patient's eyes were securely bandaged, for
the double purpose of shading his eyes from the light
of which he complained as being painful, and also of
testing his clairvoyant powers. After awakening
as above stated, he was again thrown into the Mes-
meric sleep, and on being questioned, replied, "lam
sounder asleep than I have ever yet been." On being
asked his name, he gave in answer one totally differ-
ent from his actual one, and one which, when awake,
he is not aware of ever having heard ; he answers at
once to his assumed name, while to his ordinary one
he is perfectly indifferent, and asserts that he knows
no one of that name.
During this and other occasions, many curious
phenomena have been elucidated. It was found that
whilst blindfolded, W. B could recognise and
 ;

156 MESMERISM.
name every individual with whom he was acquainted,
but to strangers he showed much dislike, and on be-
ing touched by them slight convulsions were caused
this result has also been produced by touching him
with gold. It was found that he was insensible to
pain produced on his own person, butjshowed remark-
able sensibility to any pain, smell, or taste, felt by
the operator. Music exerted a peculiar and power-
ful charm on the patient if it chanced to be a slow
;

and plaintive melody, he sat entranced, and seemed

evidently annoyed at the slightest interruption or
disturbance if the melody was changed, and a quick
;

lively strain substituted, the patient's deportment

changed likewise, the dreamy listlessness vanished,
every feeling seemed to be awakened, and every nerve
braced ; he kept time by beating with his foot, and if
the music grew livelier and more exciting, he rose and
rushed to it, seized upon the instrument, and actually
produced harmony on that which, whilst awake, he
could not even handle properly. While in the sleep,
and with his eyes closely bandaged, he has frequently
read pages of books with the utmost accuracy, and
in a better style than he could do in his ordinary
waking state.
After having been Mesmerised several times, W.
B was directed to gaze steadfastly at a fixed
object, and endeavour to put himself asleep. In less
than five minutes he was over, and presented the
same appearance as when put asleep by his brother ;
similar experiments were tried in this state, and found
as successful as formerly. It was afterwards found,
that, if previous to going to sleep, W. B fixed
to awaken at a certain time, at the moment specified,
without once failing he roused up. To test this ex-
periment fairly, he was usually left to sleep without
interruption. Awakening at a specified moment may
not seem at first sight very surprising ; it must be
borne in mind, however, that during the sleep the
 CASES. 157

patient's eyeswere securely bandaged, so that it was

impossible he could judge of the lapse of time from
any external influence.
With W. B the will or volition of the opera-
tor have a most powerful influence. It was agreed
between the operator and a spectator, that on a sig-
nal from the latter, the operator should go to a par-
ticular part of the room, and wish the patient to come
to him, but that ere he reached him, the wish was to
be reversed, and the patient go back to his seat. The
signal was given, and TV. B , after the lapse of
a minute, rose slowly and proceeded in the direction
of the operator; the wish was now reversed, when
he turned back to his seat, seemingly much disap-
pointed. Another instance may be cited of the effect
of the will the operator took hold of the patient's
hand, and wished him to awaken, in less than a mi-
nute he was wide awake.
It is stated above, that rigidity of the limbs was
produced the second time TV. B was set asleep ;
it is now found that the limbs can be made rigid

whilst he is in his ordinary state, and not only can

they be made rigid by others, but he can himself by
a few passes of the one hand make his other arm per-
fectly rigid. His arm was pinched and pricked se-
verely whilst in this state, without his knowledge,
and consequently without pain.

jaxet s-

The following case is interesting, as showing the

successful use of Mesmerism in mitigating suffering
during the performance of an operation attended
with some degree of pain.
The patient is a girl about twenty years of a^e,
158 MESMERISM.
in good health. About ten days previous to the
experiment about to be related, being made, she had
scalded the upper part of her foot so severely, as to
prevent her from walking, except with great pain.
During the last day or two, she had suffered very
acutely when the wound was dressed, which ren-
dered it impracticable to get the scald so thoroughly
cleansed as was necessary. It was suggested, that
the case was one in which Mesmerism might be tried
with advantage.
The operator commenced by holding the patient's
hands, and afterwards breathed on her forehead.
Nearly 45 minutes elapsed before the patient was
fairly asleep. On being spoken to in the sleep-
waking state, into which she had at once gone, she
replied quite distinctly ; said, she believed she was
asleep ; that she was quite happy ; that her foot was
not sore ; and that neither of them were scalded or
burned. She was then asked if she could walk ;
she answered, yes, rose, and walked steadily across
the room, apparently without pain, or any unusual
motion.
The dressing of the foot was now determined on,
and the patient was placed on a low chair, with her
foot raised upon a stool. The operator endeavoured,
by making a few passes, to throw her still deeper
into the sleep, which seemed to have the effect, as
she was, to all appearance, perfectly insensible to
pain inflicted by pinching, pricking, &c. He also
placed his hands on the patient's head, and breathed
gently on the forehead. The bandages were then
removed, and the raw unhealthy looking wound was
washed with no very gentle hand, as the person so
employed seemed to think it incumbent on her to
make the patient flinch if possible. No such effect
was produced however; the same placid look re-
mained upon the features during the whole operation,
and on its completion, the patient answered, that she
 CASES. 159
had felt no pain, and that she knew of nothing
having been done to her foot. She was now awak-
ened, merely by the operators wish, and was per-
fectly unconscious of having undergone the operation
of dressing. So sceptical was she of it having been
done, that nothing would satisfy her, but that the
upper bandage should be taken off, that she might
see whether or not the under bandage had been re-
newed. On convincing herself of the truth of the
statement, she exclaimed, " Oh but I am a happy
!

woman !"

The patient was Mesmerised regularly after this,

previous to her foot being dressed, until it had got
so much better that the pain was trifling.

A MESMERISER MESMERISED.

In this case, the individual attempted to be ope-

rated upon was tall and powerful in person, and a
disbeliever in Mesmerism. The Mesmeriser was the
reverse. The tables, it will be seen, were turned,
the sceptic putting the Mesmeriser to sleep. The
following statement was drawn up at the time by
the gentleman, who thus became a Mesmeriser al-
most in spite of himself.
" Last night I submitted
to be Mesmerised by a
young gentleman. You know that I had no faith
in Mesmerism, and was determined to put it to the
test. With this feeling I sat down to be operated
upon. We had not sat more than three minutes,
when I saw the operator's countenance beginning to
change; his eyes grew dim and glazed, and large
drops of water rolled down his cheeks. He then
asked me if I ' felt in any way affected.' I replied,
that *
I did not in the least.' He then said, ' I am
160 MESMERISM.
going.' In about a minute longer his eyeballs stood
fast, his eyelids fell and became fixed, and he sat
like a statue. I then rose, and said, This is revers-
ing the order of things,
it was like the maniac put-

ing his guide into an asylum. I fanned his face for

a short time, and breathed heavily on his forehead.
I then asked him how he felt; but he could not
speak. I touched the organ of language, and asked
him if he felt comfortable ; he said, Y-e-s, he felt
very well. I put several other questions to him, to
which he gave placid, witty, or vicious answers,
according to the organ touched at the time. I got
handed to me privately a teaspoon full of sugar,
which I put into my mouth, and holding him by the
hand, he then commenced to smack his lips, when I
asked him what he had got into his mouth ; he said,
Su-sugar. I next put a teaspoonful of salt into my
mouth, when he shuddered convulsively, and seemed
to be in great distress, so much so, that I became
alarmed at his condition. Perspiration, however,
broke on him. In one minute his head became as
wet as if it had been dipt in water, and he then got
quiet. I allowed him to sleep for some time, sooth-
ing him by breathing heavily on his forehead, and
touching the organ of benevolence. He became
placid. Soon afterwards I took him out of the sleep,
but he felt rather unwell for a short time. I felt
happy, however, at seeing him once more on his feet,
as the matter was new to me."

We might have increased greatly our record of

cases but the foregoing will afford a tolerably fair
;

general idea of the manner in which Mesmerism has

hitherto been applied in Scotland. We trust a short
time only will elapse, until it has been made more
universally useful as a curative agent.
 161

CHAPTER VI.

MESMERIC PROCESSES.

Mesmer was in the practice of seating his patients

around a kind of covered vessel filled with water,
iron, glass, &c, denominated the baquet. The mag-
netic virtue was supposed to be communicated to the
patients by branches of iron from the baquet, by a
cord which was passed around their bodies, and by
the union of their fingers. The patients were, besides,
magnetised directly by means of a finger, or a bar of
iron, guided before the face, above or behind the
head, and over the surface of the parts affected.
They were also operated upon by touching, rubbing,
and pressure with the hand. In this manner, what
have been termed crises were brought on, which
were supposed to operate beneficially in the ailments
with which the patients were afflicted.
The school of the Chevalier Barbarin admitted no
other agents than faith and volition, and hence its
followers obtained the designation of the Spiri-
tualists.
A third schoolwas established under the direction
of theMarquis de Puysegur, at Strasburg, under the
name of the Societe Harmonique d#s amis reunis.
The chambres de crise, Mr. Colquhoun informs us,
" were entirely banished from this excellent institu-
tion; and the whole magnetic treatment was con-
ducted in a manner the best calculated to insure the
repose and comfort of the patients. The manipula-
tions, when employed, were extremely gentle and
;

the hands, instead of being brought into contact with

L


] 62 MESMERISM.
the patient, were frequently kept at some distance
from him."
Many of the writers on this subject insist strongly
upon the necessity of Mesmerisers possessing a strong
constitution, and upon their being in sound health
at the time of operating, as otherwise very injurious
consequences may result to the patient.
The among Mesmerisers are ex-
processes in use
ceedingly various. It is not in every case consi-
dered necessary to produce sleep, and the means
employed are varied according to the effect sought to
be obtained. The following methods are recom-
mended by a writer in the Zoo-Magnetic Journal *
as the most simple and the most effectual :

u Let the operator take hold of the hands of the

patient, as if he were merely going to feel his
pulses. At this stage he may look steadily in the
patient's face, and put any questions he pleases to
him relative to his complaints, the seat of pain, &c.
After a minute or two, let him place one hand on
the crown of the patient's head, and the other on his
breast or stomach. Thereafter, let him place the
palm of each hand upon the patient's shoulders, with
the thumbs inclining into the armpits ; and having
continued for a few seconds in this position, let him
then draw the palms of his hands, with the fingers
pointing rather inwards, along the arms of the patient
gently downwards to the elbows, and from thence to
the hands, which may be again held for a few seconds.
The operator should then raise his hands upwards
towards the head of the patient, the palms being car-
ried outwards; then, with the palms resting upon
the sides of the patient's head, a few passes may be
made with the thumbs from the inner angles of the
eyes down the sides of the nose; and the hands
should afterwards be drawn downwards from the

* No. I. April 1839. Edinburgh : Adam and Charles Black.



MESMERIC PROCESSES. \G3

shoulders along the whole body towards the feet of
the patient. These passes may be repeated as often
as the operator deems necessary ; afterwards the
operation of fanning
a term easily understood
may be employed, especially if it be thought requi-
site to produce sleep, which has not followed upon
the previous manipulations. We
must not omit to
observe, however, that the effects of Animal Mag-
netism have been frequently produced without em-
ploying any such manipulations as those we have
described above ; and that the mode of treatment
must be regulated, in all cases, by the judgment of
the operator, according to the degree of susceptibility
manifested by the patient.
" The passes may be performed either with or
without contact. In the former case, the contact,
in general, ought to be very slight. But the opera-
tor must perform the whole business with earnestness,
and with a serious desire of removing the morbid
symptoms. The apartment ought to be kept as
quiet as possible, so that neither the operator nor the
patient may have his attention distracted during the
treatment.
* * * * *
" Sleep is a very common effect of the magnetic
manipulations, the first, indeed, by which the influ-
ence of the agent is made apparent to ordinary
observers. Somnambulism is much more rare. The
higher states including phenomena clairvoy-
the of
ance, or lucid vision occur comparatively few
in
cases. It is a mistake, however, to imagine that
the production of any of these states is absolutely and
essentially necessary, in every instance, to the efficacy
of Animal Magnetism as a remedial process. Hun-
dreds of cases have been successfully treated without
the production of sleep
thousands without the in-
tervention of somnambulism."
Deleuze, an eminent French Mesmeriser, enters
 ;

164 MESMERISM.
into very minute details on this subject in his
" Practical Instruction in Animal Magnetism." *
The following is an extract from his work :

" Cause your patient to sit down in the easiest

position possible, and place yourself before him, on a
seat a little more elevated, so that his knees may be
between yours, and your feet by the side of his.
Demand of him, in the first place, that he give him-
self up entirely ; that he think of nothing ; that he
do not trouble himself by examining the effects
which he experiences ; that he banishes all fear, and
indulge hope ; and that he be not disquieted or dis-
couraged if the action of the Magnetism produces in
him temporary pains.
" After you have brought yourself to a state of
self-collectedness, take his thumbs between your two
fingers, so that the inside of your thumbs may touch
the inside of his. Remain in this situation five
minutes, or until you perceive there is an equal de-
gree of heat between your thumbs and his ; that

being done, you will withdraw your hands, remov-

ing them to the right and left, and waving them so
that the interior surface be turned outwards, and
raise them to his ; then place them upon his
head
shoulders, leaving them there about a minute you ,*

will then draw them along the arm to the extremity

of the fingers, touching lightly. You will repeat this
pass five or six times, always turning your hands
and sweeping them off a little before re-ascending
you will then place your hands upon the head, hold
them there a moment, and bring them down before
the face, at the distance of one or two inches, as far
as the pit of the stomach ; there you will let them
remain about two minutes, passing the thumb along
the pit of the stomach, and the other fingers down

* " Practical Instruction in Animal Magnetism." By J. P. F-

Deleuze. London. 1843.
 MESMERIC PROCESSES. 165
the sides then descend slowly along the body as far
;

as the knees, or farther, and, if you can conveniently,

as far as the ends of the feet. You may repeat the
same processes during the greater part of the sitting.
You may sometimes draw nearer to the patient so as
to place your hands behind his shoulders, descending
slowly along the spine, thence to the hips, and along
the thighs as far as the knees, or to the feet. After
the first passes you may dispense with putting your
hands upon the head, and make the succeeding passes
along the arms, beginning at the shoulder ; or along
the body commencing at the stomach.
44
When you wish to put an end to the sitting take
care to draw towards the extremity of the hands,
and towards the extremity of the feet, prolonging
your passes beyond these extremities, and shaking
your fingers each time. Finally, make several passes
transversely before the face, and also before the
breast, at the distance of three or four inches ; these
passes are made by presenting the two hands to-
gether, and briskly drawing them from each other,
as if to carry off" the superabundance of fluid with
which the patient may be charged. You see that it
is essential to magnetise, always descending from the

head to the extremities, and never mounting from

the extremities to the head. It is on this account
that we turn the hands obliquely when they are
raised again from the feet to the head. The descend-
ing passes are magnetic ; that is, they are accom-
panied with the intention of magnetising. The as-
cending movements are not. Many magnetisers
shake their fingers slightly after each pass. This
method, which is never injurious, is, in certain cases,
advantageous, and for this reason it is good to get
the habit of doing it.
" Although you may have, at the close of the sit-
ting, taken care to spread the fluid over all the sur-
face of the body, it is proper, in finishing, to make
166 MESMERISM.
several passes along the legs from the knees to the
end of the feet. These passes free the head. To
make them more conveniently, yourself on
place
your knees in front of the person whom you are
magnetising.
" I think it proper to distinguish the passes that
are made without touching, from those which are
made with the touch, not only with the ends of the
fingers, but with all the extent of the hand, employ-
ing, at the same time, a slight pressure. I give to
these last the name of magnetic frictions.
are They
often madeuse of to act better upon the arms, the
legs, and the back, along the vertebral column.
" This manner of magnetising by longitudinal
passes, directing the fluid from the head to the ex-
tremities, without fixing upon any part in preference
to others, is calledmagnetising by the long pass*
(magnetiser a grands courans.) It is more or less
proper in all cases, and it is requisite to employ it in
the first sitting, when there is no special reason for
using any other. The fluid is thus distributed into
all the organs, and it accumulates naturally in those
which have need of it. Beside the passes made at a
short distance, others are made, just before finishing,
at the distance of two or three feet. They generally
produce a calm, refreshing, and pleasurable sensa-
tion.
" There is one more process by which it is very
advantageous to terminate the sitting. It consists in
placing oneself by the side of the patient, as he stands
up, and, at the distance of a foot, making, with both
hands, one before the body and the other behind,
seven or eight passes, commencing above the head
and descending to the floor, along which the hands

*****
are spread apart.

"Sometimes
This process frees the head, re-
establishes the equilibrium, and imparts strength.

it is necessary to magnetise at the

 MESMERIC PROCESSES. I (>?

distance of several feet. Magnetism at a distance Lb

more soothing, and some nervous persons cannot bear
any other.
" In making the passes, it is unnecessary to em -

ploy any greater muscular force than what is re-

quired to lift the hand and prevent it from falling.
The movements should be easy, and not too rapid.
A pass from the head to the feet may take about
half a minute. The fingers ought to be a little sepa-
rated from each other, and slightly bent, so that the
ends of the fingers be directed towards the person
magnetised."
Dr. Caldwell, in his work entitled " Facts in
Mesmerism, and Thoughts on its Causes and Uses"
gives the following description of the mode of pro-
ducing Mesmeric sleep.
" Let the parties be seated close to each other,
face to face, the Mesmeriser occupying the higher
seat, and the Mesmerisee so accommodated as to sit
at ease and in comfort, provision being made for the
support of the head, in case sleep be induced.
" Having requested the Mesmerisee to dismiss, as
far as practicable, all agitatingand impressive feel-
ings, thoughts, and emotions, and be as tranquil as
possible in mind as well as in body, the Mesmeriser
gently grasps his hands, applying palm to palm
and thumb to thumb, for the purpose of equalizing
and identifying their temperature and condition.
" Continuing this for about a minute, the Mes-
meriser lets go his grasp, and, removing his hands,
and raising them just above the head of the Mes-
merisee, brings them gently down along each side of
the head, very softly brushing it, and places them
on his shoulders. Let the hands rest here about
another minute ; the Mesmeriser all this time looking
steadily and intensely in his subject's face, and forcibly
willing that he shall fall asleep. The hands are then
to be moved from the shoulders along the arms, with


LOS MESMERISM.
a very light pressure, until they reach the hands of
the Mesmerisee, which are to be again grasped for
four or five seconds, as before.
6
t After a few repetitions of these movements, the
-

operator may begin his more regular passes. These

he makes by raising his hands near to the face or
top of the head of his subject, and bringing them
down with a gentle sweep along the neck and breast
(touching those parts not being necessary,) to the
ends of the subject's fingers, turning his palms out-
wards, and widening the distance of his hands from
each other as they descend. The ends of the opera-
tor's fingers may be also advantageously applied at
times to the pit of the patient's stomach, and held
there for a short time.
" In making their passes, some operators draw
their hands not only along the whole extent of the
upper extremities of the patient, but also down the
lower extremities to the knees. This, however, I
have not found necessary, perhaps not even useful,
having been able to effect my purpose without it.
The passes may be continued from twelve or fifteen
to thirty minutes, according to circumstances. And
during the subsequent experiments, while the patient
is asleep, they may be occasionally renewed, to hold

the sleep sufficiently profound.

" Such is the usual form of the Mesmeric process,
the operator continuing to will during the whole
time of it, the production of the phenomena at which
he aims. Under the hands of some Mesmerisers
the process is much simpler, the foregoing being of
a formal and rather complex kind."
The Rev. La Roy Sunderland, another American
writer, gives various directions in his journal, entitled
The Magnet. He says,
" The following methods will be found equally
successful, and far better than the old process of
staring persons in the face.
 MESMERIC PROCESSES. 169
" The attempt should not be made under circum-
stances when you or your patient will be liable to
be interrupted or disturbed. Every thing should be
adjusted beforehand, so that you may be perfectly
quiet during the sitting, that nothing may occur in
any way to attract the attention of the subject.
" 1. Let the patient be comfortably seated, and di-
rected to fix his mind on the certainty of the antici-
pated results of the experiment. His head should
be reclined in an easy position, so that the eyes may
be considerably elevated, and kept immoveable/ fixed
upon one spot for thirty minutes or more. While
he is sitting in this position the operator may, if he
wishes, hold one of his hands while standing or sit-
ting by his side ; or he may give the patient a piece
of steel, or any other substance not disagreeable to
him, to hold in his hand. The more firmly he keeps
his eyes elevated and fixed in one position, and the
greater the certainty with which he anticipates the
sleep or the cure to be effected, the better.
" When sleep ensues, the operator should pass his
hands gently from the top of the head down the sides
of the face, over the arms and hands, and especially
over any part that is affected with disease, as directed
below.
4w
2. Another method. "When the patient is seated
as above described, and where he may recline his
head if he wishes to do so, the operator may stand
by his side, and place one hand over the whole of
the frontal region, and the other directly over the
front and top part of the head.
Or thus, stand
directly behind the patient, and put one of your
fingers of each hand on the space of the head, directly
back of the centre of the organ marked by Gall as
caution, or you may cover these two points with
the thumb and finger of one hand, and with the other
hand press upon the whole of the forehead, or place
one finger over the space between individuality and
170 MESMERISM.
eventuality. If the subject be susceptible, this pro-
cess scarcely ever fails of producing sleep. And
when you perceive he is quite composed, and more
or less subdued, you may raise your hands and carry
them from his, outward in a circle, to the top of the
head, and, with the fingers gently extended, pass
your hands slowly down the sides of the face, over
the shoulders, and down the arms, over the inside
of the hands, and then carry them off from him in
a circle, outwards, up to the head again.
" If your subject should become convulsed, do not
be alarmed ; keep calm, and indulge no unkind or
impure feeling, if you would not involve yourself and
him in difficulty.
" To wake your patient up, place one hand directly
over the back part of the head, covering from the or-
gans of philoprogenitiveness down over the cerebel-
lum, and then place your two fingers of the other
hand directly on the organs appropriated to causa-
lity ; or pass your hands quickly up and over the
frontal region, as if you wished to brush away some-
thing collected there. And to relieve the arms when
affected by this process, the operator should pass his
hand quickly upward over them.
" But it often happens that persons succeed in
putting others to sleep, and they find it impossible to
wake them again. What shall be done in such cases ?

Answer learn to be more careful how you meddle
with an agency of which you know so little. We
have known serious results to follow the operations
of persons when the motive has been mere curiosity.
" But in cases of difficulty do not be alarmed;
let the patient alone. If left entirely to himself, the
influence will in time disappear.
" 3. We usually commence, when operating for
any local disease, in the way above stated, and after-
wards apply the hand to the diseased part, or to the
corresponding sympathetic organs. For relieving


MESMERIC PROCESSES. 171

headach, when the pain seems to be located in the

frontal region, let the patient lean his head back, so
as to rest it firmly in your hand, your hand being suf-
ficiently low to cover the cerebellum. With your
other hand, make the passes down and over the fore-
head and temples. If the pain is located in the back
part of the head, cover with your hand the front part,
and make the passes over the occipital region.
" To relieve the toothach pass your hand gently
over the face and the part affected.
" These operations must, of course, be continued
from ten minutes to half an hour, or longer, and re-
peated from time to time as the case may require.
" Bear in mind, that all persons are not alike sus-
ceptible; and the same directions for the relief of one
may not always apply to the case of another afflicted
in the same way. The great law of sympathy is
the same in all, but it is not alike accessible to.
all."
The Rev. Mr. Townshend gives no formal direc-
tions for producing the Mesmeric sleep, but we should
infer that the method he employs is much less com-
plicated than some others. In the Appendix to
Facts in Mesmerism, the celebrated Professor Agas-
sis gives a description of the sensations which he felt
on being Mesmerised, and we gather from it the mode
of proceeding adopted by Mr. Townshend.
Professor Agassis says " About ten Mr. Towns-
:

hend commenced operating on me. While we sat

opposite to one another, he, in the first place, only
took hold of my
hands and looked at me fixedly. I
was firmly resolved to arrive at a knowledge of the
truth, whatever it might be ; and therefore the mo-
ment I saw him endeavouring to exert an action upon
me, I silently addressed the Author of all things, be-
seeching him to give me power to resist the influence,
and to be conscientious in regard to myself as well as
in regard to the facts. * * * * .* After at
172 MESMERISM.
least a quarter of an hour, I felt a sensation of a cur-
rent through all my limbs,
and from that moment my
eyelids grew heavy. I then saw Mr. Townshend
extend his hands before my eyes, as if he were about
to plunge his fingers into them ; and then make dif-
ferent circular movements around my eyes, which
caused my eyelids to become still heavier. I had the
idea that he was endeavouring to make me close my
eyes ; and yet it was not as if some one had threa-
tened my eyes, and in the waking state, I had closed
them to prevent him ; it was an irresistible heaviness
of the lids which compelled me them ; and by
to shut
degrees I found that I had no longer the power of keep-
ing them open, but did not the less retain my consci-
ousness of what was going on around me ; so that I
heard M. Desor speak to Mr. Townshend, understood
what they said, and heard what questions they asked
me, just as if I had been awake, but I had not the
power of answering. * * * * Mr. Townshend
then repeated some frictions, which increased my
sleep ; yet I was always conscious of what was pass-
ing around me. He then asked me if I wished to
become lucid, at the same time continuing, as I felt,
the frictions from the face to the arms. I then ex-
perienced an indescribable sensation of delight, and
for an instant saw before me rays of dazzling light,
which instantly disappeared. * * * Mr. Towns-
hend then woke me with some rapid transverse move-
ments from the middle of the face outwards, which
instantly caused my eyes to open, and at the same
time I got up, saying to him, I thank you.' It was
'

a quarter past eleven. He then told me, and M.

Desor repeated the same thing, that the only fact
which had satisfied them that I was in a state of
Mesmeric sleep, was the facility with which my head
followed all the movements of his hand, although he
did not touch me, and the pleasure which I appeared
to feel at the moment when after several repetitions
 "

MESMERIC PROCESSES. 1?3

of friction, he thus moved my head at pleasure in all
directions.
The above description is doubly interesting, as
coming from one who occupies so high a position in
the scientific world as M. Agassis.
A method of Mesmerising a number of individuals
at the same time is thus described by Mr. Towns-
hend.
" I have sometimes formed what may be called a
Mesmeric pile, by seating five or six persons together
in a line, or half circle, holding each other's hands :

I have then Mesmerised the first in the rank, who

has passed on the influence to the second, who has
again transmitted it to the third, and so on, by each
pressing the hand held by each, at regular periods of
time. Under this treatment I have invariably found
that the Mesmeric influence was most powerfully de-
monstrated in the person who was farthest from my-
self; that is, in the person who received the original
impulse through the greatest number of intervening
transmitters. The shades of gradation were also in
these experiments justly preserved ; the first person
scarcely experiencing any sensation, the second feel-
ing a more decided influence, and so on in progres-
sion, till the last was thrown into the complete Mes-
meric state."
Sir G. S. Mackenzie has published in the Phreno-
hgical Journal* an account of the method of Mes-
merising, practised by Mr. Gardiner of Roche Court,
who, Sir George states, was the first to observe the
extraordinary effects of exciting the organs of the
mental faculties of patients in the magnetic trance.
The directions given to Mesmerisers by Mr. Gardi-
ner, are the following :

"Dismiss all preconceptions from your mind;

check the tendency we all of us have to prejudge

* Edinburgh : Maclach^n, Stewart & Co.

174 MESMERISM.
and pre-theorise banish all hypothesis, and advance
;

to your subject as an experimentalist. Say nothing

to any body select for your trials a person of rather
;

a sedate character, and not too young. Shut your-

self and the patient into a quiet room, with no spec-
tators, and let him or her sit in an easy posture,
with support for the head. Dismiss from your
thoughts all idea of the necessity of mode or fashion,
or particular Concentrate your faculties,
passes.
and be not distracted by any thing. Let your voli-
tion be earnest, and first try the power of your eye,
aided, if you like, by taking the hand. Let the pa-
tient look at you, and do you steadily regard him or
her visually and mentally with a fixed and deter-
mined and definite purpose, and it is more than pro-
bable, that, ere the lapse of many minutes, you will
feel and see the establishment of your power. If
not, try the points of your fingers directed to the
eyes, putting them as close as possible, without
touching the lashes or the hair. Should no effect
ensue in half an hour, I would advise you to desist,
and try another patient. If effects be produced
within that time, go on until you see that they do
not increase, and then demagnetise by transverse
passes, and blowing on the face and head upwards
from the neck, or other means, and try the same pa-
tient again the succeeding day, and go on till you
produce all the higher phenomena. This is what I
recommend, for no magnetiser ought to dogmatise.
No two cases are alike, and some patients are readily
affected process and not by any other, while
by one
some will yield almost instantaneously to a certain
magnetiser, who have withstood the efforts of many
others, although the same process be used by them
all. If you wish specially to entrance or influence
a particular person, place him or her at the extre-
mity of a chain of persons holding each other by the
hand, and do you proceed to magnetise the person at
 MESMERIC PROCESSES. 175
the other extremity of the chain. Tough must that
person be who can withstand this. The greater the
number of persons forming the chain the better."
Mr. Braid's mode of hypnotising, to use his own
term, is thus described by him in Neurypnology :
" Take any bright object (I generally use my
lancet case) between the thumb and
fore and middle
fingers of the left hand ; from about eight to
hold it

fifteen inches from the eyes, at such position above

the forehead as may be necessary to produce the
greatest possible strain upon the eyes and eyelids,
and enable the patient maintain a steady fixed
to
stare at the object.* The patient must be made to
understand that he is to keep the eyes steadily fixed
on the object, and the mind rivetted on the idea of
that one object. It will be observed, that, owing to
the consensual adjustment of the eyes, the pupils will
be at first contracted ; they will shortly begin to
dilate, aad after they have done so to a considerable
extent, and have assumed a wavy motion, if the fore
and middle fingers of the right hand, extended and
a little separated, are carried from the object towards
the eyes, most probably the eyelids will close invo-
luntarily, with a vibratory motion. If this is not the
case, or the patient allows the eye-balls to move,
desire him to begin anew, giving him to understand
that he is to allow the eyelids to close when the fin-
gers are again carried towards the eyes, but that the
* Mr. Braid states, in a note, that at an early period of his in-
vestigations, he caused the patients to look at a cork bound on
the forehead. This, he says, was a very efficient plan with those
who had the power of converging the eyes so as to keep them both
steadily directed on the object, but he soon found that many could
not do so. We are reminded, by Mr. Braid's method of proceed-
ing, of a passage in Mr. Douglas of Cavers' Errors regarding Re-
ligion. In his chapter on Mysticism, Mr. Douglas says, " The
Hindoo sage, by meditating on the identity of all things with the
Self-existent, and by performing the no less earnestly enjoined
duties of stopping his breathing, and fixing his intent gaze upon the
tip of his nose, is freed from all the evils of finite existence, and
absorbed into the Divine essence."
] 76 MESMERISM.
eye-balls must be kept fixed in the same position,
and the mind rivetted to the one idea of the object
held above the eyes. It will generally be found, that
the eyelids close with a vibratory motion, or become
spasmodically closed. After ten or fifteen seconds
have elapsed, by gently elevating the arms and legs,
it will be found that the patient has a disposition to

retain them in the situation in which they have been

placed, if he is intensely affected. If this is not the
case, in a soft tone of voice desire him to retain the
limbs in the extended position, and thus the pulse
will speedily become greatly accelerated, and the
limbs, in process of time, will become quite rigid and
involuntarily fixed. It will also be found, that all
the organs of special sense, excepting sight, including
heat and cold, and muscular motion or resistance,
and certain mental faculties, are at first prodigiously
exalted, such as happens with regard to the primary
effects of opium, wine, and spirits. After a certain
point, however, this exaltation of function is followed
by a state of depression far greater than the torpor
of natural sleep.* From the state of the most pro-
found torpor of the organs of special sense and tonic
rigidity of the muscles, they may, at this state, in-

* I wish to direct especial attention to this circumstance, as,

from overlooking the fact of the first stage of this artificial hyp-
notism heing one of excitement, with the possession of consciousness
and docility, many imagine they are not affected, whilst the acce-
leration of pulse, peculiar expression of countenance, and other
characteristic symptoms, prove the existence of the condition,
beyond the possibility of a doubt, to alt who understand the subject.
I consider it very imprudent to carry it to the ulterior stage, or
that of torpor, at'a^r^ trial. Moreover, there is great difference
in the susceptibility to the Neurohypnotic impression, some ar-
riving at the state of rigidity and insensibility in a few minutes,
whilst others may readily pass into the primary stage, but can
scarcely be brought into 'the ulterior, or rigid and torpid state.
It is also most important to note, that many instances of remark-
able and permanent cures have occurred, where it has never

been carried beyond the state of consciousness. Note at p. 20 of
Neurypnology.


MESMERIC PROCESSES. IT?

stantly be restored to the opposite condition of ex-
treme mobility and exalted sensibility, by directing
a current of air against the organ or organs we wish
to excite to action, or the muscleswe wish to render
limber, and which had been in the cataleptiform
state. By mere repose, the senses will speedily
merge into the original condition again.

" At first I required the patients to look at an

object until the eyelids closed of themselves, involun-
tarily. I found, however, that in many cases this
was followed by pain in the globes of the eyes, and
slight inflammation of the conjunctival membrane.
In order to avoid this, I now close the eyelids, when
the impression on the pupil, already referred to, has
taken place. * * *
" As the experiment succeeds with the blind, I
consider it not so much the optic, as the sentient,
motor, and sympathetic nerves, and the mind, through
which the impression is made.
" A patient may be hypnotised by keeping the
eyes fixed in any direction. It occurs most slowly
and feebly when the eyes are directed straight for-
ward, and most rapidly and intensely when they can
be maintained in the position of a double internal
and upward squint."
Mr. Braid thus describes his manner of awakening
his patients, and the caution which he adds should
not be overlooked :

" Whenever I observe the breathing very much

oppressed, the face gently flushed, the rigidity exces-
sive, or the action of the heart very quick and tumul-
tuous, I instantly arouse the patient, which I have
always readily and speedily succeeded in doing by a
clap of the hands, or abrupt shock on the arm or leg,
by striking them sharply with the flat hand, pres-
sure and friction over the eyelids, and by a current

M
178 MESMERISM.
of air wafted against the face. I have never failed
by these means to restore my patients very speedily.
" I feel convinced hypnotism is not only a valu-
able, but also a perfectly safe remedy for many com-
plaints, if judiciously used ;ought not to be
still it

trifled with by ignorant persons for the mere sake of

gratifying idle curiosity. In all cases of apoplectic
tendency, or where there is aneurism, or serious
organic disease of the heart, it ought not to be re-
sorted to, excepting with the precaution, that it may
be in the mode calculated to depress the force and
frequency of the heart's action."
Dr. Elliotson s method of producing the Mesmeric
sleep is exceedingly simple, being usually accom-
plished by simply pointing two fingers to the eyes
of the patient. He is opposed to the opinion,
that the will of the operator has any effect in putting
the patient to sleep. In a recent communication
with which we were favoured, in reply to questions
regarding the probability of injury to the health of a
patient, from being too frequently Mesmerised, Dr.
Elliotson says,
" When mere sleep is produced, I
have never seen harm from the most frequent Mes-
merising ; but when there is any activity in the sleep,
the process may easily be repeated often enough to
cause mischievous excitement. Flushing, headach,
giddiness, and even a little delirium, may result.
Whenever any of these threaten, the process should
be slackened, whatever the benefit that has re-
sulted."
It is unnecessary to enter into farther details
regarding the various processes adopted by different
Mesmerisers. Those which have simplicity and an
absence of mystery to recommend them, will, we are
certain, meet with the highest degree of approval in
Britain.
It has been a common error to suppose that Mes-


MESMERIC PROCESSES. 179

merism is only operative upon those who are feeble
in body. Let us listen to what Mr. Townshend says
on this point,
" Mesmerism is one of nature's great resources in
the cure of maladies ; and it is not, therefore, won-
derful, if some of its most striking effects should
have been developed rather in the ailing and the
delicate, than in the healthy and robust. Hence the
world, always ready to build up error on truth, has
connected it, in idea, with weakness of mind, as well
as of body, and has classed it amongst those idle
imaginings which beset the fanciful invalid. But
what is the fact ? Mesmerism does, indeed, act
more peculiarly on the nervous system, and, on that
account, affects, in an especial manner, persons whose
nervous system is finely organized. But we must
not confound sensitiveness with imbecility. The
universal temperament of genius gives the lie to such
an error ; and it would be plainly ridiculous to say,
that the timid and susceptible author of an elegy in
a country churchyard, or Rousseau, or Pascal, who
were both nervous, even to hypochondriacism, were
weak in intellect, because they were strong in sensi-
bility. Besides, before we identify Mesmerism with
weakness of any kind, it should be shown, that none
but the feeble are susceptible of its influence. Now,
as far as my experience goes, I can affirm, that not
only does a certain degree of intelligence appear
requisite for the favourable manifestation of the Mes-
meric phenomena, but that persons in perfect health
have frequently exhibited them. It may also be
asserted, that fear and nervous agitation are wholly
incompatible with their genuine development. These
may, indeed, accompany a spurious sort of Mesmeric
affection, but are wholly distinct from the powers
with which they co-exist, and to which they are
invariably hurtful. They are the corruptions of the
true faith, and not the faith itself. In fine, sensibi-
180 MESMERISM.
lity, and not weakness, is the real condition on
which Mesmerism depends."
In the space of less than two years, Mr. Town-
shend succeeded in inducing the Mesmeric sleep in
twenty-three individuals, and in eight instances he
failed. Of the twenty-three, six only were women,
and one only a decided invalid. They were, more-
over, not cases selected by Mr. Townshend as likely
subjects for Mesmerism, but came to him acciden-
tally.
Dr. Caldwell gives it as his opinion, that a large
majority of mankind are susceptible of the Mesmeric
influence, the proportion, so far as his experience
goes, being similar to that of Mr. Townshend. One
able Mesmeriser had assured him, that he had suc-
ceeded in fourteen, out of fifteen trials.
Mr. Braid states, that at one of his public lectures
in Manchester, fourteen male adults, in good health,
all strangers to him, stood up at once, and ten of
them were successfully operated upon. At Roch-
dale he succeeded with twenty strangers in one
night. At a private conversazione to the medical
profession in London, on the 1st of March 1842,
eighteen adults, most of them strangers to him, sat
down at once, and in ten minutes sixteen of them
were decidedly hypnotised. On another occasion,
Mr. Braid took thirty-two children into a room,
none of whom had either seen or heard of hypnotism
or Mesmerism : in ten or twelve minutes the whole
thirty-two were hypnotised, and maintained their
arms extended.
These facts are sufficient to show, that a large
majority of the human race are susceptible of this
influence, whatever its nature may be ; and if, as we
have reason to believe, human suffering may, through
its instrumentality, be materially alleviated, we have
abundant reason to thank the men who, defying per-
secution, have stood nobly forward in support of the
 MESMERIC PROCESSES. 181

truth. We would, at the same time, join with pre*

ceding writers in deprecating the practice of Mes-
merism by the ignorant or the unwary. But for the
supercilious and unpardonable neglect of the medical
faculty, its administration would, long ago, have been
entrusted entirely to their hands as an important branch
of the healing art ; and they will yet be compelled to
adopt that, at which the vast majority of them have
hitherto sneered. The people have already obtained
more knowledge on the subject than is possessed by
the members of a profession, which is, by courtesy,
denominated learned ; and popular Mesmerism, or
Hypnotism, or whatever other name may ultimately

be adopted, names being an affair of comparatively
little consequence, will, ere long, put the wisdom
of the medical faculty to the blush.
 * .

182

CHAPTER VII.

PHRENO -MESMERISM

Phreno-Mesmerism, or phreno-magnetism, or,

adopting Mr. Braid's language, phreno-hypnotism,
was, we believe, discovered nearly about the same
time in the United States of America and in England.
The Rev. La Roy Sunderland is understood to have
been the individual who first, on the other side of
the Atlantic, proclaimed the banns of the union
between Mesmerism and Phrenology. In this coun-
try, the able and ingenious Mr. Spencer Hall of
Sheffield, while he states, that he applied magnetism
as a test of phrenological truth before seeing the
account of Mr. Sunderland's discoveries, yet ex-
presses his obligations to that gentleman for informa-
tion as to the existence of certain organs, beyond
those laid down in the ordinary busts and charts.
Dr. Engledue the
states, in his address delivered to
Phrenological Association in London, on the 20th
of June 1842,
" The discovery of the magnetic excitation of
cerebration, as far as I am aware, was made in this
country by my two friends, Messrs. Mansfield and
Gardiner. These two gentlemen communicated their
experiments to me, and I immediately attempted to
excite the cerebral organs of one of my patients,
who had been regularly magnetised by me for some
time, for the cure of disease. Exactly the same
results were obtained.
" On the 7th October 1841, Mr. Gardiner, during

* London : H. Bailliere. 1842.

 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 183

the magnetic trance of his patient, played a few

notes on a small musical instrument ; the patient
kept time by a lateral motion of the head. He then
sounded the instrument, without attending to har-
mony ; the patient shuddered, and appeared to be
distressed. Heinterrogated her as to the cause of
this distress she replied she was in pain ; and when
;

asked where, she placed a finger of each hand on the

organ of tune, on the same side. I shall not soon
forget the enthusiasm of my friend when he com-
municated this result to me. An apple falling from
a tree suggested to Newton the laws by which count-
less worlds hold their unvarying course ; and the
muscular distortion of a human countenance suggested
thoughts which will assist in unfolding the greatest
problem in cerebral physiology. After this expe-
riment, Mr. Mansfield returned to Cambridge, where
he became acquainted with a gentleman, eighteen
years of age, exceedingly susceptible of the magnetic
influence. The first intimation he had of the fact that
the magnetiser could excite a cerebral organ was on
the 18th of December, 1841. This patient mani-
fested impaired sense of time. He said, for instance,
that he had been in a room half an hour when he
had been in the room more than two hours, and, on
another occasion, two hours and a half. He would
refer to events that had taken place more than half
an hour before, as if a few minutes only had elapsed.
Mr. Mansfield breathed on the organ of time, and
then asked his patient the same question, when he
named the exact period.
" On another occasion he was eating his dinner,
and became exceedingly facetious, his conversation
flowing in a strain of ludicrousness absolutely irre-
sistible. Mr. M. touched the organ of wit, with the
intention of arresting his flow of humour ; instantly
his countenance assumed a grave appearance, and
though his conversation continued, the humorous vi-
 1S4< MESMERISM.
vacity and drollery entirely disappeared. After a
few minutes Mr. M. blew upon the organ, and im-
mediately the comic strain was again indulged in.
The organ of alinientiveness was paralysed in the
same manner, and again excited; also the organ
of firmness. On the 25th of December, Mr.
M. accompanied Mr. Gardiner on a visit to
his patient.This was the first opportunity, Mr.
Gardiner had been enabled to commence his expe-
riments, and to enter into details, and I am only
stating what I know to be true, when I assert that
it is owing to his great exertions, his untiring pa-

tience, his ceaseless enthusiasm, and his constant

anxiety to promulgate truth, that I am enabled to
detail to you the leading facts of this extraordinary
discovery."
Dr. Engledue then proceeds to detail the particu-
lars of the case of ayoung lady, which had occurred
in his own practice, and as it was one of the earliest
in which these manifestations were produced, it may
be interesting to extract it in this place.
" The case which I am about to relate is that
of a young lady, sixteen years of age, who had been
confined to her bed eighteen months. She was mag-
netised for some time, and, during the trance, mani-
fested a number of extraordinary phenomena ; but I
shall confine my relation to the experiments on cere-
bration.
" The patient having been placed in the trance,
was allowed to remain quiet for a short time. I
then simply applied my finger to the organ to be ex-
cited, and willed that it should become so. The ex-
citation, in the majority of cases, was instantaneous.
u Thus, the finger applied to imitation produced
the most splendid mimicry it is possible to conceive.
The words and gestures of friends were copied in
the most exact manner. Anecdotes which had been
forgotten by all the members of the family were re-
 "

PHRENO-MESMERISM. 185
peated in a way that brought the circumstances in-
stantaneously to their recollection, notwithstanding
many years had elapsed. On one occasion, the ma-
nifestation of the faculty was permitted to continue
for half an hour, and was then stopped by a wave
of the hand over the organ, without contact. The
finger on wit produced immoderate laughter, checked
by a wave of the hand, and reproduced by a touch
of the finger. The finger on colour caused the pa-
tient to see a variety of colours, which, she said, were
coloured worsteds. The finger on size caused her to
say she saw ' heaps of skeins.' When asked the
supposed weight of the quantity she replied she did
not know. The finger on the organ of weight caused
her immediately to exclaim ' hundreds of pounds/
" Self-esteem, firmness, veneration, benevolence,
philoprogenitiveness, caution, &c. &c, were all ex-
cited with corresponding results. The natural lan-
guage of each faculty was most beautiful, and the
patient, in the natural state, could not manifest the
function in any similar degree.
u The organs remained active even after the pa-
tient had resumed her natural state. This was so
marked, that the attendants have frequently re-
quested me not to demagnetise the organ of benevo-
lence, because, when this was allowed to continue
active, she was so much more kind and affectionate.
Dr. Engledue added, that Mr. Atkinson, Mr.
Brookes, Mr. Prideaux, Captain Valiant, and Dr.
Elliotson, had all performed experiments, and ob-
tained similar results.
The lectures of Mr. Spencer Hall contributed ma-
terially to attract public attention to the subject, and
the same gentleman, early in 1 843, estabtished a pe-
riodical,* for the purpose of recording the facts con-
nected with it.
* The Phreno- Magnet. Edited by Spencer T. Hall. Lon-
don R. Tyas.
:
186 MESMERISM.
At the meeting of the Phrenological Association in
1 842, Dr. Elliotson seemed to think that the evidence
fell short of proving the trnth of Mesmeric Phreno-
logy ; but in a letter dated the 1st of September 1 842,
addressed to Dr. Engledue, and appended to that
gentleman's address, he states that his conviction of
the possibility of Mesmerising distinct cerebral organs
is complete. He then proceeds to give the following
account of two of his patients.
" I have had for some months under my care, for
dreadful fits of many years standing, which are yield-
ing satisfactorily to Mesmerism, two charming youth-
ful patients, of excellent cerebral development,and
and of high
carefully brought up, of high intelligence,

moral character beautifully illustrating the power of
good training upon a well developed brain. No
poet or moralist could desire finer specimens of all
that is delightful in the youthful mind. They have
not known each other. They both exhibit exquisite
Mesmeric phenomena. Are thrown into a profound
coma, which no impression on the senses will dispel,
and which soon becomes sleep-waking; their limbs
may then be stiffened at pleasure, and endowed with
enormous force, which, although not yielding to me-
chanical -violence, gives way to contact, or to the
breath, or to movements of the operator's hand, with-
out contact, in the direction opposite to that of the
limb's position ; the various muscles of the face may
be made to twitch as if with electricity, and the eyes
be opened, or the body be drawn by movements of
the fingers and hands held at a short distance ; the
position of each finger of the operator's hand will be
minutely imitated, though the eyes be closed, and the
experiment be made out of the patient's sphere of
vision. Though showing all the signs of sleep in the
breathing, the falling of the head, the aspect, and the
exquisite positions, they may be roused to talk, but
never recognise the person nor the place. Their
 ;

PHRENO-MESMERISM. 187
dream, if so it may be called, is perfectly rational
but the real place, and person addressing, and even
the time, are invariably fancied otherwise than is the
fact.
" I know to a certainty that both are totally igno-
rant of phrenology. Without any previous inten-
tion, I one day tried to Mesmerise some of the cere-
bral organs in the young lady. On placing the point
of a finger on the right organ of attachment, she
strongly squeezed my fingers of the other hand,
placed in her right hand, and fancied I was her fa-
vourite sister ; on removing it to the organ of self-
esteem, she let go my fingers which were in her right
hand, repelled my hand, mistook me for a person she
disliked, and talked in the haughtiest manner. On
replacing the point of my finger on attachment, she
squeezed my fingers of the other hand again, and
spoke affectionately. I removed the point of my
finger to destructiveness, and she let go my fingers
again, repelled my hand, mistook me for some one
she disliked, and fell into a passion. The finger upon
benevolence silenced her instantly ; and made her
amiable, though not attached. I thus could alter her
mood, and her conception of my person at pleasure,
and play upon her head as upon a piano.
" On repeating these experiments, I soon found
that the same results ensued, though not so rapidly,
by merely pointing the finger near the organs ; and
this was the more satisfactory in demonstrating the
facts to others ; and indeed it has been quite satis-
factory to every one, for not only were the eyes
closed, but stopped up by a handful of handkerchiefs,
held firmly upon each eye, and the experiments were
made on organs so situated, that had her eyes been
open, I defy her to know to what organ I was point-
ing. These experiments I have repeated twenty
times. But a fact still more wonderful is this : The
state of the organ of one side gives evidence of itself
188 MESMERISM.
on only half of the system. For instance, if I place
my and Mesmerise attach-
fingers in her right hand,
ment in the right side, she squeezes them and mis-
takes me for a dear friend ; if I then Mesmerise self-
esteem, on the left side, she still speaks to me kindly,
and squeezes my fingers with her right as much as
ever. But if I place my fingers in her left hand, she re-
pels them, and speaks scornfully to me, mistaking me
for some one whom she dislikes. If I take hold of both
her hands with one of mine, I can at pleasure make
her repel both, by pointing over each organ of self-
esteem or destructiveness squeeze both by pointing
:

over each organ of attachment; or repel one and

squeeze the other, right or left, accordingly as I point
over the organ of self-esteem or destructiveness on
the one side, and that of attachment on the other, at
the same time. These simultaneous, and especially
the opposite influences on the two sides, are the most
astonishing and beautiful experiments that all physi-
ology affords and the sight of them enraptures every
;

person. They are the more satisfactory, because

there is no necessity for me to operate ;
any person,
even a sceptic in both phrenology and Mesmerism,
may point to and Mesmerise her respective cerebral
organs himself, if standing behind her. Under the
opposite states of the two sides of the brain, she will
address the person supposed on the one side or the
other, and speak affectionately, proudly, or angrily,
as attachment on the one hand, or self-esteem or de-
structiveness on the other, is Mesmerised. The ex-
pression, the tone, to say nothing of the words or
the action of her hands, are exquisitely and rapidly
in character. In the youth, the organs at present
can be excited by contact only of the point of the
finger, or by breathing over them. Attachment,
self-esteem, destructiveness, music, and colour, I
have excited in him, and the effects came very slow-
ly, and continue long.


PHRENO-MESMERISM. 189
" very interesting to see the first degree, and
It is
the working up of the feelings. When self-esteem be-
gins slowly, they think others are proud, and then
become haughty themselves ; when destructiveness
begins slowly, they think others wish to quarrel, and

then they quarrel or they begin to find fault with
the fancied person, who is beloved in the waking
state, and then mistake him for one disliked in the
waking state."
Dr. Binns, in his Anatomy of Sleep, gives the fol-
lowing account of the phrenological manifestations
in the case of a female domestic in the employment
of Captain and Mrs. Valiant, the same individual,
we believe, who is referred to in Dr. Charlton's let-
ter in a previous chapter :

" The patient being placed in a chair, Dr. Elliot-

son commenced the experiment by directing his hand
in a horizontal position, to the precordia, or perhaps
the epigastrium. In a few moments, convulsive
twitchings of the hands began to appear ; she seemed
distressed ; the eyelids winked convulsively, and
shortly after she fell asleep. This may be considered
as the first stage of the phenomena. The second was
that of intense fear, or horror of being left alone,
whenever Dr. Elliotson withdrew his hand from hers,
or ceased to touch any part of her body. This feel-
ing was, on all occasions, instantly arrested by simple
contact, even by the doctor s foot being applied to
hers. A series of the most interesting and extraor-
dinary phenomena then developed themselves. The
doctor applied the index finger of the right hand
upon the organ of veneration, and asked her several
questions, to all of which she replied with an expres-
sive humility of feature, and in a submissive tone
of voice, that were absolute studies. No artist has
more skilfully depicted, or actor imitated, so perfect
an expression of this sentiment. But if this was
wonderful, the extraordinary transition to proud dis-


1 90 MESMERISM.
dain, and even to aristocratic hauteur, was astound-
ing. She elevated her head, threw back her shoul-
ders, rose slowly and majestically from her chair,
and stood upright before the doctor on his placing
his hand on the organ of self-esteem. He said,
f
Why do you rise from your seat ? Do you think
yourself an empress V No/ she replied, with a
'

4
disdainful toss of the head, but I think myself as
good.' The finger was rapidly passed
to the organ
of veneration, and immediately the countenance re-
laxed, the body sunk back in its seat, the proud ex-
pression of self-esteem lapsed away, and the humble
and servile attendant stood confessed. ' Do
you
think yourself an empress now?' said the doctor.
'
O lauk, sir what should make you think so ? I
! !

an empress ! '

but the expression, the tone, the em-
phasis, were such as beggar description."
A number of other similar phenomena were elicited,
the experiment being conducted in the presence of
Captain and Mrs. Valiant; and the relator adds,
that the patient was never Mesmerised phrenologi-
cally before the preceding Sunday ; had never heard
of phrenology ; is an ignorant country woman ; and
was Mesmerised by Captain Valiant, who had never
until that day attempted the process. The " crown-
ing fact," as it is termed, with reference to the opera-
tion performed upon the jaw of the patient, has been
already given in a preceding chapter.
Agentleman, who, through the kind invitation of
Dr. Elliotson, was enabled to witness some experi-
ments of this description about the end of May 1843,
has given the following account of what fell under
his observation :

" At the hour appointed, there assembled in Dr.

Elliotson's drawing-room a party whom it would be
exceedingly difficult to match, for intelligence and
beauty, out of the metropolis ; for,besides that por-
tion of the sterner sex to whom such an exhibition
 PHREXO-MESMERISM. 191

might be supposed to have its attractions, there were

present c
whose bright eyes rained
stores of ladies,
influence ;' and it argues much for the interest which
this subject creates amongst all classes, that a disser-
tation upon it should have the effect of drawing to-
gether however small a portion of the female aristo-
cracy of England, who have, at this season, so many
powerful objects of attraction of a more congenial
nature ; and it argues still more for the worth and
intellect of the fair ones of the British Court, that
they should endeavour, by a personal inspection, to
satisfy themselves of the reality of that condition,
which, when once established, bids fair to open up to
us new views of the natural history of mankind.
" The first patient introduced was a young girl,
who has been operated upon hitherto in spite of her-
self. She had all along been inclined to treat the
subject with ridicule, and, after having been pre-
vailed upon to submit, has since formed one of the
best illustrations of its reality.
" It took a considerable time to effect the trans-
formation in this instance, in consequence of her ex-
treme state of excitement. The change was at last
effected, and, by dint of continued and repeated
trials, she was prevailed on to speak. Dr. Elliot-
son stood beside her chair, and sustained a conver-
sation with her for a considerable period, while an-
other gentleman stood behind her chair, and pointed
at (not touched) the various phrenological develop-
ments. The changes in her looks, temper, and re-
plies were very apparent, and such as to satisfy any
one, since it was impossible that she could form the
slightest idea of the effects intended to be produced,
even admitting that these results were produced by
trickery, which they evidently were not.
" The chair on which she reclined was wheeled
into, a corner, and she was left to awaken at her
leisure. The attitudes into which she threw herself
192 MESMERISM.
while in the course of awakening were very beauti-
ful, and might have afforded models to the painter
or sculptor. When awoke, she shook hands with,
and described her sensations to, several of the ladies
present.
" The next case was that of an elderly female,
who, it was stated, had been cured by Baron Du-

potet of epilepsy, of many years' standing. It is

now several years since the cure was effected, and
no return of the complaint has yet occurred. The
holding of Dr. Elliotsons fingers to her eyes was at-
tended with an immediate convulsive movement all
over the system ; in a very few seconds she fell back
in a state of intense rigidity, which could be re-
moved by breathing upon any particular limb. In
whatever position, however, the limb was placed,
it almost instantly assumed the rigid state, exactly
resembling the sudden setting of stucco in a mould.
Several of the ladies went forward to examine for
themselves, and each expressed their opinion, that it
would be impossible for the most expert impostor to
imitate such a condition. The pointing to the vari-
ous organs was now tried, and was attended with
even more striking manifestations than in the former
case. In short, whoever could believe that these re-
sults were the effects of imposture, must have been
possessed of even a greater amount of credulity than
others who humbly believed what they saw, and
trusted to time and patient investigation for an elu-
cidation of the mystery.
" The position which Dr. Elliotson holds as a man
of science, places him far above being benefited by
any mere casual notice of his labours ; and it is in-
deed gratifying to reflect, that although the illiberal
and bigoted of his own profession have attempted
to impair his means of usefulness, there are many
others who, while they have been benefited by him,
have had the gratitude to acknowledge his services.
 :

PIIREKO-MESMERISM. 193
On a side-table in the same room in which this
meeting was held, there stands, amongst many other
articles of taste and vertu, a massive piece of gold
plate, bearing this inscription
4
From Wm. Chas.
:

Macready to John Elliotson, M.D. in grateful recol-

which can never be forgotten or
lection of benefits
repaid;' and it agrees with our own knowledge,
that, from various more humble sources, acknow-
ledgments of less intrinsic, but equal moral value,
have stamped him as a man of humanity.
" To him who has laboured so assiduously to
mitigate the pains of suffering human nature, may
be addressed the words of the American poet, Wil-
cox

" c The good begun by thee shall onward flow

In many a wider stream, and onward grow
The seed that in these few and fleeting hours,
Thy hands unwearied and unsparing sow,
Shall deck thy grave with amaranthine flowers,
And yield thee fruits divine in Heaven's immortal bowers.' "

Mr. Braid's first attempts to produce the Phreno-

Mesmeric phenomena, were made at Liverpool in the
month of April 1 842, but without success. In Decem-
ber of the same year, after reading a report of Mr. Spen-
cer Hall's lectures, he again made an attempt, and pro-
duced several manifestations on the very first patient.
A large number of cases, of a highly interesting cha-
racter, are given in Mr. Braid's volume, but we can
only refer briefly to a few of them. That of Mrs.
Col. , which is thus narrated, is important, on

account of the high respectability of all the parties.

" Mrs. Col. submitted to be operated upon
by me, in presence of her husband; as also the
Major, the Captain and Surgeon of the regiment,
a high dignitary of the Church, and who is also an
eminently scientific gentleman; Mr. Gardom, sur-
geon, and other professional gentlemen ; Mr. Aspinal
Turner, and a number of others, both ladies and


1 94 MESMERISM.
gentlemen. In about three minutes after she was
asleep, I placed two fingers over the point named
Veneration ; instantly the aspect of her countenance
changed ; in a little, she slowly, and solemnly, and
majestically arose from her chair, advanced towards
the table in the middle of the room, and softly sank
on her knees, and exhibited such a picture of devout
adoration as can never be forgotten by any who had
the gratification to witness it. She was tested with
a number of other faculties, when the corresponding
manifestations were equally striking and character-
istic. When awakened, this lady was quite uncon-
scious of all which had happened."
Some parties, who were excellent critics, having
expressed a wish to see some one operated on for the
first time, Mr. Braid offered to do so on any of three
young ladies whom they had introduced to him that
afternoon, and whom he had not known previously.
He goes on to say
" Miss S. sat down an entire sceptic, but in a few
minutes she was not only most decidedly hypnotised,
but also one of the most beautiful and decided ex-
amples which could possibly have been met with of
the phrenological sway during hypnotism, simply by
stimulating the nerves of the scalp and face. The
moment ' veneration was touched, her features as-
'

sumed the peculiar expression of that feeling ; the

hands were clasped ; she sank on her knees in the at-
titude of the most devout adoration. Combined with
' hope,'
the features were illuminated, and beamed
with a feeling of ecstacy, the hands being unclasped
and moved about in the utmost delight ; and when
' ideality' was added, the ecstacy was so extreme as
scarcely to be supportable. On changing the point
of contact to ' firmness/ she instantly arose, and stood
with an attitude of defiance ; ' self-esteem' flounced
about with the utmost self-importance ; the ' love of
approbation' was painted to the greatest perfection ;


PHRENO-MESMERISM 195
'
imitation' imitated accurately every thing done, or
spoken in any language ;
' friendship and adhesive-
ness'
clasped hold of me ; and by stimulating ' com-
bativeness' on the opposite side of the head, along
with the other, she struck out with the arm of the
side on whichcombativeness' had been touched, but
f

held me protect me, with the other.

fast, as if to
Under ' benevolence/ she seemed much affected, and
distributed her property to the imaginary distressed
4
objects her fancy had painted ; under acquisitive-
ness' she stole, and under ' conscientiousness' she re-
stored ; ' tune'
the desire for music, and sang beau-
tifully ; a waltz being played, she danced with a grace
and elegance surpassing all which any of us ever wit-
nessed. c
Eventuality ' was also most remarkable ;

the desire to eat, to smell, was also excited ; also

form, figures, colours, &c. ; philoprogenitiveness
admirable. All this was done at first trial, with an
entire stranger ; and the lady's immediate friends, as
well as others present, can bear testimony that there
was not the slightest prompting either by one or
other ; and when awakened, she was quite uncon-
scious of all which had happened. This lady has been
twice operated on since, when all these manifesta-
tions, and many others, were exhibited in the most
perfect manner, as can be certified by Sir Thomas Ar-
buthnot, Major Wilbraham, Colonel Wemyss, the
Rev. Mr. P., and another high dignitary of the
Church, and the patient's family and friends ; and
that when under ' number she wrote down a sum, '

and under ' constructiveness and ideality,' she drew

a very good sketch of a cottage, putting in doors and
windows correctly.
* * * *
"
At a conversazione a few days after, in the pre-
sence of Lady S., Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, Colonel Ar-
buthnot, Major Wilbraham, John Frederick Foster,
Esq., Chairman of the Quarter Sessions, D. Maude,
196 MESMERISM.
Esq., stipendiary magistrate, and many others, both
gentlemen and ladies, after exhibiting the phenomena
on those who had been previously tested, there was
a wish expressed to see some one operated on for the
first time. I offered to try any one present, and a
lady at length consented, whom I never saw before
that day, nor since. She exhibited all the usual phe-
nomena very decidedly. Under ' acquisitiveness,' she
stole two handkerchiefs from ladies, and a ring from
Mr. Foster's finger. After several manifestations had
been exhibited, the moment I touched ' conscientious-
ness' she seemed distressed, and set off and searched
out the proper parties to whom to restore the respec-
tive articles. They had changed places, but she found
them out, and gave back the handkerchiefs to their
owners, and also put the ring on the very finger of
Mr. Foster, from which she had taken it. She was
a strict Methodist, who had never danced in her life,
and who, if awake, would have considered it a sin to
dance. However, under the excitement of suitable
music, she cut a very good figure at waltzing. When
awakened, she remembered nothing of all which had
happened."
We shall give another case from Mr. Braid, in
which the patient remembered afterwards what had
taken place while she was in the trance.
" Miss R., a young lady of 22 years of age, very
well-educated, and intelligent, wished to be tried, be-
cause she was decidedly sceptical. It so happened,
that every manifestation tried, came out beautifully
and prominently, although, when aroused, she admit-
ted she remembered everything she had done, and
added, that she had resisted to the utmost of her
power doing anything, but felt irresistible impulses
come over her to act in the way she did, as I touch-
ed certain points, but why it was she could not tell.
Declared it was not from any association with what
ought to be the case, as she was ignorant of the or-
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 197
gans, but added, that she first felt a drawing in the
muscles of the face, and then the breathing became
affected, and with this, the peculiar impulse followed.
On another occasion, with the eyes bandaged, she had
a pencil put in her right hand, when a number of or-
gans were excited, but she showed no evidence of any
desire to use the pencil till
c
constructiveness and idea-
lity* were excited. The moment this was done, how-
ever, she scrambled till she got some paper, and be-
gan drawing, and made a very tolerable profile.
When acquisitiveness' was excited, she stole a ring
off Mr. Foster's finger, who, while I was exciting va-
rious manifestations, left the room. The moment I
touched ' conscientiousness,' she set off in search of
Mr. Foster, walked round the room the very way he
went, then left that room, crossed the lobby into the
front parlour, and having made a gyration in this
room, she came out and went into a back-parlour,
where she found Mr. Foster, and put the ring on the
very finger from whence she took it. She evidently
traced him through the air by smell, as she followed
the exact track he had taken ; for he had first gone
into the front parlour. Had it been by clairvoy-
ance, she of course ought to have gone to him direct,
and by the shortest way. Such facts are almost past
belief,but here they are as they happened ; and there
could not have been more competent individuals than
those present to detect any mistake or deception,
namely, Mr. Foster, Mr. Brandt, and Mr. Lloyd, bar-
risters; Mr. Langton, Mr. Bagshaw, Mr. Schwabe,
and many others, both gentlemen and ladies."
Mr. Braid states that Mr. Vandenhoff, the eminent
tragedian, was present on one occasion, and after
witnessing some experiments similar to the above,
made the following observation " If this is acting,
:

it is the most perfect acting I have ever seen. In
acting, we aim at being natural, but there is general-

ly some point in which we fail ; but here I see na-



] 98 MESMERISM.
ture's language in every point." Mr. Vandenhoff two
days afterwards addressed a letter to Mr. Braid, of
which the following is an extract :

" I thank you
for your kind invitation to witness a repetition of those
experiments which so much delighted me on Saturday
last, and with the result of which I was no less gra-
tified than astonished. Never have I seen nature ma-
nifesting herself more distinctly never so beautiful-
ly as in the course of the exhibition on that evening.
I believe you know I was a decided sceptic in the

Mesmeric influence and I was something more in
relation to its phrenological sway
of which the ma-
nifestations, while under its mysterious influence, by
the two young ladies of my own immediate acquain-
tance, who had not, who could not have had, any
knowledge of the subject prior to their experience on
that evening, have perfectly convinced me by their
truthfulness."
Mr. James Simpson, a member of the Scottish bar,
and well known for his philanthropic efforts in the
cause of education, has given an account in the Phre-
nological Journal, of the case of a young lady, the
daughter of a gentleman holding a high public situa-
tion in Edinburgh. Mr. Simpson says,
u One evening last week, a lady, the wife of a gen-
tleman holding a high public situation in Edinburgh,
paid my family a visit, accompanied by three of her
daughters, and a young lady from England, then her
visitor. As the young people had through their mo-
ther expressed a wish to have a trial made of their
susceptibility of the Mesmeric influence, Mr. Craig
was invited to meet them. To him they were all
perfect strangers. One of the young ladies, after

some persuasion for when the moment came the as-
pirants were rather timid
sat down for the opera-
tion.
Her age is about fifteen temperament nervo-
lymphatic expression composed, mild, good-na-
tured, sincere, and
grave manner quiet, remark-
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 190
ably gentle, and modest. She was a subject from
whom we did not look for lively manifestations of
either intellect or feeling. Her family bore witness
that she knew Phrenology only by name, had given
it no attention, and knew nothing of the position of

the organs, or of their manifestions in words, expres-

sion, gesture, or demeanour. I need not say that all
tutoring by Mr. Craig, collusion with him, or bribery
by him, was out of the question. Her father, whom
I saw two days afterwards, assured me that she
could not have imagined, much less acted, the things
now to be described. It was a case (to use a law
phrase) omni exceptione major. After one or two
interruptions, which lengthened the process, she was
consigned to sleep in about ten minutes, and during
the whole subsequent experiments her eyes remained
closely shut. She evinced the Mesmeric attraction
to the operator, and was unwilling to lose hold of his
hand. The cerebral organs to be excited were chosen
by and communicated to Mr. Craig. The
myself,
firstwas Benevolence, which, when touched, was ma-
nifested in a very kindly and gentle smile, but with-
out words or action. Self-esteem was next tried.
The countenance assumed an expression of calm self-
complacency. She stood up and hurriedly undid one
of two very large and thick tails in which her hair
was plaited, threw it over her arm, and displayed it,
holding it out to view with a graceful, almost theatrical
air. Her face, as she did so, expressed the extreme
of self-approbation. To get her to talk, Mr. Craig
touched the eyes so as to excite Language, and asked
her what she was doing. She answered, ' Showing
my hair, to be sure.' ' Are you proud of your hair?'
c
Yes, I am.' c Oh it is very ordinary hair.' The
!

answer to this was a most dogmatic pout of the un-

der lip, and a silent turn away in scorn. Love of
approbation was then touched, still allowing self-es-
teem to act, to observe their joint action for they
200 MESMERISM.
generally act together in life. The effect was marked

by all present the haughty air of pride gave way to
the more pliant expression of vanity ; the other tail
was rapidly undone, that the contributions of appro-
bation might be the greater ; and the entire chevelure
was held up on both sides, and parted becomingly on
the face, which smiled with something of a coquettish
air, quite different from the self-conceited look which
had just been exhibited. The expression and atti-
tude were so pleasing, that one of her own sisters re-
!'
marked, what we all concurred in, ' She is beautiful
a proof how much the expression of feeling is a con-
stituent of beauty. Her sister mentioning in a whis-
per that she was remarkably fond of children, Philo-
progenitiveness was signified to Mr. Craig. It ap-
peared to me, that instead of touching that organ in
its centre, he touched its two sides, and trespassed on
adhesiveness ; and this suspicion was verified by the
manifestation, for her attraction to Mr. Craig was not

merely Mesmeric it became inconveniently adhe-
sive, and the graspings of the hand more and more
energetic. When he disengaged himself and moved
away, she followed him round the room, expressing
a great uneasiness at the separation, and even mount-

ing upon an ottoman after him her expression con-
veying suffering and anxiety, which subsided into a
happy tranquillity whenever he sat down beside her.
Wishing to see the effect of raising Combativeness,
that again was touched ; instantly she writhed or fid-
getted in a way so like pain, that her mother begged
she might be awakened. She beat down the opera-
tor's hands from her head, rose and again followed
him round the room, and in passing me, treated me
with a smart back-handed blow on the breast. This
striking proof of her being in a state violently op-
posed to her ordinary timid, modest, and respectful
character, will be explained in the sequel.
" Her Mesmeriser now told her that it was odd
 ;

PIIRENO-MESMERISM. 201
and particular go about with her hair streaming
to
she with still greater rapidity than she had taken it
down, sat down on the carpet and plaited up both
tails with perfect correctness, tying them each with
a piece of ribbon, and rejecting a piece given her as
not her own; and we observed that she held one
elbow firm on Mr. Craig's knee as he sat beside her,
to prevent him escaping during the performance of
her toilet.
" At her mother's earnest request, the young lady
was now awakened, and simply by the operator blow-
ing upon her head for a minute or two. As is almost
invariably the case, she was unwilling to be com-
pletely wakened, and laying her head on the high
back of the chair, entreated that she might be allowed
to sleep on. As, however, her bed at home was
deemed the fitter place for this indulgence, she was
completely roused, and exhibited considerable embar-
rassment.
" What the family reported to me next day is not
the least singular part of this interesting case. Hers,
it seems, was one of the rare instances where there

is only partial oblivion, afterwards, of the state

during the Mesmeric sleep. She told them that she
had an occasional consciousness, as she described it,
of where she was, and then saw those who were about
her. She said she did not know how it came, but
she was filled with a high and proud feeling of her
own merit, importance, and beauty, and of contempt
for all present except her Mesmeriser. She further
thought that she was the object of envy, especially
to one of my daughters, whom she named. She was
quite convinced, she said, that I had ' thumped' her
on the head, and longed to fly at me and beat me in
return. This, Mr. Craig said, must have arisen from
my having differed from him as to the spot he
touched, touching another myself immediately before
he excited combativeness. Her eyes were closely shut
202 MESMERISM.
when me a blow, and I was
she passed me, and gave
the only one so distinguished. She, almost imme-
diately after waking, complained to her sisters of my
rudeness to her, and went home, and to bed, nay,
rose next morning, unpersuaded and unpersuadable
that the charge was a hallucination of her Mesmeric
state. She yielded at last to the concurring assur-
ance of her mother and sisters, and their visitor, so
far as to pardon me, which is the more generous, as
her own impression, as the best witness, is still
against me, and that the blow she dealt to me at the
time was very well bestowed. She described her
state as one of a degree of happiness quite unwonted,
in which she had neither power nor wish to resist her
delighted feelings, and the return to realities as ex-

tremely depressing and dull a state in which she
continued the whole of the next day. The family,
however, to her great regret, would not permit a re-
petition of the Mesmerisation."
The case of Agnes G , in Chapter V., reported

by a friend, in whose veracity we have the most im-

plicit reliance, is a highly satisfactory proof of the
reality of manifestations of this description.
Another gentleman, also of the utmost integrity,
who knew nothing of Phrenology or Mesmerism,
save by name, had the curiosity to try to induce the
Mesmeric sleep in a boy of about twelve years of
age. He was successful at the very first attempt,
and no support having been prepared, the boy s head
fell back in sleep. In order to raise the head up,
and get it placed in a more comfortable position, the
operator chanced to place his hands behind the ears,
when, to his great surprise, the sleeping, and usually
quiet boy, sprung at him in a fighting attitude, and
he had some difficulty in getting quit of the grasp
with which he was seized. The gentleman had no
idea of the cause of this manifestation, until, on
calling in the assistance of a friend acquainted with


PHRENO-MESMERISM. 203
phrenology, and explaining to him what had taken
place, it turned out that he had unwittingly put his

hands upon the organ of combativeness. The same

manifestation was again produced, as well as many
others, into the details of which we will not enter.
The anecdote is chiefly interesting from the fact of
operator and patient being alike ignorant of phre-
nology.
We might go on to multiply cases of a similar
nature from books, as well as from the private expe-
rience of Mesmerisers, but we have adduced what
we conceive to be a body of evidence amply sufficient
to prove that the manifestations of Phreno-Mesmer-
ism are real and not feigned. The high character
of Dr. Elliotson, and others, by whom experiments
have been performed, as well as the position in so-
ciety of many of the individuals operated upon, puts
the idea of trick or collusion utterly out of the ques-
tion. The truth of the manifestations we hold as
completely proved, explain them in whatever man-
ner we may.
Dr. Elliotson, and others, who believe in both
Mesmerism and Phrenology, maintain that the ma-
nifestations are so many proofs of the truth of Phre-
nology ; while Mr. Colquhoun, who rejects Phreno-
logy, accounts for them by the supposition that they
are produced by the will of the operator ; that the
latter, in putting his hand upon a particular organ,
naturally looks for a certain result, and that it is
produced accordingly, through the community of feel-
ing existing between him and the patient. In his
letter appended to Dr. Engledue's address already
referred to, Dr. Elliotson says, in reference to the
question here started,
" If it should be urged, that these experiments
prove nothing for phrenology, because the excite-
ment of certain ideas in the brain of the patient re-
sulted from the mere will of the operator, and not
 ;

204 MESMERISM.
from his manipulations over particular cerebral or-
gans, the answer is easy. The will of the operator
certainly must be influential in producing Mesmeric
sleep, if it is true that patients may be Mesmerised to
sleep when the Mesmeriser is far away from them ;
and I presume it is. But this can be only one
source of power. I have made experiments in Mes-
merism daily, except the two months when I travel
in every year, for five years, carefully, with no other
desire than that of truth, and in the utmost variety
of cases, and have never once discovered the influence
of my will. I have never produced any effect by
merely willing. I have never seen reason to believe
(and I have made innumerable comparative experi-
ments upon the point) that I have heightened the
effect of my processes by exerting the strongest will,
or lessened them by thinking intentionally of other
things, and endeavouring to bestow no more atten-
tion upon what I was about than was just necessary
to carry on the process. So far from willing, I have
at first had no idea of what would be the effect of
ray processes,one set of phenomena have come un-
expectedly in one case, and one in another, without
my being able to explain the diversity of effect:
nay, the same process, conducted with the same ob-
ject^turns out to produce opposite results in different
cases. For instance, I can powerfully excite the in-
dividual cerebral organs in the young gentleman by
breathing over them ; but when I breathe over those
of the young lady, desiring and expecting the same
effects, no excitement is produced ; on the contrary, if
they are already excited, they at once become inactive.
The same effect requires different processes in diffe-
rent persons ; point to the epigastrium of some per-
sons, and will with all your might, and no result
comes, but point to their eyes, and they drop asleep
make passes, or point at the back of the head, and
will with all your might, and either no effect will en-
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 205
sue, or sleep will not take place before far longer time
has elapsed than if you operate before the face ; you
may make passes in vain with all your might before
the face of some persons, who drop senseless pre-
sently if you merely point ; and hence is apparent
the error of those who gratuitously assert, that the
processes merely heighten the will of the operator.
As to the influence of the operator's will in exciting
the cerebral organs, the effect ensues as well in my
female patient, though the manipulator be a sceptic,
and may therefore be presumed not to wish the
proper result to ensue, and though I stand aside and
do not know what organ he has in view I have
:

never excited them by the mere will I have ex-

:

cited them with my fingers just as well when think-

ing of other matters with my friends, and momen-
tarily forgetting what I was about I have always
:

failed, however much I willed, when

I have directed
the finger to another organ than that which I willed
to excite intentionally, or have accidentally mis-
directed my finger I was taken quite by surprise
:

when I Mesmerised an organ, self-

I found that
esteem, for instance, in the half only to which my
finger happened to be pointed."
We are unable to agree entirely either with Mr.
Colquhoun or Dr. Elliotson. The will of the opera-
tor we conceive to be totally insufficient to account
for the varied manifestations of Phreno-Mesmerism.
The individual placing his hand upon the organs may
be an utter sceptic in phrenology, or he may be ig-
norant of their position, and therefore not aware of
the effect about to be produced, and yet the manifes-
tation may be correctly produced. On the other hand,
we think Dr. Elliotson mistaken in placing so little
reliance on the power of the operator's will. That
his ownexperience is faithfully related, there cannot
be a doubt, but it has been different with many others.
We have seen many curious results flow from the
206 MESMERISM.
mentally expressed wish of the operator, some of
which have been recorded in the cases in this volume.
In that of Catherine M , on one occasion when
her brother had excited the organ of love of appro-
bation, she began to decorate her person, took down
her hair, and commenced to comb it. The manifes-
tation stopped the instant the finger was removed.
We quietly requested him, without again going near
the patient, to proceed to a distant part of the room,
and there to wish that the manifestation should be
resumed. On his doing so, she commenced at the
part she broke off, went on with the duties of the
toilet, and did not stop until he again came near her.
He was then requested also in such a manner that
the patient could not be aware of what was about to
be done, to put his fingers upon Conscientiousness,
but firmly to will the manifestation of Acquisitive-
ness. It appeared to some present, that there was a
conflict going on for a time in the mind of the pa-
tient, but the practical result of the experiment was,
that she picked her brother's pockets. He then ceased
to wish, keeping his fingers still unmoved upon Con-
scientiousness, when she threw away the articles of
which she had possessed herself, and exhibited strong
marks of shame at having been detected in an im-
proper act. We do not bring forward these facts for
the purpose of disproving the organology of phreno-
logy, but merely to show that the will of the opera-
torhis wish unexpressed in ordinary language has
a powerful effect upon the minds of certain patients.
Again, patients have been led into erroneous ma-
nifestations, through conversations carried on by those
around them. Thus, an operator and patient, alike
ignorant of phrenology, being selected for the purpose
of testing the truth of that science, results such as the
following were induced : A gentleman present under-
took to guide the operator, and stating aloud that he
intended that Veneration should be touched, directed
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 207
the hand of the operator
to the organ of Acquisitive-
ness. Themanifestation was that of Veneration. In
the same manner, the patient picked pockets on Ve-
neration being touched, and the manifestation was in-
variably that talked of by the gentleman who direct-
ed, and not that of the organ which the operator
touched. We
have seen patients who danced when-
ever a particular part of the leg was touched ; dis-
covered smells upon the hand of the operator being
applied to the nose ; and spectators might almost have
been led to fancy that there were organs in every cor-
ner of the face. In these cases, we should suppose
that there must have been some sort of previous
teaching, and that the patient, associating the idea
of a particular manifestation with being touched in a
particular spot, thus came to repeat it. We must re -
collect, that the memory of sleep-walkers is much
more acute than in their ordinary state, and that the
most trifling occurrence is recalled by them with the
greatest accuracy.
These hints are thrown out principally for the pur-
pose of inducing caution. In the hands of some ope-
rators, organs are multiplying at a wonderfully rapid
rate, such as it is difficult to follow ; and inquirers
would do well to proceed with the utmost care in the
investigation. We neither admit nor reject Mesme-
rism as a proof of the truth of phrenology. We cer-
tainly incline to the opinion that the connection be-
tween the two doctrines will ultimately be esta-
blished ; but, meanwhile, we should like to see the
question submitted to the test of further careful ex-
periment.
Mr. Braid has unfolded a theory in Neurypnology
which will be best understood by quoting his own
language.
u It must be obvious to all," he says, * that every
variety of passion and emotion can be excited in the
mind by music ; but how does this arise ? Simply
208 MESMERISM.
by the different effects produced by the varied de-
grees of velocity, force, quality, and combinations of
the oscillations of the air acting on the auditory
nerves ; these again communicated to the brain ; and
this, acting on the mind and body, creating corres-
ponding mental and bodily manifestations. Every
one must have observed the remarkable effects
evinced by these means on the physiognomy, and
the more critically observant must have noticed,
that in susceptible individuals there is also a very
marked change in the state of the respiration and
general posture of the body. They must also have
experienced, in themselves and others, how prone we
are to assume a sympathetic condition, both of mind
and body, from those with whom we associate, or
during a temporary interview. These physical
changes seem to result from a mental influence im-
parted through the eyes and ears, and then reflected
from within, through the respiratory, facial, and spinal
nerves, on the external form and features. Now,
such being the case, is there any great improbability
that, by calling the muscles of expression into action
during the hypnotic state, by titillating certain
nerves, that the impression of the feeling with which
such external manifestation is generally associated,
should be reflected on the brain, and excite in the
mind the particular passion or emotion. I think it
is highly probable this is the true cause of the phreno-

logical manifestations during the hypnotic condition ;

and as it is the peculiar feature of this condition that
the whole energies of the soul should be concentrated
on the emotion excited, the manifestation, of course,
becomes very decided. I presume, the different
points pressed on, through the stimulus given to
various fasciculi of nerves, call into action certain
combinations of muscles of expression in the face
and general frame, and also influence the organs of
respiration, and thus the mind is influenced, indi-
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 209
rectly, through the organs of common sensation and
the sympathetic, as sneezing is excited in some by
too strong a light irritating the optic nerves. Two
patients, who are highly intelligent, and remain par-
tially conscious, and who acknowledge they did all
in their power to resist the influence excited by
manipulating the head, state that the first feeling
was a drawing of the muscles of the face and affec-
tion of the breathing, which was followed by an irre-
sistible impulse to act as they did, but why they
could not tell.
" In this view of the subject, it would resolve it-
self into the laws of sympathy ; and the question
then is, Where are the external or superficial points
of the sympathies located ? Experience must decide
this ; and in the peculiar condition induced by hyp-
notism, according to my own experience, this can be
more readily and certainly determined than in the
normal state. These points having been ascer-
tained, we can then determine how and where to
act, according to our particular object, and it can be
of no real importance where the cerebral points or
special organs may be posited.
" As to the real locations of the sympathetic points,
by stimulating which we produce peculiar manifes-
tations, they appear to me not to be quite accurately
the same on all heads, but, on the whole, pretty
near the centres of the organs as mapped out on
heads generally approved by phrenologists; and I
have had decided proof that there is some relation
subsistsbetween the size and function, as in general
there more energy displayed when there is large
is

development, and the negative when it is defective.

Thus a patient with large combativeness or destruc-
tiveness, when excited during hypnotism, will dis-
play great violence and disposition to attack others,
whereas, where they are defective they will shrink,


210 MESMERISM.
and express a fear that some one is quarrelling, or
angry with them.
" If the solution of the cause of these remarkable
phenomena now given should not be deemed correct,
the only other which occurs to my mind as at all
satisfactory is this, that the different fasciculi of sen-
tient nerves excite directly the corresponding points
of the brain, and these again the physical manifesta-
tions. We
know by what musical combinations and
movements we can excite the different passions we ;

know also that this arises from some peculiar im-

pression communicated to the brain through the
portio mollis of the seventh pair of nerves ; and
whether this is conveyed to it as a single organ
only, or as a combination of organs, it is clear that,
as the origin of the seventh is more remote from the
brain than the origin of the fifth, there must, conse-
quently, be at least as great difficulty in accounting
for such results being excited through the different
branches of the seventh as through those of t\v& fifth

pair."
And, Mr. Braid adds,
at a subsequent page,
" We know, that during common sleep, a per-
all
son unconsciously changes from an uncomfortable
position to one which is agreeable. This is a sort of
instinctive action ; and, as already explained, I think

it highly probable that by thus calling into action

muscles which are naturally so exerted in manifest-
ing any given emotion or propensity, they may, by
reflection, thereby rouse that portion of the brain,
the activity of which usually excites the motion. In
this case, there would be a sort of inversion of the
ordinary sequence, what is naturally the consequence
becoming the cause of cerebral and mental excitation.
The following hypothesis will illustrate my meaning.
It is easy to imagine that putting a pen or pencil
into the hand might excite in the mind the idea of
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 211

writing or drawing, or that stimulating the gastroc-

nemius, which raises us on our toes, might naturally
enough suggest to the mind the idea of dancing,
without any other suggestion to that effect than
what arises from the attitude and activity of the
muscles, naturally and necessarily brought into play
whilst exercising such functions. However, I would
very much doubt the probability of stimulating the
muscles of the leg exciting the idea of writing, or
that placing a pen or pencil in the hand would ex-
cite the idea of dancing, without previous concert
and arrangement to that effect. It is upon the same
principle, as I imagine, that, during the dreamy state
of hypnotism, by stimulating the sterno-mastoid
muscle, which causes an inclination of the head, the
idea of friendship and shaking of hands is excited in
the mind, and when the trapizus is excited at same
time, the greater lateral inclination of the head mani-
fests still greater attachment or ' adhesiveness/ Phi-
loprogenitiveness, by calling into action the recti and
occipito frontalis muscles, gives the rocking motion,
and hence the idea of nursing, &c. ; pressure on the
vortex, by calling into action all the muscles requi-
site to sustain the body in the erect position, excites
the idea of unyielding firmness; veneration and
benevolence, from giving the tendency to stoop and
suppress the breathing, thus create the corresponding
feelings. By exciting the muscles of mastication
into action, the idea of eating and drinking is roused,
and the same may arise from pressing between the
chin and underlip, which first excites a flow of saliva,
and this again the motion of the tongue and jaws,
with an inclination to swallow. In like manner,
gently pressing the tip of the nose, by exciting in-
spiration, creates the desire for something to smell
at ; if the point of contact is the cheek, under the
orbits, over the exit of the m/ra-orbital branch of
212 MESMERISM.
the fifth pair, the breathing becomes suppressed, and
depressing emotions are excited ; whereas above the
orbit, so as to stimulate the supra-oihit&\ branch of
the fifth pair, generally the reverse manifestations
are evinced."
In a communication which we have received from
Mr. Braid since the publication of his treatise, he
says, " My theory of the cause of the primary im-
pression and association, which is adduced as pro-
bable in the work, I have now clearly proved to be
the true solution, and these remarkable manifesta-
tions neither prove nor disprove the doctrine of sepa-
rate organs in the brain."
Both Dr. Elliotson and Mr. Braid quote a passage
from Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History^ which,
as it has a remarkable bearing upon the point under
discussion, we transfer to this place.
" I can conceive," says Smellie, " a superior being
so thoroughly acquainted with the human frame, so
perfectly skilled in the connection and mutual de-
pendence which subsists between our intellect and
our sensitive organs, as to be able, by titillating in
various modes and directions, particular combinations
of nerves, or particular branches of any single nerve,
to excite in the mind what ideas he may think pro-
per. I can likewise conceive the possibility of sug-
gesting any particular idea, or species of ideas, by
affecting the nerves in the same manner as those
ideas affect them by any other cause."
The superior being alluded to by Smellie is not
needed, and man can now play upon his fellow-man
as upon a nicely-tuned instrument, bringing forth
whatever manifestations his fingers may direct.
It has been mentioned that at the outset, Mr.
Braid was unsuccessful in producing the Phrenologi-
cal manifestions, and many persons we are aware fail
in the same manner, and probably from similar causes.
 PHRENO-MESMERISM. 213

The following directions for operating are given in

Neurypnology.
" Put the patient into the hypnotic condition in the
usual way, extend his arms for a minute or two, then
replace them gently on his lap, and allow him to re-
main perfectly quiet for a few minutes. Let the
points of one or two fingers be now placed on the
central point of any of his best developed organs, and
press it very gently ; if no change of countenance or
bodily movement is evinced, use gentle friction, and
then in a soft voice ask what he is thinking of, what
he would like, or wish to do, or what he sees, as the
function of the organ may indicate ; and repeat the
questions and the pressure, or contact, or friction,
over the organ till an answer is elicited. If very
stolid, gentle pressure on the eyeballs may be neces-
sary to induce him to speak. If the skin is too sen-
sitive, he may awake, in which case try again, wait-
ing a little longer ; if too stolid, try again, beginning
the manipulations sooner.
" The operations should be tried again and again
with the same patient, varying the time of beginning
the manipulations, as it is impossible to tell, a priori,
the exact moment they should be commenced ; and
many of the best cases have only succeeded partially,
or not at all, at a first or second trial. When this
point has been hit upon, however, there will be little
difficulty in getting out additional manifestations, and
this will be still more evident at each succeeding
trial.
" Whispering or talking should be carefully avoid-
ed by all present, so as to leave nature to manifest
herself in her own way, influenced only by the sti-
mulus conveyed through the nerves of touch excit-
ing to automatic muscular action."
Mr. Braid has promised, in the work to which we
are indebted for these extracts, to proceed with the
investigation of this curious subject. Dr. Elliotson
 ;

214 MESMERISM.
is, we know, also engaged in making experiments,
the results of which will no doubt be one day made
public. The labours of the various lecturers who
have visited different parts of the country, have been
useful in stirring up inquiry. Occasionally harm has
been done by a vulgar or rash experimentalist pro-
mising more than it was in his power at all times to
perform ; but, on the whole, good has been accom-
plished by the appeal to the public. While we cor-
dially concur in the opinion that experiments in Mes-
merism are best suited for the select circle in pri-
vacy, there are, nevertheless, many which may be
satisfactorily demonstrated before a larger audience
and since, with a few honourable exceptions, the men
whose especial duty it was to inquire into Mesmerism
have shrunk back from the task, we are not sorry
that the means have been afforded to the public of
judging in the question for themselves. The in-
quiries now in progress cannot fail to lead to a solu-
tion of the difficulties which still surround Phreno-
Mesmerism.
 215

CHAPTER VIII.

TRIALS OF MESMERISM ON THE BRUTE CREATION.

The Rev. Mr. Townshend, Mr. Braid, and other

writers, allude in general terms to the fact of Mesme-
rism having been tried on the brute creation.
Dr. Elliotson is reported to have stated at a meet-
ing of the London Phrenological Society, that the
Duke of Marlborough had informed him that while
at the Marquis of Elys seat in Ireland, and strolling
out in the morning, he came upon a very ferocious
dog, chained in a farm-yard. The Duke durst not
approach, but standing at a respectable distance Mes-
merised him, and going up, actually embraced the
sleeping animal.
Mr. Borrow, in his fascinating work, " The
Bible in Spain," relates that he averted in an analo-
gous manner the attack of a large dog which flew
at him.
The only regular series of experiments on brutes,
of which, so far as we are aware, any account has
been given to the world, were those performed by
Dr. Wilson, physician to the Middlesex Hospital.
As Dr. Wilson's work* is but little known among
general readers, we trust it is unnecessary to make
any apology for drawing pretty largely upon its
pages. Dr. Wilson states, that having applied Mes-
merism with the most beneficial effects upon several

* Trials of Animal Magnetism on the Brute Creation. By John

Wilson, Physician to the Middlesex Hospital. London Sher-
:

wood, Gilbert, and Piper. 1839.



216 MESMERISM.
of his patients, he nevertheless felt himself restrained
from proceeding further, and was induced by various
considerations to institute some experiments, with the
view of ascertaining what effects could be produced
by it upon the brute creation. He goes on to say
" My first experiments on animals were made on
cats, but as they were more or less connected with
the cases of my patients which I have not entered
upon here, I may briefly notice that many experi-
ments were made on four cats and kittens, at inter-
vals, from the 16th May to the 3d October 1838, and
each of them was put to sleep at the first trial ; and
ultimately I was able to put first one and then an-
other to sleep, and at the end to leave three sleeping
together, being as many as could ordinarily be brought
together at once.
" One of these, a torn, the first of them that was
magnetised, and on which that operation had been
most frequently repeated, became easily and strongly
influenced by them, so that he has been pulled about,
lifted up by the nape of the neck, and the ears tick-
led with a pen, during which he would remain mo-
tionless, and the cat was then said to be in a state of
catalepsy ; sometimes when lifted up by the head or
tail, the eyes might partially open without the limbs
moving, and when dropped down, the eyes again
closed, and he continued to sleep, without making
any effort to move from the place where he had been
dropped.
" My other experiments at the following places
were not carried to the same extent, as I was gene-
rally satisfied to cease the operations as soon as sleep
came on."
Dr. Wilson's work is in the form of a journal,
from which we proceed to extract as follows :

" September 26, 1838. White Will, a torn cat,

age about a year. Kitty, a female cat, tortoise-
 TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 21?
shell, eight months. Fuzzy, a female cat, French,
two months. Vick, a female terrier, six months.
" Made the passes on Kitty and Fuzzy, on my lap,
both for the first time, and both were put to sleep in
about a quarter of an hour.

" September 28. Magnetised Fuzzy and Vick on
the hearth-rug. Both were put to sleep in five mi-
nutes, and both slept for an hour and a half; being the
first trial on Yick and the second on Fuzzy. After-
wards White Will was magnetised on the rug; in
about ten minutes or more he was put to sleep, and
Vick coming in the way and annoying White Will,
I directed the passes towards her at the same time
that I was acting on White Will, and again, after
becoming very irritable, and biting the fender, she
was put to sleep. Both awoke on some one coming
into the room.
" September^. (Evening.) Vick and Fuzzy being
both very animated, and playing together, biting and
scratching each other, I began making the passes on
both at the same time, for about ten minutes, when
Fuzzy became drowsy, but Vick became more rest-
less than ever, and was obliged to be held down
with one hand, while I operated on her with the
other. In ten minutes more Vick fell asleep, Fuzzy
having been put to sleep much sooner, and was then
in a state of torpor. Both continued to sleep for an
hour and a half, though, at intervals, both were lifted
up by their necks, but as soon as they were dropped
down, they instantly fell asleep again without
moving from the place. On one occasion, both
having been lifted up and simultaneously laid down
near each other, they made an effort to arouse them-
selves, and on approaching each other and attempt-
ing to begin to play together, in a second, and before
they could reach each other, both rolled upon their
sides and relapsed into sleep. The dog lay generally
218 MESMERISM.
with its and hind-legs stretched out, and at
fore
times its were slightly convulsed.
legs
u While these two were sleeping, Kitty was brought
in, when I magnetised her on my lap in a quarter
of an hour ; and when placed on the rug she slept for
about an hour afterwards, though at one time a walk-
ing-stick fell across her back, and lay there, when
she only looked about, moved not, and immediately
fell asleep again.
" Vick, on awaking, stretched herself, bit the fen-
der and poker, became quite lively again, and would
not allow the kitten to sleep, when the latter stole off
elsewhere. During the evening Yick was again
twice magnetised and put to sleep.
" The same morning I made passes on a drake and
three ducks. They were difficult of approach at
first, but they soon became quiet, and allowed them-

selves to be acted on in a mass, with my hands quite

close to their heads ; at other times they became very
restless, struggled, and bit each other's necks, and
tried to escape, as it were, from the passes ; the
wings of all, but those of the drake in particular,
made convulsive twitchings as the hand moved over
them. One or two became apparently drowsy, eyes
half closed, and sat down two or three times. One
or two yawned at different times. The time occupied
was about half an hour, when I was obliged to go
away.
" September 30. (Morning.) Made passes on the
four ducks, and, for the first half hour, similar effects
were produced as yesterday ; but when acted on for
a longer time they all became very agitated, but par-
ticularly the drake. They made their necks pliant
and tortuous in an extraordinary way, and rubbed
and bit themselves over all the various parts of their
bodies, each directing its bill to its own body, and
seeming to be very irritable. The rapidity of the
 TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 219
motion of their heads and necks, and the way they
bit or pecked themselves were very different from
the quiet manner of ducks picking and cleaning
themselves.
" Afterwards, at two or three different times, for
about an hour at a time, the ducks had passes made
upon them, with somewhat similar results.
" About a month after the last passes were made
one of the ducks died; and a fortnight after that
the drake died. The cause of their deaths was not
known. They did not die suddenly, but were said
to have pined away gradually.
" Afterwards, Vick and White Will were magne-
tised and left sleeping.
"
October 19.
Had a dozen fish, roach, dace,
gudgeons, and loach, from one to three ounces in
weight, caught in the Thames this morning. Passes
being made on them when in a large tub of water,
they soon came to the top of the water, put their
noses out, and allowed me to touch their heads,
stroke them down the backs, and pop their heads
under the water, when they came to the top again
immediately, and, instead of seeming afraid of the
motion of my hand, they appeared more desirous of
getting near to it than avoiding it.
" Next, White Will and Kitty were soon put to
sleep ; but Vick and Fuzzy, both of which had gene-
rally before been very soon affected, resisted the
passes for about an hour, but as they were all at
large, the latter were not constantly acted on, as they
came near to me and went further from me at their
pleasure. Vick and Fuzzy were then put together,
under a guaze dish-cover, and very soon they were
both put to sleep together by the passes.

" October 20. On going near the fish they were
shy, and darted to the bottom. On passes being
made, some of them soon came to the top, and swam
about as before, with their noses out of the water.
220 MESMERISM.
When towards the last, I directed the passes to one
alone, and stroked its back; then I put my finger
against its mouth, with its nose out, and body in-
clined at an angle of forty-five degrees with the sur-
face of the water, when it followed my finger, as it
described a circle, round and round, for at least a
dozen times ; then I left it to act on another ; but as
long as we watched the former, for five or six mi-
nutes, it remained almost fixed to the same place,
and retained its same position as to inclination. I
acted similarly on the other. This one did not fol-
low my finger describing circles. Then I put my
finger to one side of its head, and it allowed me to
turn it round in circles, its body describing a cone,
its head the base, and its tail the apex.
u After this, William, a lad of about seventeen,
tried the passes in my presence, on a large Scotch,
wiry-haired, black-mouthed terrier dog, Mungo,
about a year old, and always kept chained in the
day. The dog soon began to yawn, rise on his hind-
legs, and place his fore-feet against the door, stretch-
ing himself, and went several times into the kennel.
At the end of a quarter of an hour, as it was getting
dark, and we could not notice what other effect
might follow, he was unchained, and brought into
the kitchen, where there were two cats, and Yick
playing about and attracting his notice, and keeping
him from sleeping. When William had continued
the passes for about three quarters of an hour more,
Mungo lay down at full length in a sound sleep.
Before being put to sleep he yawned thirty times.
Many of the yawns were very wide and long con-
tinued. After he awoke he was put to sleep again,
two or three more times. When sleeping he moaned
like what is called dreaming.
" While William was magnetising Mungo, I made
passes on Vick, Fuzzy, and White Will, when they
came within reach of being operated on ; Will went
 TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 22 |

to sleep sitting on his hind-legs, but not at his

length ; and Vick and Fuzzy again resisted my ef-
forts, in a great measure, while they continued at
large and kept moving about ; but when Vick and
Fuzzy were put together under a large parrot's cage,
without a bottom, then both were soon put to sleep,
and they lay across each other with their heads
down, and continued sleeping soundly till I moved
the cage away from them to put White Will under
it, Will again. If I followed
for I could not affect
him up would not remain there, nor
into a corner, he
could I hold him down, and make the passes over
him ; neither could I hold him on my lap, as he
struggled so forcibly ; but when he was put under
the cage, he became furious, and struck his paw and
leg, as far as the shoulder, out of the cage, at dif-
ferent times, like a leopard, directly at my feet and
legs, whether they were on the ground, steadying the
cage, or placed on the top for the same purpose. He
walked and leaped about, making dashes through the
cage between the wires, and a loud noise. This fu-
rious stage continued for a quarter of an hour, while
I was continuing the passes over him with one hand,
and holding in the other an iron footman on the top
of the cage to press it firmly down, when his tones
became suppliant, and soon after he lay at full length
sound asleep. The time of his passing from the furi-
ous to the plaintive state, and then into the sound
sleep, was but a few minutes.

" October 24. William, in my absence, put the
three cats and Tick together under the cage, at nine
o'clock this morning. They were all kept under the
cage for about half an hour, to try if they would now
go to sleep without being magnetised, but none went
to sleep. They quarrelled, and scratched one another,
and dragged the cage along with them. As soon as
it was raised a little at the end of the half hour, they


222 MESMERISM.
all rushed out different ways. The maids were pre-
sent.
" In the evening after I had gone away, William put
Mungo under the cage. During the passes, Mungo
yawned fell asleep in half an hour, and conti-
twice,
nued sleeping for an hour.

u October 25. William, in my absence, put the
three cats and Vick
all under the cage together, at
twelve o'clock in the day. They continued there
quarrelling, fighting, and dragging the cage about for
forty minutes, when he began the passes, and in two
or three minutes they were all put to sleep, and slept
for half an hour.

" October 29. Put a Bantam cock with a Bantam
hen under the cage, near to a she-goat, eighteen
months old, when William and I both made passes
together, and separately, for more than half an hour
before the goat was put to sleep, and then only
slightly. The cock at first chuckled, and made much
noise ; then he became quiet, and remained so ; some-
times sat down and closed his eyes ; but towards the
end he stood upright for a considerable time like a
statue, and neither moved head nor foot ; and when
the cage was taken away, he moved not in the least,
allowed me to touch and pull his comb and gills, and
to stroke him down without making the least move-
ment As night was coming
of his feet, head, or neck.
on, he was brought in, and placed before the kitchen-
fire, where there were dogs near to him, and the same
teasing means were repeated with like results, when
he began to evince sensation and motion by degrees,
and finally aroused up, and clawed my hands. The
hen was somewhat similarly affected, but in a much
less marked manner. It will be observed that it was
about their roosting time.
" The following experiments were made at another
station :
 TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 223

" October 27, 1838, {night.) Made passes over
Dinmont, a long, wiry-haired terrier he went to
:

sleep in twenty minutes. While I was acting on him,

another terrier, Dandie, of the same description, came
near to me, and I acted upon him at the same time,
by occasionally making passes over both. Dandie be-
came very stupid and motionless, when they were both
taken away.

" October 28. This morning at eight, the servants
asked what was the matter with Dandie, as he
seemed to be so stupid and different from his usual
manner. As he was then close by me, I made the
passes over him : in two or three minutes he began
trembling, which increased as I continued the passes,
and which tremblings I could stop or renew at plea-
sure, by stopping or renewing the passes : in a
quarter of an hour he went to sleep. Dinmont then
came near to me, when I began the passes on him :

he soon began trembling, as I moved my hand over

his body and fore-legs ; and, when stretched out, I
began to act on him with both hands together ; and
he followed my motions for three yards, dragging
both his hind-legs at full length. Afterwards he
became stupid and motionless, when they were both
aroused by disturbances, which had been going on,
in a less degree, during the whole time. Dandie
yawned seven times during the operation.
" At twelve o'clock, made passes at a distance on a
wild, fierce, Chinese gander, and a common goose
and they gradually allowed me to approach them
though they were at large in the farm-yard; and
when the gander let me come up to him to make the
passes close along his head and neck, his neck
quivered obedient to the passes, which quiverings I
stopped and renewed at pleasure. I could touch and
stroke his head and neck as I wished he remained
:

a quarter of an hour erect, with his head raised in

the air, and never, during that time, once moved a
 :

224 MESMERISM.
foot. He frequently gaped during the whole time, as
well as the goose ; and, when he seemed most suscep-
tible, kept continually uttering a sort of plaintive
noise as the passes were made.
" The goose made no noise. At last I directed the
passes from the head of the gander to the head of
the goose, and then the goose's neck quivered it :

lay down several times, held its head down, and put
it under some wood, while I continued the passes

down its neck. I did not notice its eyes being

closed. The gander never lay down.
" November 4. (Morning, ten o'clock.) Smut, a
very large, fine, black, savage Newfoundland dog, about
five years old, constantly kept chained up during
the day time. When he was nearly at the length
of his chain, I began the passes towards him, and he
soon began yawning and stretching himself, got
fidgetty, and moved about; but as I dared not go
within the range of his chain, I continued acting
upon him when I could approach him as near as
one, two, or three yards : his hind-legs and thighs
began to tremble as the passes were made in front of
his head he continued restless, and whined in a low
:

plaintive tone as he moved about, yawning at inter-

vals towards the last he lay down three different
:

times; and once, when his eyes were heavy and

half-closed, his head and neck trembled as the
passes were made at a yard's distance in front of his
face then he moved towards the centre of his range,
:

and lay down, but I dared not follow him, though

he showed nothing but docility towards me during
the operation, which continued for nearly an hour,
during which he yawned thirty-three times, and
stretched himself several times.
" November 10. Placed three macaws, each being
on his own perch on the lawn, near to each other,
and made passes on all of them at the same time
they were very noisy at first, but very soon Mac


TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. . 225

and Laura trembled all over, and continued to
tremble more or less as the passes were made : Carl
was never quiet all the time he was either moving
:

or making a noise.

"November 11. (Morning, ten o'clock.) Toby, a
wild, fierce, stable cat, while moving about from
place to place, I followed, and made passes towards
it, both while in rest and motion when not moving,
:

it kept licking itself almost constantly for a quarter

of an hour then it ceased licking, and fell asleep

:

almost immediately after, and continued sleeping for

three hours, and at last it was removed and fell

asleep again. The operation was made in the midst

of noise and bustle."
The following experiments were made at a third
station. The notes, at the time of trying to affect
two pigs of a large breed, were drawn up, Dr.
Wilson states, by a spectator :

" July 21, 1838. The pigs were about nine months
old, healthy, fat, and very lively. The sty in which

they were confined consisted of two parts a small
oblong court uncovered, and an inner sty, roofed,
and partly boarded in front. They were magnetised
across the outer court into the enclosed sty, at the
door of which they presented their heads; about
half an hour after, they began to sweat about the
ears and neck, and to utter a peculiar shrill plain-
tive squeak. After being operated upon for about an
hour, one of them lay down ; and the other, though
standing, suffered the operator to enter the inner
sty, and magnetise them quite close, without their
being disturbed.

u July 22. The pigs were again magnetised they :

were driven out of the inner cell ; and the door of

it being closed, so as to keep them in the outer

court, the process commenced. The effect was re-

markably decided. The passes were made both from
the tail to the snout, and the contrary, but the re-
p
226 ,
MESMERISM.
suit was the same. The sweat exuded from the
ears, neck, and in patches all over the body; and
the other excretions were also as much affected.
The animals became very quiet, and one was much
affected; and, at each pass, spasmodic convulsions
of the ear, snout, and whole body, were strongly de-
veloped. The sweat increased as the process con-
tinued, and the convulsions also ; and, after a trial
of about one hour and three quarters, the entrance
to the inner sty was opened, and they both imme-
diately entered and one lay down, and fell imme-
it,

diately into a state of sleep. The stupified quiet-

ness with which they allowed the magnetiser to
operate upon them in the court, when closely hud-
dled up into a corner, was a remarkable contrast to
their usual habits.
"December 25. Made passes on a calf, two months
old, in a loose box. In a quarter of an hour it lay
down, then got up again ; as I continued acting on
its head, it three consecutive times touched my shoe
with its nose ; but the instant it did so, it suddenly
sprang back on all fours to the extent of the loose
box, as if it had received a shock. In another half
hour, it lay down twice more ; after which it became
very irritable, and licked itself violently in various
parts ; then it would lick me, and take hold of my
dress, without suddenly withdrawing itself, as it did
at first when it touched my shoe; then it would
hold up its head, as I raised my hand, and lick
it ; and, lastly, it rubbed its head so forcibly against

my legs, that I could stand there no longer, and re-

tired.
" During the operation, it seemed most irritable
when I held my hand near the nape of its neck, when
it shook its head violently, or would throw it up, and

put out its tongue, as if licking the air. Its breath-

ing was deep and lengthened, almost snoring at one
time. The time of operation, an hour and a half.
 ;

TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 227

" December 27. On walking along the road I came
up with a heavily laden waggon, to the end of which
a rough wiry-haired dog was chained, and barking
at passing objects. As I came nearer to him, I
began moving my hand ; at first he went forward un-
der the waggon, shortly he began to lag behind at
length of his chain, droop his head, and yawned
twice ; whole time, three or four minutes. When as
the waggoner kept looking behind at times, to see
what might be going on, and as I could not attempt
to explain to him what I was after, should he have
asked me, I dropped behind the waggon and ceased
the passes, but the dog kept frequently turning its
head round to look after me, pulling by his chain
and when I was about ten yards behind, he kept his
eyes more fixedly on me, and resisted with all his
might the progress of the waggon, by pulling in an
opposite direction with his feet set out before him, and
hanging by his collar as he was forcibly dragged on
by the waggon ; afterwards, as I passed the waggon,
he came as near to me as the chain would allow ; he
neither whined nor barked once.

" December 29. Tried a horse, in a loose box, for
two hours. Very shortly he let me remain as near
to him as I liked, and kept his head almost steady as
I made the passes. At the end of an hour he yawned
six times in quick succession, then began to shake his
head and neck, to lick his hind-leg, and to move fur-
ther from me. For a very short time the eyes were
half closed, and head drooped ; afterwards he returned
into the same state that he was in during the first
hour."
The following experiments were made in the Zoo -

logicalGardens, Surrey, on two Ceylon elephants,

male and female, Rajah and Hadgee, each about ten
years old, and both kept together in the same stall.

" March 13, 1839. Began the passes along the
head and trunk (proboscis) of the female elephant.
228 MESMERISM.
Hadgee, as she stood; in about five minutes she
curved her trunk, previous to raising her head, to
strike me with the trunk ; which the keeper noticing,
warned me of what she was preparing to do, so that
afterwards I kept at a distance where she could not
hit me with her trunk, though several times she at-
tempted to do so, by raising her head and lashing out
her trunk at the same time. Twice she turned her
back on me, but I continued the passes. Once she
struck her hind-leg out towards me ; she also yawned
several times the striking her trunk out, with the
:

design of hitting a stranger, was unusual with her.

Time of operation, a quarter of an hour, when, stran-
gers coming in, it was discontinued.
" Then I went to see the other wild beasts fed, but
found that they had already begun feeding. As I
stopped before a lioness, lying down tearing a half
devoured joint, which she held between her paws,
and growling at me, I began making passes towards
her head ; she very soon, almost immediately ceased
eating, grasped the joint between her jaws, and ceased
growling ; her eyes began to twinkle, and soon closed
at times, for short intervals; when some strangers
came up, and asked me how it was that I seemed to
affect the lioness. I gave them an evasive reply, in
hopes of their going away, and ceased the passes, but
held my hands out a little towards her, as she conti-
nued in the same position ; but her eyes were much
less closed than when I made the passes. After
these visitors went, I renewed the passes ; when
other visitors came, and again I ceased, and held my
hands out steadily before me ; she then got up and
walked about, and then lay down again. As the
company remained standing there, I ceased all trials
and retired, as the lioness began to tear the joint,
after having retained it full twenty minutes in her
mouth, without once relaxing hold of it.
" March \ 4. Tried Hadgee again ; only once or
 TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 229
twice she attempted to strike me with her trunk,
yawned only as many times, and allowed me to make
the passes frequently along the head and trunk,
when, as my hands passed over her eyes, they often
twinkled, and sometimes closed; then she changed
first one leg and then another to rest on, as if fatigued,
and which she usually does before going to sleep ;
and another sign the keeper noticed was the manner
of curling up the extremity of her trunk, indicative
of sleep. When I seemed to be affecting her the
most she would frequently move from me as far as
she could get, turn her back on me while I continued
the passes, and she would lift up first one leg and
then another, stretch and sometimes kick them out.
The keeper thought she might probably have gone to
sleep if she had been alone ; but when she seemed
most disposed to do so, the other elephant Rajah kept
teasing her. Time of operation, three quarters of an
hour ; during which, with the intention of augment-
ing the power of the passes, I took hold of one hand
of the keeper, and with my other hand made the
passes. She did not seem to express her displeasure
towards me by trying to strike me with her trunk as
she did yesterday ; but she repeatedly, while I had
hold of one of the keeper's hands, took hold of his
other hand with her trunk, and drew him from me
towards herself.

" March 16. Hadgee retired as soon as the passes
were made towards her ; and as often as they were
renewed, she again retreated ; so that, finding I had
no chance of affecting her in a more marked manner,
I abandoned her, and began, for the first time, making
passes on the male elephant, Rajah, in the same en-
closure, and he seemed also to have a dislike to the
passes ; but he would not retire from them, and kept
all the time of the operation, an hour, frequently
throwing his trunk out at me, and thus keeping me
at a distance from him. Towards the last, he lashed


230 MESMERISM.
itout more frequently and forcibly, but never retired
the whole time. Yet, as soon as Hadgee came for-
ward, a few passes made her retire almost imme-
diately. So that each showed its dislike in a diffe-
rent way and in a manner different from either of
their usual habits.

"March 17. After making passes on Rajah for five
minutes, while his head continued moving up and
down, as is his general habit when awake, at the
end of that time he rested his head against a pillar,
his trunk hung down straight, quite relaxed, and mo-
tionless, eyes closed, and he slept for another five
minutes ; he snored both towards the beginning and
towards the end of this sleep, when he was teased by
Hadgee, and awoke.
" As I renewed the passes on Rajah, when both of
their heads were near to each other, I noticed that
Hadgee was becoming drowsy ; then I began making
passes alternately on each of them. In about a
quarter of an hour more Rajah rested his head against
the side of the stall, relaxed his trunk, and again
slept for four or five minutes, when he was awoke
by Hadgee teasing him, knocking her head against
the side of the stall, and making much noise.
" To-day they showed no dislike to me. They
both took hold of my clothes and pulled me about,
and I went into their stall. I felt the aura twice to-
day, but only in a very slight degree each time,
when Rajah was going off to sleep. This is the
first time that I have felt the aura* since I be-

* We understand the aura to be referred to by Dr. Wilson in

a previous part of his work, when, after describing some passes
made over a spaniel, by a friend, he says,
" Soon after, or about the end of the passes, the operator felt
a tingling sensation creeping up the arm which he used, as far
as the shoulder, accompanied with drowsiness, and pain in the
back of the neck. At night, on going to bed, he experienced
great restlessness, with occasional twitchings of the arms and
legs, and a burning sensation in the eyes ; next day he suffered
much from violent pain in the head, uneasiness, and distension
 ;;

TRIALS ON THE BRUTE CREATION. 231

gan with the elephants, and it was much feebler
than what I have felt when similarly affecting a
man. It is only now and then, in cold winter days,
that they doze or sleep, standing, and only then when
no one is near them.

" March 18. Hadgee became drowsy very soon,
and continued so almost the whole time afterwards
she was docile, but retired from the passes always
when she appeared becoming the most affected by
them. Towards the last twenty minutes she kept
almost constantly moviDg in a restless and fidgetty
way, by changing her position, or by moving about
in a more than usual heavy, sluggish manner, so
that it was only at intervals that I could act on her
at last, I went into the stall, and pursued her with the
passes as she moved about, and sometimes, when she
retired into a corner, and I continued the passes, she
would turn her back on me. She yawned thrice,
wide and long. Though the time was about an hour
and a half she never went to sleep, but she seemed
at different times very near to it, and was all along
drowsy. At times, when visitors came in, the ope-
ration was suspended.
" During the operation I occasionally made passes
on one or both, as they suited my convenience, for
when I could not act on Hadgee, which I was seldom
able to do, though I was more desirous of affecting
her to-day, I could generally act on Rajah, for he
seldom moved from the front. He was drowsy, and
sometimes irritable, alternately, and struck me with
his trunk several times ; never slept, yawned once,
and at the end became more playful, the keeper said,
than he had been for a long time before.
" No further trials were made on the elephants and
other wild beasts, from my unwillingness to carry

of the abdomen. Sensations nearly similar were felt by the ope-

rator about a fortnight before this time, when he was casually
within the influence of my passes at station A."
 !

232 MESMERISM.
the experiments beyond a certain point ; for I had
no means of judging what the consequences might
be, should such animals as the elephants, and other
beasts, after repetitions of Magnetism, get into the
irritable stage, or should they, after being put to
sleep, pass into the state of somnambulism or de-
lirium."
It is in these words that Dr. Wilson concludes the
record of his experiments, experiments which were
evidently made with the utmost care, and with a
strong desire to attain a knowledge of the truth.
What objections sceptics may have to offer to facts
thus ascertained, it is scarcely for us to anticipate. Pos-
sibly it may be alleged that the imaginations of the
various animals were operated upon in some peculiar
way by Dr. Wilson, or that he has been in collusion
with them for the purpose of deception, as was said
to be the case with the labouring man James Womb-
well, who allowed his leg to be cut off simply to
please certain Mesmerisers, pretending to be asleep,
when he was, in truth, all the time wide awake!
Should the subject ever come under discussion at
the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of Lon-
don, we may be prepared to hear of some equally
profound explanations being brought forward, and
the members will, of course, conclude by voting that
the notice of such terrible facts ought to be expunged
from their minutes
 !

233

CHAPTER IX.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

u I have seen nothing of it, nor do I think it right

to tempt God by going to see it " exclaims the Rev.
!

Hugh M'Neile, in his pulpit denunciation of Mes-

merism. The minister of St. Jude's Church, Liver-
pool, does not call in question the reality of the
Mesmeric phenomena, but ascribing their origin to
Satanic agency, he will not tempt God by becoming
an eye-witness
The pulpit, we know, was brought to the aid of
the medical faculty when small-pox innoculation was
sought to be preached down, and when Jenner, at a
later period promulgated his discovery, certain en-
lightened members of the clerical body declared vacci-
nation to be Anti-Christ.
A combination of medical and clerical
similar
bigotry now, it would seem, to be directed against
is

Mesmerism, and it is, if possible, to be annihilated

by the sneers of one of the so-called learned profes-
sions,and the fulminations from the pulpit of another.
" There are few things," says Bailey, " more dis-
gusting to an enlightened mind, than to see a num-
ber of men
a mob whether learned or illiterate,
who have never scrutinized the foundation of their
opinions, assailing with contumely an individual who,
after the labour of research and reflection, has
adopted different sentiments from theirs, and pluming
themselves on the notion of superior ' knowledge,'


234 MESMERISM.
because their understandings have been tenacious of
prejudice." And Jobard, a French writer, remarks,
" Galileo, Newton, Salomon de Caus, Volta, Ful-
ton, Winser, Arkwright, Gall, and all who have pre-
sented themselves with a truth in their hand at the
door of this great bedlam, called the world, have
been received with stones or hisses."
Satanic agency is the bugbear raised by the Rev.
Hugh M'Neile against Mesmerism ; but his medical
allies have other means of solving the difficulty.
Their pride of learning has been piqued because they
are unable to explain certain facts of which they
have heard, and so they boldly rush to the conclu-
sion that the facts are not facts. They read in their
books that a commission of the Medical Faculty of
Paris had condemned what is now called Mesmerism;
and forgetting that a commission of the same body had
likewise, after a similar investigation, rejected as a
fallacy Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the
blood,and without deigning to examine the living evi-
dence to be seen on every side, they donounce those
who maintain an opposite opinion as either dupes or
impostors. Their mode of proceeding is quaintly
described in the following words of an ingenious
author :
" Whilst the unlearned were all busied in
getting down to the bottom of the well, where truth
keeps her little court, were the learned, in their way,
as busy in pumping her up through the conduits of
dialectic induction ; they concerned themselves not
With FACTS THEY REASONED."
The late Sir Gilbert Blane has admirably said,
"It seems extremely unphilosophical to deny the
reality or possibility of any thing in nature, from
our supposed knowledge of the means and causes she
employs, particularly in a branch of science so obscure
as the animal economy. Could we, therefore, prove
the point as a matter of fact, it would be vain to
controvert it upon arguments derived from our fan-
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 235

cied acquaintance with nature's modes of operation."

And Dr. Chalmers has pithily remarked, in the
words inscribed on our title-page, that " it is a very-
obvious principle, although often forgotten in the
pride of prejudice and of controversy, that what has
been seen by one pair of human eyes, is of force to
countervail all that has been reasoned or guessed at
by a thousand human understandings."
Mesmerism is, of all others, the science of facts.
As Mr. Chenevix has well observed, " In the whole
domain of human arguments, no art or science rests
upon experiments more numerous, more positive, or
more easily ascertained." And the illustrious philo-
sopher La Place was frequently in the habit of re-
marking to Mr. Chenevix that "the testimony in
favour of the truth of Mesmerism, coming with such
uniformity from enlightened men of many nations,
who had no interest to deceive, and possessed no
possible means of collusion, was such that, applying
to it his own principles and formulas respecting
human evidence, he could not withhold his assent to
what was so strongly supported."
In the preceding pages, there are many facts re-
corded, which are not the less true, because we are
as yet unable to give an adequate explanation of the
cause. The chapter showing the application of Mes-
merism to medical science, contains a body of evi-
dence gathered from a variety of sources, which can
scarcely be perused by any intelligent mind free
from prejudice, without leaving a decided impression
as to the importance of this agency. Similar proofs of
its efficacy might have been adduced from the conti-
nent of Europe, the British Colonies, and the United
States of America. In the chapter devoted to cases
recently developed in Scotland, the uses of Mesmer-
ism are also seen, although in a less extensive range
of diseases.
The reason has already been stated, why the more
236 MESMERISM.
extraordinary of the phenomena, as evolved more
especially in the case of Isabella H , have re-

ceived a place with the others. They cannot be

entirely withdrawn from public observation, and the
more prominently, therefore, they are brought for-
ward the better. If based on delusion, let them be
exposed ; if on truth, let them go forth in the hope
that the mystery will one day be cleared up. Some
individuals will, no doubt, turn aside from an in-
quiry with which such seeming absurdities are con-
nected, and others will be afforded a pretext to raise
the empty laugh of ignorance. This cannot be
helped. Mesmerism is true, whatever may be the
ultimate decision of mankind regarding the higher
states of clairvoyance ; and if we put the latter
aside, no intelligent mind, anxious only after truth,
can long remain in doubt. Mesmerism is not to be
rejected as a whole ; its benefits as a branch of the
healing art are not to be thrown to the winds, even
although it should finally appear that certain persons
have allowed too wide a range to their imaginations.
"We neither admit nor reject the phenomena of the
higher states of clairvoyance ; but viewing them as a
curious topic of enquiry in connection with Mesmer-
ism, we have produced the evidence in the form it
has reached our hands.
The higher states of clairvoyance are said by ex-
perienced Mesmerisers to be of rare occurrence, but
it is otherwise with the phenomena to which the

name of Phreno-Mesmerism has been given. Re-

garding the latter, almost every one may readily
judge for himself; and when we consider the ease
with which the phenomena may be produced, it is
absolutely ludicrous to witness the amount of scepti-
cism which still exists. Let any one peruse the record
of cases in preceding pages, and then calmly ask, is it
possible that so many persons could all of a sudden
have sprung up in various parts of the country, bent


CONCLUDING REMARKS. 23?

only upon deceiving their fellows ; that such men

as Dr. Elliotson, Mr. Braid, Mr. Simpson, and many
others, have lent themselves as parties to the decep-
tion ; and that individuals of character and standing
in society, who have submitted to the Mesmeric in-
fluence, should also have become participators in the
wretched fraud ? It appears much harder to disbe-
lieve than to believe, upon such ample evidence as
has been adduced. The truth of the so-called
Phreno-Mesmeric manifestations has been proved
beyond the reach of reasonable cavil ; but whether
Phrenology is also thereby proved, is a different
question, which may form a fair topic for future dis-
cussion.
The injudicious supporters of Mesmerism are not
a little to blame for a certain amount of the sceptic-
ism which has been generated. Some of the lec-
turers who have inundated the country possessed
little knowledge of the subject they professed to
teach ; their experiments have too frequently been
conducted in a careless or blundering manner, and
thus, instead of producing converts, their labours
have been of an opposite tendency. The Rev. Mr.
Townshend, in speaking of one of his patients, re-
marks,
" I found that the sensibility of the sleep-waker
might be exhausted by a multiplicity of experiments,
or their too rapid repetition. Sometimes, after hav-
ing named many objects correctly, he would begin
to make mistakes, and evidently to guess instead of
to perceive. At other moments, he would push im-
patiently away from him the cards, books, &c, that
were presented to him, and exclaim, ' Maintenant je
ne puis plus/ Again, when allowed to remain quiet
for a while he would recover his clairvoyance, in the
same manner that the nervous energy of persons in
the normal state, when impaired through over-ex-
 ;

238 MESMERISM.
citement, returns to its pristine functions after an
interval of repose."
And a little farther on, Mr. Townshend proceeds :

" Many failures, which have stamped Mesmerism

as an imposition, may be attributed, I am convinced,
to the action of disturbing causes, or the absence of
those circumstances which are requisite to ensure suc-
cess. That this has not been acknowledged on all
hands is, perhaps, as much the fault of Mesmerisers

themselves, as of their opponents. The former, proud

of the faculties of their patients, do not like to admit
that these faculties are variable and liable to a num-
ber of restrictions. They, therefore, fail to forewarn
those whom they invite to witness their proceedings,
that the whole exhibition may chance to be a failure,
and that the clairvoyant of to-day may be nothing
remarkable to-morrow. What is the consequence of
this mistaken disingenuousness ? Even they, who, if
duly advertised of the true state of things, would be
the first to acquiesce in the necessities of the case, are
revolted by finding a discrepancy between the per-

formance and the promise the fact and their expec-
tation of the fact. Mesmerisers, then, cannot be too
careful in stating all the drawbacks to their success
and, at the same time, every person should, in all
fairness, concede to Mesmeric experiments the same
privilege which is accorded to all others, namely, a
precognition of those causes which may render them
difficult or impossible to be repeated. At present, it
may be safely asserted, that never was any subject
capable of physical experiment, submitted to such un-
just requisitions as that of Mesmerism. It has been
expected to give the same results at all times, and
under all circumstances. The truth, however, is, that
Mesmeric sleep-waking does not only present different
degrees in different persons, but in the same. The
patient may at one time be Mesmerised, but not to


CONCLUDING REMARKS. 239

clairvoyance ; at another, he may display the most
admirable faculties of the Mesmeric state."
These observations are peculiarly worthy of the
and also of those, who, in
attention of Mesmerisers,
a spirit of candour, are desirous of investigating the
subject.
Besides such objections as those brought forward
by the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, it has been urged against
Mesmerism that it is dangerous, and may be turned
to improper purposes. The same objection will ap-
ply to many of the most potent remedies we possess
in the hands of an unprincipled physician ; but are
we to reject entirely the means of cure because these
may be used for evil ends. The poison by which life
is taken away, is sometimes the most powerful resto-

rative that can be applied. Dr. Ziermann observes,

in reference to certain extravagances and abuses
u The blame is not imputable to magnetism, but
to the ignorance and imprudence of those, who, with-
4

out medical knowledge, or without a sufficient ac-

quaintance with the new method, attempted the cure
of diseases by its means ; and a great part of the
abuses and mischiefs of all kinds, which must neces-
sarily have arisen from this cause, as well as from the
illusions under which enthusiasts, and others enter-
taining false and exaggerated views, plied this occu-
pation, is to be ascribed to those, who, although best
qualified by their attainments to direct this important
business, stood altogether aloof. As soon as the in-
telligent physician avails himself of this method of
cure, as soon as wrested out of the hands of the
it is

unprofessional, there is as little danger to be appre-

hended from it, as from the poisons and surgical in-
struments which we are in the daily practice of em-
ploying."
The only excuse for the interference of the non-
professional practisers of Mesmerism, is the conduct
240 MESMERISM.
of the majority of the medical faculty. Mankind are
not to be deprived of the blessings of a potent remedy
because the professors of the healing art choose to re-
main wilfully blind to the truth.
That there are still difficulties to be surmounted
before the truths of Mesmerism
are universally ac-
knowledged, we do not attempt to conceal. The na-
ture of these has been excellently described by
Fourcroy, the celebrated chemist, in the following
passage :

" The cold inactivity of some ; the affected
indifference of others ; the contempt expressed by one
person ; the irritated self-love, and the languid at-
tachment of another for the doctrine of his ances-
tors ; the dread of novelty, and prejudices of every
kind ; all the mean passions which, gliding into so-
ciety, and playing their parts in civil life, are also to
be met with in the sciences ; the sarcasms and epi-
grams with which they arm conversation ; all these
retard for a short time, perhaps for some years, the
progress of new ideas ; but truth ultimately over-
comes every obstacle. Neither the clamours of envy,
nor the resistance of prejudice, nor the opposition of
ignorance, can terrify it. It is the rock against which
the impotent waves of human passion are broken.
When the vivid light of truth strikes those minds
that are properly adapted to feel its influence, it soon
inspires them with a sufficient degree of force to make
them proclaim it with confidence, and to establish its

rights on a solid foundation."

Mesmerism, like other truths which were first
doubted, then decried, and finally adopted, will ulti-
mately have its day of triumph.

THE END.
I

[ CALL NUMBER Vol.

1* Date (for periodical)

L271M
n~.. m.