The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-09 00:00:00

MESMERISM.

(From our Morning Edition of Wednesday.)
We were a few days since present at seme interesting
experiments in Mesmerism, or animal magnetisneat Dr.
Elliotson's iessidenee in Conduit-street, Regent-street.
There were about seventy or eighty gentlemen present.
including several eminent physicians and surgeon?, and
scientific gentlemen.
Previously to the commencement of Doctor Ellietson's
address, a little boy about le years old, the son of a re-
spectable shopkeeper, who had been in a delicate state of
health almost front his birth, and who had, for the last fort-
night been unable to rise from his couch, was brought into
the centre of the room on a reclining chair. The boy-
who had a very intelligent countenance, and had been af-
flicted with epilepsy two years and a half, was accompanied
by his father and mother, who watched the proceedings
with great interest.
Dr. Elliotson commenced by observing, that perhaps
some of the gentlemen present acre not acquainted with
All the diseases of the nervous system. Ira some of these
there was loss of power or sensation— in others, there were
diseased sensations. Then there was stupor of the brain, or
coma, as it was called ; and besides all these, there were
other affections which did not very frequently occur—such,
for example, as somnambulism, or walking in the sleep, and
other extraordinary phenomena which could not be ex-
plained by any known laws. It was known that in the case
of persons walking in their sleep, places had been passed
over, and feats performed, which the somnambulist could
not possibly accomplish when awake. It was known that
persons had walked along the parapets of houses, crossed
rivers, and climbed precipices, which they would not yen-
Lure to do if wide awake. In some of these cases it
could appear as if the powers of the mind were very
much increased, and many were known to compose much
better than they could when awake. These occurrences
were generally allowed, although they were not very fre-
quently seen. But there were other phenomena which it
was impossible to believe, unless they were seen or esta-
blished by very powerful evidence. The chief of these was
having a new sensation, which was sometimes, although
improperly, called seeing with different parts of the body.
Some persons in a diseased state of the nervous system,
were said to be able to read what wss written, even al-
though a piece of wood, or other opaque body, was inter-
posed between their eyes and the writing. There was a
lady residing in the West of England, who was said to be
in that condition—in this case there could be no deception,
no delusion ; the facts were verified by a respectable Phy-
sician and by an Archdeacon in the neighbourhood. and by
many others. Many similar cases were on record, but they
had been disregarded as absurd. It was known that some
persons bad an extraordinary power of smelling in disease,
and could tell at a distance who people were by the sense
of smell. There was another extraordinary occurrence
well known, that some persons could not pass a hay-
field without having a fit of asthma—their eyes and
noses became violently affected ; and it would ap-
pear as if the exhalations from animal and vegetable sub-
stances produced effects upon some persons, which were
not produced upon all. Ile would mention another very
extraordinary example of nervous affection. Ile bad a
patient who was peculiarly affected by the exhalations from
human beings, when the powers of life were sinking and
the system was very much reduced. There could be no
doubt that there were certain emanations from the human
body, which were sometimes excessive, or diseased,
although the generality of persons could not perceive them.
He had seen, and could vouch for the accuracy of this
statement, that the female in question—not every day, nor
at all hours of the day, but in certain states of the system
—when brought within a certain distance of persons whose
powers of lite were greatly reduced, could scarcely lift
her arms or legs, feeling a great degree of oppression
and sickness ; and in proportion to the low state of the
person, and her proximity to the individual, was she more
or less violently affected. Now, when it was known that
peculiar effects were produced by the exhalations from ani-
mal and vegetable substances upon certain persons,
although not upon all (and, in the present case, they were
not produced upon her at all times, but only in certain
states of her nervous system), these sensations in her had
nothing wonderful in them. These had nothing neces-
sarily to do with animal magnetism, as it was called, and
might be quite independent of it. Another thing further
appeared, that there was a certain agent or agency (lie did
not want to give it any precise term or definition) atnong
living beings, which most medical philosophers had passed
over, but which had been known to some individuals at dif-
ferent times. Because this agency could not be brought
into action unless under peculiar circumstances, the greater
part of the world did not credit its existence. lie (Dr.
Elliotson) was quite convinced that such an agency
exited. All were aware that persons were capable of exhi-
biting the phenomena of magnetism, galvanism, and elec-
tricity, by being placed in particular circumstances, and
sparks could be made to flow from the body by insulating
persons and placing them in particular circumstances. \Vith
respect to Mesmerism, he would remark that it was not
every individual who exhibited its phenomena; some ex-
hibit them almost immediately, and sonic few instantly.
By pointing the fingers to individuals, towards the face in
particular, and passing the hands down repeatedly, sleep
is often induced. It was not common sleep which was
thus produced, because, if it were carried to a certain ex-
tent, the patient could nut be awakened as in ordinary
sleep. He had known persons knocked about, thrown
upon the flour, and their cars boxed, without their bt ing
aware of it ; and yet if the operator's Bands were sepai-ates
horizontally, or if the fingers or thumbs were moved
across the eyebrows from within outwards, the patient
immediately came to himself. These were facts which
any person could ascertain for himself, by standing before
another and making what were called vertical passes be-
fore the face for sonic time. These were the most
common effects produced, but some persons exhibited
much more extraordinary effects,—in truth every thing,
however strange, that is ever known to occur in affections
of the nervous system. In some persons spasm was pro-
duced and violent pain, and in other instances perfect in-
sensibility of different parts of the body, or complete loss
of motion. He had made persons pass from a state of
coma into somnambulism, in which they walked about,
talked, wrote, and did many other things; but if the
thumbs were passed across the eye-brows, they immedi-
ately awoke in the natural state, and knew nothing of
what had occurred. Some could, as it were, see things
with different parts of their bodies, and even when an
opaque body intervened. A large number of these facts he
knew to be true—how many more might be true, Ire could
not say He believed just what he had seen, and with re-
spect to the rest he neither believed nor disbelieved,
but remained neutral until these phenomena were either
confirmed or disproved to his own experience. 11
would show them the result of his experiments upon
the subject, and it was for others to say whether
they were not sufficient to induce them to examine
for themselves. He would now mention to them the
circumstances of the case of the boy before them.
The gentleman on his right (the boy's father) bad come
to him the previous day, saying that his son was
subject to epileptic fits--that he had been for several
months under the care of a medical gentleman, and that
the fits were very bad. He did not expect to see anything
more than an epileptic patient with extreme weakness. Ile
went to see him, and found the trunk and neck paralysed,
so that on being raised, his head fell upon his shoulders,
and his body fell upon the couch. The father and mother
told him that if, when raised on his couch, he was held
up, he fainted. He (Doctor E.) raised him up, and in a
few minutes he was senseless, but he found that it was not
fainting—the pulse was as good as before—the face did
not grow pale, nor did he gasp for breath. The eyes were
shut, but on raising the upper eyelid, the eyes were quite
out of sight, and he was told that the boy always came to
with a sigh. Now patients in Mesmeric stupor generally
recovered with a sigh ; their pulse while in that state
was not weaker, but rather (pricker, as his was, and they.
came to with a sigh. It struck him that the boy had,
by disease, been brought to that state which was in-
duced in others by experiments which he bad frequently
made. It appeared that about ten or twelve days before,
he had been deprived of all power from his hips upwards.
If he was placed upright upon his scat he immediately fell
backwards, and if the head was not supported, it also fell
'back. De (Dr. E. ) tried the usual manipulations, pointing his
fingers towards the patient's face, but without touchline
and succeeded in drawing him upright cut of the bed. The
boy followed him to the end of the room, and thence out
into the shop, fur he had been lying in a parlour adjoining
the shop, being all the time fast asleep. Ile extended his
arms, and the boy did the same—he stood upon one leg,
opened his mouth, and turned round, the boy imitated him
in all these things : and in alew minutes afterwards, when
he had fetched a sigh and come to himself, the transverse
passes having been made, he recollected nothing about it.
He had then attempted to raise him, but as before ae boy
could not support his head or trunk.

Doctor Eillotson now raised the boy upon his couch, and
supported him sitting upright. In the meantime several
of the gentlemen present questioned the father as to the
boy's age, and how long he had been in that state. To
which he replied, about three years. fie was also asked
whether he bad called in Dr. Elliotson under the idea that
a cure might be effected by Mesmerism ? fie replied that
he had no idea of the kind. In the course of two or three
minutes the boy fell back app ently quite insensible—
there was no change of colour, nor was there any altera-
tion in his pulse—his eyes were turned completely out of
sight, and the extremities were cold. Dr. Elliotbon said
that was spontaneous Mesmerism, if he might so call it,
induced by disease. After remaining in this state for
about five minutes, the boy fetched a sudden sigh and
recovered.

Doctor Elliotson then proceeded to make " vertical
passes" before the boy's face, and he immediately fell off
into the same state of stupor—the hands and feet were
then raised repeatedly, by Dr. Elliotson'
i pointing his
fingers towards them,
and drawing them ulwards, without
touching the boy. He next raised the head in the same
manner from the couch, and then passing his fingers across
the eye-brows, the boy awoke or recovered his senses.
Doctor Elliotson said he would mention another cir-
cumstance which showed the agent or agency was only
analagous to the phenomena of light, electricity, heat,
&C. &C. The Mesmeric power might be communicated
to inanimate bodies, to certain metals such as gold, silver,
nickel, and platinum, and water ; and might also be
reflected by mirrors like light. With respect to one
individual he had found nickel to be the most power-
ful, but in all other instances gold was the most power-
ful. Next in power was mercury, then silver, and
then platinum. Ile believed it could also be commu-
nicated to pure tin. Effects were sometimes produced
by lead and copper, under certain circumstances. lie
had never seen the little boy before them till yester-
day, but ho had made some trials upon him with metals,
which he had made upon patients in the Hospital, and the
effects were precisely the same—precisely the same as
those which had been ascribed, he knew not why, to imp_
sition. All, however, were not affected alike, for he I d
charged his watch yesterday, anti placed it inh
pbay'st.l3