The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-10 00:00:00

MR. TROMPiON'S CASE.

" Understanding that a ease of lock-jaw or tetanus in
a horse has been successfully treated eiy Mr. Amor, cf
Bend-etreet, I have thought that an account of a case of
lock-jaw in a horse, treated by myself, several years
ago, and in which the animal recovered, may not be
altcgether uninteresting.
"A valuable yearling colt was suddenly seized with
lock-jaw. As I was from home, staying at a friend's
house in the neighbourhood, my groom immediately
dispatched a messenger to inform me, and in the mean
tune sent for a veterinary surgeon. I arrived a few
minutes after the veterinary rargeon, and asked him
what treatment ho proposed. He said bleeding, and, if
possible, giving calomel and opium: if he could not get
anything down the throat,' then to give it injections in
the first place of oil and opium. I next asked him if
he had seen many instances of tetanus. He answered
that he had seen many. • How many had he cured?'
None!!' I then told him, as that was the case, I should
prefer killing the colt my own way; and I immediately
set two men to work, one on each aide, to rub the animal
from the head to the tail with a piece of flannel steeped
in oil, hartshorn, and camphorated spirits, and to make
the friction as light and as rapid as possible over the
animal. When the men were tired, I put two others to
take their places. I had the satisfaction in two hours of
finding the animal could turn his head slightly, and that
it could separate its teeth about half an inch. This
process was continued for several hours, and there was
a further improvement. I then ordered some sheep to
be brought up, and two to be killed every two or three
hours, and their warm skins to be wrapt round the
body and neck, and partially over the head. The colt
the next day could move about, bend his neck, and drink
freely. I continued this treatment for two days, i. e.,
friction and sheep skins, and at the end of a week a
slight stiffeess only in the limbs was observable; but the
eyes were still turned up and drawn inwards. The
friction was still persevered with for an hour or so each
day, and the animal kept warm. The last thing that
got quite right was the direction of the eyes. It was
nearly five or six weeks before they looked quite natural.
The colt got perfectly well; I sold it for a good price,
and it won several races afterwards. Its name was
Cable, by Sheet Anchor. At the time I pursued this
treatment with the colt I was altogether ignorant of the
benefit of mesmeric manipulations, though I bad been
long aware of the great use of friction and animal heat
in cases of strains, rheumatic affections, and swelling of
the joints and limbs.
"The first time that I witnessed the good effects of
animal heat in recent strains was when I was quartered
with my regiment in Ireland. A horse I was training
sprained the fetlock so severely that it could scarcely
put its foot to the ground, and the joint was much
swollen. I was recommended by an old man, who had
had great experience with horses, to apply a lamb skin
hot from an animal recently killed. The effect was al-
most immediate; the horse very soon appearing free
from pain: and with no other applications then fresh
skins, and light friction, it was soon quite sound again.
The application of a sheep skin, warm from the animal,
in cases of strains, or rheumatic affections of the loins
and back of a horse, is a very old and common remedy
with country fartiers; and I know of none so efficacious.
The skin is generally left on until it becomes offensive:
but I am convinced, from experiments which I have wit-
nessed, that the application of fresh skins is far more
effective. Of the use of friction every horse owner is
aware. Atter severe work, or when the legs are at all
swollen, hand-rubbing is the usual and constant prectice
of all good grooms; and 1 have often seen herd swel-
lings removed by the use only of constant friction with
the hand. H. S. TLIOMPSON.

"Fairfield, near York, Feb. 28, 1851.
"CASE BY MR. SOUTH.

" Sir,—l hope you will excuse the liberty I have
taken in writing to you respecting the case of tetanus
that you saw at my Infirmary. Should you, Sir, con-
sider this case worthy of forwarding to the Zoist I shall
b 3 very happy. Your obedient servant,
" To Dr. E!liotson. G. SOUTU, V. S.

"On the 25th Dec., 1850, I was sent for to see a
horse that was very ill, and on my arrival I found him
suffering with a general spastics rigidity of the muscles;
the jaws were completely closed. I had him removed
to my Infirmary with the intention of carrying out the
new views on the subject; and, if possible, to put him
into a comatose or sleepy state. Having had the oppor-
tunity of seeing the operation of mesmerism in the
human subject, and with a satisfactory result, I con-
cluded that some relief might be given to the horse; and,
with the kind assistance of Mr. Amor end a friend, we
commenced our operation at 5 o'clock P.m., and con-
tinued till 12 P.M., and during the latter part of the time
he was sleepy, frequently nodding his head, and nearly
falling. We made passes with contact from the back of
his head to his tail, and down his face.
"26th, 8 A Sr. I recommenced my former treatment
with the assistance of Mr. Amor and my assistant; we
kept at him until 11 P.m. At 6 P.m. I was visited by
Dr. Ashburner and Mr. Amor, who kindly assisted in
the operation.
"27th. Treatment continued to 31st; water well mes-
merised, and likewise gruel, were frequently offered, but
he was unable to partake of the slightest quantity.
Jan. Ist. Treatment continued; and cefore leaving
him two quarts of water were strongly mesmerised, and
drunk by him.
" 28. Treatment continued.
" 38. Ditto, ditto; symptoms better; not so much
rigidity of the muse:es or excitement; and with great
difficulty he partook of a little hay. There was thus
decided improvement on the 9th day; and from this
time he continued to mend.
" 4th. Symptoms better; treatment was persevered in,
and he steadily improved, so that on the 25th Feb. I
sent him home perfectly well.
"*,l` Those who thought Miss Martineau mad for de-
claring she cured a cow may ponder on these two cases,
and begin to remember that cows, horsee, and other
brutes, are, like us, flesh and blood, and brain and
nerves; and, like us, eat, drink, and feel, and walk, and
above all things take physic like ourselves with adven-
tage.—JoHN ELLICTSON.
Dr. Elliotson might have added that in cases of
animals the opponents of mesmerism are precluded
from repeating the old exploded libels of collusion and
imposture, with which they were wont to greet both
mesmeriser and mesmerisee, when any mani-
festation of the curative powers of mes-
merism took place in the human subject.
They cannot treat these horses as they endeavoured
to treat poor James Wombwell, who had his leg am-
putated without feeling it whilst in a state of mes-
meric sleep, in 1842, and who has been the object of
the unceasing persecution of certain parties ever
since. They have not scrupled to forge pretended con-
fessions in his name. The whole history of this dis-
graceful affair is given in the present number of the
Zoist. Colonel Davidson contributes some interest-
ing illustrations of mesmerism in the native human and
brute inhabitants of India, attributing to the stare of
the tiger and of the serpent mesmeric effects by which
they produce coma in their victims before they seize
them ; and Sir Charles Tama relates some curious in-
stances of spectral, visual, and acoustic illusions. Mr.
Lloyd, of Naburn,near York, relates an interesting case
of tetanus in a youth successfully treated with mesme-
rism, from which it appears that this usually fatal
disease readily yielded to mesmeric treatment. Among
the curiosities of mesmerism may be mentioned the
report of Dr. Motherwell, of Melbourne, in Austra-
ha, of a clairvoyante who traced the whole course of
Sir John Franklin. The paper was communicated
to Dr. Elliotson, who transmitted it to the Zoist, with
a request that only a portion of it should be published
at present. The following is the report :
"Friday evening, let October, 1850.—A letter writ-
ten by Sir John Franklin, in 1838, was placed in the
hands of a clairvoyance by Dr. Motherwell. She said
that she saw the writer in Hobart Town, the place where
that letter was written; and upon being requested to
trace the writter from thence, she described with com-
plete accuracy several events in Sir John Franklin's life
in the Australian colonies, anti ultimately followed him
to England. She then commenced following him upon
his expedition to the North Pole: and the lollowing is
substantially aed nearly verbatim the account which she
gave from time to time of the expedition:—
" ' I see the vessel Sir John Franklin is in; there are
other vessels with him; they are ell stetting together.
I think there are three or tour of them, and they are
sailing now: they are passing land just tow which is
very high. Shall I follows the vessel Sir J. F. is in,
because they are beginning to separate? (Told to fol-
low the vessel.) I see land now; it is very low, and
seems inhabited by natives who are quite astonished and
are running down to look. The vessels are beginning
to come near each other now, and I see floating in the
sea those large white cliffs; they are icebergs.' h .
" I forward the whole MS. to the editors of the Loot,
but request that the rest may not be published at pre-
sent; for it by no means follows that, because those
parts of her enunciation which can be at present verified
Indeed the case may be, in regard _
are perfectly correct, the remaindetromwuhsattbei: qkunaolwlynstoe.
c relianceor rect.
inl believeu
be correct, cerebral sympathy rather than clairvoyance.
The best clairvoyants wander egregiously, and the pre-
its no exception, because in one Lir-
however
in
aatc'eceuroafeeyv,elrysphaerllsodnefer ecs:uanmit:sythusiyonwacneeevts:h;regbiiutst:tdlo'
pal
aceeer t aint i
implicitn
clair-
voyant; and, as there is generally more error than accu-
rmaicnyutien the whole
abundanto 1 ec clairvoyance rtvhoey
publi-
cation of the remainder till eve have tidings of Sir John
Franklin and can verify her statements.—J. EneeeTsoN.',

EAST INDIA Houss.—Yesterday a ballot was
taken at the East India House for the election of six directors,
in the room of Mr. William Butterworth Bayley, Mr. Rus-
sell Ellice, Sir Richard Jenkins, G.C.8., Mr. Ross Donnelly
Mangles, M.P., Mr. John Masterman, M.P., and Major John
Arthur Moore, who go out by rotation. At six o'clock the
glasses were closed and delivered to the scrutineers, who re-
ported th .t the election had iallen on Mr. John Cotton, Mr.
John Loch, Mr. Charles Mills, Mr. Win. Henry Chicheley
Plowden, M.P., Mr. Henry Shank, and Mr. Henry St. Geo.
Tucker. A Court of Directors was also hell at the East
India House, when the thanks of the Court were voted una-
nimously to Mr. John Shepherd (Chairman), and Sir James
Weir Hegg, M.P. (Deputy Chairman), for their great appli-
cation and attention to the affairs of the East India Com-
pany during the past year.
We are requested to contradict, on authority, the
statement that " the elder brother of the Bishop of Oxford
had been received into the Church of Rome a few days
since. "---Herald.