The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-08 00:00:00

Mr. LAFONTAINE'S LECTURE

Air. Lafontaine gave another lecture last evening at the Medical
Hall, Mount Pleasant. From the lateness of the hour at which it
concluded, we are unable to give a lengthy report of it. We shall
merely mention the principal features. The lecturer after describ-
ing the effect of applying the magnetic influence, explained his
mode of treating the various diseases incidental to the human
frame, such as fever, rheumatism. He next described his manner
of operating on the deaf, dumb and blind. The young lady who
has appeared on former occasions was again brought forward, and
put into a magnetic sleep. Mr. Nottingham having been invited,
stepped on the stage, and interpreted and assisted the lecturer. lie
stuck pins into the legs and arms of the young lady, and she did
not show the least inconvenience. _ _ _

Mr. Lafontaine then offered to thrust a pen under the thumb nail, to
show how completely the feeling of pain was absent in the case. The
meeting having objected, Mr. Lafontaine said that the Liverpool peo-
ple were rather hard of belief, therefore required strong evidence. He
assured those present that there was a total insensibility. The pin was
inserted—Mr. Nottingham having drawn it from the young lady's
nail, stated That it had penetrated three-quarters of an inch. Not the
least symptom of uneasiness was apparent. Mr. Lafontaine said, that
legs and arms might be amputated without the patient suffering any
pain. A case of cancer in Paris -was mentioned as evidence of this. The
woman who had undergme the operation was in a magnetic sleep—in
all, 17 days. The test of ammonia was next applied. This also had
no effect A-pistol was next snapped at the patient's ears—she slightly
bent her head.- This, it was remarked, she always did under this opera-

Lion.
The nose and eyes were next tickled without effect.. The galvanic
battery was then brought into operation, two gentlemen having previ-
ously tested its strength and demonstraated its effects. The young lady
shrieked rather loudly on the battery being charged, and was shortly
afterwards dememerised
. .

M. Lafontaine stated that she was in by no means so favourable a
state to operate upon as on Tuesday last.
In reply to a question, M. Lafontaine said the paws of cats and dogs
had been cut oil while they were in a magnetic sleep without their ap-
pearing to suffer pain.
A young woman from the George Hotel was next magnetised, and
exhibited the same effects as on a former occasion.
A young gentleman stepped on the stage, and was thrown into a mag-
netic sleep, but not in a cataleptic state. The gentleman who was mag-
netised at the George on Monday, as stated in our last, was next experi-
mented upon. He exhibited similar symptoms as then occurred; his
head fell back, his chest heaved, and his breathing was veryhard. Ano-
ther gentleman was operated upon, but M. Lafontaine was not success-
ful.

A fter some conversation, the meeting separated. Several ladies were
present.

MESMERISM OR HYPNOLOGY

Mr. BRAID'S SECOND LECTURE

On Wednesday, this gentleman gave a second lecture upon his
newly discovered science of " Hypnology " to a numerous and

highly respectable audience, comprising a considerable number of
ladies. Amongst the professional men on the platform, and in the
body of the hall, we noticed Drs. M'Cullock, Carson jun., Suther-
land, M'lntire, Grindrod, Scott, O'Donnell, Messrs. Nottingham,
Bainbrigg, Cripps, Iligginson, Currie, &c.
At the commencement of his lecture, Mr. Braid commented with
much severity upon the discourteous and ungentlemanly manner
iu which he had been received upon his last appearance. It had
been his intention to have, instead of a lecture, a conversazione ;
but a few individuals had come to his former lecture, and in their
anxiety to court notoriety, had converted the place into a bear
garden. He should, therefore, confine himself strictly to giving a
lecture, and illustrating it with experiments, and he trusted that he
should not receive interruption. The lecturer then proceeded to
explain the points of difference between hypnology, as practised by
him, and the animal magnetism of Mons. Lafontaine and others,
and detailed the mode in which he first arrived at his conclusions,
and his reasons for bringing them before the public in the present
form. Before commencing his experiments he demonstrated, by
submitting his own servants and two other gentlemen to the test,
that the effect of merely extending the arm for two or three minutes,
with a hat or an umbrella in the hand, could not, as had been
asserted by a professional gentleman at his last lecture it had had
in his own case, the effect of raising the pulse to 200 a minute. The
highest pulsation which he succeeded in producing in the course of
these experiments was 110 per minute.
The first subject upon whom the effect of Mr. Braid's system was
tried was his own man servant, who standing in the front of the
platform and fixing his eyes steadily upwards was in the course
of about a minute in a state of somnolency. His arms were then
raised and became rigid. Upon being requested to follow the
lecturer a few paces from the platform, and having been afterwards
placed upon a chair, he snored loduly, and his legs and arms were so
perfectly cataleptic that an attempt to move either moved his whole
frame. On account of the violent oppression of his breathing, the
subject was in a few minutes roused by sharp blows upon the arms
and legs, and passes with a glove upon the face. Mr. Braid ex-
plained that his reason for selecting his own servant first was, that
having been previously experimented upon, he was more susceptible
of being speedily affected. In the course of this experiment, the
lerturer detailed the effect of mesmerism upon a patient of his who
had been afflicted with epileptic fits three and four times a-day, and
who after being mesmerized a few times, had a recurrence of the
fits only once in five days. He detailed subsequently the effect
produced upon a patient, whose head was drawn down by spasmodic
contraction, until it rested so close upon the shoulders that a card
could not be passed between. After being mesmerized for about
three minutes the neck was straightened, and the patient left the
room holding his head perfectly erect and free from pain—and,
added Mr. Braid, what is better he continues so
Two young girls were the next operated upon, and both were
reduced into the usual state in about a minute. They were made
to walk backwards and forwards--to kneel down, and one of them
sung very prettily " She wore a wreath of roses," and told the
form of an object placed behind her back. This experiment, the
lecturer explained was not derived from any effect upon the organs
of sight, but from the extreme sensitiveness of the skin close to
which the object was placed. It did not touch, however. Two
deaf and dumb boys were next brought on the platform, to one of
which Mr. Braid had taught the Lord's Prayer in English and Latin,
of which he repeated a portion word after word, Mr. B. repeating
them in his car. He afterwards submitted close to the ear of each
a musical box, which they signified by signs of pleasure that they
could hear.
Whilst this experiment had been going on, an attendant was
desired to request one of the subjects, an interesting young girl
about twelve years old to hypnotize herself in an outer room ; and
she now speared with her eyes closed, her head slanted with the
ear towards the platform, and her hands extended making her war
slowly and cautiously to the upper end of the room, directed by the
Lecturer's voice. The attitude of this girl was more beautiful that
can be conceived, and would have been a perfect study for the
sleep.walking scene in Macbeth. If it was acting, it was the best
acting we ever remember to have witnessed. On approaching the
platform she was blindfolded, and in that state made her way,—a
somewhat difficult one—up the steps of the platform, and over it
to the Leturer. She was then tested with respect to the quality of
clairvoyance, and told the shape of articles placed behind and over
her head, and the metal of which a pencil case, placed over her
closed eyelids, was formed, mistaking however gold for silver.
Whilst in this state, a very disgraceful attempt was made by a few
gentlemen upon the platform to agitate her by repeated noises, to
which she manifested extreme sensitiveness, moving violently each
time in the direction of the noise. Notwithstanding their being
cautioned by the Lecturer that such interruptions were dangerous
to the somnambulist, a form or a chair was knocked over by the
same party, which almost caused her to rush over the edge of the
platform. The marked indignation of the audience was evinced at
this hartless ruffianism.
A dozen boys, pupils from the Mechanic's Institution School
were then introduced upon the platform ; and upon the whole of
those who were tried, the
were
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irtt
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demesmerizecl ; and on olweuathhvoing the platform declared that the?,
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rigidity &c., which may account for their own '
advanced state
their!
power of volition. They were, however, opinion as to
of
evidently in a state
incipient if not perfect somnolency.
Two subjects then presented themselves, who were labouring
under the effects of confirmed paralysis. carrier
The first, a news
named John Cook, residing at 17, Fleet-street, was unable to raise
his arm above his head. After being hypotonized, and his arm
worked a little by Mr. Braid, whilst in the ce.taleptiform statl' ene
could, on being awoke, lift it above his head. and nearly straig
1,
it. The other an elderly female—Mrs. M'Nally, residing at 6°. ,
Hare-place, Scotland-road, had been for eight months in Be-
Northern Hospital, where she had received considerable ITlief, her
,-
being nits-
whole side having been at first affected. Previous to,
e the elaow,
merized, however, she could net raise her hand
above
her head, or
but subsequently she could easily raise her hand
o experiments
put it behind her back. The result of
theseaudience, and were
seemed to stagger the sceptical portion of the The female patient
received with loudly expressed applau
powers.
seemed highly elated with her newly '?
acildeirstood)—a friend of Mr.
ntletnan(nmd Marshall we un
on, land after a brief
Braid's, was was then successfully operated.ucp_ec
u broke up at half
pression of thanks from the lecturer,
past 11 o'clock.

The overland overland mail brings inteclhief
justice of New South
Francis Forbes, for many years ligence of the death of Sir
Wales.
governor of Madras.
The Marquis of Tweeddale is, we hear, to be the new
The blue riband, which
Duke
UPON Tof Cleveland.
RU
late Duke of Norfolk, has been conferred upon his Grare the
HE RZNPRENTSIIIRE BANK.—On Tuesday
N .
d f om head
branch of the Royal Bank in this city, to decline re-
last orders were receive r -quarters at Edinburgh,
by the
the notes of the Renfrewshire Bank of Greenock.
consequence of this being acted upon, several of the
elnei
adopted
other banks in this city a similar course, and con
the Renfrewshire
con-
siderable uneasiness has, as may well be supposed, been felt-
Ba
n ink theher
here,
tnan-
b y thevin holdersg
of. notes and others interested
applied to, stated that he had received his usual ad-
blishment. The agent of
Wednesday morning, and that he
from Greenock on
not aware upon what
w%b,
ieacisensg
pro-
ceeding. As, however, the
payable in G?eenock, grounds the Royal Bank were ,
notes of the Renfrewshire Bank were
in exchanging them for he
quantity of the notes wtehr°e
did not conceive himself warranted
s,eionf other
the
c nbuarna
ek s.
of At considerablene
day,
sent
upon the bank
down to the principal
but we have
Royal Bank actd as th
establishment at Greenock, and a run
there took lace in the course of yesterday ;
heard noaccount of
en frthewasrheisruelßt.anTkhaet
r ti*---Giasyow agents
aero uprecise. ofac