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

ANIMAL MAGNETISM AND MESMERISM.

Monsieur Lafontaine's second lecture upon animal magnetism
was delivered, on Tuesday evening, in the theatre of the Medical-
hall, Mount-pleasant, and was attended by a numerous audience,
principally consisting of gentlemen connected with the profession. '
A few ladies also were present. Amongst the medical gentlemen
we noticed Dr. Carson,jun., Dr. M'Kerizie, Dr. Watson, Dr. Suther-
land, Dr. Anderson, Mr. K. Ellison, Mr. Nottingham, Mr. Marshall,
Mr. Currie, &c, Upon the platform were the lady from Manchester,
who was magnetised at the former meeting, and two female servants
from the George Hotel, upon whom we witnessed the experiment
tried for the first time on Monday evening. Mr. Nottingham was
called upon the platform to superintend the experiments.
In opening the proceedings, W. Lafontaine briefly detailed the
course which he should pursue, which was the same as described in
our notice of his former lecture. He then commenced his experi-
ments upon his first subject, the young lady from Manchester, and
in less, we should think, than a minute, succeeded in putting her
into a state of somnolency, and after wards cataleptized her legs and
arms. Whilst in this condition she was subjected to the test of be-
ing punctured by pins in the forehead, eyelids, hands, ankles, &c.,
which she bore without betraying the least symptoms of sensibility.
In the commencement of the proceedings Mr. Currie, surgeon, who
on the last occasion manifested a somewhat insulting suspicion,
inquired if the subject was this evening in perfect health,—(on a
former occasion she was not so)—and was informed that she was
in a proper state, bodily, so far as the lecturer knew, to test his
Powers. When the lecturer was pricking her forehead, &c., the de-
mand of the same gentleman, to be permitted to apply the pin, was
met with a very decided " non" by M. Lafontaine. The test, how-
ever, was allowed to be tried by Dr. Nottingham. At this stage of
the experiment the pulse of the lady, which, before being magne-
tised, (although after some excitement might reasonably have, bleoesn
.
produced,) had been 100, was declared by Mr. Nottingham to beu_
subject
A strong aromatic was then applied to the nostrils of the IN
for about 30 seconds—(having previously been handed tos6erveesprai!
medical gentlemen to ascertain its strength)—and, although
ration was fully ascertained to be going on during
iittsw:Polibe
s jected
the effect produced was slight, though perceptible.
by Mr. Currie that any person—he himself, for insss
nostrils for half
ation,
magnetized state, could endure the aromatic at h. utienian, it
a minute; but, on the appeal of the lecturerctlontgnaL isbreath. The
was admitted that he could only do so by lecturer to
of the application.
lady, we may repeat, breathed the whole was applied
A singular, and, we should think, a very Pa pfaulpertesutnder the eye-
by Mr. Nottingham, by introducing
a ,
1,,f,?. Notenghiun announced
lids, and running it round that organ.gpplfoslSoa
that no sensation appeared to be produced by the
tO the

white; but that" she appeared to be slightly cif - may';;z:ea
Lion to the transparent part of the pupils.
The lecturer then proceeded to the application of the di;
tery, and proposed that some medical gentleman should first
the same shock which the subject would receive. Mr. Currie o •
jected to this arrangement, and offered himself to receive the shock
with the lady. This was declined by M. Lafontaine, on the ground
that it would not be a fair test, and that by the contact of the mag-
netized person with one unmagnetized, the power of the former to
sustain it would be weakened. It seemed to be the general opinion,
too, that the power of endurance of a strong person, like Mr. Cur-
rie, was scarcely to be received as the test of that of a female. Mr.
Currie having declined, Dr. Watson offered to receive the shock,
and, when it was administered upon him, was greatly affected by it.
When applied to the lady (we may mention that the battery was
managed by two professional gentlemen. prepared with philosophi-
cal apparatus to regulate the strength of the shock) she was per-
ceptibly affected, and gave utterance to a smothered scream. After
being more completely magnetized, the battery was applied a se-
cond time, and, although the arms of the lady were drawn up and
the muscles of the neck much contracted by the power of the shock,
no symptom of sensibility to pain was elicited. The effect, it was
observed, was no more than would be produced upon a corpse.
The lecturer then demagnetized the lower jaw, the lips, cheeks and
a portion of the back of the head, and proposed that his subject
should sing, and that, standing behind her, be would by magnetizing
passes stop her when required. This was the most
pleasing experi-
ment of the evening. Having succeeded in restoring partial con-
sciousness to the face, M. Lafontaine whispered audibly in the ear
of his subject, " Sing, Marie, sing—sing a song." A reply was whis-
pered which we could not hear. On repeating his request, how-
ever, she commenced, in a low and drowsy tone, " Upon the hill—
he turned—to—take—a last—fond—look"—and stopped and re-
lapsed into her former tranced state. On demagnetizing the face,
throat and breast, more completely, however, she got through four
lines of the samo song, when, on a sign given by Mr. Nottingham,
she was stopped instantaneously by the lecturer magnetizing again
the back of her head. On a repetition of the experiment, another
air was commenced with a similar feeble and apparently half.
unconscious effort ; and the experiment of stopping the singer, by
passes made from behind the chair, was perfectly successful. An
attempt was then made to decrease the pulse of the female, which
was now at 114—and, upon trial, after a few soothing passes bad
been made, it had fallen to 110: it was again tried after a few more
passes. but was still 110. The lecturer was then required to augment
the pulse; but he did not succeed in producing au acceleration to
more than 114. This experiment M. Lafontaine explained was one
in which he was not always successful, and, from the small difference
produced, he did not think he had been so upon the present occa.
sion.

The two girls from the George Inn were then magnetized one
after the other, and the arms and legs of 'one and one arm and one
leg of the other rendered cataleptic. Neither 'resisted the efforts of
the magnetizer above two or three minutes. We may mention that
whilst this experiment (which was the most satisfactory of the
evening, from the circumstance that no collusion could here exist)
was being performed, the first subject, who had previously been
partially-demagnetized, and who was still seated on the platform
close to the two other girls, relapsed into the magnetic sleep, in
which she continued up to the close of the evening. The same
tests were applied (with the exception of the galvanic shock) to
these as to the first subject, although not of so violent a nature,
and a result little differing was elicited. One of the girls, how-
ever, showed a little sensibility to the effects of the aromatic an-
plied to her nostrils. Whilst being restored to sensibility the sub-
jects (the lady from Manchester in particular) seemed to be affected
by violent shudderings. We may mention that Mr. Nottingham
attempted to demesmerize cue of the girls from the George Inn,
but after persevering for some time with little apparent effect (al-
though at first some effect was visible) he gave up the attempt.
At the close of these experiments a young gentleman who pre-
sented himself, and who was preferred as a more likely subject
than Mr. Brett, who came upon the platform for the purpose, was
attempted to be magnatized, M. Lafontaine, however, declaring
that from the fatigue induced by his previous exertions he was not
sanguine of success. After about five minutes the subject closed
his eyes and his head slightly dropped, but he recovered himself,
and after persevering for about five minutes more the attempt was
given up, the subject acknowledging to having experienced at one
time a disposition to sleep. It was then concluded that, its being
nearly 12 o'clock and no conclusive result-which could satisfy the
profession having been arrived at, the experiments should be con-
tinued on Thursday evening, at seven o'clock.

The first subject, we may mention, was kept partially magnetized,
and her legs in a cataleptic state extended without any support un-
til the close of the proceedings for three hours and a quarter !
The lecturer, in reply to sonic sceptical suggestions as to the pos.
sibility of the legs being supported by some unseen contrivance,
intimated his willingness that she should retire under the care of
two medical gentlemen and submit to an examination.