The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-12-03
VAGARIES OF IMAGINATION.

cled that he dead, and refused all sustenance.
His friends deposited him with all due formalties in
dark cellar One of them caused himself soon
afterwards to be carried into the place in a
coffin, containing plentiful supply of provisions,
and assured him that was customary to eat and
drink in that world well in the which they
had just left. He suffered himself to be persuaded,
and recovered.-Another, who imagined that he had
no head, Ia notion that is not common as the
reverse speedily convinced of the real existence
of his head, by heavy hat of lead which, by its
pressure made him feel for the first time, during,
long period, that he actually possessed this neces-
sary appendage. But the most dangerous state of all
is, when the Imagination fixes upon things the live
ly representation of which must finally induce their
realization. OF this sort was case which fell un-
der my own professional experience, and which at
fords one of the striking proofs tthe power of
an overstraned imagination.
! A youth of sixteen, of weakly constitution and
delicate nerves, but in other respects quite healthy
quilted his room in the dusk of the evening, but
suddenly returned with face pale death, and
looks betrayng the greatest terror, and in tremulous
voice told fellow student who lived in the same
room with him. that he should die at nine o'clock in
the morning of the day after the next. His COM
panion naturally considered this sudden transorma
! ton of cheerful youth into candidate for the
grave rs very extraordinary he inquired the cause
of this notion, and, the other declined to satisfy his
His efforts however unavalling. All the an
swcr he could obtain from his comradc was, that his
death was certain and inevitable. number of we'll
meaning friends assembled about him, and endea-
vored to wean him from his idea by lively conver-
sation, Jokes, and even satirical remarks. He sat
among them with gloomy, thoughtful look, took
no share in their discourse, sighed, and at length
grew angry when they began to rally him. 1t was
hoped that sleep would dispel this melancholy
bn nd urbt
were engaged all night with his approaching decease.
Early next morning | was sent for l found, in
fact the most sngule sight in the world-a person
i'm good health making all the arrangements for his
funeral taking affecting leave of his friends, and
writing letter to his father, to acquaint him with his
approaching dissolution, and to bid him farewell.
examined the state ofhis body, and found nothing
unusual but paleness of his face, eyes dull and rat
or nhamed with weeping, GOODNESS of the extrcm-
tiles, and low contracted pulse-ndications of a
general cramp of the nerves, which was sufficiently
manifested in the state of his mind. | endeavored
therefore, to convince him, by the most powerful
gumcnts, of the futy of his notion, and to prove
that person whose bodily health was so good had
no reason whatever to apprehend speedy death in
short, exerted all my eloquence and professional
knowledge, but without making the slightest impress
sion. He willingly admitted that l, physician,
could not discover any cause of death in him, but
this, he conended, was the peculiar circumstance of
his case, that without any natural cause, merely
from an unalterabe decree of fate his death must
ensue aud though he could not expect us to share
this conviction, still it equally certain that it
would be verified by the event of the following day.
All that could do, therefore, was to tell him, that
Under these circumstances must treat him as
person aborlng under disease, and prescribe med
cines accordingly. every WELL - replied he, " but
YOU will not only that your medicines will not
do me any good, but that they will not operate at
ALL"
There was time to be lost, for had only twen-
ty-tour hours left to effect cure therefore Judged
it best to employ powerful remedies in order to re-
lease him from this bondage of his imagination.
With this view very strong emetic and catharic
administered, and bsters applied to both thighs
He submitted to every thing but with the assurance
that his body already half dead and the RENE
dies would be of no use. Accordingly to my utter
astonishment, | learned, when called in the even
ing, that the emetic had taken but little effect,
and that the blisers had not turned the skin red
He now triumphed over our ncredulity, and de-
duced from this inefcacy of the remedies the stron-
gest conviction that he was already little better than
a corpse. To me the case began to assume very
serious aspect. l saw how powerfully the state ofthe
mind had effected the body, and what degree of
insensbllity had produced; and had just reason
TO apprchend that an Imagination which had reduced
the body TO such extremity, was capable OF carry
ing matters to still greater lengths.
All our inquiries to the of his belief had
hitherto proved abortive. He disclosed to one
of his friends, but in the stricest confidence that the
preceding evening, quitting his room, he had seen
a figure in white which beckoned to him, and at the
same moment avoce pronounced the word,-" The
day after tomorrow, at nine in the morning. thou
shalt die !" and the fate thus predicted nothing could
f enable him to escape. He now proceeded to set
his house in order, made his will, and gave parcu-
lar directions for his funeral, specifying who to
carry. and who to follow him to the grave He had
insisted on receiving the sacrament. wish, how
ever. which those about him evaded complying with
Night came on, and he began to count the hours
he had vet to live, till the fatal nine the next morn
ing, and every time ;he clock struck his anxiety evil
dentlN increased. l bcgnn TO be in npprehension