New-York daily tribune., 1842-11-30
Neurolozy-Reconsidered.

have not met with article which opens
richer than the amusing communication in your
paper of last Saturday, under the head of Neu-
rology Considered | call it amusing because the
peculiar vein of absurdty running through the pro-
duction, taken in connection with the motives OF
the writer, which are very apparent made it q
rich budget OF amusement to those VINO understand
the whole subject.
The drift OF the communication is summed up
| in the closing sentence: Whatever advances DIR.
B. or any other person may have made in the sci
ence OF physiology by means of this agency is an
other question altogether; but that what he calls
mcuQura is nothing more nor less than what has
heretofore been called Mesmcrisn1, is susceptible
of the cearest demonstration and, in fact, 1t Is
what no one doubts who is all familiar with this
subject
Such is the astonishing discovery which this con-
siderate writer has made by attending, as he as
sures ua, six entire Lectures, and reading work
issued by Dr.. B. We had been fortunate enough
| to make the same discovery, or rather learn the
| fact, while attending the same course; tor Dr. b.
stated it plainly at very earl Y stnge OF his Lec-
cures Nay more: we were perfectly aware OF
|
always admitted this, as may be seen by refer
ence to the 18th page OF the work TO wficn the
writer refers, and where he speaks of the 9. ex-
element Of the separate organs of the brain =
that the '' mode of It's production is analogous to
! and its ruling principle doubt Identical with
the production of common mesmerc phenomena
In all his public and private Lectures, have
heard nothing contrary to the above quoted pas
sage and have never understood that the NeuaGra
was not the fluid used by magne;isers as well as
by himself.
Dr. B. is assailed on account of his attempt at
an Improvement of the nomenclature OF this SUBJ
| icct which is much needed If we do not violate
the King English Mesmerism means the art and
practices and doctrines Of Mesmer. 1t does not
mean an agent Or mponderable fluid. We might
as we'll call the human nervous fluid Perklnlsm or
Raikeisln as Mesmeti-m for Perkins, Raikes and
hundreds of others made use of this fluid as well
as Mesmer, and many used it ages before its mod
ern revival But Dr.. b. has explained philoso
phically the Neuauric, Galvanic, Electric and
Magnetic fluids Of the human system, and gives to
each its appropriate sphere retaining Mesmerism
as term expressive Of the doctrines OF Mesmer
and his followers. II we are not mistaken, the
writer of Neurology Considered ia one of this
NUMBER prcicrring the mysterious TO the simple
and the marvellous to the rational. We have lit-
tie sympathy with those who do not relish any
thing which has not in it a spice of the wonderful
and who believe is only necessary to exercise the
will to bewilch the patient inte any possible Mes,
merc condition. Such persons would have Ton nd
more pungert sources CT grathcntlon IN the DAYS
of Witchcraft
DR.. B. has none of the high claims tc magnetic
distinction which your spondent thinks so NJ
porant. He is neither governor OF either men by
his votion, nor u seventh son OF n seventh son
Ror a follower CT Mesmer.
We quote one mere passage:
' DR. B. said nothing nor did he do any thing.
which had the least conceivable tendency TO show
that his assumed new agent was any thing more
or less than what has long been known under The
name of Mesmerism
We did not know tina, Mesmcrism was an agent
before Ncr did We suppose that a dscoyerer in
science or an adventurer in the could do no.
thing new or useful unless he obtained new
agent Fulton in his invention of an engine Tor
steam navigation used agent which had been
long and well known. Was his invention less va!u-
able or less entitled to our admiration on that ac-
counll We suppose his merit consisted III
greater developement OF the power and new ana
important method Of applyingit Dr. BIS service
to the world consists ia the developement OF the
powers Of known agent and applying 1t to the DIS
covcly OF The true psychology and physiology OF
man and the methods OF curing diseases OF ianc-
tons of mind and body. His methods are rew,
peculiar and systematic, depending on no species
of skill in the operator hocus-pocus in the ope-
| ration.
A word as to what the writer says of the ''oper-
ations on the separate organs Of the brain by the
mere touch of the hand" % Ii was done in this
CITY long before the name of Buchanan had been
heard of here And for the truth of this nsser-
,on he refers to what had been done at the Ne"-
York Museum in tie summer OF l84l lhe opef-
a,ons here spoken of were often witnessed by ihe
writer and he may be OF the witnesses TO
whom he appeals They were first performed a;
the suggestion of Mexican gentleman, who, see
ing an arm parayzed said why not parayze an Or
gan of the brain? The experiment was tried, by
putting the blind gill in the mesmeric cendition
and then demagnetizing organ. or in ether
words, arrestiag lis action. The idea OF exciting
organs on persons in the magnetic cosdltlon, was
not thought OF until DEB. was known here, by
the receipt Of ali extra { the Louisville AdveEil-
! ser in the autumn following, the writer having
received one OF these Containing u published ac-
count of bis successfully srctting the organs at
| Little Rock, Arkansas, in april, l84l, and pub
| ,hed as an editorial notice of his experiments
| abou, that time. His method was TO operate by
the fagers on persons in the ordinary waking
coalition Nh Peae, OF the Museum, vas soon
after informed by ourselves of these experiments,
and urged 10 repeat them. Until then they we're
never dreamed of US possible Thing notwitE-
standing the previous success in arresttng The or
gaas which was witnessed al The Museum.
The plain facts of the case, therefore are these
| Dr. Buchanan ercite3 the phreroog cal organs a
! April l84l, and made public exhibition OF the
discovery, which was at the time noticed in pub
lie journal.