Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1846-02-12

always yielded his person freely to my ex
periments, he had never before given me
any tokens of sympathy with which did
His disease was Of that character which
would admit of exact calculation in respec
to the epoch of its termination in death
and it was finally arranged between us tina
he would send for me about twenty-foul
hours before the period announced by hi:
physicians as that of his decease.
1t is now rather more than seven month:
since | received from M. Valdemar, himself
the subjoined note:
My DEAR P,
You may as well come now. D. and F
are agreed that | cannot hold out beyond to-mor-
row midnight and think they have hit the time
very nearly. VALDEMAR.
received this note within half an hour
after it was written, and in fifteen minutes
more was in the dying mans chamber.
had not seen him for ten days, and was ap-
palled by the fearful alteration which the
brief interval had wrought in him. His
face wore leaden hue; the eyes were ut
terly Iustreless and the emaciation was so
extreme that the skin had been broken
thro by the cheek-bones. His expectora-
ton was excessive. The pulse was barely
perceptible. He retained nevertheless, In a
very remarkable manner, both his mental
power and a certain degree Of physical
strength He spoke with distinctness-took
some palliative medicines without aid-and,
when | entered the room was occupied in
pencilling memoranda in a pocket-book.
He was propped up in the bed by pillows.
Drs D. and F were in attendance.
After pressing Valdemar's hand | took
these gentlemen aside, and obtained from
them minute account of the PATIENTS COP
dition. The left.lung had been for eighteen
months in semi-osseous or cartllaglnous
state, and was, of course, entirely useless
for all purposes of vitality. The right, in
It's upper portion was also partially, if not
thoroughly, ossifed, while the lower region
was merely a mass of prudent tubercIes,
running one into another. Several eXten-
sive perforations existed, and, at one point,
permanent adhesion to the ribs had taken
place. These appearances in the right lobe
were of comparatively recent date. The
Justification had proceeded with very unu-
sual rapidity; no sign of it had been dis
covered a month before, and the adhesion
had only been observed during the three
previous days. independently ofthe phthls-
is, the patient was suspected OF aneurIsm OF
aorta; but on this point the osseous symp-
toms rendered an exact diagnosis impossl-
BILE. 1t was the opinion of both physicians
that M. Valdemar would die about midnight
on the morrow Sunday. 1t was then Sc
ven O'Clock on Saturday evening.
On quitting the invalid's bedside to hold
conversation with myself, Drs. D. and
F had hidden him a final farewell. 1t
had not been their intention to return; but,
at my request, they agreed to look in upon
the patient about ten the next night.
When they had gone, | spoke freely with
NJ. Valdemar on the subject of his ap-
preaching dissolution, as well as, more par
ticularly, of the experiment proposed. He
still professed himself willing and even anx-
ious to have it made, and urged me to COM
mence it at once A male and a female
nurse were in attendance; but did not feel
myself altogether at liberty to engage IN
task of this character with no more reliable
witnesses than these people, in case of sud-
den accident, might prove. therefore post
poned operations until about eight O'Clock
the next evening, when the arrival Of me-
dical student with whom ] had some &C
quaintance MR. Theodore l. relieved
me from further embarrassment 1t had
been my design, originally, to wait for the
physicians but was induced to proceed,
first, by the urgent entreaties of M. Valde-
mar, and secondly, by my conviction that
had not a moment to lose, as he was evil
IDENTIFY sinking fast.
Mr.. Il was so kind as to accede to
nv desire that he would take notes Of all
that occurred; and it is from his memoran-
da that what | now have to relate, for the
most part, is either condensed or copied
Uerbatim.
Il wanted about FIVE minutes of s, when,
taking the patients hand, begged HIM to
state as distinctly as he could, to MIR. II,
whether he IN. Valdemar) was entirely
willing that | should make the experiment
of mesmerizing him in his then condition
He replied feebly, yet quite audlbly-
eyes. ! wish to be mesmerized''-a adding
Immediately afterwards, 81 fear you have
deferred it too long"
While he spoke thus, commenced the
passes which ! had already found most Ell
fectual in subduing him. He was evidently
influenced with the first lateral stroke OF my
hand across his forehead; but although i
exerted all my powers, no further perceptl-
BILE effect was induced until some minutes