The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1847-01-14
NoRFoLK. Jan. Ii, lS47.
A. +. CUNNINGHAM, Esq.

A. +. CUNNINGHAM, Esq.
Denr Sir Although averse To coming before
the public with statements. which seem like an
effort To tax its crednliiy gnliibiliiy. because
they are sn much at variance with all the kno,,n
laws Of nature, yet deem il due to Mr.. LA Roy
SUNDERLAND. and the community. To weld To
your wishes. and make the following statements
Having been an eye witness, you can, of course.
corrohurate all shall say
In compliance with request made nv Mr.
Sunderland, | attended his lecture on SaInrdav
night last, in the Odd Fellows Hall, for the pur
Pose OF testing the possibility Of his puwer to pro-
duce in an individual such state of insensibiv.
(wilhoui the aid OF opiaes,) as to permi, the ex
traction OF tooth, without experiencing pain.
Passing by The numerous. and 10 me- truly ex.
traordinary phcnom0mena exhibited by his sinh
iecis, Give in number.) who were on the Mat
form. proceed at once To make plain statement
OF the facts relative Ia the operation performed
by myself Mrs. Simpson, (the patiently lady
whose appearance indicates i'll health, and high
state of nervous irIitablty, was seated in an arm
chair facing the audience, in what Mr.. S. demon.
mated state of hypnopathy, or sympathetic
sleeP-her countenance was calm unruffied-ex
hibiied slate of perfect repose-pnlse soft bur
frequent. numbering 100 beats To the minute.
Mr.. .. having Withdrawn few PAGES from her.
requested ne Ia Ego on | proceeded to cut the
gum around the TOOTH which | did very sIoplu.
action If the knife, would cause some exhibition
lhrre"f-but not a muscle moved or aniyered
then seiZed the tooth with pair Of forceps and
with sumo trouble, and the exercise of a greater
degree of strength than is usually required. ex
uacted 1t. The tooth was the first molar, on
The left side of the upper jaw-ihe roots were
curved SO that the ends approXimated closely to
each other--indeed so mnch curved thai in the
effort to extract. about half of the palafine.
or inner root was broken off--had not this occur
RED, the fracture of the alUe olar process nr bone
which forms the socket, would have been the me-
cessary result to the force used in extracting il
Immediately felt her pulse. The action had in
creased To las beats. During The hole opera
uon which continued abuut three minutes her
countenance exhibited change-it wore the
same calm and placid aspect There was no
shrinking-n emotion of the hands, nor indeed
any muscular movement in her whole system
which the slightest sensation OF pain a corDse
could not haze been more paSsiue in The hands
n d,ssector. Had she been in the full or even
partial possession Of the sense of feeling. I am
satisfied. that she must have exhibited at least.
some evidence Of suffering; for in an ordinary
Stale, The extraction Of such tooth, (for reasons
before assigned) would have been attended with
excruclallng pain, which can be fell, not de-
scribed. If this lady did experience it, she must
be blessed with far great powers of endurance
than usually belongs to mankind but all who
knew her, are aware that she is now, and has
been fur years, from i'll health and nervous de-
rangement, very ,imid, and always shrinks from
pain.
You ask me what | think of it? I hardly
Know what to think--here are the facts can
ofef no heory-giye no explanation, but cannot
disbeeve the evidence of my own senses, nor
donbt the reality of the phenomena. developed by
what Mr.. Sunderland denomina,es- Paihetisn.
Respectfully, your ob't servant,
IVM. N. MCKINNEY, Dentist.