The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1849-02-19


We copy the following from the London cor
respondent of the New York Journal OF Com
merce.
MEsMERIsM AT CALCUTTA. Most of your
readers, probably, have heard Of d series OF sur
gical operations which, during the last two or
three years, have been performed by DR.. Esdale
in the various hospitals and gaoI lnfrmaries at
Calcutta, upon patients under the influence of
mesmeric manpulatlons. A recent letter from
DR.. Esdaile. in the India Register Of Medical
Science, gives an interesting resume Of his pro.
ceedings. 1t is only three years, he observes,
since the first OF his patients were denounced as
band OF hardened and determined imposters.
while ne himself was stgmatised as AuDe. Sub.
sequently, however, Sir Herbert Maddox. the
Deputy Governor OF Bengal ordered mesmeric
committee, and upon their report he established
an experimental hospital for year. Al the END
OF that tine Lord Dalhouse, the new Governor
General, acknowledged the success Of the pro.
ceedlngs and appointed Dr. Esdaile presidency
surgeon, q as a mere act OF Justice" and the
public have since subscribed Tor the support OF
permanent m 'smeric hospital, which is now
established and has just issued its first report.
The irrational incredibly, cold indifference.
and logged and urfair opposition which encoup-
tered, harsh and persevering as they were. IS
pecially from my own profession, were enough
says DR. Esdaile, ITO embitter the mind of anv
one" The utmost publicity was courted from
the beginning. Every case was published on
the spot as it occurred. The patients and wit.
nesses were always named, and invited to cor.
rect any error. Happily in India these things
have at length produced their result .. In the
search after truth" adds DR.. Esdaile, "mesner.
ism lay in my way and | found it, ana having
some confidence III the reality Of matter aud the
healthiness OF my senses and UNDERSTANDING I
assumed the privilege of a Tree man to ,Deak Of
the wonderful things had seen, heard and he
iieved, notwithstanding that they were ignored
and dsbelieved by medical editors all over the
world, and have now lived TO see that there Is
not paper throughout India that does not wish
mesmerism God speed"
The singular opposition or Indifference. mani.
tested to the claims OF mesmerism by Enolsb
practitioners, Dir, Esdaile rightly attributed to
The lact CT the suppression Of all evidence bv
English medical editors. 9" Otherwise" he re-
mrks, " traction Of the evidence now ayaila
bic from this quarter alone would have suficed
to convince all rejecting men, since there never
was more complete and unexceptonabie BODY
OF proof placed before the public oil any subject
ofscentihc inquiry"
The operations thus performed appear TO have
been mudtudinous. They were carried on in
five different hospitals; the occasions, it is said.
have been very rare in which the object has not
been most satisfactorily attained, g and in no sin
gle instance has any dlsagreeabIe symptom an
peared before, during, or after the opeyation.
that could be attributed TO the use OF mesmer
ISM Under these circumstances Dr. EsdaiIe
objects to the use OF chorotorm in any bpt exce,Y
tlonal cases, since it is unnecessary to resort to
an agent which requires great caution and the
effects OF which cannot always be safely relied
on.