Animal magnetism.

Date:
[1838?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Animal magnetism. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    remarkable that the fit commenced when Cazot was in a profound sleep, in which he had been for two hours before. The fit predicted for the 9th December took place at a quarter before ten, instead of half-past nine, and was, like the former, preceded by a deep sleep, in which it commenced. On the 11th February, 1828, Cazot predicted a fit for the 22d April, at five minutes past twelve o’clock, which was afterwards witnessed by the committee. It commenced at ten minutes past twelve, and was remarkable for its violence. In his fury, Cazot bit his hand and fore-arm. After it had continued thirty-five mi- nutes, M. Foissac magnetised him. The convulsions soon subsided, and were succeeded by somnambulism. In this state he predicted two fits ; the first for the 25th June. In two days after, on the 24th April, he was thrown down by a restive horse, which he tried to stop, and was so severely injured, that he died of the contusions on the 15th May. CASE OF PAUL VILLA Git AND. Paris, August, 1827. Attesting iVitnesses.—The Committee of the Royal Academy of Medicine, before mentioned; and M. Foissac, Doctor in Medicine, and others. Paul Villagrand, a student at law, aged twenty-four years, was afflicted in 1825 by paralysis of the whole of the left side of the body. He was admitted to the Hopital de la Charite in April, 1827, after being treated, without effect, by acu- puncture, seton in the neck, and applications of moxa along the vertebral column. At tile time of his admisssion to the hospital he was unable to support himself on the left leg, walked on crutches, and could not lift his left arm to his head. He was very hard of hearing with both ears, and saw very imperfectly with his right eye. M. Fouquier, the physician of the hospital, observed in him, besides paralysis, the symptoms of enlargement of the heart. Up to the 29th August, 1827, bleeding, purges, and blisters were used with very little effect. On this day he was mag- netised by M. Foissac, by order and under the inspection of the physician of the hospital, M. Fouquier. At this first sitting, he immediately experienced a sensation of warmth, followed by twitchings of the tendons. After many visible and ineffectual efforts to keep his eyelids open, his head at length fell upon his breast, and he slept. From this period his deafness and headaches ceased; but it was not until the ninth sitting that he slept profoundly. At the tenth, he answered questions inarticulately. At a later period, in his somnambulism, he declared that he could not be cured by magnetism ; and he prescribed for himself a continuation of pills composed of the extract of nux vomica, which he had before taken, with sinapisms, and baths of Bareges. On the 25th September, the committee, wishing to examine the state of ljis body, caused him to be undressed, and ascertained that the inferior left leg was thinner than the right, — that the right hand closed more strongly than the left, — that the tongue, when drawn out of the mouth, was carried towards the right commissure, — and that the right cheek was more convex than the left. Being then magnetised, and placed in a state of somnambulism, he repeated his former prescription of treatment, desiring that on the same day a sinapism should be applied to each of his legs for an hour and a half; that the next day he should take a bath of Bareges; and that, upon coming out of the bath, sinapisms should be again applied for twelve hours without interruption, sometimes to one place and sometimes to another; that, upon the following day, having taken a bath, hood should be drawn from his right arm to the extent of a palette and a half. ma y, le added, that by following this treatment, he would be enabled, on the 28th, to walk without crutches. The prescribed treatment was followed ; and on the 28th, iii t ie piesence of the committee, he came, supported on his crutches, into the tonsu ting-room of the hospital, where, being magnetised as usual, lie was placed n u state of somnambulism. He then declared to the committee that he should U' U|'n t() | without the use of his crutches, and without support. Upon being 0/,:“™ Tle ca ^or h's crutches. The committee told him that he had no need ormi-rl i ?■ 1' ose» uud supported himself on the paralysed leg, passed through the sofon/l 0 ° pW<;<; him, descended the step of the consulting room, crossed the second court of the hosniinl ' ^ 8 l/lnrl 1