Human physiology, with which is incorporated much of the elementary part of the Institutiones physiologicae of J.F. Blumenbach.

  • Elliotson, John, 1791-1868.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Human physiology, with which is incorporated much of the elementary part of the Institutiones physiologicae of J.F. Blumenbach. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    accustomed to an opiate pill, or the evacuation of the bowels of a person accustomed to a cathartic, though a pill of crumb of bread be substituted without his knowledge, proves that neither opium nor colocynth has medicinal properties: nor because the mere sight of a steamer will cause sickness in those who have been sea-sick, that a ship's motion has no such effect. It is also to be remembered that the susceptibility fluctuates; that it will be high or low for days, and may vary in the same day. As soon as it is found to vary, the particular experiments in which we are engaged should be desisted from. A moderate number of experiments increases the susceptibility, but many exhaust it. Those with passes only, and by traction, scarcely exhaust; but those with metals and water very soon take off the susceptibility, and derange and debilitate the system. And this is not by tiring the patient; because mere mesmerism, by passes of the hand fixing and stupefying them all day, rather refreshes than tires, and because, when the susceptibility to passes has declined, it may be at once augmented again by ope- rating two or three times with gold. From some modification of the power by the metal or water, after strong or continued results from either, there frequently is no susceptibility at all ; and, after this absence of susceptibility, every now and then, the system beginning to recover itself, an experiment succeeds. But, if experiments are repeated thus early, the susceptibilitj- is again exhausted presently, and effects no longer result till it has accumulated again. An early experiment soon exhausts it again; and thus an ignorant person, determined to make experi- ments at all hazards, as though he had inanimate matter before him, is confounded, and, if conceited and overbearing, presumes to pronounce all an imposition. When these points are remem- bered, as well as the fact of the different degree of susceptibility of the two sisters and the peculiarity of susceptibility in each, no wonder that strange inferences should have been drawn, and much nonsense written against palpable truth.« e As much of the subject was new, and required very careful investigation, I refrained from publishing my results ; but, to prevent all objection and malignity, I made every experiment with open doors, and gave every body all the facilities of observation in my power. Altliougli the results of the experiments were real, and without deception in the eyes of every person capable of observation (and fewer can observe well than reason), exceptions, difficulties, and failures, con-