How to mesmerise : a manual of instruction in the history, mysteries, modes of procedure, and arts of mesmerism, or, animal magnetism, hypnotism, clairvoyance, thought reading, and mesmeric entertainments / by James Coates.

  • Coates, James, 1843-1933.
Date:
[between 1890 and 1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: How to mesmerise : a manual of instruction in the history, mysteries, modes of procedure, and arts of mesmerism, or, animal magnetism, hypnotism, clairvoyance, thought reading, and mesmeric entertainments / by James Coates. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    124/136 (page 112)
    manifested. “ Acquisitiveness ” will indicate a desire to have ; while “Benevolence” a desire to give. The special direction of either will depend upon what other organs are excited in unison therewith. To allay the cerebral excitement, blow steadily on the organ or organs af- fected. Drs. Elliotson, Braid, Spencer T. Hall, Mr. Atkinson, W. Jackson, Sergeant Cox, and others, paid considerable attention to this branch of experiments. Dr. Spencer Hall is naturally the authority whose experiments were to me the most interesting. Many of these were carried out upon persons in the waking as well as in the sleeping condition. Two or three instances will suffice to illustrate this part of the subject. During some public experiments given by the writer in the Queen’s Hall, Bold Street, Liverpool, about eleven years ago, one of the subjects kept time to the music by a lateral movement of his head. Desirous of testing the effect, I instructed the musicians to make a noise—in discordant musical notes, made in rapid succession, without rhythmic connection. The subject ceased to move his head, shuddered, and looked painfully distressed. On asking what was the matter, he replied he had a severe pain in his head, pointing at the same time to the organ of “ Tune.” On directing the musicians to play the “ Blue Danube ” waltz, the lateral movement of the subject’s head commenced again. The discordant experiment was tried once more, with similar but intensified results. I was now quite satisfied. I blew upon the organ, and eventually care- fully demesmerised the subject, and released him from all further influence that evening, reserving him after- wards—according to my usual practice—for phreno- mesmeric experiments only.