Neurypnology; or, The rationale of nervous sleep, considered in relation with animal magnetism. Illustrated by cases of its application in the relief and cure of disease / by James Braid.

Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Neurypnology; or, The rationale of nervous sleep, considered in relation with animal magnetism. Illustrated by cases of its application in the relief and cure of disease / by James Braid. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    contraction of the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscles. The dorsal part of the spine and shoulders were thrown backwards, the lumber vertebral and pelvis were thrown forwards, so that the deformity was very great, and the vigour of the mind, as well as of the body, was greatly impaired. She had no medicine nor external application, but was hypnotized night and morning, and treated in the manner referred to, and the result was, that in six weeks she could hold herself so much better, that when the outline was taken, it was found that her spine was three inches nearer the perpendicular than when I first saw her. During this period, no mechanical means had been used, nor throughout any part of the time she was under my care were any resorted to, with the excep- tion of a support for the chin, by way of remem- brancer, till the habit of attention was acquired of supporting the head by mere muscular effort, which she now had the full power of doing. Nor should I omit to add, there was also a great improvement in the mental faculties. Neuralgic pain in the heart and palpitation, I have also found to be relieved, or entirely cured, by neuro- hypnotism, more certainly and speedily, than by any other means. The following are examples : — Case LIV. Miss Tomlinson, 16 years of age, I have already referred to. She had suffered severely from painful affection of the heart, with palpitation, which had resisted ail treatment, and she had been pre- scribed for by eminent professional men, both physi- cians and surgeons. After being twice hypnotized, the affection of the heart disappeared, aud has never returned but once, when it was immediately