Account of a case of successful amputation of the thigh during the mesmeric state, without the knowledge of the patient : read to the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, on Tuesday, the 22nd of November, 1842 / by W. Topham and W. Squire Ward.

  • Topham, Sir William.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Account of a case of successful amputation of the thigh during the mesmeric state, without the knowledge of the patient : read to the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, on Tuesday, the 22nd of November, 1842 / by W. Topham and W. Squire Ward. 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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    then removed to another room; and, following immediately, I asked him in the presence of those assembled, to describe all he felt or knew, after he was mesmerised. His reply was, / never knew anything more; and never felt any pain at all: I, once, felt as if I heard a kind of crunch- ing'' I asked if that were painful ? He replied, No pain at all! I never had any; and knew nothing, till I was awakened by that strong stuff'' (the sal volatile). The crunching, no doubt, was the sawing his own thigh bone. He was left, easy and comfortable ; and still found so, at nine o'clock that night: about which hour, I again mesmerised him (in a minute and three quarters), and he slept an hour and a half I may further add that, on the Monday following, the first dressing of his wound was in mesmeric sleep. Of this dressing, usually accompanied by much soreness and smarting, he felt nothing; slept long after it was completed ; was ignorant of Mr. Ward's intention; and, after awakening, remained unconscious of its having been done. Mr. W. S. Ward's own valuable statement, in accordance with his personal observation and