The introduction of mesmerism, as an anæsthetic and curative agent, into the hospitals of India / by James Esdaile, M.D.

  • Esdaile, James, 1808-1859.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The introduction of mesmerism, as an anæsthetic and curative agent, into the hospitals of India / by James Esdaile, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    16 what he had never heard of. But, allowing that he had sup- pressed all expression of pain by a powerful effort of his will, it was absurd to suppose that he could, by any act of volition^ controul the movements of an involuntary organ like the iris. II. That, as the man could not possibly imagine what was expected, there could be no imagination at work in the matter. III. That there was no consent or mental sympathy be- tween the parties; and it has been seen that there was no sug- gestion. IV. That it was not necessary for the patient's eyes to be open. From these conclusions I inferred, that the influence exerted by me was of a purely physical nature; and that if persons could be reduced to this degree of coma by the mesmeric pro- cesses, it would be possible to perform the most severe sui-gi- cal operations without their knowledge; and that the muscular system being perfectly passive, it would gi-eatly assist us in overcoming muscular and ligamentous contractions of the limbs. It also appeared probable to me, that if the trance could be sufficiently prolonged, active inflammations might be resolved by the natural curative powers of the system in the absence of all pain and irritation, which are the fuel that support inflammatory action. It was also a very easy inference, that such a power must be extensively useful as a general curative agent; for, if asked what power I most coveted for the cure of disease, I should have replied, Enable me to make people sleep as long as I please, without any of the subsequent evil effects from nar- cotics, and I will engage to cure a great variety of diseases by this remedy alone. I shall now proceed to shew whether these conclusions and inferences were well founded, for I lost no time in testing them all by actual experiment. Having ascertained from my first case that coma might be induced with the patient's eyes closed, and feeling the neces- sity of an easy attitude for both parties when one had to labour for an horn* at a time perhaps, I mesmerised my next patient lying in bed with his eyes closed, and in a darkened room.