Mesmerism true, mesmerism false : a critical examination of the facts, claims and pretensions of animal magnetism / edited by John Forbes ; with an appendix, containing a report of two exhibitions by Alexis.

Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mesmerism true, mesmerism false : a critical examination of the facts, claims and pretensions of animal magnetism / edited by John Forbes ; with an appendix, containing a report of two exhibitions by Alexis. 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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    scious of her protracted sleep. On the future returns of these paroxysms, winch were frequent, the same plan was adopted, and she awoke, after intervals of thirty- six, forty-eight, and, on one occasion, sixty-three hours, without seeming to have suffered from want of food, or otherwise. (Vol. i, p. 372.) It will be noticed in the above account, that it was only after the loss of some ounces of blood that the patient awoke from the lethargic sleep; and that the circumstance was dependent, apparently, upon the deple- tion sustained, rather than upon any pain inflicted by application of the scarificator. . ... d. The subjoined account of a case very much resembling those which have preceded, is taken from Duncan's ' Medical Commentaries,' and is related by Dr. J. Fitzpatrick of Dublin ; in this instance, we have the sudden and spontaneous coming on of utter insensibility to externa! stimulants, with many of the outward appearances of death, the patient being in fair average health up to the moment of the attack. Mrs. G— P— was a full woman, about the age of thirty-five. She was the mother of several children; but, at the time of her illness, was not pregnant. She had not been so well for some time before with respect to as for- merly, But in other respects she was in perfect health. In this situation, as she was standing at a table, with some clothes in her hand, she suddenly, without making any sort of complaint to a maid then in the room, inclined forward, and remained in that position for some time. The maid's curi- osity induced her to stir her mistress, on which she seemed to fall, or incline still more over the table, but did not, in any respect, resist the maid. This surprised the maid very much, and finding her mistress both speechless and motionless, she called for the assistance of the other servants, who endeavoured to rouse her by the vapours of hartshorn, vinegar, and the like, but to no purpose. She was then laid on a bed, a vein was opened, but not a drop of blood was discharged. In vain did they endeavour to awake her; and after spending near two hours in a variety of treatment, they laid her out for dead. Several hours had elapsed from the time of the attack before I saw her. Upon entering the room, I was told by a clergyman, that all was over, for that she had been dead for more than two hours. After having asked several questions with respect to the attitude in which she was first discovered, I concluded that the ori- ginal attack was cataleptic The first thing which I thought necessary was to raise ber hands, and having found them in such a state as to remain in any position in which I placed them, I had no longer the least doubt of the existence of a real catalepsia. I instantly loosed her legs, and every other structure which had been placed about her chin and breast. I removed the cold sheets, and or- dered her to be wrapped in warm blankets. I directed that two girdles should be warmed, one of which was to be introduced under the shoulders and back, and the other lower down. Hot bricks were likewise applied to the soles of her feet; and her body, legs, and arms were rubbed with very strong spirits and mustard. I applied eau de luce and strong hartshorn to the nose. I introduced volatile spirits as far down the throat as I could by means of a female catheter. But all these measures, though frequently repeated, were to little purpose. Having tried these active remedies, together with the other agents mentioned, and not being able to discover either pulsation or breathing, excepting, as 1 ima- gined, a slight tremulous motion of the heart, my hopes were almost at an end. But I was determined to persist, in order, if possible, to relieve her After perseverance for an hour, she showed evident signs of being affected. In less than two hours she opened her eyes. She attempted also to speak, but could not articulate Her recovery went on gradually, and after it was com- pleted, she told me that, for some time before I came, she had a knowledge of what the attendants were doing about her. But she had not, iu the smallest de-