Electrical-psychology, or, The electrical philosophy of mental impressions, including a new philosophy of sleep and of consciousness / from the works of J.B. Dods and J.S. Grimes ; revised and edited by H.G. Darling.

  • Grimes J. Stanley (James Stanley), 1807-1903.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Electrical-psychology, or, The electrical philosophy of mental impressions, including a new philosophy of sleep and of consciousness / from the works of J.B. Dods and J.S. Grimes ; revised and edited by H.G. Darling. 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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    human beings, and all animated existences, are sub- ject to tbe same common electrical law tbat pervades the universe, and moves all worlds under the superin- tendence of the involuntary powers of the Infinite Spirit. That all substances are incorporated in the body of man, is irresistibly true, otherwise he could not inure himself to all, even to the most deadly poisons, and render them, in a good degree, harmless in his system. He may so accustom himself to the use of tobacco, rum, or even opium, that he can take into the stomach a quantity sufl&cient to produce the death of several individuals, while he himself will experience from it but a slight effect. He may even commence the use of arsenic in small quantities, gradually increasing the dose, till he gets incorporated into his system a suffi- cient quantity to kill, for instance, five men. As in this case it forms a part of his body, so it causes a longing for it 'in proportion to the quantity in the sys- tem. Should he now take a portion sufficient to kill five men, it would only produce a balance of power with that already in his system. It would meet the demand. This is habitude. But should he take one portion more, sufficient to kill any other man, he would die. Now it would be impossible for a man to inure himself to any such substances, unless there were some small particle in the composition of his body on which to build. Hence it is philosophically true, that man is an epitome of the universe, and that all the elements, in exact proportions, are most skilfully combined in his system by the hand of the Creator; and these propor-