follow, and bring us back, she expressed herself highly gratified at the proposal; she followed him as he went, and pointed out the spot where he met us. On our return, when she was asked by which way we had come back, she first, without thinking, named the usual route, but being told that she was in error, she appeared to consider for a little while, and then named the correct way; and when asked, she said she was not guessing, but knew it very well. Finding her powers somewhat stronger than usual we proceeded to test them further, and desired her to describe the man taking the tolls at a gate not very far distant. She described the man as stout, rather short, wearing a light-coloured hat, a blue jacket with black buttons, a black handkerchief tied in a slovenly manner round his neck, and drab trousers not of the nature of canvas, but of some woollen material. As from the description we could not divine who the man was, a gentleman went to ascertain, and on his return told us that the description of the man was quite accurate, and that the man was one only casually performing the office in the absence of the usual toll-keepers. After having met with success in this and other cases, and being satisfied from our own experimental knowledge of the existence of the faculty, we ceased to pursue our investigations farther, as we found other points of interest to attract attention. The faculty of discernment of the future we have not yet investigated, and must of necessity pass over. Mesmerists describe it as affording an increase of certainty in prospective consideration over that usually assigned, and speak of it with some degree of confidence. Besides these classes of phenomena there are others of a different nature, many of them depending on the local concentration of the mesmeric influence, in the application of which results of vast importance may be obtained as regards the knowledge of physiology; such experiments have hitherto had the greatest share of our attention. But as the consideration of them would lead us beyond mere Mesmerism, we will leave them, and describe in brief the methods of producing the phenomena. The reality and importance of the phenomena would be generally but little affected, whether the cause to which they are attributable be supposed to reside in the operator or in the patient; but still the deductions from the question are so far important, that it may be worth while to state that several phenomena, and more especially the methods of operating, appear to demonstrate that we must look for the cause in the mesmerizer. We think that the modes of operating found to be efficacious will form the best commentary on our text, with the introduction merely of observations where it may seem expedient. Many different modes have been adopted and described by different mesmerists, the foundation of which is the will or volition of the operator, independent of "the"faith" of either the operator or the subject; but still the power of the will is probably increased by faith. In addition to the will, it is generally requisite to establish a connection by contact, and the greater the number of points of contact the better, especially at the commencement of a course of sittings. These things then being generally necessary, we have obtained suc cess by employing the following methods, as described in the books. Let the subject be placed in an easy chair, or some such position, as would conduce to ordinary sleep, removed from noise and distraction; let the mesmeriser be placed face to face with the subject, knee to knee, and foot to foot, each hand holding a hand of the subject, and let the mind be firmly set on producing the effect desired; sometimes breathing on the hand and then applying it to the forehead, or over the eyes of the subject, will be found efficacious. As soon as a drowsiness appears, (seldom before this point,) let him begin to employ the mesmeric passes over the head, down as low as the epigastrium, the passes being made very slowly. Most persons know, that a pass is merely a motion of the hand made thus-let the hand be held horizontally, with the palm downwards, the tips of the fingers being close to the part of the subject under operation, and in this position let the hand be moved (downwards of course) accompanied by volition: when the hand is moved up again, some say that it is better to close it, the downward motion alone being intended to transmit the virtue. It being probable that the mesmeric influence is proceeding from the tips of the fingers into the subject, it will occur to most upon what parts of the head or body the principal operations should be directed. After a few sittings the above rules may often be dispensed with, and we revert to the volition alone. Thus we have been seated in an easy-chair in one room, and have entranced Miss A. in an easy-chair in another room. Further still, after many sittings, when our influence over her was sufficiently strong, we have produced a mesmeric effect on her when we were out of her presence, and when she did not expect it, and did not know where we were; we have met with several persons who have made experiments of this kind, but our own experience on this head is somewhat limited, because we found it very disagreeable to the subject to be operated on from a distance, the phenomenon of attraction being called into operation, and the drowsiness being attended with a sensation of pain across the eyebrows. This method of operating is deserving of many experiments, because it demonstrates beyond all controversy, in what quarter we are to look for the root of the mesmeric phenomena. We have made ourselves five different trials in all, on three individuals, each time we obtained a mesmeric effect beyond all doubt, but not the perfect mesmeric trance; we have made no trial without success, but the person on whom we intended to make many trials, after two trials grew nervous about it, and once or twice fancied that she was being mesmerized, when we at least were not performing the process; so we desisted in order that her nervous fears might subside. We must confess that these operations are far from pleasant to the subject of them, and perhaps it is well, that the success of such experiments should be partial and rare. After the trance is perfected, we proceed to isolate the subject, or to produce impossibility: this effected by paralyzing the cerebellum, where we suppose the seat of sensation to be; we also place the fingers on the entrance to the ear, and will to mesmerize, and also make what the French call "des passes a grands courants," i. e. slow passes from head to foot; the hand never being allowed to pass beyond the foot, under the idea that the mesmeric influence be not borne down too far and wasted. When we would provoke community of impressions of the senses, we follow the directions to make passes rapidly and vigorously before the face for a little while; this method we have found to be efficacious. To mesmerize any body or substance is merely to proceed as if an influence were emitted into it; sometimes it seems expedient to grasp or touch the body to be mesmerized; but often it is sufficient to point the fingers near it, and exert volition, or to make passes over it. A muscular action in the arm and fingers appears to increase the effect. To put a stranger into communication with the subject, we usually take a hand of each, and press them together with one hand. To awaken an entranced person there are many prescribed methods of manipulation, accompanied by volition, in all of which the proceedings resemble the removal of something that clings in and about the patient; the object being generally to remove this by brisk transverse passes, or to conduct it by guiding passes to the extremities, and thence by rapid motions to disperse it. When by these processes the person has been restored to consciousness, there will often remain a little stiffness in the eyebrows, or in some of the joints; this is in general easily removed by friction, or by blowing on them, or by rapid waving of the hand over them. We have succeeded in an occasional attempt to awaken the subject by volition alone, no motions of any kind being made; and it is worthy of remark, that the action on the patient appeared to be stronger, in proportion to a more vigorous effort of volition, but we found this method very laborious, and therefore only employed it two or three times. Mesmerists caution their readers to demesmerize themselves after having been engaged with any subject, lest they should become themselves affected with any of the maladies, which they have been removing; discussions of this and other necessary cautions may be found detailed at length in books that treat of the subject. There are many other ways of operating for particular cases, as in the removal of pains and such like, passes for soothing excitement, for imparting a sensation of warmth and various other effects, which depend much upon the volition, and are to be carefully attended to as circumstances may require, both during and after the process of entrancing. We will therefore give an extract from Ricard on this subject, merely premising that that writer acted and wrote under a firm conviction that the phenomena of Mesmerism were produced by the emission of the nervous fluid from the mesmerizer. "Vertigo, headaches, pains and buzzing in the ears, fluxions, inflammations, a multitude of pains, sprains, contusions, chilblains, glandular stoppages, can easily be healed by Magnetism. The following is the method in which I proceed. When the vertigo is accidental, strong passes on the head, attacking directly the centre of the pain, and warm breathings first to increase the violence of the pain; then changing all at once the method of action, cold breathings, at the same time passing the hands over the head, and absording the super abundance of nervous fluid in order to disengage it, and finally friction by pressing the summit of the head; this succeeds almost always. "If the vertigo is periodic, or of a sort which gives indications of being chronic, a single sitting will not be sufficient, and a course of treatment is necessary. The application of bandages of magnetised flannel will sometimes give much assistance. "When the head-ache (migraines) has its seat in the stomach, it is necessary to act on this organ directly. On such occasions I magnetise all the epigastric region, and I make some gentle frictions as far as the thighs. Lenticular glasses magnetised and applied on the pit of the stomach, have almost always succeeded. The sick person may also take some spoons-full of magnetized water. "To overcome ordinary head-aches, I magnetise by passes from head to foot (a grands courants,) drawing towards the feet the excess of blood, which is often the only cause of the ill. Foot baths magnetized, flannel socks also magnetized, and cold breathings from the top of the head to the lower part of the legs are also very advantageous. "In the case of buzzing and pains in the ears, I place my fingers collected together into a point at the orifice of the auditory passage, and after having emitted a certain quantity of fluid, I absorb as much as possible, which I take care to disengage afterwards, I also use successfully instead of the fingers a wand of glass. Small pieces of unspun cotton strongly magnetised and placed in the ear have also a powerful effect. "To overcome fluxions and inflammations, I magnetize "a grands courants" on the affected part, and I endeavour, as far as I can, to absorb the caloric, in order to free the patient from it, and to reestablish by this means the harmonious circulation of the different fluids. Bands saturated with cold water magnetized have often assisted me in healing them. I have also obtained very good effects by the application of carded cotton magnetized. "In the case of external pains, cramps, muscular contractions, &c., I magnetize by friction, pressure, and tractions of the skin. 66 For sprains I magnetize by application of the hands, and gentle pressure. "For contusions I magnetize by passes, impregnating with fluid the wounded part, then absorbing the caloric, and making passes 'a grands courants.' Breathings cold and courants' have often given good success. "Chilblains are easily cured, if they be not ulcerated, by making warm insufflations, and very gentle friction continued for some time. If there is ulceration, magnetized water must take the place of friction. "For glandular stoppages I magnetize first by passes, then I make warm insufflations through a linen cloth doubled three or four times; finally, insufflations warm and courants' through a glass tube. "It is essential, in my opinion, that the objects which have been magnetized specially for any one sick person, should be touched by this person alone, or by the magnetiser. "In all the following maladies; catalepsy, hysterics, alienation of VOL. I. 2 B mind, mania, frenzy, melancholy, hypochondria, epilepsy, St. Vitus' dance, paralysis, syncope, spasms, colic, gastritis, pains of the rheumatism and gout, asthma, atony stoppages, convulsions, neurosis, neuralgia, old and inveterate scrofulous humours, dropsy, stoppages of the viscera, chronic diseases, pains of the stomach, palpitations, angina, chlorosis, hematuria, hemoptysis, hemorrhoids, obstinate hemorrhage, hemostasis, hepatalgia, hepatitis, topical inflammaations, affections similar to ringworm, ills of the eyes, deafness, deafness with dumbness, rickets in young subjects, and a multitude of other severe affections, in all these magnetism can produce the most happy effects; but it must be conducted with much skill, power, and prudence. Powerful magnetisers rarely fail in obtaining radical cures of these maladies, especially when the invalids are in a state favourable to magnetism. "In maladies of women and children magnetism is a sovereign remedy." STANZAS. Oh! where are they now-the beautiful flowers And where are the birds that rejoiced in the hours?— I seek them in vain, they have fled from my sight; Oh! why? since so soon they have suffer'd a blight,— 'Tis mournful to think on the things that have been,- 'Tis sad to reflect on the joys we have seen, When o'er them Time's curtain is cast! My harp shall be hung on the willow that weeps, Its voice must be mute until Memory sleeps, THE FAINT STAR. Faint star, that tremblest in the far-off sky, E. With lofty hopes, and sought a heavenward flight- No more will sink in fear or hide in shame. DELTA. |