u 



It is said tbat the Drillingore nailbournehas been 

 known to flow twice in one year, and in one 

 instance in harvest time, when the farmers on 

 leaving ehurch had to move the shocks of reaped 

 corn out of the way of the coming stream. 

 Probably as years go on, as the hills get lower and 

 as the percolating water dissolves more and 

 larger channels through the chalk and so lessen 

 the resistance in finding its level, these nailbournes 

 ^7ill be no more and these interesting valleys will 



be left dry. My investigation has induced me to 

 think that such a theory as I have put before you 

 to-night is the action going on, in and under our 

 nailbourne valleys, and such is the theory I have 

 submitted with a set of photographs to the 

 Geological Committee of the British Association. 



The lecture was illustrated by means of a large 

 number of excellent lantern slides, and at its close 

 the Ifcturer was accorded a very hearty vote of 

 thanks. 



TENTH WINTER MEETING— MARCH 21st, 1905. 



'THE MIND, ITS INFLUENCE OVER THE BODY."— By Mr. W. E. SMITH. 



A meating was held in the Reference Library of 

 the Beiney Institute on Tuesday, March 2l8t, 

 when there was a very good attendance, presided 

 over by Mr. Sidney Harvey. On the proposition 

 of Mr. Lander, Mr. H. Page, of Beverley House, 

 was elected a member of the Society. 



The Hon. Secretary announced that the Royal 

 Photographic Society had arrant^ed for a third 

 lantern slide competition. Members could each 

 send three lantern slides, and these should be sent 

 in early in May. 



Mr. W. E. Smith then read an interest- 

 ing paper on "The Phenomena of the Mind," 

 which wa3 listened to with close attention. 

 The phenomena of the mind is a study which has 

 for aj^es had its students — we may trace it back 

 to the eirlie&t records in our museums. The 

 mesmeric passes were familiar to the ancient 

 Egyptians, and the early Greek records show 

 traces of the same thing. We have an account of 

 the laying on of hands for curative purposes in 

 what is called the Ebas Papyrus, which dates back 

 to IS-'iO E c. One of the old Greek writers (Solon, 

 who lived about GOO y oars b c.) wrote, of which 

 the following is a translation : 



The smallest hurts sometimes increase and rage 

 More than all art of physic can assuage ; 

 Sometimes the fury of the worst disease, 

 The hand hy ^entle stroking? can appease. 

 Pliny refers to the same thin^, Tacitus and 

 Suelonis speak of cures effected in like manner. 

 Our New Testament gives evidt-nce of many 

 strange hajpsnings both oa the part of Christ 

 himself and also of others, some of which were 

 approved and some of which caused His displeasure. 

 No scientific principlfS, however, seem to be 

 bvulvedor considered until about the middle ages, 

 when we read of magnetic theories upon which 

 were based the numerous phenomena which 

 occurred. Pomponatius.a profesEeor of philosophy 

 at Padua, held a theory that the will was capable 

 of producing effects on the minds and organs of 

 other persons. He tried to prove that sickness 

 and disease were curable by means of magnetism 

 existing in each person: he says " When those 

 who are endowed by this faculty operate by em- 

 ploying the force of the imagination and the will, 

 this force effect<* their blood and spirits, which 



produce the intended effects by means of an 

 evaporation thrown outwards." The magnetic 

 theory was popular when in 1734 Mesmer came 

 upon the scene. He studied as a doctor in 

 Vienna, and while there became attracted by the 

 wonderful cures by a Jesuit Priest— Father Hebl 

 — who based them on the theory of magnetism 

 produced by steel plates and magnets. He then 

 proceeded to experiment for himself in the same 

 direction, and found on one occasion that he 

 could produce with his hands what was previously 

 believed to be due to the magnets. This changed 

 the whole position of things, and in 1775 he 

 issued a letter to the principal academies, in which 

 he propounded the idea that in man existed a 

 magnetic power which he called "animal masjnet- 

 ism," by means of which he insisted: — "Men 

 c mid mentally influence each other," but the 

 medical men in a body refused to have any- 

 thing to do with him and his wonders. 

 He then went to Paris, and at once threw that 

 city into the wildest excitement by the marvellous 

 effects of his manipulations, and crowds came to be 

 troated by him and many marvellous cures were 

 effected. He then appealed to the Government to 

 appoint a commission to investigate the phenomena 

 and at last had his wish. A commission consisting 

 of physicians and members of the Academy of 

 Science was appointed, but while they admitted 

 some of the facts claimed by Mesmer, they put 

 down the wonderful effects witnessed, to the 

 imagination of the patients, concludine to the 

 effect that the subject was not worthy of further 

 scientific invnstigation. Soon after this, Mesmer 

 quitted Paris, driven out by the inhospitality of 

 the medical profession, and died in 1H15. He left, 

 however, behind him, a number of foUowe'-s who 

 continued his work, improving on his methods and 

 producing effects of which Mesmer never dreamt. 

 They healed the sick, cured the lame, caused the 

 blind to see, patients increased and flocked to their 

 centre in such numbers that the students were at 

 their wits end to know hew to deal with them. 

 They then resorted to one of Mesmer's methods 

 and mesmerised a tree, which seems to have been 

 efficacious in curing many diseases. They also 

 developed the clairvoyance in their subjects and 

 so aroused the interest of the medical profession^ 



