on the actual State of Magnetism in Germamj. 365 



and continued researches. Ask these reasoners, who fill the me- 

 dical and literary journals with their satires and declamations, 

 whether they ever applied seriously to the study of the doctrine 

 they attack; — in all probahility, not one of tliem grounds his as- 

 sertions on experiments tried by himself. Many of them fancy 

 it would derogate from their dignity, even to make an inquiry 

 on a subject against which tliev are prejudiced. Since the pub- 

 lication of the first Memoir of M. de Puysegur, printed in 17S4, 

 a great many collections of facts have been published both in 

 France and Germany. Some of these were probably of doubt- 

 ful authority, but many were authenticated. Tiie works of 

 Messrs, Wienhold, Gmelin, Kluge, and still more recently that 

 of Mr. Dcleuze, contain a body of doctrine not one word of 

 which is contrary to the actual state of the medical sciences. 

 The phsenomena there mentioned are given witliout exaggera- 

 tion; the proofs discussed with impartiality: and yet the ene- 

 mies of magnetism repeat the objections which are there re- 

 futed : — if they have taken the trouble of reading them, it must 

 have been very superficially and with strong prejudice. In 

 nuoting from them, they cite a few sentences, which being de- 

 tached from what precedes and from what follows, give occasion 

 for ridicule. I do not see any candour in this mode of making 

 quotations, but there is certainly in it great levity; and it is not 

 by such means that they can ever arrive at positive results. 



Magnetism had the misfortune to fall during the infancy of 

 the discovery into the hands of individuals entirely ignorant of 

 the elements of physiology and medicine. Some persons per- 

 verted it for their own interest, and thus abused a doctrine Vihich 

 they were not called on to profess, and the truth of which they 

 even brought into disrepute by the pretensions of quackery. 

 The regular physicians withdrew from the practice in piopovtion 

 as these empyrics gained ground : tb.ey abandoned the practice 

 of magnetism, and endeavoured to bring it into contempt, la 

 consequence of this, for a long time the examination of the phae- 

 nomena it presented was given up to men who had not suflfi- 

 tient instruction to weigh the circumstances in order to connect, 

 and compare them with other phaenomena of nature. We are 

 8tiU engaged in establishing facts which have been seen a thou- 

 sand times ; in seeking the laws by which they must invariably 

 be reproduced ; in distinguishing what belongs to this new prin- 

 ciple, from what might be effected by other causes. Those 

 sciences which treat of the physical properties of animal bodies 

 liavc advanced more rapidly. Electricity, galvanism, mineral 

 magnetism have been studied ; and although the phsenomena 

 which they present arc ncitiicr less singular nor less inexplicable 

 thaii those of magnetism, we have not neglected to examine, to 



establish, 



