MAGNETISM. 407 



Magnetism as a Medical Agent It is not pretended 

 that magnetism cures all diseases; some are no doubt beyond its 

 reach, but it is certainly a valuable auxiliary of medicine and every 

 physician should welcome it to his field of labor and make himself 

 familiar with its principles and practice, because a general know- 

 ledge of them would, as has been proved by thousands of experi- 

 ments, relieve many of the ills of life and keep multitudes from 

 untimely graves. Says Baron Dupotet, "The value of such a dis- 

 covery as animal magnetism is to be estimated, not by the evils by 

 which its unskillful administration may give rise, but by the posi- 

 tive good which may be derived from it. Already we have seen 

 that during the state of magnetic insensibility the most painful 

 surgical operations may be performed and the patient remain the 

 whole time in a state of unconsciousness. Is this not a boon to 

 suffering humanity? This is not all; the most obstinate and pain- 

 ful chronic diseases have been relieved and perfectly cured by its 

 application. It was the successful treatment and cure of diseases 

 which had notoriously resisted every other remedy that compelled 

 the sturdiest and most inveterate of our antagonists to recognize the 

 influence of magnetism, and when these facts were demonstrated 

 beyond all reasonable controversy it remained for them to seek in 

 the shadows of their imagination the solution of the mystery. In 

 epilepsy, hysteria, neuralgia, chronic rheumatism, headache, I know 

 of no remedy so immediate and availing. How often have I seen 

 the victim of pain writhing in the most acute agony, sink under its 

 influence into a state of most placid composure. 



We submit the following directions for its application: 



For headache, place your hand upon the part affected and exer- 

 cise a constant and benevolent desire to relieve pain, and after hold- 

 ing it there a few minutes pass it lightly over the head from right 

 to left. If the pain is occasioned by the stomach, next place your 

 hand on it and proceed as with the head. If the headache is accom- 

 panied with cold feet, after holding the hands on the head for a 

 short time, draw them slowly from the head downwards, along the 

 sides to the knees; soon the head will be relieved and the feet 

 become warm. If the pain has existed for years, it is chronic and 

 must have a prolonged treatment. 



In rheumatism, if local, place your hand where pain is felt, 

 hold it there for fifteen or twenty minutes, then pass it lightly to 

 the extremity of the feet and thus continue for ten minutes, but if 

 the limbs generally are affected make passes a short distance from 

 them to their extremities for an hour or more; if the disease is 

 chronic repeat the operation daily until the relief is complete, and 

 so with every chronic disease. 



The magnetic sleep is highly restorative and should always be 

 resorted to when the complaint is general; but when there is simply 

 a local pain or disease, there is no necessity for it. 



For toothache, hold the hand to the part affected for a few 



