CHAPTER XXXVI 



MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM — CORRESPONDENCE WITH 

 SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY MEN 



I have already described my first introduction to mesmerism 

 at Leicester, how I found that I had considerable mesmeric 

 power myself, and could produce all the chief phenomena 

 on some of my patients ; while I also satisfied myself that 

 almost universal opposition and misrepresentations of the 

 medical profession were founded upon a combination of 

 ignorance and prejudice. I will here only add that my brother 

 Herbert also possessed the power, and that when we were 

 residing together at Manaos, he used to call up little Indian 

 boys out of the street, give them a copper, and by a little 

 gazing and a few passes send them into the trance state, and 

 then produce all the curious phenomena of catalepsy, loss of 

 sensation, etc., which I have already described. This was 

 interesting because it showed that the effects could be pro- 

 duced without any expectation on the part of the patients, and, 

 further, that similar phenomena followed as in Europe, 

 although these boys had certainly no knowledge of such phe- 

 nomena. One day, I remember, when we were going out 

 collecting, we entered an Indian's hut, where we had often 

 been before, and my brother quietly began mesmerizing a 

 young man nearly his own age. He did not entrance him, but 

 obtained enough influence to render his arm rigid. This he 

 instantly relaxed, and asked the Indian to lie down on the 

 floor, which he did. My brother then made a pass along his 

 body, and said, " Lie there till we return." The man tried to 

 rise but could not, though several of his relatives were pres- 

 ent. We then walked out, he crying and begging to be loosed. 

 Thinking he would certainly overcome the influence we went 

 on, and coming back about two hours later we found the 



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