THE CASE OF COLONEL TOWNSHEND. 189 



He relates how Colonel Townshend, who was suffer- 

 ing from a known malady, came from Bristol to Bath 

 in a litter, to drink the waters and to obtain Dr. 

 Cheyne's advice. 



He was attended by Dr. Cheyne, a Dr. Baynard, 

 and Mr. Skrine ; the last an apothecary, who always 

 danced attendance on the physicians of those days. 

 The Colonel informed his medical men of " an odd 

 sensation he had for some time observed and felt in 

 himself, which was that, composing himself, he could 

 die or expire when he pleased, and yet by an effort, or 

 somehow, he could come to life again which it seems," 

 says Dr. Cheyne, " he had sometimes tried before he 

 had sent for MS!" This statement naturally puzzled 

 the doctors. Like wise men of science they could and 

 did say nothing until they were well assured of the 

 reality of what sounded like a physiological romance. 

 Accordingly, the Colonel told them he was willing to 

 make the experiment in their presence, and the follow- 

 ing is Dr. Cheyne's account of what he and his co- 

 medicos saw : 



The Colonel " composed himself on his back, and 

 lay in a still posture some time ; while I held his right 

 hand, Dr. Baynard laid his hand on his heart, and Mr. 

 Skrine held a clean looking-glass to his mouth. I 

 found his pulse sink gradually, till at last I could not 

 feel any, by the most exact and nice touch. Dr. 

 Baynard could not feel the least motion in his heart, 

 nor Mr. Skrine the least soil of breath on the bright 

 mirror he held to his mouth ; then each of us by turns 

 examined his arm, heart, and breath, but could not, by 

 the nicest scrutiny, discover the least symptom of life 

 in him. We reasoned a long time about this odd ap- 

 pearance as well as we could, and all of us judging it 



