256 ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH. 



breath upon the bright mirror held to the mouth. We began 

 to fear he was actually dead. He then began to breathe 

 softly.' Colonel Townsend repeated the experiment several 

 times during his illness, and could always render himself in- 

 sensible at will. 



Lastly, I may mention a case, which, however, though 

 illustrating in some degree the influence of bodily illness on 

 the mind, shows still more strikingly how the mind may 

 influence the body that of Louise Lateau, the Belgian 

 peasant This girl had been prostrated by a long and 

 exhausting illness, from which she recovered rapidly after 

 receiving the sacrament. This circumstance made a strong 

 impression on her mind. Her thoughts dwelt constantly 

 on the circumstances attending the death of Christ. At 

 length she noticed that, on every Friday, blood came from 

 a spot in her left side. * In the course of a few months 

 similar bleeding spots established themselves on the front 

 and back of each hand, and on the upper surface of each 

 foot, while a circle of small spots formed in the forehead, 

 and the haemorrhage from these recurred every Friday, some- 

 times to a considerable amount. About the same time, fits 

 of ecstasy began to occur, commencing every Friday between 

 eight and nine in the morning, and ending about six in the 

 evening ; interrupting her in conversation, in prayer, or in 

 manual occupations. This state/ says Dr. Carpenter, 

 'appears to have been intermediate between that of the 

 biologised and that of the hypnotised subject ; for whilst as 

 unconscious as the latter of all sense-impressions, she re- 

 tained, like the former, a recollection of all that had passed 

 through her mind during the ecstasy. She described her- 

 self as suddenly plunged into a vast flood of bright light, 

 from which more or less distinct forms began to evolve 

 themselves ; and she then witnessed the seyeral scenes of 

 the Passion successively passing before her. She minutely 

 described the cross and the vestments, the wounds, the 

 crown of thorns about the head of the Saviour, and gave 

 various details regarding the persons about the cross, the 



