9&2 RATIONALE OF TRANCE, MESMERISM, 



the action of the heart becomes almost extin- 

 guished, the surface pale, and the individual ex- 

 hibits scarcely any appearance of life. In many 

 respects, the phenomena resemble the effects 

 produced by the influence of what has been 

 termed animal magnetism. After mesmerizing 

 about 100 persons of different classes, and both 

 sexes, Dr. Sigmond states, that he found females 

 much more easily affected by his manipulations 

 than males ; that in some, they brought on sleep, 

 or stupor in others, fainting, hysteria, convul- 

 sions, and even trance ; that respiration became 

 imperceptible, the pulse feeble, the extremities 

 cold, and the features pallid ; that in the case of 

 a young lady in Fitzroy Square, it induced all 

 the symptoms of suspended animation, which 

 lasted four hours.* (Lancet, Dec. 9, 1837.) 



* Dr. Sigmond very justly refers the phenomena to diminished 

 respiration ; for he says, " the principle is precisely that of stealing 

 the breath away." Yet he maintains, that " the act consists in 

 obliging the person to breathe again the carbonic acid previously 

 expired." But this theory is quite as satisfactory and explicit 

 as that of John Hunter, who defines trance as " the natural ef- 

 fect of a disposition in the person to have the action of life sus- 

 pended for a time." (Obs. on the An. Economy, p. 109.) All 

 such cases should be treated by first arousing the circulation by 

 artificial respiration, the warm bath, friction, sternutatories, and 

 afterwards prevented by avoiding the exciting causes, not except- 

 ing the manipulations of mesmerism, which cannot fail to de- 

 range the healthy state of the nervous system in weak females. 



The advocates of Mesmerism admit, that trance, sleep walking, 

 catalepsy, and other similar affections of the nervous system, are 



