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It may be of interest if I quote from The English Malady, or 

 Treatise of Nervous DiMfixe* of all Kinds, by G. Cheyne (1733), the 

 famous case of Colonel Townshencl. 



" Case of the Hon. Colonel Towns/tend. Colonel Townshend, a gentleman of excellent 

 natural parts, and of great honour and integrity, had for many years been afflicted with a 

 nephritick complaint, attended with constant vomitings, which had made his life painful 

 and miserable. During the whole time of his illness, he had observed the strictest 

 regimen, living on the softest vegetables and lightest animal foods, drinking ass's milk 

 daily, even in the camp : and for common drink Bristol water, which, the summer before 

 his death, he had drunk on the spot. But his illness increasing, and his strength 

 decaying, he came from Bristol to Bath in a litter, in autumn, and lay at the Bell Inn. 

 Dr. Baynard (who is since dead) and I were called to him, and attended him twice a day 

 for about the space of a week, but his vomitings continuing still incessant, and 

 obstinate against all remedies, we despaired of his recovery. While he was in this 

 condition, he sent for us early one morning : we waited on him, with Mr. Skrine his 

 apothecary (since dead also) ; we found his senses clear, and his mind calm, his nurse 

 and several servants were about him. He had made his will and settled his affairs. He 

 told us, he had sent for us to give him some account 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 some how, he could come to life again : 

 which it seems he had sometimes tried before he had sent for us. We heard this with 

 surprise, but as it was not to be accounted for from now common principles, we could 

 hardly believe the fact as he related it, much less give an account of it : unless he should 

 please to make the experiment before us, which we were unwilling he should do, lest, 

 in his weak condition, he might carry it too far. He continued to talk very distinctly 

 and sensibly above a quarter of an hour about this (to him) surprising sensation, and 

 insisted so much on our seeing the trial made, that we were at last forced to comply. 

 We all three felt his pulse first : it was distinct, though small and thready : and his 

 heart had its usual beating. He 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 gradually, till at 

 last I could not feel any, by the most exact and nice touch. Dr. Baynard could not feel 

 the least motion of 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 appearance as well as we could, and all of us judging it 

 inexplicable and unaccountable, and finding he still continued in that condition, we began 

 to conclude that he had indeed carried the experiment too far, and at last were satisfied 

 he was actually dead, and were just ready to leave him. This continued about half 

 an hour. By nine o'clock in the morning in autumn, as we were going away, we 

 observed some motion about the body, and, upon examination, found the pulse and 

 the motion of his heart gradually returning : he began to breathe gently and speak softly : 

 we were all astonished to the last degree at this unexpected change, and after some 

 further conversation with him, and among ourselves, we went away fully satisfied as to 

 all the particulars of this fact, but confounded and puzzled, and not able to form any 

 rational scheme that might account for it. He afterwards called for his attorney, added 

 a codicil to his will, settled legacies on his servants, received the sacrament, and calmly 

 and composedly expired about five or six o'clock that evening. Next day he was opened 

 (as he ordered) ; his body was the soundest and best made I had ever seen ; his lungs 

 were fair, large and sound, his heart big and strong, and his intestines sweet and clean ; 

 his stomach was of a due proportion, the coats sound and thick, and the villous membrane 

 quite entire. But when we came to examine the kidneys, tho' the left was perfectly 



