MESMERISM. 681 



till another female was mesmerised. She was an ignorant Irish 

 girl, and unprepared to expect any thing. In a minute she 

 plaintively entreated Mr. Chenevix not to proceed. The mani- 

 pulations " drew weakness into her, and made her feel faint." 

 She next complained of pain in the abdomen; on a few transverse 

 movements she said the pain was gone : the same thing occurred 

 several times, and once pain was complained of in the chest, 

 but ceased perfectly after a few transverse movements. He 

 darted an open hand towards one of her arms, and told her to 

 raise it ; she could scarcely move it : after a few transverse 

 movements, she declared the stiffness and uneasiness were gone, 

 and she moved it as well as the other. He produced all the 

 same effects on the other arm, and then upon one leg. Her eyes 

 were closed as perfectly as could be, and, a piece of paper weigh- 

 ing, perhaps, a grain, being placed upon one foot, she instantly 

 was unable to raise it ; the paper was removed, and she raised it 

 directly. All these things were repeated again and again, I tell- 

 ing Mr. Chenevix, in French, which part I wished to be rendered 

 powerless and which to be restored and she being prevented as 

 much as possible from seeing. " Deception was impossible. Mr. C. 

 looked round at me, and asked, in French, if I was satisfied. I 

 really felt ashamed to say no ; and yet I could scarcely credit 

 my senses enough to say yes. I remained silent. He then 

 asked me, still in a language unintelligible to the patient, ' shall 

 I bring back a pain, or disable a limb for you once more.' I 

 of course requested that he would do so. He complied instantly, 

 giving her a pain in the chest once, and disabling her several 

 times from moving her limbs, and removing those effects at 

 pleasure, according to the intentions he avowed to me ; the 

 whole taking place exactly as it had done in my former trial with 

 this woman." x 



From this time I was satisfied that such a power as mes- 

 merism exists, and hoped some day to inquire into it. I had no 

 opportunity, however, before the arrival of Baron Dupotet in this 



* I allowed Mr. Chenevix to publish my memoranda of what I saw. They 

 will be found in the London Medical and Physiol. Journ. for Oct. 1829, which 

 contains the last of a series of papers by him on mesmerism. He did not print 

 them with perfect fairness, but omitted two or three comments, and I think 

 facts, unfavourable to mesmerism, in regard to those cases in which the effects 

 were none or doubtful. 



