682 MESMERISM. 



country a few months back. As mesmerism is extolled in ner- 

 vous diseases, I selected three epileptic patients, a male and 

 two females, at University College Hospital, in whose disease 

 I despaired of doing any good : and one hysterical female, 

 who was said to have fits at such very distant intervals that I 

 really could not tell whether she had any thing the matter with 

 her, and who would not have been allowed to remain in the 

 Institution. Several students and other gentlemen and myself 

 submitted to the manipulations. On some gentlemen no effect 

 was produced, but the process was not repeated above once or 

 at all in them : of the greater number, some experienced a 

 tingling or some strange sensation in the arms, legs, or face, fre- 

 quently with little twitchings, an oppression and unusual heaving 

 of the chest in respiration : and some always felt a heaviness 

 or unusual sensation about the forehead, and even drowsiness, 

 convincing them that they were under some strange influence, 

 and on repetition experienced nothing more ; I was mesmerised 

 frequently, and always but once with the effect of tingling and 

 twitchings only. Those who had never heard of tingling and 

 twitching being the result, but conceived they were to be sent 

 to sleep, experienced these effects abundantly ; and many, who 

 sat down laughing at the whole as nonsense, honestly confessed 

 they were affected by some influence. Some of these had 

 witnessed the soporific power of the process, and believed in mes- 

 merism, like myself, and yet none could be sent to sleep. Avisiter 

 one day was put to sleep, but he never returned, and I did not 

 see him. The four patients were sent fast asleep, the man 

 always, and in from five to ten minutes ; occasionally in longer 

 time, occasionally in less. One of the epileptic females was 

 manipulated very often before she slept, although she was de- 

 lighted at the process and mortified whenever she was not sub- 

 jected to it with the others. At length, however, she began to 

 sleep under it ; and once was sent to sleep in a few moments ; 

 but the process often failed with her. The other was for a great 

 length of time sent to sleep invariably ; but a curious circum- 

 stance at length occurred, a few moments after she had lost her- 

 self in sleep she awoke, and it was impossible to give her longer 

 sleep than for a few moments. This always happened repeat- 

 edly during the process, till Baron Dupotet was too tired to 

 continue it : and it happened in every process for a long while. 



