CHAPTER XXIII. 



Animal Magnetism. 



In after life Mr. Henry Thompson became very famous for 

 his marvellous powers as a mesmerist, and he used his 

 great gifts very much indeed in alleviating pain, and in 

 assisting in medical and surgical cases. The late renowned 

 Dr. Simpson, of York, used to tell him that in any serious 

 case that he was attending, he would come himself, and 

 throw the sanction of his great name over the case. A 

 headache would generally speedily yield to a few mesmeric 

 passes. Stiff joints were frequently manipulated after the 

 patient had been thrown into a trance, and adhesions were 

 thus sometimes painlessly broken down, and the full use of 

 the limb eventually restored, without the subject being 

 aware of the treatment he had undergone. One person 

 walked continually round the room when " mesmerised," 

 and yet for long afterwards refused even to try and stand 

 when in possession of his ordinary mental faculties, declar- 

 ing that the knee-joint was completely anchylosed, and 

 thoroughly believing that the power of motion had gone. 

 It was only by bringing him back to his senses suddenly, 

 when iu the very act of walking, that he at last found out 

 that he really could walk again. 



On another occasion Mr. Thompson very kindly came 

 to Thorpe Green to endeavour to mitigate the headaches 

 that the late Mrs. Barnes used constantly to suffer from. 



