50 MEMOIE OF ALFRED SMEE. [Chap. VI. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



1849 TO 1854. 



Fifth book, ' Electro-Biology * — Lecture on Electro-Biology — ' Principles of the 

 Human Mind ' — Cholera — Cholera medicine given away — 'Instinct and Reason' 

 written to illustrate Electro-Biology — Sketch of the general plan of the work 

 — Smee's hot and cold detector — Third edition of ' Electro-Metallurgy ' 

 brought out — ' Process of Thought ' written — Long articles in the ' Illustrated 

 London News ' — Plants that can be grown in London — Lecture at Newbury 

 — Writes a memoir of Wyon — Lectures to the clerks of the Bank of England 

 on 'Instinct and Reason' — First visit to Paris — Alfred Smee an angler — 

 A regular attendant at St. Paul's Cathedral — Power of prayer. 



AiFEBD Smee's great work, ' The Elements of Electro-Biology,' 

 which embraces his ' Natural System of Mental Philosophy,' 

 appeared in February 1849. On this work he had been engaged 

 at intervals for the last ten years. The important researches 

 detailed in this work cost him an immense amount of time, 

 labour, and thought, and they were nearly all worked out at his 

 residence in Einsbury Circus, " unaided," as he has sadly written, 

 " by the advantages which public laboratories afford to their 

 fortunate occupiers." Indeed, he had not even an assistant to 

 aid him, if we except the services at times of a young lad in 

 his teens, who was only too pleased to run and search for cats, 

 or perform other little services for my father.* At one time the 

 dearth of cats occasioned by these electro-biological researches 

 was so great, that friends used to shut up their pussies to prevent 

 them falling into the hands of the enemy. The anxiety among 

 the ladies became at last so distressing, that one young lady, a 

 personal friend, wrote the following amusing letter : — 



My deae Sie,— Having been apprised by my brother of the instruc- 

 tions which you have given to your page to obtain violent possession of the 



* This lad was bright and intelligent, and he learnt a good deal from my 

 father. He has since done well in hfe. 



