CHAPTER XXXV 



MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM— CORRESPONDENCE WITH 

 SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY MEN 



I HAVE already described my first introduction to mesmerism 

 at Leicester, how I found that I had considerable mesmeric 

 power myself, and could produce all the chief phenomena on 

 some of my patients ; while I also satisfied myself that almost 

 universal opposition and misrepresentations of the medical 

 profession were founded upon a combination of ignorance and 

 prejudice. I will here only add that my brother Herbert 

 also possessed the power, and that when we were residing 

 together at Manaos, he used to call up little Indian boys out 

 of the street, give them a copper, and by a little gazing and 

 a few passes send them into the trance state, and then pro- 

 duce all the curious phenomena of catalepsy, loss of sensation, 

 etc., which I have already described. This was interesting 

 because it showed that the effects could be produced without 

 any expectation on the part of the patients, and, further, that 

 similar phenomena followed as in Europe, although these 

 boys had certainly no knowledge of such phenomena. One 

 day, I remember, when we were going out collecting, we 

 entered an Indian's hut, where we had often been before, 

 and my brother quietly began mesmerizing a young man 

 nearly his own age. He did not entrance him, but obtained 

 enough influence to render his arm rigid. This he instantly 

 relaxed, and asked the Indian to lie down on the floor, which 

 he did. My brother then made a pass along his body, and 

 said, " Lie there till we return." The man tried to rise but 

 could not, though several of his relatives were present. We 



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