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Analyses of Books « 
[June, 
of mineral matter are more or less volatile. It is found that 
certain bodies commonly pronounced non-volatile have an odour, 
— such as caustic potash and soda. It has lately been proved 
that certain metals, such as lead, iron, gold, and copper, if placed 
near to, though not touching, plates of other metals, exert an 
influence upon them, which for a time alters their eleCtric rela- 
tions (“ Comptes Rendus,” xciv., p. 1247). But these emana- 
tions are simply minute particles of themselves. 
Living organisms are the seat of more complex phenomena. 
In their case we are naturally reminded of the speculations of 
Prof. Jager (“Journal of Science,” 1880, p. 298), which, though 
exceedingly suggestive, and though put forward by a naturalist 
of good standing, lack satisfactory verification. Everyone is of 
course aware that animals are constantly throwing off the pro- 
ducts of respiration and volatile matter, given off in the form of 
insensible perspiration. But as for any other emanation we must 
consider its existence, for the present, not proven. We commend 
the matter, however, to the attention of our readers, and any 
thoroughly authenticated instances will receive careful notice. 
But supposing such an emanation to exist, What is its nature ? 
Is it a form of energy, of the same order as heat, light, mag- 
netism, or electricity, and capable of reciprocal transformation 
with any of these agencies ? Is it a form of matter? Or is it 
neither matter nor energy, but in its essence spiritual ? To none 
of these questions can a definite answer be extracted from the 
work before us. The words “a Spirit vapour ” convey no definite 
meaning. The alleged tendency of this emanation to ascend in 
the atmosphere would seem to point to a material character. 
But the introduction of “ will ” — which, indeed, plays a prominent 
part throughout the work — greatly complicates the question. 
That either a material emanation, or a mode of energy thrown 
off from the body, can be made “ to travel in any direction ” and 
to an unknown distance, by an aCt of “will,” is perfectly un- 
thinkable, and on this point further light is urgently needed. We 
may mention that Dr. Kieser (not Reiser), some of whose 
writings Miss Hunt quotes, gave to the mesmeric or organo- 
magnetic emanation the name “ tellurism,” and regarded it as a 
form of energy emitted by the earth or any other planet, and 
opposed to the light of the sun. His treatment of the subjeCt, 
when freed from the strange conceptions of the “ Physiophilo- 
sophic ” School, once very powerful in Germany, may perhaps 
pave the way to the reduction of any demonstrable phenomena 
belonging to “ organic magnetism ” under scientific laws. 
There are, we learn, three kinds of magic, two of them good, 
and one of them evil. Of the two former, the white is the lower, 
and the red the higher grade. The evil, or black , magic is an 
application of the same kind of power to selfish and immoral 
purposes. Organic magnetism is a part, but a part only, of each 
of these kinds of magic. To become a red magician “ fish, flesh, 
