Notices of Books. 
393 
1877. 
persecution, had raged on this very matter. Great physiological 
authorities were egregiously in the wrong then, and the natural 
inference to those who know the facts is, that other physiological 
authorities who now deny equally well attested facts may be no 
more infallible than their predecessors. 
Dr. Carpenter persistently denies that there is any adequate 
evidence of the personal influence of the mesmeriser on the patient 
independent of the patient’s knowledge and expectation, and he 
believes himself to be very strong in the cases he adduces, in 
which this power has been tested and failed. But he quite 
ignores the fadt that all who have ever investigated the higher 
phases of mesmerism— such as influence at a distance, com- 
munity of sensation, transference of the senses, or true clair- 
voyance — agree in maintaining that these phenomena are very 
uncertain, depending greatly on the state of body and mind of 
the patient, who is exceedingly susceptible to mental impressions, 
the presence of strangers, fatigue, or any unusual conditions. 
Failures continually occur, even when the mesmeriser and 
patient are alone or when only intimate friends are present ; 
how, then, can the negative fadt of a failure before strangers and 
antagonists prove anything ? Dr. Carpenter also occupies his 
readers’ attention with accounts of hearsay stories which have 
turned out exaggerated or incorrect, and lays great stress on the 
“ disposition to overlook sources of fallacy,” and to be “ imposed 
on by cunning cheats ” which this shows. This may be admitted ; 
but it evidently has no bearing on well-authenticated and care- 
fully observed fadts, perfedtly known to every student of the 
subject. Our author maintains, however, that such fadts do not 
exist, and that “ the evidence for these higher marvels has 
invariably broken down when submitted to the searching tests 
of trained experts.” Here the question arises, who are “trained 
experts ?” Dr. Carpenter would maintain that only sceptical 
medical men and professed conjurors deserve that epithet, how- 
ever ignorant they may be of all the conditions requisite for the 
study of these delicate and fluctuating phenomena of the nervous 
system. But we, on the contrary, would only give that name 
to enquirers who have experimented for months or years on this 
very subjedt, and are thoroughly acquainted with all its difficulties. 
When such men are also physiologists it is hardly consistent 
with the historical and scientific method of enquiry to pass their 
evidence by in silence. I have already called Dr. Carpenter’s 
attention to the case of the lady residing in Professor Gregory’s 
own house, who was mesmerised at several streets distance by 
Mr. Lewis without her knowledge or expectation. This is a 
piece of diredt evidence of a very satisfactory kind, and outweighs 
a very large quantity of negative evidence ; but no mention is 
made of it except the following utterly unjustifiable remark : — 
“ His (Mr. Lewis’s) utter failure under the scrutiny of sceptical 
enquirers, obviously discredits all his previous statements, except 
