Animal Magnetism Or, Mesmerism : Its History, Phenomena, and Present

sr 15ti V\ SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE LIBRARY. Section, JVb. MllSL :?**• *."•.* ..•*V; u •- •* -L — ANIMAL MAGNETISM,i OR, MESMER I SM ;j^ v Its ^tstorn, JJIjenomena, anfr present Contortion; CONTAINING PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS AND THE LATEST DISCOVERIES IN THE SCIENCE. PRINCIPALLY DERIVED FROM A RECENT WORK BY WILLIAM LANG. WITH A SUPPLEMENT, CONTAINING NEW AND IMPORTANT FACTS, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED IN THE U. STATES, BY REV. CHAUNCEY HARE TOWNSHEND, Author of "Facts in Mesmerism, etc." " A German doctor, named Mesmer, having made the greatest discovery upon Animal Magnetism, he has instructed pupils, among whom your humble servant is one of the most enthusiastic." Gen. Lafayette's English Letters to Washington. JAMES MOWATT & CO. 174 BROADWAY. SOLD ALSO BY ALL PERIODICAL AGENTS AND BOOKSELLERS. 1844. — PREFACE; The time has come when public curiosity, in regard to the great truths of Mesmerism, can no longer be warded off by the sneers of interested professional opponents. Both in Great Britain and the United States, the subject is at this moment attracting the deep and earnest attention of many of the noblest minds of the age. "It is a very obvious principle," says the celebrated Dr. Chalmers, " although often forgotten in the pride of prejudice and controversy, that what has been seen by one pair of human eyes, is of force to countervail all that has been reasoned or guessed at by a thousand human under- standings." This great principle is beginning to have due weight with the liberal and intelligent. Mesmerism is, of all others, the science of facts. As Mr. Chenevix has well observed, " In the whole domain of human arguments, noi art or science rests upon experiments more numerous, more positive, or more easily ascertained." He adds, that he had more than one conversa- tion with La Place upon the subject, about 1816 and 1817, and that the expression of that great philosopher constantly was: " that the testimony in favour of the truth of Mesmerism, coming with such uniformity from enlightened men of many nations, who had no interest to deceive, and possessed no pos- sible means of collusion, was such that, applying to it his own principles and formulas respecting human evidence, he could not withhold his assent to what was so strongly supported." The same writer remarks, in reference to the apathy with which the subject is received by physicians generally :— " It would not disgrace the greatest man that England ever has produced, to attempt an experiment or two upon a doctrine which Hufeland, Jussieu, Cuvier, Ampere, and La Place, be- lieved. Nay, would it not disgrace him to condemn, without knowing any thing about it, what they knew and credited? — VI PREFACE. Is supercilious ignorance the weapon with which Bacon would have repelled a new branch of knowledge, however " extraordinary it might have appeared to him ? Surely what great men believe, ordinary men may try. And yet, with what violence of ridicule is Mesmerism still received by medical practitioners? It is evident, however, that they cannot long remain ignorant of these matters without falling greatly behind the age in respect to professional acquirements. Mankind are not to be deprived of the blessings of a potent remedy, because the professors of the healing art choose to remain wilfully blind to the truth. Satanic agency is the bugbear raised by some worthy persons against Mesmerism; but their medical allies have other means of solving the difficulty. Their pride of learning has been piqued because they are unable to explain certain facts, of which they have heard, and so they boldly rush to the conclu- sion that the facts are not facts. They read in their books that a commission of the Medical Faculty of Paris had condemned what is now called Mesmerism ; and forgetting that a commission of the same body had likewise, after a similar investi- gation, rejected as a fallacy Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood, and without deigning to examine the living evidence to be seen on every side, they denounce those who maintain an opposite opinion as either dupes or impostors. Their mode of proceeding is quaintly described in the following words of an ingenious author : —" Whilst the unlearned were all busied in getting down to the bottom of the well, where truth keeps her little court, were the learned, in their way, as busy in pumping her up through the conduits of dialectic influc- tion ; they concerned themselves not with facts —they reasoned.' 1 The present work is a digest of all the important facts in Mesmerism, up to the present day. It contains, also, practical instructions in the Science, as laid down by the best authorities. A supplement is added to the American edition, containing some new facts in Mesmerism, by the Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend, which appeared in London a few weeks since, and which are now, for the first time, re-published in the United States. They will be found richly worthy of attention. [7] CONTENTS Chapter I. Mesmerism ancient in its Origin—Van Helmont and William Maxwell- Cures ot Levret, Valentine Greatrakes, Dr. Streper, and Gassner—Mes- mer, his birth—Studies Medicine at Vienna—His appearance in Paris— Negocration tor the purchase of his Secret—French Commission —Report of 1784 by Jussieu—The Marquis de Puysegur—Death of Mesmer— Spread of Mesmerism on the continent of Europe—The French Commis- sion ot 1826— -Their experiments—Remarkable cases—Conclusions of the Commission. g 32 Chapter II. Mesmer's Theory—Opinion of Mr. Colquhoiui—French Commissioners of 1784—Opinions of Cuvier, Gall, La Place, Dr. Elliotson, Rev. Mr fownshend, Mr. Braid— Phenomena true, whatever Theory may be ulti- mately adopted. J 32 37 Chapter III. Mesmeric state according to Kluge—Mr. Dove's classification—Somnam- buhsm, or Sleep- waking—Extracts from the Chevalier Ramsay, and from Wordsworth— Clairvoyance—Opinions of Mr. Townshend and Dr Elliot- son—Remarks upon the latter by Mr. Dove and Mr. Colquhoun—Anec- dote of Col. Gurwood—Mesmerism ought not to be rejected as a whole, even although Clairvoyance should be set aside. 38 48. Chapter IV. Treatment of Galileo and other great discoverers—Sir Walter Scott's opinions respecting Gas Light—Rejection of other important truths—Mes- merism not worse treated than other Sciences, like it, founded on truth Restoration — of the Council of University College, London Mr. Col- quhoun's ideas of certain members' of the Medical profession—Their views and modes of proceeding—Cases in which Mesmerism has been employed—M. Jules Cloqnet—The Royal Medical and Surgical Society —Rcmurkable cases of cure and operations by Mesmerism—Mr. Braid's Theory— Dr. Elliotson and the Okeys—The Examiner's opinion' of the conduct of members of the Medical Faculty towards Dr. Elliotson Sir Humphrey Davy—Dugald Stewart—Hufeland. 43 70. Chapter V. Mesmer's Method—School of the Chevalier Barbarin—The Marquis de Puysegur— Description in Zoo-Magnetic Journal—Deeluze's Instructions —Dr. Caldwell's Method—Rev. Mr. Townshend's—Description by Pro- —. Till CONTENTS. fessor Agassis—A Mesmeric Pile—Mr. Gardiner—Dr. Elliotson's Meth- od—His opinion as to injury from too frequent Mesmerising—Opinions of Mr Townshend, Dr. Caldwell, and Mr. Braid, as to the extent of sus- ceptibility in Man—Mesmerism ought not to be practised by the ignorant or unwary. 70—82. Chapter VI. Phenomena of Natural Somnambulism analogous to those which occur in Somnambulism induced by Magnetic processes—Case related by Dr. Dyce, of Aberdeen—Other Remarkable Cases—The Springfield Som- nambulist, Jane C. Rider—Extraordinary facts testified to by Hon. Wm. B. Calhoun and Rev. W. B. 0. Peabody—Extraordinary case men- tioned by Ricard—Magnetic Somnambulism—Its Symptoms— Suscepti- bility to Magnetism. 83—94. Chapter VII. Recent Cases in Scotland—Instances of Clairvoyance—Isabella H —Community of Taste and Smell—Mental Coinmunication—Case described by Robert Chambers, of Edinburgh—Calixte, the Parisian Som- nambulist—Sight without the agency of the Eyes—Phreno-Mesmerism —Opinions of Dr. Elliotson and Mr. Colquhoun—Case—Opinion of Van- denhoff, the Actor, after witnessing the effects of the Mesmeric influ- ence upon the cerebral organs of a subject. 9-4— 1 1 1 Chapter VIII. Higher Phenomena of Mesmerism—Extraordinary Case related by Dr. Arndt—Prediction made by two Somnambulists of the Death of the King of Wirtemberg—Case of Two Sisters—Another Remarkable Pre- diction—Schelling's Account of an Extraordinary Instance of Prevision Metaphysical deductions from the facts—Proofs of the Soul's Immor- tality—The Materialist and the Animal Magnetist—Conversion of Dr. Georget through Mesmerism—The State of Somnambulism beautifully described by Wordsworth—The Phenomena not to be explained by the laws and conditions of ordinary Life—Concluding Reflections. 1 1 1—132. Supplement. New Facts in Mesmerism, by the Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend. (Pre- fixed to the New Edition of his Facts in Mesmerism, and never before published in the United States.) 133—144. ANIMAL MAGNETISM MESMERISM CHAPTER I. Mesmerism ancient in its Origin—Van Helmont and William Maxwell- Cures of Levret, Valentine Greatrakes, Dr. Streper, and Gassner—Mes- mer, his birth—Studies Medicine at Vienna—His appearance in Paris— Negociation for the purchase of his Secret—French Commission of 1784 —Report by Jussien—The Marquis de Puysegur—Death of Mesmer— Spread of Mesmerism on the continent of Europe—The French Commis- sion of 1826—Their experiments—Remarkable cases—Conclusions of the Commission. Mesmerism, or Animal Magnetism, or, to speak with stricter accuracy, the peculiar agency to which both of these names are occasionally applied, seems to have been more or less known in those bygone ages of the world, whose records have come down to our time.

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