alveolus) without the young lady evincing the slightest consciousness or flinch. "The pulse was 108 under the mesmeric influence, and rose a little during the operation. On being awakened she expressed the most lively gratitude and delight at having lost her troublesome companion. "I am, Sir, your obedient servant, "34, Bruton Street, Feb. 1st, ∙1844.” V. Mr. Charles Childs, of Bungay, who has practised and supported mesmerism from the time I shewed him the Okeys and the case of hiccup detailed some pages back, converted Mr. Webb, a medical gentleman in his neighbourhood, to the truth of mesmerism, who honestly proclaims his conversion freely. I extract the following from the Medical Times: - "To the Editor of the Medical Times. "Sir,-Knowing there are many persons of candour and intelligence, who are sceptical as to the existence of that peculiar agent or influence now commonly called mesmerism, and having seen the subject unworthily treated by many who wish to be considered rational beings, but are evidently more disposed to enjoy a burlesque representation than to institute an honest search for truth, I am induced to make known the following cases, that the former class may be made acquainted with some indubitable facts connected with the subject, and the latter may see how pointless are expressions of ridicule and contempt when employed in such a controversy. "I have the pleasure of being acquainted with Mr. Charles Childs, who resides in this place, and who has for several years privately practised the science, as a subject of legitimate investigation, and a means of effecting much good. By him I have been invited during the past year to witness many facts undoubtedly mysterious, but yet so palpable, so consistent, and so faithful, that they have produced in my mind entire conviction of the existence of some element or attribute of our common nature, which, like the electric and galvanic fluids, is discoverable only by its effects, or during its action. "My present object is to communicate only two cases in which I was myself concerned, and which, had any doubt lingered in my mind, would have entirely dispelled it.-Two young women, mesmeric patients of my friend Mr. Childs, who had suffered from toothache for some time past, consented to have their teeth extracted while in mesmeric somnolency, but were not apprized of the time at which this was to be done. That they might have no reason to suspect what was about to take place, I was not sent for until Mr. Childs had put them into the mesmeric condition, when I went and extracted, in the afternoon, for one a very troublesome stump, and in the evening of the same day, for the other, a double tooth in the upper jaw. I am morally certain that no means were employed to produce this state of unconsciousness, except the mesmeric -indeed, there are no others capable of inducing such a condition as that in which these young women were placed, and from which they could be released at the will of another. Care was taken to remove from sight whatever might afford intimation of the teeth having been extracted; after a short time they were awakened, and they were both wholly unconscious of all that had taken place. I do not testify, as I might, to their respectability of character, because their perfectly unaffected demeanour and natural surprise afforded, to my own judgment, the best evidence that they had been as entirely ignorant both of the operation itself and of the time at which it was effected, as they were of the moment of their birth. "Nor was this all; for neither at the time when they were awakened, nor on the following day, did they experience either pain in the jaw or tenderness in the gum. "I have given a simple statement of the truth, and whatever may be said by some, or thought by others, these are stubborn indisputable facts, and are not to be disposed of as the fancies of a heated imagination. The proofs which I have witnessed of the existence of this subtle agent, are so numerous, and so complete, that the difficulty, in my judgment, does not lie in believing, but in doubting; and were it even possible for one person honestly to delude himself in such a case, it is utterly improbable that another, and another, would follow in his train. To refuse the testimony of my own senses here, is to assume that these, which for years have furnished the data for thought and action, suddenly fail, and delude my understanding, when directed to the subject of mesmerism. I "I have not come forward to suport the theory of any man. desire only, as an unprejudiced observer, to record facts which I have myself tested; and I do so with an earnest hope that this subject, so interesting in itself, and capable of exercising so beneficial an influence, may, by a fair and philosophical investigation, be placed in the rank of those sciences which are cherished as the springs of blessing to mankind. "I am, Sir, yours respectfully, "Bungay, Jan. 12th, 1844." VI. Since then I received the following account from Mr. Childs of another extraction : "My dear Sir,-Again, to-day, I have had a tooth drawn-an enormous tosh-with perfect success. This is becoming merely vulgar; but the point to which I want to draw your attention is, that by retaining the patient asleep for half an hour or thereabouts after the operation, the increase of sensibility in the wound is wholly removed. In each of my three cases I have done this, and the parties have not felt the slightest soreness or irritation. "Mr. Webb, who operated, has remarked in each the very small amount of hæmorrhage. A little blood was wiped from the mouth with a napkin, and it seemed as if the artery contracted almost forthwith; the remainder was scarcely sufficient to discolour the water in a hand basin. "Bungay, Feb. 15th, 1844." "My dear Sir, "Most obediently yours, I have subsequently been favoured with the following particulars from Mr. Childs : "The insensibility was, during the prescribed time, complete; the return to sleeping consciousness took place at the very instant which had been prescribed;-and when, at the end of a considerable time, the sleep was removed, the patient was entirely unsuspicious of what had been done, and there was so total an absence of unusual sensibility in the jaw, that the patient, whose appetite had for some time failed under the excessive pain which had been endured, immediately ate a hearty dinner, drinking cold water, &c., without any sense of inconvenience, or conscious need of carefulness in using the jaw." VII. & VIII. Your correspondent, Mr. Tubbs of Upwell, sends me word that he extracted two teeth lately from a woman aged 35, and another from a Mrs. Foster, in the mesmeric state without pain. The following is an account of one of these operations in a local newspaper : "MESMERISM. The sceptical as to this science (so far as the following operation can prove its truth) may have their doubts removed by personal application to a patient now residing at Lake's End, Cambs.-On Tuesday the 14th ult., the patient, suffering extremely from the tooth-ache, applied to Mr. Tubbs, surgeon, of Upwell, to have it extracted; and on being told that the operation could be performed without pain or consciousness under the influence of the mesmeric sleep, readily consented to be operated upon. In a few minutes unconsciousness took place, attended by the common circumstance of the mouth becoming closed; and it was so firmly fixed as to defy any known means (short of such violence as might endanger the safety of the jaw) to open it: but upon being breathed on by Mr. Tubbs, it instantly dropped: the instrument was then applied to the tooth, which required more than usual force to remove it. During the operation, which was attended by several witnesses, (by whom the strictest and most scrupulous attention was paid,) not a change of feature could be discovered that might indicate either pleasurable or painful sensation. After the tooth had been removed, the jaw was still extended, the eyes closed, and the breathing scarcely perceptible. The patient remained motionless for twenty minutes; and upon being demesmerised, had no recollection of what had passed during her somnolency, and could scarcely be made to believe that her tooth was extracted.-Those of the public who are willing to have the above account attested, and to prove the veracity of the operation, would do well to make a personal examination. To those scientific gentlemen who undertake to lead the minds of that part of the community who cannot think for themselves, and who pronounce everything 'humbug' which does. not suit their interest or stupidity, these facts are not addressed— they must continue as they are.-(Correspondent.)" IX. In Mr. Spurrell's Rationale of Magnetism, just published, is the following account, at p. 68: "Mr. Baldwin, surgeon, having consented to perform the operation, I (B. Dann) put Edward Wisenden into what is called the sleep-waking state; the patient in this state being sensible of who is about him. I then requested him to open his mouth wide, and to keep it open: he did so. I then threw him into the deep sleep; a state in which the patient is insensible to everything about him, even of the operator's voice or presence. Mr. B. then lanced his gum, without producing the appearance of any unpleasant sensation; he then extracted the tooth, which was very firm in its socket, without distorting a muscle of the patient's face, or his exhibiting the least symptom of pain. The gum which had been lacerated was then closed, and a piece of rag put over it. (Mr. B. being called away) I then restored him to the sleep-waking state, (noticed above:) he then exclaimed, "The gentleman is gone! why did he not take out my tooth first? what did he come for?" I then requested him to look at the tooth he wanted out; he said, "I cannot see it, there is a rag over it." I told him to look under the rag; he appeared then to be much pleased, and said, "It is gone! why didn't he take the other out opposite?" Supposing that he would be in much pain when woke up, I kept him asleep about ten minutes more, and then restored him to his normal state; when he was agreeably surprised to find his tooth out, but was not aware of anything that had taken place, and was not in the least pain; nor did he feel any tenderness afterwards." X. In the Leicester Chronicle of last June is a letter signed J. Dare, and dated Hinckley, June 24th, 1843, giving an account of some experiments by Mr. George Reddells, occupied in Mr. Till's warehouse, and of the extraction of a tooth : "As the operator pursued his experiments merely for amusement, he exhibited them at various times and places as chance or time determined,' or as he was requested by his friends. Amongst them, a young man named James Paul, a very strong-built and muscular individual, submitted to the operation. He was thrown into the mesmeric state in about four minutes, and various organs were then excited; but a second operation, which he underwent at his own request, was attended with results of a very important nature in a surgical point of view. Having the tooth-ache very violently two or three days after his first somnolency, he wished to have his tooth extracted while in a mesmerised state, in order to prove if the operation could be performed without pain under its influence. The parties accordingly met on Tuesday evening last, at Mr. Marshal's, New Inn. Nearly twenty persons attended to witness the operation. The gum had been lanced previous to the mesmerising; somnolency was produced in about nine minutes, at the end of which short space he was in a profoundly unconscious state. His organs were then tried to ascertain that he was quite gone.' Several of the company spoke to him very loudly, but he made no reply. His organ of Firmness was then manipulated, together with that of Individuality. The operator then asked him if he had the tooth-ache? He answered, 'Yes.' He was then asked if he would have his tooth drawn out, and he replied in the affirmative. Before the tooth was extracted, however, several other organs were touched, and the finger being placed upon Tune he was asked to sing. He answered he had never learned, but on being pressed, he bawled out, 'O see what a beautiful boy.' "As the company were now fully satisfied that the mesmeric influence was exerting its full power, the tooth-drawing commenced. the "The operator, again touching Firmness, asked him a second time if he would have his tooth pulled out? He again replied in the affirmative; he was then requested to open his mouth, which he did at first partially-and, on being ordered to extend it still wider, he very gravely dropped his bottom jaw nearly into his lap. Bailey, the well-known tooth-drawer, then set to work to perform the important operation of extracting the fated grinder,' which he did in very good style, Master Mesmeriser still holding his finger upon organ of Firmness. The tooth had three fangs, two of which were broken off, from the very great force required to draw it out; it was but little decayed. In order that Paul might not be suffocated by the flow of blood from the wound the tooth had made, the organ of Imitation was touched, and the operator began spitting, as if cleaning his throat, which, curious as it might seem, Paul did in reality, thereby expectorating the blood as fast as it flowed. As soon as it was thought the gum was a little stilled, the operator began to demesmerise him, which was rather a difficult piece of business. The ordinary means hitherto used by the operator not appearing to produce the accustomed effect, it was presumed that the subject had been cross-mesmerised by the dentist; this seemed to be soon fully proved, as the operator very judiciously requested Bailey to assist him in the work of resuscitation, and then it was effected in a very short period, but not fully so till after he had been taken into the open air. As soon as he was wide awake,' he complained of feeling rather sleepy, and expressed his surprise at seeing so many persons about him, and inquired what had been the matter, as if wholly unconscious of all that had transpired while he had been in a mesmeric state. In a few minutes, the operator said, amongst other casual remarks, they were very sorry they had not been able to extract his VOL. II. H |