VI. Case of St. Vitus's Dance cured by Mesmerism in less than a Month, after Seven Years of suffering, and upwards of Nine Months passed in several Hospitals. By MADAME MARIE.

CATHARINE HOGAN was sent to me on the 4th of January, 1847, with a note from my friend, Mr. Briggs, entreating me to try what mesmerism would do for her, and giving me a short account of her case. It appeared that seven years previous, when she was four years of age, she had been frightened on her return from market by a boy snatching her basket of vegetables and running off with it, on which occasion she wandered about the streets for several hours, fearing to return to her mother, who at last discovered her and took her home. Some days afterwards she fell in with a party of boys and girls romping, one of whom laid his stick across her shoulders. The consequence was a fit, that lasted three quarters of an hour; on recovering she was attacked with St. Vitus's Dance, and was taken to University College Hospital, where she became an out-patient under Dr. Davis. She seemed to recover, but two years afterwards, having a severe relapse, she went to the Middlesex Hospital as an in-patient, where she remained four months. They then made her an outpatient, but the distance was too great to permit her attendance. She then was admitted into St. Bartholomew's, and remained there nine weeks: returned to the Middlesex for seven weeks, and University College Hospital for six weeks,— making in all 38 weeks. Middlesex, 16 weeks; Bartholomew's, 9 weeks; Middlesex, 7 weeks; University, 6 weeks.

When Catharine came to me she was about 12 years of age, and I then took down her appearance and symptoms as follows, premising merely that I was encouraged to undertake the case from the late observations of Dr. Elliotson in the January number of The Zoist, who there mentioned his success in curing the same disease by mesmerism, though failing in producing sleep.

On the 4th day of last January I began my operations on her, and henceforth shall transcribe from my diary, commencing by the statement of her case and appearance as I first formed my opinion.

Catharine Hogan, age twelve; short, thick-set; temperament sanguineo-lymphatic; hair and eyes dark, the latter expressing idiotcy; much trembling and irregular movements of the limbs; continual fits of hysteric laughter and crying; her hands incapable of holding anything; frightened to be alone or in the dark; suffering from frequent head-aches,

sickness of the stomach, giddiness, palpitation of heart, much pain; bowels costive, not being relieved more than once in ten or fourteen days.

January 4th, 1847. Mesmerised Catharine Hogan for about half an hour, making long passes from the vertex of the head downwards, along the chest, arms, the region of the lungs, down the spine, breathing on the occiput and the shoulders. She complained of faintness and sickness, but felt warm, whereas she was very cold when she came.

5th. C. said she had felt very drowsy after she left me yesterday, and slept at night better than usual.

6th. C. says that on her return home yesterday she slept an hour, and very soundly during the night; she seemed to feel my influence more than usual to day.

7th and 8th. I was prevented mesmerising.

9th. I found it very difficult to fix her attention; she complained that I made her eyes smart, and my passes were like pins and needles pricking her; at last however she went into a sound sleep, and though she did not perceive the entrance of a stranger and his departure, yet she did not lose all consciousness. She is naturally very cold, but a few passes are sufficient to excite warmth, and the trembling of her limbs is quite cured; she can now nurse the baby, and hold anything in her hands; her bowels act daily; she is no longer so nervous; this day on my exciting the organ of Colour, she saw bright light like stars.

10th. Sunday.

11th. Catharine says she went to sleep several times on Saturday, for a quarter of an hour at a time, but was faint and sick yesterday.

13th. Mesmerised her and she slept half an hour.

15th. She felt cold, and her left arm was very painful; a few passes completely warmed her; all her nervous trembling is now imperceptible.

Till the 20th. No perceptible change; on that day she slept profoundly for a long time, and when she went home slept again for four hours. Whenever she experiences great coldness, I breathe on her through muslin, which invariably warms her, and relieves the pain.

February the 2nd. Catharine fell asleep in three minutes by my merely looking at her; she has been so much improved that I now mesmerise her twice a week only; she has not had any trembling since the first week of being mesmerised; she has taken no medicine; her bowels act regularly; her nerves are strengthened, and she does not mind being alone or in the dark indeed she voluntarily visited a friend who had died,

and stayed with the body. The last sign of St. Vitus's Dance was on the 29th of January, this is the 3rd day of September: from the month of February last, that is from the 28th, I did not see her till I sent for her, August 24th; her appearance was very different from what it was last January; she has no pretensions to beauty, but had now the countenance of an intellectual person. Finding her delicate I proposed to resume mesmerism, and she was under my influence immediately.

22, Thayer Street, Manchester Square,

Sept. 7, 1847.

MARIE.

VII. Removal of rigidity of the Neck, debility and dyspeptic disease of the Heart, irritation of the Bladder, and severe Pains. By Mr. H. S. THOMPSON.

I. Relaxation of rigidity of the Muscles of the Neck. A POOR Woman who was severely burnt about the neck and face three years ago, in consequence of which the muscles had become so rigid that she could not raise her head or move it to the right or left, and, from the time of the accident had never been able to masticate any food that was hard or solid, obtained immediate relief from mesmerism: that is, the muscles were all completely relaxed, she could move her head about freely, and could masticate anything. The injury was so severe that pieces of bone are continually exfoliating and working out; the irritation caused by this reproduces to a degree the rigidity of the muscles of the neck, but the operation of mesmerism soon relieves her, and renders her comfortable for days. The relaxation of the muscles was very extraordinary.

II. Cure of extreme debility and derangement of the

Digestive Organs.

A case of extreme debility was much benefited by the operation of mesmerism. A young man, one of my tenants, became suddenly so weak that he was not able to go about his usual avocations. This debility increased till it was with difficulty that he could walk about. He had constant aching of the limbs from the slightest exertion, a sense of faintness, cold sweats, and loss of appetite, and his evacuations perfectly black. His sister was attacked in a similar way last year, and then died of consumption. It was more than three months from the commencement of his illness that I first saw him. He had run the round of physic and tonics by the

advice of his medical men, but had only grown the weaker. The first time I mesmerised him he felt stronger, and during the process the aching sensation up his limbs was removed. He rapidly improved. On the third day his appetite returned, his evacuations were natural, and he was able to ride eight miles. I continued to mesmerise him almost daily for three weeks, at the end of which time he had nearly quite recovered his strength, being able to ride any distance and to walk tolerably well. The only trace of weakness that he complained of was in his legs if he walked any distance. As I left home about that time I sent him to the sea for change of air.

III. Wonderful benefit derived from Mesmerism in serious Disease of the Heart.

The patient had been afflicted several years: but the complaint had advanced rapidly during the few last weeks. When I saw her she had been confined to her bed six weeks, suffering great agony in her head, shoulders and back; constant "palpitation of the heart and fluttering in the chest ;" a sense of suffocation so great that she was constantly obliged to be raised; her legs and body had been much swollen for some weeks; she had been unable to use them. She was instantly relieved from her pain, and half an hour sufficed to restore use to her legs; she gradually from that day improved; in a month she was able to walk daily from her house to mine and back again, which is rather more than a mile— a thing which she could do with difficulty a year ago. She enjoys herself, can attend to her family, and seems daily to gain strength. This case was pronounced by the profession as incurable from the first; but, as we have already overcome so much that was then pronounced impossible, I hope that in a short time I may be able to add that she is quite returned to health.*

IV. Removal of irritation of the Bladder.

This is another instance proving the use of mesmerism in inflammation of the bladder. A friend of mine had suffered a very severe attack, from which he was slowly recovering when he was obliged to go to London on business. I chanced to be there at the time. His journey brought back the symptoms, and he wrote to me saying how ill he was. I went to see him; he was suffering from constant irritation,

*We intreat our readers to compare this case with those in Vol. I., p. 465; and Vol. V., p. 161.-Zoist.

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great pain, and tenderness of the abdomen; so much so that he could scarcely bear the pressure of the bed-clothes. I asked him to let me try whether I could do him any good. He consented, and in half an hour the tenderness and pain were removed. I remained with him two hours, during which time he had no irritation nor pain; though, previously to my visit, the irritation was constant and the pain unvarying. The following day he was so much better that he was able to go out and attend to the business which had brought him to town, and on the day after he was well enough to return home.*

V. Relief of Pain.

This is another curious instance of the power of mesmerism to relieve pain. I was told that an old man in the village near which I reside was suffering great pain. I went to see him. He is stone blind. I found him on his bed, groaning and moaning, and clenching his hands. I asked him what was the matter with him; he said his head was very painful, he could only bear it in one position, and that he had great pain in his legs and arms; and added, "I have not an easy spot about me." He spoke in a most piteous voice. I did not tell him what I was doing, but made passes over him. He very soon said, "Ah, that's nice; the pain is all going." I continued making passes for a few minutes, when I asked him how he felt. He spoke quite cheerfully, saying, "Very nicely, thank you, Sir. I have no pain now;" and in a few moments he was in a sound sleep. He has had little or no pain since, and, when it does return, a few wafts of the hand remove it. He cannot live long: he is very old, and has a constriction of the œsophagus, but it is pretty certain that he can be spared all pain.

VI. Cure of inflammation of the Eyes, and opacity and prominence of the Cornea.

The sixth and last case that I shall at present send, is one of inflammation of the eyes and opacity of the cornea: the patient was a lad twelve years of age. From two years old his eyes had been defective. At that age he had serious inflammation in them, which has never entirely left them, being more severe at times. The cornea had become opaque and very convex. The inflammation, in the course of a few times mesmerising, was gone; the eyes began gradually to assume

* We intreat our readers to compare this with the cures in Vol. IV., pp. 50, 187; and Vol. V., p. 81.-Zoist.