ART. II.-MESMERISM IN INDIA.

BY JAMES ESDAILE, M. D.

CHAPTER I.

Aversion of the old Schools and the Public to new Ideas.-Some old notions must be suspended in fairly considering Mesmerism.-Irrational Incredulity-Mesmerism to be tried by the usual Laws of Evidence.-Medical Men not entitled to decide the Matter for the Public.-The Public invited to judge of the Matter of Fact Medical Men in this Country favorably placed.-Personal Labor necessary.-All easy afterward.-Qualifications of a Mesmerizer.-The Mesmeric Power very general.-The Sick the proper Subjects for Experiment -The Natives of Bengal very susceptible of the Mesmeric Influence.-Nature the School of the true Physician. Mesmerism a natural Power of Man.-Instincts of Animals.-Mesmerism known and practiced in India.-Trial of Skill with an Eastern Magician.-Dangers of Mesmerism no Reason for rejecting it.-No need to interfere with the Mind in Bodily Disease.-My Patients bad Subjects for the Mental Phenomena.-The Public invited to judge the Question practically and fairly.

On the first broaching of any new branch of knowledge, there is ever a great commotion and combination among the old established schools, which have thriven on the wisdom of their ancestors, and desire nothing more than "stare super vias antiquas," satisfied with things as they are, and content to "let well alone;" and there is also a general dislike in society to have its mind unsettled, and to be called upon to think again about matters supposed to have been set at rest long ago. We have the same affection for old familiar ideas that we entertain for old coats, shoes and hats, because they humor the peculiarities of our constitutions.

But I hope the time has at last come for the public, and the medical profession, to listen patiently to a medical man, while he relates facts that have fallen under his observation regarding Mesmerism, and for the truth of which he pledges his private and professional character, as I hereby do.

Under such circumstances, a writer has a right to expect that his statements shall be believed till they are disproved, or till dishonesty in any of the parties concerned shall be detected.

In considering a subject so new and wonderful, it will be neces sary to clear away many thorns and thistles which have grown up in the mental soil, exhausting its strength, and unfitting it for receiving the seeds of truth, however freely and carefully sown. present it will be sufficient, if, as a preliminary, the reader will dismiss the respectable old notion, that the vital powers of our bodies are confined within their own limits, and cannot be transferred to and act upon others. On the contrary, there is good reason to believe that the vital fluid of one person can be poured into the system of another, upon which it has various effects, according to constitutional peculiarities, the demand for it as a remedy, and the manner and extent to which it is exhibited in order to answer different purposes. Man is not, as commonly supposed, shut up in that pent house, his body, isolated, and impotent to affect his fellow

creatures beneficially by a benevolent will, and his own innate resources. A merciful God has ingrafted a communicable, life-giving, curative power in the human body, in order that when two individuals are found together, deprived of the aids of art, the one in health may often be able to soothe and relieve his sick companion, by imparting to him a portion of his vitality. To believe that we possess such a power is, surely, a proud and exalting idea, which I hope the public will entertain with pleasure; and I trust to be able to prove to the satisfaction of all dispassionate and reflecting minds, that this is no fond delusion of an excited brain, but a substantial blessing, daily at work for good, extending immeasurably man's individual power of doing good by his unaided natural powers, and bringing healing and comfort to suffering humanity, all over the world.

Such is the force of habit, and aversion to a new train of thought, that this proposed extension of man's power has been received with as much distaste, as if it had been intended to deprive him of a limb, or one of his senses, and has been subjected to an irrational incredulity which nothing can satisfy. Nothing is more common than to hear persons boast, "that they will not believe it till they see it;" some go a step further in smothering their reason, and declare, that "they would not believe it, if they saw it ;" and I have known others, not only refuse the evidence of their senses, but deny their own deeds, because they had declared the thing to be "impossible!" It is a common and ludicrous error to see people mistaking obstinacy for strength of mind, and self-sufficiency for knowledge; and aiding the delusion, by calling themselves "Sceptics"— that name having once been respectable in philosophy; whereas, they have never had any doubt about the matter, and will never condescend to hear the subject mentioned without emphatic expressions of contempt and disgust. These are the "enfans perdus" of knowledge, and must be left to the free indulgence of their passions and prejudices; for a man who never doubts, will never learn: he may grow older, but not wiser.

Few, in the solution of their doubts, can be privileged to the extent of St. Thomas; and the horizon of human knowledge would be miserably circumscribed, if we rejected all that we did not understand, and refused to believe facts, except on the evidence of our own senses. There is absolutely no merit in believing what we have seen and handled; this is no exercise of the judgment, and is level to the understanding of a savage: but it is the privilege of reason to be able to believe in the most surprising statements of others, if properly supported by evidence, and to adopt their conclusions, although the facts may have been observed, and the deductions drawn, by our antipodes. One such rational conversion is worth a thousand produced by crediting the senses; for its influence extends to reasoning minds all over the world. When a person says, "I would not have believed it, unless I had seen it," he must not be surprised at his neighbor requiring equal satisfaction

As a lover of truth for its own sake, I am very little gratified by being told by my friends, "I believe it, because you say so." This is a very barren belief, and reaches only a small circle; our faith and opinions should be built upon a broader basis than personal confidence in any one. There are recognized laws of evidence for testing the credibility of human testimony, upon whatever subject it may be given; and however new or strange the proposition may be, we shall, by a careful and dispassionate examination of the proofs, be able to determine what we may safely believe, on what points we ought to suspend our judgments, and how much should be rejected. In spiritual matters we have been told, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." This blessing also follows the ready, but discriminating, reception of truth in philosophy, morals, and secular affairs. Mental satisfaction, honor, and profit, if cared for, reward the first discoverers of the secrets of nature; riches await the men of clear sense, who know how to turn the new truths to practical purposes; and in medicine, the early application of new remedies removes much human suffering that would probably have been otherwise hopeless. It is a curious psychological phenomenon, that a hard disbelief in Mesmerism seems to be in proportion to the extraordinary facilities afforded to every one of satisfying himself by his own deeds, and the evidence of his own senses. "hocus pocus," no pretensions to exclusive powers, no attempts at concealment, are resorted to by many Mesmerizers, whose word has never been doubted, and who are well known to be neither fools nor knaves. They say to us, "Do thus, and you will probably become as wise as ourselves; or if you cannot, or will not, be at the necessary trouble, come and see.'

No

But people in general prefer to dictate laws to nature from their easy chairs, and amuse themselves at the expense of her followers, chasing the shapes of their own imaginations, as they are pleased to say. To those who really desire to know the truth, whatever favorite ideas it may upset, I would venture to recommend that they should examine the evidence in support of Mesmerism, just as they would any other matter worth inquiring about; and I can confidently promise that they will be richly rewarded. To encourage then, I would remind them, in the words of Bacon, "that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it; the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it; and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it; is the sovereign good of human nature;" and that this highest gratification of humanity can only be attained by carefully training and exercising our intellect, to which the senses are only handmaids.

The public are too apt to consider the subject of Mesmerism as a professional one, and not to take the necessary means to become acquainted with it till the doctors shall have decided what is to be believed about it. This is an error on the part of the public, for, I am sorry to say, medical men in general as yet know nothing about it; and there is nothing in their previous knowledge, howev

er great and varied, that bears upon the subject, or can entitle them to decide, ex cathedra, on the truth or falsehood of the new discoveries. As the question at present stands, it is one of facts, and of evidence in support of them, of which a jury of sensible unprofessional men can judge as well as so many doctors, to whom the subject is equally new and perplexing. When the doctors shall have experimented for themselves, or taken the trouble to witness the practice of others, and carefully studied the subject, the public cannot do better than take them for their guides; but this "consummation devoutly to be wished" is so remote, I fear, that not many of this generation will live to benefit by Mesmerism, if they wait tiil it is admitted into the Pharmacopoeia.

I would therefore recommend the public to exercise their common sense, and sober judgement, in determining for the doctors the matter of fact; and if the community decides that it is really a remedy of great efficacy, that there is no resisting the proofs in support of it, that to know nothing about it is no recommendation to a medical man; then Mesmerism will assume its proper rank as a remedial agent, and be lodged in the hands of those who should alone practice it; for it is subject to enormous abuses in the hands of the ignorant and unprincipled. Instead of doubting and dogmatizing about Mesmerism, I would earnestly entreat my medical brethren to put it to the test by personal experiment, for it is a thing to be done, and not talked of only: "I want facts, and not words," will be the answer of every person of common sense to the most dogmatical and ingenious objectors.

It is by medical men in this country taking up the subject experimentally, without previous knowledge of it, and having no theories to make good or defend, that the truth or falsehood of Mesmerism may be very speedily decided. By following the instructions to be hereafter given, I doubt not that many will be as successful as myself, for they are the means of putting in motion a law of nature whose springs are hidden from us, but whose effects are most wonderful, and beneficial to humanity, when properly directed.

But I beg leave to warn all who have not yet a practical knowledge of the subject, that to produce the phenomena of Mesmerism is by no means a thing so light and easy as some imagine. In singularly sensitive persons the extreme degree of coma, so intense as to permit the performance of surgical operations, without awaking the patient, may sometimes be obtained in a few minutes; but, in general, it takes an hour or two, and the process often does not succeed till the second, or even fourteenth time. In this, as in everything else, nature will not "unsought be won," and only yields her secret treasures to those who court her with earnestness, sincerity and resolution. "Labore et sudore" ought to be the Mesmerist's motto, until he has produced the desired results by his personal efforts, and thereby given confidence to himself and others. After this, all is easy, for any number of proper assistants may be taught

to act under our superintendence; and this is the only way in which a physician can practice Mesmerism to any extent.

But I would venture to suggest, that it will not be enough to set people to mesmerize for us by the book. It is exacting too much of human nature to expect people to sweat for hours, pawing the air, &c., for our incomprehensible objects. But let them look on and see the wonderful effects produced by the labors of their superiors; and a host of willing and efficient Mesmerizers will spring up, to execute the will of the directing mind, and relieve it from the drudgery of the needful bodily exertion. Much has been written about the physical and moral qualities necessary in a Mesmerizer, and such a picture of a "perfect monster" has been drawn, that it is enough to deter one from making the attempt. If asked to select a natural Mesmerizer, I should be disposed to choose a person of a high organization, in whom the nervous and circulating systems were equally active, with a determined will, a resolution to do the thing if possible, and a love of truth and humanity, that would induce him to "do for love what gold could never buy." But, when the way has been shown, far less energy of mind and body is quite sufficient for all practical purposes. Healthy young persons, who are tractable and patient, and who will give the necessary degree of attention, can be made to work out our intentions in the most efficient manner; and I hope to make it appear that the mesmeric power is a far more general gift of nature than has hitherto been supposed. Finding it impossible, after the first month, to prosecute the subject in my own person, owing to the great bodily and mental fatigue it caused (for I spared neither), I set to work my hospital attendants, young Hindoos and Mohammedans; and such has been my success, that every one I have taught has become a skillful Mesmerizer. Now, I do not need to mesmerize at all, having a dozen assistants to execute my wishes, whether it be in the mesmeric treatment of medical cases, or for procuring coma in surgical operations.

To those who by their own powers, may desire to test the truth for themselves, I would venture to suggest, that an earnest desire to know the truth, a fixed attention, and a resolution to overcome first difficulties, are essential conditions of mind for the operator, as the means of concentrating and keeping up the continued action of the vital agent, whatever it may be. First experiments should be made on the sick, in the hope of benefiting them; which hopes, if strongly felt, will be a stimulus to exertion, and an element of success totally wanting in experimenting on healthy subjects, who are also more difficult to be affected. "The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick;" and however bountiful nature inay be to her creatures, she is never prodigal, and never wastes unnecessary power. Mesmerism is the "Medicine of Nature;" and she refuses, very wisely, to take it when it is not needed; and if forced upon her in a state of health, it is very likely to do mischief; for any attempt to be better than "well" is pretty sure to make one ill