I was introduced to Mrs. B. by her husband in a private room. She was sitting in an arm-chair, suffering all the agony of a severe attack of facial neuralgia of the right side, though somewhat different from most cases of that disease. There was no twitching of the muscles; great turgescence of the vessels of the face and neck; muscles of the neck very rigid; eyes very red; excessive intolerance of light, so much so, that she could scarcely bear to elevate the eyelids.

"She says she feels an almost insupportable weight upon her head; there is an abundant secretion of saliva, which is altogether from the right side of the mouth. I talked with her for about an hour, or as long as she was capable of talking. I found her a very intelligent woman. She wished to know if there was anything that would relieve her. I asked her if she had undergone any medical treatment, She said she had; that several eminent physicians had given her medicine. She had been cupped, her head shaved and blistered, ointment of veratria applied to the course of the nerve, and all the most noted antiperiodics, such as arsenic, the preparations of iron, &c., given in succession without the least benefit. She thought that under the tonic

treatment she had grown worse.

"She continued to get worse and worse from the time I went into the room until about eleven o'clock, when her eyes closed and she became perfectly insensible to external impressions. In this situation she commenced talking.

"She was placed in the sitting posture in a large room where a great number of strangers had collected. When she first commenced talking she appeared to be choked with a frothy saliva; but she soon cleared her throat, and preached for two hours and ten minutes in a clear and distinct voice-sufficiently loud to be heard a hundred yards. She commences in the form of a prayer, but soon changes to preaching, quoting scripture very fluently and giving explanations. Sometimes her mind will wander, and her words are not placed properly, though this is seldom the case. Sometimes her appeals were the most pathetic and eloquent I ever heard. The warning you have that she is about to conclude is the free spitting up of this frothy saliva. As soon as that appears, she falters and falls over. She continues insensible for fifteen or twenty minutes, all the time spitting up this saliva; then she awakes by yawning like a person who had been asleep, and looks about with a vacant stare. Soon, however, she regains her senses, looks like any other person, and knows nothing of what has transpired.

"The most remarkable circumstance connected with this case is, that she can neither see, hear nor feel, during all the time she is preaching. She is not disturbed by any noise that may be made, and if pricked with any sharp instrument, does not flinch, and her eyes are closed during the whole time.

"It is the opinion of some of the physicians who have visited her, that whilst in this condition one of her limbs might be amputated without her knowledge. After she recovers from this singular situation all the redness of the face and eyes disappears; she resumes her natural appearance and seems cheerful, and says her pain has vanished. I would remark that it is several hours before she can walk, as she seems to have no use of her limbs; but the next day she resumes her ordinary domestic duties with as much vigor as any of her neighbors, until the next paroxysm.

"This may be called deception or a religious fanaticism; but I think the history of the woman, and every circumstance connected with the case, seem to preclude such an idea. In the first place, it has been a well marked case of neuralgia for many years: the lady is not very loquacious, not so much as most of her sex, never was an enthusiast on any subject, belongs to the Presbyterian church, and never was known to have a desire to preach, or talk in public on any subject."

The physiology of the foregoing case appears to have been totally mysterious to her physicians, and the treatment prescribed was utterly inappropriate. Similar ignorance and mismanagement will continue to prevail until neurological science is properly cultivated in medical schools.

The philosophy of the case is obvious. The intense pain and the exertion of her fortitude produced a strong determination to the brain, especially to the anterior, interior and superior regions. Thus her moral and intellectual faculties were excited, and a state of extatic somnolence produced similar to that of mesmeric operators. This determination to the anterior and superior regions necessarily compressed the basilar organs of animal life, and paralyzed her muscular powers. At the same time it diminished or destroyed her physical sensibility, and ultimately entirely overcame her neuralgia.

It is probable that mesmeric treatment would have relieved her. If, instead of such articles as arsenic and iron, a combination of quinine and macrotyn had been used, the effect would have been far better. At the time of the paroxysm, if the head had been bathed with hot water and the whole system thoroughly relaxed by nauseating doses of antispasmodic emetics (lobelia, ictodes, &c.) assisted by stimulant anodynes upon the affected nerve, the attack would probably have been cut short.

A SINGULAR AND FATAL DISEASE.

Dr. C., of Lawrence county, Ohio, writes as follows: "In the month of February, 1848, a disease broke out in this county, about seventeen or nineteen miles from Gallipolis, and

fourteen to seventeen miles from the river, among the citizens of what is called the Greasy Ridge, and continued to the middle of April. I saw in all seventy-one patients, five of whom died. The first thirty cases commenced with a swelling of the left eye, like an erysipelas swelling, until it was 'swelled shut,' but extended no further. The pain in the forehead, which commenced with the swelling and was very intense, seemed to deprive the sufferers of all perception of time and pasing events; but not of judgment, whenever their attention was called to anything.

"They could not be persuaded to complain of anything, but at the commencement the pain in the forehead, until perceptions became dull. Pulse seemed unaffected. An emetic and brisk cathartic seemed to relieve and restore, in every case where used forthwith. The patient was to all appearance as well as ever in twenty-four hours. Towards the latter part of March and on to the 11th day of April, were about forty persons sick with the above symptoms, except the swelling of the eye. All recovered with the same treatment with the addition of stimulants, which were absolutely required to recover from the shock of the disease. The onset was so sudden, that frequently in one half-hour it was apparent to all that it must be help or death; not a house, and but very few individuals escaped; and not an instance was known out of the small area of two and a half miles square. Of the five who died, four were apparently well in twelve hours after the attack; but were again attacked in twenty-four to thirty-six hours, and died in six hours without complaining of anything (one only appeared demented,) but exhibiting the most terrible agitation or jactitation. I do not like either to think of the disease, or of the persons who died with it, much less to write about it. But the idea as fixed upon my mind and I cannot get rid of it, that this disease was Gangrene of the Corpus Callosum, it seemed like a willful separation of soul and body. I was sick with it myself, and during that time was prevented from seeing the death of one of the most vigorous men I ever knew (twenty-two years old) he took no medicine whatever. But the most fatal part remains to be told. The disease revisited the same location in February, March, and April, 1849, in a much milder form, until in July, upon the accession of cholera with which it seemed to associate itself, its actions seem to defy all description. I will just state that in a case in which Doctor Hibbard, of Gallipolis, was called, one or two were dead when he arrived. He stayed three hours, during which one neighbor in perfect health came in to assist, and died in one hour and thirty minutes. Hibbard declared the disease was not cholera; told them to take of themselves the best care they could, for he could do them no good. He traveled eight miles toward Galipolis and died.

"You will excuse me for giving you the above disconnected and irregular glance of what would, if circumstantially recorded,

make a small volume; it is impossible for me to give you more than one idea in regard to it, viz: A serious disease truly.' I seem to lose all calmness or steadiness whenever I think of that disease, but possessed with an inquietude bordering toward that extreme jactitation, which seemed to be the essential symptom of that disease. Yours, &c., J. L. C.

"I forgot to say that my object in giving you the above, is to get from you any opinion or information in regard to the proximate cause, &c., that you shall see fit to favor me with; though I have quit regular practice, and hope I shall not have occasion again to take it up."

The foregoing is a very interesting narrative to the neurological inquirer. The swelling of the left eye and the pain of the forehead, would indicate that the front lobe must have been affected. The eye is intimately connected with the intellectual organs the portion of brain behind the eye being connected with intellectual and moral manifestations. The power of recognizing time and passing events, is located in the forehead about an inch above the eyes. The pain in that region and the swelling of the eye account for the loss of memory. The organs of reflective judgment being located higher, were not much affected.

Whether the Corpus Callosum was affected or not, I cannot say. The jactitation described is a symptom which has arisen from division of the Corpus Callosum, but it may also arise from the Conductor Organs behind the eye and face. The prostrating character of the disease, and calmness or submissiveness of its subjects, is perfectly in character with its location in the anterior part of the brain. The relief given by emetics, cathartics, and stimulants, also coincides with the pathological tendencies of that region.

ART. V.-CONFESSIONS OF A PHYSICIAN.

PSYCHOPATHY-A NEW SYSTEM OF MEDICAL PRACTICE.-BY A. P

THE Journal of Man is the only publication in the country, devoted to the real good and future position of mankind. The reason is obvious: it is so perfectly eclectic on all subjects relating to the science of Man. One part of my subject has not been much discussed in the Journal; the other has, to a greater or less extent. I hope that the little I have to confess may make

an impression upon those who are skeptical; for I pity them because they are deprived of that truth, which of all truths is adapted to elevate the mind and fit it for truly philosophizing upon the great questions of the nineteenth century.

I may, without the charge of egotism, give my introduction to professional life. I graduated A. B. at Yale, in 1837; in 1839 was connected with the Yale Medical School; in 1840 attended lectures at Washington Medical School, D. C., where I received my diploma of M. D.; practiced two years under the direction of professors; and went forth prepared for the practice of Medicine. I was a believer in Phrenology, though rebuked for my credulity by my teachers of Physic; and as for Animal Magnetism, that was an imposture, and magnetizers ought to be gagged. I was advised by friends and professors to mind my books, save my money, and keep away from these jugglers. I yielded to the advice of my superiors. During the whole time of my collegiate and professional studies, from 1830 to 1840, I saw nothing of magnetism, though much discussed in papers and books. I actually, for fear of ridicule, did not dare say I instinctively believed it. After practising as a physician over five years, I found posted about the village where I rode, handbills reading thus: "Lectures on Animal Magnetism, experiments in Phreno-Magnetism and Clairvoyance: the subject a young lady who will be rendered insensible to pain," &c. I resolved to be present at this exhibition, and test the matter for myself, as this had been a subject that had agitated the public for nearly eight years; and I had neglected every opportunity to see for myself, when a little time and attention would have familiarized my mind with it, and I could have had some opinion of my own upon this subject.

After the lecture, the subject was put to sleep. A loud call then proceeded from the lecturer-"Is there a physician here!" "Yes," was the response by a house-full. "Let him come and test the subject's susceptibility to pain-try to wake her up, &c.— try the pulse," &c. I tried, without avail. Next came the experiments upon Phreno-Magnetism, which were very successful. After which, Clairvoyance was tried. I was appointed to propose experiments and test them. Nearly all were successful, and vision was indisputable; but now was the query and mystery. This was my first debut in Magnetism, and I felt chagrined, that I had listened to the ignorance of others, and had not given this subject a little consideration with my Latin, Greek, Mathematics and Physic: in short, it seemed that here there were some signs of new light-some science about mind and body that concerned, of all men, those who professed to have a knowledge of the physiology of man. Suffice it to say that I saw enough in these experiments to lead me to think deeply rather than ridicule. I had, however, no time to study the subject or experiment; and