Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein: With an Account of MesmerismMayo, Herbert
History
Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein: With an Account of Mesmerism
Mayo, Herbert
Mesmerism; Parapsychology and medicine; Superstition
The next strange phenomenon marks that the mind of the entranced
patient has interpenetrated the nervous system of the other _a step
farther_, and is in relation besides with the posterior half of the
cranio-spinal chord and its nerves. For now the entranced person, who
has no feeling, or taste, or smell of his own, _feels, tastes, and
smells every thing that is made to tell on the senses of the operator_.
If mustard or sugar be put in his own mouth, he seems not to know that
they are there; if mustard is placed on the tongue of the operator, the
entranced person expresses great disgust, and tries as if to spit it
out. The same with bodily pain. If you pluck a hair from the operator’s
head, the other complains of the pain you give _him_.
To state in the closest way what has happened: The phenomena of
sympathetic motion and sympathetic sensation thus displayed are
exactly such as might be expected to follow, if the mind or conscious
principle of the entranced person were brought into relation with
the cranio-spinal chord of the operator and its nerves, and with no
farther portion of his nervous system. Later, it will be seen, the
interpenetration can extend farther.
But, before this happens, a new phenomenon manifests itself, not of a
sympathetic character. The operator contrives to wake the entranced
person to the knowledge that he possesses new faculties. _He develops
in him new organs of sensation_, or rather helps to hasten his
recognition of their possession.
It is to be observed, however, that several who can be entranced cannot
be brought as far as the present step. Others make a tantalizing
half-advance towards reaching it _thus_, and then stop. They are
asked,—“Do you see any thing?” After some days, at length they answer
“Yes.” “What?” “A light.” “Where is the light?” Then they intimate its
place to be either before them, or to one side, or above or behind
them. And they describe the colour of the light, which is commonly
yellowish. And each day it is pointed to in the same direction, and is
seen equally whether the room be light or dark. Their eyes in the mean
time are closed. And here with many the phenomenon stops. Others in
this light now begin to discern objects held in the direction in which
they see it. The range of this new visual organ, and the conditions
under which it acts, are different in different instances. Sometimes
the object must be close, sometimes it is best seen at a short
distance; but seen it is. The following experiment, which is decisive,
was made at my suggestion: A gentleman standing behind the entranced
person held behind him a pack of cards, from which he drew several in
succession, and, without seeing them himself, presented them to the new
visual organ of the patient. In each case she named the card right.
The degree of light suited to this new mode of vision is variable:
sometimes bright daylight is best; sometimes they prefer a moderate
light.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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