owers of mesmerism
himself, in his asylum, although he thought that the mode in which,
from pure conviction, he allowed it to be applied, by doctors
carefully selected under his own strict superintendence, obviated all
risk of abuse, and, on the contrary, produced beneficial effects on the
patients, as well as resulting increase of knowledge respecting this
most mysterious of all curative agents. Although it was a breach of all
regulations, he said he was willing, provided that I would promise him
the strictest secrecy, so as to keep the curious at bay, to allow me to
be present at a mesmeric cure, if a case of the kind should occur.

"Chance soon brought a very remarkable case of the kind under my
observation, of which the circumstances are as follow:

"In a certain village about twenty miles from B---- the local medical
man met with a country labourer's daughter, of about sixteen, whose
condition her parents bewailed with bitter tears. They said their
daughter could neither be said to be ill nor well. She suffered from no
pain or illness, she ate and drank, slept--often for a whole day at a
time--and yet she seemed to be wasting away, and getting weaker and
feebler daily, so that she had been able to do no work for a long time
past. The doctor convinced himself that some deep-seated affection of
the nervous system was the root of the evil, and that mesmerism was
clearly indicated as the remedy. He told the parents that it was
impossible that their daughter could be cured there in the village, but
that she could be put to rights completely if they would send her to
the hospital in B----, where she would have the best of advice and
treatment, and be given the necessary medicine without having to pay a
farthing. After a hard struggle the parents did as they were advised.

"Before the mesmeric cure had been commenced I went with my friend to
the hospital, and saw the patient. I found the girl in a lofty,
well-lighted room, fitted up in the most careful manner with all
imaginable comforts and conveniences. She was of very delicate build
for her station in life, and her refined-looking face was almost to be
called beautiful, had it not been for the dull, vacant eyes, the deadly
pallor, the colourless lips. Probably her malady had impaired, for the
time, her mental powers, but she seemed to be very limited in
intelligence, appeared to have a good deal of difficulty in
understanding questions put to her, and answered them i