ooked
uneasy and said his arms wore numb. They were perfectly paralysed from
the elbows downwards, and numb to the shoulders. This was the more
satisfactory, that neither the man himself, nor Lafontaine, nor the four
or five spectators, expected this result. The operator triumphantly drew
a pin and stuck-it into the man's hand, which bled but had no feeling.
Then heedlessly, to show it gave pain, Lafontaine stuck the pin into the
man's thigh, whose flashing eye, and half suppressed growl, denoted that
the aggression would certainly have been returned by another, had the
arm which should have done it not been really powerless. However, M.
Lafontaine made peace with the man, by restoring him the use and feeling
of his arms. This was done by dusting them, as it were, by quick
transverse motions of his extended hands. In five minutes nothing
remained of the palsy but a slight stiffness, which gradually wore off
in the course of the evening.

Genuine and ordinary trance, I have seen produced by the same
manipulations in from three minutes, to half an hour. The patient's
eyelids have dropped, he has appeared on the point of sleeping, but he
has not sunk back upon his chair; then he has continued to sit upright,
and seemingly perfectly insensible to the loudest sound or the acutest
and most startling impressions on the sense of touch. The pulse is
commonly a little increased in frequency; the breathing is sometimes
heavier than usual.

Occasionally, as in Victor's case, the patient quickly and spontaneously
emerges from the state of trance-sleep into trance half-waking; a
rapidity of development which I am persuaded occurs much more frequently
among the French than with the English or Germans. English patients,
especially, for the most part require a long course of education, many
sittings, to have the same powers drawn out. And these are by far the
most interesting cases. I will describe from Mr Williamson's account,
the course he has usually followed in developing his patient's powers,
and the order in which they have manifested themselves.

On the first day, perhaps, nothing can be elicited. But after some
minutes the stupor seems as it were less embarrassing to the patient,
who appears less heavily slumbrous, and breathes lighter again; or it
may be the reverse, particularly if the patient is epileptic; after a
little, the breathing may be deeper, the state one of less composure.
Pointing with the hands to the pit of th