In May, 1843, the following was published, relative to the same subject :"Mental hallucination can at any time be produced on persons in "the waking state, who are recipient to the agency, with much more "power and marked results than during the mesmeric state. I have "made persons, when perfectly awake, believe themselves to be par"taking of a good dinner: they would in their minds be filling their "plates from empty dishes. I could successively change the nature "of their food, make potatoes turn into apple dumplings, a turkey "into a leg of mutton, water into brandy, sugar into a stick of candy. "I in one instance took four persons and pressed their thumbs, they "immediately commenced feeling as if intoxicated; I then restored "them in an instant; could obliterate from their memory the occurrence "which had just transpired, and alternately bring them vividly to their "recollection, and cause them to scream with agony on placing a piece "of money in their hands, they feeling all the torture of burning metal "when placed on the skin. I made two persons at the same time be"lieve themselves to be bottles of ginger-beer; they distinctly heard "the fermentation within, and desired me with all earnestness not to "draw the cork, for that would kill them.

I made a man fancy him"self a general officer, a locomotive, etc. In fact, I know not a single "condition but what may be brought about by the action of the mind "of the operator.

The same state of mind may be made the medium of curing the "most distressing mental diseases."

The Liverpool Mail of October 14th, 1843, in reporting another of my lectures, says:". . . . The experiments were of a most interesting description, and varied from those of last evening, being of a higher order. The "lecturer, after requesting the subject to ascend the platform, placed a "glass of water in the hands of the female and desired her to drink. "In answer to a question she said the draught was very good - it was "wine. Dr. Collyer subsequently placed a powder on her tongue, "which she declared to be extremely sweet and pleasant; the remainder "of the substance was shown to the audience, when it turned out to be "Cayenne pepper; a similar effect was produced on a young man who, on "having some aloes put into his mouth, declared it to be barley-sugar. "An extraordinary illusion was next produced, when being requested to "look down at his leg, which was in a rigid state, he seriously asserted "that he could not see it, so completely was the patient under the con"trol of the will of the magnetizer. The doctor then took his hands, "placed them together, and desired him to separate them, but notwith"standing the most strenuous exertions, they remained unseparable "until the influence was removed."

This lecture was reported in detail. I make the above extracts to show that no one prior to this date had made these demonstrations. It is a remarkable fact that any portion of the body may be rendered locally anaesthetic by a mere action of the will of a second person. Yet such is a fact, which no amount of incredulity can repudiate; for it will be seen that, to use the words reported in the Liverpool Standard of October 17th, 1843, "two operations had been performed in "America during this state - viz., extirpation of cancer from the "foot, and adjustment of a compound fracture of the fore-arm. In the "latter case a portion of bone was removed in order to set the limb "(generally a painful operation), and yet the patient was insensible."

This is repeated as being of major importance in showing how the anaesthetic state was made available by the author in order to assuage the sufferings incidental to surgical operations. It is also of inestimable value, taking into account its date, being fifteen months prior to Mr. Wells's inhalation of the protoxide of nitrogen, as showing that no competitive interest prompted its publication; also that there was no partiality as to the mesmeric (so-called) process over other means of inducing the anaesthetic state. This great fact has been entirely overlooked by the writer of the History of Anaesthetics in the Lancet of June 11th, 1870. The author of this pamphlet has never disputed the unquestionable priority of the illustrious chemist Sir Humphry Davy in the use of nitrous oxide to alleviate pain, though Sir Humphry never produced unconsciousness.

The writer in the Lancet, after a certain fashion, has given the author (Dr. Collyer) the credit of having initiated modern anaesthesia in the United States of America. No doubt, had not authentic official documents warranted this, he would never have compromised himself to the statement of facts which were susceptible of being challenged to direct proof. It will be seen with what independence and fearlessness these pages are penned. Nothing is asked as a favour, but the most impartial truth demanded.

In the Liverpool Standard of October 14th, 1848: "That the anaesthetic state, during which surgical operations could "be performed, could be brought about or produced: 1st, by natural "fatigue;* 2nd, the transmission of the nervous force from a second "person; 3rd, by concentration of the mind on one subject accompanied "by muscular action; 4th, by steadily gazing on an object (hypnotism); "5th, by the inhalation of narcotic and stimulating vapours." To these might have been added induced mental hallucination and hybernation. All these things must be taken into account by the reader, as it proves conclusively that no prejudice existed in the mind of the author as to any special mode of producing the anaesthetic state.

There is another anaesthetic state, that induced by alcoholism. One case presented itself in New York in the spring of 1841, of a sailor who, having returned from a long voyage, abandoned himself to the indulgence of drinking whisky in large quantities. The consequence was an entire prostration of the nervous system. To the great majority of the medical profession he was a corpse. No perceptible respiration, no pulse, surface cold and clammy; in fine, when first seen by the author he was pronounced as having been dead some minutes. The first course indicated was a hot bath, and constant friction of the whole body, which was continued for over three hours, when the first indications of returning consciousness were observed by the trembling of the eyelid. Some moments after, by the aid of the stethoscope, the heart's action became perceptible, and subsequently the respiratory organs resumed their functions.

No doubt in great prostration of the nervous system, heat, electricity, and the vital force of a second person are essential elements in the recovery, or restoration to the normal condition.

The Soporific Cakes (celebrat et panis oblationem) used by the early Egyptians had also a powerful anaesthetic effect. The candidate for initiation was enabled to endure the terrible ordeal, which he would not have been able to endure but for the medicated cakes, which produced a state of mental hallucination or inebriation, rendering him easily subjugated to the will of the priests and magicians who conducted the ceremony of the mysteries. It was this mental state, caused by eating the panis frugtbus, which caused those who were being initiated to reveal their most secret thoughts.

* i.e., fatigue causing a loss of consciousness.

The use of alcohol, in all its forms, as a beverage, has been beyond doubt one of the greatest curses and drawbacks to the advancement of civilization with which intellectual man has had to contend.