There was no reasoning by analogy. The whole experiment was the result of an impulsive idea, which he abandoned entirely after a few trials in the following month. It has been shown elsewhere, that Mr. Wells had no philosophy on the subject; he never dreamt of producing a state of unconscious insensibility.

I also published in the Morning Chronicle, Medical Times, and Critic the history of my discovery. The following appeared in the Critic of April 10th, 1847, No. 119 :"To the Editor of 'The Critic.'

Sir, - My attention has just been called to a statement of Dr. Wells, as given "in No. 114 (March 6th) of the Critic, relative to his priority in the discovery of the effects of ether in producing insensibility to physical pain. I have "therefore the pleasure to forward you a counter-statement, of my own claims, "in addition to that which you did me the honour to publish in your valuable "Journal of Mental Philosophy. (See Critic, No. 106, for January 9th, 1847.) "Dr. Wells, of Hartford, Connecticut, states that he performed the experiments "in November, 1844, and that he, in the following month (December), called "on Drs. Warren, Hayward, Jackson, and Morton, and made known his dis"covery. But he complains, that Drs. Morton and Jackson subsequently "published the discovery, without mention of this conference with him! Time, "indeed, sets all things even; men may attempt to overreach their fellows, in "consequence of a supposed superiority of position, but it only requires a "steady adherence to truth, combined with energy, in order to expose the "upstart pretenders, and secure merit its just claims.

I have been a public "lecturer on Physiology now eight years, and have written on the particular "subject now claiming public attention - namely, the inhalation of "Stimulating "and Narcotic Vapours" in order to produce nervous congestion of the brain, "so that surgical operations could be performed without pain to the patient. "Had I not been prevented in consequence of illness, I would have long since "visited London with my publications,* which prove my discovery and appli"cation of the same in the early part of the year 1843, two years before Dr.Wells "called on Drs. Morton and Jackson! I extract the following lecture from "the Providence Evening Chronicle (U.S.) of March 17th, 1843. To the "English reader it must be slated that Providence is situated within a few "miles of Hartford, Dr. Wells's residence, also only forty from Boston, the "residence of Drs. Morton and Jackson. I also, in Boston, delivered more "than twenty lectures on this very topic in 1842 and 1843. The following is "the lecture:'The lecture of Dr. Collyer, at Westminster Hall, last evening, was on the "Philosophy of the Nervous Force. Man must be called an electrical machine " - indeed he was so, most truly; he was governed by its laws, and exhibited "most of the phenomena connected with that fluid.

Magnetic sleep was a "congestion of the brain produced by the transmission of the nervous force "from one person to another. To illustrate this in brain fever, where there is "an over-action of that part of the body, we find the patient has cold bands "and feet; here is a withdrawal from those parts of the nervous force to supply "this extra action of the brain. He noticed the beautiful action of the lungs in "this connexion. Monotony would produce sleep on the most irritable when "all opiates fail; waking was only the result of the constant stimulus of the "variety which meet our gaze. Printers often experience this in a blurred "sheet, or a double impression on the same sheet. By looking at any object "for a long time a dimness would come over the eyes, languor, &c; in fact, all "the approaching attributes of sleep or a congestion of the brain, as in common "sleep or the mesmeric sleep, would be produced. He further alluded to the "action of the nervous force as connected with the brain. Men in strife receive bruises and wounds, and are not sensible of the fact at the time, in "consequence of the great excitement of the brain, producing a deadness of the "outer surface, or in other words, a withdrawal of the nervous force to supply " the increased action of the central action portions of the brain.

Any excitement "would produce the same result; as we see in the Hindoo widow, in the Indian "of the forest, who seems at times wholly indifferent to pain, and will bear the "most excruciating torture without a murmur. In cases of religious excite"ment the same action is made manifest. Persons under this religious frenzy "do what under ordinary circumstances they could not do, until at length the "brain becomes exhausted, and the subject falls into a swoon, in which they lie "for hours and even days. By exciting a person's vanity we have the same "result; surgical operations have been performed, where the patient has "borne the pain with the greatest fortitude when his feelings have been appealed "to. A. Roman general once boasted of the great power of the Romans to "bear pain, and plunged his arm into the fire until it dropped off. In a con"dition where there is an equilibrium of the system, the sting of a mosquito "will almost drive one mad. Dr. Collyer gave the statement of a celebrated "French surgeon (Baron Larrey), who accompanied Napoleon in all his cam"paigns, to substantiate his position.

This surgeon stated that operations were "always better borne by the soldiers if performed immediately after an engage"ment, while the excitement was on, than if performed at a later period.'

* Lost in Mexico and California in 1849 and 1851.

The next month I published a work, wherein at page 26 I use these words "(after having performed the experiments publicly): - The power to produce "this congestive state of the nervous system is not confined to the nervo-vital fluid "of a second person. The same state of things may be brought about by mental "excitement, accompanied by muscular action; the inhaling of narcotic "and stimulating vapours. I performed a variety of experiments in con"nexion with inhalation - demonstrating its power to produce congestion of the "brain. I have also, at pages 26 and 27, given the Delphic oracle as an "example in these words: - 'A goatherd fed his flocks on the acclivity of Mount "Parnassus. As the animals wandered here and there in pursuit of food, they "happened to approach a deep and long chasm in the rock. From this chasm "a vapour issued, and the goats had no sooner inhaled a portion of the vapour "than they began to play and frisk about with singular agility. The goatherd "observing this, and curious to discover the cause, held his head over the chasm; "in a short time the fumes having ascended to his brain, he threw himself into "a variety of strange attitudes, and uttered words which were supposed to "have a prophetic meaning.