A PRACTICAL DISPLAY OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEM CALLED Animal Magnetism, IN WHICH IS EXPLAINED DIFFERENT MODES OF TREATING, WITH SOME MEDICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISEASES OF THE HUMAN BODY, Which it is peculiarly adapted to relieve;
TOGETHER WITH The Manner and Reasonableness of ABSENT TREATMENT: THE WHOLE CALCULATED TO INSTRUCT EVERY CAPACITY, IN THE RATIONAL PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE, OF THE MISTERIOUS SCIENCE.
LONDON:
PRINTED in the YEAR,
MDCCXC.
THE Science commonly understood by the Term
Animal Magnetism,
and which has been so long kept out of sight (except to a Few only) is now laid open for the Information of every Enquirer; and I am fully persuaded, that any Person of an ordinary Capacity, by attending to the following Rules, will be capable of being as useful an Operator, as those who have obtained it at a much higher Price; only let him not be discouraged in his first Attempt; and by practice he will gain Confidence and Success.
A PRACTICAL DISPLAY OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEM CALLED Animal Magnetism.
IN order to make this useful Science as plain as possible, every thing that has not an immediate Connection with the practical part of it, is omitted, that the young Practitioner may not be confused with the Subject; and I am fully persuaded, that, by attending to the Directions here given, any one may attain to a sufficient knowledge of the Science to enable him to practise it for the Benefit of himself and others, as well as those who have obtained it at the Price of Twenty or Twenty-five Guineas.
In order to treat a Patient with Success, the following Qualifications are essentially Necessary.
I. Abstraction.
II. Affection.
III. Intention.
IV Volition.
Abstraction. Be as much abstracted as possible, forget yourself and every thing around you, and take a kind of temporary Possession of the Object to be treated.
Affection. Let your Affection and Benevolence go forth towards the Object you are about to treat, let the whole energy of your Mind be fixed on the Patient's Relief, and almost certain Success will ensue.
Intention. Keep up a constant Idea of the Complaint you wish to remove, let your Intention be to administer all the Assistance in your Power towards the Patient's Recovery; Compassion and Intention will contribute much to the Success.
Volition. The Human System being possessed of mental Faculties whose active Power is unknown 'till it is demonstrated by practical Operations; exert all the Volition you are possessed off, with a Determination, if possible, to do good to the Object you are treating, and you will often find a kind of contacting Sensation, effected by the Incorporation of Atmospheres and the powerful Principles of the Science acting upon each Body; and the greater the Exertion of those Principles the more effectual will the Treatment be.
On the different Modes of Treating.
Several Modes have been practised, but I shall only mention Two, which will be quite sufficient for the Purpose, one by the Science itself, without the Use of the Hands, (for it is a mental Act, and the stronger the mental Powers the more efficaicous will the Treatment be.) Here abstract yourself, be quite placid and serene, keep up your Intention, and put forth all the Volition you are Master off: By this Means I have seen a Hand raised quite erect that lay passive on a Table, without any Action whatever; but let me here observe, lest by failing in your first Attempt, you should be discouraged, a Person who will be faithful to you, that is to say, who will make no resistance, should be chosen, and the more delicate the Person the more easily will this Operation be performed. Whatever the Case you are about to treat may be, be not disheartened, nor weary, if your sanguine Expections should not, at first, be fully answered, but persevere, make repeated Trials, the more you practice the greater will be your Confidence, and the more successful your Treatment.
The other Mode of treating I shall here menis, by Use of the Hands with the Science, for there must be a concurrence with each other, the Hands will give a kind of energy to the Mind, and keep the Operator to his Work. The Effect of this will soon be perceived in the Patient, and also by yourself, in the Patient the Effects may sometimes be different, but in general a warm Sensation will take place, at other times the Patient will feel cold; and the Operator will find a sort of pricking in the the Ends of all his Fingers.— So much for the Mode of Treating.
The next Thing to be attended to is some of the Complaints the Human Body is subject to, and which the Operation of this Science is peculiarly adapted to remove; many Disorders arise from Obstructions and the want of proper Circulation of the Fluids: the Body is like a curious Machine, which if one Wheel be a little obstructed, it affects the Whole and when the Disorder is discovered the Remedy is the more easily applied; so when any Obstruction is perceived, apply the whole Energy of the mind to the part affected, and in this, as well as every other Magnetic Operation, separate as much as possible, every Idea of corporal Action and think on mental Power only.
Head-Ach. Whatever obstructs the free Circulation of the Blood through the Vessels of the Head, may occasion the Head-ach, which very frequently arises from a foul Stomach; in that case you must treat the Stomach only, by moving the Hand upwards and downwards, which will agitatate the Bile, and relieve the Patient; but if it arises from Obstructions, the Treatment will occasion an agreeable warmth, and assist Nature in overcoming the complaint; this will be found effectual in most Disorders of the Head. I have frequently cured the Head-ach, by pressing and drawing the Hand steadily over the Forehead, in less than half an hour.
Inflammation of the eyes, may be cured by this Treatment, only observe (during the Operation with the Hand) to exert your Intention, as much as possible, to draw out the Inflammation: By the same method you may treat Abscesses in order to bring them to a head, if you cannot disperse them; likewise you will find it effectual to extract Fire from burns of all kinds, in two or three times treating, and if not very much burnt, in one Treatment only.
Strains. In treating Strains, which are often attended with worse consequences than broken Bones; fix your Mind intensely on the part affected, and while you are engaged in the method of Treatment, as above, the Patient will find an agreeable glow and warmth pervade the part, which will help to restore the Vessels to their proper Tone.
Deafness. The hearing may be hurt by violent Colds in the Head, by a Stroke upon the Ear, by hard Wax, or other Substances, filling up the Cavity of the Ear, all which may be removed by perseverance in the Treatment. Place the Patient at a little distance, with the Ear inclining towards you: Let your mental Ideas enter the Ear, at the same time moving your Hands backwards and forwards, pointing towards the Ear, and carry your Ideas, as it were, through the Head; and by a continuance of this Treatment, an agreeable warmth will be produced, and the Obstruction removed. I have known a Deafness occasioned by a stroke on the Ear, to have been totally removed in a quarter of an Hour; and Persons who had been Deaf for many Years, have been restored to their Hearing by repeated Treatments of this Kind; but great care must be taken not to catch Cold whilst the Cure is performing, lest it should render the Treatment ineffectual.
WE now advance to another part of the Science, that of absent Treatment, and here it appears in a more irrational and obscure point of view, to ignorant and prejudiced minds;
An ironical, dogmatical, and not to say immodest Pamphlet, has been recently imposed on the Public for a rational account of Animal Magnetism, the Editor of which seems to have attained to no better knowledge of the Science he explodes, than what has been imbibed from Vulgar Prejudice, and the Cant of a few old Women.
but why should this be thought incredible, since Expansion or Distance is allowed to be a relative Idea, which belongs only to the Body, and has nothing to do with the Soul; the Soul is possessed with intelectual Powers and Affections, such as Thought, Reflection, Sensation, Volition or Willing, and I can as easily fix my Mind upon St. Peter's at Rome as on St. Paul's in London. Distance belongs to the Body, as observed above, but Thought cannot be confined, it can travel backward into the past, or forward into the future, it can aspire to things above as well as reflect on things beneath; when we want to recollect any thing we travel back into the past, we exercise a wish to recollect, and often our wishes are effectual and the thing we want to recollect is brought to our Mind: Thoughts are in many cases, influencial, why may they not affect and remove Disorders from Persons at a distance, as well as those at hand?— In order to perform absent Treatment, retire; sit down for a few Minutes, be perfectly collected, and as much as possible abstracted; consider the Powers you are possessed off, and what you wish to perform to your absent Friend, form his Idea in your Mind, fix on it for some time, and descend slowly and gradually from the Head downwards, 'till by the power of Sympathy you feel yourself, as it were, in contact with him and find a correspondent Pain which you must endeavor to remove: But if you know the Complaint your absent Friend labours under, and would relieve him, sit down, collect yourself, and then treat him, though absent, in the same Manner you would if you saw him before you.
IF upon reading these Lines the Science should appear a Chimera, the Reader is requested not to censure and condemn it 'till he has tried the Power of it for his own Satisfaction and Conviction, and if he finds it effectual in one Case, let him suspend his judgement 'till he has tried it in others, and I am persuaded he will not be disappointed. Let him make Trial of raising the Hand as directed in the Mode of Treatment, and he will have occular Demonstration of the Power of the Science.
FINIS.