The homoeopathic principle applied to insanity : a proposal to treat lunacy by spiritualism / by James John Garth Wilkinson.

  • Wilkinson, James John Garth, 1812-1899.
Date:
1857
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The homoeopathic principle applied to insanity : a proposal to treat lunacy by spiritualism / by James John Garth Wilkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ran its course, and is still running it, being now an estab- lished medical practice. But out of Clairvoyance, or Mes- merized Sight, arose a second spiritual wave, — of minds impressed, and speaking by impression, or, as it used to be called, Prophesying. This, too, has continued, and propa- gated its influences through an ever-widening circle. Then came the third and greater wave, of Spirit-rapping and Table-moving. The table tipped to the letters of the alphabet, and spirits spelt out messages to those around the board. By-and-by, instead of the table, the hands of cer- tain individuals were chosen to communicate the messages of the spirits, by involuntary writing. A pencil is held in the hand as if for writing, and the hand is moved involun- tarily, and after a certain number of trials, which are requi- site in order that the patient may acquire passivity and faith enough, words and sentences issue from the uncon- scious hand, the import of which is often very astonishing to the penman. Any one may try this experiment for himself, and a small per centage will become involuntary writing-mediums. A still larger proportion, perhaps eighty out of every hundred, will in time become drawing- mediums. This is an interesting phase of Spiritualism, as we shall see presently. The involuntary writing and drawing mediums tend continually to another state. As the hand and arm are a better vehicle for spirit to work on than the table, so the mind is a greatly better medium or vehicle than the hand; and the mind is conscious and voluntary. The next stage of spirit development lies in the mind being impressed, and, of course, willing to be impressed, and knowing its impressions. This is a great advance; and the passivity of will and understanding, just that which is called Faith, is the highest energy of which either is susceptible. The submission to the higher is the crown of the head of the lower. When this takes place, the river of spirit is poured