Cure of a true cancer of the female breast with mesmerism / Extracted from the last number of 'The Zoist' (no. XXIII). With introductory remarks, by Dr. Engledue.

  • Elliotson, John, 1791-1868.
Date:
[1848]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cure of a true cancer of the female breast with mesmerism / Extracted from the last number of 'The Zoist' (no. XXIII). With introductory remarks, by Dr. Engledue. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I consider the following paper to contain the account of one of the most important and instructive cases in the annals of surgery. When Mr. Ward, of Wellow, removed the poor man’s leg without his being conscious of pain, under the mesmeric superintendence of my friend, Mr. Topham, all those persons who were engaged in mesmeric investigation considered the case to be the most important which had been presented to the medical profession. And so it was. Here was a man placed in a state of insensibility by a few passes of the hand, and during the continuance of this state a fourth part of his body removed by the knife of the surgeon. This was in November, 1842. Since that period the world has become so familiar with the performance of surgical operations without pain by means of ether and chloroform, that the proceedings of those who have operated on persons under the influence of mesmerism have not attracted so much notice as they deserved. ‘ Nevertheless, the number of operations performed in this state amount, I believe, to nearly four hundred. Great as this boon to suffering humanity must be considered, and important as every one must admit the facts to be, there is yet another portion of the subject demanding our attention, viz., the alleviation and cure of disease. It is -quite impossible to obtain a return of the number of cases of prolonged suffering which medicines had failed to alleviate, but which have been speedily and effectually cured by means of mesmerism. “The Zoist,” from which this