An essay on somnambulism, or sleep-walking, produced by animal electricity and magnetism, as well as by sympathy, &c. : as performed by the Rev. John Bell, member of the Philosophical Harmonic Society of France, fellow correspondent to the Museum at Paris, and the only person authorised to teach and practise that science in Great Britain, Ireland, &c.
- Fournel, Jean-François, 1745-1820.
- Date:
- 1788
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An essay on somnambulism, or sleep-walking, produced by animal electricity and magnetism, as well as by sympathy, &c. : as performed by the Rev. John Bell, member of the Philosophical Harmonic Society of France, fellow correspondent to the Museum at Paris, and the only person authorised to teach and practise that science in Great Britain, Ireland, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.
17/40 (page 15)
![( ^5 ) nature has prefctibed certain limits which are inacceffiblc to human conception. But, perhaps, fome will fay, Frorji fuch a mode of *< reasoning It will then follow that we muft give credit to ** eyery abfurdity we hear, and believe the greateft oddities *' in the world ; and thofe who will exa£l: fuch a belief, (hall only have to invoke the great power of nature, and the immenfe extent of its refources. Tliat wayofreafoning would deprive arts of their rules, '* and banifh principles from fciences, in order to make room for rafh aflertions, &c. bur learning, inftead of being fufceptible of improvement and enlargement, would fall again into chaos and confufion- But that objection is, by no means applicable; for the queftion.is not to admit a phoenomenon under the finglecon-r fidcration that nothing is impolllble to nature ; it is, on t]:e contrary, recommended that we fhould fubmit to the triA of contradiflion, experience, and reafoning itfelf, a fad> certified by a multitude of perfons of every denomination who have been eye witnelTes to the fame. Thus, till now, prefumption is flill in favour of Somnam,- bullfm, fince being grounded on the ftrongeft confidera- tions j thofe confiderations are neither overcome nor weak- ened by the pretended improbability urged againft them. But what will then be faid, if we w^re to clifcover that Magnetical Somnambulifm ? far from offering to the learned an inconceivable phoenomenon, incompatible with allnotion? admitted both in phyfic and phyfiology ;it is on the contrary, a natural confequcnce from thofe very principles, acceffary of the common notions with which it i? blended and united in a very natural manner ? It is what I propofe to demonftrate, a-nd in order tp proceed methodically, I fliall firft fucccffively examine the two articles of Magnetical Somnambulifm, which have ex- cited the reclamation of the doctors. I ft. The facility of putting a patient in a ftate of Somnambulifm. 2d. Thfe phccnomena ufually attending on fuch a ftate. Article^-ift. The Somnambulifm^s coipmjynication is in the order of the already admitted notions in phyfi- plogy. It is fomething remarkable to hear many learned men- ob- ftinately declare it to be abfolutely impoihblc for a p'afienf to be put in a ftate cf Somnambulifm, by any art whatever, when](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21438572_0019.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
