Of the imagination, as a cause and as a cure of disorders of the body : exemplified by fictitious tractors, and epidemical convulsions ... : read to the Literary and Philosophical Society of Bath / by John Haygarth.

  • John Haygarth
Date:
1801
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Of the imagination, as a cause and as a cure of disorders of the body : exemplified by fictitious tractors, and epidemical convulsions ... : read to the Literary and Philosophical Society of Bath / by John Haygarth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    “ when the surgeon took five pieces of bone from his leg in a compound frafture, which he unfortunately ‘‘ met with in Wales.” It may, perhaps, be thought that he feigned all this. I cannot assert that he did not; but he could have no point to gain by such a con- du6l, and he certainly must have been a very excel- lent mimick to deceive so many people. This case excited much curiosity; and on the 2d of May, Dr. Moncrieffe, Messrs. Noble, Yeat- MAN, Clayfield, Probert, Notcutt, Lax, and JoLUFFE, were assembled to view the eflefts produced by these two wonder-working pieces of wood. The man dreaded the operation so much, that he re- quested to have it done in bed. Mr. Clayfield and myself used theTraftors. In a few seconds, as]iasm “ was evident upon the biceps flexor cubiti;*’ in two minutes, “ pain in the arm and collar-bone;” in three, increased in the hand and arm-pit, and continued “ in pain some time after the operation,” which had considerably accelerated his pulse. This patient could scarcely be prevailed upon to submit any longer to their use, although he confessed that “ upon tlic “ whole he had received much benefit.” ‘ By this time the affair began to acquire publicity,’ and many visitors, both out of the profession and me- dical men, were eye-witnesses, to the effefts of these spurious Tra£lors; and in order to render the trials the more ridiculous, two pieces of bone, of slate-pencil, and
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