Viewing page 13 of 195

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

20 July 16th 1843

that of a troubled sleep. At the command of the operator, he stood up and walked about the floor, stumbling against the benches and chairs. 

He was first brought to the electrical stool and ordered to stand on it, but he did not obey the [[magnetiser?]], and finally we were obliged to lift him on by man strength. The [[electrodes?]] was then placed in [[communication?]] with his hand, but it exhibited no signs of excitement, although the instrument was so delicate that the least touch of his coat with a silk handkerchief would make the leaves strike the side of the glass.  This fact may perhaps have given rise to the assertion that by making what are called the [[passes?]] down the body, it would become electrical. a slight touch of the [[magnetizers?]] hand would be sufficient to produce this effect by the ordinary action of friction.

Next his hands were placed in contact with the wires of a delicate electro magnet, and then [[passes?]] made along them, but the soft iron exhibited no signs of magnetism, although it was tested very carefully with iron filings.  The boy appeared very reluctant although in the [[mesmeric?]] [[?]], to approach the apparatus.

I next placed in his hands the two poles of a magnetic-electrical apparatus, the shocks of which were very severe, and could scarcely be endured by an ordinary individual.  When the machine was put in operation, the [[muscles?]] of his arms were thrown into convulsive motions, [[end page]]  

[[start page]] July 16th 1843  21
and he exclaimed "I want to be waked up", "I want to be waked up".  He however still kept his eyes closed and retained the same stupid and sleepy appearance, and as soon as he was released from the machine, he wandered, as it were, as far from the apparatus as the room [[strikethrough]] would [[/strikethrough]] would permit. When he was at [[strikethrough]] about [[/strikethrough]] the distance of about 18 feet from the operator, and his back to the [[?]], it was proposed by the Author himself that he should take the shocks inorder to test if the negro by sympathy, would exhibit any signs of [[?]] at the first shock given to Author, then face and neck of the negro were observed to be [[?]] affected.  I was myself working the machine and giving the shocks and therefore did not myself see the face of the subject, but I did observe the twitching of the body.  The experiment was by no means satisfactory, the boy could hear the [[sounds?]] of the machine and could [[perceive?]] the start of the person shocked.  Whe Professor [[Maclean?]] took the shock instead of Mr A, the effect was said not to be produced.  I can say nothing in reference to this observation [[?]] my position at the machine prevented my observing the effect.

In order to avoid all perception of the ordinary kind by the boy in reference to the shocks given Mr A, the latter with this machine was placed in an adjoining room with the door open, but so that the sound would not be as perceptable as before and nothing could be [[seen?]] - with this arrangement, no effect was produced on the boy, however [[?]]