MEDICAL THOUGHT-READING.

Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 111, 3 June 1885, Page 3

MEDICAL THOUGHT-READING.

TO Till KDITOB. Sin— Dr. Gillon, "A Firm Beliover," and Mr. M'Lean have boen having the above subjoot of discussion pretty muoh to thomsolvos. With your permission, I will give them a few facts of personal experience and comments thereon. I consulted Signor Hag oonoerningan iuternaluomplaint, from whioh I have Bnfferod for the last six or seven years, and by whioh I was prostrated at ono time for eight months in bed. Four dootors who uttenued roe at different times eaoh gave the complaint different namos. None were able to make any impression on it, and I am only ollva now through the bleisincr of having had the best of nurses to attend me. I thought my oase would therefore bo an excollent tost cose for Sinnor UUg, and I was no far open to oonviotion regarding the unknown world of spiritualism, olairvoyanoe, thought-reading, or what you will, as to speonlate the guinea fee. Not wishing to give any clue, my friend accompanying me answered tho Biifnor'B question of which was the patient ; but ho asked me a leading qnestion, and at the sound of my voice, probably, at onoe oonoluded that 1 was not a long pationt. Having gone off into an apparent mesmorio trance, though retaining nia full powers of asking and answering questions, both from the patient whose hand ia clasped aud from others who may be present, he confidently described as my symptoms all those portaining to indigestion, that I suffered from heavinoss in the head, that the action of my hoart was weak, that I Buffered pains in the stomach, and so on. Nothing could bo further from tho truth. I nover havo a head-ache, and can digest anything that humanity usually oata— l exoept oatrioho3. Signor Uii? has, of course, very muoh the boat of it. It is easy to say confidently, as he did to me, that ono' a loft kidney does not act proporly, bat Bow is a patient to deny it, oxoopt by Baying that, so far as he is aware, it nots so perfeotly that he ia ignorant from his own feelings that ho has suoh an appendage. Being ourious on the subjoot, I at last gave Signor Hug the olae, and he followed it up with tho intelligenoe and medical 'knowledge whioh, being conoontrated on the one line of internal .complaints ho has undoubtedly gained by oontinuod daily practice. If Dr. Gillon wishes for a fair and reasonable test for clairToyanoe, let him try the one I praotiaed with Signor Hu?, in whioh ho utterly failed —viz , to tell a porson the exaot state of hia donblo teeth. This test can at once be brought to tho proof, and has tho required condition of variety. If any clairvoyant can toll correctly the number of double teeth that each of half a dozen middle-aged persons from an audience has in their left and right nppor and under jawß, sceptics liko myself might begin to think there was " something in it," bnt while thensnal clairvoyance stage trickery pays, it will be found that each professional oonjuror will sooner or latter appear with the artiole. The cabinet rope triok was, I believo, first started by Davonport Bros., who boldly claimed the aid of spirits. A public- spirited man in England tollowed them everywhere, exposed their lies, and ovoutnally drovo them out of publio existenoe by his righteous indignation iv the oaueo of Truth. The rope triok still paya, but where is the olaim? It is also notioeable that Signor Hug professes to see inside a person by implication only. He odvortises simply "Swiss Medical Clairvoyant." His manner of diagnosid alone oonvevs the impression whioh the unthinking public take for granted. "A Firm Believer" implies tho conclusion that because Siqnor Hiijj tells a patient a number of things about hi msolf of whioh ho was ignorant, they aro neoessarily true. Tho illogical mind hero ceen is ono of the olass of persons from whioh the Signor gets hi» patients, and BUoh a clsbs has as_ muoh ohance with him a<i a country squire M.P. would havo in endeavouring to argue with or confute a professional old stager like Mr. Gladutono. To suppose that a man oan, without.chango of oolour, send himsolf off into a moMuerio trance, and oomo to again at will, dirootlv the pationt has agrood to buy his driod herbs— this he carefully rooolloota afterwards, but professes to know only what has passed about the patient's complaint by looking at the prescription written down when asleep (?)— is to suppose iiomething which requires a searching enquiry before it can be accepted as real ; and whilst spiritualism remains so modestly in the back gronnd of speoial, very spooial, conditions (or you will upset the norvas of tho medinm), suoh as enough light only to render " manifestations" visible, joined handa, and others, tending to exoited expeotation rathor than calm judioial enquiry, and whilst tho results reach no higher dignity than that of moving artiolosof furniture, I must still remain A Firm Unbimkyxb. Potone, 2nd June.