Faraday to John Elliotson   9 May 18381

R Institution | 9 May 1838

My dear Sir

I will endeavour & am almost sure to be with you tomorrow at 3 o clk. I suppose at the Hospital in Gower Street2[.]

As to the Committee3 I am glad of its foundation but I cannot be upon it[.] You cannot imagine how I am pressed for time for my own researches at present.

Ever Truly Yours | M. Faraday

Dr Elliotson | &c &c &c

1
John Elliotson (1791-1868, DNB). Professor of Medicine at University College London, 1831-1838.
2
See "University College Hospital Animal Magnetism", Lancet, 26 May 1838, 282-8, p.282 which stated that Faraday had attended Elliotson's demonstration of animal magnetism at University College Hospital on 10 May 1838. Faraday had been previously invited by Herbert Mayo (1796-1852, DSB, neurologist), along with Whewell, Wheatstone and Babbage to witness on 22 March 1838 (postponed until 29 March 1838) some of the mesmeric phenomena obtained by Elliotson. See Mayo to Babbage, 19 March 1838 and 21 March 1838, BL add MS 37910, f.398 and 400. There is no indication whether Faraday attended then or not.
3
This was the Physiological Committee of the Royal Society. See "University College Hospital Animal Magnetism", Lancet, 26 May 1838, 282-8, p.283 and Athenaeum, 21 July 1838, p.515.

Please cite as “Faraday1079,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday1079