Jane Jennings to Faraday   12 August 1846¹

(This requires no reply)

Cork Augt 12.

My dear Sir

Even at the risk of intruding on your valuable time I venture to tell you of a mesmeric sitting with my most sensitive patient a few days since which astonished me a good deal; in my last² I think I told you that her head had involuntarily followed a large magnet and when I asked why she moved her head so, she said she could not help following the heat. A few days since resolving to try a few more magnetic experiments I brought the magnet wrapped up in my handkerchief and laid it upon the table I will not be sure if any part of it was visible - however it lay upon the table about two feet from where I mesmerised my patient (I think I mentioned to you that there could be no self deception or deception of any kind in this case, as my patient is never now mesmerised except for her own good[)] - she is in humble life and works hard at needle work to help her family and never asks me to mesmerise her unless she gets a return of pain and she never is paid for the advice she gives as it is given when she is mesmerised to relieve herself of pain and when awake is quite unconscious of the great good she does - it was but yesterday that she prescribed for a lady who for six months has suffered much from want of rest caused by a fright which had made her nervous - my patient said that it was only this lady's nerves that were out of order - that mesmerism would ease her - (she does not always prescribe mesmerism) as soon as my patient awoke, I mesmerised the lady she did not go to sleep but a calm happy feel came over her such she afterwards said as morphine gave her - I felt much for her, her nights were often spent walking about her house. I offered to mesmerise her for half an hour daily if she came to my house she came to day and told me she had slept well the first time for six months; after my leaving her yesterday, she told me she felt calm and happy not sleeping but disinclined to do anything - in her case mesmerism did not induce sleep but her eyes closed and tears fell and she became very hot and felt a thrilling feel running down through her as I breathed on the back of her neck - but to return to the magnetic experiment - when my patient was asleep about fifteen minutes her left cheek became flushed and she appeared to be getting uneasy I asked her what was the matter with her? her reply was "the candle is coming so near me that it will burn me" there is no candle in the room, I said, "but indeed there is for I see it" where I said - she directly pointed to the part of the table where lay the magnet - it was removed and placed on a side table several feet behind her, but she still complained of the heat - it was taken out of the room and she appeared again at ease, her cheek became paler - several minutes after my sister brought the magnet into the room through a door in the room behind my patient, so that, even if awake, she could not have seen my sister - a few passes were made by my sister at a little distance from my patients neck, she leaned forward and appeared uncomfortable, I asked her what ailed her she said "there is something so hot on my neck" again it was taken out of the room curiosity induced a lady present to bring in the magnet again and hold it at a distance from her right side; after some minutes we observed the right side of her cheek becoming flushed, and then she got uneasy and at last said "I am getting weak from the heat of that candle again" this experiment was the very reverse of what I had anticipated as the former time she was attracted towards the magnet now she moved away from it, I think the difference was caused by her being rather cold the first time and rather hot the last time - but now I must tell you one or two more experiments made since the last - I was going to make a small magnet of the same size as one lent to me by a friend, a working cutter was making it for me before hard[e]ning the steel he brought it to ask me if the form of it was correct - it just then occurred to me that I would try my patient with it and when asleep the next time give her both the real magnet and the steel into her own hands, as usual the real magnet always feels cold to her hands; warm to her forehead; and burning to her neck she said both were cold to her hands warm to her forehead but she soon found out that the steel was only hot the other burnt her and afterwards it was curious to observe her when I pressed her to touch them both to her neck again - she was unwilling, evidently, fearing to be burned, as she said; she took the magnet in one hand the piece of steel in the other hand and with great precaution gently approached the piece of steel until at last she let it touch her neck she then in the same gentle manner brought the real magnet near to her neck but stopt when within about 2/8 of an inch of her neck saying it was burning her - she evidently could not bear it to touch the steel was hot but still she could let it rest without pain, the magnet she could not bear - we afterwards made passes behind her back with the magnet she at once felt heat from the magnet but made no remark when passes from the steel were made - the large magnet she feels more powerfully than the small one we used today - I then thought of placing a lighting candle as close to her cheek as I could with safety when she was not conscious of its presence - I also find that her sympathy of taste and smell are I think even more striking if an iron or copper wire of about 2 feet is placed between her and me - with this difference that what she tastes has also a metallic taste the patient of one of my mesmeric assistants has also sympathy of taste, lately a wire was passed through the key hole of the door and two persons then were placed between the patient and the mesmeriser, still the sympathy of taste was manifest - the Revd. John Burnett³ lately told us of a plan of demesmerising by forming a circle of 5 or more persons the mesmeriser and patient forming part of the circle. I tried this a few days since with my most sensitive patient who was immediately demesmerised - a circle is also said to have more power than an individual in mesmerising - this I have not tried but hope soon - I can readily induce the mesmeric sleep in 2 susceptible patients by galvanism from the negative as well as positive pole of the battery - but with this difference, that if the wire from the negative pole be placed on the back of her neck - the power must be so weak as scarcely to be felt - a much greater power may be used if the positive wire be placed on the back of her neck - the difference my patient feels is this, that she gets hot before the sleep is induced if it be the positive, but after it from the negative - but she does not feel so 'lively' in the mesmeric sleep induced either by a large crystal or by galvanism as by mesmerism - forgive me for inflicting upon you the perusal of this long letter but I do not think it probable I shall again trouble you and as it requires no answer am sure you will not be displeased.

Yours with respect and esteem | Jane Jennings

Sir Robert Kane lately told a friend of mine that 14 years ago he saw a cataleptic patient in the Dublin hospital follow a magnet, other medical men long ago observed the same.