466

THE LANCET.

LONDON: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1851.

THE NEW MAGNETIC INDICATOR OF FOLLY.

GENERALLY does it happen that the persecution of any genuinefaith or principle calls forth an heroic adhesion to the faithattacked, and the advantages ultimately rest with the persecutedrather than the persecutors. So the opposition to any fact orprinciple in science is pretty sure to excite new attention to thedisputed points; and truth, taking care of her own, producesnew discoveries and investigations confirming or refuting thematter. But in the case of attacks made upon folly and im-posture, the issue is happily different: the fool is driven to

greater folly, the knave to greater deceit, and the severer theattack the more certain is it that the stupidity and fraud exhi-bited in times of unguarded excitement will reach such aheight as to cover the actors with confusion and shame.

It will not be denied, especially by homoeopaths, that ourattacks upon globulism and globulists have been constant andsevere. It will be admitted that the proceedings at Brightonwere a heavy blow, and that the general indignation and con-tempt of the profession have rested upon the Hahnemannicquacks and their abettors. Let us now pause to look at the

results. Are the globulists more united, fervent, and enthu-siastic than ever 1 Have any brilliant discoveries been eli-

cited, shedding light upon the action of infinitesimals 1 Or

have folly and fraud only been rendered more complete and un-mistakeable! The globulists themselves have cried the old cryof Persecution ! Persecution ! and they have recently declaredthat a discovery, unequalled in modern times, has arisen toavenge the injuries they have sustained, and to put back upontheir opponents the confusion with which homceopaths andhomoeopathy were to be covered. It is but fair that we shouldendeavour to give some account of this subtle and unparalleledinvention, which has shed so great a glory around the writingsand practice of HAHNEMANN, and which has, according tocertain great authorities, afforded most triumphantly the phy-sical proof-the last thing wanting-of the action of infinitesi-mal doses upon the human body.Some weeks ago, a Mr. RUTTER, of Black Rock, Brighton,

but of whose existence the scientific world was not pre-

viously aware, in consequence of the remote region in whichhe lives, delivered a lecture on a new instrument of hisown construction, capable of showing wonderful things in Ianimal physiology, and the influence of the minutest portionof matter upon the living orgasm. Here was a gift of incal-culable value to the maligned followers of HAHNEMANtf. Awretched publication in the service of the quacks, heraldedits advent in the following glowing but modest terms:-

"Most of our colleagues are by this time aware that Mr.Rutter, of Brighton, has recently invented an instrument,which, besides its vast importance to the science of magnetismin all its forms, holds out the means of demonstratireg the factthat the homoeopathic medicines do act on the human organism.This is a discovery which would have gladdened the heart ofHahnemann had he been in the life of the body: this instru-ment, which affords the means of proof of a fact the opponentsof homoeopathy have always rejected without inquiry, hasbeen discovered at a most opportune time. We suppose Pro-fessor Christison will now change his opinion of homoeopathy,and, having changed it, will lose no time in avowing that hehas done so.

,

" Drs. Quin and Madden are entitled to the best thanks ofall who are interested in the progress of homoeopathy, forhaving brought the subject of this important discovery beforethe homoeopathic practitioners. It is our pleasant duty to an-nounce it to the homoeopathic public. The experiments withthis instrument, in proof of homoeopathy, can be made, whenMr. Rutter has made it public, as well by non-medical as bymedical men, provided always they have the necessary patienceand knowledge. The investigation conducted by non-medicalinquirers would add great weight to the testimony of medicalmen. We trust Faraday will take the subject up; and thatevery chemist, who deserves the name, will do likewise.

" It is Dr. Madden’s good fortune to live at Brighton; and ofthe homoeopathic practitioners, he was the first to see Mr.Rutter’s instrument and experiments.

" The Earl of Belfast, a friend and supporter of homoeopathy,no sooner saw the instrument and some of the experiments,than he also at once saw its applicability as a test of thehomoeopathic doses of remedies; and it seems that any one,medical or non-medical, who sees the instrument and some ofthe experiments, cannot fail to discern at once that applica-bility.

" We heartily congratulate Mr. Rutter on his happy dis-covery and brilliant invention; and we trust that he will assoon as possible publish his intended book on the subject. Allpersons interested in magnetic science, and in homoeopathy,will eagerly look for its appearance. This has, indeed, been avery important year for our cause."

The same number of this stupid journal contains the

report of a lecture delivered by Dr. QUIN at the " LondonHomoeopathic Hospital," in the presence of the BritishHomoeopathic Society," that cautious and eminently philo-sophical observer, " the Earl of BELFAST," and, as we arefurther told, " several allopathic practitioners." To thislearned audience the homoeopathic oracle unfolded the pro.perties of the " New Magnetic Indicator," and described itsconstruction in terms far too lucid to admit of quotation. All

greatness in science is characterized by simplicity, and the" New Magnetic Indicator" is thus composed:-A woodenstand is fixed to a table; from this rises a perpendicular pole,with a horizontal brass rod projecting from its summit; atthe extremity of the rod there is a delicate forceps, whichgrasps a thread of silk, the thread holding in suspension alittle pendulum of sealing-wax. The bit of wax is surroundedby a glass shade, and is suspended over a small dial-plate,marked out, somewhat after the manner of a compass, withthe letters A B C D E F G H. The operator puts hisfinger, or finger and thumb, upon the top of the perpen-dicular pole, to which the brass rod is attached, when thependulum makes a variety of definite movements over theface of the dial-plate. These movements are described asmodified in an extraordinary manner by the sex of the

operator, the substances held in his hand, and a variety ofother singular circumstances. But we must refer to the

magniloquent QBIN himself for an account of this wonderfulinvention; or rather, we shall select its most prominent andmiraculous qualities from his lecture; to give them all wouldbe, indeed, an impossible task. Dr. QUIN tells us that-

" By means of this instrument, the inventor has beenenabled to discover, not only the various normal effects of thedifferent electrical currents which exist in the body, but like-wise a variety of modifications and changes which thesecurrents undergo, when the hand of the operator is broughtin contact with the thumb, index, or hand of another person;with inanimate matter, with a variety of different metals, withvegetable and animal substances; also the alterations whichdifferent medicinal substances produce upon these currents.Mr. Rutter is not only able to demonstrate, in the most satis-factory manner, the polarization of our bodies, and those patyswhere the north and south pales are situated, but likewise thealterations which take place from change of position, from thevertical and sitting position to the recumbent, as also those

467THE NEW MAGNETIC INDICATOR OF FOLLY.

the hand over or near the dead matter, the aura of whichequally stopped the motion."

But these experiments are coarse and grossly material,compared with some of those which follow. When the

pendulum had been stopped, so as to remain perfectly motion.less, the slightest causes were sufficient to set it again in motion

on a new and, of course, " interesting" tack. Dr. QUIN tellsus with the most perfect gravity that,-

This staggering exordium is fully borne out by the recitalof the individual experiments. We pass over the descriptionof the unerring gyrations performed when Mr. RUTTER placedhis finger on the instrument, or when he used both finger and

thumb ; when he held it lightly or grasped it firmly; whenDr. QuiN put his index finger upon Mr. RUTTER’S hand, andwhen he changed the index for the thumb: and pass to still greater marvels, which to Dr. QuiN are only curious" and

interesting." We beg the particular attention of our readersto the wonderful " Hy":—,

" Another curious and interesting phenomenon was now de-monstrated by Mr. Rutter. If a person of the female sexputs the index or forefinger on the operator’s hand, the

pendulum, instead of moving as when the index of a male ism contact with the hand, from D to C, moves from B to A.- When the female thumb touches the hand of the operator,instead of moving from B to A, as in the case of the malethumb, the pendulum immediately moves from D to C; andwhen the whole hand of a female is placed on the hand of theoperator, the movement becomes circulatory in the directionof from B round to G,-that is, from right to left, the exactreverse of the normal motion.

" The next experiment was one of great interest, andexemplified in a beautiful and indisputable manner theexperiment to which I alluded in a former part of the evening—viz., the instrument being stopped by the operator when putin contact with dead animal matter. After having put theinstrument in full normal action by applying the finger andthumb of the right hand, a dead fly being put on his left hand,the motion of the pendulum immediately ceased; on the flybeing taken away, the motion recommenced. A chain ofseveral men, holding one another by the hand, was formed; afemale placed her hand on that of the man most remote fromthe operator; the motion of the instrument was immediatelyreversed, the circulatory motion being from right to left. A,dead fly was then put upon the left hand of the female, andthe motion immediately stopped." A wire of copper, 500 feet long, encased in gutta percha,

was then added to the chain of men-the one farthest fromthe operator held one end of the wire, and the female theother end; the female in,fluence was immediately sent through-both the wire and chain of men, and a corresponding actionwas again set up, which was again stopped immediately by thedead fly being put upon the other hand. Similar experiments

. were made with other dead mattery even merely by holding

" If a person of the female sex merely breathes upon the handof the operator, it immediately changes the current to thefemale; if a man breathes upon her hand, her other hand beingin contact with the operator, the male influence is immediatelyperceived on the pendulum. If a hair of a female is placed onthe hand of the operator, or the hand of the last of any numberof men in contact with him, the female current is immediatelyproduced. The same phenomenon is produced by a pocket-handkerchief worn by a lady."The next set of experiments performed by Mr. Rutter

were to prove the polarization of the body......." If one hand of the operator is put to the back of the head

of a person standing near him, the current is normal, but ifput to the forehead, the motion immediately ceases, provingthe south and north poles to be in the back and fore part ofthe head. If the hand is then put on the right shoulder, theaction is normal, but if to the left shoulder, the action is re-versed, and acts as the female current. In the recumbentposture the north pole leaves the forehead, and takes refuge inthe diaphragm. Bringing the hand of the operator in contactwith the forehead no longer now stops the instrument, but ifhe places the hand over the diaphragm, the motion ira-mediately ceases."Another extraordinary fact is, that the magnetic currents

are reversed below the pelvis, the right leg having the sameaction as the left arm, and the left leg the same action as theright. Again, these change when the body is vertical, andwhen it is recumbent. These experiments were most satis-factorily proved over and over again, on different individualsin the upright and recumbent positions."

We trust our readers have followed the Quinian narrationwith the care which it merits. They must perceive thatFARADAY is truly an insignificant personage in comparisonwith the immortal RUTTER. It was indeed a compliment to askthe one to verify the eminently philosophical researches ofthe other.

After the experiments with"the dead fly," the single "hair ofa female," and the proofs of the migratory" poles" of the humanbody, Dr. QUXN proceeds with a truly Homeric enumera-tion of the transports witnessed in the pendulum when theoperator took into his hand considerable pieces of the variousmetals and other chemical substances. Each had its specificaction upon the pendulum, and all are methodically recordedby the lecturer in clear and convincing language. It must

indeed have been a criminal incredulity if any of his hearerscould have doubted the motor properties of tin, or copper, orzinc, or platina, &c., when brought to bear upon the " NewMagnetic Indicator."

Mr. RUTTER, innocent man, knew nothing of globulism, butthat wise and good nobleman, the Earl of BELFAST, immediatelysaw that if, with the " magnetic indicator," "a dead fly" mightinfluence the whole human body, or if a single "hair of afemale" could electrify an army of "any number of men," thepotent influence of a globule upon the orgasm would certainlystand revealed. "Pray test some globules of arsenic uponthe instrument," cried his lordship! Here Dr. QuiN mustspeak for himself, for we approach the birth of a great andcertainly of an unknown era in medicine and science.

" Well, one globule of Stannum, of the fourth attenuation,was placed by me in the palm of the hand (that being the mostaensitive part) of Mr. Rutter, after he had set the instrument

468

in action. The pendulum went immediately, moving fromB to A with as quick and as strong a motion as when thesame metal in mass was put into his hand."Here Dr. QuiN might well have cried out "Eureka," or

have lost his breath. He didn’t do either. The frigid and

unimaginative experimenter methodically went on with thedescription of the way in which other globules conductedthemselves when brought into relation with the " New Mag-netic Indicator :’ In this track we follow his sedate example :-

" One globule of Mercur. sol. 12, changed the action, and thependulum went from H to E.One globule of Ouprum 30, reversed the normal action, and

produced the reverse current.One globule of Zincum 30, sent the pendulum from H to E.One globule of Zincum 200, did the same.One globule of Zineum 200, dissolved in one ounce of water,

and a drop of this solution put into Mr. Rutter’s hand, pro-duced exactly the same result, both when the instrument wasin repose and in action. One globule of Ferrum naetallicum 6, gave exactly the same I

elliptical motion described above as produced by the Iron in mass. (Sulphate of Iron was also tried in mass, with preciselythe same result.)One globule of Ferrum aceticum 3, gave the same elliptical

motion, only rather a stronger movement to the pendulum.One globule of Platina 3, moved the pendulum in the direc-

tion from B to A.Plunabum 30, one globule, caused it to move backwards and

forwards from D to C.Calcarea carbonica 30, one globule, gave the reverse of the

elliptical motion of Iron, and moved it from E to H, as theChalk did above.One globule of Calc. carb. 200, had exactly the same effect.Silicea 30, one globule, changed the motion to one from

H to E. This experiment with the homoeopathic infinitesimalquantity of Silicea greatly gratified Mr. Rutter, as he had onlythat very morning experimented upon Flintfor theflrst time.Phosphorus 30, one globule, immediately caused a total ces-

sation of the motion of the instrument.Iodillm 30, one globule, produced the same effect as Phoa-

phorus.One globule of Ammonia 30, increased the normal action

visibly.Natrum muriaticum 30, one globule, reversed the normal

action, and gave the reverse current just as the Table Salt did.I then proceeded to place other homoaopathic preparations

upon the operator’s hand, and the following were the results;only one globule of each medicine was used :-Arsenicum, the instrument stopped.Dulcamara, motion from B to A.Opium, motion ceased.Arnica, reverse of normal action, or reverse current pro-

duced.Nux vom., stopped the motion.Ignatia. reverse current.Acid. hydrocyanic., stopped.Belladonna, ditto.Sulphur 30, reverse current. iSulphur 800, exactly the same, both in direction and in force. IPulsatilla 12, stopped.Bryonia 30, reverse action.Non-medicated Globules, no change upon the normal influ-

ence of the operator.Ipecacuanha 3, reverse current.China 6, ditto.Rhus 30, ditto.Stramonium 6, stopped.Drosera 3, ditto.Kali ltydr. 30, ditto.Spongia 3, ditto.Ledum palustre 12, ditto.Capsicum 3, ditto.Cayenne pepper, same effect exactly.Colocynthis, reverse current.Digitalis, stopped.Cannabis, reverse current.Hyoscyamus, stopped.Lycopodium, ditto.Filix mas, ditto.Euphrasia, reverse current.Ruta 3, stopped.Sabina 6, reverse current:’

This was enough for one lecture, as our readers will readilybelieve. After following Dr. QUIN through his tranquil buttriumphant demonstration of this proof of globulism, they willbe prepared for, and excuse, the little outburst of enthusiasmto which he coyly relinquished himself at the close. Hesaid :-" I believe, gentlemen, I have now brought before you the

leading points of the truly beautiful experiments of Mr. Rutter,and I feel confident that you will agree with me, that sciencehas made a gigantic stride by the philosopltical instrument andimportant discovery of that gentleman, and that homooopathicpractitioners especially are greatly indebted to him for havingproved the physical action of our remedies in infinitesimalquantities upon the human body; and that you will join withme heartily in doing honour to him for the great impetus hewill be the means of giving to our cause. The only reason forsorrow is, that our revered master, Hahnemann, is not alive towitness this triumphant proof of his own great discoveries."

A fluttering conversation took place between Messrs. CHAP-MAN, VARDY, KIDD, REYNOLDS, (the moc-main truss gentleman,)and Mr. YELDHAM, and the meeting separated, after the Earlof BELFAST, that great patron of science, had merely 11 corro-borated" the inconsiderable statements of Dr. QuiN.The curtain now falls upon the first act of Mr. RUTTER’S

brilliant discovery, and its no less brilliant exposition by theindefatigable Dr. QUIN. The next act consists in a second,and what with something of an Irishism, is called an

" Inaugural Lecture," on what is no longer the "New MagneticIndicator," but the " Magnetoscope." We should here pre-mise that human weaknesses beset globulists as well as otherfrail mortals. MADDEN, of Brighton, first made the acquaint-ance of Mr. RUTTER and his instrument, and wished to convertthem into his own personal homoeopathic capital. The re-

doubtable QUIN, aided by the stolid Earl of BELFAST (a con-nexion of Lord ALDBOROUQH, we believe), snatched at thetempting morsel for his own use. Hereupon QUIN and MADDENbegin to quarrel, and indications appear that MADDEN willdeclare the demonstrations of the power of globules by the"Magnetic Indicator" to be all gammon. However, we mustnot forestall the course of events. Our readers know the

probable result when certain persons "fall out :’ ,

In his second lecture, Dr. QUIN gives an account of whattook place when he, as one of a jury of twelve, paid a visit tothat "man of genius," Mr. RUTTER. Of the experiments nowabout to be referred to, the sapient lecturer tells us :-

" They took place in the presence of twelve gentlemen, whoaccompanied me to Mr. Rutter’s. Three of the twelve arenon-professional, three are allopathic physicians, not believersin homoeopathy, and the remaining six are homoeopathic col-leagues, medical officers of the two homoeopathic hospitals."

The experiments of the last lecture were repeated, and, ofcourse, with precisely similar results. The three " allopathicphysicians" (we should be glad to know who they were) weremore convinced than the globulists themselves. One of the

three is said to have written that " there was not a singlefailure." QUIN himself is still more confident than before.

He declares stoutly :-"I have witnessed several hundred experiments upon Mr.

Rutter’s instrument, and I have never found it vary once; tksame cause repeated invariably produces the same effect. Trytheinstrument as you will, it never errs; it has all THE OERTAINTY OFA MATHEMATICAL EQUATION."

The writer in the homoeopathic miscellany is equallysanguine. He tells us that the "interest" of the ex.

periments which "prove" the physical influence of iaNai-’

469

tesimal quantities, continues " of the most intense kind;" buthe takes a feather out of Dr. QUIN’S cap by declaring " thatthe full credit is due to Dr. MADDEN," and not to Dr. QUIN, ofintroducing the " Magnetoscope" to homoeopathists."He (Dr. Madden) has had the start, was the first on the

course, and has brought to the task qualities and attairzmentswhich adrmrably fit him to conduct and systematize such experi-ments." ’

We must now introduce upon the stage Dr. MADDEN, the

greater than Dr. QUIN, and the first in the field, though the

celerity of the latter, when he did begin, soon stole a marchupon the original SIMON PuRE. Dr. MADDEN has also publishedalecture, which appears in the same print with the QUINIAN asser-tions already placed before our readers; and we must premise,in the words of the lecturer, that " Dr. MADDEN exhibited all"his experiments upon an instrument so contrived that the" operator could not voluntarily influence the movements of6‘ the pendulum." Some of these experiments were quite asmiraculous as those of QUIN. For instance, " Sulphur in

"substance, in the 30th dilution, and in the 7000th dilution,"had equally the effect of reversing the current." An ex-

cellent weekly journal, the Critic, has made a calculation re-

specting such doses, and we find "it would take, at the"rate of one of the largest of such doses per diem, a period of"2739 years for a patient to consume one grain of sulphur!"But alas for Dr. QuiN! the "first on the course" discovers that Dr.QuiN’s experiments were full of fallacies and blunders. AfterDr: MADDEN had exhibited many most interesting and satis-factory experiments," exciting " great admiration" and " burstsof applause," some of them being with a globule of arsenic ofthe 40,000th dilution!

"He called attention to the circumstance, that in Dr. Quin’slecture there were numerous and most important errors, probablyoccasioned by the hurry with which it had been composed. Heshowed that out of sixteen actions of medicines recorded by Dr.Quin, the actions of twelve differed from those produced by the8a1ne rnedicines on himself; and though the motions produced byseveral qf the medicines differed, according as they were actingthrough Mr. Rutter or himself, he had since ascertained that theactions, as described by Dr. Quin, were in many instances not thesame as those actually produced on Mr. Rutter. Dr. Maddensaid it was much too soon to lay down any rules as regards theactions of the different medicines on the pendulum, as a great z

many anomalies presented themselves which required explanation, zand different individuals, in many cases, produced a very differentinfluence on the actions of the medicines."

In the next week’s lecture, QUIN comes out pretty strongly,insinuating that Dr. MADDEN is jealous of dividing the greatfame of the application of the " Magnetoscope" to globulism."For me," he says, "to enter into a dispute with Dr.

Madden about our respective merits in this matter, would belike raising a storm in a bucket on the sea-shore, near theBlack Rock, in which were struggling two small minnows,who imagined themselves great members of the finny tribe,in the neighbourhood of a Leviathan, such as Mr. Rutter is,when compared with us, in the broad and deep ocean ofscience."

Beautiful self-abasement ! What meekness is there not in

QUIN? 2The way in which Dr. QUIN escapes from the charge of

wholesale inaccuracy, is a model of ingenuity. They are both"small struggling minnows;" but he has been a globulist froman old date-he carries relics of HAHNEMANN-has specimensof lachesis taken from the big sea-serpent-keeps globulessealed and locked from all parts of the earth-some of themare twenty-five years old, and, like wine, the better for theLong keeping. Who is Dr. MADDEN but a globulist of

yesterday 1 Where did he get his medicines ? 1 How does heknow his foreign globules are not damaged by travelling INay, has he not in his own body the reziquice of physic fromthe time long ago, when he took calomel and black strap insuch abundance,-or when he inhaled the fumes of the physiche made up for his patients in Edinburgh,—in quantity suffi-cient to vitiate any experiments he may make with the

" Magnetic Indicator" 1 Experiments must be made byhands washed in distilled water, belonging to persons whohave never taken a dose of physic, and who have not evenpassed in propinquity to a chemist’s shop for months at least.As for the globules, no one but Dr. QuiN can supply them;so he holds the whole matter in his own hands. But let

QUIN himself convict and condemn the presumptuous MADDEN.In the last lecture, the. experiments with Mr. RUTTER’S instru-ment had " all the certainty of a mathematical equation."Now, unhappily, there are plenty of " idiosyncrasies, abnor-malities, and irregularities;" but no-not unhappily, for Dr;QuiN’singenuity converts these into evidence quite as "valuable"as the mathematical certainties.

"If any person could produce equal results with the mag-netoscope, Mr. Rutter most pertinently remarks that hewould have less confidence in it, and when it is found thatthose who most anxiously wish to set the pendulum in motionhave not the power of doing it, it is evident that the will, thewish, or the anticipated result is not an element in the experi-ments."

"It would have been wiser and more in consonance withprofessional courtesy, had Dr. Madden not been so eager tocondemn. He has a great advantage in being so near Mr.Rutter, whose urbanity, courtesy, and simplicity make himbeloved and respected by all who have the pleasure of hisacquaintance. He would have learnt, in addition to all thathe has already been taught by Mr. Rutter, and have profitedby the knowledge, that from the earliest period of his (Mr.Rutter’s) investigations, idiosyncrasies, abnormalities, and irre-gularities presented themselves, and were justly consideredby him as valuable evidence; for, as he correctly remarks, ifcurrents so feeble set in motion by causes apparently so trifling,pass through and influence the body, is it matter of surprise,if organism, disease, temperament, mental relations with thephysical, etc., etc., should affect, control, subvert, or changethe direction of these currents? 7/*the breath from the lungsof a bystander be sufficient to reverse for the time the cur-rents, is it wonderful that some are more, others less, suscep-tible to atmospheric or telluric electricity?"" The experiments recorded by me were made with medi-

cines, spontaneous and indigenous to the countries whencethey were brought, prepared carefully by myself or by Mr.Headland, [he has given up snuff-taking] or by other carefuland conscientious chemists in the different countries I namedin my last lecture; they all told the same tale when experi-mented upon. Mr. Rutter has a remarkably healthy, strongconstitution, which has never been tampered with by medi-cine. When one sees such statements put forth by Dr.Madden, of differences between the action of medicines uponthe healthy frame of the gentleman who instructed him howto experiment with the magnetoscope, and upon his own body,one is naturally led to inquire from what source does Dr. Maddenobtain his medicines, and if one can depend upon his body beingsufficiently free from lingering medicinal e originating beforehis conversion to honaceopathy."

gets originating before

Dr. QuiN does not stop to argue the matter further with hisbrother " minnow," but treats the imagination of his hearers tonew wonders, before which the former astounding facts becomequite insignificant. The miraculous effects of the " dead fly"and the ’woman’s single hair," are indeed in a state ofattenuation when compared with the following :-"I called your attention at our last meeting to the effect of

Flint upon the pendulum; since then; some admirable expe-riments have been made by Mr. Rutter, beautifully illustra-ting the effects of crvstalline forms. Rock Crystal (a pureform of Flint) gives four distinct motions to the pendulura.

470

1st. When the apex of the primary axis is placed in contactwith the left hand, an oscillation takes place from F to G.2nd. When the base of the Crystal (the part by which it hadbeen attached to the rock) is placed in the hand, oscillationfrom H to E. 3rd. Upon the Crystal being laid across thehand, the apex from the operator, reverse rotation takesplace; and 4th, when the apex is towards the operator, directrotation takes place. Now, the extraordinanj thing is, that aglobule of the thirtieth attenuation, or the deciltioneth of Silicea,displays all these four distinct motions as completely and satisfac- ’,torily all the mass of Rock Orystal does, by changing its position ,

in the palm of the hand of the operator,’ but it is of course im-possible to predicate what will happen whilst dealing with so ’’,small a portion of the substance. The motions can only beobtained by frequently moving the globule, and at every suchchange of position, one of the four directions is a constant result.When the experiment was tried last, it only required five changesto arrive at the four diferent motions. When the globule is dis-solved in water, a drop of the solution gives oscillation to and fromF G. Mr. Rutter attributes this to the polarizing e of theCrystal."

- effect of the

Dr. QUIN is still full of admiration for the great Leviathan."The Behemoth of homoeopathy is only second to "our reveredMaster" in his affections. The instrument is still " preciousbeyond all calculation," and we are reverently told of therelation between Mr. RUTTER and the Deity. In his words-" We are living in the midst of mysteries which GOD is reveal-ing to us for the good of his creatures." Another homoeopathic4 blew pitches his note a little lower. It trusts " our readers

have not been at all staggered" by the discrepancies betweenMADDEN and QUIN, and doubts not they will, by some touch ofHarlequinade, be transmuted into 11 confirmations strong, ofthe instrument and its virtue." But we are told now, to

" waitand watch :’ QUIN is again the first oar, and the Trumpetswears that his experiments are "fully reliable;" " we are notdaunted" by such slight contradictions. " Wait and watch." ’’

It also gives a letter from Dr. MADDEN, of which the followingis the ominous conclusion:-

" My great fear is, that hasty conclusions will lead to much disappointment and great confusion. The whole subject re- ’Iquires further elucidation before we can draw any just infer- Ience from the results; and my own experience is, that every iday’s experience tends to modify considerably the views one I

might be, at first sight, disposed to take." i

Next week the notes had sunk still deeper. They werereduced to the pitiable condition of "ifs" and "mays." Our

’readers will be amused with the following close of an articleupon the subject. The whole responsibility is sought to bethrown upon the " Leviathan."

"The excellent inventor of the Magnetoscope is confident,it is believed, in the exact accuracy of his experiments, andthe unvarying character of his instrument. That his numerousand varied experiments have been made most cautiously andhonestly, and that the results have been faithfully recorded,is not doubted for an instant: but the question is, if the instru-ment acts independently of the will and of the muscularmotion of its inventor, as suggested by Dr. Herbert Mayo inhis third edition; and if the same results can be obtained, notby all, but by other experimenters: or would be obtained byhimself, if he or the instrument were placed in certain con-ditions. All who look to his invention for proofs of homoeo-pathy to be derived from physical science, are naturallyanxious to have direct teaching from the master himself, andearnestly hope that his instrument may be found, on the re-peated experience of other experimenters, to perform whathas been predicated of it, independently of the will, or of themuscular motion of the operator. Under any circumstances,be has laid the scientific world, and all those who love theirkind, under great obligations. Let us hope that he has indeedfound the key to open this palace of delight-and if not yetfound, still be it his-To FIND IT’"

This week there is no lecture, " inaugural" or otherwise, fromFRED BRICK FOSTER. QUIN, nor any other communication from

that knight-errant of globulism. The " currents" of his fancyno longer flow. In fact, the great, and from the first transparent,bubble has burst. One of the" minnows" has become a mite;the other, MADDEN, has turned Queen’s evidence, and proffershimself as a witness at the bar of public opinion against his twoaccomplices, RUTTER and QUIN. The cue of the HomceopatlaicTrumpet is now to let them all down together as gently aspossible. It is discovered that all the wonderful movements

of the "New Magnetic Indicator" have depended upon the" WILL" of the operator. How this exercise of the "will" is

to be distinguished from voluntary and responsible fraud, weleave our readers to determine. The Trumpet publishes threecommunications, all attributing the wonderful movementsrecorded by QUIN and RUTTER to depend upon some modifica-tion of " voluntary" motion on the part of the manipulator.One correspondent declares, after having performed the

experiments over and over again, that it is to some mysteriousoperation of the will, acting unconsciously to the operator, thatthe movements of the pendulum are attributable; in otherwords, that the pendulum obligingly follows the thoughts of theoperator. He says :-

" I found that in whatever way my hand was connectedwith the instrument, I could invariably, by my will alone,’almost instantly cause the pendulum to oscillate in any givendirection. It is merely necessary for me to think of any special,direction, or of a cessation of movement, and the pendulumimmediately acts accordingly. The eiJ01.t required to producethese results is very slight. In this way the pendulum can becaused to move backwards and forwards from the person of £the operator; or from right to left, and back again; or in anydirection between these two currents; or elliptically; or in acircle, either ’normal’ or ’reverse;’ or lastly, it can be broughtto a dead stand. The movements may be rendered fainter ormore marked at pleasure."

Another writer in the same quack repository attributes alLthe wonders to " involuntary" movements of the hand of the,operator when placed upon the " New Magnetic Indicator.*He tells us that,-" Having been privileged to be a witness of the experiments

performed by Dr. Madden at the Hahnemann Hospital, oa z

the 21st instant, I have been rather surprised to observe thatnone of your correspondents have suggested what appeared tome to be their true explanation-viz., that all the movementsof the pendulum were due to involuntary motions of theoperator’s hand."

The same writer describes an experiment in which differentmovements were produced when a letter written by agentleman and another letter written by a lady were placedin Dr. MADDEN’S hand. The motions did not at all answer

to the influence of the different sexes, as impressed upon theirhandwriting, a feat formerly performed with the greatestease. Some power moved the pendulum. The lady’s writingdid not act as it should do, the pendulum did not spinround in a direction the reverse to that caused by the-

writing of the gentleman. It should be mentioned that Dr.MADDEN did not know anything respecting the sex of thewriters. Upon this the commentator remarks,-

"My own opinion is that that power was the idea in his(Madden’s) mind that the letter was a ladv’s, and that the reasonwhy the lady’s letter did not reverse the motio11, was the idea that itwas a gentleman’s." .

But the humblest pie of all is eaten by Dr. MADDEN, theQueen’s evidence against RUTTER and QUIN. After his

grand lecture at the Homoeopathic Hospital, based, as heinformed his hearers, upon experiments carefully and

laboriously performed hourly and daily for the space of three

471

months, he sinks in one short week to the following history ofhis extravagant self-delusion,—

" It is, I can assure you, no pleasant duty which I have nowto perform-viz., to make known the fact that my recent ex-periments have detected a most serious source of fallacy in all theprevious ones, and go far to show that it will be of little 01’ no realvalue to us as demonstrating the action of homaeopathic remedies.Some days before I delivered my lecture at the HahnemannHospital, I had discovered, to my great disappointment, that I,the instruments employed by myself and Mr. Rutter were notso fixed as they appeared to be, and that every slight voluntary

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motion of the operator’s arm was sufficient to produce any of thevarious movements. I therefore begged of Mr. Rutter to de-vise some modification of the instrument, for the purpose ofovercoming this source of fallacy, or, rather, as I then felt, ofpreventing sceptics from declaring that the motions weremanufactured, in place of being induced by the passage of acurrent. Mr. Rutter, however, was and is so convinced thathe is altogether passive during the experiments, that he cannotsee the necessity of any modification of the original machine. Ishould mention here that it is a very difficult thing to devisean instrument which shall be absolutely rigid, and in the con-struction of which none of the laws of induction shall be in-fringed. Many apparently unexceptionable instruments havebeen devised which have failed, but the failure could alwaysbe accounted for by the infringement of some of the knownlaws of induction. I am so strongly impressed with the fact,that the mere possibility of producing these movements volun-tarily, reduced the whole series of experiments from the highstanding of a demonstration down to the much ress satisfactoryone of individual testimony, and I knew so well that unconsciousmuscular movements occur in us every day, that I resolved tosift this matter to the bottom. Now it was long ago pointedout to Mr. Rutter, and he has fully acknowledged the fact,that unless you pay attention to the pendulum no definite move-ments take place. The idea occurred to me that possibly thisattention t.o the pendulum drew off my attention from my ownbody, and that I might accordingly make unconscious muscularmovements capable of influencing the machine. I determined,therefore to watch the pendulum and attend to my own sensa-tions at the same time. I found, to my dismay, that when Iresolutely determined not to move my body in the slightestdegree, no motion of the pendulum took place when I held the in-stmment in the usual way. It is of great importance to notehere that when I attended to my sensations I did not becomeconscious of any muscular movements, and it was only by aconscious voluntary determination to remain rigidly in oneposition that I checked the action of the pendulum. Thus farmy investigations had proceeded on Monday, October 20th.I accordingly had an interview with Mr. Rutter, for thepurpose of communicating to him my doubts and fears,and had determined, in the event of his sharing in them,to give up my intended lecture of the next day. Mr.Rutter, however, assured me that he could contrive an

unexceptionable instrument, albeit he could not see thenecessityof altering his present one; and in the hope thatthis would soon be done, and being still confident that I Iremained passive during all the regular experiments, I pro- Iceeded to London the next day, and delivered my lecture atthe Hahnemann Hospital, which step I have never ceased toregret, for the following reasons :-As soon as possible after myreturn home, I commenced an elaborate series of test expe-riments, which have now been repeatedly performed in thepresence of several friends-among others, before Dr.Sutherland, of Leamington, and Dr. Dudgeon, and whichtend strongly to corroborate my fears respecting the trust-worthiness of the experiments; for I find-1. That in theordinary condition of the magnetoscope, any motion which isanticipated tMfcM-MtMy takes place. 2. If I apply merely thepoint of any of my fingers to the brass ball, and wish for anymotion to occur, it takes place immediately, without my beingconscious of any muscular motion on my part. 3. If a medi-cine is put into my hands without my having any possibleclue to its nature, the motions no longer coincide with myformer observations; so much so, indeed, that of six medicinesuihich have been tested in this way four times each, no one

agreed more than twice, and two of them gave different motionsevery time they were tested." An important point, however, still remained to be proved

-viz., whether the movements were produced by unconsciousmnscnla,r motions communicated to the instrument, or whetherthey were really due to currents set in motion by the exerciseof the will. To ascertain this, I arranged a series of experi-ments, from which it appears, that whenever a machine is so

constructed as to admit of the greatest effect being produced-by the smallest amount of mechanical motion, (which is un-fortunately the case with Mr. Rutter’s instrument, it being, infact, a combination of three levers, acted upon at the mostadvantageous point, to obtain the greatest effect from the-smallest efforts,) such machine will act perfectly as a

magnetoscope, even though all the known laws of inductionare set at defiance in its construction; while, on the contrary,every modification of the machine which increases its immobilitysydecreases in the same proportion its apparent sensibility to thaso-called magnetic currents:’

After this plain and significant recital, is it necessary to sayone word of the credulous folly exhibited by the most noto-rious among the homa-opaths 1 One would almost wonder

how men could continue to walk about amongst their fellowsunder such a load of ridicule as that which they have broughtupon themselves. Out of their own mouths they stand con-demned, for it has only been necessary to put the differentphases of this monstrous fable in comparison and juxtaposi-tion. No better extinguisher than Dr. MADDEN could be desiredfor Dr. QuiN and Mr. RUTTER; and such has been the singularprogress of the deception, that he is self-extinguished at thesame time. Nothing but a determination to be deceived, or theutmost conceivable facility for self-deception, could have ledpersons having the stature and years of adult men, to pindoctrines which they profess to hold in reverence, to a sillyand babyish toy. Nothing but this could have led them toforget the triple movement discovered all too late by Dr.MADDEN-to lose sight of the tendency of a weight attachedto a silk cord to rotate, and of muscular unsteadiness andarterial action to impart motion to an instrument poised withthe utmost delicacy. It never seems to have occurred to Dr.

QUIN and his discomfited compeers, that if substances of the40,000th attenuation could produce any results upon any in-strument, the air itself must supply constant and multitudinousmovements sufficient to render all observation and record im-

possible.But it was necessary to find some new point to raise the-

drooping spirits of the globulists under the many exposuresto which they have latterly been subject in this country.The case was so desperate, that all which honourable men,even if deceived, should value, was readily staked uponMr. RuTTER’s foolish device. It must always remain a ques-tion, morally speaking, whether the oscillations of the homceo-pathic pendulum have been most decidedly from R- toF-, or from I- to R-; but the movements betweenthese two well-known initials have certainly been very con-siderable.

It is almost useless to speculate on the real nature andorigin of Mr. RUTTER’S proceedings. It seems pretty certainthat his instruments and experiments are plagiarisms fromsome nonsensical writings of that notorious hydropathicpervert, HERBERT MAYO. Some will imagine RUTTER to beself-duped, and that he did not know it was his own fingerscaused the responsive shakings of his wonderful pendulum;but it requires a great stretch of credulity to believe thatboth he and QUIN did not intentionally produce the rotationsand vibrations of the indicator. There is a choice, it is

true, between this and downright falsehood in relating themovements of the pendulum. We have also heard it sug.gested that RUTTER must have intended the whole matteras a hoax, by which QUIN, MADDEN, and their followers were

gulled with the greatest ease. However, the incompre.hensible extent of the folly or fraud shown in the whole Qf

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the affairs renders it difficult to ascertain the springs andmotives of the chief actors. Certain it is, that since the daysof the ELLIOTSOY exposure, nothing like the present explosionhas taken place; never has so signal a cheat been so utterlyblown to the winds.

We really have been glad to get the most subtle andable of the homoeopaths upon a stage where evidence

could be sifted. They have, with almost inconceivable

fatuity, themselves supplied this opportunity. And look at

the result ! The whole evidence, if such a term may be

prostituted in favour of their vaunted system, is of the samecalibre, worthy of the same trust, and having the samecredibility, as that brought to bear on the 11 New MagneticIndicator." Globulism is neither more nor less true than the

wonders of this famous instrument. The same intellects

dealing with similar evidence have supported both the one andthe other, and they have shown, at last, to a demonstration,that they have reached the utmost confines of folly anddupedom.As regards this monstrous chimera, taken by itself, we might

smile with contempt and pity upon its participators, but whenwe consider that it invades the sacred provinces of life andhealth, we feel that, whether dupes or knaves, its propagatorsshould be scourged with a whip of scorpions, and brandedwith eternal infamy, for such gross attempts to tamper withtruth and science, and for such attacks upon the highest in-terests of mankind at large.

It will be perceived by an announcement in our advertisingcolumns, that the first list of donors and subscribers to the NewMedical College will be published on the 22nd inst. This list,and the amount of the respective sums subscribed, will revealto the public the degree of respect with which the professionregards itself, and will ultimately have its effect in decidingthe kind of consideration which the profession shall elicit

from the public. We doubt not that the whole professionwill feel a common impulse in the right direction. It cannotbe conceived that there is any possible ground of objection, onthe part of any member of the profession, to contribute to thecause of the widow, the orphan, or the destitute. Even

poverty may give its mite, and to the affluent there can rarelybe presented a more winning plea for munificent liberality.

DEATH OF Dr. R. L. HOOPER. - It is Rith muchregret that we have to record the death of Dr. Robert LittleHooper, who died on Friday the 7th instant, from concussion

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of the brain, consequent upon being thrown from his carriage,the horses having taken fright. Mr. Hooper commencedgeneral practice, about twenty-seven years ago, in the London-road, and for many years had one of the most lucrative andextensive practices on the Surrey side of the water. He wasfor a long period assistant-surgeon and surgeon to the Queen’sPrison; surgeon to the parish of fit. George the Martyr,Nouthwark, to the National Guardia!l Institution, Bedford-row,and to the Yorkshire School. Mr. Hooper, some time lastyear, took his degree of M.D. at St. Andrew’s, or at Aberdeen,and, we believe, had retired from the more laborious duties ofhis profession, having lately taken an active partner. Dr.Hooper was well known to the Fellows of the MedicalSociety of London, at which he was a frequent attendant,and had filled several posts of honour in connexion with it.Dr. Hooper, for many years past, had been an active medicalreformer, was one of the Council of the British MedicalAssociation, and belonged to the Committee of Poor-lawOfficers. He was an unflinching advocate of the rights ofthe profession, and indefatigable in his efforts to redress its^wrongs. He will be deeply lamented by his bereaved family,and by a numerous circle of professional friends and patients,to whom he was endeared by kindness, urbanity, andintegrity.

THE

ANALYTICAL SANITARYCOMMISSION.

RECORDS OF THE RESULTS OF

MICROSCOPICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSESOF THE

SOLIDS AND FLUIDS

CONSUMED BY ALL CLASSES OF THE PUBLIC.

ISINGLASS,AND ITS

ADULTERATIONS.

I ISINGLASS is the air-bag, or swimming-bladder, sometimescalled the sound, of various fish, chiefly of the sturgeon tribe,and belonging to the genus Acipenser.

This bag is a membrane filled with air, situated near thespine, above the centre of gravity. In most fish it com-municates with the oesophagus, or stomach, by a duct, whichis known as the ductus pneumaMcus; in others, the duct isimperforate ; occasionally there are two sacs, one anteriorto the other, and communicating by a short tube.The air-bag is made up of an external orperitonseal covering,

a middle, tendinous, and in some cases muscular coat, and aninternal, highly vascular membrane.The following are the principal species of fish from which

Russian isinglass is derived:-Acipenser Huso or the BelugaA. Gouldenstadtii. or the Osseter, A. Ruthenus or the Sterld,A. Stellatu8 or the Sewruga; Silurus Glanis, and Siprinus Carpio.In addition to the above, isinglass is obtained in different

parts of the world from several other kinds of fish. In New

York, from the Labrus Squeteague, of Mitchell. In New

England it is procured from the intestines of Morrhua vul-garis, or the common cod, this form being denominated ribbonisinglass. In the Brazils, it is obtained from a large fish, pro-bably a species of Silurus; and in Iceland, from the Cod andLota Holoa, or Ling.

THE FISHERIES.

The Caspian and Aral Seas yield the various kinds of thegenus Acipenser in great abundance; they are also to befound in the waters several hundred miles beyond Astrakhan,in the Wolga, Yaik, Don, and even in the rivers as far as

Siberia. The fisheries to the extent of three lazens, or twenty-one feet depth of water, belong to the proprietors of the coast.The Hon. Captain Keppell, in his "Travels," describes onemerchant as holding thirty fisheries, for one only of which, atKarmaziack, he paid an annual rental of 450,000 roubles.For the high seas a licence is given, stating the number of

boats each fishery is permitted to employ.The Beluga, A. Huso, is caught with harpoons, and drawn

to the coast. It is taken in the deepest waters of the CaspianSea, about or beyond one hundred versts from the shore. Thefish is a kind of small whale, often exceeds ten or twelve feet,and sometimes reaches twenty-five feet in length, and weighsfrom one hundred to five hundred English pounds.

Occasionally, on the capture of the beluga, the sounds areimmediately removed, to allow of their drying before reachingthe shore; in this case, however, the isinglass obtained is ia’ferior to that which is dried on the land. The finest andwhitest isinglass is hat which is prepared on shore, especiallywhere speed is use(: in cleaning and drying the sounds.The smaller spe. ies are caught in amazing quantities at a

less distance from the coast. Upon this point, Captain Kap-pel, in the volume before quoted, gives a graphic sketch 9fthe fishery of Karmaizack.He states that" Two persons are in each boat: one, genø-

rally a female, rows, while the other hauls in the fish. Theinstruments used consist of a mallet, and a stick with a largeunbarbed hook at the end. Every fisherman has a certainnumber of lines; one line contains fifty hooks; these are placedat regular distances from each other; they are without barbs,sunk about a foot under water, and are kept in motion bysmall pieces of wood attached to them.