Anthroponomy, or, Magneto-physiognomico-craniology : a new system on the magnetic constitution of man, as expressed by physiognomy blended with craniology and maintained by moral and physical hygiene, according to the rules of physiology, therapeutics, metaphysics, and present experience, improved from the systems of Messmer, Puységur, Gall, Lavater, Spurzheim, etc., and as established / by J.D.L. Zender.

  • Zender, J. D. L. (Joachim Denis Laurent), 1805-
Date:
1863
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anthroponomy, or, Magneto-physiognomico-craniology : a new system on the magnetic constitution of man, as expressed by physiognomy blended with craniology and maintained by moral and physical hygiene, according to the rules of physiology, therapeutics, metaphysics, and present experience, improved from the systems of Messmer, Puységur, Gall, Lavater, Spurzheim, etc., and as established / by J.D.L. Zender. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    17/118
    Cevennes, etc., also some ot the nuns of Loudan were thrown into convulsions by that power of imitation. Indeed, a whole army like that of Napoleon could be turned towards any directiou of viciories by the will and voice of that great man, that is, through his magnetic in- fluence. Another vuriety of ecstacy is that not only of the super-exaltation of the intellectual and affective faculties, as it is found in the other states of ecstacy, but, what is more wonderful, of the great nsensibility of the human body, and its extraordinary resistance to suffering and death, as it happened to the Convulsionnaires de St. Medard, who for the cure of their disease, inflicted upon their bodies, without being hurt, the most deadly knocks and shocks, sufficient to kill them. As the tomb of deacon Paris, a pious jansenif 1, nad been frequented during sometime, by a rush of people who had obtained their cure by faith in him, the for- bidding of the French government to visit that tomb, gave rise to that new way of cure by the Convulsionnaires. The last variety of ecstacy is that of spiritual communications, prop- erly speaking, that is the speaking and acting of some mediums through the magnetic influence or the possession of a spirit, of an angel, and even of the Lord himself. In order to obtain a communication, a circle of any number of persons is formed arou:.d a table, and tbey prepare themselves by hymns and prayers, to solicit the communication with any spirit, according to the will of God. Sometimes they receive an answer, by the tipping, raising or turningjof the table, which is made then to indicate the letters of the alphabet, when they are called out by the medium, in order to make the answering sentences. No deception, nor any automatic action of the brain have been proved to exist in the general facts, although some cheat, or illusion might have existed with some pretended mediums. The other way of spiritual communications is possession, as we mentioned it in the first variety of ecstacy, by which some are possessed by good or bad spirits, and make speeches accordingly. Christians who believe in the Bible, have no excuse for not believing in spirits in their intercourse and in a future life. The Bible is full of spiritual intercourses from the beginning to the end. Thus, the angels appeared and spoke either externally or in vision to Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Peter, John, etc., who in their turn answered them. The Pythoness of Endor, (I Sam. 28, 7), made the departed soul of Samuel appear to Saul and converse with him. Now, although we could not understand a grain of sand, still we have made progress enough in Phil- osophy to perceive that nothing is illogical in all those facts, nothing convincing has been proved against them although our little sphere of knowledge cannot comprehend them. Let us come to the proof of the departed spirits, and of future life by plain philosophy, without the aid of revelation. Nothing is lost in nature, whether spirit or matter. The parts of the dead matter being decomposed into their elements, assimilate themselves to their original substances; ko also with the spirit, which quits the body, it returns to God or to its spiritual element, as a spirit- ual body, (1 Cor. 15, 44;, that has been growing and maturing itself through the nourishing action of God, within the shell of the material body. There is no reason for losing its identic personality; on the contrary, that physiognomical identity is a glory to God, and exists for