His
      temperament was markedly nervous, and rendered him a good subject
      for mesmeric experiment. On two or three occasions I had put him
      to sleep with little difficulty, but was disappointed in other
      results which his peculiar constitution had naturally led me to
      anticipate. His will was at no period positively, or thoroughly,
      under my control, and in regard to clairvoyance, I could
      accomplish with him nothing to be relied upon. I always
      attributed my failure at these points to the disordered state of
      his health. For some months previous to my becoming acquainted
      with him, his physicians had declared him in a confirmed
      phthisis. It was his custom, indeed, to speak calmly of his
      approaching dissolution, as of a matter neither to be avoided nor
      regretted. When the ideas to which I have alluded first occurred to me, it
      was of course very natural that I should think of M. Valdemar. I
      knew the steady philosophy of the man too well to apprehend any
      scruples from him; and he had no relatives in America who would
      be likely to interfere. I spoke to him frankly upon the subject;
      and, to my surprise, his interest seemed vividly excited. I say
      to my surprise, for, although he had always yielded his person
      freely to my experiments, he had never before given me any tokens
      of sympathy with what I did. His disease was of that character
      which would admit of exact calculation in respect to the epoch of
      its termination in death; and it was finally arranged between us
      that he would send for me about twenty-four hours before the
      period announced by his physicians as that of his decease. It is now rather more than seven months since I received, from M.
      Valdemar himself, the subjoined note:

      MY DEAR P——,

      You may as well come now. D—— and F—— are agreed that I cannot
      hold out beyond to-morrow midnight; and I think they have hit the
      time very nearly. VALDEMAR

      I received this note within half an hour after it was written,
      and in fifteen minutes more I was in the dying man’s chamber. I
      had not seen him for ten days, and was appalled by the fearful
      alteration which the brief interval had wrought in him. His face
      wore a leaden hue; the eyes were utterly lustreless; and the
      emaciation was so extreme that the skin had been broken through
      by the cheek-bones. His expectoration was excessive. The pulse
      was barely perceptible. He retained, nevertheless, in a very
      remarkable manner, both his mental power and a certain degree of
      physical strength. He spoke with distinctness—took some
      palliative medicines without aid—and, when I entered the room,
      was occupied in penciling memoranda in a pocket-book. He was
      propped up in the bed by pillows. Doctors D—— and F—— were in
      attendance. After pressing Valdemar’s hand, I took these gentlemen aside, and
      obtained from them a minute account of the patient’s condition. The left lung had been for eighteen months in a semi-osseous or
      cartilaginous state, and was, of course, entirely useless for all
      purposes of vitality. The right, in its upper portion, was also
      partially, if not thoroughly, ossified, while the lower region
      was merely a mass of purulent tubercles, running one into
      another. Several extensive perforations existed; and, at one
      point, permanent adhesion to the ribs had taken place. These
      appearances in the right lobe were of comparatively recent date. The ossification had proceeded with very unusual rapidity; no
      sign of it had been discovered a month before, and the adhesion
      had only been observed during the three previous days. Independently of the phthisis, the patient was suspected of
      aneurism of the aorta; but on this point the osseous symptoms
      rendered an exact diagnosis impossible. It was the opinion of
      both physicians that M. Valdemar would die about midnight on the
      morrow (Sunday). It was then seven o’clock on Saturday evening. On quitting the invalid’s bed-side to hold conversation with
      myself, Doctors D—— and F—— had bidden him a final farewell. It
      had not been their intention to return; but, at my request, they
      agreed to look in upon the patient about ten the next night. When they had gone, I spoke freely with M. Valdemar on the
      subject of his approaching dissolution, as well as, more
      particularly, of the experiment proposed. He still professed
      himself quite willing and even anxious to have it made, and urged
      me to commence it at once. A male and a female nurse were in
      attendance; but I did not feel myself altogether at liberty to
      engage in a task of this character with no more reliable
      witnesses than these people, in case of sudden accident, might
      prove. I therefore postponed operations until about eight the
      next night, when the arrival of a medical student with whom I had
      some acquaintance, (Mr. Theodore L—l,) relieved me from farther
      embarrassment. It had been my design, originally, to wait for the
      physicians; but I was induced to proceed, first, by the urgent
      entreaties of M. Valdemar, and secondly, by my conviction that I
      had not a moment to lose, as he was evidently sinking fast. Mr. L—l was so kind as to accede to my desire that he would take
      notes of all that occurred, and it is from his memoranda that
      what I now have to relate is, for the most part, either condensed
      or copied verbatim. It wanted about five minutes of eight when, taking the patient’s
      hand, I begged him to state, as distinctly as he could, to Mr.
      L—l, whether he (M. Valdemar) was entirely willing that I should
      make the experiment of mesmerizing him in his then condition. He replied feebly, yet quite audibly, “Yes, I wish to be. I fear
      you have mesmerized”—adding immediately afterwards: “I fear you
      have deferred it too long.”

      While he spoke thus, I commenced the passes which I had already
      found most effectual in subduing him. He was evidently influenced
      with the first lateral stroke of my hand across his forehead; but
      although I exerted all my powers, no further perceptible effect
      was induced until some minutes after ten o’clock, when Doctors
      D—— and F—— called, according to appointment. I explained to
      them, in a few words, what I designed, and as they opposed no
      objection, saying that the patient was already in the death
      agony, I proceeded without hesitation—exchanging, however, the
      lateral passes for downward ones, and directing my gaze entirely
      into the right eye of the sufferer. By this time his pulse was imperceptible and his breathing was
      stertorous, and at intervals of half a minute.