173. One of our friends had for a somnambulist a young boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age, of very ordinary intelligence, and extremely limited instruc- tion. Nevertheless, in somnambulism he gave proofs of extraordinary lucidity and great perspicacity. He excelled especially in the treatment of diseases, and made a great many cures regarded as impossible. One day he gave a* consultation to a sick person, whose malady he described exactly.
" That is not all," said they ; " now you must indi- cate the remedy." " I cannot," he answered. " My angel doctor is not here" "What do you mean by your angel doctor?" "He who dictates to me." " It is not you, then, who see the remedies ?" " Why, n o ; don't I tell you my angel doctor dictates them to me ?"
Thus, with this somnambulist, the action of seeing the disease was that of his own spirit, who for that needed no assistance, but the indication of the reme- dies was given by another; this other not being there, he could say nothing. Alone, he was only a somnam- bulist ; assisted by what he called his angel doctor, he was a somnambulistic medium.
