Letter from Charles Dickens, Winterbourne, to Frederick Mullett Evans, 1849 September 27 : autograph manuscript signed.

Discussing the illness of John Leech, relating his use of magnetism on Leech and referring to his success with "...a lady whom I magnetized every day for Six months in Italy [i.e., Augusta de la Rue]; saying he will continue the letter after he has checked on Leech again in the afternoon; continuing "He is greatly better, and has very much surprised the Doctor. He had a haddock and a bit of boiled mutton for his dinner, and dispatched them in a twinkling. He made divers overtures to me (in Mrs. Leech's absence) concerning a glass of port wine and water - which I didn't understand; so he went on swallowing toast and water, and barley water. Appearance greatly improved, and spirits better altogether. We intend to have another operation tonight, if there should seem to be the least occasion. I think he is at least 100 percent better than he was yesterday. As you are interested in the magnetism, I will tell you, when I have an opportunity, a very curious piece of observation in reference to it, of Mrs. Leech's, which she mentioned last night. The most remarkable incident of it, is, that a great German chemist of the name of Rheimbacher [a reference to Baron von Reichenbach] whose investigations changed him from a disbeliever into a believer mentions exactly the same observation as having been made by some female patients of his, and lays great stress on it [in] a pamphlet he wrote. I need not say that she never heard of him or his book."