The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar
Allan Poe. Of course, I shall not pretend to consider
it any matter for wonder that the extraordinary case of M.
Valdemar has excited discussion. It would have been a miracle
had it not, especially under the circumstances, through the desire

(00:23):
of all parties concerned to keep the affair from the public,
at least for the present, or until we had farther
opportunities for investigation. Through our endeavors to effect this, a
garbled or exaggerated account made its way into society and
became the source of many unpleasant misrepresentations, and very naturally,
of a great deal of disbelief. It is now rendered

(00:46):
necessary that I give the facts, as far as I
comprehend them myself. They are succinctly these. My attention for
the last three years has been repeatedly drawn to the
subject of mesmerism, and about nine months ago it occurred
to me quite suddenly that in the series of experiments
made hitherto, there had been a very remarkable and most

(01:06):
unaccountable omission. No person had as yet been mesmerized in
articulo mortis. It remained to be seen first whether in
such condition there existed in the patient any susceptibility to
the magnetic influence. Secondly, whether, if any existed, it was
impaired or increased by the condition. Thirdly, to what extent,

(01:27):
or for how long a period the encroachments of death
might be arrested by the process. There were other points
to be ascertained, but these most excited my curiosity, the
last in especial from the immensely important character of its consequences.
In looking around me for some subject by whose means
I might test these particulars, I was brought to think

(01:48):
of my friend m Ernest Valdemar, the well known compiler
of the Bibliotheca Forensica and author under the nomme de
plume of Issachar Marx, of the Polish versions of Wallenstein
and Gargantua. M Valdemar, who has resided principally at Harlem,
New York since the year eighteen thirty nine, is or

(02:09):
was particularly noticeable for the extreme spareness of his person,
his lower limbs much resembling those of John Randolph, and
also for the whiteness of his whiskers, in violent contrast
to the blackness of his hair, the latter, in consequence
being very generally mistaken for a whig. His temperament was
markedly nervous, and rendered him a good subject for mesmeric experiment.

(02:33):
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

(02:55):
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 pithesis.
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

(03:16):
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 interests
seemed vividly excited. I say, to my surprise, for although

(03:38):
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 if that character
which would admit of exact calculation and 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 positions

(04:00):
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 tomorrow midnight, and I think they have
hit the time very nearly. Valdemar I received this note

(04:21):
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.

(04:43):
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.

(05:04):
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 and cartilaginous state,
and was of course entirely useless for all purposes of vitality.

(05:26):
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

(05:48):
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 pitheses, 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

(06:10):
would die about midnight on the morrow Sunday. It was
then seven o'clock on Saturday evening. On quitting the invalid's
bedside 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.

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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
female nurse were in attendance. But I did not feel
myself altogether at liberty to engage in a task of

(06:54):
this character with no more reliable witnesses than these people
in case of sudden accident? Might I therefore postponed operations
until about eight the next night, when the arrival of
a medical student with whom I had some acquaintance, mister
Theodore l I, relieved me from farther embarrassment. It had
been my design originally to wait for the physicians, but

(07:16):
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. Mister l I 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 have now to relate is, for the most part,

(07:37):
either condensed or copied verbatim. It was about five minutes
of eight when taking the patient's hand, I begged him
to state as distinctly as he could to mister l
I 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, wish to be.

(08:01):
I fear you have mesmerized, adding immediately afterwards 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 farther perceptible effect was induced until some

(08:23):
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

(08:44):
eye of the sufferer. By this time his pulse was
imperceptible and his breathing was stertorious, and at intervals of
half a minute, this condition was nearly unaltered for a
quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this period, however,
a natural all th though a very deep sigh, escaped
the bosom of the dying man, and the stertorious breathing ceased,

(09:06):
that is to say, its stertoriousness was no longer apparent.
The intervals were undiminished. The patient's extremities were of an
icy coldness. At five minutes before eleven, I perceived unequivocal
signs of the mesmeric influence. The glassy roll of the
eye was changed for that expression of uneasy inward examination,

(09:26):
which is never seen except in cases of sleep walking,
and which it is quite impossible to mistake. With a
few rapid lateral passes, I made the lids quiver as
an incipient sleep, and with a few more I closed
them altogether. I was not satisfied, however, with this, but
continued the manipulations vigorously and with the fullest exertion of

(09:47):
the will, until I had completely stiffened the limbs of
the slumberer. After placing them in a seemingly easy position,
the legs were at full length, the arms were nearly so,
and reposed on the bed at a moderate distance from
the loin. The head was very slightly elevated. When I
had accomplished this, it was fully midnight, and I requested

(10:08):
the gentleman present to examine m. Valdemar's condition. After a
few experiments, they admitted him to be in an unusually
perfect state of mesmeric trance. The curiosity of both the
physicians was greatly excited. Doctor D resolved at once to
remain with the patient all night, while Doctor F took
leave with a promise to return at daybreak. Mister l

(10:30):
I and the nurses remained. We left M. Valdemar entirely
undisturbed until about three o'clock in the morning, when I
approached him and found him in precisely the same condition
as when Doctor F went away. That is to say,
he lay in the same position. The pulse was imperceptible,
the breathing was gentle, scarcely noticeable unless through the application

(10:50):
of a mirror to the lips. The eyes were closed naturally,
and the limbs were as rigid and as cold as marble. Still,
the general appearance was certainly not that of death. As
I approached m. Valdemar, I made a kind of half
effort to influence his right arm into pursuit of my own,
as I passed the latter gently to and fro above

(11:11):
his person. In such experiments with this patient I had
never perfectly succeeded before, and assuredly I had little thought
of succeeding now. But to my astonishment, his arm very readily,
although feebly, followed every direction I assigned it with mine.
I determined to hazard a few words of conversation. M. Valdemar,

(11:31):
I said, are you asleep? He made no answer, but
I perceived a tremor about the lips, and was thus
induced to repeat the question again and again. At its
third repetition, his whole frame was agitated by a very
slight shivering. The eyelids unclosed themselves so far as to
display a white line of the ball. The lips moved sluggishly,

(11:52):
and from between them, in a barely audible whisper, issued
the words, yes asleep, Now, do not wick me let
me die. So I here felt the limbs and found
them as rigid as ever. The right arm, as before,
obeyed the direction of my hand. I questioned the sleep
waker again, do you still feel pain in the breast? M. Valdemar.

(12:16):
The answer was now immediate, but even less audible than before.
No pain, I am dying. I did not think it
advisable to disturb him farther just then, and nothing more
was said or done until the arrival of doctor f
who came a little before sunrise and expressed unbounded astonishment
at finding the patient still alive. After feeling the pulse

(12:38):
and applying a mirror to the lips, he requested me
to speak to the sleep waker again. I did so, saying, M. Valdemar,
do you still sleep as before? Some minutes elapsed ere
a reply was made, and during the interval the dying
man seemed to be collecting his energies to speak. At
my fourth repetition of the question, he said, very faintly,

(12:59):
almost in all audably, yes, still asleep dying. It was
now the opinion, or rather the wish, of the physicians,
that M. Valdemar should be suffered to remain undisturbed in
his present apparently tranquil condition until death should supervene, and this,
it was generally agreed, must now take place within a
few minutes. I concluded, however, to speak to him once more,

(13:22):
and merely repeated my previous question. While I spoke, there
came a marked change over the countenance of the sleep waker.
The eyes rolled themselves slowly open, the pupils disappearing upwardly.
The skin generally assumed a cadaverous hue, resembling not so
much parchment as white paper. And these circular, hectic spots,
which hitherto had been strongly defined in the center of

(13:45):
each cheek, went out at once. I used this expression
because the suddenness of their departure put me in mind
of nothing so much as the extinguishment of a candle
by a puff of the breath. The upper lip, at
the same time writhed itself away from the teeth, which
which it had previously covered completely, while the lower jaw
fell with an audible jerk, leaving the mouth widely extended

(14:07):
and disclosing in full view the swollen and blackened tongue.
I presume that no member of the party then present
had been unaccustomed to death bed horrors. But so hideous
beyond conception was the appearance of m Valdemar at this moment,
that there was a general shrinking back from the region
of the bed. I now feel that I have reached

(14:28):
a point in this narrative at which every reader will
be startled into positive disbelief. It is my business, however,
simply to proceed. There was no longer the faintest sign
of vitality in M. Valdemar, and concluding him to be dead,
we were consigning him to the charge of the nurses,
when a strong vibratory motion was observable in the tongue.

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This continued for perhaps a minute. At the expiration of
this period, there issued from the distended and motionless jaws
a voice such as it would be madness in me
to attempt to describe it. There are indeed two or
three epithets which might be considered as applicable to it.
In part I might say, for example, that the sound
was harsh and broken and hollow, but the hideous whole

(15:12):
is indescribable, for the simple reason that no similar sounds
have ever jarred upon the ear of humanity. There were
two particulars, nevertheless, which I thought then and still think
might fairly be stated as characteristic of the intonation, as
well as adapted to convey some idea of its unearthly peculiarity.
In the first, place, the voice seemed to reach our ears,

(15:34):
at least mine from a vast distance, or from some
deep cavern within the earth. In the second place, it
impressed me I fear indeed, that it will be impossible
to make myself comprehended as gelatinous or glutenous matters impressed
the sense of touch. I have spoken both of sound
and of voice. I mean to say that the sound

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was one of distinct or even wonderfully thrillingly distinct syllabification.
M Valdemar spoke obviously in reply to the question I
had propounded to him a few minutes before. I had
asked him it will be remembered if he still slept.
He now said, yes, no, I have been sleeping, and

(16:17):
now now I am dead. No person present even affected
to deny or attempt to repress the unutterable shuddering horror
which these few words thus uttered were so well calculated
to convey. Mister l I, the student swooned. The nurses
immediately left the chamber, and could not be induced to

(16:38):
return my own impressions. I would not pretend to render
intelligible to the reader. For nearly an hour, we busied
ourselves silently without the utterance of a word in endeavors
to revive mister l I. When he came to himself,
we addressed ourselves again to an investigation of M. Valdemar's condition.
It remained in all respects as I have last ascribed it,

(17:00):
with the exception that the mirror no longer afforded evidence
of respiration. An attempt to draw blood from the arm failed.
I should mention too, that this limb was no farther
subject to my will. I endeavored in vain to make
it follow the direction of my hand. The only real indication, indeed,
of the mesmeric influence was now found in the vibratory

(17:21):
movement of the tongue. Whenever I addressed M. Valdemar a question,
he seemed to be making an effort to reply, but
had no longer sufficient volition. Two queries put to him
by any other person than myself, he seemed utterly insensible,
although I endeavored to place each member of the company
in mesmeric rapport with him. I believe that I have

(17:42):
now related all that is necessary to an understanding of
the sleep waker's state. At this epoch, other nurses were procured,
and at ten o'clock I left the house in company
with the two physicians and mister l I. In the afternoon,
we all called again to see the patient. His condition
remained precisely. We had now some discussion as to the

(18:02):
propriety and feasibility of awakening him, but we had little
difficulty in agreeing that no good purpose would be served
by doing so. It was evident that so far death
or what is usually termed death, had been arrested by
the mesmeric process. It seemed clear to us that to
awaken M. Valdemar would merely be to ensure his instant,

(18:23):
or at least his speedy dissolution. From this period until
the close of last week and interval of nearly seven months,
we continued to make daily calls at M. Valdemar's house,
accompanied now and then by medical and other friends. All
this time, the sleep waker remained exactly as I have
last described him. The nurses attentions were continual. It was

(18:45):
on Friday last that we finally resolved to make the
experiment of awakening or attempting to awaken him. And it
is the perhaps unfortunate result of this latter experiment which
has given rise to so much discussion in private circles
to so much of what I cannot help thinking unwarranted
popular feeling. For the purpose of relieving M. Valdemar from

(19:06):
the mesmeric trance, I made use of the customary passes. These,
for a time were unsuccessful. The first indication of revival
was afforded by a partial descent of the iris. It
was observed as especially remarkable that this lowering of the
pupil was accompanied by the profuse outflowing of a yellowish
ecre from beneath the lids of a pungent and highly

(19:28):
offensive odor. It was now suggested that I should attempt
to influence the patient's arm as heretofore. I made the
attempt and failed. Doctor f then intimated a desire to
have me put a question. I did so as follows. M. Valdemar,
can you explain to us what are your feelings or wishes?
Now there was an instant return of the hectic circles

(19:51):
on the cheeks. The tongue quivered, or rather rolled violently
in the mouth, although the jaws and lips remained rigid
as before, And at length the the same hideous voice
which I have already described broke forth for God's sake, quick,
quick put me to sleep, or quick waken me quick,
I say to you that I am dead. I was

(20:14):
thoroughly unnerved, and for an instant remained undecided what to do.
At first, I made an endeavor to recompose the patient,
but failing in this through total abeyance of the will,
I retraced my steps, and as earnestly struggled to awaken
him in this attempt, I soon saw that I should
be successful, or at least I soon fancied that my
success would be complete. And I am sure that all

(20:35):
in the room were prepared to see the patient awaken.
For what really occurred, however, it is quite impossible that
any human being could have been prepared. As I rapidly
made the mesmeric passes amid ejaculations of dead dead, absolutely
bursting from the tongue, and not from the lips of
the sufferer, his whole frame at once, within the space

(20:57):
of a single minute or even less, shrunk, crumbled, absolutely
rotted away. Beneath my hands. Upon the bed before that
whole company there lay a nearly liquid mass of loathsome
of detestable putridity, and of the facts. In the case

(21:20):
of m. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe