Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Story
September 1, 1859
The Prairie News
Okolona, Chickasaw County, Mississippi
What is this article about?
During the 1809 Battle of Wagram, French soldier Mr. Boutilhouse believed a cannonball had severed his legs, causing collapse and paralysis from shock. A surgeon revealed his limbs intact; the ball had sunk his feet into the earth, illustrating imagination's power.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
POWER OF IMAGINATION.
Dr. Noble, in a very able and analytic lecture at Manchester, "On the Dynamic influence of Ideas," told a good anecdote of Mr. Boutilhouse, a French savant, in illustration of the power of imagination. As Dr. Noble says:
Mr. Boutilhouse served in Napoleon's army and was present at many engagements during the early part of the last century. At the battle of Wagram, in 1809, he was engaged in the fray: the ranks around him had been terribly thinned by shot, and at sunset he was nearly isolated. While reloading his musket he was shot down by a cannon ball. His impression was that the ball had passed through his legs below his knees, separating them from the thighs: for he suddenly sank down, a foot in measurement.— The trunk of the body fell backwards on the ground, and the senses were completely paralyzed by the shock. Thus he lay motionless among the wounded and dead during the night, not daring to move a muscle, lest the loss of blood should be fatally increased. He felt no pain, but this he attributed to the stunning effect of the shock to the brain and nervous system.
At early dawn he was aroused by one of the medical staff who came around to help the wounded. "What's the matter with you, my good fellow?" said the surgeon. "Ah! touch me tenderly," replied M. Boutilhouse, "I beseech you, a cannon ball has carried off my legs." The surgeon examined the limbs referred to, and then, giving him a good shake, said, with a joyous laugh, "Get up with you, you have nothing the matter with you." M. Boutilhouse immediately sprang up in utter astonishment, and stood firmly on the legs which he thought lost forever. "I felt more thankful," said M. Boutilhouse, "than I had ever been in the whole course of my life before. I had, indeed, been shot by an immense cannon ball: but instead of passing through the legs, as I firmly believed it had, the ball had passed under my feet, and had plowed a hole in the earth beneath at least a foot in depth, into which my feet suddenly sank, giving me the idea that I had been thus shortened by the loss of my legs." The truth of this story is vouched for by Dr. Noble.
Dr. Noble, in a very able and analytic lecture at Manchester, "On the Dynamic influence of Ideas," told a good anecdote of Mr. Boutilhouse, a French savant, in illustration of the power of imagination. As Dr. Noble says:
Mr. Boutilhouse served in Napoleon's army and was present at many engagements during the early part of the last century. At the battle of Wagram, in 1809, he was engaged in the fray: the ranks around him had been terribly thinned by shot, and at sunset he was nearly isolated. While reloading his musket he was shot down by a cannon ball. His impression was that the ball had passed through his legs below his knees, separating them from the thighs: for he suddenly sank down, a foot in measurement.— The trunk of the body fell backwards on the ground, and the senses were completely paralyzed by the shock. Thus he lay motionless among the wounded and dead during the night, not daring to move a muscle, lest the loss of blood should be fatally increased. He felt no pain, but this he attributed to the stunning effect of the shock to the brain and nervous system.
At early dawn he was aroused by one of the medical staff who came around to help the wounded. "What's the matter with you, my good fellow?" said the surgeon. "Ah! touch me tenderly," replied M. Boutilhouse, "I beseech you, a cannon ball has carried off my legs." The surgeon examined the limbs referred to, and then, giving him a good shake, said, with a joyous laugh, "Get up with you, you have nothing the matter with you." M. Boutilhouse immediately sprang up in utter astonishment, and stood firmly on the legs which he thought lost forever. "I felt more thankful," said M. Boutilhouse, "than I had ever been in the whole course of my life before. I had, indeed, been shot by an immense cannon ball: but instead of passing through the legs, as I firmly believed it had, the ball had passed under my feet, and had plowed a hole in the earth beneath at least a foot in depth, into which my feet suddenly sank, giving me the idea that I had been thus shortened by the loss of my legs." The truth of this story is vouched for by Dr. Noble.
What sub-type of article is it?
Biography
Curiosity
Extraordinary Event
What themes does it cover?
Fortune Reversal
Survival
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Power Of Imagination
Battle Of Wagram
Cannonball Illusion
False Injury
Napoleon Army
Surgeon Examination
What entities or persons were involved?
Mr. Boutilhouse
Dr. Noble
Where did it happen?
Battle Of Wagram
Story Details
Key Persons
Mr. Boutilhouse
Dr. Noble
Location
Battle Of Wagram
Event Date
1809
Story Details
Mr. Boutilhouse, serving in Napoleon's army at the 1809 Battle of Wagram, believed a cannonball severed his legs after sinking into the ground, lying motionless overnight in shock. A surgeon revealed his legs intact, dispelling the illusion caused by imagination.