William has a bladder stone and needs Robert to perform a lithotrity on him - a grim genital operation. William has the unenviable choice of excruciating pain or taking John's potentially lethal new drug chloroform during surgery. In her quest to expand her medical knowledge, Caroline arranges for herself and William to meet Llantha Kapoor, a famous mesmerist. With John tagging along, the three of them meet the charismatic Kapoor at a local curry house for a demonstration of his hypnotic powers.

Meanwhile, Robert is suffering from the shakes and having vivid nightmares of his time in the navy. All William knows is that something unpleasant happened to Robert. In a hammock. Believing in therapy as a form of treatment, William becomes determined that Robert should divulge his story to try to cure his shakes. Show less