Dendy (1794-1871) was an English surgeon and writer. After serving an apprenticeship in his native Sussex he came to London around 1811 and entered himself as a student at Guy's and St Thomas's hospitals, becoming a member of the College of Surgeons in 1814 and commencing practice. In addition to his skill as a surgeon he was known for his cultivated taste and polished manners, was a proficient draughtsman illustrating many of his own books and contributed widely to numerous medical journals. This work, a treatise on dreams, spectral illusions and other imperfect manifestations of the mind, was first published in 1841.