New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-06-05
CURED BYSUGGESTION.
lNew York World.

kins invented what subsequently came to be
called the metallic cure for nervous diseases.
Taking q patent with neuralgia pains in the
head, for instance, he would apply various
kinds of metal disks, one after the other,
to the patients forehead. After three or
four trials at the most he would hit upon the
fright metal for that person" and sure
| enough the neuralgia pains ceased as soon as
the metal was applied. Neither DR.. Perkins
nor anybody else undertoo = to explain how
the cure was effected, and yet no one denied
hat these metals exerted potent influence
upon the nervous system.
Having ascertained the particular kind of
metal required by the patient, DR.. Perkins
method was to take rods composed of that
metal and bind them to the parts affected,
instructing the patient to wear them day and
night Later this plan was improved upon,
and in place of the metallic rods, which were
called the perkins tractors" thin metallic
bands were made, intended to encircle the
arms, legs, or even the head of the patient
whichever member was suffering.
The fame of these perkins tractors:'-a
name which extended to the metallic bands
went abroad, and the metallic cures
created quite furore, especially in England.
At length it was discovered that an enter
prising Engishman, who was making a
specially of the metallic treatment, was
initiating the expensive gold, silver, copper,
nickel, and what-not rings with rings of
wood printed or gilded SO as to pass for the
genuine metallic article. AS soonas this de-
ception was found out the metallic cure lost
caste, and at the same time those who had
become confused in trying to solve the
mystery became worse COMPOUNDED.
Respectable practitioners in this country
dropped the thing entirely, but in England
! and France the fame of the metal cure con-
tinued to spread Notwithstanding the fraud
that had been discovered and fastened upon
the ingenious Euglishman. In fact, the
metal cure has now become SO popular
abroad that it promises to recross the
Atlantic.
DR.. William A Hammond, the distinguish
ed professor of diseases of the mind and
nervous system, has been the first to prepare
for it's reception in its native land, and by
series of very interesting experiments lately
made and still making, he come very near
to explaining the secret of the metal cure.
81 am now engaged in preparing paper on
the subject said DR.. Hammond to the
writer, "and it will probably be published be-
fore long. It is true that there is a good
deal more about this thing than we can ex-
plain, but have investigated it far enough
to ascertain that it is not SO wonderful and
Unique as people had supposed. I have afull
set of these metallic plates or disks, with the
needles, ETC., all done up in a neat little case,
just as they are prepared for us by the Eu-
ropean doctors. BY repeated experiments
have proved that the metallic plates of gold,
silver, copper, bronze, ETC., have nothing to
do with the cure, for have produced the
same results with plates of hard rubber, tor
toiseshell, and in fact piece of chalk or
cork will answer just as we'll. The whole
thing is nothing more than the power of one
mind over another. 1t is what I call the
principle of suggestion. That is, if one per-
son suggests an idea to another who has
complete faith iii that persons power, the
one acted upon will experience all the sensa-
tons the operator may suggest to him. y
'sWill you state what have been the results
of some particular experiment:
"Certainly. Why, if you have the right
kind of subject you can make him or her
believe that the moon is made Of green
cheese. It's an old principle in a new form.
have tried the experiment on several
patients, and it works like charm. I have
also experimental before the class at the
University Medical College, and always with
about the same results. OF course, it de-
ponds good deal on the constitution of the
patient, and his susceptibility of believing
whatever is told him Some time ago lady
patient of mine from another State told me
that she intended going to Europe to try
the metal cure, of which she had heard won
derful reports. That was what set me to in
vestigating the thing more carefully than L
had done before. Not long after that tried
the metals on patient who came to see me.
This was a lady also. / told her that I had
something new that had been used very sue
cessfully in Europe, and was becoming very
celebrated for curing certain diseases. took
up one of the metal disks at random, and
said: by placing this on the back of your
hand it will make your hand perfectly in
sensibly to pain Iapplied the metal, and
sure enough, however severely pricked her
hand and forearm, she felt no pain Now
said I, here is the opposite to that metal.
This will make your hand very tender and
sensible to pain then placed another
disk on the back of her hand, and after that
couldn't touch her with the needle but
she would snatch her had away and shrek
with pain. then went through the same
ceremony. using disks of rubber and other
non-metallic substances, and not precisely
the same results. 1t is very curious, and yet
there is nothing really new in it, save the
fact that have demonstrated that the metals
themselves have nothing whatever to do with
the phenomena
Within the past week DR.. Hammond has
repeated the experiments several times in
the presence of large number of spectators.
To a girl about 10 years old who had been
sent to him to be treated for epileptic fits he
said: Here is a new discovery for curing
such diseases as yours. Here, you see, are
number Of bright metal plates, gold, sill