The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-05-29
MIND MYSTERIES.


II
Richard A. Proctor contributes to Bel
srnria an article in which he shows how
somnambulism may be arti6cially induced.
and what wonderful things person may
be made to do while in that state. Ii Is
but little more than quarter Of century
ago that q couple Of itinerant Americans,
styling themselves Professors Of Electro
Biology" startled London by boldly As
serting their power Ito subjugate the mos.
determined Will, paralyze the strongest
muscles, pervert the evidence Of the senses,
DESTROY the memory IN even the most
| familiar things or Of the most recent oc-
currences, induce Obedience to any COM
mand, or make the individual believe him
self transformed into any one else. The
secret Of this wondrous influence was
known only TO themselves. As n part ct
the modns opsraHdi, the subject was re-
quired to gaze steadily at small disk Of
zinc and copper held IN HIS hand. so As
TO concentrate the electromagnetic &C
tion." Whatev may have been thought
of the pre- ca O = Of these men. their per
formances were re tainiy remarkable. and
were witnessed o. large and amazed audi
ences.
In 1851, DR.. Braid. Scotch surgeon.
who had been making Investigations
somewhat akin TO these matters. set 10
work to solve the mystery, and he soon
proved that the phenomena were not due
to any special qualities possessed by the
disks o. zink and copper. but simply TO
the fixed look Of the subject and the en-
tire abstraction Of his attention. Garry
ing his Investigations still further, he
found that by modifying the method Of
fixing the attention, tar more perfect
control might be obtained over the sub
iect And that a condition Of somnamb-
ulism might be arti6eially induced. This
state Of artificial somnambulism was called
hypnotism. IL Is produced by the subject
keeping a hxed'gaze for several minutes
consecutively on bright OH ct placed
somewhat above and in front OF the eyes.
at so short distance that the conveyance
Of their axes upon II Is accompanied with
a sense Of effort amounting TO pain. In
bypnotism, rs in ordinary somnamhulism,
the subject appears 10 be IN a profound
sleep. On awakening he has 60 rememb-
rance Of anything that has occurred IN the
hypnotic condition. although. when he
goes again into this state. the tram OF
thought of the previous one may be taken
up and continued uninterruptedly. The
hypnotized person becomes subject in an
extraordinary degree to the influence OF
external suggestion directing the current
of his thought and his action. He ac-
quires the power of incredible coneenira-
ton. The whole man appears TO be- CIV
en- 10 each perception His passions may
be aroused and his emotions controlled by
words or through ms muscular sense. HIS
mind may be acted upon through impress
sions communicated from the body, and
he may thus be made 20 act according
with the attitude or posture IN which he Is
placed. DO Ible his fist. says DR.. Garth
Wilkinson, and pull up his arm. Il You
da c, fer you will have the strength OF
YOU ribs rudely tested Put him on his
knees and clasp his hands: and the saints
and devotees OF the artists will pale before
the trueness Of his devout actings.
DIR. Carpenter mentions case Of which
he was a witness. The arm Of the som
nambulist beng brought into the position
Of striking a blow. The idea Of Sighting
was at once aroused aud put into imme-
diate execution. The blow CHANGED 10 fall
upon a second somnambulist who was
quick to defend himself against the unex-
pected and unprovoked attack. The two
Dffgdn 10 u y nfff WIN -lAf IN
ergy that II was onls with the greatest
difficulty they were separated. They con
timed TO utter furious denubciaiions
against one another until. 10y little dis
Greet manipulation Of theif muscles. the
were Gained and put IN a good hnmor.
BY assuring the somnAmbulis, that be can
easily do what he ia called upon 10 try. hrs
Will can be- 80 concentrated that be will
~ al sLtfl Hat
> : entirely beyond his natural powers.
n this way an extraordinary degree o.
power car be thrown INTO any set 81 mus
cles. DIR. G. tpenier saw Dr. B'sid erper.
iment on a man who. IN his ordinary CON
ditiou. was 20 weak physically that be
would not venture 20 lift twenty pounds.
Being somnambulized. and assured that q
quarter Of a hundred was n. light n
feather. he took il up with his little finger
and swung il aroutd HI. head with the
greatest ease. On another occasion be
liited Fifty pounds with one finger. Sub
sequentlv he declared that he wa unable
TO liz hankerchief from the table. after
having been assured tina, he oould no, poe
sibly move il. One Of the moe. remark.
sble cases OF TIL. Kind u tina. given by
Dr.. Carpenter. on the authorty n trust
L
musical cultivation. and unable 10 speak
pef own language dramatically. beng
hvpno,ized. gave an exact imitation OF
Kenny Lind's singing. rendering the f0ngs
OF the great singer IN different languages
$50 ins,antaneously and correctly, az ~
both words and musie. tina, II ~as diaioui;
10 distinguish the two VOICES. y In order 20
tes, the powers Of this sorDnasnbulis, 70 the
utmost, Jenny Lind erteruporized long
and elaborate chrousiie exercise. which
the girl initiated with No lees precision.
though in her waking state sbs Sursi no,
even attempt anything u the sort
| In like manner. by concentrating the
whole attention upon a pas;ieslaf object.
the ,ensibility Of az hypnotazed sab1ec;
may be increased N an extraordinary do
gree. A person IN this state hAs bcen Known
70 End cot. by The ssn.s of sraeli. the O~nsr
q glove placed IN his band. frofn anon q
more than s;r'y persons The owner o. a
rin9 was similarly packed ost from anon .
twelve persons In enc case. the srpss a
Itemnera:ure vas 80 extraordinarily sral'
ted that diGsrenoes ordinarily inspy-scl-
able were q, onoe detected. any consider
able change produced gre4. disress ~ the
| subject Not le.s remarkable are TIE IN
| stances in which the curative powers a
hyppcsi.m have bern saooessfsiiy srp~vs.
men:ed spon. II has bern shown 'hz' the
pulsa;i0ns of the heart and The respiratory
movements may be thus aooelers.sa or -
sArded, and vsrios. seersstors may he a
tered. both in quantity and quality. II.
eases shieh have been referred 20. Asd
which are ei.sd ty the highest scssntss'
asthorI;y. sbo~ thai the mot nsryss1-si
pb~soTBsns have h~~n prstsoed throags
zstise,zl sofanznbalssns. Th-se rseporD
era. - orphaned ~ Or. Carpenter, ss'
due 10 '.the entire sbgrvesupss, a th'
raind With whatever may - for .se TIM
the object 81 I.s z,sentson. snd "a p.s
nve rsospsssIsy for .ay possos thss nzzy b
I~~~~--xe Al "a a