, 1880-05-15

NtM 1nrk Nation.
BnEsLAu, March a5.-1 cnme here from
Berlin week ago expressly 10 seo tho curl
Gus hypnotic experiments OF Prof. 11elden-
hnfn, whose results have excited great In
terest not only among psychologists but III
the public Mt large. Meanwhile, Du D0ts
Raymond In Berlin, WHO, by a strange CO.
Incidence, since about tho time Of his fl-
nous agnostic declaration some years ago
respecting psychic and cerebral functions,
has done extremely little experimental work,
Insists that the Whole thing Is ''only Il
psychosls y; and the younger men aro,ind him
even venture to hint vaguely that 1lclden-
hahn Is the victim Of lmposture; that lie
begun the experiments because, since his i'm
portnnt work on secretion, he has seemed to
lnck original themes for investigation, md
that he Is surrounded in Urcslnu society by
bright but utterly uncrittcal men, md even
women, whose pcnchant 1t Is to read the
voluninous French and German literature
on animal magnetism. and TO believe III oc-
cult and fmpontlcrable forces. Others fear
TINT such experiments are Injurious to per
ical men. The validity Of tliesg charges can
bs PIT 5ndSe afteE M f nod statement Of the
The Professors brother, 2 tall, athletic.
health, and said, to be scholar of
IN, much promise, has been l!ypnotlzed
q, day. for two months. and scai!s Mt the
idea Of being the worse for H.. Tho writer
WIS lMvItcd to stroke the ball Of this Students
left thumb witi, his own foretingrr rs lightly
Very soon the students thumb, thel. the lland,
then the arm and shoulder, wcre In 4 state OF
Violent tetanlc cramp. which passed down
fs, the rlght arm, then down t',s LIFT then the
OF the inv. and to. those OF the neck. The
whole body was rigid md trembling, md tho
power Of speech WINS gone. Directed by the
Professor, struck the left arn. ,slnartly with
stant1y vanished; Ills brother started as from
a sleep. looked cenfuscdly around him a
moment, then seemed to recover conscious
ness, aud, remarktng that he hal had rathcr q
drunk glass Of beer. Tie Whole perform
ancc lasted less than minute.
a. Colonel brought. tn s.yeral stupid but
huriy s1ltlicrs from the barrncckss, who spoke
only Polish, and, MS fnr rs could be made out
afterward, had never heard Of s,tch perfortsl-
ances. Each one was given u lo,lt-ticking
watch to hold TO hs ear and told to listen III
tcnt'y, while the Colonel threatened them
two OF them were IN profound catalcptic
sleep, fnSensitlve to pain, MlH on being
wakencd ten minutes laterdeclared they had
not slept.
Slight, constant, md uniform or repeated
trtitation ai!;setipE ,;, the sar eye or ssin
which is often effective at n distance, a
tuning fork. . watch, a distinct, fixatlon
point, with thoughts occupied only BY the
object felt, seen, or heard, seem to be ts
conditions, OF this state. Gentle rubbing for
wurtl md backward upon the top and front
Of the head causes the sleep, which Is
often too deep for the most striking re-
suits. to become lighter, ind In some
subjects constant touci On tic Dnck
Of the neck between tho first and
second vertebrlD makes them perfect imlsn-
tiye GiachineS. Every motion, look, work,
tion is liked, Is exactly initiated; . long Eli
Eiisl, sentence, with extreme ani arot.sq'lc
every dotail by an old workman III the llosll-
t4l who understood n9 English. Thy Instant
titlnn stops, often III the middle of u word.
Nor Is this the stra1lgeSt. With number
nf his subjects Prof. lleidcnhain and Ills cnl-
leagues nre able to hypnntlze one-llalf Of tho
braln a''d body t'!s T. other half Remaining
other remaIns ID the familiar LmtnoblIe, wnxy,