Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-04-21
MESMERISM AND CRIME.
How Patients Might be Led TO Com
init Grimes by CnscrVouious Per.

sons
DR.. William A. Hammond addressed
the Medico-Legal society last evening
on "The Medico-Legal Relations of
Syggignocism, or Hypnotism," and
| illustrated his remarks with practical
experiments on young man. He said
Mesmer who first called the attention
of Europe to the subject Of hypnotsm,
was wrong in supposing that 1t was the
result of any peculiar mower possessed
| by the operator. The popularity
which renders the condition possible is
in the person operated on and he can
generally pass into the state spontane-
ously if he wishes. The speaker thought
syggignocism, which signifies n condi-
tition il which the subject agrees with
the person operating on him, was the
proper word TO express the state and
! suggested this name in place of hypno-
tism. About two out ofevery ten males
and four out of every ten females make
good subjects for experiments. Dr.
Hammond confessed his inability to
| explain the phenomena exhibited by n
person when when in hyponotic state
but he stated a theory which he thought
might prove 10 be correct. This was
that the superior or intellectual part of
the brain is entirely cut off from all
action when Il person becomes mes
merized, SO that he has practically no
will of his own, and does and SAYS
things which he would not do and say
if his intellectual faculties were under
his control. He thought the law should
take cognizance of this condition rs I'M
scrupulous men might cause a subject
to commit the greatest of crimes while
they remained hidden and free from
! detection. 1t was to show the mem
bers of the society how easily the per-
! petratiou Of crime may be arranged by
means of hypnotic instruments, that
| the doctor made several experiments.
| The young man selected for the eXper-
iments was reduced to the proper con
dition in 80 seconds by simply holding
piece of glass before his eyes upon
which he gazed intently His eyes be-
came fixed, and he was then passive
instrument in the hands ofthe operator.
He was first made to commit burg
larry. A step-ladder was placed against
the wall, which he was told was store
house. \ large easy-chair represented
the stoop. He was told to enter the base
ment through the window, 60 up stairs
and secure the money in an oak box.
He Crawed under the chair going
through the motions of opening base
ment window, climbed the ladder and
filled his pockets, iii Imagination with
the I,rf n A
as cautiously as genuine burglar
would have done. He was then made
to believe he was under arrest, taken
to station-house released on bail, and
finally returned the money to the
chamber from which he took it on
promise of pardon by the governor.
The subject was next made To commit
murder He was handed piece Of
paper for dagger, and told to kill gen
tleman standing in the doorway, who
had killed his mother He crept silently
up behind him, and struck him twice
in the back and then threw the paper
dagger away. Upon his return to the
platform his attention was called to an
angel with a flaming sword He
breathed so hard upon seeing this
vision that he could be heard to the
furthest end of the room, clasped his
hands with agony, and finally with n
shrek, darted from the stage and fell
PROSTATE to the floor. The last expert
ment was to cause him to forge check
for S25, 900, which he did, initiating the
signature of the president, G. S. Wood,
very successfully, presented it at an
imaginary bank, and drew the money
on it. The lecture and experiments
occupied nearly three hours, and the
discussion of the phenomena was post
poned until the next meeting, when
DR.. Hammond and Prof. G.. NJ. Beard
will make more experiments.
milwaukee, Market