Connecticut western news., 1881-04-13
MESMERISM AND CRIME.
How Patients Might be Led to Com init Crimes by Interruptions Per sons.

Dr. William A. Hammond, in an
 address before the Medico-Legal So-
 ciety of New York, on ''The Medico-
 Legal Relations of Syggignocism, or Hypnotism, and illustrated his remarks
 by practical experiments on a young man. He said Mesmer, who first called the attention of Europe to the subject of hypnotisn, was wrong in supposing that it was the result of any peculiar power possessed by the operator. The pecu- liarity which renders the condition pos- sible is In the person operated on and
 he can generally pass into the state
 spontaneously if he wishes. The speak
 CT thought syggignocism, which signi-
 hes a condition in which the subject
 agrees with the person operating on
 him, was the proper word to express
 the state, and suggested this word in
 place of hypnotism. About two out of
 every ten males, and four out of every
 ten females, make good subjects for ex- periments. Dr. Hammond confessed
 his inability to explain the phenomena exhibited by persons when in the hyp- notic state, but he stated theory
 which he thought might prove to be
 correct. This was that the superior or
 intellectual part of the brain is entirely
 cut off from all action when a person
 becomes mesmerized, 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 cognlzance of this condi-
 ton, as interruptions men might cause 8 subject to commit the greatest of crimes while they remained hidden and free from detection. It was to show the members of the society how easily the perpetration of crime might be arranged by means of hypnotic instruments, that the doctor made several experiments.
 The young man selected for the experi- ments was reduced to the proper condi- tion in thirty seconds, by simply hold ing piece of glass before his eyes. upon which he gazed intently. His eyes became fixed, and he was then a passive instrument in the hands of the operator. He was first made to com nit burglary. A step ladder was placed against the wal, which he was told was a storehouse. A large easy chair repre- sented the stoop. He was told to enter the basement through the window, go up stairs, and secure the money in an oak box. He crawled under the chair. going through the motions of opening basement window, climbed the ladder. and filled his pockets, in imagination, with the money, returning by the same way, as cautiously as genuine burglar would have done. He was then made to believe that he was under arrest. taken to the station house, released on bail, and finally returned the money to the chamber from which he took it on promise of a pardon by the Governor. The subject was next made to commit a murder. He was handed piece of paper for dagger, and told to kill gentleman standing in the doorway, who had killed his mother. He crept silently up behind him, struck him twice in the back, and then threw the paper dagger away. Upon his return ing to the platform his attention was called to an angel with flaming sword. He breathed so hard upon seeing this vision that he could be heard at the furthest end of the room, clasped his hands in agony, and finally, with shriek, darted from the stage and fell prostrate to the floor. The last experi- ment was to cause him to forge check for 1925, ,O00, which he did, initiating the signature of the president very success fully, presented it at an imaginary bank, and drew the money on it. The lecture and experiments occupied nearly three hours. 1