Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-09
MESMERsSw IN SOCIETY.
The Recent Experiments Give Rise
90 u Growing Craze.

The Recent Experiments Give Rise
90 u Growing Craze.
GRAY HAIRED &ES sEES PLAYtSG At LsAP-FRoi
AND AARELE5-ASII4 1ABNE:I5M HE)RtEs
fAFLODsD-A SIMILAR CRAZE ~ OLD TIN IS.
New York Times
II Is curious fact and one that well Illus
trsffS the popular Passion for the mysterious
and extraordlnar5-T1 the h. pQotic lectures
| and seaaces OF Dr.. George ID Beard, Dr.. Car
| penter and Prof. Hammond before the Academy
I OF SCIENCES. al tle Masonic Temple ard the
| University Medical School, have caused re-
VlVat or mesIncrlc circles and OF he vague
| theories OF animal magnetism that figured Ia
popular nteTatuIt some forty years ago. Poe
| VIII DIS morbid craving for psychological
| mysteries, founded d Number or his inaCina
| i've taies upon facts acquired from rumnaging
auoDg pamphlets on HesIn erisru O,,3 OF
nIs most notable performances was his wonder
tuit aFacls IN the Case OF 81 val1emar" terri
| o.e anu e&ct'lng story. Daring and incre1ibla
| aS Las story WIS, IL was quoted and comment
tu upon as an autheni &c narrative by London
/ newspapers, and contributed largely TO tn
| icpu, a'ion lof invention in which Poe stood
| supreme among American wri ers. At tnaE
! date many writers Gabped IL the phenomena
| OF heSmeTism and clairyoyaDce AMI pretas led
70 Oe abc 10 read an unO Jened letter by piac-
| ing IL 10 contact Win his forehead. Fne mes
~ TIC q; clea that sPring up IN every city ana f-
itse y ere the true YrjcufSerS OF The sc tlceS OF
/ SDiiIua1'srn, which soon folio we'd. Books aud
| pamphlets were published on animal magnet
! ism aid Ts strange phen0m ma, o5GastOnai
/ GUtsfS OF vi fGh De SHCtir u Oy r6n3acRtng
| tn n1Gidy old Kennels OF Nassau street: and
one or he most exciting topics 0f5cieDt!hc DIS
| casSioL wdn tic reaii or uureility OF the ny5-
| tefinUs energy ard control thai m9SmertsfS
| pretended TO eSsrci5e Upon and over their su9-
| Jtc;s or tx pertinent.
| The present craze has rot attained the mug
h't'ide or Intensity OF tie former one although
some SIX OF eight eireiss have spr1Ag un in the
| city, and Hiesmeric experiments have been Ia
Lioduced on numerous occasions within the last
! few weeks at receptions and parlor entertain
= II -
researches or Science In this field have resulted
| ia sooWlhg that no such energy as animal mag
nttlsin - concerned 10 these eXtraor binary
| pbehomena--many Intellectual people Still
| I0ndIy flourish the old Illusion, aud implicitly
pelleVed That some Mysterious Influence Is gen.
GRATED 10 the person OF the operator. ana dis
| Charged upon the nervous system OF the en-
| lr1LCet subject. The deiUSi0n Is encouraged By
! rev regular physicians. but By only few. the
most OF Its advocates being quack scientists aud
stt-Slj leu professors, having IN view prom liable
Itn rafie5 IToin village 10 village IN the country
! and evening dtscourses 10 wonder sCri:kei,
audiences. In reality, according 10 tue ab,esE
| Is nothing mysterious about these phen0m-
! ena, nof any such things as animal mdcne-
| tl-fp; nerve aura, OF O0!c force concerned
| II tEeir exposition. Beard fluids t''ScieDttn3
/ BASIS OF DeluslonS," page go. Il SeQ,) that all
| persons ate liable TO trance under extremes OF
emoConaiiy tension, circumstances OF terro-,
or r. &CLiOa OF nervous shock. and experienced
| pa! siciaIs who have often Witnessed The pre-
/ eurSory phenomena OF death say that most
pat1ents Ole entrances, aad, although seem
lngIy In p session OF their senses, are really
UNCONSCIOUS or their condition. and pass away
| In state OF dreams; listening sometimes In
tently 10 imaginary strains OF music, or beck
o0ed Dy Imaginary angels; semi conscious OF
terrestrial affairs only In tran5tOry gllInp5eJ
according 10 Boards theory there IS a suspal-
SlCl u TIE functions OF the median tract or the
cram, ana an acC5lerdtlOn OF the activity OF
tae lateral Tracts, In mesneric trance. Tne
s0iitlOn Oh the subject OF the experiment. IS
.iuS neg IA aoeyance. and he either sits mo.
ttonIl IS In vacant and stupid siunoer, Or acts
ulth tle suggestion OF g second person,
and apparently under his control. 1T" said
Uf. hammond In one OF his lectures II were
70 Tel ibis Young man TO plunge knife inC)
mine Or his own, he would no douaG, act
upon the suggestion just as promptly as though
MeIeiE Joiq h1ui 20 dance, brusa the snow
from his clothing, or laugh at the most serioas
remark as the nnest ION mot Of the season.
But the sUggestion-the behest. whatever IL
Gay pe-musJ be tangible one; my thoughts
aE0 my VIII can influence him to muscular
action only through the medium OF the senses;
have no Intangible Influence upon him, ard
BE mas 40 conception OF what is passing Ia lay
mind, save through the ordinary media OF con-
munlcatlon between man and man. Dr.. Ham.
mond's explanation OF the hypnotic state dr.
Iels IN detail from that or Dr.. 3ari, bat
tp1JsteIious energy Is Transmitted from
The Operators person to that % the
leeeipiehI 0. Impressions, aud agcea iu
a1uilllDg mat the association OF 8 pr6CeFnatIl-
raj control exercised by the former over the
later Is entirely erroneous. DR.. Hammond also
oioaents from the classification which places
Dypaouc sidlnoeT IN tue somnambuitStic group
VI phehO1nena, and ventures upon thar danger
Gus experiment tD scientific uomcnclat ne. rs
co:Lase or speeiai term, ''syggnosticlsn 4" %
0istI gui3h Il from allied bat very d fTer.nt c33
di,ions. The suspension OF junction in the M
Qiah tiact or the Drain assumed By D.. uetri
is point upon which Hammond IS si.ear. Il
iatLSI lhc!lnes 10 TAG View that t1s fd1c5tol -
lhls import ant tract Is perverted, nOL 81 .pendaj
colhc.ling substantially villa tue d0clrinai SIT
i0flh py the celebrated English aug401ty, D..
Carpenter.
some years ago, and even nov 70 some ex
teat, ether was employed to produce -
states o! The nervous system, and cgaer frDii IS
"tIe faohlcnaole IN good society, particularly
a4lGng young gentlemen ana lada with d .Gl
OF 'Ae morbid IN their composition. A WORT
when has LOW passed into disuse. with the lis.
ccntlnuance OF the practices whose motive II
represented, was adopted from the Ita.iln-a
very pretty and musical word .'morbldeZla'
winch one occasionally stumbleS upon In rum
Lna6iDg over the nle5 or Old magazines during
q Negreut hour In secondhand bookstores
Iheie was even cook written on the subject
entitled 'An3sthetic Revelations" by oD4 Df.
6lcoo which created great impression Ia
certain circles. Mr.. TennyS1n wrote the autlO
private letter, In which he describes some
analogous Soul experiences alluded to in some
6 6v h i6 I mere mystical PENS Bur By ana
who was addicted to ether revelation.
dled OF an overdose Of thesorug, and the
Tragedy so anrighted the votaries o. '.n1or-
aD10
MANY Broken constitutions and cIouteI
lDleuects were the consequence OF this brief
madness TOT ether frances, and Que young la Nv
distinguished Ia New York society Became 81
eeEsitlTe 10 the drug that single Whit was
suIIcent 10 induce profound ana protracted
trance Her physician was unfOrtunarely
!ndi1Gleet, and published q pamphlet report OF
me case, 10 the bitter modification OF her rela
yves Sne being past appreciation OF the iniel-
lcdcy, not 10 say iniideity, OF the act she
was dead. II was Czermak. OF the University
of Lelpolc, who, in 1873, GIsabused nesmerIc
practices OF all romantic significance, by shoS-
ing tnat the magnetic passes so-called are IN
necessary TO TIE Induction and only tricks or
qOacEery; that the state could be seif-fnduced by
ptIson5 possessing the predspostion to trance
aAd that In the inferior animals the nervous
sDock or sudden and overwhelming terror Is
sulncenU to bring it on. The lion and tiger
are perfectly traeJable In the fright OF An ear b
sienlot. Not long since, New York praetI-
IOntr, VINO mad read CZermak's report OF nfs
eA perlments at Leipsic, established bis repufa-
.Ion as Sorcefer among the uncultured poou-
Iation OF Fulton Market by substantiaIiy re-
pea.tlng them. AS he was passing ii sh stand.
a basket OF living Holsters caught his eve. and
Tecoliecting Czermak's experiments with froys.
he proposed 10 the proprietor TO stand dozsa
OF them upon their heads on the marble SLAB.
Inc narketman agreed, bat was so skeoffcal