The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-12

y
JECTS INTHE ACADEMY oF SCIENCES INTER
FSrING ILLUSTRATIONS or TIE SUSPENSION
oF THE SENsES.
New York neTaldl
(, She rooms Of the New York Acldem,
Of Sciences. No IL west ThirtY-tr>t street
pr. George VI Beard delivered an Interest
inc lecture upon The subject ~ - Trancr $50
called .bvpnoti>m' or 'somnambulism )
II, nature. SYMPTOMS, and varieties, witt
.Deciql rciertnc" 10 me>meric trance
The large bali was thrown open and all The
rooms connected with II We're filled, a.
well as the hail itself, by an audience
in which members OF the medical prOics
sion predomiua'rd. DR.. Boards high stand
ing in The profession, especially in the de-
partment Of nervous diseases. gave weight
10 experiments which 10 one who saw them
for the first time, II inclined TO Sceplcism
might otherwise have been inclined TO re-
gard with suspicion. But there were seye
raj instances that seemed to bear indubi'a
ble evidence Of their entire genuucness
The subjects were eight i'm number. vary
ing in age from tWcDiV.t0O 10 iiftN-iy,
years, and though The lecturer sid thai
mcn,al incspacity was not necessary con
diiion for developing a proper subject.
those present upon The stage certainly aD
peared at least To be possessed OF that quail
ity Of intellec'
the EXPERIMENTS
were all yeTv interesting and some highly
amusing Thp lecturer 6"Si explained The
theory OF the trance state ~ the mental fa-
culties bv chart containing three figures
repre>eniiHg the human BRAIN. each divided
into three compartments. The first or nor
nal state OF the mind presented the separate
compaItmenis indie Gated 6v the numbers 30,
so. and 20; the second. condition o! sleep
in which Inc powers were reduced TO 80,
Il, and 10 respectively, while in the
trance state two compartments were
Obiterated and the tbird intensified
by the combination Of all the nor
NAL faculties represented by the sum 100.
To put The trained subjects in a trance
condition the lecturer had merely 10 point
his finger at one II them. and the SulSect
would Immediately jump from his seat and
gne his pose TO the finger. following H.
wherever the lecturer moved his hand mini
released bv The rea>>uing words OF the
Doctor. THAT will do" when he would
act a. if awakening from deep sleep. look
very silly, resume his seat, aud hide his head
or laugh. Tue qualities necessary 10 pro-
duce a good subject were mode>ty, diff
deDce, and reverence. Every one in the
audience could put some one else in Il
trance, though be might fnI once in Il
while; indeed, all failed sometimes.
Some Of bis assistants were more
>kIliu than The lecturer himself. In fact,
il was not in him naturally. subjects No
and No. ? were nut ia ec>taIic trance. aud
gazed reyerentially at preSumptNe angels
in a cOruer Of The gallery where were really
Only three doctors and brouze bust OF
Shakespeare. DR.. Beard said thIt most lee
turer> in me>merc trance were honest, but
that sometimes when going into Il new
place aud moi sure Of subjects they might
hire them. H. considered tnis wrong and
injurious. as none could do rs well a the
genuine trained subjects.
No. 3 wa put IN & trance state by
CHUCKING HIM UNDER THE CHIN,
pating his cheeks, aud pinching his nose.
When the DOct n told him he bad lost some
thing, down went No. $ on all fOur>, look
ing everywhe for an imaginary some
thing until be wa told L. look up for II,
which order be OGeycd without hesitation.
Dr. Roberts aroused him and he took his
seat. Nos. 4 and were put into 4 caralcp
tie form of trance, one with one hand up
and the other with two, and then No. IN
sisted upon touching noses with the Ieclu-
Ter. Tue next form Of trance exhibited
wss risldity and apparent death" NCs.
and were selected for the eXperim, Mt,
and became 80 stlf that they we're lIfred
about like board, and Will the Doctors
back was fnrned some irreyerent assistants
,ioOd No. upOn his head.
No. s Wa, called up, and 1t was explained
that he had caught The ability to be 4 sub
hxrs oil do
that il was contagious, like small
pOX or religion. Tbs man had caught il
in that way. Later in ibe evening, when
several we're made to laugh, the eouJagIon
reached him, and be laughed until he
Knocked The big state of the easel. The
Increase OF muscular strength was repre-
seufed by butchers sprIng scale. on which
No. pulled twenty pounds until an a
trance. when be pulled thirty pounds. The
next illustration was OF al 9>thesia. when Il |
f1S WAS PJsHEp INTO no. 2'S FOREHEAD,
neSr the eve, aud he eyebal touched with |
OUT apparent pain 10 him. 1t was explained |
That Only that spot was benumbed, while
everywhere else ne was sensible OF p1ip, the
side on which the experiment was Iried
less so than the other. II was requested bv
4 note from the audience tt,t DR.. Post or
DR.. 1syt0r he allowed TO make tbe Din test,
10 wh~b The lecturer and subject both
agreed. ihe latter reluctantly, saving that
be wound lTefer one Of The Others to Try il.
Dr. Post went upon the platform, and
Ih0ugh te made the blood come, the
subl CT DID not seem in know il. EX-
periments were then made 10 susprnd-
,n2 ibe sehse "a sight and se0se of hearing
no. was Dade Oeaf, and when tuning
ok was fUt 10 his ear he seemed not 10
ieaf u. Suddenly DT. Beard fired pistol
~ ci"Se 10 hsr ear and the gallant No. 2 d,d
~, hIoco; bf was a. placid as II DCibing
al bapreneO. Then Nos 2 and ate
seenne penpey and tbough' II was sugar. ,
h next eKDettlaem was The most remark
'ss one OF The eveDing, aud its peffeci sue
- Hts r. ceived with great applause No.
had agreed TO allow the application OF
ACTUAL CArfERY 20 HIS BAND, a
10 wIen The wbPe-h0t instrument was c
'id 10 eonisct viii MS Ge>b until it smoked D
ld ihe smell of cooked meat pefygded The n
ON, be- stood a. calmly as II he knew a
'tDiog about IL. DR.. Beard had explained b
hun that t0ougb II would not hurt him n
the iime II the application, he would Il
We sore that wOnid take several dog. to >
al. The uacIe OF tDis mBriSr 10 science %;
ihofDas Bf1tcbeft. Another martyr Was n
}. Alb r. rOrry). wbO allowed furee th
IN 10 be drawn by DR.. kiDgsl.y, VINO ~
NE 10 rom The audience tor tDat pur- III
se. Afier one bad been drawn, some one IN
t6e sudleDce said, "Hoid, enough :" b.
u Dr. Kingsley stated ibst be bad pre-. m,
'usiy Examined the teeth. aBd be knew IN
y MouId bsye 10 DO extracted. lie was bl,