Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-12-07
How TO MosmeriAes

A recent writer on the mysteries Of
mesmerism, says: lay it down as a fact
which can be verified by all who are
curious enough to try it, that the mes
meric conditions can be- produced with
out the supposition of subtle fluid,
without the use of the cabalistic passes
OF the mesmerist, without the bouquet,
the magnetic rod, or any of the mystic
rious means employed by the profession
ais to heighten the effect of what would
be too simple and too unattractive if
performed suraightforwardly. The direc-
tions are these: Place the person to be
operated on, naturally in char. With
your left hand suspended by a string,
about foot from the eyes, some small
object, dark marble or a bright steel
ball or diamond-it matters not what,
though something bright is, perhaps,
preferable. Direct the subject to fasten
his eyes and encounter his attention on
the object. Slowly raise your left hand
until the object is as far above the eyes
of the patient as Is compatible with his
gazing steadily at it. Watch his eyes.
At first you will see the pupils contract,
but after few seconds they will expand
rapidly. When they are at the point of
greatest expansion, move the first two
fingers of yhur right hand from the OBJ
ject directly toward the eyes, the fingers
being separated forklike. to embrace both
eyes. AS the fingers approach, the eyes
will close, and the subject will be una
BILE to open them. After a quarter of a
minute the subject will be thoroughly
under control, SO that the operator may
make him believe whatever he tells him.
Left quiet, the subject will sink into
profound torpor, during which his ears
nose, and even a finger cut off without
pair. To arouse him--and this is On
important step-wind, either from a
hand bellows or a fan, should be di-
rected against his eyes, on else his eyes
should be tickled with a;afeather. The
rationale of the method ID simple. The
| fixed stare of the subject fatigues his
retinal nerves, and when the operators 3
| fingers approach, the eyellds close, as
eyelids always do when the eyes are
threatened. But the fatigue of the
nerves has produced muscular fatigue
as well, transient paralysis of the eye
lids has resulted, and they can not be
opened. The eyellds being then closed,
the delicate frontal nerves exhausted,
and the mind made vacant by monoto-
nous attention TO one s1blect, the pa
tlent Is in condition I'd fall asleep
and he does fall asleep. He is now
ready to dream. The only thing re-
manning to do Is to make hlm dream.
But how is this to be effected?
Dreaming, as has long been determined,
is the result OF extenal suggestion. DIR.
Gregory, to illustrate, alaYing been
thinking of Vesuvius, We to bed with
q Jug of not water at his fee and dreamed
that he was climbing the sides of the
burning mountain. Dr. Reid read
book on the Indians, put blister to his
head on retiring, and thought LII his
sleep that he was being scalped. Both
the dreams, as all others are, were
caused 10y suggestions offered exter-
nally. These suggestions, being re-
ceived while the directing power, the
common sense of the mind was i'll abey-
ance, owing to sleep, were interpreted
very erronlousl y, yet according to plain
laws of association, The hot water in
the one case called up the previous
subject of thought, Vesuvius; the sting
ing blister in the other, the equally
stingin6 scalping- 1t is now easy
to see how the sleeping subject may be
made to accept ~ truth whatever he Is
told.