Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-19
One Theory Of Mesmerism.

A recent writer on the mysteries Of mesrner-
Am says: Il lay it down as matter which eau
be verified by all who are curious enough to
Try 1t, that the mesIneric conditions can be pro-
duced without the superstition of subtle fluid.
without the use of the cabalistic passes of the
mesnerist. without the bouquet the magnetic
rod, or any OF the mysterious means employed
by the professionals to heighten the effect of
what would be too simple and too unattractive
II performed straightforwart,ly. The directions
are these: Place the person to be operated on in
q chair With your left hand suspend By n
string. about foot from the eyes some small
object, dark marble. or a bright steel ball or a
diamOnd-it matters not what though sometime
bright is, perhaps preferable Direct the subject
90 fasten his eyes and concentrate his attention ON
tie object. Slow raise your left hand until
the object is as far above the ewes of the patent
~ Is compatible with his gazing steadily at if
Watch his eyes At first you will see the pupils
contract, but after few seconds they will px-
pand rapidly. When they are at the point of
greatest expansion move the two fingers of the
night hand from the object directly toward the
eyes, the fingers being separated fork like to
embrace both eyes As the fingers approach
the eyes will close. and the subject will be unable
to open them. After quarter of 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 NAV
be pierced his cheeks sewed to his nose and
even q finger cut of without pain To arouse
hiM-and this is an important step-wind either
~hOm a hand-belOWs or fan, should be directed
against his ewes or else his eyes should be tickled
with a feather. The rationale of the method is
simple. The fixed stare of tine subject fatigues
the retinal nerves and when the operators fin
gers approach the eyelids close as eyeiids ALWAYS
do when the eyes are threatened But the IA
fgue OF the nerves has produced muscular ia
6gue "a well. transient Paralysis in the eyelids
has resulted, and they cannot be opened. The
eyeiids being then closed. the delicate frontal
nerves exhausted and the mind made vacant
BY mOnOtonOus attentions TO one object the
he does fall asleep. He is now ready to
dream. The only thing remaining to do is
to make him dream. But how is this to be
mined, is the result of external suggestion. DR..
Gregory, TO illustrate. having been thinking of
fesuvius. went to bed with lug of hot water
q his feet and dreamed that he was climbing
the sides of the burning mountain. DIR. Reid
feast a book on the Indians. put n blister to his
head on retiring. and thought Ia his sleep that
he was being scalped Both these dreams as
eli others are were caused by suggestions
offered externally. These suggestions being
seceived while the directing power. the COM
mon sense Of the mind was in allegiance, owing
20 sleep. was interpreted enormously, yet &C
eer'!ing to the plain laws of association. The
not water in the one case called up the pre-
Nous subject 0fth0ught, Vesuvius; the singing
kister. In the other the equally singing scalp
kg knife. 1t is now easy to see how the sleep
nag subject may be made to accept as truth
Whatever lie Is told.