The Evening critic., 1883-02-05
MEsMERISM IN ANIMALS,
An Interesting Lecture by DIR. ID. w.
HrenIiaa.

An IutefestfuE Lecture by Dr. ~. W.
Preutiss.
Tho saturday lectures, under the auspices
Of the.Biologlcal and Archaeological socie.
ties, at the U. S. National Museum, have been
drawing large and appreclativc audiences,
and on last saturday the hall was packed with
people eager to hear what DR.. d. W. Prentlss,
OF the National Medical College, had to say
upon "Mesmerlsm In Animals, with Expert
ments.'
The lecturer sketched briefly tho history Of
mesmerism, or hypnotlsm, as he preferred to
call 1t, and attributed to 1t the magic of the
ancients, the arts OF zoroaster, the snake
charming of the Hindoos, and the so called re.
lgious mania which received attention in Eu-
rope during the fifteenth century, and which
was supposed TO have been caused by the bite
of the tarantula. He also claimed that to this
was due the exhibitions connected with the
Salem wltchcraft in Now England at the close
of the last century, and the "Jerking" mania
among various religious eects In Kentucky
and other parts OF the country, resulting often
In cataleptic rigidity OF the muscles, and
stated that near Cambridge one evening some
5000 were laid out in rows, perfectly stlff.
He claimed that the diseases, chorea, cpl
lepsy, ecstasy, ETC., are allied TO hypnotsm.
Mosmeriem, clairvoyanco and spiritualism
wero species of one genus. He showed that as
early as 1871, under the influence of mesmer-
Ism, teeth were drawn and surgical opera
tions performed without pain: this was long
before the discovery of chloroform and ether.
He said scientists have been lately engaged In
investigating the phenomena, both In Europe
and In this county, among whom are DR..
ana tne lato Beard. Dr. HAM
mond recently, under the influence OF mes
merism, pulled tooth, and even burned the
subject with red.hot Iron without the least
pain on the part OF tho patient who was con-
scious during the whole operation.
Mesmerism In animals includes the opera
tlon on mankind, but the lecturer had con.
hned his experiments to the lower animals,
and he found he could produce the same phe..
nomena in them. He could give no acceptable
solution; nothing was definitely known. I'm
doubtedly smany of the public exhibitions of
mpSmGrf4m professional meSmeri9td
due to trickery and collusion, and to a certain
training.
lation OF death by the .opossum and certain
insects; yet they are susce ptlble to the In
nuence to quite an extent. Crawnsh, IL forclbly
held for a moment, may be stood on their
heads perfectly stlff.
He attributed the influence which operated,
TO fear, assembling, curiosity, family love,
training, and certain changes In the condition
of the blood. In fear, an overwhelming force
is used to which animals yield in apathy after
a certain period of struggle, and lie anywhere,
Dissembllng .rlckery and collusion which,
he asserted, entered into public exhibitions,
needed no comment.
That Of animals was alluded to as a desire
to escape danger. Curiosity on the part OF
lower animals was often taken as charmed
condition, and to which birds often, In Yield
ing, became the victims of snakes.
serpents were called from their holes by tho
snake charmers by Misses, but how they could
cause the reptiles to become stifr or fsccld at
Will he could not understand.
Love OF offspring is shown when a bird
| nutters on the ground as though wounded to
| draw attention from her nest.
Influence of training. Often repeating the
same experiment with animals teaches them
what Is wanted, and they more readily submit,
and may even simulate the condition from
| the habit.
The changes In the condition of the blood
When the chest walls OF fowl are COM
| pressed, preventing perfect Draton OF the
| blood, state Of lethargy follows.
In human beings the imagination and iml-
tation have much to do. He attributed the
cures of paralyZed persons as the result of
| prayer, and those people cured In o single
| night, TO the effect on tho Imagination. Per-
sons mesmerlzed, seeing others doing any
| ming, initiate II, Just as one person In yawn.
| Ing or coughing will create the same desire In
| others.
A strong Will in the operator had much to do
are told they cannot do certain things SO posi-.
lively that they believe 1t through
the, the effect feet on the Imagination;
| those who are diseased arc most easily af.
| fected. He complimented the audience by
saylng among them might be found good
| masters In mesmerism, but not good subjects.
Still, one might, bya willingness, desire
| 10 enter Into the condition, and by Il concen-
tration Of his ideas upon the fact, put himself
into such relations to the operator as to be af-
| fected; for there is, after all, something not
found out-not anything mysterious and su-
| pernatural, but something not yet understood.
The lecture was concluded by two expert
| ments, the first being upon a bright, pretty
| bantam rooster, which fluttered and squawked
| lively enough to amuse the children The lec-
| turer placed him on his back upon the table,
| COMPRISING his chest so as to Interfere some
| what with his breathing, at tho same time
| holding him firmly down for moment or two,
| when the chicken ceased TO struggle and re-
mained quiet spectator of the further pro.
| ceedings, and until he was picked up and put
| into his cage.
The second experiment was performed In
the same manner upon canary, his couch
being big red apple, on the stem.cnd of
| which he lay quietly, undlsturbed by the
| loud applause which followed.
| The lecturer did not state whether they were
| In a hypnotized condition; but he did say that
| he had used the bantam but twice before, and
announced that he was not professional
| mesmerist.
| The next lecture takes place February 10,
| the subject being 'Mythical Animals" by Pro.
| fessor Theodore Gill.