The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-08-30


describing them when | came across a
document on the subject by Mr.. Bern
helm, Professor at the University OF |
Nancy. The eminent savant expresses
himself as follows:
This is the way l proceed to hyp- |
notice l begin by telling the patient |
that it possible to cure or relieve him |
by means of sleep, without recurring to
any hurtful or,eXtraordinarJ agencies
such simple sleep as any one In good |
health may enjoy-calm, beneficial |
sleep. etc. If need be, put one or two |
persons to sleep before him. to show |
him that this sleep is not pa nful and is
not followed by any bad effects. When
have driven away from his mind in
this way the anxiety produced by the
idea OF magnetism, the somewhat
mystic fear attached to this unknown
agent. he becomes confident and ready
TO submit. | tell him: Look steadily
at me and think of nothing else bat
sleeping; your eyelids feel heavy; your
eyes are tired; your eyes twinkle and
become moistened; your sight is con-
fused; your eyes are closed. Some
subjects close their eyes and fall asleep
at once. To others repeat and lry fur
Their stress on my words; add gesture
(the nature of the gesture is unimport-
anti. place two right-hand fingers
before the person; ask him to look at
them, or pass both hands several times
up and down before his eyes; or l ask
him to look straight at my eyes, and !
try at the same time to concentrate all
his attention on the idea of sleep, say;
You close your eyelids- you can not
open them; your arms ana limbs seem
heavy, you can not feel anything now;
your hands remain motionless; you can
not see anything; you are asleep and
/ add, in an imperious tone OF voice:
.Sleep' This word often breaks down
ali resistance; he closes his eyes and
falls asleep If the sub ect does not
close his eyes or keep them closed, |
do not make him look into my eyes OF
at my fingers very long, for some keep
their eyes open indefinitely. and, instead
of feeling desire to sleep, look rigidly
before them. Shutting the eyes sue
cceds best; then, after two or three mo-
ments, at the most, l keep the lids
closed, or lower the lids slowly and
gently upon the ocular globes, closing
them more and more progressively, i'm.
itatng what takes place when sleep
comes naturally. / end by maintaining
them closed while continuing the sug-
gestion. Your eyelids are down; you
can not open them again; your need OF
sleep becomes greater and greater; you
can't resist any longer | lower my
voice gradually, Irepeat the injunction:
Sleep and sleep seldom fails to come
at tho end of four or five minutes.
DEALING WITH REFRACTORY SUBJECTS.
Il meet with better results with some
by proceeding kindly; with Others, re-
bellious to suggestion, it is best to be
abrupt, to speak in ga authoritative
mood, in order to prevent the tendency
to laugh or the idea of involuntary re-
sistance which is provoked by this OPP
Grafton. + am often successful with
persons seemingly refractory, by keep
ing their eyes closed long while, or.
dering silence and lmmob lity; speak
ing continually and repeating the same
formula: "A numbness, a torpor creepS
all over you, your arms and limbs are
motionless; your eyelids are warm
your nervous system is quieted; YOU
have no longer a will of your own; YOU
eyes remain closed; you are asleep, etc
At the end of eight or ten minutes o
this prolonged suggestion OF sleep,
withdraw my fingers his eyes remain
closed | raise his arms they stay up
This is the cataleptic sleep. Many sub
jects feel the impression from the frs
sitting. others at the end of the seconC
or third. After one or two hypnOtiza
tons the influence becomes rapid.
suificeS to look at them, to extend one
finger before their eyes, to say Sleep.
to have them in few moments-iu
simultaneously, as it were-close thei
eyes and experience all the sensation
characteristic of sleep; others acquire
the aptitude OF going to sleep quickl.
after a few sittings. | often put t,
sleep seven or eight patients at once il
an incredibly short tine they fall lik
flies, so to sp ak. Now and then Their
are some refractory ones; l insist onl
a few moments; second or third sit
r ting often produces the effect whic
| could not be obtained on the first"
7 Further on the ingenious professo
7 speaks of the hypnotic sens bilty O
r animals, explains the prodig es @
nake-charmers, the power exhibite
by the tanners of wild beasts and in
t stances the curious and pitiful perform
: ance of sleeping chicken which ha
! been ordered to follow an irregular lin
( traced On the floor!
l DEDUCTIONS FROM THE EXPERIMENTS
How many grave and ludicrous, ter
rible and trivial deductions can b
; drawn from these experiments. | Sc
!; the Code destroyed in the future, an
l the Jury led astray by the effects {
hypnotism. How can we condemn a
assassin who invokes in his defense til
: formal demand of a hyPnotizerp Whi
criminal will not think himself herea
: ter the irresponsible tool of superic
: will? What murderer will not shak
/ the convictions of the Judues by q