, 1888-09-05
VALUE OF MESMERISM.
TIE THEREPEUsIs OF HYPNoTIsM
AS A MEDICAL STUDY.

Story of the Seven Headed Cow-Re-
benious Responsives-Can Crime Be
Committed by the Aid of DIesmerIsm?
1t is conceivable that mesmerism might
tnjure an invalid. If he have heart dis
ease, for instance, an exciting or violent
episode, a rapture of joy or a CONFUSION
of great grief or fear. it might prove inju-
rious or even fatal, just as it might in his
normal condition.
This possibility is abundantly Offset by
the value of mesmerism as q therapeutic
agent. The responsive can be made so
intoxicated on water, which he has been
told is whisky, as to exhibit all symptoms
of extreme inebriety; can be made dis.
guStlnglyl sea sick by being told that he
i at sea In a storm, and can be at once
physically affected by an imaginary medi-
cine. His temperature can be changed,
his eye dilated and his pulse quickened.
Mesmerism Is as perfect N anRsthetic as
ether, and as harmless as water. Any
mesmerized person can at once, by a
single stroke of the hand, be rendered to-
tally insensible to pain, and can have a
tooth drawn, a cataract removed, n can
Ger cut out, or an arm cut off without
feeling the slightest pain. This has been
SO often demonstrated that amputations
frequently take place under its influence
in the Paris hospitals, and it is success
fully employed in obstetrics. Though
only a fraction of patients will be found
eligible as candidates for this annihilator
Of pain. its utility is so obvious it cannot
be long before medical societies will take
up the therepeusis of mesmerism as a
serious study, and army surgeons viii
be required to have as practical a lSnowl-
edge of it as of any part of the pharma.
copGia.
1t is quite to suppose that
the conduct of the responsive is directed
in detail by the operator. He only sug-
gests the general line of thought, and
each responsive pursues it according to
his own knowledge, experience or preju
dices. l say to my ~responsives, for in
stance, that have a wonderful educated
cow with seven heads. They all want
TO see it. l call their attention to the
imaginary stable door near by; they look
toward it, M whe, : snap my fingers
they all see a sew: headed cow enter.
Now, by question. them it becomes
obvious that they a.. see a different COW.
Unless | have designated her color one
sees a white COW, another a red COW, and
so on.
Then l tell them that she can dance,
can waltz and keep time with music. l
hand one a cane, telling him it is a flute,
and that he is an eminent performer, and
he goes through the motions of PLAYING
to the dancing cow. They all hear differ
ent tunes, but the exhibition is satisfac-
tory. now add that the COW can sing
can sing a different part with each mouth
can sing seven ballads at once. At this
point there is some in~credulity expressed.
They see the cow stand up IN her hind
legs and hear the seven ballads-and this,
l may as well add, is the narrative of an
actual experiment.
Five of the six mesmerized persons be-
heved that she sang. "She is singing
Tit Willow" said one. And "a War
rior Bold" said another.
Il hear singing" said the ~incredulous
one, turning to me-. "'Annie Laurie, isn't
itH How do you work her-the machinery,
| mean?"
The others laughed at him. why,
the COW sings" said a young lady. Cant
you Lear her singh Can't you see her
sing2"
she looks as if she sang" conceded
l~ncredulous. 81 see her mouths move all
around. She sound as if she sang; but
she doesn't sing. Cows don't sing"
Very well, what is it, thenf" asked
one of the others.
"a tube and a hole in the floor" said
I~ncredulous, cor perhaps ventriloquism."
"Awl" exclaimed the first, derisively,
"ventriloquism. does not work like that.
I've made a study of ventriloquism."
well, Pve mad a study of cowI' per-
sisted the scoffer ~obstinately.
Sometimes l turn the ~responsives into
children. and have them play school with
infinite fun; sometimes transport them
over ocean to Africa or Japan on the en-
chanted carpet, where for a brief space
they enjoy all the delights of travel;
sometimes we participate in battles, in
political campaigns, in exciting TRADE,
and sometimes Socrates, Moses or Con-
fucius is introduced and interviewed, the
intelligent responsive furnishing both
questions and answers in q curious dual
action of the mind that is highly enter
tanning.
Not only the reason sometimes rebels as
above, but the conscience also. AS a rule
r~esponsives can be completely dominated
and made to do anything of which they
are physically capable. They could gen
orally be induced to take poison, or Jump
OF the house, or throw themselves under
a locomotive. or attack one another with
deadly weapons. But there are some ex-
ceptions. j was unable to overcome the
fear of one of my ~responsives. whom I
sent to assault an imaginary Indian in the
park He refused to 20, and said it was
difficult to kill an Indian"
a young lady, one of the brightest SEN
sitives | have ever seen. steadfastly re-
fuses to play cards. / tell her she is
Buffalo Bill, and easily induce her to as
SNN0 mS ShatnCtSry put when caruS are
suggested, mo, l never play cards. 1t
Is wrongl" she says, and l cannot move
her. could make her jump out through
the window or put her hands in the fire,
but plcy cards she will not. / was puz-
zled by it till, inquiring, l ascertained
that her religious parents had brought
her up very strictly and taught her it was
wicked to play cards"
And this brings US to the question much
mooted of late, whether crime can be COM
mitted by the aid of mesmerism. If 80,
it is brought into relation, not only with
medicine, but with Jurisprudence; not
only with the pharmncopeia, but the pen
itentiary. 1t Is obvious that if cases Of
this kind occur the one to whom punish