Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-09-01
VALUE OF MESMERISM.
THE ThERePEUsls OF nYPNoTisM
AS A MEDICAL STUDY.

III Is concelvaOle that meSmerlSm might
injure an invalid. II he have heart dis
ease, for instance, an exciting or violent
episode, rapture Of Joy or convulsion
ricus or even fatal, just as it might in his
normal condition.
This possibility is abundantly Offset by
the value Of mesmerism as therapeutic
agent. The responsive can DO mado so
intoxicated on water, which he has been
told Is whisky, as to exhibit all symptoms
OF extreme incbriety; can be made dis
gustingly sea sick by being told that he
Is at sea In q 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.
Mesmcrism is as perfect an anmsthetic as
ether. and as harmless as water Any
mesmerized person can at once, by o
single stroke Of the hand. be rendered to-
tally insensible to pain and can have .
tooth drawn, cataract removed. can
Ger cut out, or an arm cut of without
feeling the slightest pain. This has been
so often demonstrated that amputations
frequently take place under its influence
In the Paris hospitals, and II Is success
fully employed in obstetrics. Though
only fraction of patients will be found
eligible as candidates for this annihilator
of pain, its utility is so obvious 1t cannot
be long before medical societies will take
up the therepeusis Of mesmerism as a
serious study, and army surgeons will
be required to have as practical knowl.
edge of 1t as Of any part of the pharma.
cop9la.
1t is quite erroneous to suppose that
the conduct Of tho resposive Is directed
In detail by tho operator. Ho only sug-
noafa tho frov,ava1 line 80 <hn,,rtt a,xA
each responsive pursucs It accc sing to
his own knowledge, experience or preju.
dices. l say to my responsives, for In
Stance, that have wonderful educated
COW with seven heads. They all want
to see 1t. l call their attention to the
imaginary stable door near by; they look
toward it, and when | snap my fingers
they all see seven headed COW enter.
Now, by questioning them It becomes
obvious that they all sec different cow
Unless | have designated her color one
sees white cow, another red COW, and
so on.
Then I tell them that she can dance,
can waltz and keep time with music.
hand one o cane, telling him 1t is q futs,
and that no Is an eminent performer, and
no 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 different part with zach mouth
can sing sovo ballads ut once. At this
Yoint there Is some incredulity expressed.
They see tho COW stand up on her hind
legs and hear the seven ballads-and this,
may as well add, Is the narrative Of an
actual experiment.
Five OF the six mesmerized persons be-
loved that she sang. "She is singing
Tit Willow" said one. "And "A War
rior Bold,'" said another.
II hear singing" said the ineredulous
one, turning to me. "'Annie Laurie, isn't
1t? How do you work her--the machinery.
! meanI"
Tho Others laughed at him. "Why,
the COW sings" said young lady. Cant
you hear her sing2 Can't you see her
sing3'
She looks as If she sang" conceded
Incredulous. 81 SEQ her mouths move oil
around. She sounds as If she sang; but
she doesn't sing. Cows don't sing
very WELL what is it, thcnF asked
one of the others.
"a tube and hole in the floor" said
lncredulous, "or perhaps ventriloquism. :"
"Awl" exclaimed the first, derisively.
'ventriloquism does not work like that.
I've made study of ventriloquism."
wen, Nc uluuc Sluuy OI COWl 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 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 rulo
responsives 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
OIL the house, or throw themselves under
locomotive, or attack one mother with
deadly weapons. But there are some ex-
ceptions. was unable to overcome the
fear OF one OF my responsives, whom
sent to assault an imaginary Indian In the
park He refused to go, and said it was
difficult to kill an Indian"
young lady, one Of tho brightest sen.
sitives / have ever seen, steadfastly re-
fuses to play cards. tell her she is
Buffalo Bill. and easily induce her to as
sumo his character, but when cards are
suggested, "No, never play cards. It
Is wrongl" she says, and ! cannot move
her. could make her jump out through
the window or put her hands In tho fire,
but play ards she will not was puz-
zled by it till, inquiring, / ascertained
that her religious. parents had brought
her up very strictly and taught her it was
wicked 10 play cards"
And this brings us to the question much
mooted of late, whether crime can be COM
mitted by the aid of mesmerism. II so,
1t Is brought into relation, not only with
medicine, but with Jurisprudence not
only with the pharmacoppia, but The pen
itentiary. 1t is obvious that IL cases of
this kind occur the one to whom punish
ment must be dealt out is the mesmerist.
l could probably induce any one of my
responsives to take his lifo in my pres
ence or to assault anybody within reach,
but the mind wanders curiously in this
strange condition, and generally takes
little cognizance of surrounding objects.
! have uE2d the word probably" In this
sentence because the conduct of mes
merized persons cannot be positively pre-
dicted Tho mental impression may not
In given case be sufficiently vivid and
dominating TO induce action, or the In
tenrion may be counteracted by the
trained moral sense asserting itself and
overbalancing the confused hypnotic ten.
dency A. Croffut In North American
Review.
Profanity Among the English.