The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1889-11-21
ALL ABOUT HYPNOTISM.
A POWER WHOSE MANIFESTATIONS
ARE ALMOST INCREDIBLE.

Practically the Same as Mesmerism-ynI.r
in the Treatment of Disease-Capable NJ
Injury When Abused-Appiication Should
be Limited by Law.
Inc term hypnotism is nearly synony-
NOUS with mesmerism, animal magnet
ism, braidism and syggignoscism. Hyp-
notism Is believed to have been practiced
BY religionists many centuries ago. but
little, however. is known ef its history
previous to the time Of Mesmee OTIS
since then hypnoHsm hassr been nassch
studied by many emineaE nsssn IN the
professions ct medicine; scieace, religion
and the arts There came a time vls,,
the interest in it tagged very ereet,v.
but few years ago a. revival took place
IN France, and since then it. has boon
generally recognized as a therapeutic
agent and employed by many physicians
all over the world. One Of the earliest
uses OF hypnotism was to produce state
OF insenslbility, SO that surgical opera
tons could be performed without nsin
put 1t has been applied for many other
purposes, and some men, very skillful in
its application, use it in the treatment of
long list of diseases both acute and
chronic. Nervous affections sometimes
yield very readily to it's influence
HOW PRODUCED.
To produce hypnotism, operators have
methods which vary somewhat in detail
but the principle is the same, Most ali
use passes, although some depend almost
entirely, if not entirely, upon the flxa-
ton of gaze. For reasons which will
appear anon. none Of the methods en-
ployed to produce the hypnotic state will
be described in this communication. As
to the force generated or liberated in
hypnotism, no one prcteads 10 know;
but many believe it to be electric. or
perhaps magnetic. According to ono
observer, the description the subjects
give OF their sensations is that they first
feel their fingers Jingle and their hands
and feet get cold; then they become
sleepy; and when told that they cannot
open their eyes, they say they hear and
know all, but cannot open them; then
comes deep sleep, unless it is desired to
extract tooth or do some other such
work when the subject is not entirely
unconscious. Then they know and do
as hidden, but suffer no pain. They say
if the skin is cut it feels as if sometime
were being gently drawn over it, and
they feel the forceps applied to the tooth,
but that pulling the tooth feels like pull
ing peg out of hole.
AS to the value of hypnotism as a
remedial agent, there is necessarily much
difference of opinion. Some physicians
consider its range very limited one
while others think it applicable to q long
list of affections. The majority of those
who ought to know best appear to agree
that it will undoubtedly prove of very
great service in properly selected cases
in medical practice, AS for it's uso in
surgical operations, as a substitute for
gas, ether or chloroform, it can never
displace them to more than very slight
extent, except, perhaps, 1t be with chill
dren. Very many who are about to have
an operation performed must necessarily
be so nervous that hypnotisin will be
quite out of the question.
And there will doubtless always exist
persons who will be insenSible to the
efforts of operators. Some subjects are
easy to hypnotic, while with others it is
the reverse; to which of these classes a
rc-sSe-- belongs cannot be known until
an effort to put him into the hypnotic
state is made. And in the susceptible
cases not infrequently several seancess
are necessary before the power of the
operator is sufficiently felt.
One very important point that the
study of hypnotism has brought out and
emphasized, says an observer, is the po-
tency of suggestion. Doubtless most of
the slight aches and pains that the gea-
eral practitioner is called upon to treat
are partly imaginary, and all that is
necessary Cor euro is a certain aano&Rt
of&aath On the part Of the patiens, bs-
gotten by iudioious suggestion by ths
medical man. AT first nght this seeznS
to be a sort Of ohicanery, bat ID Is imPss-
sitde to deny its efficacy and ii Is naueh
safer for the doctor to acknowledge, 10
himself at least, that it is not his siznR&e
remedy which has wrought the ouxe,
but. his suggestion to the patient. 0ae
needs no better example OF ths power Of
SUGGESTION than the many cures brought
sbout by the faith cure. In this case
religious fanadoism IL callsd upoa to
produce an effect upon the mind Of the
credulous patient, and if the rnaladg is
an imaginary one tho relief is instanta-
ne6ss.
we now como to tho reason why noae
of the methods employed to produce
hypnatism have been harein descrihed.
It's an. agent which only should bsnSed
AE reputable physicians, for, like otheEs
mich they employ, it witt DO naAch harm
# jnppdiciously applied. Were the nletll-
ods, known, there would naturally be q
tendency on the part Of some to try it as
a means OF amusement, while, without
doubt, there are not few who would
use it for no good purpose. That hypno-
tis1n may be rightly applied and without
injury it must be exclusively confined to
physicians, who alone are capable Of dis