The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-12
ALL ABOUT HYPNorlsM
What Rypnotism Is and How It Is
Worked.
From the Boston Herald.

From the Boston Herald
Tba term hypnotism is nearly synony-
MONS with mesmerism, animal magnetism,
brsIdism, and syggignosciSm. Hypnotism
= believed TO nave been practiced by
-asgionisis many centuries ago; but little,
h@aeyer. IS known of It's history previous
- the time of Mesmer Q77S). Since then
bvnnotism has been much studied by many
a1ninent men in the professions of medicine,
science, religion and the arts. There came
: hne when the interest in it tagged
vsrv greatly; but a few years ago a re-
,,ivaI took place in France, and since then
- has been generally recognized as a Their
aneutic agent and employed by many
-bvsicians all over the world. One of the
earliest uses of hypnotism was to produce
state of insensibiliry so that surgical opera
irons could be performed without pain.
Rnt il has been applied for many other
,nrnosss. and some men, very skillful in
he application, use il in the treatment of a
LONG list of diseases, both acute and chronic
Nervous affections sometimes yield very
readily to its influence.
To produce hypnotisnI, operators have
methods which vary somewhat in detail,
Int the principle is the same. Most all use
masses, although some depend almost en-
tirely, if not entirely, upon the fixation of
gaze, For reasons which will appear anon,
OF Inc L1clilOQo DfOQuCo
the hypnotic state will be described in this
communication. AS to the force generated
or liberated in hypnotism, no one pretends
IN know; but many believe it to be electric,
or perhaps magnetic. According to
one observer, the description the subjects
give of their sensations is that they first
fesl their fingers tingle and their hands and
feet get cold; then they become sleepy, and
when told that they cannot open se.r eyes
they say they hear and know all, but can
not open them; then comes sleep, unless it
is desired to extract tooth or do some such
work when the subject is not entirely I'M
conscious Then they know and do as
hidden, but suffer no pain. They say if the
skin is cut it feels as if something were
being gently drawn over it, and they feel
the forceps applied to the tooth, but that
pulling the tooth feels like pulling a peg
out of hole.
As to the value of hypnotism as a rene
dial agent, there is necessarily much differ
ence of opinion. Some physicians consider
its range a very limited one, while others
think it applicable to a long list of affec-
tons The majority of those who ought to
know best appear to agree that it will un-
doubtedly prove of very great service in
properly selected cases in medical practice.
As for its use in surgical operations, as
substitute for gas, ether or chloroform, it
can never displace them to more than a
very slight extent, except, perhaps, it be
with children. Very many who are about
to have an operation performed must neces-
sarily be so nervous that hypnotism will be
quite out Of the question.
And there will doubtless always exist per
sons who will be insensible to the efforts of
operators. Some subjects are easy to hyp-
notice while with others it is the reverse; ;
to which of these classes a person belongs
cannot be known until an effort to put him
into the hypnotic state is made. And in
the susceptible cases not infrequently sew
eral seances are necessary before the power
of the operator is sufficiently felt.
One very important point that the study
of hypnotisn has brought out and en-
phasized, says an observer is the potency
of suggestion. Doubtless most of the slight
aches and pains that the general prac-
titioner is called upon TO treat are partly
imaginary, and all that is necessary for
cure is a certain amount of faith on the
part of the patient, begotten by judicious
suggestion by the medical man. At first
sight this seems to be a sort of chicanery,
but it is impossible to deny its efficacy, and
it is much safer for the doctor to acknowl-
edge, to himself at least. that it is not his
simple remedy which has wrought the cure,
but his suggestion to the patient. One
needs no better example of the power of
suggestion than the many cures brought
about by the faith cure. In this case, re-
ligious fanaticism is called upon to produce
an effect upon the mind of the credulous
patient, and if the malady is an imaginary
one, the relief is ms antaneous.
We now come to the reason why none of
the methods employed to produce hypno-
tisn have been herein described. 1t is an
agent which only should be used by reputa-
bln rihVSip1aus for lilo othorc vuhioh thau
employ, 1t will do much harm if injudi-
ciousy applied. We're the methods known,
there would naturally be tendency on the
part of some to try it as means of amuse-
ment, while, without doubt, there are not a
few who would use it for no good pur-
pose. That hypnotism may be rightly
applied and without injury, it must
be exclusively confined to physicians, who
alone are capable of distinguishing between
those subjects upon whom it is likely to do
good and those likely to be injured by it.
1t is a well-known fact that persons who
are often hypnotized finally become SO sus-
ceptlbie that the act is accomplished with
the greatest ease. And in not few in
stances of subjects so treated for long
time it requires scarcely more than single
glance for the operator to throw them into
hypnotic Sleep
80 it will be seen that hypnotism might
prove menace to society unless steps were
taken to guard against it. The first pre-
caution to suggest itself is the prohibition
Oh all public exhibitions of hypnotism or
mesmerlsm. This remarkable power should
II possible, be limited by law to the treat
ment OF disease. And the operator should
pe permitted to influence his subject only
as health may be improved.
Knocked Out by an Ostrich.