The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-02-16
HOW TO HYPNOTIZE.
Correct Method Of Inducing the
Hesmeric State.
A Dangerous Power In the
Hands Of ignorant Empires.

When, in the year 1878. Friedrich
Aa'on M:smcr removed from Vienna to
Farl' "ad pTactiscd hi, art OF healing
by manipulation it is recorded that he
threw the gay capital into state of great
excitement. lie soon made many con-
Vtf's, but at the same time he excited
The Indignation of the medical faculty
a. Paris, who sti;matiz.d him as a char.
latau.
Since that period, however, thousands
hava borne testimony to the fac:
OF having been mcsmerizcd, and
there is probably no country where
medical and surgical experiments are
made today with the all of hypnotism
TO such an extent as France.
y great step in the investigation of
these phenomena was nude by DR..
James Braid Of Manchester Z lclanI,
who, IN 1871, began the study OF the pre-
tensions OF animal magnetism or mes
mer:sn. Thu led him to the discovery
that he could artilicial.y proIuc, c pc
Cuilar condition OF the ncrvou, system
induced by G fixed and Gj5tractct atten-
ton Of the rca;ai and visual eve OF one
object 20, q az exciting nature. To
this h. garc the name Of rcurohvplo-
ti~,n.
Tho method OF Introducing fi.e mes
m-rIc Or hypnotic STATE l. to cause the
person operated on to stare tixedly at a
lace or . Glitt2riac piece 0: glass
held at from eight 10 fifteen inches from
the eyes III such position sDovo the
forehead as will chain the eyes and
eycids. The cy ind, til n close. or the
operator sometime, gently closes them
with the tips OF his fingers, a. the same
time very ceItly stroking the checks.
Alter this in some cases the eye, be-
come party opcaed.
1t Is in this sleep like condition that
most of Us havo seen patients at public
or private exhibitions, and we have
noticed how the limbs viii generally
remain IN almost aay posi,sca IL which
the operator may place them, Is il q
cataicptic condition. II. also invaria-
bly, will carry out tho command O. the
operator, and what roars CT LAUGHTER
have been caused at the expense OF the
ylAfl ayt noft,.v IL
apparently under the impression that
1t is an apple, or wher ii Citing imasin-
airy fiends. 1t is here where the dam
ger IN mesmerism lies, Tor in the hands
OF an accomplished operator all kinds
OF actions, even of ridiculous and
degrading nature, may be performed
by the patient.
Usually the patient has 4 vague rccol-
lection, like that OF disturbed dream,
but sometimes there is an acute remcm-
brancc OF all that has happened and evcn
q feeling OF pain at having been COM
PEELED to do ridiculou, actions. Some
persons ere undoubtedly more readily
hyp2otized than others, and j. Is a.
serted by authorities Or the subject /
that once the condition has been sue
ccss!uliy induced it can be more easily /
iaduced 4 second time, aad SO or, u2tll .
the patient may DC so plant to tins vii. |
OF the operator that fixed look or n
We of the hand may throw him at
once into the condition.
Oae thing must po clear to everybody,
and that is that these expe riments
should not be- performed by ignorant
empires Tor the sake Of gain or with the
view of causing amusement. Ncrvoue
persons may DC seriously injured by be,
Ing subjected to such experiments, cs-
pecially j; they undergo them repeat
Lily. The ii .dical profession generally
s jealous o! the employment OF
lypnoiism il the treatment OF disease,
10Th from fear o. the eff cts OF such
operations Oh the ncrvcu. systems of
:xcitable persons and because such
pactice is on the ord erland of auack-