The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-11-30
ALL ABOUT HYPNOTISM.
A POWER WHOSE MANIFESTATIONS
ARE ALMOST INCREDIBLE.

in the Treatment of Disease-Capable of
Injury When nAbused-Application Should
be Limited by Law.
The term hypnotism is nearly synony-
nous with mesmerism, animal magnet
ism, braidism and syggignoscism. Hyp-
notlsm is believed to have been practiced
by religionfsts many centuries ago, but
little, however, is known of its history
previous to the time of Mesmer Q77S).
Since then hypnotism has been much
studied by many eminent men in the
professions of medicine, science, religion
and the arts. There came time when
the interest in it tagged very greatly;
but few years ago a revival took place
in France, and since then it has been
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 insensibility, so that surgical opera
tions could be performed without pain.
But it 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 its influence.
HOW PRODUCED.
To produce hypnotism, operators have
methods which vary somewhat in detail.
but the principle is the same. Most all
use passes, although some depend almost
entirely, if not entirely, upon the tixa-
tion 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 pretends to 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 tingle 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
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 pull
ing peg out of hole.
AS to the value of hypnotism as
io1 ~ 10, ,,.l
difference of opinion. Some physicians
consider its range very limited one,
while others think it applicable to a 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 its use in
surgical operations, as substitute for
gas, ether or chloroform, it can never
displace them to more than very slight
extent, except, perhaps, it be with chill
drcn. Very many who are about to have
an operation performed must necessarily
be so nervous that hypnotism 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 hypnotize, 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 several seances
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 gem
eral practitioner is called upon to treat
are partly imaginary, and all that is
necessary for cure is certain amount
of faith on the part of the patient, be-
gotten by judicious suggestion by the
medical man. AT first sight this seems
to be sort of chicanery, but it is impos-
sible to deny its efficacy, and it is much
safer for the doctor to acknowledge, to
at least, that it is not his simple
which has wrought the cure,
but his suggestion to the patient. One
needs no better example of the power of
than the many cures brought
about by the faith cure. In this case
religious fanaticism is called upon to
produce an effect upon the mind of the
patient, and If the malady is
an imaginary one the relief is instanta-
neous.
We now come to the reason why none
of the methods employed to produce
hypnotism have been herein described.
1t is an agent which only should be used
by reputable physicians, for, like others
which they employ, it will do much harm
if injudiciously applied. Were the meth
DDS known, there would naturally be a
on the part of some to try it as
4 means of amusement, while, without
doubt, there are not few who would
use it for no good purpose. That hypno-
tism may be rightly applied and without
injury it must be exclusively confined to
who alone are capable Of dis
between those subjects upon
which 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 susceptible
that the act is accomplished with the
greatest case. And in not a few in
stances of subjects so treated for long
time, it requires scarcely more than a
single glance for the operator to throw
them into hypnotic sleep.
So it will be seen that hypnotsm might
prove menace to society unless steps
were taken to guard against it. The first
precaution to suggest itselfis the prohibi-
zion of all public exhibitions of hypno-
tism or mesmerism. This remarkable
power should, if possible, be limited by
law to the treatment of disease. And
the operator should be permitted to in
nuence his subject only as health may
be improved.-Boston Herald.
VOCAL TRAINING.