The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1889-02-16
VALUE OF MESMERISM.
The Therapeutics OF Hypnotism az
a Medical Study.
How the Conduct Of the Respounivs IL
Directed by the Oporator-Ths Most
Successful Of All Pain Killers-Sug-
xestiou and Crime.

lOT lEStauce, AL exCItiuB VI ViOiCuS CPhSVuc,
rapture OF joy or convulsion OF great
grief or fear, it might prove injurious or
even fatal, just az it might in his normal
conuiicn.
This possibility, writes W. A. Crofut in
the Worth american RevieW, is abundantly
offset ny the value of mesmerism as Their
apculo agent. The responsive can be made
so int y%icotcd on water, which he has been
told Is whisky, as to exhibit all symptoms
OF G.. r,l.lg .nebriety; can be made disgust
ingy s.a,Sick by being told that he is at
sea in = storm, and can be at once physically
affected by an imaginary medicine His
temper1ture can be changed, his eye dilated
and n ,i.ilse quickened. Mesmerism is as
perfect IN anpsthetic as ether, and as
harmless as water. Any mesmerized per-
son !. ., Urcn, BIZ n single stroke OF the
hand ~ rendered totally insensible to
pain. $40, can have Il tooth drawn, u cataract
reno, ii. cancer cut out, or an arm cut
oil without feeling the slightest pain. This
has bcen 80 often demonstrated that ampu
tatc?. frequently take place under its in.
hucl.r' ~ The Paris hospitals, and it Is sue
ces-laJg employed in obstetrics. Though
only - l';ction of patients will be found
eligislc candidates for this annihlator OF
pain. utility is 50 obvious it can not be
LONG before medical societies will take up
the IA lapeusis uf mesmerism as serious
STACY, sad army surgeons will be required
10 has - practical u knowledge of it as OF
any pant Of the pharnlacopnia.
1t is quite erroneous to suppose that the
conduct Of the responsive is directed in de-
tail by the operator. He only suggests the
general line of thought, and each responsive
pursues it according TO his own knowledge,
experience or prejudices. say to my re-
sponsives, for instance, that have q won
derful educated cow with seven heads.
They all want to see it, cali their atten-
ton 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 be-
comes obvious that they all see different
ccw. Unless have designated her color
one sees white COW, another red COW,
and so on.
Then tell them that she can dance, can
waltz and keep time with music. | hand
one cane, telling him it is flute, and that
he is an eminent performer, and he goes
through the motionsrof playing to the dane.
ing COW. They hear different tunes, but the
exhibition is satisfactory. Inow add that
the COW can sing-can sing different part
with each mouth-can sing seven ballads at
once At this point there is some in
credulity expressed They see the 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-
lieved that she sang She is singing Tit
Willow" said one And "A Warrior
Bold, said another,
a hear singing" said the incredulous
one, turningto me. Annie Laurie isn't
III How do you work her-the machinery,
meanl'
The others laughed at him. why, the
cow sings" said young lady. 'Can't you
hear her sngi Can't you see ner sing."
''She looks as If she sang," conceded In
credulous. II can see her mouths move all
around. She sounds as If she sang; but she
doesn't sing Cows don't sing"
Very well, what is it, them" asked one
Of the others.
"A tube and hole in the floor" said In
credulous, 'or perhaps ventriloquisu."
'Awn' exclaimed the first, derisively,
''ventriloquism does not work like that I've
made study of ventriloquism,"
We'll, I've made study of a Govt" per-
sisted the scoffer, obstinately. .......s....,.
Sometimes l turn the responsives into
children and have them play school with in
Unite fun; sometimes transport them over
ocean 10 Africa or Japan on the enchanted
carpet, where for a brief space they enjoy
ali The delights OF travel; sometimes we
participate in battles, in political campaigns,
III exciting TRADE and sometimes Socrates,
Moses or Confucius is introduced and inter
viewed, the intelligent responsive furnish
ing Doth questions and answers in a curious
dual action Of the mind that is highly enter
tanning.
Not only the reason sometimes rebels as
above, but the conscience also.
A young lady, one of the brightest sensi.
ives have ever seen, steadfastly refuses
10 play cards. tell her she is buffalo Bill,
anu cusily induce her to assume his char
acier, but when cards are suggested: '.No,
never play cards. II is wrongn' she
says, and l can not move her. could
make her jump out through the window,
or put her hands in the fire, but play cards
she will not. ! was puzzled by it till, in.
qulfing, ascertalned that her religious
parents had brought her up very strictly
and taught her 1t was wicked to play
cards"
And this brings US TO the question much
moosed Of late, whether crime can be com.
United by the aid Of mesmerism II 80. IL in
brought into relation not only with medicine
but with jurisprudence; not only with the
pharmacopGa, but the penitentiary. II in
obvious that if cases Of this kind occur the
one to whom punishment must be dealt out
Is the mcsmerist
l could probably induce any one Of my
responsives to take his life in my presence
or to assault any body within reach, but
the mind wanders curiously in this strange
condition, and generally takes little cog
nizance Of surrounding objects. have
rsed the word probably in this sentence
because the conduct of mesmerized persons