Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-10-07
ALL ABOUT HYPNOTISM.
a POWER WHOSE MANIFESTATIONS
ARE ALMOST INCREDIBLE.


in tho Treatment Of Disease Capable Of
rajury When Abused Application should
be Limited by Law.
The 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 of its history
previous to the time Of Mesmer (1778(
Since then hypnotisn 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 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 a 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.
now PRODUCED.
To produce hypnotisnn, operators have
methods which vary somewhat in detail,
but the principle is the same Most all
use passes, although some depend almost
entirely. IL not entirely, upon the fxa-
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 pretends to 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
feel their fingers tingle and their hands
end 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 a 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
IL 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 a peg out of hole.
AS to the value of hypnotism as
remedial agent, there is necessarily much
difference of opinion. Some physicians
consider its range a very limited one,
while others think it applicable to 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 a substitute for
gas, ether or chloroform, it can never
displace them to more than very slight
extent, except, perhaps. it be with chill
dren. Very many who are about to have
an operation performed must necessarily
be 50 nervous that hypnotism will be
quite out Of the question.
And there win doubtless always exist
persons who viii 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
person belongs cannot be known until
an effort to put hine 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 POI
tency Of suggestion. Doubtless most of
the slight aches and pains that the gen.
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
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
religious fanaticism Is called upon to
produce an effect upon the mind OF the
creduIous patient. and II the malady Is
an imaginary one the relief Is instantar
neOus.
We now come to the reason why none
Of the methods employed to produce
hypnotism have been herein described.
liz is a. agent which only should be used