Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1889-12-06
HYPNOTISM.
A POWER WHOSE MANIFESTO
TIONS SEEM INCREDIBLE.
Practically the Same as Mesmerism-
Value in the Treatment of Dis
case Capable of In
jury When Abused.


braidism and syggignoscism. Hypnotism
is believed to have been practiced many
centuries ago; but little, however, is
known of its history previous to the time
of Mesmer 077S). Since then hynotism
has been much studied by many eminent
men in the professions of medicine,
science, religion and the arts. There
came "A 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
therapeutic agent and employed by many
physicians all over the world. One of the
earliest uses of hypnotism was to pro
duce state of insensibility, so that
surgical operations 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.
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 fiXation
of gaze. For reasons which will appear
anon, none of the methods employed to
produce the hypnotic state will be de-
scribed In this communication. As to
the force generated or liberated in hyp-
notism, 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 and feet
get cold; then they become sleepy, and
when told that they can not open their
eyes, they say they hear and know all,
but can not open them; then comes sleep,
unless it is desired to extract a tooth or
do some such work when the subject is
not entirely unconscious. 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 peg out of hole.
As to the value of hypnotism as a
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 undoubtly 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 slight extent, except, per-
haps, it be with children. Very many
who are about to have an operation per-
formed 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 eff
forts of operators. Some subjects are
easy to hyptonize, 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 opera
tor 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 gen
eral practitioner is called upon to treat
are partly imaginary, and all that is nee
essary for cure is certain amount of
faith on the part of the patient, begottcn
by judicious suggestion by the medical
man. At first sight this seems to be Il
sort of chicanery, but it is impossible to
deny it 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 sug-
gestion to the patient.
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
methods known there would naturally be