Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-12-19

OPPOSED TO HYPNOTIsM;
CHlCACO PHYSICIANS CON-
DENIM ITS FREQUENT USE.
Thcy Will Ask tile Illinois Legislature to-
Pass a Law Prohibiting the Practice or
Hypnotism by Expcrimenters What
Some of the Leading Physicians Say.
[Chicago dispatch.l
All reputable physicians in this city
unite i'll communication of the resolve Of
the Mcdico-Legal Society of Chfcago to
seek the passage Of {; law preventing
laymen from employing hypnotism, mes
merism, or magnetism for experimental
or other purposes. The society, which
was organized for tho purpose of dis
cussng the legal phases of medicine and
the necessary Legislation for the science,
has passed the following resolutions:
Resolved. That public seances of hypnot-
ISM mesmerism, and magnetism should he i
prohibited by law under severe penalty,
and that the employment of hypnotism for
medical purposes should be permitted solely
to duly qualified medical men, conditioned
upon its being practiced only in the pres
ence of other medical men or undoubted
friends of the patients operated upon.
A committee was appointed to present
this resolution to the Legislature.
"Hypnotism, !" said DIR. K. M. Hale. els
dangerous agent in anybody's hands,
and it's use should certainly be restricted
to those who are responsible to the law
as medical men are. / have read suf-
ficient in the French Journals to know
that the subject under the operators
hands is absolutely irresponsible and
will do anything suggested-cven what
is suggested in the operators mind,
After coming out of tho hypnotic state
a subject docs not recollect what he did
when in that state. There is nothing,
therefore, to prevent murder and make
an irresponsible criminal.
"When l was young took up the
study Of biology-what is now called
hypnotism and mcsmerism-and lectured
on it, was astounded by the results
that can be secured by the power, and
it is clear that it should be used only by
medical mon for the relief of suffering
and disease"
aWhy should hypnotic scances be
stopped?"
sMedicaf men are conservative, and
will not adopt any method that is in
vogue amongst the laity or charIatans.
Ii law were passed preventing the
quacks from employing hypnotism the
study would be taken up by all medical
men in earnest. Mind-curers are a
species of hypnotizcrs. They cure at
times, especially nervous diseases, by
the power of one mind over another, but
medical men do not stoop to consult
them"
"Would the law, then, if passed. wipe
out the mind-curers?"
"a strict construction of the law
would put faith cure, mind cure, and
Christian science in the same category
with hypnotism. Public exhibitions of
hypnotism tend to degrade the science,
just as yivisection would do. The law
confines that to the medical college.
There is just as good reason FOR contin-
ing the use of hypn0tism as the use of
poison. No layman can secure NOR
phine or arsenic without a physicians
prescription. l know twenty or thirty
prominent citizens who have become
monomaniacs by being votaries of hyp-
notism or Christian science, which is the
same thing. A law such as the one pro-
every reputable physician in the CITY,"
DIR. J. r. Owens said: eThe resolution
is proper and should be enforced as
! speedily as possible. The in0lscrlinlnaIe
use of hypnotism should no more be toll
Grated than ether for amusing audiences,
individuals, or for disqualification.
Hypnotism, think, will not be of much
use in therapeutics. It's an old thing
that has been revived to be used by more
| efficient and more scientific men, but L
do not think it will take q strong hold
on the profession. The doctors, how
ever, see that if it is going to be planted
with an expectation of growing some re-
strictions ought to be placed around it.
do not think law on the use of the
power will affect faith-curers."
DIR. j. H. Stowell said: @There is q
good deal of danger attending the prac-
tice of hypnotism, and it ought to be
handled by those who are skilled in it's
use. The means to which it can be put
are too far-reaching to be intrusted to
laymen. think that is the chief reason
why such law should be passed. Out
| improper purposes. As for public exhi-
billions, they are used for deceiving peo-
pie, and the science is brought into ridi-
cule. There is some good in hypnotism,
and II should be kept under the most
careful supervision. There is sufficient
merit in the proposed law to engage the
support of all upright physicians"
"Hypnotism ought to be polfced, just
as alcohol is, said DIR. J. b. Etheridge.
II was not at the meeting" said DIR.
Belfield, abut there is no doubt as to the
facts on which the resolutions were
based; the business of mesmerism and
hypnotism has been much abused, es-
pecially in Paris, and its Influence has
been exercised for improper purposes. !
do not think there is any danger Of this
misuse becoming general, as the subject
for hypnotism has to act in accord with
the mesmerist. The greatest evil that
can arise from public exhibitions of this
art is, think, that it is thereby brought
prominently before the public, and a
great deal too much attention is given to
it. 1 do not think, however, that the
law need take hold of the affair, as the
less attention called to the subject the
better. Some time ago it was thought
hypnotism could be used in surgical
operations successfully, but compare
lively few of the patients were apparent