New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-04
THE S5FEGTARDS or HTPNOTISM.

An interesting and instructive document ha>
recently been prepared by the English H"'i"'!
for l'>ychical Research, bearing on the ""A'
gers Of h, pnotism. subject which, III many
instances. has been made the text OF startling
and >rn> Liional sermons b! the newspaper
and periodical press. The interest IN III"
strange phcnunrna Of hypn"t>m. ia cpndi-
tions and effects. il not confined To IN" med
ical and scientific fraternity but i, shared III
VARYING degree by the laIg" body OF Int"l'I-
y,ui ucr.orS who follow in the wax" Of Scicu-
,ihc inquiry To thc>" NOR" especially Will
the circular of the British S"cjc'! bring j's'
rho information which they have been seek
inc. From this document. which was gwen
in gu,l in TIE SUNDAY TIIEt%E. ii Will l."
,,,u in the first place" that Eng'NhlncIl 'ahd
for purposes Of experiment In" EnG!Sh III"
American temperament differ hnf slightly at"
less susceptible to h.pnolsm than inhabifa'''
Of some Continental countries, where climate
and atmospheric influences cN'it peculiar ri-
fcctS on tho mental and physical conditions
of IN" people, The proportion of those "h"
can be- hypnotizd varies. inic"d. from :" IN"
50 per cent in France Russia and Italy I"
less than 30 per cent in Great Britain. AGAIN
the hypnotic condition. Is il Is called. can D"
indut-.d AS statistics show ~ readily III
strong. healthy persons rs in thos" who ar"
weak or in bad health. Especially important.
however. j. the assertion that "a healthy Eng
Iishman or Engli>hwOman cannot be hypno-
t,zcd without his or her full knowledge and
consent" DR.. Iclnhrim. the celebrated in
yc.tipator of the Nancy school. states the Fact
with equal po>itivcncSs when he declares that
no person can be hypnniizcd unless h" has
the idea that he j. going to be. This TACT III
i,sIr is one Of the strongest safeguards
AGAINST the indiscriminatr and injndlclo'lS use
Of the hypnotic power. The exercise OF II
strong will and rcsolutc determination not
to be hypnotizcd is Sufficient to prevent the
opcrator from suhccting the patient to the
hypnotic condition.
The dangers from hypnotiSm Ii" in the com
plctc control which the operator is able to
secure, chiefly by suggestion" over the pa
ticnt Illusions Of tho senses, OF the will. OF
memory, may thus be imposed on the patient;
he must do whatever the operator suggests"
to him to do and suggestion may easily take
tho form of criminal, though unconscious.
activity. Besides. the influence of the OPP
orator may easily BE- made t, extend in the
III
Of the hypnotic condition. 80 that the patient
thinking that he acts AZ Il free agent. is mere
IL carrying ont the wishes and the will Of an
other. In these and other ways undue advan-
ta.c may be- taken of the subject whose help
lcssncss makes him an easy prey to the de-
signs. good or evil as the case may be. Of the
person under whose spell he has put himself
Herein lies the necessity for safeguards and
precautions which will obviatc these abuses
of a science whose therapeutic benefits have
been already to a limited extent recognized
by the medical profession, and which may
contain great possibilities of value. The
chief prrclution suggested by the English So
ciey for i'sychica Research is that 10 per-
son should submit himself to hypnotic treat
mcnt unless accompanied by a friend 8.
nor should any ono suffer himself TO be hyp-
Noticed except for therapeutic or scientific
purposes" If these precautions arc implicitly
obcycd the danger from hypnotism is greatly
diminished. The great harm caused by in
judicious exhibitions by irresponsible "pro-
fessors' OF mnd-cure." "faith healing"
&" fascination" or whatever 1t may be called