The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-08
THE HYPNOTIC CRAZE.
Some Very Interesting Expert
mentS i'm Paris.
THREE STAGES OF PHENOMENA.
A Simulated Sound of a Church Bell Produces
an Attitude of Prayer-Efects of Look
Ing Through COlored Glass.
Especial TO THE HERAuD-Examiner Dispatch

latest experiments uduS III TIE nSN CLdDS
of hypnotism which has taken hold of con-
tinental people. DR.. Gecinon, professor de
clinioue at the Hospice de Salpetaiere,
made the experiment in the presence of the
correspondent, who vouches for their truth
fulness. DR.. Gecinon explained that OF the
5000 patients and inhabitants of the hos
pice but ten were hypnotic. The hypno-
tism in operation is divided into three
parts. and the phenomena apparent in each
OF these stages are peculiar to that stage
and that stage alone. The first Of these
periods is lethargy, the second catalepsy,
and the third somnambulism. Toillustrate
the three periods a young woman OF twenty
four. stoutly built, with bright and intel
lgent face, was seated in q chair facing
window of the room in which the expert
ments were conducted. The girl was a
highly hysterical subject and habitually in
sensible to pain of the left half of the body,
hut with sensation normal on the right. The
evidence of insensibility was shown by the
insertion of probe in the flesh Of the LETT
forearm. The slightest prick or pinch on
the right side excited circumstances from
the girl with facial expressions and GEES
lures appropriate to sudden pain. Almost
as suddenly the girl was thrown into leth-
argy by gazing intently on "a point near and
above the eyes and blythe doctor closing
her eyelids by pressing his thumbs on the
eyeballs until the lids were in contact. So
profound was her slumber that the probe
was inserted into the flesh of the girls
right arm without causing trenor or
sign of sensation.
The phenomena in the lethargic state
were as follows: BY pressing tendon in
= anT ef fnn
When more tendons in the same locality
were firmly pressed the fingers of the whole
hand were bent back with iron rigidlty.
No force. that would not have MANNED the
girl, would have sufficed to open the hand.
A few brisk rubs on the back OF the arm
opposite to the place where the tendons
were excited the muscles, which assumed
their normal state. Nor was this power
restricted to DIR. Gecinon. The correspon-
dent went through the same operations on
the girls arm and met with Identical re-
suits. The nerves of the funny bonen
were gripped and the fingers of the hand
were stiffiy fixed. The muscles and nerves
of the face were then treated in the same
way, but in this case no permanent effect
was produced. When the fingers were re-
moved from the facial nerves the smile thus
artifcially produced was not maintained.
The last experiment in this stage was to
stiffen and solidfy the whole boGy by
pressure on certain tendons of the leg. The
patient rested with her heels on the ground
and her head on the back of a chair, the
intermediate portions of the body being
without support.
The next or second hypnotic period, that
of catalepsy, was produced by simply rails
ing the girls eyelids until her large blue
eyes stared with painful absence of human
expression. The patient was clay figure,
4 mere auuomaton of clay in the hands Of
the medical potter. This is the earliest
period at which a suggestion is possible,
fbut the autoHatou can receive but one
1idea at a time. The stimulation of a church
bell on a gong produced a smile, an ecstasy,
an attitude of prayer, with the eyes lowered
and the head and BODY meekly bowed The
bearing of the girl in this stage was quite
pathetic. with such fidelity did she pursue
the idea suggested to her by demonstration.
A new series of experiments were now
begun. These consisted in the suggestion
OF an idea to the patient by the insertion of
Z, 5iece of red glass between the eyes and
- light.
= When this was done, the change of facial
expression to one of horror and fear showed
that she saw fire, incendiarism and leaping
flames Gazing through a piece of blue
glass she saw the azure heavens. One
idea led to another. Her hands clasped;
her eyes. which were streaming with tears,
beamed with the tenderest affection and
delight, and she sank upon her knees and
raised her hands as though beautiful
vision were in her sight and nearly within
her grasp.
The introduction Of yellow Glass as me
dunn OF suggestion produced an idea Of tro-
pical sunshine. The girl shades her eyes,
breaches as though exposed to great heat,
and gave further evidence Of the pranks OF
:. cataleptic idea at large ia an empty head.
The odor OF sulphur aud carbon gave rise
10 4he idea Of filthy smell and occasioned
gestures appropriate to the purgatory 20
(Which her nostrils were seemingly eX-
posed.
A verv curious experiment followed
Ether is exhibited TO the hysterical patient.
In ordinary practice the smell OF ether not
only suggested hysterica TO the hypnotized
girl. but her behavior was that Of a woman
suffering from acute hysterica, from
fatigue and relaxation of the lachrymatory
glands The tears were now rolling down
her checks. The doctor whistled a waltz
and marked time by striking large tuning
fork The girl rose and began to waltz.
She quickened her step as the whistler ac-
CELEBRATED the time and stopped in clumsy
manner fumbling with her feet as the
walse changed TO a mazurka, a dance of
which she was ignorant.
The final demonstration of the second
or cataleptlc period, was the successful es-
Establishment of a suggestion by touching
first one cheek and then another, while the
sound OF a kiss was made in the air by the
operators lips. The idea evidently suC-
pested was the kiss OF some dear and near
relative. for her eyes besmed with pleasure
anG sofUened and friendly expression of
countenance revealed a pleasant thought.
Whea. however. her lips were touched by
2 finger and an Osculatory crack exploded
In mid air, the idea created was evidently
that of a kiss snatched by some
rude swain. Her brow corrugated
with wrath, her eye flashed, she shrank
back in. anger and disgust, and indicated in
q manner that made very evident her sense
of the outrage TO which she had been sub
jected.
The third period, that of somnambulism
was produced by rubbing hair on the top Of
her head. Sensibility ON one side was at once
established, and but for her behavior there
was nothing TO convince the eye that she
was not in her right senses. Strong sym
patty and repugnance were established and
SIP became capable Of retaining complete
iSzs. Speech was regained, but reason
was laid aside; a file was bitten and pro-
nounced to be good chocolate. On q
suggestion from DIR. GeCinon a suppositous
bird perched on her finger and the girl was
made to imagine other singular things.
Paralysis was produced at viii.
Aft Mitchell and Jack Dempsey.
Especial to THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Dispatch