Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-06-03
NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL.
You Cannot HyPn0tize Person AM
Mako Him COmmit q Crime.

Mako Him COmnait q Crime.
From the Manchester Union.1
Under this head DR.. J. M. Charcot, Paris
specialist of note. has an interesting paper
In the April Forum. Hypnotism, which sp-
pears to be only another name for magnet
ism OF mesmsrisn, has received great deal
of attention from the newspapers in recent
years, and the belief has become more or
less general that one skilled in the practice
of the mysterious art may make his subjects
his victims, and that he may 60 even further
and convert them into irresponsible agents
for the commission of crime. It will be
positive relief to many over credulous peo-
pie to learn that 40 skilled a specialist as DR..
Charcot attached little importance to the
probability that this theory can be put into
successful practice, or that it will ever be Sc
riously attempted. That subject may be
robbed or otherwise wronged while in the
hypnotic state, DR.. Charcot admits, but he
shows, as the result Of careful experiment,
| that the number Of persons capable of being
hypnotized is very small, as compared with
a given population. Moreover, 1t ia rarely
| the case that a subject can he eHectually
placed under control at the first or even af-
ter several attempts, fact which would
alone render difficult the carrying out of a
| scheme, if 1t did not, as is unavoidably the
case, greatly increase the chances of detec-
ton. Few persons, 1t may be safely as
sumed. would repeatedly subject themselves,
alone and unprotected, to the power of the
| hypnorist But there is another phase of
hypnotism, in its possible connection with
crime, known az criminal suggestion, which
has made a good deal of noise in the
| world, and which DR.. Charcot considers at
length. AS the doctor puts it, the prob
lem to be solved is this: Given the sug-
gestibilisy of the ''somnambule," or hyp-
Noticed subject, can one use him to do a
criminal act to which he would never have
| consented outside Of the hypnotic sleep3 1t
ia observed that, theoretically, the "sugges-
tioner" can assure himself immunity by Or
dering the subject not to recall, on awaken
| ing, the name of the one who gave the eug-
gestion. Theoretically, then, an operator
might set subject asleep and place him in
the somnambulistic state. Then he could
command the subject to proceed, at certain
| hour, to a given place, and there stab or
| shoot a man. At the appointed hour he will
be at the plaos named and deal the blow with
q steady hand. Whether arrested or not, he
will find it out of his power to reveal the
name of the one who put the dagger in his
hand. Experimentally, DR.. Charcot says, 1t
can, and rnake-bslieve murders, with paste
board daggsrs, have been committed In labo-
ratories again and again. But, practically,
| DR.. Charcot does not believe that IL can. In
| the first place 1t must be remembered that
| subjects for hypnotism are rare, and again,
not all subjects are available for experiments
in the matter of suggestion. Some subjects
positively refuse to obey. This check Is all
the more serious because one does not by any
means succeed, at the 6rst hypnotiziug SO.
anoe, in putting the subject in a state Of
somnambulism so profound as to justify the
expectation that such suggestions will be ac
eepted. The training of subjects is no easy
thing and takes time. So then, according to
DIR. Charcot, We have these points to take
into account: Fewness of subjects, time and
labor spent in their training, and possible
resistance to suggestion after all. But sup.
pose all the trouble is taken, and at last q
satisfactory subject is obtained, what then
When everything has been prepared the hyp
notified assassin is lying in ambush, and will
surely strike when She victim passes. But
suppose the victim does not pass2 Will he
put off the crime until another daya Dr.
Charoot says: 1.-THE victim must be there al
the appointed hour, else, as know very wei
from repeated experiments, a fit of hysteris