The evening world., 1890-07-18
HYPAOTISM AND ITS DANGER.
Its Influence Causes the Commit
ment Of Involuntary Grimes,
Many Cases Reported in French
Court Criminal Records.


lism and in the unlimited power Of sug.
gestion which have been carried out at
Nancy open up another and more seri.
ous set of questions touching the relations
between hypnotisin and crime, says the
Saturday Rerie,o. These questions may
be considered under three heads:
!. The observed phenomena of SOM
nambulism (Which is n hypnotic condi.
tom show that somnambulists may un-
consciously but spontaneously commit
unlawful acts OF which they have no
knowledge and recollection when awake.
In such cases, although really irrespon-
siblo and ignorant of what they have done,
they may be held guilty and punished &C
cordingly.
A case illustrating this point is the
AHnire l.. II. Uoir. Cher, 1889. A
servant girl was accused of having
robbed her mistress. and was sent TO
prison. II turned out that she had been
accustomed to bo hypnotized bva doctor;
he recognized her in prison and was al
lowed TO hypnotic her again ns an ex-
pertinent.
In the hypnotic state she Mt once recol-
lected having moved the missing things
In order to put them in safer place. She
found them in the spot precisely accord
ing to her description, ind she was i'm
inediately released.
II is easy to see how miscnrriages OF
justice may occur in cnses OF this nature.
Not only may the irresponsible hypnotic
be condemned for real or supposed
| crime, but suspicion may fall upon
wholly innocent persons. Several in
stances have occurred in the French law
| courts.
2. Crimes may be committed on per-
sons in condition of hypnotism. II
will be enough to mention the following
| actual cases.
Affaire Levy. 1s79-Ievy wns n dentist
who hypnotlzed one of his patients, a
young woman, and utilized the opportu-
| nifty TO commit an assault. She knew moth
ing of what had happened, but when the
| consequences became apparent he con-
fessed the crime. lie wns prosecuted by
the young woman and her mother. made
o full confession in open court and was
sentenced to ten years penal servitude.
.-Ahaire CASTELAR,, 1865 49, Josephine
| Hughes, n respectable young woman liv-
ing with her father, was hypnotized by
Castellan, vngnbond mesmerizer to
whom they gave shelter. He compelled
her to leave her home, follow him, and
| live with him. though he was filthy and
repulsive creature. She was rescued, all
the fncts fnlly established. and CASTELAR,
| sentenced to twelve years hard labor.
All she remembered was being compelled
to submit to him by an irresistable power.
DR.. Esdaile, Scotch surgeon in India.
and nm expert meesmerizer; Ind reason to
suspect native barber of kidnapping q
boy under hypnotic influence. His sus-
picions were aroused by the boys appear
ance. He tried experiments. which we're
repeated in court, and found he could
make natives follow him involuntarily.
The man was condemned to nine years
| labor in irons.
A similar case Is related in Mnlncca
journal of 1920. These cases are particu-
lnrly interesting, m children nre OK
tremely sensitive to hypnotism. At Nancy
there has not been n single failure with
children under fourteen years of nge.
8. Hypnotized persons may be made,
by means OF " suggestion" the uncon-
sCious and involuntary agents of crime.
With regard to this point, which is the
most interesting of all it il only right to
say that the brilliant and scientific body
Of Paris physicians who practise hypno-
tism do not greatly believe In the danger.
They maintain that hypnotism is q
morbid condition allied to hysterin, which
can only affect in its higher manifesto
tions a small number of people; and they
deny the all.importaut part ascribed by
the Nancy doctors to the power of sug-
gestiou.
| In this they labor under the diSadvan-
tage of having to maintain negative
position. which may easily be overthrown
by more extended experience. and are
probnbly-we may say undoubtedly
wrong.
The susceptibility to suggestion may
not be SO universal as II is thought TO be
at Nancy. but ITS danger, when II does not
exist. can hardly be exaggerated.
As Prof. Beaunis SAYS, 1t IL of no uso
to try and minimize the gravity OF this
fact. and 1t Is far better to recognize il as
IL really Is. that Ia to say, the absolute
power in certain cases of the hypnotizer
over his subject"
The history of mesmerism Is full Of iu-
stances of persons in the higher mes
meric. hypnotic, or somnambuhstic state
the word does not aignify-performing
acts in obedience to the will Of another,
with complete abolition of consciousness,
of yolition, and of subsequent recollec-
tiOn.
There is nothing new in this. As early
as 1884, De PuyseGur, Mesmer's pupil,
pointed out the danger of the magnetic
condition, as II was then called, being
turned to criminal purposes in unscru-
pulous hands; and Teste. writing about
ls40, declared that q subject "belongs
body and soul to the magnetiZer IL he IL
base and dastardiy enough to use tho
power,
Ho.AIJno. -. CAI-LSS