The Opelousas courier., 1892-11-19
WONDERS OF HYPNOTISM
MARVELLOUS EFFECTS OF A PHY
SECIAN'S EXPERIMENTS.

sive Patients.
IN very interesting paper on "Hyp
notlsm and Mental Suggestion" ii
the Arena, Mr.. B. o. Flower says
& DR.. Hamilton Osgood related tt
me many instances where extraordinary
cures have followed positive suggestion
made to tho patient when in a perfectly
normal condition. AS a rule, however,
far more can be accomplished after the
patient has been thrown into the hyp'
motto sleep, and it is this phenomenon
and the result attending the same,
which, if the reader will now follow me,
I will describe as I personally witnessed
it, so,ne few weeks since, at the Home
for Incurables, in the beautiful suburban
town of Ashmont.
During this visit DR.. Osgood hypro.
tized twelve patients. In each instance
the experiment proved completely sue.
cessful. In many cases the patient
yielded readily to the doctors sugges.
ton; in others it required a few mo;
ments to bring the invalid's will en-
tirelg under the domination of the ply
%sician's will, although it must be remems
bered that in all instances the patients
were hypnotized at their express desire.
To me there was something thrilling,
startling, and terrible in this spectacle
of a human mind instantly yielding to q
will more royal than his own; becoming
a willing ~vassal, with ears attuned to NJ
voice save the regal master whose slight
est wish becomes absolute law.
The general appearance of a subject in
the hypnotic trance is that of a natural
sleep, although, sometimes, when in !
profound slumber, one is reminded of d
patient under the influence of ether.
There are present, however, these pc,
euliarites in the hypnotic trance: .
The subject, if in a profound sleep, il
absolutely at the command of the
operator; at a suggestion from him tho
entire body is as insensible to pain as ii
perfectly etherized; at his command the
body instantly becomes as rigid as if all
life had departed; at his suggestion the
patient sees visions of the operators
creating and hears, perchance, the raw
ishing strains of celestial melody. In
this realm of dreams he banquets and
%revels, while perhaps u limb is being
amputated. And yet at the voice of the
intelligent operator he instantly returns
to a normal condition, provided the
operator himself never for a moment
doubts his ability to awaken the subject.
As I noted before, some patients yield
much more readily than others. It was
indeed interesting aud curious to wit.
ness the subtle and inherent traits of diff.
ferent patients, even in the moment
when the patients will-power waasmo-
mentarily yielding more and more to the
hypnotizer. Thus the first subject hyp!
Noticed by DR.. Osgood had expressed
his desire to be so treated, and
has described at length tue trouble
from which he was suffering. really
saw that he was one Of those numeroul
individuals who derive their greatest ioS
from fault-fnding and complaining,
chronic objector-and I observed witt
considerable curiosity the doetor'i
method of putting him to sleep. AS
had anticipated, he involuntary resisted
the physicians suggestions for a minuti
or two. For example, after he has
been partially hypnotized, Dr.. o. said;
"Your eyes are heavy. 1t is difficult
for you to raise your lids" He, with al
effort, kept his eyes open for a moment,
and later, when the doctor said, "Yor
cannot open your eyes" he .strove to do
70 and a CLEAN of triumph lit his coun
tenance when he succeeded, though tn,
heavy lids fell back almost instantly;
and when the affirmation was repeated
he made no furthur effort, being already
in q deep sleep.
The next subject was a passive, mild,
manDered man. The doctor did no,
even look him in the eye, but simply
suggested sleep most positively to him,
after which he lightly touched his brow
between the eyes, aud he was in a deep
slumber, from which he did not awaks
until a half hour later, when the doctor
loosened the bonds by a single word.
In another ward, a boy Of fourteen or
fifteen years of age, afflicted vita double
hipjoint disease, complained of great
suffering. One foot was so painful and
drawn 10 that he could not touch ths
floor with it. He walked on two crutches.
He had never been ~hypnotized, although
he had on various occasions seen a mum.
Der of patients so treated. He was re,
quested to retire to an adjoining room,
which he did with great pain and con.
siderable effort. After seeing that he
was comfortably placei on a couch OF
bed, the doctor said IN a kindly yet verY
positive tone:
"Look me the eyes. Now do not
shink of me; turn your thoughts inward.
Think of sleep. Mol Do not allow
your eyes to wander from me; look al
me steadily, but do not not think of me-,
think of sleep! You know how delight,
full the sensation is when you are con,
that you are drifting into a restS
full Sleep"
Eyes" said the patient languidly, and
I saw that the spell was already upon
him.
"Well, think about it; think how
lovely it is-that passing away into
Here the doctor touched the
forehead between the eyes. NOW you
are going to sleep. Your eyes are heavy.
You are feeling very sieeny. You are
going to sleep. You cannot open your
eyes. (The eye.ids partially opene ~
Now you cannot open your eyes. Now
you are asleep"
Then he r1Ihhad thn hin nlacad hia