The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-01-01
The astigmata" Explained.

One Of our Philadelphia contempo-
raries recently Published physicians
report Of what was described to be a
remarkable case Of the Stigmata, a word
used to express marks said to have been
supernaturally impressed on the bodies
of certain persons.
Since the narrative referred to was
published our attention was called to a
comparatively recent work entitled
Animal Magnetism, by Alfred Binet
and Charles Frere assistant physician
at the Salpetriere Paris) published by
Messrs. d. Appleton & Co. in their
International Scientific Series. Page
1876 and following, relate some scientific
experiments which may explain away
Z much Of the mystery associated with
the case referred to, that is, yield an
explanation such az is ascribed to the
action Of a subjects mind upon himself
when 10 hypnotized state.
Most readers are more or less famil
lar with hypnotism as one name for a
state which has been induced by the
will of one person over another; while
some subjects are more easily influenced
in this way than others. it has been
claimed that nearly all people may be
so affected If The process to bring il
about is sufficiently long continued.
Hysterical subjects are commonly put
under such an influence quicker than
others in fact it is generally conceded
that the hypnotic state is mark OF
weakness in the subject, and if long
practiced renders such o subject liable
to lose nearly all Of bis self-control, and
finally may lead him or her to insanity.
The intervening stages, however, have
been the subject Of frequent inquiry
among our doctors, particularly 10 Eng
land and France; and in the latter
country experiment in this field has
been carried SO far, that powerful efforts
have been put in motion to make the
issue cause for action in Jurisprudence,
as an explanation Of the motive OF many
crimes otherwise unaccountable. In
general terms the weight of the EVIL
dence thus far obtained shows pretty
conclusively that whenever a subject is
reduced to this hypnotic state, such
subject may be made to believe just
what is told him by the hypnotizer,
without regard to the reason or sense
on the part Of the hypnotized.
Ii should be said in explanation, that
the word hypnotiam originated with an
Englishman, Doctor Braid, who claimed
comparatively few years ago, he had
produced new phenomena by means Of
requiring person to gaze at small
disk long time until they fell into
this unnatural sleep. But the phenom-
ena Of sleep induced in this way, and
by means Of one mind acting upon
another, is as old as the hills, and gen
orally passes under the name Of animal
magnetism, although there are as many
different names for it as there are gen
erations in which it has been described,
and history is filed with instances in
its illustration.
The work referred to, page 1877
states: aThe most important Of the
organic disturbances produced by an
idea, is an experiment on vesication,
performed by Focachon, chemist at
Charmes.
He applied some postage stamps to
the left shoulder Of hypnotized sub
ject, keeping them in their place with
some strips of diachylonn and com
press, at the same time he suggested to
the subject that he had applied bis
ter. The subject was watched and
when twenty hours had elapsed the
dressing, which had renamed uutouch-
ed, was removed. The epidermis to
which-it had been applied was thickened
and dead and of yellowish white color
and this region Of the skin was white
and puffy, and surrounded by an in,
tensely red zone. Several physicians,
including Baunis. confirmed this obser-
walton, and the latter made photographs
Of the blister, which he presented to
the Society Of P Physiological Psychology
on june 20, 1885,"
Shortly afterwards. July llth, 1885,
s.Bourru and Burot professors of the
Rochefoss school, published records of
epistoxis, and even blood sweat, pro-
duced BY suggestion in male hys-
terical patient, who was affected by
hemiplegia and hemi-anaethesia. On
one occasion after one Of these expert
menters had hypnotized the subject, he