The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-29

huu buO oApLhuhllOu VI tDo Ph6-
nomena. But at present we are interested
merely with demonstration of the possibili-
ties OF hypnotlsm, as suggesting rational
and scientific solutions of those seemingly
impossible aud incredible Appearances OF
which mention has been made above In
the first place. and to avoid misspprehen-
sion 1t must be clearly understood that in
Europe the most remarkable experiences
have hitherto been had with persons 10 an
abnormal condition, not mainly with sur
ferers from one form or another OF the Pros
team and obscure diseases known as nysteria.
The patients, in short, are peculiarly sensl-
tive TO the influence OF any external will,
and after they have once been hypnotized
this influence invariably increases and their
susceptibility becomes continually greater.
If it be objected that this aDnormalIty Of
condition preciudes anything like the estab-
lishment Of a parallel between hypnotic
subjects and the spectators at an Indian
jugglery exhibition, the answer must be
that the conditions are really more equal
than appears at first. For. whereas the
experimenters upon the hypnotic patients
are themselves MEN OF wholly unframed
and undisciplined will-power, and therefore
presumably incapable of influencing any
but specially weakened and relaxed minds,
the Indian jugglers and fakirs have cult
waited their will-power by so systematic and
thorough a course of physical and psy-
pE6pdThIlODt tuht Ouc OukAe W c4pcCb
them to manifest an influence over others
far exceeding what the western world is
accustomed to and familiar with. In India,
indeed, it Is not difficult to find illustrA-
tons of the exercise of this power and some
times 1t is employed for evil purposes. Thus,
when DR.. Exdale was managing the
Calcutta hospital, he was the mea ms Of re-
leasing boy who had been kidnapped under
singular circumstances. A strange Hindoo
was seen leading this lad through
the streets, and suspicion was excited by
the dazed appearance of the little fellow.
The Hindoo was arrested, and, after some
time, it was ascertained that he had lured
the boy from his home several hundred
miles away, had put him into hypnotic
state In which he could make no attempt to
escape, and had, briefly so paralyzed all his
mental faculties that he could neither COM
plain, call for help, nor even desire to get
away, until he had been separated some
hours from his ceptor.
A more recent and even more impressive
case Of the kind was the subject OF
criminal trial in France. An ugly, dirty,
evil-looking tramp was charged with kid
naping young woman, the daughter of
farmer. The facts as developed sho wed that
he had literally hypnotized the girl and in
that state had compelled her to follow him,
join in his vagabond life and refrain from
all efforts to escape. The girls own story
deprived her Of all power 10 OPP
pose his will, but that while in
that hypnotic condition she was
actually and strangely attracted toward
him; SO much so that the wretch used to
amuse the people at the farm houses where
he stopped by making his victim crawl
across the room to him on her knees at his
command In this case the girls volition
was suspended, and the fact was thrown
into strong relief by her declaration that
when the man was away her feelings
cha 1ged. and the deep loathing, which was
the feeling most natural for him to inspire,
took the place of that morbid attraction
which his actual presence created.
In the case Of specially sensitive persons it
has teen found possible to effect, suspend or
paralyze in turn every mental faculty and
every nervous and muscular center. But
striking effects have also been produced
upon persons not hypnctized, and not at the
time IN a morbid pathological condition.
For example, DIR. F. Bjornstrom, In his
fore the biological Society Of Paris, Botty
has exhibited healthy and wakeful persons
who, by merely al energetic assHr-
ance or by some enotntIpg, could
be rapidly made mute, blind. deaf,
insensible 20 doors, or stricken vita palsy,
cramps or ansesthesis." And again he
says: "Bremaud tells Of young student
on whom he could at pleasure produce
contracture. anBsthssis, etc. The student,
who was in good health, could not under
stand why he could not move his limbs
when B. forbade him to do so, and why
B. could stick needles through his skin
without his experiencing any pain. An
other student. who was In this manner
fastened to a chair or pinned 20 the
floor, became quite angry over the awk-
wArdness Of his situation" The parallelism
between these cases and the story OF the
fair who pinned a whole officers mess to
their chairs must be perceived Immediately.
The influence of suggestion, though for ages
understood and made use of in India, is
only of late at all comprehended by west
ern men of science, but the revolutions al
ready made are of so surprising a character
as to revolutionize mental science.
A few salient examples may be given of
what is shown co be possible with hypnot-
10 subjects. There seems to be literally no
limit to the impressions which can be
made upon these persons, and, what Is
most remarkable Is that the sensorial
and perceptive organs adapt themselves
with instantaneous rRpidity to the sugges-
tious given, no matter how these sug-
gestions may appear to transcend natural
laws. Thus, In highly interesting case
reported by DIR. Kraft Ebing of the Royal
University Of Graz, Austria, the patient
was told on one occasion that a certain per-
son had left the room and would be absent
such a time. The person really did not
leav the room at all, bus from the moment
the suggestion Of his departure was made to
the patient she ceased to see him. He be-
came literally and actually invisible to her,
and even W hen he touched her she could not
feel the contact. The operation of sugges-
ton is thus described by DR.. Bjornstrom:
1.-THE hypnotized person Is told: 'Look!'
There is a bird on your tablet AS soon as
the words are spoken he sees the bird and
feels 10 with his fingers; he can even hear it
sing. Thus the mere word creates hallu-
cination, produced by the fact that the
word bird and the image of the bird are
always connected with each other by an as
ISOLATION Of ideas"
But in some cases it is not necessary to
make verbal suggestions; a mental suggss-
ton is sufficient to hallucinate the patient.
Now, IL is clear that II tho theory Of Marco
Polo is really one of hynotio suggestion, or
of suggestion without hypnotism, it must
also have been one OF mental and not verbal
suggestion.
As to the realism Of the Authorizations
produced by these methods, the expert
menrs OF Charcot, Liegeois, Liebault, etc,
have developed many really astonishing
facts, of which as yet no explanation Of a
satisfactory character has been found. For
example, a blank white card was shown to
a hypnotic subject, and she was told that a
portrait was upon It. Then she card was
mixed with several others, and turned