Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-11-29

about TITO to 1795. The mere fact tha the words mesmerize and mesmerism, coined in his honor, have endured the wear and tear of more than a century bears witness to the power of the mans personality.
 The expressions animal magnetism and personal magnetism were his crea-
 tions and are as much in vogue to-day as in his luxurious parlors on the Place Vendome. He seems to have known P.
 T. Barnum's great principle that 'hu- man nature loves to be humbugged and will pay for it proportionately," for the
 few scientific truths which he appre-
 hended were so weighted down with charlatanry and mummery of the idlest kind as to escape the attention of the scientific world of his time.
 Though denounced by such men as Franklin, Lavoisier and Bailly, and in after years neglected and forgotten by the people whose idol he once was, he did great work for the race despite the dishonest surroundings under which it was conducted, for, after all, modern hypnotism is nothing more nor less than mesmerism. In creating the new name scientists have only beaten about the
 bush.
 Mesmer was followed by the notori- ous imposter Cagliostro, by d'Eslon,
 Marias and, greatest, the Marquis de Puysegur. The last named had a strong
 scientific bent and early called atten- tion to mesmeric features which there tofore had been overlooked. He was undoubtedly the first to give careful study to these phenomena, which, for lack of better words, we sum up and indicate by such clumsy terms as som nambulism, clairvoyance, clairaudience, mind-reading, thought transference, will control and the like.
 Since his time comparatively little new and original work has been done in this field of research, but an immense amount has been accomplished in study ing details, ascertaining conditions and classifying phenomena. It will proba- ply surprise the reader to know that over three hundred large volumes have
 been written upon the subject by scien- tific men of high standing, and that the work goes steadily on. Among the more eminent investigators may be
 mentioned Dr. James Braid, Dr. Hack Tuck and Dr. Ireland, of England; the late Dr. George N. Beard, Dr. Grimes and Dr. William F. Hammond, of the OnlIcu oLdLeS; Baron VOn hclcnen DaCn Dr. Preyer and Prof Weinhold, of Ger many; Prof. Hansen, of Denmark; Dr. Bjornstrom, of Sweden; Prof Azam Dr. Broca, Dr. Liebault, Prof. Richet, and last in point of time, but one of the greatest in talent, Prof. Charcot, the neurologist, of France.
 When person is hypnotized he may be in any one of three states-thc cata leptic, the lethargic, or the somnambu- listic. In the first the body is immo-
 bile and apparently dead, but the muscular sense, vision, and especially hearing, retain their powers in part, if not in whole. In the lethargic state there is complete insensibility of the skin and external tissues. The third, or somnambulistic, is the one made familiar by lecturers and charlatans. There is insensibility to pain, but a quicllening of the senses to a high de- gree and remarkable sharpening of the powers of the mind.
 It is claimed by several leading hyp- \ notizers of Europe that the science can be utilized as a means of moral educa- tion. Dr. Durand, Prof. Liebault and Dr. Berillon are enthusiasts regarding this idea, and have appealed by speech and writing for it's official adoption by the French government.--Phil