Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-11
HYPNOSIS.

Professor Laddss Lecture In Osborn Hall Yesterday-Ihe Hall Packed to the Doors.
 Yesterday afternoon at o'clock Profes- sor Ladd delivered another of his popular lectures on Hypnosis Room Al, Osborn hall was packed to the doors with people anxious to learn about this subject, which is at present attracting so much notice in scientific circles. Professor Ladd opened his discourse with a few general remarks on Hypnosis, saying that he did not think that any sane person of the average physi cal and mental strength of man could be put under the influence of the hypnotist against his will, and that he considered that all exhibitions of the phenomenon in public for pay should be prohibited by law. He then introduced the special sub ject which was chosen for the lecture: "The Methods and Manner in Which Hypnosis is Produced" He said:
 ''I do not propose to give any definite recipe for use by all, whereby hypnosis may be produced, but rather to make a ! manners in which this most wonderful phenomenon is evolved. One of the prin- l cipal ways by which a person becomes | hypnotized is by suggestion. A person of l weak mental power or possibly one who 1 may have been hypnotized before, allows the spell to steal over him and then at the mere suggestion of the hypnotizer will do his will. A hypnotic sleep may also be produced by fixing the eyes on some un- Interesting object placed in a posi- tion, where it will necessitate the | ak- @e Iha af hn eye. It is quite wonderful what a fatigue this will produce to keep the eyes fixed on such an object for length of time and by the very monotonousness of the effort one will gradually fall into a sleep. Some persons are very susceptible to sleep when near ripping stream or on the shore of the sea. The same effect is produced by the picking of 8 banjo. Passes as a manner of producing hypnosis were much used by Mesmer, who founded that system called mesmerism, since merg. ed into hypnotism by De Braire. Com mands given in strong, firm voice that answer convey to the hynnotized person the suggestion that the thing must be done. An inter asting story is told of Brahmin from India who came to France and taught the people great many things about this sub ject. It is said that after preparing his hands by violently rubbing them and mak ing passes over the subject he stepped of to some little distance and fixed his large luminous eyes on the man and pointing al hirl said in Indian 'Sleep thou" In two or three minutes the man was asleep. Il is said that people who used to sit for thei1 picture years ago before the invention oi the instantaneous photograph would go te sleep in the two or three minutes they had to sit and look at some object of no inter
 est whatever, monotonously.
 Hypnosis is also produced when the mind is in state of high excitement. All instance is told of some little girls who
 sat playing with their dolls fin a low branching apple tree, when runaway horse dashed up the street, throwing the wagon against telegraph pole and throwing out and seriously injuring two
 ladies' Each little girl fell from the tret
 in state of hypnosis produced by the ex
 citement.
 At the next lecture Professor Ladd vii take up the different kinds of hypnosis, in cludipg the lethargic and the cataleptic. 1 In Rocky Hill.