Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-09-30
WONDERS OF HYPNOTISM.
MARVELLOUS EFFECTS OF A PLY
SICIAN'S EXPERIMENTS.

sive Patients.
TN very interesting paper on "Hyp-
notIsm and Mental Suggestion" in
the Arena, Mr.. B. o. Flower says:
DIR. Hamilton Osgood related to
me many instances where extraordinary
cures have followed positive suggestion
made to the patient when in perfectly
normal condition. As 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,
l will describe as personally witnessed
it, some few weeks since, at the Home
for Incurables, in the beautiful suburban
town of Ashmont.
During this visit DIR. Osgood hypno-
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 few mo-
ments to bring the invalid's will en-
tirely under the domination of the ply
eician's will, although it must be remem-
Sered 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 human mind instantly yielding to a
will more royal than his own; becoming
a willing vassal, with ears attuned to no
voice save the regal master whose slight
est wish becomes absolute law.
The general appearance of subject in
the hypnotic trance is that of natural
sleep, although, sometimes, when in a
profound slumber, one is reminded of a
patient under the influence of ether.
There are present, however, these Pc
culiarites in the hypnotic trance:
The subject, if in a profound sleep, is
absolutely at the command of the
operator; at a suggestion from him the
entire body is as insensible to pain as if
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 limb is being
amputated. And yet at the voice of tEs
intelligent operator he instantly returns
to normal condition, provided the
operator himself never for a moment
doubts his ability to awaken the subject,
As noted before, some patients yield
much more readily than Others. 1t was
indeed interesting and curious to wit
ness the subtle and inherent traits of diff
ferent patients, -egcn in the moment
when the patients will-power was mo-
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 the trouble
from which he was suffering. | really
saw that he was one of those numerous
individuals who derive their greatest JOY
from fault finding and complaining-a
chronic objector-and l observed with
considerable curiosity the doctors
method of putting him to sleep. As
had anticipated, he involuntary resisted
the physicians suggestions for minute
or two. For example, after he had
been partially hypnotized, DR.. O. said:
"Your eyes are heavy. 1t is difficult
for you to raise your lids" He, with an
effort, kept his eyes open for a moment,
and later, when the doctor said, "You
cannot open your eyes, he strove to do
so and CLEAN of triumph lit his coun-
tenancc when he succeeded, though the
heavy lids fell back almost instantly;
and when the affirmation was repeated
he made no furthur effort, being already
in deep sleep.
The next subject was passive, mild
mannered man. The doctor did not
even look him in the eye, but simply
suggested sleep most positively to him,
after which he lightly touched his brow
between the eyes, and he was in deep
slumber, from which he did not awake
until half hour later, when the doctor
loosened the bonds by single word.
In another ward a lady asked to be
hypnotized; her stomach was causing her
considerable pain. She had been hypno-
tized several times before, deriving great
benefit from this treatment. DR.. Osgood
requested her to look him in the eyes for
a moment. He then positively COM
manded her to 90 to sleep; to keep her
mind passive; think only of sleep, and go
to sleep. In half minute she was in a
profound slumber.
He took sharp instrument in his
hand and pricked her face and hands
several times with it, but there was
nothing to indicate that she felt in the
least degree any sensation whatever.
The doctor then suggested that her
stomach would be entirely relieved, on
her waking; and placing his hand over
her stomach for a moment, he added:
"You are now experiencing warm
sensation; the blood is now called to the
stomach, and when you wake all pain
will have Disappeared. Now sleep on
until call you" lie then passed into
some other wards, where some other wo-
men were hypnotized, two of whom re.
manned sleeping only a few minutes after
the doctor left.
As all persons who are acquainted with
hypnotsm know, there are different
stages. In some cases, the doctor in
forms me, he may hypnotic person
and keep them entirely under hypnotic