Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-10-01
WONDERS OF HYPNOTISM
MARVELLOUS EFFECTS OF A PLY
sICIAE'5 EXPERIMENTS.
Pain Entirely Subdued by the torct
OF Will Power-ActIve and Pas
siye Patients.

lUe arena, DIT. d. ~. ioNcI Bays
DIR. Hamilton Osgood related "a
NE manv instances where extraordinary
cures have followed positive suggestion
male to the patient. when In a perfectly
normal condition. Asa 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. il the reader will now follow me-
l will describe as l personally witnessed
it, some few weeks since, at the HON
for Incurables. ia the beautiful suburban
town of Ashmont.
During this visit DR.. Osgood hypEo
tized twelve patients. In each instance
the experiment proved completely sue
cessful. la many cases the patient
yielded readily to the doctors sugges
ton; in others it required a few mo
ments to bring the invalid's will er
.lrely under the domination Of the ply.
%sician's viii. although it must be remein.
bered that 10 all instances the patients
We're %hvpnotizei at their express desire.
To me there was sometnin, thrilling,
startling, and terrible in this spectacle
Of a human mind instantly yielding to ,
Will more royal than his own; becomtn.
u willing vassai, with ears attuned to u!
voice save the regal master whose slight.
est wish Incomes absolute law.
The general appearance of a subject in
the hypnotic trance is that Of a natlrai
sleep, although, sometimes, when in ,
profound s%luinber. one is reminded of u
patient .uuder the Influence of ether.
There are present, however, these Pc,
cnliarites in the hypnotic trance:
The subject, if in a profound sleep. II
absolutely at the command OF the
operator; at II suggestion from him tho
entire body ia as lnsensible to pain as if
perfectly etheliz.d; at his command tia
body instantly becomes AS rigid as If all
life had departed at his suggestion til.
c%reatin. aud hears, perchance, the raw
ishiug strains Of celestial melody. In
this realm Of dreams he banquets aud
r%evels, while perhaps y limb is being
amputated. And vet at the voice OF the
intelli2ent operator he instantly returns
to q nornal condition, provided the
operator himself never for a moment
doubts his ability to awaken the subject.
AS l noted before. some patients YIELD
much more readily than others. 1t wa
indeed interesting and curious to wit.
ness the subtle and inherent traits of diff
terent patients, even in the Moment
when the patients will-power was mo-
mentarily yielding more and more to the
hypnotizer. Thus the first subject hyn.
Noticed by DR.. Osgool had expressed
his desire to be 50 treated, and
has described at len5th tae trou DE
from which he was suffering. really
saw that he was one Of those numeroul
individuals who derive their greatest 10,
from fault-inding and complaining,
chronic objector-aud l observed wit
considerable curiosity the doctor;
method of putting him to sleep. AS
had anticipated, he involuntary resiste
the physician suggestions for a minut;
or two. For example, after he ha,
been partially hypnotlzed, DR.. o. said;
"iour eyes are heavy. 1t is difficul,
for you to raise your lids" He, with a,
effort, kept his eyes open for a moment,
and later, when the doctor said, ''Yot
cannot open your eyes," he strove to do
20 and a CLEAN Of triumph lit his coun
tenance when he succeeded, though tn,
heavy lids fell back almos, instantly
and when the affirmation was repeate.
he made no furthur effort, being alread1
F.! IN a deep sleep.
The next subject was a passive, mild
manpered man. The doctor did no
even look hlm ia the eve, but simDl,
suggested sleep most positively to him,
after which he lightly touched his brow
between the eyes, and he was in a deer
slumber, from which he did not awak,
until a half hour later, when the doctO,
loosened the bonds By q single word.
In another ward, a boy of fourteen o,
fifteen years of a re, afflicted with double
hlpJoint disease, complained of grea,
snti-rin". One foot was 40 painful and
3raWn Ii that he could not touch sh.
fopt witnit. lie walked on two crutches
lie ilad newer been ~hypnotlzad, although
he had on Various occasions seen a mum
Der OF patients SO treated. He was re
qnes;cd 10 retire to AT adjoining room,
which he dld witt. great pain and con
Siderable efort. After seeing that h
was comfortably piacei on a couch O
bed. the doctor said In a kindly vet yer,
positive tone:
LOOK me the ewes. Now do no
think OF me; turn yonr thoughts Anward
Think Of sleep. No! Do not ALLOW
yonr eyes 70 wander from me; look a
me stea lily, bat do not not think Of me
tnIuk 0t sleep. You know how DELIGHT
iui the sensation is when you are con
scions that you are drifting into a rest
iul sleep"
Yes said the patient Ian guidly. an.
i saw that the spell was already upo.
him.
"Neil. 'hink about it, think nov
i"veiE 1t l>-'hat passing away mt
sleep Here the doctor touched .n
forehead between the eyes. NOW yo.
are gong to steep. Your eyes are heavy
You are feelp- very sleeav. You An
going TO sleep. You cauno. open vol