The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-26
HYPNOTISM AS A SCIENCE
Ii Is Pursued and Practiced by Num-
Der oflnyestigatOrso of Indianapolis.
C. c. Deitch. Who is Something Of an Expert.
Gives His Views of the Danger OF Making
Experiments-POst-Byp Suggestions.

People in general have little idea TO what
an extent bypnotism is practiced in In
dianapolis. Ii would be strange if city SO
thoroughly permeated with circles framed
for the purpose of pursuing various intel
lectual fads and cults as 10 the Hoosier hub
would not find within itself many people
anxious TO investigate this mysterious
psychic relation and it's phenomena. There
are in the city no less than dozen little
lotteries whose members occupy not a little
OF their leisure time in the study OF bypno-
tism. and several of them have developed
into expert and scientific By pnotists. One
of the most advanced of these Is Mr. C. Z.
DeItch. or bud" as he is known among a
large.cIrcle of intimafes. A few days ago
tho Journal sought an interview with HIM
on the subject. but he preferred to put his
ideas upon paper himself and prepared the
following:
The majority of people believe that
anyone capable of hypnotiZing another to
be endowed with a supernatural power and
only those persons possessing the grit can
exercise the power of hypnotisIn. All such
thoughts erroneous. The science or
hypnotizIng ordinary subjects IS SO simple
that it seems absurd To talk OF teaching 1t
10 person OF ordinary inteingence: TO see
IL done few times is 10 be able to do IL
oneself. But because one is able to put
another TO sleep. it does not necessarily
follow that the person operating has
mastered the science OF hypnotisID, tor the
putting TO sleep of person IS only the b
of the science. Bringing the person out
of the sleep again in as good condition or
better than when he was put under the in
HueEce Is W here the true science of hypno-
-tism begins. 1t ought TO be understood
that hypDotism recklessy play ed with Is
capable or doing very serious mischief. 1t
Is the duty OF the scientific investigator OF
the phenomena TO warn the public OF the
serious risks " hich are being run. In writ
ing this article ! will not attempt TO give
my Owl personal observations. but will at
tempt To show what the most learned
practitioners OF the science say upon the
subject.
Il am convinced that bypnotism is an
agent requiring careful handling in many
cases. This was brought home to a med
zeal TREND In this city whose experience -
worth recording. lie was attending a lady
suffering from bronchitis. Dom piicated with
asthma and a weak and fatty heart. He
Thought TO quiet her spssmodic attacks by
suggestion, and he induced u state or pro-
found hypnosis with great facility. He
continued to suggest easier and Quieter
breathing. and was pleased TO see how
the patient responded. and how respiration
became more ana more tranquil. lie nad
not by pnotiZed many people, and looked
upon the process az being quite unattend-
ed with risk, until the breathing. having
become more and more feeble suddenly
stopped altogether and the heart beat be-
came Imperceprible. My friend feared the
patient would have dIed-the first victim of
hypnotic suggestI0D-and was intensely
renewed when the spasmoGic breathing was
again heard.
The real dangers are the increased ten
dency to hypnosis and heightened sls-
cepti0ility 10 suggestion IN the waking
state. j. e., the possibility OF new hyp-
nosis against the subjects VIII. perhaps
without he suspecting it. and the danger
of his accepting external suggestion in the
waking state-suggestons even without
hypnosis. 1t is this too great suscepti-
billty to hypnosis which shows us how
careful we should De In employing some of
the modes of producing q hypnosis. For
instance. the fiashlIght, revolving mirrors
and the Braid system OF hypnOtzing by
looking steadily at some bright object.
which Is the frequent cause of this. for
cidentaily fixing the eyes on some bright
object may cause sudden hypnosis simply
because the idea of a earlier hypnosis is
thereby wildly recalled.
"One of the great dangers of hypnotism
IL post hypnotic sugRestlons. that Is. the
carrying out In the fuJure OF any sugges-
ton whatsoever the operator may make.
We have case of this kind which hap
pened In Los Angeles. Cal. A hypn0tiZer
named Nirvor Tyndall by pnotized young
man named Frank Steiner, a bookkeeper.
Tyndall. after placing Steiner under the
hypnotic influence, put lead pencil IN his
hand and told him he was Jack the Rip
per- He tben directed him to woman In
the audience whom he told him to stab.
Steiner did as he was bid and continued
the harmless stabbiBg process until stop
ped by Tyndall. who then told him that he
had Killed the woman and asked him If he
was not sorry. The young man said he
was and shed tears copiously. Then Tyn-
dali gave him post hypnotic suggestion
To be- carried out the next morning at
even o'clock The suggestion was Mt
IL O'Clock. The next day he should 60 to
the police station. confess his guilt to the
Chief of police and tell him no was Jack
the Ripper The young man passed the
night IN his usual state of sleep and
arose a. If nothing had happened.
lie went to his work without
display ing any signs of hypnotic infiuence.
AS the hour approached. howover.s he ex-
bibited high state of nervousness and
was by his physician advised to comb the
influence and 70 TO the country for day or
two. A few minutes before ii O'Clock the
young man in pitiful state of nervous ex-
element sized knife and started for the
police station. Arriving there. he danced
about. tiourlshIng his knife, and declared
bo was Jack the Ripper and had come TO
confess that he had murdered a woman the
night before. He was shaking violently,
his face was bloOdless and eyes wild. Sow
eral men seized him but could not hold
him, no called wildly for the chief and
when that officer made his appearance he
IN n tragic manner narrated what he had
done and stated he had come TO give him.
self MP. An effort made to get the
knife from him by force but though there
was q severe struggle it was not successful.
IyndaIl was cent tor and few raps o the
head by him put the young man in an hyp-
potic sleep. When brought to the yonng
man was completely Frustrated and had To
be taken to hospital and placed under
physician's care.
such cases rs the above are OF rare but
are of frequent occurrence. There was
similar one III Cincinnati couple OF years
ago. When a young lady was hypnoptized
by an acquaintance q post hypnotic sug-
gestIon was made which as TO De carried
out the next day. She was TO take the
identity of her brother. who was a book
keeper. The next morning she put on q
suit of her brothers clothes. and repaired
20 his place of business To assume his duties
as bOokkeeper. She created quite n sensa-
ton. both by her attire and peculiar
actions. until IL WAS discovered that she
was under hypnotic influence. She was
taken home, several physicians called in,
and with the best medical attention i was
several days before she resumed her normal
condition"
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