The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-25

co9oo. that 10 - o4Y. N the cas- 0l paAseuts
Who are more predisposed; = slight shock
ton. due. no doubt. 20 the sudden con.
traction Of some muscle or system OF
muscles, and the patient falls into .
deep sleep, breathing hard. He 10
then completely insensible. and apt
for the reception Of suggestion. He
is IN the dssps.s Piss q ,s hypnT,.,m , n
command, without passes or gestures OF
any kind sufices. ct least where the doc
tor has 70 do with subjects who have often
been hypnotixed. With these he has but
70 say, Go to sleep" aud they fall At once
into hypnotic stats Of greater or lesser
protonndity: Or Luys -: n6res h.. IN, me
power, and both Charcot and Encausse. a.
we'll a Col. Rachas. are Obliged TO en-
force their commands with certain ges-
lures of the hands And influence of the
eyes.
trance. however affected. -. according to
the hypnotic school. apt to receive sugRes-
ton. Though apparently asleep his mind
is intensely receptive ana can understand
and remember commands which. received
in this state, he will consider 50 iupera-
tive - TO strain every atom Of his will
pover to execute, either at once. or at the
exact time at which the command was to
state is endowed with . vastly increased
power of perception. that is to say. he
hears, feels and sees much better than in
his ordinary state; but ut the same time
his will power and even his intelligence
are totally surrendered to the operator
both for the period during which he is in
the trance, and to y certain extent also
afts. the hypnotic influence has passed
away.
The exact words Of DR.. Luys in regard
to this, as expressed IN one of his lectures,
are ~ follows:
From the social point Of view. these
new states Of instantaneous loss Of con-
seriousness into which hypnotic or merely
fascinated subjects may be made to pass
deserve to he considered with lively inter
est. As shall have to explain to you
later, the individual in these novel condi-
t,ons no longer belongs to himself; he is
surrendered, an inert being. to the enter
prise of those who surround him. At ono
moment in the passive stage in this con-
dition of lethargy or OF catalepsy he Is alb
soiutely defenseiess and exposed to any
criminal attempt on the part of those
who surround him. He can be poisoned
and mutiated. Where a woman is con-
cerned she may be subjected to cruel
or even criminal treatment without hav-
ing the smallest recollection of what
has passed after she has awakened.
state Of lucid somnam bulism. and even In
the condition of simple fascination. the
subject may be exposed to the influence
directing his actions. He may be in
duced to become homicide. an incendiafy
or suicide. and all these impulses de-
posted in his brain during sleep become
forces stored up silently, which will burst
forth at a given moment with the precis-
ion. accuracy Of performance. and auto
matte impetuosity Of acts performed by
the really insane. Gentlemen, bear this
well in mind: all these acts. all these pine
nomena unconsciously accomplished, are
IN mere vague apprehensions and vain
you may meet with this very day in Or
binary life. They are apt to develop, and
to appear around you and before you in
the most inexplicable manner"
This is indeed one of the most danger
Gus features OF hypnotism, that being.
apparently in perfect possession of him.
self, may be forced to do things by the
trance condition, . fatal edict which he
does not in the least remember. but 10
constrained mechanically to obey. No
remedy has been suggested for this. other
than that q person has no more need to
allow himself to be hypnotized, il he fear
that it may lead to his being forced to
commit or suffer criminal acts, than he
need allow himself to drink. DR.. Luys
and his confreres insist that, unjust as it
may appear, the plea of having acted ire
sponsibly under the effect of hypnotic
suggestion cannot, the safety of society
being involved, be admitted as an excuse
more than that of drunkenness. Exam
pies Of the slavery of the patient to sugges-
tons received in q trance, have been given
over and over again at the lectures at the
Charlie hospital. In certain cases. how
ever. the moral power OF the patient seems
to get the better of the power of command,
that Is to say, of his desire to obey the
suggestion Of the person under whose in
fuence he is acting. and violent struggle
generally ends In convulsion.
Fortunately for the science of hyp-