The record-union., 1894-07-13
USES OF FEAR.
A Famous Physician Who Makes It
Help His Operations.
Nervous People Over Whom the Sensa-
ton Acts Much In the Manner
of Hypnotism.

"Have you ever heard of the hypnotlsm
of fear ?" was question put TO reporter
OF the New York Sun by physician the
other day.
The reporter said that be did not un-
derstand the meaning OF the question.
"Well.'' said The physician, Il don't
know that / would understand it if l had
not had an illustration. Among my pa
tients was a little girl who had had con-
siderable trouble with one OF her eyes.
This finally resulted in the development
of tumor on the inner side of the upper
lid. 1t was necessary to remove this
tumor, and there would have been no
special difficulty about this. although it
required a delicate operation. if it had not
been for the child's temperament AS 1t
happened. the child was exceptionally
nervous; in fact, SO extremely sensitive
was she that merely an examination OF
her eye would set her into the most vio-
lent Mysteries Even the pointing OF
ones finger at her made her trembie like
leaf, and, as she was physically weak
anyhow, her parents very properly
dreaded the proposed operation very
much. l finally decided TO send her to
one of the leading eye experts, whose
fame is known abroad as well as III this
country. He made careful examina-
ton, and decided that ii would be neces-
sary to put the child under the influence
of ether i'll order to perform the opera
ton.
NOW I want to say right here that
while believe in expert physicians, it
has been my experience that sometimes
they are led by their theories into doing
foolish things. When the parents told
me that this physician had suggested the
use of ether, l Immediately concluded
that he had devoted all his attention to
tue consideration of the operation itself,
and had not given proper thought TO the
nervous and weak condition of the
patient knew the child very much
| better than he did, and felt that tie adj
Ininistration OF ether to her would be
very dangerous. | told the parents of the
child frankly what l thought, and they
agreed withsme. 1t then occurred to me
to call upon the services of another
oculist with whom l was acquainted,
whom knew to be very skillful man.
/ also knew, however, that he was in
clined to be overbearing and somewhat
cranky, and it was not without mlsgiv-
ings that I called him into the case.
However, we all went into the office the
next day. He looked at the child care
fully and then proceeded to bring out
lot of instruments, which he placed upon
the table.
"'What are you going to do?' asked
him.
"'I am going to remove that tumor,' he
said.
"'But do you understand how sensi-
tive and nervous this child is p asked
him.
"'Yes,' he replied abruptly. We'll fix
that
"Then, turning to the parents. he said
in rough, almost brutal, way:
"'Now, look here! l don't want you
to interfere or say anything one way or
the other. Pm not going to hurt the
child, but don't want any Interruptions
from you. Pm in charge of this.'
He did not say a word to the child,
but led her up to his chair and sat down,
taking her between his knees. He
calmly examined his instruments and
assuming an air of great severity, he
said to the child: Now, keep your hands
down. Look down. Don't move'
before the child knew it the lid had
been turned up. The child gasped and
made an involuntary motion.
stop that or Pll box your ears!' he
yelled savagely.
"rhere was a quick motion of the
knife, another gasp by the child, and the
operation was over. The usually nervous
patient appeared to be paralyzed. The
tears and hysteria were all there, but her
power to give vent to them was abso-
lutely restrained by fear. She trembled
like leaf, but that was all. A little
bathing of the eye was all that was nec-
essary to complete the work. / really
have not given you an accurate idea Of
how quickly it was all done. L was almost
aghast myself When it was over the
humor of the situation struck me, and /
said to him:
"Well, now what do you call that?'
That he replied, as he calmly wiped
his instrument. was what may be called
the hypnotisn of fear. 1t is wonderful
thing when you have a nervous patient
and delicate operation. / learned that
from great German physician. He had
patient with cataract in his eye. No
anesthetic could be used in this case, and
yet it was necessary TO perform the opera
ton. The physician was q great expert
with the knife, but of course the pain of
such an operation was too great to per-
NIT of its being performed successfully
without anesthetlcs under ordinary con-
ditions. Now what do you suppose he
did? Just this. He had the patient sit
in chair in front of him, unconscious of
the fact that the operation was about to
be performed. Then he walked up to
him with knife concealed in his hand.
Look up" be said to him. The man
looked up. Then the physician drew off
with his disengaged hand and gave him
most violent box on the ear Before the
patient had recovered from his astonish-
ment and the pain of the blow the opera
ton had been performed.'D