The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-07
A HYPNOTIC WONDER
DIR. ENOCH CURRIER HAS ALREADY
MADE THE DEAF TO HEAR.
Remarkable Discovery and Success
full Experiment on Man Born
without Hearing.


There is probably no man in America.
if in the world, better able from expert
ence and research to speak concerning
the work of the improvement of the con-
dition of the deaf and dumb than is Prof.
Enoch Henry Currier, NJ. A, the principal
of the great New York institution for the
Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. This
institution, which is in a large sense a
State affair, is rich, its buildings are COM
modious and splendidly planned, and, bet
ter than all, spirit of liberality pervades
it's instructors and board of directors, and
this liberal spirit has resulted in making it
pioneer in the development of methods
for the lettering of the condition of the
deaf and dumb. From this institution it
was that the world first learned how an
individual born deaf and consequently
dumb. could be taught to hear and speak,
and now comes another discovery promising
to be the greatest of all. Professor Cur
rier openly asserts over his own signature
that he is willing that hypnotism shall be
given a full opportunity to demonstrate
f what can be done through its agency to-
ward the relief of the mute. He declares it
to be his belief that wonders of which the
most enthusiastic investigator has hardly
through the of hypnotism, and bold
and progressive student as he is, is will
ing ito afford every facility for a skilled
operator to experiment on the line Sug-
gested.
Professor Currier almost took my breath
away, when. / sat in his study at
the institute few days ago looking out
upon the Hudson, he announced it to be
his belief that through the agencies Of
| hypnotism a man who has been deaf from
the day of his birth may be made to hear
distinctly.
truly" said Professor currier, when he
predicted thousands of years ago the COM
ing of the day when the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall
/ be unstopped, the tongue OF the dumb shall
. be unloosed and the lame made to run and
leap as hart My friend, this day is at hand.
nature-a force first Knocked and ridiculed.
next wondered at, now studied and made
now is heralded the news that through
hypnotism the latent senses are to be
made healthy and vigorous and the Nerves rye
erto allowed to slumber in him who through
some defect in natures processes has been
unable to operate them, are to be made to
convey messages of the mind as the electric
wires convey messages" -
stDo you mean to assert that you be-
llieve that it is possible for the hypnotic
operator to accomplish in a few short weeks
X the complete awakening of the sense of
|" sound when it has laid prone and useless
f since birth?"
ble" answered Professor Currier, speaking
q slowly and with emphasis on each word.
i Furthermore, l believe are about to
1 see 1t done. Let me show you what has
already been accomplished directly in the
same line.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT.
Z Prof. Currier rang bell upon the desk
and sent a messenger for Mr.. Jones' A
few minutes later Mr.. Jones stood before
us.
'You sent for me, sir?' he said. The
question was asked in articuated Ian
guage.
YES" answered Prof. Currier, in the
sign language II wish to show this gentle
man that it is not impossible to give to one
born a deaf mute the power of hearing
and articulation
There were several musical instruments
hanging upon the walls of Prof. Curriers'
study. Taking down a flute, he put it to
his lips and sounded several several notes upon it.
Yes answered Mr.. Jones, lit is the
music of the flute"
Currier, addressing me. Il will blindfold
this man SO that he can receive no intelli-
the observation of the eye A bandage
was placed tightly about Mr.. Jones's eyes.
l picked UP guitar and touched its strings.
What music do you hear?'' asked Prof.
Currier.
There was smile on the features of Mr..
Jones as he answered, 1T is the music of
We'll said !, after Mr.. Jones had re-
It all asout You don @ean to tell me
that this is, man is under hypnotic influences.
Wait and hear
This man, Mr.. Charles Jones is now
forty years old. He was born deaf as a
stone. For twenty-eight years sound
ever reached his brain thraugh the vibra-
tons of the tympanum OF the ear con-
Quoted by the delicate auditory nerves to
the mind. Deafness was accompanied, as
is always the case in such instances, with
dumbness well. Being unable to hear
and comprehend spoken language the vocal
which q
sounds into speech. Twelve years ago we
tbs instrumentality of the audiphone and
the conical hearing tube. The idea that
rhrougn the agency or some such ih 5su+
sensibilities of the auditory nerve until it
became useful and valuable part of the
system was an idea of my own, and the
instruments by which we have wrought
the results which / have demonstrated 20
you here were of my invention.
WAS BORN DEAF
1.-THE deafness of MIR. Jones was what is
known to US as abolition of function, a
prenatal paralysis, / shall call it, in order
that I may be readily understood, of the
| auditory nerve. While the organs of the
unborn child were yet undergoing the pro-
| cesses of formation the impinging of some
| foreign substance upon the forming blood
| corpuscles deprived this nerve of it's full
development and vitality. We now estimate
that fully 16 per cent. of the cases of total
| deafness and consequent dumbness are due
| to prenatal paralysis of this kind. Some
| claim that the per centage is even greater
| / here fearlessly say that in almost, if not
every case of this kind. there are latent
senses of hearing which have slumbered only
| because the brain of the afflicted person
/ has not will power enough to'call this nerve
| into service as a means of communication
/ between the tympanum and the mind. What
| does this nerve require in order that IT
| may be brought into service a useful
| member of the system? Plainly, all that
| II needs is more strength. With this ii
| will perform the function for which it was
| called into existence. Give ii strength which
| 1t should have possessed, but never did,
| 1t becomes an assistant to the WILL and
| that function is able to command
| ii and make it useful in conveying it's or
| ders to the organs of hearing
| In the case of Mr.. Jones We have de-
| veloped the latent sensiblties of this
nerve exercise. The nerve has been exer-
| cised, however, from without, through the
| aid of the audphone and the conical hear
ing tubes. 1t has taken us twelve years
/ to produce the results which l have dem
| onstrated to you. Now, suppose we exer-
| from within Suppose we increase the pow
| er of the will to flash it's messages over
this rusty wire at the same time that we
! increase the sensibilties of the wire to re-
] ceive the commands, the nerve be-
| comes messenger.
| Twelve years ago when / advanced
the theory of the possibility of develop
/ ing the latent sensibilitieS of the prena ally
| paralyzed auditory nerve / was met with