Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-06-09
CURED BY HYPNOTIsM.
Tob.ooosm Smokers Sometimes Yield
to the Power of Suggestion

Slaves 70 the Habit for Nearly Half
Century suooumb to the Magic
Influence OF = MAnIpaiA-
tor of Nom.
Hypnotic influence may be made to
serve innumerable uses. Among the
very latest is that Of taking away the
taste for smoking. All confirmed smok-
ers know what absolute suffering is in
yolved in an attempt to forego the cigar,
pipe and cigarette. They may, there
fore, be relied upon to take peculiar in
terest in two cases recently treated by
a specialist abroad, the details of which
go to prove that II q man desires to rid
himself of the smokers habit and other
methods fail hypnotic suggestion" is
capable Of achieving the desired result.
The first case, says the New York
Herald, is that Of q smoker sixty-three
years old, who was a slave to tobacco.
He began the habit at sixteen, and con-
tinued it, without a break, for forty
seven years. He Lit up as soon as he
awoke in the morning, and until he fell
asleep ut night there were few intervalN
in which he was not vigorously engaged
in blowing u cloud. He had made some
attempts during recen years to moder-
ate his passion for tobacco, but without
success. The warnings Of his physicians
were in vain.
They went so far as to tell him that
he was showing symptoms of u lesion
of the stomach, which might turn into
n cancer, and that this was due simply
to his abuse of the weed. They also
promised him a complete cure If he
would only stop smoking. But it was
OF no use. After making one or two
. Intellectual attempts he resigned him
self to the inevitable, and smoked more
obstinately than ever.
At this stage the hypnotizer-that ma
gician OF modern medicine-appeared
on tho scene. He offered to try the
effects of suggestion. After some hest
tation, the smoker consented. He be-
lieved himself n doomed man, but he
was willing to give this last chance of
salvation n trial:
The doctor held up the index finger
OF his left hand. In less than three
minutes the patient wa fully hypno-
tized. Then the suggestion was made
to him: Your desire for smoking no
longer exists. From this moment YOU
will not give another thought to to-
bacco. You will smoke no more cigars,
cigarettes or pipes. You will refuse ali
tobacco, cigars or cigarettes that may
be offered you by your friends. To-
bacco will disgust you"
The patient joyously announced the
next day that he had not smoked since,
n that he had no desire to do so.
TO ascertain" said the doctor, in his
account of the treatment, whether he
WINS resolved, in accordance with the
suggestion Of the day before. to refuse
any offer Of tobacco made to him by
another person, l took n box Of cigar
cites out of my pocket and offered him
one. He gave n decided refusal. I
begged him to try u smoke, but he
would not. Then l lit n cigarette in
his presence, and, leaving the opep box
in front OF him, went on TO talk OF
other matters, but he did not make n
single allusion to tobacco. He seemed
to have forgotten all about it."
a friend called n few days later to
see the former smoker, and, knowing
nothing Of what had taken place, Of
fered him n cigar. 1t was at once re-
fused, and further the hypnotic subject
proceeded, much to the others aston
ishment, to make n present to his friend
of all his own remaining cigars, de-
claring II n he could no longer bear
the sight Of them. The doctor con-
cludes the history of the case by saying
that the cure has been permanent.
The other instance of this novel use
OF the power of suggestion varied in
some interesting details from the first.
The patient was n man of forty-six.
who was an inveterate cigarette smoker.
lie had begun when fourteen years old
AMI smoked on an average of twenty
cigarettes n day. He felt that his
health was suffering, and last October
he was hypnotized Mt his own request.
The suggestion made to him while in
the hypnotic state was:
"four desire for smoking has dis
appeared. You will smoke no moro
cigars or cigarettes, and will accent
none from others. II you try to smoke
u cigarette you will be ill.,"
The hypnotism took place in tho
morning. h same afternoon the pa
tient felt n desire to smoke. No sooner
did he try to do so than he was affect
ed with a feeling OF nausea and with
construction of the throat. lie was
obliged to throw away the cigarette,
which he had only just lighted.
lie made no further attempt to smoke
that evening, but the following dav bc
tried on three occasions, and each timc
with the same unpleasant consequences,
SO far the suggestion had ONLY par.
tiaily influenced him. The next dav-
the third--it ceased to influence him nj
Oil, and he was able to smoke again as
comfortably as ever.
forthwith he was hypnotized again,
n the first suggestion WINS ronc9ted
Inc result OF the second attempt wa
an that could be desired, for from that
tlme 70 the present the patient has not
q Thrifty Prince.
emperor Williams little sons In.