The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-26

Who. Though Lacking sight. Performs
Surgical Operations His Wonderful
Control Of Men.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
Boston. July 14.-One of the most re-
markable men In this city Is DIR. James
r. Cooke. He Is remarkable in several
respects. The one which appeals most
strongly to popular interest. perhaps,
Is this. that. though absolutely blind
from the time he was six days old. he
has surmounted the ordinary difficult
ties In the path Of a medical education
and was able to graduate with very
high honors from one OF the leading
medical schools Of the country, and to-
day has a practice that is both profit
able and of high standing.
The curative properties Of hypnotism,
or the service that hypnotism may rem
der to medical men in the cure of GER
tain forms Of disease, mental and bodi-
ly, has especially interested DR.. Cooke.
In the first place. he thinks that the
term "hypnotism" is a misnomer II
have never seen hypnotized person
whose condition was identical with that
Of sleep" He defines hypnotfam as a
self-induced condition, not dependent
upon any occult power Of the operator,
and in speaking OF this. adds: "The
real danger Of hypnotism lies in the
fact that. owing to the mystery that
surrounds it, it may. in the imaginative
and enthusiastic. produce by its very
mystery disturbed condition Of the
mind similar to NJ not identical with
the condition of religious monomania." )"
He believes hybnotism an assisting
curative agent In these diseases, for in
stance: the opium habit, alcoholism.
functional nervous disturbances. such
as writer's cramp, etc, and imperative
also be employed to advantage in
breaking up certain vicious habits and
unnatural practices"
Faith Of an Important Element.
The element Of faith Is very i'm
portant one In the production Of hypno-
tIsm. 1t Is this element when misused
that makes hyprptism very danger
Gus thing. The doctor says that "the
dangers OF public exhibitions, made lu-
!,
should be condemned by all intelligent
people, not from the danger OF hypno-
ttsm in itself so much as from the LA
bility Of the performers to disturb the
mental poise Of that large mass OF i'll
balanced individuals which make up
no inconslderable part OF society.
1T has often beesrD said that the bor-
der line between sanity and insanity 4,
not sharply drawn, and persons study.
ing this class Of phenomena Intelligent
ly are soon made to realize the force of
the saying. the irsane people are not
all In the madhouses only Men and
women walk our streets with impulses
OF hOmicidal mania, with tendencies to
suicide. and carry about with them all
sorts OF curious morbid ideas. In the
study l. have made OF hypnotIsm and
the state Stimulating It I have indeed
been astonished to find how mary
strange impulses per:ons apparently
sane carry about with them for years,
scarcely daring to admit them to them
selves much less to cOnflde them to
their friends"
DIR. Cookies experience in applying
hypnotism to the cure OF dipaomani
(chronic drunkenress) has been quite
interesting. In twelve years he has
treated 159 persons, 124 Of them men.
They ranged in age from 10 to GA years.
an average Of 45. The total number
benefited by hypnotism as curative
agent in connection with other reme-
dies wa9 thirty-seven, about % per
cent. The cases apparently totally
cured were twenty-nine In number.
about IL per cent. The total number
treated by hypnotism alone was fifteen.
the totll cured by hypnotism alone was
FIVE.