The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-09-07
HYPNOTISM and CRIME.
The Subject Discussed by the
Medico-Legal Congress. =
WIDE DIVERGENCE OF OPINION.

A baltimore Physician Tells Of Having
CAUSED n Rank Cashier to steal sA5, 900
while Hypnotissd-The Deadly Baotsris
rs an Instr ument Of Murder.
NEW YORK, Sept TAT the medico legal
congress DR.. Gibier said that bncteriology
should be very carefplly considered from
criminal point Of view, bacteria could
be used more easily and with more certain
deadly results by murderers than arsenic,
hntimony or any other poison. bacteria
could be turned" said he, "to more deadly
account than dynamite. Any plague or
disease could be introduced by the mere
throwing In water or milk OF cultivated
baccilis. Bacteriologists should keep their
civilizations as carefully locked up and un-
der watch as their persons"
The afternoon session was opened with
the reading Of a paper by Clark Bell on
hypnotism in the courts of law Mr.. Bell
sent letter to several prominent physi-
clans. asking:
Can crime be committed by the hypno-
tizer, the subject being the unconscious
and innocent agent and instrumenti If
the subject Is unconscious, and even un-
wiling, has the hypnotizer such power
and domination over the hypnotlzcd as
could control action to the extent of the
commission of crimef Is 1t possible to
remove by hypnotic suggestion from the
mind of the subject all memory Of acts or
occurrences which happen In tho hypnotic
statef Would it be possible for hypno-
tizer to so control a hypnotized subject as
to- for example, make him sign will in
the presence Of q third person, declare 1t
TO be his will, and to request them to sign
as attesting witnesses, and be afterward
boil %
note of hand or checkr'
Replies in the affirmative were received
from several eminent professors, while
others, conceding that persons in q hyp-
motto state are constantly amenable to con-
troll by suggestion, denied that hypnotism
has any place In criminal jurisprudence as
a defense for crime. Mr.. Bell pointed out
that it appeared that tho majority of med
ical men in this country did not recognize
hypnotic trance as an existing fact. Tho
lawyers and judges were on the same
ground as the doctors. In the countries OF
Europe the contrary was the fnot, and men
of the highest character and professional
attainments devoted their best efforts to
its study and elucidation. As 1t WAS with
the professional men, 30 1t was with the
people.
Professor Carl Sextus, Of Chicago, wrote
made to do criminal acts under hypnotic
influence, but not person of real moral
worth.
DIR. William Lee Howard, Of Baltimore,
said that hypnotism was reality. He
gave several instances Of hypnotized per-
sons in Baltimore, including his own
servant, whom no sent to neighboring
physicians to steal everything the doctor
had. He restored the fellow while he had
the articles still in his possession. The
doctor confessed ii affected the mans brain
somewhat, but he always took care, except
on this occasion, to get the subject back
into IA good mental state before he COM
pletely restored him. The doctor also
hypnotized bank cashier and made him
steal $4,000 He performed an operation
in the Johns Hopkins university with the
patient under hypnotic influence. Hyp-
notism was Invaluable as corrector Of
morals.
DIR. Grover, of Massachusetts, told Of
young lady In Boston who had a tendency
to tuberculosis being cured by hypnotic
influence.