St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-28
HYPNoTIsM IN DENTISTRY.
Performance of "a Difficult Opera
ton Upon Indy in Washing
tom

What was probably the first case
IN washington of the substitution
IL hypnotism for anaesthetics oc-
Cured recently at the office Of DR..
w. II. Wunder, dentist, says the
Washington Post.
The hypnotist was Nine. Macdon-
nall. who, with her husband, Prof.
John Macdonald, has been for a
number of years past engaged in
phrenology. 1t is only within a year
or two that Nine Macdonald has
taken up hypnotism, for which she
seems to possess a strong natural
tendency. In Mrs. c. A. Thomas, the
young lady who was recently oper
ated upon, she had a particularly
sensitive subject.
Mrs. Thomas has suffered for two
years past with her teeth, and the
four which We're extracted had
been broken off in previous attempts
to draw them, SO that only the roots
remained. These were deep and one
mad three prongs sunk in the upper
Jaw, making a very unpleasant op-
GRAFTON to undergo. Mrs. Thomas
cannot take laughing gas or ether,
and is so nervous that she could not
bear the operation without an an
aesthetic of some sort, so it was
decided she Sould go with the medi-
um and have the teeth out under
the mesmeric spell. DR.. Wunder had
never seen or attempted such an
operation before, but consented
readily enough to anything that
promised to keep his patient quiet.
Mrs. Thomas is slight, delicate
looking little woman, who does not
weigh over 120 pounds. She is light
and fair-haired, with rather large
hazel eyes, and a well-molded head
and good forehead
Both before and after the ex-
traction of the teeth Nine. Macdon-
nall placed the patient under the
hypnotic Influence to illustrate her
ability to the dentist When thrown
into the cataleptic state Mrs. Thom-
as would stand for any length of
time with her body as rigid as
though she were carved out of wood.
The subjects hands at all times
were cold, as though they had been
| dipped in ice water. Her pulse was
| not strong at any time, but during
the cataleptic trance went down to
almost nothing at the wrist, re-
| bounding again as soon as the inf1u-
| ence was removed.
The conditions were not the mos
favorable for the operate there be
| ing eight persons in the room, and afte1
being put into the hypnotic trance sew
eral times by way of experiment tht
| patent became nervous, and asked no
10 be thrown into the cataleptic state
| ds nau peen intended when the teeth
| were 10 be drawn, but merely to receive
| local application. She accordingly
| TOOK her place in the dental chair anC
| the hypnotist passed her hand severa
times over the side of the face ir
which the defective teeth were located
| Now, then, the feeling is all taker
out OF that side" said madame, ''yor
could not feel any sensation there il
| you wanted to-" The patient raped
her knuckles against her jaw and re.
| piled docilely as a child: mo. it's
all gone. That sides dead"
| NoW's your chance, go ahead, doc.
| tor, said the hypnotist, continuing
| TO talk in low tone to the patient
and stroke the side of her face. The
doctor went ahead, quickly working
the pliers down into the gums around
! the root of the broken tooth and bring
ing it out with a single wrench. The
patient started slightly at the shock
and looked straight ahead till the hyp-
notist snapped her fingers Sharply
Then the subject drew long brea tn
| and said:
rs it out? Well I'm delighted.
did not feel that at ALL
This was repeated on the other three
teeth, and except for the bleeding and
the vacant cavities, Mrs. Thomas de-
ciared she would not know the teeth
were gone.