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

IS years Of age. who was terribly afhict-
ed with dipsomania. His family record
was bad. He began to drink when he
was 13 years old. being brought home
from school one day In a beastly condi-
tion. Six months later he was found
literally In the gutter. Tie rapidly grew
worse. and his relatives were In de-
spair. At the age Of 20 he fell heir to a
large property. For two years after he
drank very heavily and was at last
placed In an asylum for the insane.
In year and half he was released.
thought to be cured. but he soon lasped
Into his old habits. In the spring Of
1883 he went to DIR. Cooke. He was
readily hypnotized at the second sit
ting. and while IN the hypnotic state
was told that he would not have a crav-
Ing for liquor for period OF two weeks.
This did not effect him. however. for
he was drunk again In four days. After
this his friends hunted him up In the
slums and brought him back to con-
flnement. When he had recovered from
the debauch he was taken again to the
doctor. He was again hypnotized and
given a pill composed of an inert sub
stance. He was told that this pill
would take away his appetite for IL
Quor for a period Of three days. At
the end Of that time he was to come
back for another. He did so. was again
hypnoti2ed. and a similar pill given
him. In the meantime his mental and
physical condition greatly improved.
About this time his mother. OF whom
he was exceedingly fond, died sudden
ly and the old craving for drink re-
turned. Before giving way to 1t he
went again to the doctor. was hypno-
tized and kept under observation for
two weeks, by which time the craving
had departed. When last heard of, In
the spring of 1893. he was In Germany
studying painting, and apparently
free from the drink habit.
Hypnotism Docs Not Always Cure.
DR.. Cooke Is very frank In admitting
that his hypnotic treatment does not
always cure. He tells Of a lawyer who
was constant and hard drinker. He
was very readily hypnotized and told
that his appetite would vanish. This
did not prove the case. The pill treat
HicHt was
gestion was tried and found wanting;
medicines and strychnine were tried,
and they failed. He was hypnotiZed
thirty-six times. and then the doctor
gave the case up.
The application of hypnotlsm to the
cure OF hallucinations Is quite as inter-
esting as in dipsomania. One Of these
cases that came under DR.. Cookies
treatment was that Of a German baker.
81 years old, who whenever he was fall
ing asleep saw a white horse leaning
over him. and as soon as he was asleep
the horse pulled at the bedclothes and
always woke him. This had been going
on for years, when one day the baker
had the sensation Of something steal
ing upon him from behind. Turning
about quickly ne saw the white horse
reach out to bite him. The German
was a man of considerable intelligence
and he knew perfectly well that 1t was
only a hallucination, but 1t made him
feel very uncomfortable nevertheless.
Later he heard noises as Of somebody
speaking to him. sometimes harshly
and at other times kindly. He went as
'oiuheaiS PopShl W al dsy yiuHi, tileu
medicines and consulted physicians to
no purpose. In the spring Of 1891 he
was hypnotized at the eighth sitting by
DR.. Cooke, and subsequently three
times a week for eight weeks. The
first hypnosis changed the character
Of the hallucination and after the third
one his nervous system was much dis
turbed. Paralysis that jumped about
his body occurred and there was severe
nausea. Each manifestation was in
turn subdued by hypnotism and finally
at the end of eighteen weeks he was ap-