The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-18

AT recent meeting of the Texas Acade-
my of Science held in this city Prof. r.
S. Hyer of the Georgetown University
delivered very able paper ON 'The Law
of Hypnotism." 1t is published in full
this morning for the benefit of States
man readers as follows:
The numerous illusions in current litera-
ture to the phenomena of hypnotism.
mind reading" "telepathy," ''telekinet-
ics," etc, are generally of such nature
certain favored minds possess unique
as to show a very prevalent belief that
powers, by virtue of which they may so
rise above the old limitations as to act
direct upon matter to endOw other minds
with new capacities, to suppress them
into slavery, or to rob them of their most
secret thoughts. Such views have been
explicitly stated by the editors of widely
implied in such popular novels as Trilby,
The Fair God, and Mr.. lsaacs.
The foundation upon which this belief
chiefly rests is the fact that THE singular,
vet unQuestionably genuine, phenomena
first made generally known by Mesmer,
have not been explained by any investi-
gator to the complete satisfaction of all
who are recognized us having a right to
an opinion on the subject. OF hypnotism
Mr.. Edward Quincy has truly remarked,
"for so short q span of existence few
sciences have been so prolific of theories,
presented SO often simultaneously and
with but little attempt at mutual refuta-
tion."
The commission appointed by the French
Academy to investigate the claims OF
Mesmer reported that his results, instead
of being due to a '1hitherto undiscovered
force" Specific influence" or occult
power" were but the products of the eX-
cited imaginations of his subjects.
To DIR. Braid of Manchester is usually
ascribed the honor of being the first to
attempt Il scientific explanation OF the
phenomena-'th report of the aforesaid
commission being considered descriptive
rather than explanatory. From the fact
observed by him that paralysis and even
coma might be induced by prOtracted gaz-
ing at a brilliant object, and also by such
either means as produce fatigue IN SEN
sorry organ, he concluded that Mesmeric
phenomena have physiological origin;
and he applied to them the term of
NeurOhypnotism. -,
This view that it was a ''nerve sleep
was further extended by Professor Held
enhain. The pressure of his thumb
against that of his subjects would be fol
lowed by the paralysis of any muscle or
set of muscles that he mad designated
These results he ascribed to nervous dis
turbances originated by external stimuli
and transmitted to the outer cells OF the
brain; where if the original disturbance
had been intense, the effect would be
the paralysis of those parts of the brain
employed in the higher intellectual opera
lions, thus leaving the body a mere au-
tomaton to move only in response to out
ward agencies. Such, in brief, is his
theory of the Inhibition of the activity
of the gangliOn cells of the cerebral cor
tex" So brilliant were the experiments
of this professor of physiology, and so
satisfactory was it to find a scientific
basis for the phenomena. that his views
we're at one time generally accepted by
scientific men.
Against this theory, however, certain
objections have been brought that appear
unanswerable The suppOsition being
that exhibition" extends to the higher
psychic operations and that all acts are
merely of an initiative order, why does
the subject obey, as a rule, only the opera
tor: and how can he, if such be his men
tal condition, carry out the commands
involving the performance of many sepa-
rate and orderly acts? In many instances
it is so apparent that the subject retains
consciousness, memory and all otner
mental powers save the single one of de-
termining his activities, that Heiden-
hains theory of "cortical inhibition is
declared by many competent observers
to be utterly at variance with facts.
Abandoning all attempts to account for
the phenomena on purely physlologlcai
grounds, the investigators have construct
ed theories out of psychic factors. DR.;
Carpenter relied chiefly on "reyerie and
suggestion;" others have stressed the i'm
portance of the dominant idea" expect
ant attention." imagination. ''belief,"
"tonic cramp of the attention." etc.
Against all of these. Mr.. Quincy, writ
ing in Mind. vol. IN, has with much ablli-
ty urged the objection that not one of
them furnishes an answer to such ques-
lions as the following: Why is the opera
for alone nbeyed? Why can he alone ter
inmate this state? What is the connec,,
tion between the manipulation employed
and its effects? Why can not all hyp-
notize? Above all, what is the law FOR
the production of this state? BY, such
questions Mr. Quincy has clearly set
forth the real difficulties presented by the
phenomena of hypnotism. Declaring that
these questions, 'lying ON the very
of the subject, nave
scarcely been recognized, much less an
sWered." he clearly intimateS the Dellel
that our only recourse rs to return 10 me
old hypothesis of occult powers ana
Specific influences. 81
Many have done this in substance ii
NOT i'm form. Designating their theories
bv various names and formulating their
views in terms of modern science, they
advocate the old theory of the possession
of unioue powers by a favored few. They
dpcIore that HE who does not possess these
is no more justified by this lack in de-
nvinr their possession by others than
would the individual afflicted with Dal-
tonism I've justified, from his own
inability. in declaring that no
one can tell by lts coNor
whether a berry is ripe or green. Among
the advocates of such views are to be
found some eminent in the scientific world.
Their prori position seems to be
that man has reached the stage IN ms ms
physical evolution where, new powers powers
are beginning to be developed, 1nat
which has been done they regard as Dut
the grapes brought back by spies from
land of promise, land that posterlty IS
some day to possess in full. Nor is TINS
faith without its prophet. Flammarion
has turned his telescope upon our own
earth as it shall be some thousand years
hence. and has seen its inhabitants
"emerge from the limits of animallsm'
with senses so refined that mind can act
upon mind at any distance, recalling de-
M rtn5 shirts by virtue of a transcenden,-
4 - = .;e,, of which childrnn may avail |