The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-18
HYPNOTIsM IN THE ARMY.
FrightfuI Wound of "a Cuban Lieu
tenant Dressed without Pain.

A serious and painful surgical opera
ton, performed in the open air. under
roasting sun, with only the simplest in
struments and without ether or chloro-
form, the patient relieved of all sensa-
ton of pain by hypnotic suggestion, is a
strange exhibition to witness.
1 was at Najaza when such an operation
was performed on a sub-lieutenant who
understood English perfectly and who was
brought in with a machete wound to the
advance guard. The officer had received
terrible slash that cleft the right thigh
and continued down, exposing the bones
of the knee joint and laid open the calf
below. Clothed blood filled the wound,
sitting the flow of blood; but every fresh
writhing or twisting of the sufferer dis
lodged the clots and the bleeding would
start afresh.
He wore a ragged, sleeveless shirt, ex-
tremely dirty, and lay in a canvas ham,
mock, pale and exsanguinated. His
wounded limb, from which the trouser
had been cut, protruded crosswise over
the canvas. He'was either greatly fright
ened or suffering badly for he groaned
and cried for assistance, The surgeon ar
rived and preparations were hastily made
for an operation.
A cracked old iron kettle, used for boil
ing sweet potatoes, was scraped and
secured with sand, filled with water and
put on the campfire to boil. Into this
were dropped the only instruments at
hand-a knife, a needle, a needle forceps
and an artery forceps with a spool of
surgeons silk. In two little dried gourds
an aseptic was prepared of mercury tab
let's dissolved in water. Then the surgeon.
with a piece of cotton netting, sterilized
from germs by boiling, began to wash the
wound.
The man suffered greatly. He could
not bear to have his limb touched and he
writhed and twisted so much that the
flow of blood increased. 1t was impossi-
Bile to operate without depriving him of
consciousness. DR.. s. is not a hyp-
notist, but he determined on an expert
ment.
Now began an exhibition of hypnotsm
that put Svengali in the shade. The sur
geon drew from his pocket a small gold
coin. Leaning far over the patient. he
held 1t before his eyes, saying in a clear
earnest voice: Look directly at this. l
want you to think of nothing else but
this coin. Still holding the coin, he pass
ed his right hand over the pale brow.
stroking it softly. 81 am taking the SEN
sation from your forehead. 1t is numb.
You do not feel anything now. Why, you
are very sleepy, are you not? You are
growing sleepy. Breathe deep Sleepp'
Here the surgeons look became intense
For a moment he neither moved nor
spoke, but hung over his patient. stiu
holding the gold coin. Breathe deeply"
he continued. The mans eyes had a va
cant stare; he breathed as commanded.
Breathe! You are breathing for the
whole universe! Breathe! 1 am going to
close your eyes now, so that you cannot
open them. You cannot open them"
With the palm of his cool hand he
closed the patients eyelids, and the man
remained as if in a deep trance. notion
less and calm. The surgeon hurried1v
slipped the coin into his pocket. and
still looking intently on the man before
him, said in sharp tone: II have taken
all sensation from your forehead. If is
numb. You do not feel anything now
am going to make your arm rigid ." He
then struck the patients elbow with his
hand and stroked his arm. 1T is rigid
You cannot bend it now"
To the wonder and surprise of the snec-
tators the mans bare arm became abso-
lutely rigid and his muscles stood ont
That will do" said the doctor. Get
1t drop" And the arm dropped He had
proved an easy subject for hypnotic in
fiuence. AL
Your leg is dead" continued the bvn-
notist' There is no feeling in it. 1t is
piece OF wood-a log. You have no SEN
satlon there" Leaving the patient calm
the doctor then picked out the needle fror,,
the pot of boiling water with the needle
forceps and, with swiftness bred of nrac-
tice, began to sew up the cash in the loo,
from the bottom upward with ollick raoS
ular movements, toward the Joint. If u,ss
running stltch. The joint cavity for
tuhately mad not been closed. The ma
tent lay with his eyes closed. as ~ ~
faint, but without suggestion Of nai - d
even discomfort. The spectators wara
overcome with surprise, for he had qroo,
ed more than Is usual with our wanda
They had never seen anything Of 49,.
sort before Some Of the ignorant negrnas
took the surgeon Tor wizard and wbis-
pered something of voodoo maeic 'iiS-
In few minutes forty stitches bad -
made and small skeins of silk were Iast 81
intervals in the cash to answer the mr.
pose OF drainage pipes. Powdered ia
FORM was scattered in and over the y,o,,,S5
ana the patents body was well vasbal5
with the aseptic mercurial solution
Inc operation was now over. The s,,r
seoh passed MS hand over the mans brow,
ana shook him slightly by the shouldar
You are now all right" he satd "
are perfectly we'll" lou
The man opened his eyes SLOWLY o1o.,
about him and tried to rise from, ~ ' l1
mock but fell back with a look ~ ratII,
surprise "a HiIlu
He was weak. but he said that 10 10,
~ ~ PsiIl, lhat tne com had grown big
ger and bigger until IL formed itseif tnt Us
golden palace in a great, cool blna , ono,
that washed above and below n ana tt san
he had fallen asleep 80 anu then
This to my knowledge, is the only ill.,.
that hypnotism has been attemnted q, me
insurgent camp. The operation W. 'ai an
distinct success. The wound healed bS,
nrst intention and DR.. Danforth. phvsi-
clan 10 the government OF President 90
neros told me 1t was the bost M Cis-
recovery he had ever seen. 0''e Oh