The evening times., 1896-10-29


DR.. Macdonald calls this machine the
mirror hypnotizer." Two slender, black
ebony bars. ten inches long three eightnS of
an inch thick, 10y one and donc-quarterinchcs
in width. are iulaid uu the opposite broad
sides with seven circular mirrors to each
face, about an inch i'll diameter. These bars
are, snpcrimpoSed upon rotating, vcrti, al
axes. propelled bya powerful spring through
a CloCkwork train of wheels.
In motion the mosaic mirror bars reyolve
in opposite directions, not at very high
rate o. speed--perlIap> as many as tw wentyto
thirty revolutions a second. With each
whirl of the blades there are thrown into
the eye of the spectator four binding flashes
of light. which seem to race in and out,
now from the ends of the blades to the
center, and from the center out again, in
a most bewiltcrinG confusion.
A curious and startling optical Illusion
takes place if the blades are persiStently
gaZed at. A first the two SDaclal relations
or the opposite CirCumiercntial revolving Of
the blades are readily recognized, butt Il
short time this gives way 10 the sensation
that the machine is moving bodily tow ard
you, with ever-increasing vclocity-like a
broad, bright meteor in a summer sky.
To test the machine properly, with "a view
TO producing hypnotic sleep, DIR. Macdonald
assured me that II is necessary to suggest
to the new subject the idea Of sleep being
produced by the machine, and to const antly
repeat the suggestion until sleep is produced
for the first time. The machine itself really
produces aprofoundphy ysoIogic disturbance,
and, when viewed at point somewhat
above the eye, the scintIllating, binding
flashes from the mirrors become frightful!y
painful. and the head swIms and reels, and
over all comes an irresistible desire to
close the eyes in peaceful Slumbcr. The new
subject VIII inyoluntarIly withdraw his
40 inf Al
suggestion that the machine is making him
70 TO sleep is continued.
POWERFUL EFFECTS.
After the first successful effort to put a
subject into hypnotic sleep through the aid
of the mirror hypnotiZer, each succeeding
attempt becomes much easier, and the i'll
dvidual soon is an autOh ypnutic subject,
throwing himself with ease into profound
somnambullsm or a cataleptic condition iy
mere sclf-suggestiOn as he views the ma
chine.
Illustrating the effects of this device upon
apparently normal people. DR.. Macdonald
related that. after a lecture delivered at
the conference of Charity and Correction
at New Haven, Conn.,, where he had the
machine revolving in front of the audience,
many ladies and some men assured him
that they dared not look at the machine
more than few moments at a time for
fear they should pass into a hypnotic coma
The machine Just described has a broader
application than any other kno wn device in
being able TO produce simultaneously upon
a large number of subjects the necessarr e
inclpient pnysolCgic effects which must
precede the hypnotic condition. BY its
aid such masters of the mesmcric science
as ChaTcot, Forel and Lieguis could con
troll entire classes in their more exhaustive
and comparative studies. and gain deep
and valuable insight into what must over
seem to the layman a mysterious and oc-
cult-art.
There are a number Of other machines