The San Francisco call., 1896-03-23
What Some Local Medicos Think
of 1t as a Therapeutic
Agent.
DIR. LORD CALLS IT A FRAUD.
Other Physicians Believe That 1t May
Be Employed Advantageously
in Hysteria.


therapeutic agent seems to be achieving
new triumphs day by day. Among local
physicians there is not, however, mani
tested so great an interest in the subject as
might be imagined. A large number of
the local practitioners belong to the old
high-and-dry school which cIings to the
well-tried drugs and powders and pills of
the past, and look askance at other than
material remedies.
Others, again, while admitting the pos
sible utility and efficiency Of the hypnotic
treatment are of the opinion that its pub
lication to the world at the present stage
is premature and ill-adyised, since it has
not yet demonstrated its reliability and
safety. Still others appear to scout the
theory of hypnotism's therapeutic virtue
as wild freak of fancy.
DR.. G. E. Caglieri was one of those who
profess having no practical acquaintance
with the new curative agent, and yet dis
play no small conversance with it, theo-
retically, at least.
81 remember going to one or two of DR..
Stahl's clinics in New York, remarked the
doctor Yesterday, "and though had never
made a study of occult therapeutics and
understand little or nothing about them
now, I could not help being interested in
them. am satisfied no fraud was prac-
ticed. DR.. Stahl himself is man of un-
questioned integrity and professional
honor, so l was sure of him. As for the
patients, or subjects. their symptoms could
not have been counterfeited. As 1 said
before, nave never looked deeply into
the matter, so perhaps the wisest thing for
me to do would be to say nothing. Still
nowadays everybody talks OF everything,
whether he understands what he talks
about or not.
II think, however, that much can be
said in favor of hypnotism as sedative
in cases of hysteria. l recollect one case
which came under my care some weeks
ago. The patient was suffering from or
ganic troubles. His disease was under
treatment and the sufferer, a young man
of about 25 years, well on the road toward
recovery. His case had reached this stage
when I was hastily called by member of
the patients family, who assured me that
the poor fellow had gone insane. / found
him apparently maniac, raving,
Kicking and throwing himself about in
the most violent manner. Some OF the
prominent symptoms of dementia, how
ever, were absent, SO [ got some men to
help me hold the young fellow while L
applied few sedatives of the simplest
character. In ten minutes he came to
himself. and, though weakened by his late
contortions, had suffered no injury. Per.
haps hypnotism might have helped him.
/ regarded the case as one Of hysteria in
6xvv, xyoio xntv o11 -
to endeavor to calm both abnormal con-
ditions.
at is common to disregard hysteria, and
yet hysteria is frequently the index to Sc
rious internal troubles. Irecollect the case
of lady who imagined herself the victim
of innumerable disorders. 1 examined her
carefully from time to time, and finding
other portions of her body in perfectly
sound condition. was at length able to mar
row down her imaginary ailments until
she complained of illness in only one spot.
Then l made the most Sc arching examina-
tion of the seat OF trouble and found its
cause in the shape of an enlarged internal
organ. Now this lady was undoubtedly a
great sufferer from hysteria, and the hys-
terra might have been cured by hypnotic
gestion' be able to reduce the size of the
organ whose enlargement was the real
cause of the trouble, of which the hysteria
was only a symptom?e
DR.. Robert A. Mclean believed the mat
ter of new treatments one deserving of
careful consideration.
II do not believe" he remarked, "that
any good can come from the premature
publication of new therapeutic methods.
These are subjects which require the ear
nest and most profound study of master
minds. In the meantime we have certain
remedies which we know by experience
are effective. We have watched their re-
suits in our practice from year to year.
Doubtless as our methods surpass those of
former ages so will the remedies of the fu-
ture far surpass our own, but new discov-
cries in medicine are not to be used until
after they have been well tried. For in