The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-03
HYPNOTISM'S DARK FORCE.
WHAT NEW ToRK DOCTORS ACCOM-
pLInH WIN IT.

Beneficial Uses OF tbe rover whose -
Istsnee Tens OF Thousands stni Deny
a College Professor who dsddies vitl
Trofes-ionni Nypnotist Need offs Law
Against I~ndiscriminate Hypuotisi.e.
Hypnotism has broken out In epidemic form
In this city. Public interest In the mysterloui
agency has been aroused locally by the exhi
billions of professional hypnotists now perform
Ing at places OF amusement, and there have fol
lowed all kinds Of experiments by tyros who find
enjoyment In the exercise OF a power which IL
by no means devoid OF an element Of danger
Outbreaks of interest. In the matter have been
periodical here. and when tho excitement has
died out and the parlor experiments have bo-
come mere memories, those W no are really
making any scientific use Of hypnotism keep
right on at their work and study In this com
paratively unknown force. turning II to what
account they can. These arc mostly physicians.
People in general are divided into three
classes Of belief. or disbelief. of the subject:
those who utterly refuse to admit that there Is
any such thing rs hypnotism, those who regard
Il as "A form OF nccromancy. q weird and uncan-
ny supernatural power given to a few persons OF
demoniac tendencies. and those who. recognize
Ing IL as a psychic force. seek to establish 1t by
experimentation ms a branch Of science. Even
though scientific men now admit, practically
without exception, the existence OF this power,
there are thousands OF luIelllRcHL peOple WIZ
regard 1t as q pure fake. Undoubtedly the
OF the many self-styled mesmer-
lists, animal magnctists, and electro biologists,
who travel about chiefly in small towns giving
exhibitions with two or three confederates, are
largely responsible for this skepticism. In this
country, where there are no laws against the
practice of hypnotism. as there are In many
European lands, any person who chooses may
set up as a hypnotist, real or pretended. Out
side the many pretenders, there are three
classes who perform, or attempt, hypnotism:
the physicians. who make use Of hypnotism in
their practice; the professionals, who really
possess to a marked degree the power
of exertirg this influence over others,
and the amateurs, who attempt 1t for
fun. The physicians who use 1t are proba-
bly, the largest class Of the three. 1t
must not be supposed, however. that these
doctors are the ones who advertise them
selves rs mngnetizers. On the contrary, they
are. as a rule. 10th to have It known that they
exert hypnotic influence in certain cases, be-
cause OF the prevailing prejudices against 1t,
and Of the belief of many that any doctor who
claims the power is a Quack. Yet hundreds OF
reputable and respected physicians in this city
employ hypnosis not only in cases OF nervous
trouble but also as an anpsthctic in surgical
cases. This was done successfully forty years
ago by the famous surgeon. Esdaile. IT has been
done recently by Or. George f. Shrady for surgi-
cal operations and in cases OF nerve or brain
iE0p ossood II Mason saar and MI many S s%@sn Of their eE;
high standing have found It effective
case in surgery was that of a woman in one OF
the hospitals here who was Obliged to undergo a
to Perform %H1i the op ST , For certain aH' reasons ms.
concerning a constitutional regularity of tie
any anasthetic. She dreaded the pain of tho
operation. which was not a dangerous one, and
begged the physician to give her something to
deaden the pain. 1t occurred to his mind that,
being of u high-strung nervous temperament.
the time set for the operation he experimental
on her with the result of finding her an easy
did not fall into the profound condition Of SOM
nambulism often seen In these cases. When the
1 tim NJ 10" on t i6. o Isnia on came shrea ana III. the :, patient was
Now. l will tell you when we are going to
begin: but first W. must prspare the instru-
that you must lie perfectly still and not raise
At the same time he made passes down her
face and across her forehead until she became
tranquil. Making sure that she could not SEQ
made an incision, say ing;
Now ! am greparing by fixing the bandages
on the place. You feel no pain
Speaking thus to her as he cut and probed, he
went through the entire operation. the patient
suffering, nothing. After the operation was over
a:ked:
In many surgical cases trials of hypnotizing
Iall, the patient returning TO the normal con-
dition under tho pain OF the operation, but the
is successful In so many cases that 1t is
? FREQUENT resort OF surgeons under circum-
stances where the use OF drug lnasthetics is i'm
practicable.
Prejudice against the employment of this
agency In such ,cases!s FOOLISH says DR.. Shrady.
- Often hypnosis is preferable 10 anHsthetics II 1t
can be successfully used. as there is no danger
q effect. provided the physician understands
Nervous diseases are very often treated with
The greatest success by hypnot!z!ng, Hysteria,
lypOCnOnQrlR, nervous prOStratlOn. SOmni
and even such obstinate diseases as st. Vitus's
we'll known nervous specialist OF this city. whose
name is not mentioned because the parents Of
means their daughter was cured. effected a
complete cure In the case of a young girl afflicted
Little by little through his %insistent sns-
gestion and m to the patient while In
tmI,s hyPpo sna isppdns she gay gave ,,s eyer her S
The maindy and the cir! Is now simplicity
effect upon the girls mind, so that now, when
ever che sees the physician. whether on the
fixed. and she moves toward him like a fas-
cinated being. 1t is, in TACT. a case OF self
zion nssociating the physician with that state.
In tine IT probably wiz wear OF. In other I
cure the same disease by the same means. An {
other up town, doctor for several years now has ]
IN his family for vt ars. for nervous head ,
aches. When they first segan. some ten years ago, {
appeared tO no utterly lrrcneQlal. 1t was
small hope of success that the physician I
essayed hypnotism. 1t proved completely sue ,
Ordering the old woman TO look fxediy =
1t II glass ball. he soon put her to sleep, and
npon her awaking ali hour later she declared '
herself perfectly cured. Since then, every re- ,
'urrence of the headache has been treated with !
'lmilar success. but last summer while tho Doc 7
Ior was IN Europe old Dinah had an attack that 4
tept her in agony for two days, despite the ef- I
'orts OF an associate of the first doctor to ale
Iiate the pain. ,
One OF the most remark able cures on record ,
that OF a wealthy young man of this city, i
.ho some years ago became q victim of drink. i
His family had been patients OF DR.. r.. Osgood Z
Mason, and the young man when suffering from /
.he effects OF his dehauches would come to DR., /
,iason's office for treatment and help. Finally 9
{ came to y pass whore the Doctor told the =
man that he was in a fair way to become :
|. dipsomaniac, IL he wasn't one already, and =
hat his reason or his life would be- the forfeit =
( he couldn't control his appetite for alcohol
The young man said that he would take The =
pledge; A month later he staggered into Dir. 8
of q weeks debauch. =
For Cod, sake, Doctor no cried, make II