Evening star., 1896-08-22

1
have to look under our beds to see IL such
traps have been set by our enemies. The
mechanical hypnotizer as now made. how
| ever, is strictly scientific instrument
| The governments bureau of education re-
| Gently purchased collection of such appar-
| atus. which are new in this country. They
| Will be used by specialist for studying
the values of hypnotic suggestion in the
| education Of the abnormal classes. Ex-
| periments Will be made determining their
| erect upon the sensibilities, emotions,
| breathing. circulation and temperature of
the body.
An Elaborate Apparatus.
| The most elaborate form of hypnotizer
is a small box. containing clock work, sur
| mounted by two horizontal oblong fans,
| one over the other, revolving rapidly liz op-
| posite directions The fans are studded
on each side with a row Of circular mir
| rors. about the size of nickel pieces. The
| RAPID rotation produces odd flashing
| effect which greatly fatgues the eyelid
| muscles of the beholder This machine is
| rolnd to be very effective when used upon
sersitives who can be thrown into a hyp-
| notlc sleep by concentration or sight stimu-
lus.
simpler form of mechanical hypnotizer
| Is belt of broad tape to be placed upon
| the 1orehead and over the temples. being
| tied at the back Of the head. From a me-
| tallic plate in front protrudes wire, ex-
| tending upward in S-like curve and
holding bright ball of nickel. about the
| size of marble at the end When this is
| placed upon the subject the wire is bent
| Until the ball reaches a point above the
| eye. where 1t may be seen by the wearer
only by intensely straining the eyelids
| The same effect, as produced by the former
| n achine is accomplished by this simpler ap-
paratus: These instruments have been
% aisenled 10 serve In substitution for the
| gestures. known as passes commonly mai,
by hypnotists. The scientific hypnotfst
| makes movements before and above the
| Eyes OF MS subject to concentrate his at
| tentlon and to fatigue the eyeld muscles
| movements and by tanning air against
them. Fatigue of the muscles of the eve
,lds Is found to be one of the direct causes
VI sieep PERSONS In no mental need of sleep
| may read themselves sleepy under a too
| brig ht or a too dim light severe breeze
| effect.
Magnetic Inhucnces,
| Another form of hypnotizer in this COL
| lection. is large horshoe magnet with an
| attached armature. 1t Is given to a sensi
| tive who Is told to continuously separate
| and fit together the two parts. A similar
| magnetic hypnotizer is a steel ring to fl,
| the index finger The ring Is of magnetized
| steel and is broken at one place the space
mg geing nlleo by a small steel armature
1 l.
| palIy for humoring the more unsophisti-
| cated and superstitious sensitives who fos-
| ter the belief that hypnotism is supernat-
| uiai. me magnet in most cases suggests
! mystery 10 the ignorant and SenSitiyes of
| that class are readily excited by it. The
| ring device, also called a hypnoscone is
used by some hypnotists for determining
| sensitives. Hypnotizable persons are al
| lesed to experience certain tingiings in the
| skin and twitchings of the muscles while
| wearing IT. A more complicated instru-
ment In this collection, which may be used
| as hypnoscope. is a bulb-shaped rod re-
sembling an electrode, which may be
| made to create pressure against the
| palm of the hand by spring inside When
the pressure Is applied the subject Is asked
| II he feels an electric shock. II he so con-
| fesses he is rated as a hynotic sensitive
| Sometimes the whole frame will tremble
as result of this imaginary electrical
| fluid.
! Crystal Visions.
Equally interesting devices of a related
| class. now growing in vogue among certain
experimental hypnotsts are for applica-
tion to sensitives for the purpose of caus-
ing hallucinalions known as crystal visions.
| One instrument CT this class is a ball of
| crystal mounted upon q handle Mirrors
| and other polished or transparent surfaces
| are employed for the same effect The
| crystal or rejecting medium by producing
partly obscured or scattered reflections to
| the sensitive minds eye aid the subie It
| In perceivtng unnatural mental embodl
ments OF various objects. Many abnormal
persons. habitually haunted by phantasms
| for which visions they develop appetites.
| SO to speak, employ these crystals and re-
| Electors for throwing themselves into states
| during which they may experience what is
| sense' or second sight" Crystal gazing
has lately become so popular that many
psychic experimentalists in Europe are in
viting tests with the paraphernalia thus
| agents iyon
since engaged by the Society for Psychical
| Research to furnish balls for the purpose
Prof VIM. Romaine Newbold Of the Uni
| versity of Pennsylvania recently made an
| extensive investigation of crystal vision
and found that twenty-five subjects out Of
eighty-six could perceive illusions by gaz-
Ing into mirrors, surfaces Of water and
| objects of glass varying in form. Phan-
| tasms appeared to the sensitives usually
| within five minutes. being preceded direct
| ly by cloudiness, hazes Of color illumin-
| ations before the eyes. The phantasms
varied from dim outlines to brilliant COL
| ored pictures. Like dreams some of these
| forms were based upon recent experiences
Of the subjects, while others were purely
| fantastic.
An Experiment.
| simple experiment in this line NAV be
| tried at home by any one who will sit before
| an open window, at twilight, keeping his
| gaze fixed preferably upon some landscape,
distant row OF houses or collection Of con-
| spicuous clouds. If the temptation to wink
| the eyelids can be resisted until the eyes
become greatly fatigued, so as to remain
| open only at a great strain, the natural
| images will gradually grow more and more
| indistinct, and will apparently arrange
| themselves into fantastic groups or fade in
| to rapidly changing forms. The abnormal
| Imagination Of a person subject to light
| hallucinations would readily discern weird
phantoms in such picture.
Drugs, such as urethane, sulphonal. paral-
| dehyde, ETC., are now used successfully to
produce sleep which to all appearances ia
hypnotic. Some foreign hypnotists use
ether and chloroform to induce hypnosis
Recent experiments indicate that there is
great similarity between hypnosis and the
action Of hasheesh,a as we'll as the newly test
ed mescal. which is used by certain of our
western Indians to produce frances Phe-
nomena very similar to hypnosis is now
noticed also during the ordinary sleep pro-
duced by simple anaesthetics and the oues-
ton is being asked, Do anaesthetics produce
hypnosis? A member of the Royal ChenJ
cal Society of London recently demonstrates
that man possesses two distinct conscious
nesses. He says that persons under the in
fuence Of anaesthetics. while not conscious
Of what is happening at the time of the
operation. are sometimes able, several dnyp
after. to describe in detail what was han
pening to them. What he calls the work