The San Francisco call., 1896-03-21
CURES EFFECTED
BY SUGGESTION.
DR.. A. A. d'Ancona Tells of
His Experiences With
HypnotiSm.
SOME STRIKING CASES.
One Young Lady Relieved of a
Nervous Affection After
but One Seance.
ALL PERSONS SUSCEPTIBLE.
The Method of Inducing the Hypnotic
State Varies With Each
Subject.
ALL PERSONS SUSCEPTIBLE.

Hypnotism as therapeutic agent IN the
practice of medicine has apparently taken
a wider and firmer hold on the profession
of San Francisco than the layman has had
anv conception OF, and its use, according
TO those who have utilized the mysterious
mower. has been most wonderful and satls-
factory in its results. Among the enthusl-
asts on the subject Is DR.. a. A. d Ancona,
a member of the faculty of the State Uni
versity.
He has been using this agency for seve-
raj years, and recently depends upon it to
a very large extent for his results. De-
spite the fact that his large practice has
given him the opportunity of demonstrat-
ing the efficacy of hypnotism on many
patients, who are but too willing to sound
his praise, the doctor is extremely
averse to having the matter discussed
in connection with him personally, and 1t
was with most extreme reluctance that he
consented to talk of the matter yesterday,
though he freely admitted that he was
thorough enthusiast on the subject and
had used it with great success IN many
cases, some OF most striking character.
On being asked if it were possible to ex-
ercise the hypnotic power on all persons
with success, that is, so as to make them
amenable to suggestion by the operator,
he replied:
''Various operators in reporting the
number of cases in which they have sue
ceeded in'inducing hypnosis give different
percentages. In some the percentage Is as
low as 5, while in others it is as high as 80.
sin book published in 1916, written by
an English surgeon practicmg in India.
record of so-called mesmeric work shows
that those who are not susceptible to the
influence are very few. This doctors
practice was confined to the natives.
THE susceptibility to hypnosis varies in
different people, but exists in all. In other
words, to be a hypnotic subject does not
require the possession of any special ply
steal or mental characteristics.
"The hypnosis may vary from a light
somnolent state to profound stupor. If
person retires to rest at night and persists
in thinking of the events of the day he
certainly will never fall asleep unless the
need of sleep is great. So if a person
resists the efforts of the hypnotic operator
by active thought upon any subject he
will not go into the hypnotic sleep unless |
he is by nature specially susceptible.
ITO become hypnotic readily does not |
Indicate weakness of will any more than
does going to sleep as soon as the head |
touches the pillow"
"How is the hypnotic sleep induced ?" |
was asked.
81 might answer" replied the doctor, |
who was now thoroughly interested in his |
attempt to elucidate his subject, "that all |
roads lead to Rome. But there are two |
fbanr oyYOla ic
that hypnotism is induced by sug-
gestion, and the other by the physi |
cal effects of the manipulations of the |
operator. The method of producing it
varies with the patient Ireally cannot tell
myself how 1 operate after get started,
but the use of passes is not at all essential
Sometimes l use them and at others not,
but l never know what l am going to do
after begin to concentrate my mind on the
patient"
On being requested to give the facts con-
corning what he considered some OF the
most striking cases in his experience, he
related the following, for obvious reasons
omIttlng names:
lone case was that OF young woman
who had become greatly worried owing to
having seen a good deal of case of in
sanity IN the person OF her cousin, who
was member of her family.
1.-THE night after it became necessary to
remove him to sanitarium she awoke at
midnight, declaring she heard voice say
ing fostering BRAIN AT first, she said,
she smiled to herself at the absurdity of
the words, but as the voice persisted she
became possessed of the idea that she her.
self would be i'll. All through that night
and the succeeding days the voice con-
tinued.
at was not at this point that l was
called in. When | saw her it was So'clock
in the evening, and she was extremely
hysterical and suffering from a severe
headache.
1.-The suggestion was given her that her
headache would become rapidly less
severe, that the voice would become
fainter, ana that when she retired she
would go right to sleep.
''She reported the next day that she re-
tired at 10 80 P. NJ, that she had no head
ache, that the voice had died away so