The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-09

planetary fluid could be discovered,
there was not a mighty truth hidden
in the mystery of mesmerism.
For thirty-five years / have made an
unceasing study Of mesmerism and
while the world knows that l have al
ways persistently refused 10 give pub
lie exhibitions of mesmeric effects, it
is not because do not believe in them.
Mesmerism is not a plaything-it is a
science. To juggle with its mysteries
is, in my estimation, as profane as to
give puppet show representation of
the crucifiXion. That mesmerism is a
fact, l have discovered by a thousand
actual manifestatio of its power. I
know of myself that by the use of the
mesmeric principle, physicians may
work cures, surgeons may perform the
most delicate and painful opera tons
without the knowledge of the patient,
criminals may be discovered, crime de-
tected and even the secrets of the fu-
ture discovered.
I was at Cape May near Philadelphia,
when the famous abduction Of Charley
Ross occurred. / was at that time
deeply interested in the study Of mes
merism and took the occasion to make
a desired experiment. Immediately
upon hearing of this tragic event L Sc
cured medium, a woman entirely ig-
of The Kidnapping itself, and she, I'M
der the influence of an hypnotic sleep,
revealed to me many of the details of
the Kidnapping then unknown, which
L Immediately telegraphed to the po-
lice. With this information in hand
the department made a careful inves-
tigation and found that the clews
which l had given them were absolute
~ correct. My medium, however, be-
q " mr.
such strong tendency towards con-
vulsions that l could not complete the
investigation with her. l then COM
municated again with the police, OF
fering if they would furnish a proper
medium, TO unravel the whole mystery,
discover the fate of the stolen boy and
the perpetrators Of the crime. After
some effort they We're unable to find a
woman willing to act as a medium,
and the matter was dropped. L be-
lieva, however, that the science of
mesmerism will some day be brought
to such perfection as to be of the
greatest practical use in bringing
criminals to justice.
Some years ago, at the Buffalo club
in Buffalo. in the presence Of a num-
Der of physicians and scholars, l placed
subject furnished me. under the in
fuence of hypnotic anaesthesla so COM
pletefy that he could have been cut
into pieces without his being in the
least conscious of it. Hypnotic
anaesthesia is in fact as well estab-
lished a narcotic as chlOroform and is
employed TO a great extent at the
present time in India. In 1850, Azam,
Broca and Follin, all of them famous
and influential physicians, demon
strated its efficacy and employed it in
hundreds OF operations j. Esdaile. a
=
left extensive and minute accounts of
many operations performed on pa
tents under its influence, having for
witnesses the Bishop of Kurreen, Ali
Khan, Naboo and others. 1t is true
that every reality can be counterfeited
4 and it is these counterfeits that find
circulation upon the stage before the
public for the purpose of revenue only
1t is nothing astonishing that men
here and there are found who can sim
ulate almost beyond the power of de-
lection, the real effects of mesmerism,
but these real effects can, nevertheless.
be produced legitimately. In the near
future | will demonstrate the truth of
mesmerism before a number of ply
sicians and scholars of New York in
Bellevue hospital, and l fancy that
even the most suspicious and skeptical
/ could hardly claim that the suffering
patients there are educated hypnotic
subjects in collision with me- l will
do this willingly. for while 1 would
not make use of so profound and serl-
I Gus a science to entertain or mystify
/ the world, | am willing to contribute
| TO the real advancement of knowledge.
! In connection with this, have a sug-
/ gestion to make. It seems to me that
an institution should be established
for the legitimate and careful study