The San Francisco call., 1896-03-20
DR.. Albert Abrams Tells How
He Treated Miss Alex
ander.
HE EXPLAINS THE PROCESS
Letter Written After She Was Hyp.
notized-Signature Before
and After.

DR.. Albert Abrams, professor OF pain
ology at Cooper Medical College, was seen
at his Office on Geary street yesterday.
Speaking of the suit to collect money from
Miss Rae Alexander DR.. Abrams said:
II have read the article published in
THE CALL, and while l do not care to say
a word against the young lady do. not
want to be placed in false position before
the public myself. She came to me for
treatment on July Z, 1895, and the last
treatment was on October 5, 1895. Now
here is her signature before the first
hypnotic seance and here it is after the
first treatment"
DR.. Abrams produced both signatures,
and surely the one made after the seance
was much the superior in style, frmne SIS
and legibility.
On November the patient, complying
with previous requesU of the physician
TO write to him after the hypnotic treat
ment ceased, did write a letter, which the
doctor produced. The chirography is al
most perfect.
DR.. Abrams did not enter into defe nse
of the hypnotic process. He says that he
explained to the young lady that it was a
science recognized by the highest medical
authorities in London, Paris and Berlin.
lDcluenIdlly u6 IeleTTSu yesterday 10 an
article written by Clark Bell of New York
and published in the February number of
the Criminal Law Magazine Reporter to
snow that the hypnotic treatment has
been recognized and Dracticed as thera-
peutic remedy by the most cultivated and
advanced physicians-men of the highest
character and widest professional attain
ments-and had been used with signal sue
cess and usefulness.
Dr hrarns id that tho hill of S20 vro
rendered to Miss Alexander so that she
would not feel under personal obligations
for the treatment extending from July to
October 5. ga reasonable charge" said
he, ''for the professional services rendered
would have been $3.50. | do not care for
the fee of $50, but there is principle in
volved which l am not willing to surren-
der. In any event it will cost me much
more than $50 to conduct the suit. / do
not like the way l have been used after
the young lady spoke so often to her COM
panions of her restored ability to write.
have practiced medicine in San Francisco
for fifteen years, and never before brought
a suit to collect fee. 1 have given my
professional services freely in many, many
cases, and have Cancelled many large ac-
counts rather than press unfortunate pa
tients to payment"
DR.. Abrams is man Of wealth whose
practice is lucrative. His colleagues in the
profession of medicine acknowledge his
worth and his close attention TO modern
developments. While it is exceptional in
San Francisco for physicians to invoke
hypnotic influence in the treatment of
patients the remedy is perfectly legitimate
1t is conceded, said another physician,
that DR.. Abrams has read extensively on
the subject and devoted much personal OBJ
servation in Europe to experimental cases.
Schools for the investigation of the treat
ment have been established in Paris,
Nancy and Berlin, but it cannot be said
that the medical profession is convinced
that ailments can be cured by the exercise
of hypnotic power.
DIR. Abrams contends that there is great
deal more in hypnotism as remedial
agent in the practice of medicine than is
popularity supposed. For many years
only charlatans invoked the science, Dut
now progressive physicians in legitimate
practice employ it.
Another physician of high standing said
last evening: "Dr. Abrams has studied
this subject carefully. While hypnotism
Is not recognized generally, it is perfectly
legitimate for physician to invoke its use
in the treatment of a patient. In fact the
widest latitude in the application of reme-
dies is allowed. The object is to cure the
patient Now know of case where DR..
- wanted girl to take an anesthetic,
as he had painful operation on her knee
to perform. When he was ready to admin
lister the anesthetic he found her under
hypnotic influence, and so he performed
the operation without pain to her. In SUBJ
sequent attempts to produce the hypnotic
influence he failed.''
During the time that Miss Rae Alex
ander was undergoing treatment by DIR.
Abrams there were three hypnotic seances.
1t may remain for the intelligent jury to
decide whether the patient was under the
influence. She says that she had one eye
just little open and observed that DR..
Abrams was looking at her sister.
The bald spot on DIR. Abrams head NAV
figure in the trial. as she SAYS the doctor
advised her to keep an eye on it. Now
that spot is SO located on the Doctors head
that he will be obliged to get down on
'.all fours" or bend low in his chair to give
the jury view of it. How Miss Alexander
saw 1t without getting on chair or step
ladder may puzzle the intelligent Jury.
at the request of The CALL, DR.. Abrams
the subject of hypnotism and its use in
the treatment OF disease. He said:
'The originator of the use of hypnotism
in medicine was Braid OF Manchester
Then Lieubault of Nancy, France, wrote a
work on the subject. His work was unap-
preciated for twenty years. 1t was not
even read. Hypnotism remained a cnri.
osity, and it seemed inadvisable for a
scientific physician to occupy himself with
it, unless he was willing to get for himself
the reputation of charlatan or a man
whose methods were suspicious or even
dangerous.
The credit of bringing to light again
the work of Lieubault belongs to Bernheim
of Nancy. He and the Nancy school must
be regarded as the founders OF the move
ment which led to the successful use OF
lVpDOtlSfm. or rather of MAKING II
basis for a treatment of disease. The atti.
tude which certain well-known scholars
and investigators have thought it proper