The San Francisco call., 1897-01-24
Drink Morphine Habit Is Treated by Hypnon Over Angel Island

come to the hospital to have the potential
passes made over their faces and their
eyes closed in hypnotic sleep by the fin
gers of the operator.
Although Major Pope does not himself
hypnotic he is sagacious in the selection
of an operator. During the years that this
force has been employed at the hospital
there have beeh two men connected with
the institution who possessed singular
ability in the exercise of the power and
third WAS developing into an operator
when he was called away. The lest and
the strongest dynamo OF this influence is
the present operator at the hospital,
Charles Won Radesky, an Austrian physi-
clan about 40 years old, who, preferrlng
the certainty of corgenial employment,
even low wages, in the Government ser
vice to the precariousness of a medical
practice upon the outside, has accepted
the ofiee of senior ste ward of the hospital.
Major Pope uses DR.. Won Radesky's power
very much as be would employ an cleo
trio battery. He does not believe in the
Keely cure, and though it is in vogue at
some places in the Government service,
it is not resorted 10 on the island. Hyp-
notism be applies in treatment along with
treatment of the regular medicinal char
acter, good nursing and close attention to
the patient.
Invariably the ma jor endeavors to excite
in the patient desire to be cured of his
habit. Generally the poor victim is glad
enough to aid the physician in this regard
so far as his shattered will affords, and he
is usually anxious TO be free from the ap-
petite which often throughout his life has
been his besetting pitfall and the cause of
the most fatal of his misfortunes In this
bringing of the mind TO bear against the
disease, the major draws distinction be-
tween desire and resolve. He gives no
heed to resolution of patient not 10
drink any more; it is his desire, his yearn-
ing for immunity from the vice that is ef-
fective; it is not mere line drawn in the
mans conduct which he promises himself
and others not to cross, but it is condi-
hon OF mind which must be generated in
the patient under which the doing of such
and such thing becomes something not 10
be thought OF, and the thoughts to be
turned to something else whenever the
doing OF such thing is suggested from
without.
With all the medicine, therefore, and
with the aid OF hypnotism, the major
does not hold that the drink or other
habits can be cured where the patient
willfully sets himself to resume his habit
after the treatment is concluded. or where
he does not himself bring his mind against
it. The fact seems to be that what is
done at the hospital is 10 rid the patient
of the physical craving of his habit. TO
put his body in condition of health with
regard 10 it, to place him IN about the
state he was IN before he had taken his
first drink or performed the first act of
his habit If having been thus restored
be wishes to again resume his ancient as
suetude there are no bars, save the known
consequences, upon his so doing. Gener-
ally, however, the patient does not re-
lapse. In the seventy-three cases which
have been treated by hypnotism at the
hospital only half dozen have recurred
10 the habits of their diseases.
The methods which DIR. Won Radeskv
employs in his hypnotic operations while
they are most effective do not appear TO
be appreciated or viewed with peculiar de-
light By the rank and file. soldier in
his sky-blue surcoat and white cotton
gloves was carrying shouldered musket
on sentry duty up and down graveled