The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-15
THE STORY OF A WILL.
And incidentally Some Interesting
stories of HypnOtism.

From London Journal
An old lady named Howard died in De-
cember last and her medical attendant,
I Or. Kinssbury, was found to benefit I'M
der her will TO the extent of $4,000 This
week the dead woman's son has been try
Ing 20 have the will set aside. There was
no allegation that Mrs Howard was in
sane or In any way mentally incapable of
making a WILL but Il was argued on be-
half of the son that the bequest to the
doctor was the consequence of suggestions
made by him when the testator was in
the hypnotic state and acted on after
ward.
Kingsbury is wel-known as a hypnotist,
and has written IA book on hypnotic sug-
gestion. He acknowledged that in three
months he had tried twenty-five times to
hypnotic Mrs. Howard In order 60 sug-
gest to her that she had no pain in her
head, but according to his own account
he had been entirely unsuccessful I'm his
attempts, and Mrs Howard's maid also
said that the hypnotism was a failure.
In the end the jury upheld the will. The
case, interesting as IL might have proved
was. as matter OF fact, disappointing
| The prominent English doctors who were
called gave evidence In a very non-com-
hAANAeh ld9iAtn anu til& most amusing point
was DR.. Kingsbury's attempt TO prove the
narrow limits OF the science for which i'm
MS DOCKS and various papers he had
claimed so much. He had written OF one
subject who could be made to fancy HIM
self woman, a child, a ballet dancer,
anything In short. but the doctor laid
great stress on the fact that he could
never compel this excellent subject to
make a speech. When not In the hypnotic
state speech making was this subjects
pet aversion, and Kingsbury wished to
prove by this fact the improbability OF
making hypnotized person do IN a hyp-
motto state thing to which he is strong
ly averse in the normal state.
DR. Rene Potelet, a French authority,
and Il Is in France that this subject is
most thoroughly studied says that when
a female subject has been hypnotized she
Will obey the doctor I'm all minor matters
but as soon as he suggests something 10
which her natural instinct or education
| objects, she refuses 10 obey.
| sit Is easy" says DR. Potelet. "to make
the patient believe that she Is In a gar
| den full of singing birds, and her face
| turns upward and reflects all the pleas
ure 1t gives her. If small piece OF wood
Is given to her and the doctor tells her IL
Is serpent, she will drop II with horror
and start back In fear. AS a rule II Is
not noticed that after having been hyp-
Noticed once or twice a patient has
great liking for the doctor who has hyp-
notized her. The extent to which this
goes has been frequently remarked In the
case OF patients who refuse 10 eat for
several days. II has then to be found out
who first hypnotized heraand he IS asked
to put her into somnambulstic state.
He then orders her that she must eat at
certain hour after she wakes up In
every instance she obeys."
Asked, with view 20 the recent case In
London, whether a person could be in
duced to write a will In any ones favor.
Dr. Potelet replied that he was Of the
opinion that this would be quite possible
If the subject was historical and had been
several times under the influence of the
hypnotizer. But If he was her medical
attendant and she was Ill. there would be
absolutely no need to use hypnotism Il
Is well-known fact that people nearly
always desire TO leave money either to
| their doctor or some old servant It is
because they appreciate acts Of loving at
tention and Kindness more when lying on
sick bed than at any other time. French
law has forseen this and wisely forblds
the doctor who attended deceased per-
son during a last illness to become heir TO
the estate. little souvenir is all that he
Is allowed 70 accept"
DR.. Korner, another authority In Paris.
tells Of some experiments which prove The
wonderful power the hypnotist has over
his patient during the hypnotic state Dur
ing one experiment a patient was told TO
poison one Of the doctors She put what
she supposed was poison into a glass ana
asked him to drink. saying the weather
was so exceedingly hot that she was sure
he must be thirsty. He refused once or
twice, but she persisted. Az last he con
sented but requested her to drink first
This she pretended TO do but did not wet
her lips. He then drank from the glass
and fell back as IL dead. She had abso-
lutely no remorse, yet frYnly believed she
had committed murder. In another exper-
iment the patient was told to Kill a GER
tain house surgeon. AS soon as he came
Into the room she fired pistol point blank
al him. DR.. Korner believes that the IA
tent must first have a grudge against the
supposed victim. AS long as the germ of
spite or dislike Is there the hypnotizer
can increase 1t In the mind Of the subject
until he or she firmly believes IN the nee
essity OF committing murder. DIR. Kor-
ner's opinion on the question whether a
patient could be hypnotized into writing
a will is identical with the view expressed
by DR.. Potelet.
AS a matter Of fact there seems to have
been little need for DIR. Kingsbury TO use
hypnotism The influence Of the stronger
mind over the weaker In the ordinary wav
would seem TO explain Mrs Howard's will
In his favor When she died she was "a
years old and Kingsbury had been calling
on her two and three times a day for
period Of eight years. In 1896 he paid her
$40 professional visits. for each Of which
he charged and received S. Some years
before she died Mrs. Howard had asked
him TO adopt her name and live with her
and also offered him 5000 a year 20 de-
vote himself entirely to her as a doctor
These offers were refused but the doctor
did borrow $4,000 on no more valuable Sc
curity than a receipt bearing a penny
stamp.
1t cannot be thought that such case as
this throws much light on the question Of
how far the power Of hypnotic suggestion
lasts after the hypnotic trance Is over
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