The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-14
A HYPNOTlST In COURT.
Acquitted of the Charge of influence
inW the Making of a VIII.
London Letter in New York Sun.

London Letter in New York Sun.
An old lady named Howard died in De-
cember last, and her medical attendant,
DR.. Kingsbury, was found to benefit under
her will to the extent of some $50, 900. This
week the dead woman's son has been trying
to have the will set aside. There was no al
legation that Mrs. Howard was insane or in
any way incapable of making a will, but it
was argued on behalf of the son that the
bequest to the doctor was the consequence
of suggestions made by him when the tesla
tor was in the hypnotic state and acted on
afterward.
Kingsbury is we'll known as a hypnotist,
and has written book on hypnotic sugges-
ton. He acknowledged that in three
months he had tried twenty-five times to
hypnotic Mrs. Howard in order to suggest
to her that she had no pain in her head, but
according to his own account he had been
entirely unsuccessful in his attempts, and
Mrs. Towards maid also said that the hyp-
notism was failure.
In the end the jury upheld the will. The
case, interesting as it might have proved
was a matter of fact, disappointing. The
prominent English doctors who were called
gave evidence in very noncommital fash
ion, and the most amusing point was Dr.
Kingsbury's attempt to prove the narrow
limits of the science for which, in his book
and various papers, he had claimed
much. He had written of one subject who
could be made to fancy himself a woman
a child, 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 speechmaking was this SUBJ
ject's pet aversion, and kingsbury wished
to prove by this fact the improbabiity of
:, making a hypnotized person do in a hyp-
motto state a thing to which he is strongly
averse in the normal state.
DR.. Rene Potelet. a French authority, and
it is in France that this subject is most
| thoroughly studied. says that when female
subject has been hypnotized she will obey
the doctor in all minor matters but as soon
as he suggests something TO which her nat
ural instinct or education objects she re-
1T is easy says DR.. Potelet, ito make
the patient believe that she is in a garden
full of singing birds, and her face turns up
ward and reflects all the pleasure it gives
her If a small piece of wood is given %
her and the doctor tells her it is a serpent,
she will drop it with horror and start back
in fear. AS rule, it is noticed that after
having been hypnotized once or twice a pa
tient has a great liking for the doctor who
| goes has been frequently remarked III the
case of patients who refuse to eat -or sew
! last hypnotized her. and he is asked to Lut
| her into a somnambulistic state. lie tHen
| orders her that she must eat at a certain
hour after she wakes up. In every instance
! she obeys."
Asked, with a view to the recent case in
! London, whether a person could be induced
TO write will in any ones favor. DR..
| Potelet replied that he was of opinion that
this would be quite possible if the subject
| was hySterical 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. 1t is well-known fact
| that people nearly always desire to leave
money either to their doctor or some old
| servant. 1t is because they appreciate acts
| of loving attention and kindness more when
| lying on a sickbed than at any other time.
French law has foreseen this and wisely
! forbids the doctor who attended a deceased
! person during last illness to become. heir
70 the estate. A little souvenir is all that
DR.. Korner, another authority in Paris,
| tells of some experiments which prove the
! 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 glass and
/ asked him to drink, saying the weather
was so exceedingly hot that she was sure
he must be thirsty; He refused Is once or
| sented but requested her to drink first.
| This she pretended to do, but did not wet
fell fell back as dead She had absolutely mo no
| remorSe, yet firmly believed she had COM
mitted murder. In another experiment the
| latient was told to kill a certain house
| surgeon. AS soon as he came into the room
| she fired a pistol point blank at him. DR..
| korner believes that the patient must first
| have grudge against the supposed vic
| tim. AS long as the germ of spite or dis
| like is there the hypnotizer can increase it
| in the mind of the subject until he or she
| firmly believes in the necessity of commit
ting murder. DR.. korner's opinion on the
question whether a patient could be hyp-
Noticed into writing will is identical with
! the View expressed by DIR. POtelet.
AS 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 way
would seem TO explain Mrs. Howard's will
In his favor. When she died she was sew
enty-four years old and Kingsbury had
been calling on her two and three times
day for period OF eight years. In 1886 he
paid her $40 professional visits. for each OF
which he charged and received IS. 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 to
devote himself entirely to her as a doctor.
These offers were refused, but the d9ctor