The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-19
Girls Reason Restored by APP
piled Hypnotism.
She Was Treated Only Four
Days Before Cured.
is ROBBED OF MEMORY
FOrgetS the Author of Her I'm
happy Troubles.
And Doesn't Know Him When
They Meet.

New York. May 19.-Seemingly more
wonderful than anything yet recorded
in that vast realm of psychical research
which is just being opened up by men
of science is an operation in hypnotism
that recently was performed at Pater-
son, N. J. So far ahead was it of any
thing that physicians have hitherto pre-
tended to do that the practitioner who
did the work has hesitated even to make
the usual report of his remarkable case
to the medical journals. The facts are
printed here for the first time.
The operation, or, to use the technical
term, the hypnosis, was performed in
the general hospital in Paterson by DR..
John c. Mccoy, one of the leading ply
sicians, whose office is at No 1873 Broad
way in that city. The subject was
young woman of good family, whose
name can not, of course be given. She
was sent to the hospital by her rela-
tiVeS in a condition of insanity brought
on by disgrace consequent upon her
misplaced confidence in young mans
promises. She had been sent to the hos
pita1 not in the hope that she could be
cured of her mental disorder, but mere
ly that the customary formalities of
state medical examination by commits
SfOnerS in lunacy could be made pre-
paratory to committing her to an asy-
lum.
ONLY HOPE OF ESCAPE.
She was insane. The physicians Of the
hospital agreed to that. and unless some
unusual treatment could be had there
was no escape for her from confinement
in an institution. DIR. Mccoy is one of
the visiting physicians to the hospital.
He is a thorough student, rated as a
clever surgeon, and has practiced hyp-
notism. He determined to try hypnosis
with results which, if they are to be
believed in their entirety, mark an
epoch in the advancement of psychica1
accomplishment.
In four days the young woman was
cured of her insanity by the complete
eradication from her mind of all MEM
Dry of her disgrace. At the end of that
time she left the hospital in good health
and otherwise completely unchanged
from her normal self, except, it is as
serted, in these particulars:
She has completely forgotten her dis
grace. as much as if it never had hap
pe2ed.
HAS FORGOTTEN THE MAN.
She has lost all memory of the man
who had been responsible for her trou-
BILE
She met the man on the street. not
once, but many times, without recog-
nizing him any more than if he had
been a perfect stranger to her.
She did not recognize his photograph,
which was in her home, as that of one
she had ever known.
The sight of presents he had given to
her aroused in her no recollection what
ever.
She was mentally as completely re-
moved from that sad occurrence in her
life as if it had been the lot of another
person.
These are the facts in the case as OBJ
served by scientific men who were cog
infant of it both before and after the
hypnosis. Those who do not believe in
hypnotism may doubt that the cure
was effected wholly in the manner de-
scribed, but that it was effected and
f,x. 10 al@-. Ai%Nv1e,
of the medical men interested could de-
termine, no other means was used,
seems to be beyond doubt
OPERATOR IS RETICENT.
In justice to Dr. Mccoy, it must be
said that he refused to make any state
ment of the case for publication beyond
tacitly admitting its truth. The facts
We're learned from another quarter. DIR.
Mccoy said it matter between
himself and his patient which he could
nor discuss. He has even refrained
of it in the Medical Journal, undoubt-
eddy for the reason that he fears to
take himself out of the category of con-
servative practitioners.
The methods employed by DR.. Mccoy
to accomplish this result are interest
ing. He used the latest modern scien-
tifc method of producing sleep sug-
gestions of forgetfulness. Four days
were required to effect the cure, and it
is understood that on at least two of
the days the suggestions were COM
municated to her on more than one Oc-
casion
The young woman was thrown into a
deep sleep. While in that sleep the
operator gave to her the suggestions
of forgetfulness. These are given by
the repetition on the part of the oper-
ator of the idea of forgetfulness until
it is thoroughly impressed on the pas
sive mind of the subject.
MENTAL EASE SUGGESTED.
The operator would repeat the sem
fences:
Forget your trouble Discard all
thoughts of evil from your mind
Cease to worry about anything
many, many times, while focusing his
will on the object to be attained until
the patient gradually began to let slip
her hold upon the vivid impressions
she had of her disgrace, and became
more and more oblivious of it. Then
the suggestions would become:
You are quite WE'LL" You have no
troubles You are going home" Four
days of this, which meant the hardest
and most trying work on the part of
the operator and a deep, hypnotic state
of pa ssive receptivity on the part of the
young woman. completed the cure; and,
according to the testimony of those who
have been familiar with the case, the
young woman is, except as to the lapse
in memory on this one subject, quite as
she was before.
A ROYAL HOSTESS.