The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-22
Woman Under Its Influence
Operated Upon by Surgeons.
Indifferent, She Watched Her
Own Blood Flow.
NO PAIN WHATEVER.
Operation a Tedious and Most
Delicate One.
Required ~ Minutes But Pa
tient Was UnmOved.

Chicago. Dec 22.-For forty-two minutes
Mrs. NJ F. Stewart lay Ia a hypnotic
state on the operating table in hospital
IN Ewing Place and without experiencing
a single pain witnessed an operation per
formed upon her She was placed on the
table at 3.15 O'Clock and within three mn mn
ntes she was in a hypnodc STATE NJ
pulse ran from 2 up TO ia ana hEI TEN
Derature was raised and lowered me op-
era ton began at once Swiftly the knlfe
fassssea through quivering flesh, the pa
ali her surroundings she was insensible
TO pain She saw her own warm Dlood
spurf freely from each stroke Of the sur
Flesh. nerves and tissue were pierced
and severed alike. yet through It all N1rs.
Stewart seemed absolutely indinerent 70
what 10 the conscious self would have
been fearful suffering. Hardly a renon-
single stage of the delicate operation
oli - Sti lI - - fr,e11eifeIa 10 r1ain
frsn knife. needle and instrums nt. as she
70 heat and cold 4 ne hoInsht , sue Lel1
he hot water touch her body she COM
planned stoutiy of its being too not Suc1
proved TO be the case MIS- Stew Htio
been told she would experience no pam
during the operation. but nothing mao
been said about impressions o. Aees 80 -
cold and she simply realized the water
was TOO hot. but there was no pain.
After the operation MIS-. stewart tree
20 describe her feelings She said she felt
the hypnotic influence come over her ana
the fear that she would suffef pass away
As she saw the knife cut into her HeSh
she said there was peculiar sensation
not unlike a tickling feeling. what
seemed most strange to her was the sew
ing with the peculiarly shaped needle
she felt it pierce her flesh and the stitches
being made. but could not understand why
that had to be done She tried TO reason
81 out but could not keep her mind on It
The womfl said she seemed TO be sus-
nended i'm She air. rather than lying upon
4he ia BILE She thought too that two bits
Of soft wire which she held in her hands
had become powerful magnets and were
a rvE1fH on f1Err A
rs nurse. after She mad been placed in
a bed she realized that the operation had
been performed and without the use OF
either chlOroform or ether She rested
quietly and shortly fell into a peaceful
Among the phvsiciansl who attended the
opera ton was DR.. J. Gartenstein, of Phila-
delphia- The operation was performed by
DE- H. l. Nahin.
The operation was an abdominal one,
known a curettementl and amputatOn
Of the cervix- Extreme liberation of the
latter part had for weeks caused the
woman intense suffering and pain. It's
entire reconstruction was the only hope
FOR her recovery She is IS years old and
previous to her present illness had en-
joyed comparatively good health
Clinical reports of the medical profess
sion Tor the last year nave contained sew
eral Interesting articles on operations per-
formed under hypnotic influence. The fact
tha1 50 many patients are skeptlcal mas
efforts to use the power
DR. Hugh T. Patrick. professor of neu-
rolOgy in the Chicago Polytechnic hospital
and college, says ne mas made many sue
cessfIII experiments with hypnotfsm- DR..
b. NJ Linnelp 100 State street. spoke high
~ of the use of hypnotism in the medical
profession Some medical men say the
public should be made acquainted with
the marvellous beneficial effects of ''sug-
gestiOnf used by competent medical men.
and with dangers which attend the plan
when followed by improper persons. 9th
ers say that as long its is allowed
by Improper persons and it is used in
public for purposes of gain or mere
amusement confidence in its worth cannot
be established.
IN other countries said DIT. Nahin.
there are stringent laws against the use
nf hypnOtism except in a purely scientific
manner, and so il should be in this cOun-
Try. The public should be cautioned.
Just as people would not allow themselves
TO be drugged or operated upon by any
one unless he be a. physician or surgeon,
50 they ought not TO allow themselves to
be hynnotized by an amateur