The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18


but II can check ~incipient tuberculosis and neu-
tralize predlsposiuon toward that disease. rs
lar back as 1899, q Pans physician OF note treated
two girls Tor lncIpIentt tuberculosis. they th9nght
themselves doomed SO did their friends. They
were kept under hypnotic influence for three
months and were permanently cured. 10y the way,
that is an interesting fact for no such duration
OF hypnotic influence IL achieved in this day,
Recently in Stockholm q nervous proStratlon
case was kept under hypnotic influence Tor SIX
weeks, and the fact excited much comment and
was hailed aS a great step in advance.
Singers use hypnotic suggestion a great deal
for throat trouble. OF course II Will not promptly,
in q single treatment, cure q violent sore throat
or bronchitis. but il will remedy any flaw IN NE
Actresses also resort 10 suggestion, often when
they are Over-tired and threatened with nerve
collapse, They take the treatment, too, FOR sell
confidence and inspiration but there We ore get
ting around to the moral issues OF hypnotism
That's another story and a much more interesting
one. I'll tell you one medical problem for hyp-
notism which interests scientific men and a so
luton Of which seems 10 me altogether possible,
although | know Of no definite experiment that
has proved the possibility. Here Is the problem.
Can hypnotic suggestion prevent the dlmnlng
Of the mental faculties and the loss 0t nerve Sc
renity usually attendant upon extreme age,
Why not2 | cannot believe tina, God intended
man 10 grow old as he does. HIS hold on life
may weaken, hut his mind should I've unframed
and he should 1--we, o comfort 10 himself and 10
his friends until his hour comes. Now. can. hNp-
motto suggestion check the diminutlun Of the
hJain cells and make possible that euthnnasla-
sweet dylng-of which the Greeks wrote do
not see any scientific objection, and have an
eldery woman patient now who believes that
thing possible and wants to try IL So II We both
hold out for a good while and circumstances do
not interfere with the treatment that theory Will
be tested.
Hasn't quackery increased greatly with tho
development Of psychological science" the. re.
porter asked, and DR. Quackenbos's genial face
took on IN expression Of unutterable disgust
The countr ~ Is full Of II" he said, with 4 touch
Of anger in his tone. It's enough TO make a con-
scientious scientist weep, or swear, 20 see tho
way in which iakirs are quilting the public The
worst Of the popular systems Of charlatanlSm
IL that they are founded ON scientific truth, and
a half truth is more dangerous than a whole lie.
basi, for innumereble fakes, and because that
one scientific principle lea ves the lump Of quackerv
enough to achievc certain good results, the Who'll"
lump Of ahsnrdi,y IS accepted as nut, hyp.
lions for patients, rich husbands or wives, social
position and love These nnpIlnriplei nypno,lS's
impressed. Hypnotsm, like every great power,
has It's possibilities for good and evil; IN" latter
are not nearly 80 great NJ The nnlniormrd wGuid
believe. Except in rare cases, II Is impossible
10 make a sublec, do, under suggestion, u thing
that would shock and pam her moral
nature in her normal state never
Of il, but experiments have been made by repu-
table scientists, and the conclusions drawn are
that, except in cases OF a nature of great moral
'llllullN, a SNEkF1'I'Nl " 'l'hA' VI ~ VI ttt
kind fails 10 ttnd response. \ person who would
commit the crime IN his normal state might com
nit II under suggestion.
The chief danger in hypnotsm lies IN the posi-
bility Of the IMPRESSION OF loN IDEALS upon the
patients s%ublImiuAl CunSrlOusnHSS, II the hyp-
notist is himself a man Of low and sensual ideals,
and the consequent injury TO the general char
actrr. The pracuce Of hypnOtsm should, by
law, be confined to reputable and skilled prac-
titioners; but with that precaution taken the
Possibilities Of evil from hypnousm would be
,xa.,,..I, all A,,, t.,tlI 1n,I,rh tl.tI4yh u
you could hear the demands upon my skill made
by some persons whose IDEAS Of the science are
gained from the advertisements oil The qnacks
A woman came 10 NE last week and said she
needed money and that she wanted me 20 give
her power to collect some bad debts That's
,he idea ignorant people have " the uses OF what
into the hands OF man, ! told the woman ! was
no magician and that ! couldn't do anything 10
help her unless she'd brng the debtors t., me.
] might hypnOtze them into paying, but ! couldnt
hypnotic her into collecting
'"The varous absent treatment schemes are
remunerative frauds. You would be surprised
10 know how much Of that sort Of thing is done
\ healer advertIses, a would be patient responds
and pays the required ie, She Is notified that
at certain hour, the healer will treat her She
il foolish enough to believe II and her faith, or
autu-suggestIun gets in It's work, so she really
does have treatments, and may improve, but she
does the work herself, rnd, save rs he appeals
10 her credulity, the healer has nothing what
ever 10 do with the affair The various liquor
and morphine cures Of the Kelley type come IN
the same category Of autO-suggeStlon cures. Inc
medical profession knows that there's DO drug
that destroys the desire for liquor, but auto-and
post-hypnotic suggestions can do y ana J m
jeCtlng CrOtOn water into d dfunkard 5 arm helps
his objective CunsClOusnesS 10 impress his SUB
lminal consciousness, and he hypnotzes himself
into sanity, there's no hnrm done, but us qudck-
ery all the same. Patent medicines, IN most
cases, win then following by the same means.
Some Of them are incidentally valuable. Many
are of absolutely no medicinal value, but, II the
man who takes them has faith in them, and his
disease isn't organic, they may help him,
'aTLen there ia the whole tribe Of magnetic healers.
f,i,h he,lers, &c Many Of them are sincere, but
dacsiyrd Others are deliberate charlatans, not
because they do not often cure, but because they
pretend 10 ba able 10 perform the scientifically
impossible. and do not credit the actual results
obtained 10 their real source, because they ascnbs
10 the supernatural what Is A simple scientific
foct, as definite and intelligIblt as biography.
There Is nothing occult or mysterious about rrpu-
table hypnotic practice, and physicians have a
right " employ a knowledge Of the natural laws
governing the mind as well as Of those governing
the body, There Is no more reason that a ply
stefan should look askance at hypnosis than that
he should taboo anaestheticS and disregard the
law Of circulation.
"Innumerable persons are having their sight
much improved by plain window glass plus sug-
gestion. They believe their spectacies have been
lifted 70 their eyes. and their automatic minds
control the nerves Of their eyes and work cures.
II u quite possible, q the Christian Scientists