The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-27

raise the dead: II will not put in a new
| eye in place Of bad one las IL did to
| an iroquois Indian boy for one OF the
| Jesuit fathers). nor will It cure cancer or
pneumonia or knit bone but In spite
of these nineteenth century restrictions.
| such as we find it, faith IL a most precious
commodity. without which we should be
very badly OF
HYPNoTfSM. introduced by Mesmer In
the past century. has had several REVEALS
as method of treatment during the
present century. The nrst careful study
of 1t made by Braid. Manchester
surgeon. who introduced the terms hypno-
tism. hypnotic and nervous sleep: but at
this time no very great measure OF sue
cess followed Its use In practice, except
perhaps in the case OF an Anglo-Indian
surgeon. James Esdaile. who. prior to the
Introduction of anesthesia. had perform
ed 2s1 surgical operations upon patients
In state of hypnotic Inconsistencies.
About 1850 the French physicians, particu-
larly Charcot and Bernheim. took up the
study. and since that time hypnotism has
been extensively practieed. II may be de-
fined as subjective psychical condition.
what Braid called nervous sleep, resem-
bling somnambuiism, in which. Shakes
peare says, in the description of Lady
Macbeth the person receives at once
the benefit OF sleep and does the eff
fects or acts OF watching or waking. Their
apeuticai!y, the important fact Is that the
individuals natural susceptibility to sug-
gestion Is increased, and this may hold
after the condition of hypnosis has pass
ed away. The condition of hypnosis Is
usually itself induced by suggestion, re-
questing the subject to close the eyes, to
think of sleep, and the operator then re-
peats two or three times sentences sug-
costing sleep. and suggesting that tho
limbs are getting heavy and that he is
feeling drowsy. During this state II has
been found that the subjects are very sus-
ceptible to suggestion. Too much must
not be expected of hypnotism, and the
claims which have been made for it have
been too often grossly exaggerated. Ii
seems, 1t has been recently well put,
that hypnotism AT best permits of max
ing suggestions more effective for good
or bad than can be done upon one in
his waking state" IL is found to be OF
very little use in organic disease. 1t has
been helpful in some cases of hysteria.
in certain functional spasmodic affections
of the nervous system, In the vicious hab-
its Of childhood. and in suggesting to
the victims of alcohol and drugs that they
should get rid of their inordinate desires.
1t has been used successfully in certain
eases for the relief OF labor pains, and in
surgical operations, but on the whole,
while valuable agent in a few cases, II
has scarcely fulfilled the expectations of
its advocates. 1t is practice not without
serious dangers, and should never be per-
formed except in the presence of a third
person. and its indiscriminate practice by
ignorant persons should be prevented by
law.
One mode of faith-healing in modern
days, which passes under the remarkable
name of Christian Science. is probably
nothing more than mental suggestion I'M
der another name. The patient is told
to be calm. and is assured that all will
go we'll; that he must try to aid the healer
by believing that what is told HIN is
true. The iiesier then. quietly. 5ut firm
~. asserts and reiterates that there is
no pain no suffering that it is disappear
ing. that belief win come. that the patient
is getting we'll This is precisely the
method which Bernheim used to use with
such success IN his hypnotic patients at
Nancy. iterating and reiterating in a
most wearisome way. that the disease
would disappear and the patient would
feel better. As has been pointed out by
a recent writer CDR. Harry MarshalD. the
chief basis for the growth of Christian
Science Is that which underlies every
popular fallacy. oliver Wendell Holmes
outlined very clearly the factors concern
ed showing (a) how easily abundant facts
can be collected to prove anything what
soever; Oh how insufficient. exalted wis
dom, immaculate honesty and vast gem
eral requirements are to prevent an in
dividual from having the most primitive
ideas upon subjects out of his line of
thought. and. finally. demonstrating the
boundless credulity and excitability of
mankind ur.1n subjects connected with
medicine"
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