The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-12-19
HYPNOSIS in
OPERATIONS
Remarkable Demonstration Of Its
PracticabiIity Givenin Astoria
by Professor McEwen
ABCESs CUT FROM BOYS JAW
Patient Placed Under Hypnotic In
fuence and Suffered Not Least
Pain While Physicians Re-
moved Growth.

moved Growth.
Professor p. II. McEwen this morn
ing placed 17-year-old Eddie Bitterley
under hypnotic influence and kept him
there while DR.. H. L. Henderson and
Or. Nellie Vernon removed from the
lads jaw an abscess as large as hens
egg. The operation was successful in
every respect ,and particularly satis-
factory to the four principals involved.
Bitterley is tall, strong young fel-
low and says he is a logger. He has
lived on the Lewis and Clark river, but
his parents are dead. His home he ad-
ded, is where he hangs his hat. For
some days past the lad had been suffer-
ing excrutiating pain from an abcess
which formed under the left ear. The
abcess was so painful that the patient
cried out in agony this morning before
the remarkable operation when DR..
Henderson touched it with fine hair
brush.
The operation lasted 20 minutes, dur
ing which time the patient was under
TIE influence of McEwen. The hypno-
tist put the patient to sleep, and, after
the ahcess had been removed, awoke
him. In awakening the lad McEwen
told him that he would, upon coming
out of his sleep, hear the chorus in the
opera king Dodo," and, at the sug-
gestion of the hypnotist, the lad ap-
plauded the music of the chorus which
he believed to be before him.
During the operation experienced
not the slightest pain" said young
Bitterley, as he sat in DR.. Henderson's
office after the operation. II could hear
Professor McEwen talking to me, but
knew nothing of the work of the ply
sicians. knew only that ! was asleep
and that Professor McEwen was keep
ing me there"
The lad added that he experienced
no pain after the abcess had been cut
open, and McEwen stated that the
wound would heal UP without pain to
the patient. Bitterley left the office
of DR.. Henderson at noon, grateful TO
the hypnotist and the physicians who
had alleviated his sufferings.
While the use of hypnotism in surg
cry is not new, by any means, demon
of the kind given this morn
ing are always interesting as showing
the wonderful possibilities Of legitimate
of the strange force which
the man may come to exert over an
other. McEwen said this morning that
he once kept a man under hypnotic in
ltuence while doctors amputated his leg
The most famous French surgeon per-
forms all his capital operations with
the aid of hypnotic force, and one of
the leading surgeons in the British
army likewise employed hypnosis. AS
a rule sick persons are good subjects,
here being some inducement for them
10 receive the complete suggestion so
essential to success. McEwen seemed
10 regret that the patient operated up
IN this morning was not one of the
,keptics who are constantly deriding |
lin. and with whom his patience is
lorely tried at times.
During a conversation with the re-
'orters this morning the hypnotist ex-
'lained the rotten-egg incident to
which he referred from the platform
ew nights ago. The professor reiter-
ted that the attack was made upon
i'm the night he closed his engage
nent here five years ago. Those who
earl his statement from the platform
adhered the impression that the at
ack was made perhaps by that class
eferred to as the skeptics but McEwen
yplained this morning that the eggs
'ere thrown by subjects who had con-
tituted part of the class, and who
ere chagrined at not receiving some
for their services. One
| the eggs struck McEwen's hat, while
mother struck his wife on the back.
l.a 4A ~ 4