Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-29
Hypnotism Of Insects.


Painless surgery without employ
ment of anesthetics may be the re-
suit of recent scientific experiments
made upon insects.
IL has long been known that a per-
son in hypnotic state does not feel
pain; he may be cut or stuck without
being sensible of it. Minor surgical
operations having frequently been par
formed upon cataleptic or hypnotic
subjects.
But not every person is susceptible
to hypnotic influence, and the present
aim of scientists is to develop a form
nj hypnosis to which every one will
yield.
curiousIy enough, their research has
led them to the domain of the insect
world. 1t has been recently found
that certain insects are in a state of
cataiepsy or hypnosis during large
period of their existence.
Particularly is this true of an In
dian insect known as Carausius mo-
rosus. -
Professor Peter Schmidt. of the I'M
perial University of st. Petersburg, has
made a close study of these insects.
and declares that while they may oft
en-. be thought at first sight to be
sleeping or reposng, closer observation
and some simple experiments will pro-
duee the conviction that We have to
do with catalepsy exactly like that
artificially produced in higher animals.
.Indced,' declared DIR. Schmidt. lit
has long heen known that many YER
tehraies can be, hypnotized and made
motionless by simple methods If we
lay a ra bbit on his back on the table
and fix his head and feet for few
seconds, we shall make him. catalep-
tic--he will lie motfonless some min
utes, and his muscles will be strained
as in a hypnotized human subject The
same can be done with a crayfish--
one can stand him vertically on his
head and the first pair of legs. and
he will keep completely motionless for
hours. as il bewftched.
When 1 detected this interesting
muscular state in the quiet Carausius
/ tried some experiments. and after q
number of trials it occurred to me.
for Instance, to stand the insect on its
head and give him a still more ANUS
ing pese which I have called the
wrestling BRIDGE In one of the ex-
periments a eataleptieal Carausius re-
inclined on it's head for four and half
hours And he showed not the slight
est signs of fatigue"
All these experiments sufficiently
demonstrates that the muscles OF Cara
usius are really in a state which Is
named by psychologists "fexibilitas ce-
req, g. e., wax flexibility).ss They are
strained, but not extremely as in the
state of tetanus; they can be stretched
more and remain in q given position.
Expressly the same state of muscles
is observed in the cases of catalep-
sp or hypnosis, IN higher animals
and in man.
How strong is this rightly Of mus
eles was shown from an experiment.
Here Earausius was posed between
two books with the tips of the fore
legs on the one and with the end of
the abdomen ON the ether A very
considerable weight for IL, in the shape
of some paper strips, was placed on
its abdomen, SO that it was bent like
a bow, and, Notwithstanding, it re-
mained in the deepest catalepsy Tor
one or more hours in this strange pose'
II is known that catalepsy has two
distinguishing features: ~ a catalep-
teal subject does not feel pain; one
may cut and sting him, and he re-
mains in the same state of immobif-
ity. CD the cataleptical tension of
muscles does not cause fatigue. And.
in fact. cataleptical Carausius Is
completely feelingless, with sharp
scissors one can cut off its antennae
and feet. and one after the other an
the segments of the abdomen, its
green blood flows from the wounds,
but it stays in the same pose COM