Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-11-20

sleep is pure hypnotism.
Children are easily hypnotized. and so
Is any animal that can be approached
without too greatly alarming il. Barn
yard fowls are peculiarly subject to hyp-
motto influence. The experiment of a
Jesuit priest, Father Athanasius Kircher,
in the middle of the seventeenth century,
has become famous in the literature Of
this curious subject. and the story fire.
Quently turns up In books on magic and
mystery.
Father Kirchers discovery was that II
q rooster be placed on a table, with his
legs tied, and white chalk mark be
drawn on the table. starting close to the
fowls beak, the bird will become mo-
= tionless. and then II released from It's
bonds will remain in a kind OF sleep
from which it can with difficulty be
aroused. Similar experiments may be
performed upon hens, as well as upon
various other birds.
The power of serpents to fascinate
small birds, rendering them unable to
fly away, undoubtedly rests upon hypno-
tism. The victim is put to sleep by the
monotonous motions of the serpents
head and neck rendered more effective
by the glitter of its eyes, the flicker OF
it's forked tongue, and the reflections or
its colored scales. In the scientific ex-
perlments in hypnotism of Charcot ana
his aids and successors glittering OBJ
ject kept In may movement was one OF
the chief mechanical agents employed TO
put the patients to sleep.
In the insect world there are probably
thousands of instances of hypnotism pro-
duced by fright and terror, such as coulo
seldom be matched by any similar &C.
curence among larger animals. Even
human beings are sometimes paralyzeo
by fear at the sight of tiger, Hon.
a bear or a panther. This paralysis re-
sembles, in its effect, partial failing
asleep.
In the little world under our feet the
contrasts of physical magnitude among
the. creatures and the aspects OF irigh'-
fulness' are far greater than al ue
level on which we live, and we can read
lily imagine the hypnotizins influenc'
that the sight of a spider. for instance
would produce upon some little SOL
bodied insect, to whose eyes the eight
legged monster would appear relatively
as huge as an elephant appears to man.
Iere may be the explanation OF the
very common phenomenon of "feign-
ing death which we see among Insects
ga well as among the small animals
Quite likely there is no intentional reign
ing. but simply a hypnotic effect.
Among animals which may be hypnot-
ICED by man is the deadly cobra OF India
When seized by the neck and srently
pressed the serpent stiffens and remains
in the motionless state for a considerable
time. Fasten frog on a board and then
turn Il swiftly over and II goes into
trance. Pinch the tail Of a lizard or the
foot of a frog and the animal becomes
motionless for several minutes. In many
of these cases fear is the hypnouzing
agent
In experimenting upon human beings
fear is never employed. The favored
agent is monotony acting upon the ner-
vous system. This may be produced by
gentle stroking. by eye-strain, by visible
motion, or by sounds. Patients may be
talked asleep"
In the case of the lower animals the
second step in what is popularity spoken
Of as hypotism Is never taken. This sec
ond step is suggestion. To a human
being In a state of hypnotic slumber sug-
gestiohs may be conveyed. either by
voice or writing or gesture, which will
be acted upon by the patient after awak-
ening. These suggestions are received be-
cause OF the more or less complete re-
taxation of the self-control of the sleeper.
In the hands OF capable physician the
most important effects may be brought
about by suggestions made in THE way.
They become incorporated, so to speak,
into the mind Of the patient. They in
fluencs his will and his actions as II they
had originated within himself. II is as
serted by physicians cG the highest stand
ing that such troubles as intemperance,
vicious habits, sleeplessness and many
nervous disorders can be successfully
treated by hypnotic suggestion.
That hypnotic sleep does not essen
TALLY differ from natural sleep seems TO
be proved by such experiments as this
Of Maury, a French savant He had a
friend remain at hiss bedside and stimu-
late certain of his senses while he was
asleep. For instance. a bottle of eau de
cologne was put under his nose. and
thereupon he dreamed that he was in a
perfumery shop. the scene OF the dream
changing 10 a bazaar in Cairo. Maury
concluded that hypnotic suggestions are
strictly comparable to dreams.