,complete ,hypnotism ,mesmerism1 ,mind-,reading and ,spiritualism ,how to ,hypnotize3 ,being an ,exhaustive and ,practical ,system of ,method1 ,application1 and ,use by ,a4 ,alpheus #aijc ,,contents ,,introduction ,history of hypnotism--,mesmer--,puysegur--,braid--, what is hypnotism8--,theories of hypnotism3 #a4 ,animal magnetism2 #b4 ,the ,neurosis ,theory2 #c4 ,suggestion ,theory ,,chapter ,i ,how to ,hypnotize--,dr4 ,cocke's method-,dr4 ,flint's method--,the ,french method at ,paris--,at ,nancy--,the ,hindoo silent method--,how to wake a subject from hypnotic sleep--,frauds of public hypnotic entertainments4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,amusing experiments--,hypnotizing on the stage--8,you can't pull your hands apart60--,post-hypnotic suggestion--,the newsboy1 the hunter1 and the young man with the rag doll--,a whip becomes hot iron--,courting a broom stick--,the side-show ,,chapter ,,iii ,the stages of hypnotism--,lethargy-,catalepsy--,the somnambulistic stage--,fascination ,,chapter ,,iv ,how the subject feels under hypnotization--,dr4 ,cocke's experience--,effect of music--,dr4 ,alfred ,warthin's experiments ,,chapter ,v ,self hypnotization--,how it may be done--,an experience--,accountable for children's crusade--,oriental prophets self-hypnotized ,,chapter ,,vi ,simulation--,deception in hypnotism very common--,examples of ,neuropathic deceit--,detecting simulation--,professional subjects--,how ,dr4 ,luys of the ,charity ,hospital at ,paris was deceived--,impossibility of detecting deception in all cases--,confessions of a professional hypnotic subject ,,chapter ,,vii ,criminal suggestion--,laboratory crimes--,dr4 ,cocke's experiments showing criminal suggestion is not possible--,dr4 ,william ,james' theory--,a bad man cannot be made good1 why expect to make a good man bad8 ,,chapter ,,viii ,dangers in being hypnotized ,condemnation of public performances--,a commonsense view--,evidence furnished by ,lafontaine2 by ,dr4 ,courmelles2 by ,dr4 ,hart2 by ,dr4 ,cocke--,no danger in hypnotism if rightly used by physicians or scientists ,,chapter ,,ix ,hypnotism in medicine--,anesthesia--,restoring the use of muscles--,hallucination--,bad habits ,,chapter ,x ,hypnotism of animals--,snake charming ,,chapter ,,xi ,a scientific explanation of hypnotism--,dr4 ,hart's theory ,,chapter ,,xii ,telepathy and ,clairvoyance--,peculiar power in hypnotic state--,experiments--8,phantasms of the living0 explained by telepathy ,,chapter ,,xiii ,the ,confessions of a ,medium--,spiritualistic phenomena explained on theory of telepathy--,interesting statement of ,mrs4 ,piper1 the famous medium of the ,psychical ,research ,society ,,introduction4 ,there is no doubt that hypnotism is a very old subject1 though the name was not invented till #ahej4 ,in it was wrapped up the 8mysteries of ,isis0 in ,egypt thousands of years ago1 and probably it was one of the weapons1 if not the chief instrument of operation1 of the magi mentioned in the ,bible and of the 8wise men0 of ,babylon and ,egypt4 8,laying on of hands0 must have been a form of mesmerism1 and ,greek oracles of ,delphi and other places seem to have been delivered by priests or priestesses who went into trances of self-induced hypnotism4 ,it is suspected that the fakirs of ,india who make trees grow from dry twigs in a few minutes1 or transform a rod into a serpent 7as ,aaron did in ,bible history71 operate by some form of hypnotism4 ,the people of the ,east are much more subject to influences of this kind than ,western peoples are1 and there can be no question that the religious orgies of heathendom were merely a form of that hysteria which is so closely related to the modern phenomenon of hypnotism4 ,though various scientific men spoke of magnetism1 and understood that there was a power of a peculiar kind which one man could exercise over another1 it was not until ,frederick ,anton ,mesmer 7a doctor of ,vienna7 appeared in #agge that the general public gave any special attention to the subject4 ,in the year mentioned1 ,mesmer sent out a circular letter to various scientific societies or 8,academies0 as they are called in ,europe1 stating his belief that 8animal magnetism0 existed1 and that through it one man could influence another4 ,no attention was given his letter1 except by the ,academy of ,berlin1 which sent him an unfavorable reply4 ,in #aggh ,mesmer was obliged for some unknown reason to leave ,vienna1 and went to ,paris1 where he was fortunate in converting to his ideas d',eslon1 the ,comte d',artois's physician1 and one of the medical professors at the ,faculty of ,medicine4 ,his success was very great2 everybody was anxious to be magnetized1 and the lucky ,viennese doctor was soon obliged to call in assistants4 ,deleuze1 the librarian at the ,jardin des ,plantes1 who has been called the ,hippocrates of magnetism1 has left the following account of ,mesmer's experiments3 8,in the middle of a large room stood an oak tub1 four or five feet in diameter and one foot deep4 ,it was closed by a lid made in two pieces1 and encased in another tub or bucket4 ,at the bottom of the tub a number of bottles were laid in convergent rows1 so that the neck of each bottle turned towards the centre4 ,other bottles filled with magnetized water tightly corked up were laid in divergent rows with their necks turned outwards4 ,several rows were thus piled up1 and the apparatus was then pronounced to be at #8high pressure'4 ,the tub was filled with water1 to which were sometimes added powdered glass and iron filings4 ,there were also some dry tubs1 that is1 prepared in the same manner1 but without any additional water4 ,the lid was perforated to admit of the passage of movable bent rods1 which could be applied to the different parts of the patient's body4 ,a long rope was also fastened to a ring in the lid1 and this the patients placed loosely round their limbs4 ,no disease offensive to the sight was treated1 such as sores1 or deformities4 8,a large number of patients were commonly treated at one time4 ,they drew near to each other1 touching hands1 arms1 knees1 or feet4 ,the handsomest1 youngest1 and most robust magnetizers held also an iron rod with which they touched the dilatory or stubborn patients4 ,the rods and ropes had all undergone a #8preparation' and in a very short space of time the patients felt the magnetic influence4 ,the women1 being the most easily affected1 were almost at once seized with fits of yawning and stretching2 their eyes closed1 their legs gave way and they seemed to suffocate4 ,in vain did musical glasses and harmonicas resound1 the piano and voices re-echo2 these supposed aids only seemed to increase the patients' convulsive movements4 ,sardonic laughter1 piteous moans and torrents of tears burst forth on all sides4 ,the bodies were thrown back in spasmodic jerks1 the respirations sounded like death rattles1 the most terrifying symptoms were exhibited4 ,then suddenly the actors of this strange scene would frantically or rapturously rush towards each other1 either rejoicing and embracing or thrusting away their neighbors with every appearance of horror4 8,another room was padded and presented another spectacle4 ,there women beat their heads against wadded walls or rolled on the cushion-covered floor1 in fits of suffocation4 ,in the midst of this panting1 quivering throng1 ,mesmer1 dressed in a lilac coat1 moved about1 extending a magic wand toward the least suffering1 halting in front of the most violently excited and gazing steadily into their eyes1 while he held both their hands in his1 bringing the middle fingers in immediate contact to establish communication4 ,at another moment he would1 by a motion of open hands and extended fingers1 operate with the great current1 crossing and uncrossing his arms with wonderful rapidity to make the final passes40 ,hysterical women and nervous young boys1 many of them from the highest ranks of ,society1 flocked around this wonderful wizard1 and incidentally he made a great deal of money4 ,there is little doubt that he started out as a genuine and sincere student of the scientific character of the new power he had indeed discovered2 there is also no doubt that he ultimately became little more than a charlatan4 ,there was1 of course1 no virtue in his 8prepared0 rods1 nor in his magnetic tubs4 ,at the same time the belief of the people that there was virtue in them was one of the chief means by which he was able to induce hypnotism1 as we shall see later4 ,faith1 imagination1 and willingness to be hypnotized on the part of the subject are all indispensable to entire success in the practice of this strange art4 ,in #aggi ,mesmer published a pamphlet entitled 8,memoire sur la decouverte du magnetisme animal01 of which ,doctor ,cocke gives the following summary 7his chief claim was that he had discovered a principle which would cure every disease73 8,he sets forth his conclusions in twenty-seven propositions1 of which the substance is as follows3-- ,there is a reciprocal action and reaction between the planets1 the earth and animate nature by means of a constant universal fluid1 subject to mechanical laws yet unknown4 ,the animal body is directly affected by the insinuation of this agent into the substance of the nerves4 ,it causes in human bodies properties analogous to those of the magnet1 for which reason it is called #8,animal ,magnetism'4 ,this magnetism may be communicated to other bodies1 may be increased and reflected by mirrors1 communicated1 propagated1 and accumulated1 by sound4 ,it may be accumulated1 concentrated1 and transported4 ,the same rules apply to the opposite virtue4 ,the magnet is susceptible of magnetism and the opposite virtue4 ,the magnet and artificial electricity have1 with respect to disease1 properties common to a host of other agents presented to us by nature1 and if the use of these has been attended by useful results1 they are due to animal magnetism4 ,by the aid of magnetism1 then1 the physician enlightened as to the use of medicine may render its action more perfect1 and can provoke and direct salutary crises so as to have them completely under his control40 ,the ,faculty of ,medicine investigated ,mesmer's claims1 but reported unfavorably1 and threatened d',eslon with expulsion from the society unless he gave ,mesmer up4 ,nevertheless the government favored the discoverer1 and when the medical fraternity attacked him with such vigor that he felt obliged to leave ,paris1 it offered him a pension of #bj1jjj francs if he would remain4 ,he went away1 but later came back at the request of his pupils4 ,in #aghd the government appointed two commissions to investigate the claims that had been made4 ,on one of these commissions was ,benjamin ,franklin1 then ,american ,ambassador to ,france as well as the great ,french scientist ,lavoisier4 ,the other was drawn from the ,royal ,academy of ,medicine1 and included ,laurent de ,jussieu1 the only man who declared in favor of ,mesmer4 ,there is no doubt that ,mesmer had returned to ,paris for the purpose of making money1 and these commissions were promoted in part by persons desirous of driving him out4 8,it is interesting10 says a ,french writer1 8to peruse the reports of these commissions3 they read like a debate on some obscure subject of which the future has partly revealed the secret40 ,says another ,french writer 7,courmelles73 8,they sought the fluid1 not by the study of the cures affected1 which was considered too complicated a task1 but in the phases of mesmeric sleep4 ,these were considered indispensable and easily regulated by the experimentalist4 ,when submitted to close investigation1 it was1 however1 found that they could only be induced when the subjects knew they were being magnetized1 and that they differed according as they were conducted in public or in private4 ,in short--whether it be a coincidence or the truth--imagination was considered the sole active agent4 ,whereupon d',eslon remarked1 #8,if imagination is the best cure1 why should we not use the imagination as a curative means8' ,did he1 who had so vaunted the existence of the fluid1 mean by this to deny its existence1 or was it rather a satirical way of saying4 #8,you choose to call it imagination2 be it so4 ,but after all1 as it cures1 let us make the most of it'8 8,the two commissions came to the conclusion that the phenomena were due to imitation1 and contact1 that they were dangerous and must be prohibited4 ,strange to relate1 seventy years later1 ,arago pronounced the same verdict60 ,daurent ,jussieu was the only one who believed in anything more than this4 ,he saw a new and important truth1 which he set forth in a personal report upon withdrawing from the commission1 which showed itself so hostile to ,mesmer and his pretensions4 ,time and scientific progress have largely overthrown ,mesmer's theories of the fluid2 yet ,mesmer had made a discovery that was in the course of a hundred years to develop into an important scientific study4 ,says ,vincent3 8,it seems ever the habit of the shallow scientist to plume himself on the more accurate theories which have been provided for him by the progress of knowledge and of science1 and then1 having been fed with a limited historical pabulum1 to turn and talk lightly1 and with an air of the most superior condescension1 of the weakness and follies of those but for whose patient labors our modern theories would probably be non-existent40 ,if it had not been for ,mesmer and his 8,animal ,magnetism01 we would never have had 8hypnotism0 and all our learned societies for the study of it4 ,mesmer1 though his pretensions were discredited1 was quickly followed by ,puysegur1 who drew all the world to ,buzancy1 near ,soissons1 ,france4 8,doctor ,cloquet related that he saw there1 patients no longer the victims of hysterical fits1 but enjoying a calm1 peaceful1 restorative slumber4 ,it may be said that from this moment really efficacious and useful magnetism became known40 ,every one rushed once more to be magnetized1 and ,puysegur had so many patients that to care for them all he was obliged to magnetize a tree 7as he said71 which was touched by hundreds who came to be cured1 and was long known as 8,puysegur's tree04 ,as a result of ,puysegur's success1 a number of societies were formed in ,france for the study of the new phenomena4 ,in the meantime1 the subject had attracted considerable interest in ,germany1 and in #ahab ,wolfart was sent to ,mesmer at ,frauenfeld by the ,prussian government to investigate ,mesmerism4 ,he became an enthusiast1 and introduced its practice into the hospital at ,berlin4 ,in #ahad ,deleuze published a book on the subject1 and ,abbe ,faria1 who had come from ,india1 demonstrated that there was no fluid1 but that the phenomena were subjective1 or within the mind of the patient4 ,he first introduced what is now called the 8method of suggestion0 in producing magnetism or hypnotism4 ,in #ahae ,mesmer died4 ,experimentation continued1 and in the #bj's ,foissac persuaded the ,academy of ,medicine to appoint a commission to investigate the subject4 ,after five years they presented a report4 ,this report gave a good statement of the practical operation of magnetism1 mentioning the phenomena of somnambulism1 anesthesia1 loss of memory1 and the various other symptoms of the hypnotic state as we know it4 ,it was thought that magnetism had a right to be considered as a therapeutic agent1 and that it might be used by physicians1 though others should not be allowed to practice it4 ,in #ahcg another commission made a decidedly unfavorable report4 ,soon after this ,burdin1 a member of the ,academy1 offered a prize of #c1jjj francs to any one who would read the number of a bank-note or the like with his eyes bandaged 7under certain fixed conditions71 but it was never awarded1 though many claimed it1 and there has been considerable evidence that persons in the hypnotic state have 7sometimes7 remarkable clairvoyant powers4 ,soon after this1 magnetism fell into very low repute throughout ,france and ,germany1 and scientific men became loath to have their names connected with the study of it in any way4 ,the study had not yet been seriously taken up in ,england1 and two physicians who gave some attention to it suffered decidedly in professional reputation4 ,it is to an ,english physician1 however1 that we owe the scientific character of modern hypnotism4 ,indeed he invented the name of hypnotism1 formed from the ,greek word meaning #8sleep'1 and designating #8artificially produced sleep'4 ,his name is ,james ,braid1 and so important were the results of his study that hypnotism has sometimes been called 8,braidism04 ,doctor ,courmelles gives the following interesting summary of ,braid's experiences3 8,november1 #ahda1 he witnessed a public experiment made by ,monsieur ,lafontaine1 a ,swiss magnetizer4 ,he thought the whole thing a comedy2 a week after1 he attended a second exhibition1 saw that the patient could not open his eyes1 and concluded that this was ascribable to some physical cause4 ,the fixity of gaze must1 according to him1 exhaust the nerve centers of the eyes and their surroundings4 ,he made a friend look steadily at the neck of a bottle1 and his own wife look at an ornamentation on the top of a china sugar bowl3 sleep was the consequence4 ,here hypnotism had its origin1 and the fact was established that sleep could be induced by physical agents4 ,this1 it must be remembered1 is the essential difference between these two classes of phenomena 7magnetism and hypnotism73 for magnetism supposes a direct action of the magnetizer on the magnetized subject1 an action which does not exist in hypnotism40 ,it may be stated that most ,english and ,american operators fail to see any distinction between magnetism and hypnotism1 and suppose that the effect of passes1 etc41 as used by ,mesmer1 is in its way as much physical as the method of producing hypnotism by concentrating the gaze of the subject on a bright object1 or the like4 ,braid had discovered a new science--as far as the theoretical view of it was concerned--for he showed that hypnotism is largely1 if not purely1 mechanical and physical4 ,he noted that during one phase of hypnotism1 known as catalepsy1 the arms1 limbs1 etc41 might be placed in any position and would remain there2 he also noted that a puff of breath would usually awaken a subject1 and that by talking to a subject and telling him to do this or do that1 even after he awakes from the sleep1 he can be made to do those things4 ,braid thought he might affect a certain part of the brain during hypnotic sleep1 and if he could find the seat of the thieving disposition1 or the like1 he could cure the patient of desire to commit crime1 simply by suggestion1 or command4 ,braid's conclusions were1 in brief1 that there was no fluid1 or other exterior agent1 but that hypnotism was due to a physiological condition of the nerves4 ,it was his belief that hypnotic sleep was brought about by fatigue of the eyelids1 or by other influences wholly within the subject4 ,in this he was supported by ,carpenter1 the great physiologist2 but neither ,braid nor ,carpenter could get the medical organizations to give the matter any attention1 even to investigate it4 ,in #ahdh an ,american named ,grimes succeeded in obtaining all the phenomena of hypnotism1 and created a school of writers who made use of the word 8electro-biology40 ,in #ahej ,braid's ideas were introduced into ,france1 and ,dr4 ,azam1 of ,bordeaux1 published an account of them in the 8,archives de ,medicine40 ,from this time on the subject was widely studied by scientific men in ,france and ,germany1 and it was more slowly taken up in ,england4 ,it may be stated here that the ,french and other ,latin races are much more easily hypnotized than the northern races1 ,americans perhaps being least subject to the hypnotic influence1 and next to them the ,english4 ,on the other hand1 the ,orientals are influenced to a degree we can hardly comprehend4 ,,what ,,is ,,hypnotism8 ,we have seen that so far the history of hypnotism has given us two manifestations1 or methods1 that of passes and playing upon the imagination in various ways1 used by ,mesmer1 and that of physical means1 such as looking at a bright object1 used by ,braid4 ,both of these methods are still in use1 and though hundreds of scientific men1 including many physicians1 have studied the subject for years1 no essentially new principle has been discovered1 though the details of hypnotic operation have been thoroughly classified and many minor elements of interest have been developed4 ,all these make a body of evidence which will assist us in answering the question1 ,what is hypnotism8 ,modern scientific study has pretty conclusively established the following facts3 #a4 ,idiots1 babies under three years old1 and hopelessly insane people cannot be hypnotized4 #b4 ,no one can be hypnotized unless the operator can make him concentrate his attention for a reasonable length of time4 ,concentration of attention1 whatever the method of producing hypnotism1 is absolutely necessary4 #c4 ,the persons not easily hypnotized are those said to be neurotic 7or those affected with hysteria74 ,by 8hysteria0 is not meant nervous excitability1 necessarily4 ,some very phlegmatic persons may be affected with hysteria4 ,in medical science 8hysteria0 is an irregular action of the nervous system4 ,it will sometimes show itself by severe pains in the arm1 when in reality there is nothing whatever to cause pain2 or it will raise a swelling on the head quite without cause4 ,it is a tendency to nervous disease which in severe cases may lead to insanity4 ,the word neurotic is a general term covering affection of the nervous system4 ,it includes hysteria and much else beside4 ,on all these points practically every student of hypnotism is agreed4 ,on the question as to whether any one can produce hypnotism by pursuing the right methods there is some disagreement1 but not much4 ,dr4 ,ernest ,hart in an article in the ,british ,medical ,journal makes the following very definite statement1 representing the side of the case that maintains that any one can produce hypnotism4 ,says he3 8,it is a common delusion that the mesmerist or hypnotizer counts for anything in the experiment4 ,the operator1 whether priest1 physician1 charlatan1 self-deluded enthusiast1 or conscious imposter1 is not the source of any occult influence1 does not possess any mysterious power1 and plays only a very secondary and insignificant part in the chain of phenomena observed4 ,there exist at the present time many individuals who claim for themselves1 and some who make a living by so doing1 a peculiar property or power as potent mesmerizers1 hypnotizers1 magnetizers1 or electro-biologists4 ,one even often hears it said in society 7for ,i am sorry to say that these mischievous practices and pranks are sometimes made a society game7 that such a person is a clever hypnotist or has great mesmeric or healing power4 ,i hope to be able to prove1 what ,i firmly hold1 both from my own personal experience and experiment1 as ,i have already related in the ,nineteenth ,century1 that there is no such thing as a potent mesmeric influence1 no such power resident in any one person more than another2 that a glass of water1 a tree1 a stick1 a penny-post letter1 or a lime-light can mesmerize as effectually as can any individual4 ,a clever hypnotizer means only a person who is acquainted with the physical or mental tricks by which the hypnotic condition is produced2 or sometimes an unconscious imposter who is unaware of the very trifling part for which he is cast in the play1 and who supposes himself really to possess a mysterious power which in fact he does not possess at all1 or which1 to speak more accurately1 is equally possessed by every stock or stone40 ,against this we may place the statement of ,dr4 ,foveau de ,courmelles1 who speaks authoritatively for the whole modern ,french school4 ,he says3 8,every magnetizer is aware that certain individuals never can induce sleep even in the most easily hypnotizable subjects4 ,they admit that the sympathetic fluid is necessary1 and that each person may eventually find his or her hypnotizer1 even when numerous attempts at inducing sleep have failed4 ,however this may be1 the impossibility some individuals find in inducing sleep in trained subjects1 proves at least the existence of a negative force40 ,if you would ask the present writer's opinion1 gathered from all the evidence before him1 he would say that while he has no belief in the existence of any magnetic fluid1 or anything that corresponds to it1 he thinks there can be no doubt that some people will succeed as hypnotists while some will fail1 just as some fail as carpenters while others succeed4 ,this is true in every walk of life4 ,it is also true that some people attract1 others repel1 the people they meet4 ,this is not very easily explained1 but we have all had opportunity to observe it4 ,again1 since concentration is the prerequisite for producing hypnotism1 one who has not the power of concentration himself1 and concentration which he can perfectly control1 is not likely to be able to secure it in others4 ,also1 since faith is a strong element1 a person who has not perfect self-confidence could not expect to create confidence in others4 ,while many successful hypnotizers can themselves be hypnotized1 it is probable that most all who have power of this kind are themselves exempt from the exercise of it4 ,it is certainly true that while a person easily hypnotized is by no means weak-minded 7indeed1 it is probable that most geniuses would be good hypnotic subjects71 still such persons have not a well balanced constitution and their nerves are high-strung if not unbalanced4 ,they would be most likely to be subject to a person who had such a strong and well-balanced nervous constitution that it would be hard to hypnotize4 ,and it is always safe to say that the strong may control the weak1 but it is not likely that the weak will control the strong4 ,there is also another thing that must be taken into account4 ,science teaches that all matter is in vibration4 ,indeed1 philosophy points to the theory that matter itself is nothing more than centers of force in vibration4 ,the lowest vibration we know is that of sound4 ,then comes1 at an enormously higher rate1 heat1 light 7beginning at dark red and passing through the prismatic colors to violet which has a high vibration71 to the chemical rays1 and then the so-called ,x or unknown rays which have a much higher vibration still4 ,electricity is a form of vibration1 and according to the belief of many scientists1 life is a species of vibration so high that we have no possible means of measuring it4 ,as every student of science knows1 air appears to be the chief medium for conveying vibration of sound1 metal is the chief medium for conveying electric vibrations1 while to account for the vibrations of heat and light we have to assume 7or imagine7 an invisible1 imponderable ether which fills all space and has no property of matter that we can distinguish except that of conveying vibrations of light in its various forms4 ,when we pass on to human life1 we have to theorize chiefly by analogy4 7,it must not be forgotten1 however1 that the existence of the ether and many assumed facts in science are only theories which have come to be generally adopted because they explain phenomena of all kinds better than any other theories which have been offered47 ,now1 in life1 as in physical science1 any one who can get1 or has by nature1 the key-note of another nature1 has a tremendous power over that other nature4 ,the following story illustrates what this power is in the physical world4 ,while we cannot vouch for the exact truth of the details of the story1 there can be no doubt of the accuracy of the principle on which it is based3 8,a musical genius came to the ,suspension ,bridge at ,niagara ,falls1 and asked permission to cross2 but as he had no money1 his request was contemptuously refused4 ,he stepped away from the entrance1 and1 drawing his violin from his case1 began sounding notes up and down the scale4 ,he finally discovered1 by the thrill that sent a tremor through the mighty structure1 that he had found the note on which the great cable that upheld the mass1 was keyed4 ,he drew his bow across the string of the violin again1 and the colossal wire1 as if under the spell of a magician1 responded with a throb that sent a wave through its enormous length4 ,he sounded the note again and again1 and the cable that was dormant under the strain of loaded teams and monster engines--the cable that remained stolid under the pressure of human traffic1 and the heavy tread of commerce1 thrilled and surged and shook itself1 as mad waves of vibration coursed over its length1 and it tore at its slack1 until like a foam-crested wave of the sea1 it shook the towers at either end1 or1 like some sentient animal1 it tugged at its fetters and longed to be free4 8,the officers in charge1 apprehensive of danger1 hurried the poor musician across1 and bade him begone and trouble them no more4 ,the ragged genius1 putting his well-worn instrument back in its case1 muttered to himself1 #8,i'd either crossed free or torn down the bridge4'0 8,so the hypnotist10 goes on the writer from which the above is quoted1 8finds the note on which the subjective side of the person is attuned1 and by playing upon it awakens into activity emotions and sensibilities that otherwise would have remained dormant1 unused and even unsuspected40 ,no student of science will deny the truth of these statements4 ,at the same time it has been demonstrated again and again that persons can and do frequently hypnotize themselves4 ,this is what ,mr4 ,hart means when he says that any stick or stone may produce hypnotism4 ,if a person will gaze steadily at a bright fire1 or a glass of water1 for instance1 he can throw himself into a hypnotic trance exactly similar to the condition produced by a professional or trained hypnotist4 ,such people1 however1 must be possessed of imagination4 ,,theories ,,of ,,hypnotism4 ,we have now learned some facts in regard to hypnotism2 but they leave the subject still a mystery4 ,other facts which will be developed in the course of this book will only deepen the mystery4 ,we will therefore state some of the best known theories4 ,before doing so1 however1 it would be well to state concisely just what seems to happen in a case of hypnotism4 ,the word hypnotism means sleep1 and the definition of hypnotism implies artificially produced sleep4 ,sometimes this sleep is deep and lasting1 and the patient is totally insensible2 but the interesting phase of the condition is that in certain stages the patient is only partially asleep1 while the other part of his brain is awake and very active4 ,it is well known that one part of the brain may be affected without affecting the other parts4 ,in hemiplegia1 for instance1 one half of the nervous system is paralyzed1 while the other half is all right4 ,in the stages of hypnotism we will now consider1 the will portion of the brain or mind seems to be put to sleep1 while the other faculties are1 abnormally awake4 ,some explain this by supposing that the blood is driven out of one portion of the brain and driven into other portions4 ,in any case1 it is as though the human engine were uncoupled1 and the patient becomes an automaton4 ,if he is told to do this1 that1 or the other1 he does it1 simply because his will is asleep and 8suggestion01 as it is called1 from without makes him act just as he starts up unconsciously in his ordinary sleep if tickled with a straw4 ,now for the theories4 ,there are three leading theories1 known as that of #a4 ,animal ,magnetism2 #b4 ,neurosis2 and #c4 ,suggestion4 ,we will simply state them briefly in order without discussion4 ,animal ,magnetism4 ,this is the theory offered by ,mesmer1 and those who hold it assume that 8the hypnotizer exercises a force1 independently of suggestion1 over the subject4 ,they believe one part of the body to be charged separately1 or that the whole body may be filled with magnetism4 ,they recognize the power1 of suggestion1 but they do not believe it to be the principal factor in the production of the hypnotic state40 ,those who hold this theory today distinguish between the phenomena produced by magnetism and those produced by physical means or simple suggestion4 ,the ,neurosis ,theory4 ,we have already explained the word neurosis1 but we repeat here the definition given by ,dr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,cocke4 8,a neurosis is any affection of the nervous centers occurring without any material agent producing it1 without inflammation or any other constant structural change which can be detected in the nervous centers4 ,as will be seen from the definition1 any abnormal manifestation of the nervous system of whose cause we know practically nothing1 is1 for convenience1 termed a neurosis4 ,if a man has a certain habit or trick1 it is termed a neurosis or neuropathic habit4 ,one man of my acquaintance1 who is a professor in a college1 always begins his lecture by first sneezing and then pulling at his nose4 ,many forms of tremor are called neurosis4 ,now to say that hypnotism is the result of a neurosis1 simply means that a person's nervous system is susceptible to this condition1 which1 by ,m4 ,charcot and his followers1 is regarded as abnormal40 ,in short1 ,m4 ,charcot places hypnotism in the same category of nervous affections in which hysteria and finally hallucination 7medically considered7 are to be classed1 that is to say1 as a nervous weakness1 not to say a disease4 ,according to this theory1 a person whose nervous system is perfectly healthy could not be hypnotized4 ,so many people can be hypnotized because nearly all the world is more or less insane1 as a certain great writer has observed4 ,suggestion4 ,this theory is based on the power of mind over the body as we observe it in everyday life4 ,again let me quote from ,dr4 ,cooke4 8,if we can direct the subject's whole attention to the belief that such an effect as before mentioned--that his arm will be paralyzed1 for instance--will take place1 that effect will gradually occur4 ,such a result having been once produced1 the subject's will-power and power of resistance are considerably weakened1 because he is much more inclined than at first to believe the hypnotizer's assertion4 ,this is generally the first step in the process of hypnosis4 ,the method pursued at the school of ,nancy is to convince the subject that his eyes are closing by directing his attention to that effect as strongly as possible4 ,however1 it is not necessary that we begin with the eyes4 ,according to ,m4 ,dessoir1 any member of the body will answer as well40 ,the theory of ,suggestion is maintained by the medical school attached to the hospital at ,nancy4 ,the theory of ,neurosis was originally put forth as the result of experiments by ,dr4 ,charcot at the ,salpetriere hospital in ,paris1 which is now the co-called ,salpetriere school--that is the medical1 school connected with the ,salpetriere hospital4 ,there is also another theory put forth1 or rather a modification of ,professor ,charcot's theory1 and maintained by the school of the ,charity hospital in ,paris1 headed by ,dr4 ,luys1 to the effect that the physical magnet and electricity may affect persons in the hypnotic state1 and that certain drugs in sealed tubes placed upon the patient's neck during the condition of hypnosis will produce the same effects which those drugs would produce if taken internally1 or as the nature of the drugs would seem to call for if imbibed in a more complete fashion4 ,this school1 however1 has been considerably discredited1 and ,dr4 ,luys' conclusions are not received by scientific students of hypnotism4 ,it is also stated1 and the present writer has seen no effective denial1 that hypnotism may be produced by pressing with the fingers upon certain points in the body1 known as hypnogenic spots4 ,it will be seen that these three theories stated above are greatly at variance with each other4 ,the student of hypnotism will have to form a conclusion for himself as he investigates the facts4 ,possibly it will be found that the true theory is a combination of all three of those described above4 ,hypnotism is certainly a complicated phenomena1 and he would be a rash man who should try to explain it in a sentence or in a paragraph4 ,an entire book proves a very limited space for doing it4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,how ,,to ,,hypnotize4 ,dr4 ,cocke's ,method--,dr4 ,flint's ,method--,the ,french ,method at ,paris--at ,nancy--,the ,hindoo ,silent ,method--,how to ,wake a ,subject from ,hypnotic ,sleep--,frauds of ,public ,hypnotic ,entertainers4 ,first let us quote what is said of hypnotism in ,foster's ,encyclopedic ,medical ,dictionary4 ,the dictionary states the derivation of the word from the ,greek word meaning sleep1 and gives as synonym 8,braidism04 ,this definition follows3 8,an abnormal state into which some persons may be thrown1 either by a voluntary act of their own1 such as gazing continuously with fixed attention on some bright object held close to the eyes1 or by the exercise of another person's will2 characterized by suspension of the will and consequent obedience to the promptings of suggestions from without4 ,the activity of the organs of special sense1 except the eye1 may be heightened1 and the power of the muscles increased4 ,complete insensibility to pain may be induced by hypnotism1 and it has been used as an anaesthetic4 ,it is apt to be followed by a severe headache of long continuance1 and by various nervous disturbances4 ,on emerging from the hypnotic state1 the person hypnotized usually has no remembrance of what happened during its continuance1 but in many persons such remembrance may be induced by #8suggestion'4 ,about one person in three is susceptible to hypnotism1 and those of the hysterical or neurotic tendency 7but rarely the insane7 are the most readily hypnotized40 ,first we will quote the directions for producing hypnotism given by ,dr4 ,james ,r4 ,cocke1 one of the most scientific experimenters in hypnotism in ,america4 ,his directions of are special value1 since they are more applicable to ,american subjects than the directions given by ,french writers4 ,says ,dr4 ,cocke3 8,the hypnotic state can be produced in one of the following ways3 ,first1 command the subject to close his eyes4 ,tell him his mind is a blank4 ,command him to think of nothing4 ,leave him a few minutes2 return and tell him he cannot open his eyes4 ,if he fails to do so1 then begin to make any suggestion which may be desired4 ,this is the so-called mental method of hypnotization4 8,secondly1 give the subject a coin or other bright object4 ,tell him to look steadfastly at it and not take his eyes away from it4 ,suggest that his eyelids are growing heavy1 that he cannot keep them open4 ,now close the lids4 ,they cannot be opened4 ,this is the usual method employed by public exhibitors4 ,a similar method is by looking into a mirror1 or into a glass of water1 or by rapidly revolving polished disks1 which should be looked at steadfastly in the same way as is the coin1 and ,i think tires the eyes less4 8,another method is by simply commanding the subject to close his eyes1 while the operator makes passes over his head and hands without coming in contact with them4 ,suggestions may be made during these passes4 8,fascination1 as it is called1 is one of the hypnotic states4 ,the operator fixes his eyes on those of the subject4 ,holding his attention for a few minutes1 the operator begins to walk backward2 the subject follows4 ,the operator raises the arm2 the subject does likewise4 ,briefly1 the subject will imitate any movement of the hypnotist1 or will obey any suggestion made by word1 look or gesture1 suggested by the one with whom he is en rapport4 8,a very effective method of hypnotizing a person is by commanding him to sleep1 and having some very soft music played upon the piano1 or other stringed instrument4 ,firm pressure over the orbits1 or over the finger-ends and root of the nail for some minutes may also induce the condition of hypnosis in very sensitive persons4 8,also hypnosis can frequently be induced by giving the subject a glass of water1 and telling him at the same time that it has been magnetized4 ,the wearing of belts around the body1 and rings round the fingers1 will also1 sometimes1 induce a degree of hypnosis1 if the subject has been told that they have previously been magnetized or are electric4 ,the latter descriptions are the so-called physical methods described by ,dr4 ,moll40 ,dr4 ,herbert ,l4 ,flint1 a stage hypnotizer1 describes his methods as follows3 8,to induce hypnotism1 ,i begin by friendly conversation to place my patient in a condition of absolute calmness and quiescence4 ,i also try to win his confidence by appealing to his own volitional effort to aid me in obtaining the desired clad4 ,i impress upon him that hypnosis in his condition is a benign agency1 and far from subjugating his mentality1 it becomes intensified to so great an extent as to act as a remedial agent4 8,having assured myself that he is in a passive condition1 ,i suggest to him1 either with or without passes1 that after looking intently at an object for a few moments1 he will experience a feeling of lassitude4 ,i steadily gaze at his eyes1 and in a monotonous tone ,i continue to suggest the various stages of sleep4 ,as for instance1 ,i say1 #8,your breathing is heavy4 ,your whole body is relaxed4' ,i raise his arm1 holding it in a horizontal position for a second or two1 and suggest to him that it is getting heavier and heavier4 ,i let my hand go and his arm falls to his side4 8#8,your eyes1' ,i continue1 #8feel tired and sleepy4 ,they are fast closing' repeating in a soothing tone the words #8sleepy1 sleepy1 sleep4' ,then in a self-assertive tone1 ,i emphasize the suggestion by saying in an unhesitating and positive tone1 #8sleep4' 8,i do not1 however1 use this method with all patients4 ,it is an error to state1 as some specialists do1 that from their formula there can be no deviation2 because1 as no two minds are constituted alike1 so they cannot be affected alike4 ,while one will yield by intense will exerted through my eyes1 another may1 by the same means1 become fretful1 timid1 nervous1 and more wakeful than he was before4 ,the same rule applies to gesture1 tones of the voice1 and mesmeric passes4 ,that which has a soothing and lulling effect on one1 may have an opposite effect on another4 ,there can be no unvarying rule applicable to all patients4 ,the means must be left to the judgment of the operator1 who by a long course of psychological training should be able to judge what measures are necessary to obtain control of his subject4 ,just as in drugs1 one person may take a dose without injury that will kill another1 so in hypnosis1 one person can be put into a deep sleep by means that would be totally ineffectual in another1 and even then the mental states differ in each individual--that which in one induces a gentle slumber may plunge his neighbor into a deep cataleptic state40 ,that hypnotism may be produced by purely physical or mechanical means seems to have been demonstrated by an incident which started ,doctor ,burq1 a ,frenchman1 upon a scientific inquiry which lasted many years4 8,while practising as a young doctor1 he had one day been obliged to go out and had deemed it advisable to lock up a patient in his absence4 ,just as he was leaving the house he heard the sound as of a body suddenly falling4 ,he hurried back into the room and found his patient in a state of catalepsy4 ,monsieur ,burq was at that time studying magnetism1 and he at once sought for the cause of this phenomenon4 ,he noticed that the door-handle was of copper4 ,the next day he wrapped a glove around the handle1 again shut the patient in1 and this time nothing occurred4 ,he interrogated the patient1 but she could give him no explanation4 ,he then tried the effect of copper on all the subjects at the ,salpetriere and the ,cochin hospitals1 and found that a great number were affected by it40 ,at the ,charity hospital in ,paris1 ,doctor ,luys used an apparatus moved by clockwork4 ,doctor ,foveau1 one of his pupils1 thus describes it3 8,the hypnotic state1 generally produced by the contemplation of a bright spot1 a lamp1 or the human eye1 is in his case induced by a peculiar kind of mirror4 ,the mirrors are made of pieces of wood cut prismatically in which fragments of mirrors are incrusted4 ,they are generally double and placed crosswise1 and by means of clockwork revolve automatically4 ,they are the same as sportsmen use to attract larks1 the rays of the sun being caught and reflected on every side and from all points of the horizon4 ,if the little mirrors in each branch are placed in parallel lines in front of a patient1 and the rotation is rapid1 the optic organ soon becomes fatigued1 and a calming soothing somnolence ensues4 ,at first it is not a deep sleep1 the eye-lids are scarcely heavy1 the drowsiness slight and restorative4 ,by degrees1 by a species of training1 the hypnotic sleep differs more and more from natural sleep1 the individual abandons himself more and more completely1 and falls into one of the regular phases of hypnotic sleep4 ,without a word1 without a suggestion or any other action1 ,dr4 ,luys has made wonderful cures4 ,wecker1 the occulist1 has by the same means entirely cured spasms of the eye-lids40 ,professor ,delboeuf gives the following account of how the famous ,liebault produced hypnotism at the hospital at ,nancy4 ,we would especially ask the reader to note what he says of ,dr4 ,liebault's manner and general bearing1 for without doubt much of his success was due to his own personality4 ,says ,professor ,delboeuf3 8,his modus faciendi has something ingenious and simple about it1 enhanced by a tone and air of profound conviction2 and his voice has such fervor and warmth that he carries away his clients with him4 8,after having inquired of the patient what he is suffering from1 without any further or closer examination1 he places his hand on the patient's forehead and1 scarcely looking at him1 says1 #8,you are going to sleep4' ,then1 almost immediately1 he closes the eyelids1 telling him that he is asleep4 ,after that he raises the patient's arm1 and says1 #8,you cannot put your arm down4' ,if he does1 ,dr4 ,liebault appears hardly to notice it4 ,he then turns the patient's arm around1 confidently affirming that the movement cannot be stopped1 and saying this he turns his own arms rapidly around1 the patient remaining all the time with his eyes shut2 then the doctor talks on without ceasing in a loud and commanding voice4 ,the suggestions begin3 8#8,you are going to be cured2 your digestion will be good1 your sleep quiet1 your cough will stop1 your circulation will become free and regular2 you are going to feel very strong and well1 you will be able to walk about1' etc41 etc4 ,he hardly ever varies the speech4 ,thus he fires away at every kind of disease at once1 leaving it to the client to find out his own4 ,no doubt he gives some special directions1 according to the disease the patient is suffering from1 but general instructions are the chief thing4 8,the same suggestions are repeated a great many times to the same person1 and1 strange to say1 notwithstanding the inevitable monotony of the speeches1 and the uniformity of both style and voice1 the master's tone is so ardent1 so penetrating1 so sympathetic1 that ,i have never once listened to it without a feeling of intense admiration40 ,the ,hindoos produce sleep simply by sitting on the ground and1 fixing their eyes steadily on the subject1 swaying the body in a sort of writhing motion above the hips4 ,by continuing this steadily and in perfect silence for ten or fifteen minutes before a large audience1 dozens can be put to sleep at one time4 ,in all cases1 freedom from noise or distractive incidents is essential to success in hypnotism1 for concentration must be produced4 ,certain ,french operators maintain that hypnotism may be produced by pressure on certain hypnogenic points or regions of the body4 ,among these are the eye-balls1 the crown of the head1 the back of the neck and the upper bones of the spine between the shoulder glades4 ,some persons may be hypnotized by gently pressing on the skin at the base of the finger-nails1 and at the root of the nose2 also by gently scratching the neck over the great nerve center4 ,hypnotism is also produced by sudden noise1 as if by a ,chinese gong1 etc4 ,,how ,,to ,,wake ,a ,,subject ,,from ,,hypnotic ,,sleep4 ,this is comparatively easy in moot cases4 ,most persons will awake naturally at the end of a few minutes1 or will fall into a natural sleep from which in an hour or two they will awake refreshed4 ,usually the operator simply says to the subject1 8,all right1 wake up now10 and claps his hands or makes some other decided noise4 ,in some cases it is sufficient to say1 8,you will wake up in five minutes02 or tell a subject to count twelve and when he gets to ten say1 8,wake up40 ,persons in the lethargic state are not susceptible to verbal suggestions1 but may be awakened by lifting both eyelids4 ,it is said that pressure on certain regions will wake the subject1 just as pressure in certain other places will put the subject to sleep4 ,among these places for awakening are the ovarian regions4 ,some writers recommend the application of cold water to awaken subjects1 but this is rarely necessary4 ,in olden times a burning coal was brought near4 ,if hypnotism was produced by passes1 then wakening may be brought about by passes in the opposite direction1 or with the back of the hand toward the subject4 ,the only danger is likely to be found in hysterical persons4 ,they will1 if aroused1 often fall off again into a helpless state1 and continue to do so for some time to come4 ,it is dangerous to hypnotize such subjects4 ,care should be taken to awaken the subject very thoroughly before leaving him1 else headache1 nausea1 or the like may follow1 with other unpleasant effects4 ,in all cases subjects should be treated gently and with the utmost consideration1 as if the subject and operator were the most intimate friends4 ,it is better that the person who induces hypnotic sleep should awaken the subject4 ,others cannot do it so easily1 though as we have said1 subjects usually awaken themselves after a short time4 ,further description of the method of producing hypnotism need not be given2 but it is proper to add that in addition to the fact that not more than one person out of three can be hypnotized at all1 even by an experienced operator1 to effect hypnotization except in a few cases requires a great deal of patience1 both on the part of the operator and of the subject4 ,it may require half a dozen or more trials before any effect at all can be produced1 although in some cases the effect will come within a minute or two4 ,after a person has been once hypnotized1 hypnotization is much easier4 ,the most startling results are to be obtained only after a long process of training on the part of the subject4 ,public hypnotic entertainments1 and even those given at the hospitals in ,paris1 would be quite impossible if trained subjects were not at hand2 and in the case of the public hypnotizer1 the proper subjects are hired and placed in the audience for the express purpose of coming forward when called for4 ,the success of such an entertainment could not otherwise be guaranteed4 ,in many cases1 also1 this training of subjects makes them deceivers4 ,they learn to imitate what they see1 and since their living depends upon it1 they must prove hypnotic subjects who can always be depended upon to do just what is wanted4 ,we may add1 however1 that what they do is no more than an imitation of the real thing4 ,there is no grotesque manifestation on the stage1 even if it is a pure fake1 which could not be matched by more startling facts taken from undoubted scientific experience4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,amusing ,,experiments4 ,hypnotizing on the ,stage--8,you ,can't ,pull ,your ,hands ,apart0--,post ,hypnotic ,suggestion--,the ,news boy1 the ,hunter1 and the ,young ,man with the ,rag ,doll--,a ,whip ,becomes ,hot ,iron--,courting a ,broomstick--,the ,side ,show4 ,let us now describe some of the manifestations of hypnotism1 to see just how it operates and how it exhibits itself4 ,the following is a description of a public performance given by ,dr4 ,herbert ,l4 ,flint1 a very successful public operator4 ,it is in the language of an eye-witness--a ,new ,york lawyer4 ,in response to a call for volunteers1 twenty young and middle-aged men came upon the stage4 ,they evidently belonged to the great middle-class4 ,the entertainment commenced by ,dr4 ,flint passing around the group1 who were seated on the stage in a semicircle facing the audience1 and stroking each one's head and forehead1 repeating the phrases1 8,close your eyes4 ,think of nothing but sleep4 ,you are very tired4 ,you are drowsy4 ,you feel very sleepy40 ,as he did this1 several of the volunteers closed their eyes at once1 and one fell asleep immediately4 ,one or two remained awake1 and these did not give themselves up to the influence1 but rather resisted it4 ,when the doctor had completed his round and had manipulated all the volunteers1 some of those influenced were nodding1 some were sound asleep1 while a few were wide awake and smiling at the rest4 ,these latter were dismissed as unlikely subjects4 ,when the stage had been cleared of all those who were not responsive1 the doctor passed around1 and1 snapping his finger at each individual1 awoke him4 ,one of the subjects when questioned afterward as to what sensation he experienced at the snapping of the fingers1 replied that it seemed to him as if something inside of his head responded1 and with this sensation he regained self-consciousness4 7,this is to be doubted4 ,as a rule1 subjects in this stage of hypnotism do not feel any sensation that they can remember1 and do not become self-conscious47 ,the class was now apparently wide awake1 and did not differ in appearance from their ordinary state4 ,the doctor then took each one and subjected him to a separate physical test1 such as sealing the eyes1 fastening the hands1 stiffening the fingers1 arms1 and legs1 producing partial catalepsy and causing stuttering and inability to speak4 ,in those possessing strong imaginations1 he was able to produce hallucinations1 such as feeling mosquito bites1 suffering from toothache1 finding the pockets filled and the hands covered with molasses1 changing identity1 and many similar tests4 ,the doctor now asked each one to clasp his hands in front of him1 and when all had complied with the request1 he repeated the phrase1 8,think your hands so fast that you can't pull them apart4 ,they are fast4 ,you cannot pull them apart4 ,try4 ,you can't40 ,the whole class made frantic efforts to unclasp their hands1 but were unable to do so4 ,the doctor's explanation of this is1 that what they were really doing was to force their hands closer together1 thus obeying the counter suggestion4 ,that they thought they were trying to unclasp their hands was evident from their endeavors4 ,the moment he made them desist1 by snapping his fingers1 the spell was broken4 ,it was most astonishing to see that as each one awoke1 he seemed to be fully cognizant of the ridiculous position in which his comrades were placed1 and to enjoy their confusion and ludicrous attitudes4 ,the moment1 however1 he was commanded to do things equally absurd1 he obeyed4 ,while1 therefore1 the class appeared to be free agents1 they are under hypnotic control4 ,one young fellow1 aged about eighteen1 said that he was addicted to the cigarette habit4 ,the suggestion was made to him that he would not be able to smoke a cigarette for twenty-four hours4 ,after the entertainment he was asked to smoke1 as was his usual habit4 ,he was then away from any one who could influence him4 ,he replied that the very idea was repugnant4 ,however1 he was induced to take a cigarette in his mouth1 but it made him ill and he flung it away with every expression of disgust4 99,this is an instance of what is called post-hypnotic suggestion4 ,dr4 ,cocke tells of suggesting to a drinker whom he was trying to cure of the habit that for the next three days anything he took would make him vomit2 the result followed as suggested4 ,the same phenomena that was shown in unclasping the hands1 was next exhibited in commanding the subjects to rotate them4 ,they immediately began and twirled them faster and faster1 in spite of their efforts to stop4 ,one of the subjects said he thought of nothing but the strange action of his hands1 and sometimes it puzzled him to know why they whirled4 ,at this point ,dr4 ,flint's daughter took charge of the class4 ,she pointed her finger at one of them1 and the subject began to look steadily before him1 at which the rest of the class were highly amused4 ,presently the subject's head leaned forward1 the pupils of his eyes dilated and assumed a peculiar glassy stare4 ,he arose with a steady1 gliding gait and walked up to the lady until his nose touched her hand4 ,then he stopped4 ,miss ,flint led him to the front of the stage and left him standing in profound slumber4 ,he stood there1 stooping1 eyes set1 and vacant1 fast asleep4 ,in the meantime the act had caused great laughter among the rest of the class4 ,one young fellow in particular1 laughed so uproariously that tears coursed down his cheeks1 and he took out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes4 ,just as he was returning it to his pocket1 the lady suddenly pointed a finger at him4 ,she was in the center of the stage1 fully fifteen feet away from the subject1 but the moment the gesture was made1 his countenance fell1 his mirth stopped1 while that of his companions redoubled1 and the change was so obvious that the audience shared in the laughter--but the subject neither saw nor heard4 ,his eyes assumed the same expression that had been noticed in his companion's4 ,he1 too1 arose in the same attitude1 as if his head were pulling the body along1 and following the finger in the same way as his predecessor1 was conducted to the front of the stage by the side of the first subject4 ,this was repeated on half a dozen subjects1 and the manifestations were the same in each case4 ,those selected were now drawn up in an irregular line in front of the stage1 their eyes fixed on vacancy1 their heads bent forward1 perfectly motionless4 ,each was then given a suggestion4 ,one was to be a newsboy1 and sell papers4 ,another was given a broomstick and told to hunt game in the woods before him4 ,another was given a large rag doll and told that it was an infant1 and that he must look among the audience and discover the father4 ,he was informed that he could tell who the father was by the similarity and the color of the eyes4 ,these suggestions were made in a loud tone1 ,miss ,flint being no nearer one subject than another4 ,the bare suggestion was given1 as1 8,now1 think that you are a newsboy1 and are selling papers10 or1 8,now think that you are hunting and are going into the woods to shoot birds40 ,so the party was started at the same time into the audience4 ,the one who was impersonating a newsboy went about crying his edition in a loud voice2 while the hunter crawled along stealthily and carefully4 ,the newsboy even adopted the well-worn device of asking those whom he solicited to buy to help him get rid of his stock4 ,one man offered him a cent1 when the price was two cents4 ,the newsboy chaffed the would-be purchaser4 ,he sarcastically asked him if he 8didn't want the earth40 ,the others did what they had been told to do in the same earnest1 characteristic way4 ,after this performance1 the class was again seated in a semicircle1 and ,miss ,flint selected one of them1 and1 taking him into the center of the stage1 showed him a small riding whip4 ,he looked at it indifferently enough4 ,he was told it was a hot bar of iron1 but he shook his head1 still incredulous4 ,the suggestion was repeated1 and as the glazed look came into his eyes1 the incredulous look died out4 ,every member of the class was following the suggestion made to the subject in hand4 ,all of them had the same expression in their eyes4 ,the doctor said that his daughter was hypnotizing the whole class through this one individual4 ,as she spoke she lightly touched the subject with the end of the whip4 ,the moment the subject felt the whip he jumped and shrieked as if it really were a hot iron4 ,she touched each one of the class in succession1 and every one manifested the utmost pain and fear4 ,one subject sat down on the floor and cried in dire distress4 ,others1 when touched1 would tear off their clothing or roll up their sleeves4 ,one young man was examined by a physician present just after the whip had been laid across his shoulders1 and a long red mark was found1 just such a one as would have been made by a real hot iron4 ,the doctor said that1 had the suggestion been continued1 it would undoubtedly have raised a blister4 ,one of the amusing experiments tried at a later time was that of a tall young man1 diffident1 pale and modest1 being given a broom carefully wrapped in a sheet1 and told that it was his sweetheart4 ,he accepted the situation and sat down by the broom4 ,he was a little sheepish at first1 but eventually he grew bolder1 and smiled upon her such a smile as ,malvolio casts upon ,olivia4 ,the manner in which1 little by little1 he ventured upon a familiar footing1 was exceedingly funny2 but when1 in a moment of confident response to his wooing1 he clasped her round the waist and imprinted a chaste kiss upon the brushy part of the broom1 disguised by the sheet1 the house resounded with roars of laughter4 ,the subject1 however1 was deaf to all of the noise4 ,he was absorbed in his courtship1 and he continued to hug the broom1 and exhibit in his features that idiotic smile that one sees only upon the faces of lovers and bridegrooms4 8,all the world loves a lover10 as the saying is1 and all the world loves to laugh at him4 ,one of the subjects was told that the head of a man in the audience was on fire4 ,he looked for a moment1 and then dashed down the platform into the audience1 and1 seizing the man's head1 vigorously rubbed it4 ,as this did not extinguish the flames1 he took off his coat and put the fire out4 ,in doing this1 he set his coat on fire1 when he trampled it under foot4 ,then he calmly resumed his garment and walked back to the stage4 ,the 8side-show0 closed the evening's entertainment4 ,a young man was told to think of himself as managing a side-show at a circus4 ,when his mind had absorbed this idea he was ordered to open his exhibition4 ,he at once mounted a table1 and1 in the voice of the traditional side-show fakir1 began to dilate upon the fat woman and the snakes1 upon the wild man from ,borneo1 upon the learned pig1 and all the other accessories of side-shows4 ,he went over the usual characteristic 8patter10 getting more and more in earnest1 assuring his hearers that for the small sum of ten cents they could see more wonders than ever before had been crowded under one canvas tent4 ,he harangued the crowd as they surged about the tent door4 ,he pointed to a suppositious canvas picture4 ,he 8chaffed0 the boys4 ,he flattered the vanity of the young fellows with their girls1 telling them that they could not afford1 for the small sum of ten cents1 to miss this great show4 ,he made change for his patrons4 ,he indulged in side remarks1 such as 8,this is hot work40 ,he rolled up his sleeves and took off his collar and necktie1 all of the time expatiating upon the merits of the freaks inside of his tent4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,stages ,,of ,,hypnotism4 ,lethargy--,catalepsy--,the ,somnambulistic ,stage--,fascination4 ,we have just given some of the amusing experiments that may be performed with subjects in one of the minor stages of hypnotism4 ,but there are other stages which give entirely different manifestations4 ,for a scientific classification of these we are indebted to ,professor ,charcot1 of the ,salpetriere hospital in ,paris1 to whom1 next to ,mesmer and ,braid1 we are indebted for the present science of hypnotism4 ,he recognized three distinct stages--lethargy1 catalepsy and somnambulism4 ,there is also a condition of extreme lethargy1 a sort of trance state1 that lasts for days and even weeks1 and1 indeed1 has been known to last for years4 ,there is also a lighter phase than somnambulism1 that is called fascination4 ,some doctors1 however1 place it between catalepsy and somnambulism4 ,each of these stages is marked by quite distinct phenomena4 ,we give them as described by a pupil of ,dr4 ,charcot4 ,,lethargy4 ,this is a state of absolute inert sleep4 ,if the method of ,braid is used1 and a bright object is held quite near the eyes1 and the eyes are fixed upon it1 the subject squints1 the eyes become moist and bright1 the look fixed1 and the pupils dilated4 ,this is the cataleptic stage4 ,if the object is left before the eyes1 lethargy is produced4 ,there are also many other ways of producing lethargy1 as we have seen in the chapter 8,how to ,hypnotize40 ,one of the marked characteristics of this stage of hypnotism is the tendency of the muscles to contract1 under the influence of the slightest touch1 friction1 pressure or massage1 or even that of a magnet placed at a distance4 ,the contraction disappears only by the repetition of that identical means that called it into action4 ,dr4 ,courmelles gives the following illustration3 8,if the forearm is rubbed a little above the palm of the hand1 this latter yields and bends at an acute angle4 ,the subject may be suspended by the hand1 and the body will be held up without relaxation1 that is1 without returning to the normal condition4 ,to return to the normal state1 it suffices to rub the antagonistic muscles1 or1 in ordinary terms1 the part diametrically opposed to that which produced the phenomenon2 in this case1 the forearm a little above the hands4 ,it is the same for any other part of the body40 ,the subject appears to be in a deep sleep1 the eyes are either closed or half closed1 and the face is without expression4 ,the body appears to be in a state of complete collapse1 the head is thrown back1 and the arms and legs hang loose1 dropping heavily down4 ,in this stage insensibility is so complete that needles can be run into any part of the body without producing pain1 and surgical operations may be performed without the slightest unpleasant effect4 ,this stage lasts usually but a short time1 and the patient1 under ordinary conditions1 will pass upward into the stage of catalepsy1 in which he opens his eyes4 ,if the hypnotism is spontaneous1 that is1 if it is due to a condition of the nervous organism which has produced it without any outside aid1 we have the condition of prolonged trance1 of which many cases have been reported4 ,until the discovery of hypnotism these strange trances were little understood1 and people were even buried alive in them4 ,a few instances reported by medical men will be interesting4 ,there is one reported in #ahhi by a noted ,french physician4 ,said he3 8,there is at this moment in the hospital at ,mulhouse a most interesting case4 ,a young girl twenty-two years of age has been asleep here for the last twelve days4 ,her complexion is fresh and rosy1 her breathing quite normal1 and her features unaltered4 8,no organ seems attacked2 all the vital functions are performed as in the waking state4 ,she is fed with milk1 broth and wine1 which is given her in a spoon4 ,her mouth even sometimes opens of itself at the contact of the spoon1 and she swallows without the slightest difficulty4 ,at other times the gullet remains inert4 8,the whole body is insensible4 ,the forehead alone presents1 under the action of touch or of pricks1 some reflex phenomena4 ,however1 by a peculiarity1 which is extremely interesting1 she seems1 by the intense horror she shows for ether1 to retain a certain amount of consciousness and sensibility4 ,if a drop of ether is put into her mouth her face contracts and assumes an expression of disgust4 ,at the same moment her arms and legs are violently agitated1 with the kind of impatient motion that a child displays when made to swallow some hated dose of medicine4 8,in the intellectual relations the brain is not absolutely obscure1 for on her mother's coming to see her the subject's face became highly colored1 and tears appeared on the tips of her eyelashes1 without1 however1 in any other way disturbing her lethargy4 8,nothing has yet been able to rouse her from this torpor1 which will1 no doubt1 naturally disappear at a given moment4 ,she will then return to conscious life as she quitted it4 ,it is probable that she will not retain any recollection of her present condition1 that all notion of time will fail her1 and that she will fancy it is only the day following her usual nightly slumber1 a slumber which1 in this case1 has been transformed into a lethargic sleep1 without any rigidity of limbs or convulsions4 8,physically1 the sleeper is of a middle size1 slender1 strong and pretty1 without distinctive characteristic4 ,mentally1 she is lively1 industrious1 sometimes whimsical1 and subject to slight nervous attacks40 ,there is a pretty well-authenticated report of a young girl who1 on ,may #cj1 #ahhc1 after an intense fright1 fell into a lethargic condition which lasted for four years4 ,her parents were poor and ignorant1 but1 as the fame of the case spread abroad1 some physicians went to investigate it in ,march1 #ahhg4 ,her sleep had never been interrupted4 ,on raising the eyelids1 the doctors found the eyes turned convulsively upward1 but1 blowing upon them1 produced no reflex movement of the lids4 ,her jaws were closed tightly1 and the attempt to open her mouth had broken off some of the teeth level with the gums4 ,the muscles contracted at the least breath or touch1 and the arms remained in position when uplifted4 ,the contraction of the muscles is a sign of the lethargic state1 but the arm1 remaining in position1 indicates the cataleptic state4 ,the girl was kept alive by liquid nourishment poured into her mouth4 ,there are on record a large number of cases of persons who have slept for several months4 ,,catalepsy4 ,the next higher stage of hypnotism is that of catalepsy4 ,patients may be thrown into it directly1 or patients in the lethargic state may be brought into it by lifting the eyelids4 ,it seems that the light penetrating the eyes1 and affecting the brain1 awakens new powers1 for the cataleptic state has phenomena quite peculiar to itself4 ,nearly all the means for producing hypnotism will1 if carried to just the right degree1 produce catalepsy4 ,for instance1 besides the fixing of the eye on a bright object1 catalepsy may be produced by a sudden sound1 as of a ,chinese gong1 a tom-tom or a whistle1 the vibration of a tuning-fork1 or thunder4 ,if a solar spectrum is suddenly brought into a dark room it may produce catalepsy1 which is also produced by looking at the sun1 or a lime light1 or an electric light4 ,in this state the patient has become perfectly rigidly fixed in the position in which he happens to be when the effect is produced1 whether sitting1 standing1 kneeling1 or the like2 and this face has an expression of fear4 ,the arms or legs may be raised1 but if left to themselves will not drop1 as in lethargy4 ,the eyes are wide open1 but the look is fixed and impassive4 ,the fixed position lasts only a few minutes1 however1 when the subject returns to a position of relaxation1 or drops back into the lethargic state4 ,if the muscles1 nerves or tendons are rubbed or pressed1 paralysis may be produced1 which1 however1 is quickly removed by the use of electricity1 when the patient awakes4 ,by manipulating the muscles the most rigid contraction may be produced1 until the entire body is in such a state of corpse-like rigidity that a most startling experiment is possible4 ,the subject may be placed with his head upon the back of one chair and his heels on the back of another1 and a heavy man may sit upon him without seemingly producing any effect1 or even heavy rock may be broken on the subject's body4 ,messieurs ,binet and ,fere1 pupils of the ,salpetriere school1 describe the action of magnets on cataleptic subjects1 as follows3 8,the patient is seated near a table1 on which a magnet has been placed1 the left elbow rests on the arm of the chair1 the forearm and hand vertically upraised with thumb and index finger extended1 while the other fingers remain half bent4 ,on the right side the forearm and hand are stretched on the table1 and the magnet is placed under a linen cloth at a distance of about two inches4 ,after a couple of minutes the right index begins to tremble and rise up2 on the left side the extended fingers bend down1 and the hand remains limp for an instant4 ,the right hand and forearm rise up and assume the primitive position of the left hand1 which is now stretched out on the arm of the chair1 with the waxen pliability that pertains to the cataleptic state40 ,an interesting experiment may be tried by throwing a patient into lethargy on one side and catalepsy on the other4 ,to induce what is called hemi-lethargy and hemi-catalepsy is not difficult4 ,first1 the lethargic stage is induced1 then one eyelid is raised1 and that side alone becomes cataleptic1 and may be operated on in various interesting ways4 ,the arm on that side1 for instance1 will remain raised when lifted1 while the arm on the other side will fall heavily4 ,still more interesting is the intellectual condition of the subject4 ,some great man has remarked that if he wished to know what a person was thinking of1 he assumed the exact position and expression of that person1 and soon he would begin to feel and think just as the other was thinking and feeling4 ,look a part and you will soon begin to feel it4 ,in the cataleptic subject there is a close relation between the attitude the subject assumes and the intellectual manifestation4 ,in the somnambulistic stage patients are manipulated by speaking to them2 in the cataleptic stage they are equally under the will of the operator2 but now he controls them by gesture4 ,says ,dr4 ,courmelles1 from his own observation3 8,the emotions in this stage are made at command1 in the true acceptation of the word1 for they are produced1 not by orders verbally expressed1 but by expressive movements4 ,if the hands are opened and drawn close to the mouth1 as when a kiss is wafted1 the mouth smiles4 ,if the arms are extended and half bent at the elbows1 the countenance assumes an expression of astonishment4 ,the slightest variation of movement is reflected in the emotions4 ,if the fists are closed1 the brow contracts and the face expresses anger4 ,if a lively or sad tune is played1 if amusing or depressing pictures are shown1 the subject1 like a faithful mirror1 at once reflects these impressions4 ,if a smile is produced it can be seen to diminish and disappear at the same time as the hand is moved away1 and again to reappear and increase when it is once more brought near4 ,better still1 a double expression can be imparted to the physiognomy1 by approaching the left hand to the left side of the mouth1 the left side of the physiognomy will smile1 while at the same time1 by closing the right hand1 the right eyebrow will frown4 ,the subject can be made to send kisses1 or to turn his hands round each other indefinitely4 ,if the hand is brought near the nose it will blow2 if the arms are stretched out they will remain extended1 while the head will be bowed with a marked expression of pain40 ,heidenhain was able to take possession of the subject's gaze and control him by sight1 through producing mimicry4 ,he looks fixedly at the patient till the patient is unable to take his eyes away4 ,then the patient will copy every movement he makes4 ,if he rises and goes backward the patient will follow1 and with his right hand he will imitate the movements of the operator's left1 as if he were a mirror4 ,the attitudes of prayer1 melancholy1 pain1 disdain1 anger or fear1 may be produced in this manner4 ,the experiments of ,donato1 a stage hypnotizer1 are thus described3 8,after throwing the subjects into catalepsy he causes soft music to be played1 which produces a rapturous expression4 ,if the sound is heightened or increased1 the subjects seem to receive a shock and a feeling of disappointment4 ,the artistic sense developed by hypnotism is disturbed2 the faces express astonishment1 stupefaction and pain4 ,if the same soft melody be again resumed1 the same expression of rapturous bliss reappears in the countenance4 ,the faces become seraphic and celestial when the subjects are by nature handsome1 and when the subjects are ordinary looking1 even ugly1 they are idealized as by a special kind of beauty40 ,the strange part of all this is1 that on awaking1 the patient has no recollection of what has taken place1 and careful tests have shown that what appear to be violent emotions1 such as in an ordinary state would produce a quickened pulse and heavy breathing1 create no disturbance whatever in the cataleptic subject2 only the outer mask is in motion4 8,sometimes the subjects lean backward with all the grace of a perfect equilibrist1 freeing themselves from the ordinary mechanical laws4 ,the curvature will1 indeed1 at times be so complete that the head will touch the floor and the body describe a regular arc4 8,when a female subject assumes an attitude of devotion1 clasps her hands1 turns her eyes upward and lisps out a prayer1 she presents an admirably artistic picture1 and her features and expression seem worthy of being reproduced on canvas40 ,we thus see what a perfect automaton the human body may become4 ,there appears1 however1 to be a sort of unconscious memory1 for a familiar object will seem to suggest spontaneously its ordinary use4 ,thus1 if a piece of soap is put into a cataleptic patient's hands2 he will move it around as though he thought he were washing them1 and if there is any water near he will actually wash them4 ,the sight of an umbrella makes him shiver as if he were in a storm4 ,handing such a person a pen will not make him write1 but if a letter is dictated to him out loud he will write in an irregular hand4 ,the subject may also be made to sing1 scream or speak different languages with which he is entirely unfamiliar4 ,this is1 however1 a verging toward the somnambulistic stage1 for in deep catalepsy the patient does not speak or hear4 ,the state is produced by placing the hands on the head1 the forehead1 or nape of the neck4 ,,the ,,somnambulistic ,,stage4 ,this is the stage or phase of hypnotism nearest the waking1 and is the only one that can be produced in some subjects4 ,patients in the cataleptic state can be brought into the somnambulistic by rubbing the top of the head4 ,to all appearances1 the patient is fully awake1 his eyes are open1 and he answers when spoken to1 but his voice does not have the same sound as when awake4 ,yet1 in this state the patient is susceptible of all the hallucinations of insanity which may be induced at the verbal command of the operator4 ,one of the most curious features of this stage of hypnotism is the effect on the memory4 ,says ,monsieur ,richet3 8,i send ,v------ to sleep4 ,i recite some verses to her1 and then ,i awake her4 ,she remembers nothing4 ,i again send her to sleep1 and she remembers perfectly the verses ,i recited4 ,i awake her1 and she has again forgotten everything40 ,it appears1 however1 that if commanded to remember on awaking1 a patient may remember4 ,the active sense1 and the memory as well1 appears to be in an exalted state of activity during this phase of hypnotism4 ,says ,m4 ,richet3 8,m---- -1 who will sing the air of the second act of the ,africaine in her sleep1 is incapable of remembering a single note of it when awake40 ,another patient1 while under this hypnotic influence1 could remember all he had eaten for several days past1 but when awake could remember very little4 ,binet and ,fere caused one of their subjects to remember the whole of his repasts for eight days past1 though when awake he could remember nothing beyond two or three days4 ,a patient of ,dr4 ,charcot1 who when she was two years old had seen ,dr4 ,parrot in the children's hospital1 but had not seen him since1 and when awake could not remember him1 named him at once when he entered during her hypnotic sleep4 ,m4 ,delboeuf tells of an experiment he tried1 in which the patient did remember what had taken place during the hypnotic condition1 when he suddenly awakened her in the midst of the hallucination2 as1 for instance1 he told her the ashes from the cigar he was smoking had fallen on her handkerchief and had set it on fire1 whereupon she at once rose and threw the handkerchief into the water4 ,then1 suddenly awakened1 she remembered the whole performance4 ,in the somnambulistic stage the patient is no longer an automaton merely1 but a real personality1 8an individual with his own character1 his likes and dislikes40 ,the tone of the voice of the operator seems to have quite as much effect as his words4 ,if he speaks in a grave and solemn tone1 for instance1 even if what he utters is nonsense1 the effect is that of a deeply tragic story4 ,the will of another is not so easily implanted as has been claimed4 ,while a patient will follow almost any suggestion that may be offered1 he readily obeys only commands which are in keeping with his character4 ,if he is commanded to do something he dislikes or which in the waking state would be very repugnant to him1 he hesitates1 does it very reluctantly1 and in extreme cases refuses altogether1 often going into hysterics4 ,it was found at the ,charity hospital that one patient absolutely refused to accept a cassock and become a priest4 ,one of ,monsieur ,richet's patients screamed with pain the moment an amputation was suggested1 but almost immediately recognized that it was only a suggestion1 and laughed in the midst of her tears4 ,probably1 however1 this patient was not completely hypnotized4 ,dr4 ,dumontpallier was able to produce a very curious phenomenon4 ,he suggested to a female patient that with the right eye she could see a picture on a blank card4 ,on awakening she could1 indeed1 see the picture with the right eye1 but the left eye told her the card was blank4 ,while she was in the somnambulistic state he told her in her right ear that the weather was very fine1 and at the same time another person whispered in her left ear that it was raining4 ,on the right side of her face she had a smile1 while the left angle of her lip dropped as if she were depressed by the thought of the rain4 ,again1 he describes a dance and gay party in one ear1 and another person mimics the barking of a dog in the other4 ,one side of her face in that case wears an amused expression1 while the other shows signs of alarm4 ,dr4 ,charcot thus describes a curious experiment3 8,a portrait is suggested to a subject as existing on a blank card1 which is then mixed with a dozen others2 to all appearance they are similar cards4 ,the subject1 being awakened1 is requested to look over the packet1 and does so without knowing the reason of the request1 but when he perceives the card on which the portrait was suggested1 he at once recognizes the imaginary portrait4 ,it is probable that some insignificant mark has1 owing to his visual hyperacuity1 fixed the image in the subject's brain40 ,,fascination4 ,says a recent ,french writer3 8,dr4 ,bremand1 a naval doctor1 has obtained in men supposed to be perfectly healthy a new condition1 which he calls fascination4 ,the inventor considers that this is hypnotism in its mildest form1 which1 after repeated experiments1 might become catalepsy4 ,the subject fascinated by ,dr4 ,bremaud--fascination being induced by the contemplation of a bright spot--falls into a state of stupor4 ,he follows the operator and servilely imitates his movements1 gestures and words2 he obeys suggestions1 and a stimulation of the nerves induces contraction1 but the cataleptic pliability does not exist40 ,a noted public hypnotizer in ,paris some years ago produced fascination in the following manner3 ,he would cause the subject to lean on his hands1 thus fatiguing the muscles4 ,the excitement produced by the concentrated gaze of a large audience also assisted in weakening the nervous resistance4 ,at last the operator would suddenly call out3 8,look at me60 ,the subject would look up and gaze steadily into the operator's eyes1 who would stare steadily back with round1 glaring eyes1 and in most cases subdue his victim4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,how the ,subject ,feels ,under ,hypnotization4--,dr4 ,cooper's ,experience4--,effect of ,music4--,dr4 ,alfred ,marthieu's ,experiments4 ,the sensations produced during a state of hypnosis are very interesting4 ,as may be supposed1 they differ greatly in different persons4 ,one of the most interesting accounts ever given is that of ,dr4 ,james ,r4 ,cocke1 a hypnotist himself1 who submitted to being operated upon by a professional magnetizer4 ,he was at that time a firm believer in the theory of personal magnetism 7a delusion from which he afterward escaped74 ,on the occasion which he describes1 the operator commanded him to close his eyes and told him he could not open them1 but he did open them at once4 ,again he told him to close the eyes1 and at the same time he gently stroked his head and face and eyelids with his hand4 ,dr4 ,cocke fancied he felt a tingling sensation in his forehead and eyes1 which he supposed came from the hand of the operator4 7,afterward he came to believe that this sensation was purely imaginary on his part47 ,then he says3 8,a sensation akin to fear came over me4 ,the operator said3 #8,you are going to sleep1 you are getting sleepy4 ,you cannot open your eyes4' ,i was conscious that my heart was beating rapidly1 and ,i felt a sensation of terror4 ,he continued to tell me ,i was going to sleep1 and could not open my eyes4 ,he then made passes over my head1 down over my hands and body1 but did not touch me4 ,he then said to me1 #8,you cannot open your eyes4' ,the motor apparatus of my lids would not seemingly respond to my will1 yet ,i was conscious that while one part of my mind wanted to open my eyes1 another part did not want to1 so ,i was in a paradoxical state4 ,i believed that ,i could open my eyes1 and yet could not4 ,the feeling of not wishing to open my eyes was not based upon any desire to please the operator4 ,i had no personal interest in him in any way1 but1 be it understood1 ,i firmly believed in his power to control me4 ,he continued to suggest to me that ,i was going to sleep1 and the suggestion of terror previously mentioned continued to increase40 ,the next step was to put the doctor's hand over his head1 and tell him he could not put it down4 ,then he stroked the arm and said it was growing numb4 ,he said3 8,you have no feeling in it1 have you80 ,dr4 ,cocke goes on3 8,i said #8,no1' and ,i knew that ,i said #8,no1' yet ,i knew that ,i had a feeling in it40 ,the operator went on1 pricking the arm with a pin1 and though ,dr4 ,cocke felt the pain he said he did not feel it1 and at the same time the sensation of terror increased4 8,i was not conscious of my body at all10 he says further on1 8but ,i was painfully conscious of the two contradictory elements within me4 ,i knew that my body existed1 but could not prove it to myself4 ,i knew that the statements made by the operator were in a measure untrue4 ,i obeyed them voluntarily and involuntarily4 ,this is the last remembrance that ,i have of that hypnotic experience40 ,after this1 however1 the operator caused the doctor to do a number of things which he learned of from his friends after the performance was over4 8,it seemed to me that the hypnotist commanded me to awake as soon as ,i dropped my arm10 and yet ten minutes of unconsciousness had passed4 ,on a subsequent occasion ,dr4 ,cocke1 who was blind1 was put into a deep hypnotic sleep by fixing his mind on the number #bf and holding up his hand4 ,this time he experienced a still greater degree of terror1 and incidentally learned that he could hypnotize himself4 ,the matter of self-hypnotism we shall consider in another chapter4 ,in this connection we find great interest in an article in the ,medical ,news1 ,july #bh1 #ahid1 by ,dr4 ,alfred ,warthin1 of ,ann ,arbor1 ,mich41 in which he describes the effects of music upon hypnotic subjects4 ,while in ,vienna he took occasion to observe closely the enthusiastic musical devotees as they sat in the audience at the performance of one of ,wagner's operas4 ,he believed they were in a condition of self-induced hypnotism1 in which their subjective faculties were so exalted as to supersede their objective perceptions4 ,music was no longer to them a succession of pleasing sounds1 but the embodiment of a drama in which they became so wrapped up that they forgot all about the mechanical and external features of the music and lived completely in a fairy world of dream4 ,this observation suggested to him an interesting series of experiments4 ,his first subject was easily hypnotized1 and of an emotional nature4 ,wagner's 8,ride of ,walkure0 was played from the piano score4 ,the pulse of the subject became more rapid and at first of higher tension1 increasing from a normal rate of #fj beats a minute to #abj4 ,then1 as the music progressed1 the tension diminished4 ,the respiration increased from #ah to #cj per minute4 ,great excitement in the subject was evident4 ,his whole body was thrown into motion1 his legs were drawn up1 his arms tossed into the air1 and a profuse sweat appeared4 ,when the subject had been awakened1 he said that he did not remember the music as music1 but had an impression of intense1 excitement1 brought on by 8riding furiously through the air40 ,the state of mind brought up before him in the most realistic and vivid manner possible the picture of the ride of ,tam ,o',shanter1 which he had seen years before4 ,the picture soon became real to him1 and he found himself taking part in a wild chase1 not as witch1 devil1 or ,tam even2 but in some way his consciousness was spread through every part of the scene1 being of it1 and yet playing the part of spectator1 as is often the case in dreams4 ,dr4 ,warthin tried the same experiment again1 this time on a young man who was not so emotional1 and was hypnotized with much more difficulty4 ,this subject did not pass into such a deep state of hypnotism1 but the result was practically the same4 ,the pulse rate rose from #gj to #abj4 ,the sensation remembered was that of riding furiously through the air4 ,the experiment was repeated on other subjects1 in all cases with the same result4 ,only one knew that the music was the 8,ride of ,walkure40 8,to him it always expressed the pictured wild ride of the daughters of ,wotan1 the subject taking part in the ride40 ,it was noticeable in each case that the same music played to them in the waking state produced no special impression4 ,here is incontestable evidence that in the hypnotic state the perception of the special senses is enormously heightened4 ,a slow movement was tried 7the ,valhalla motif74 ,at first it seemed to produce the opposite effect1 for the pulse was lowered4 ,later it rose to a rate double the normal1 and the tension was diminished4 ,the impression described by the subject afterward was a feeling of 8lofty grandeur and calmness40 ,a mountain climbing experience of years before was recalled1 and the subject seemed to contemplate a landscape of 8lofty grandeur40 ,a different sort of music was played 7the intense and ghastly scene in which ,brunhilde appears to summon ,sigmund to ,valhalla74 ,immediately a marked change took place in the pulse4 ,it became slow and irregular1 and very small4 ,the respiration decreased almost to gasping1 the face grew pale1 and a cold perspiration broke out4 ,readers who are especially interested in this subject will find descriptions of many other interesting experiments in the same article4 ,dr4 ,cocke describes a peculiar trick he played upon the sight of a subject4 ,says he3 8,i once hypnotized a man and made him read all of his a's as w's1 his u's as v's1 and his b's as x's4 ,i added suggestion after suggestion so rapidly that it would have been impossible for him to have remembered simply what ,i said and call the letters as ,i directed4 ,stimulation was1 in this case impossible1 as ,i made him read fifteen or twenty pages1 he calling the letters as suggested each time they occurred40 ,the extraordinary heightening of the sense perceptions has an important bearing on the question of spiritualism and clairvoyance4 ,if the powers of the mind are so enormously increased1 all that is required of a very sensitive and easily hypnotized person is to hypnotize him or herself1 when he will be able to read thoughts and remember or perceive facts hidden to the ordinary perception4 ,in this connection the reader is referred to the confession of ,mrs4 ,piper1 the famous medium of the ,american branch of the ,psychical ,research ,society4 ,the confession will be found printed in full at the close of this book4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,self-,hypnotization4--,how ,it may ,be ,done4--,an ,experience4--,accountable for ,children's ,crusade4--,oriental ,prophets ,self-,hypnotized4 ,if self-hypnotism is possible 7and it is true that a person can deliberately hypnotize himself when he wishes to till he has become accustomed to it and is expert in it1 so to speak71 it does away at a stroke with the claims of all professional hypnotists and magnetic healers that they have any peculiar power in themselves which they exert over their fellows4 ,one of these professionals gives an account in his book of what he calls 8,the ,wonderful ,lock ,method40 ,he says that though he is locked up in a separate room he can make the psychic power work through the walls4 ,all that he does is to put his subjects in the way of hypnotizing themselves4 ,he shows his inconsistency when he states that under certain circumstances the hypnotizer is in danger of becoming hypnotized himself4 ,in this he makes no claim that the subject is using any psychic power2 but1 of course1 if the hypnotizer looks steadily into the eyes of his subject1 and the subject looks into his eyes1 the steady gaze on a bright object will produce hypnotism in one quite as readily as in the other4 ,hypnotism is an established scientific fact2 but the claim that the hypnotizer has any mysterious psychic power is the invariable mark of the charlatan4 ,probably no scientific phenomenon was ever so grossly prostituted to base ends as that of hypnotism4 ,later we shall see some of the outrageous forms this charlatanism assumes1 and how it extends to the professional subjects as well as to the professional operators1 till those subjects even impose upon scientific men who ought to be proof against such deception4 ,moreover1 the possibility of self-hypnotization1 carefully concealed and called by another name1 opens another great field of humbug and charlatanism1 of which the advertising columns of the newspapers are constantly filled--namely1 that of the clairvoyant and medium4 ,we may conceive how such a profession might become perfectly legitimate and highly useful2 but at present it seems as if any person who went into it1 however honest he might be at the start1 soon began to deceive himself as well as others1 until he lost his power entirely to distinguish between fact and imagination4 ,before discussing the matter further1 let us quote ,dr4 ,cocke's experiment in hypnotizing himself4 ,it will be remembered that a professional hypnotizer or magnetizer had hypnotized him by telling him to fix his mind on the number twenty-six and holding up his hand4 ,says the doctor3 8,in my room that evening it occurred to me to try the same experiment4 ,i did so4 ,i kept the number twenty-six in my mind4 ,in a few minutes ,i felt the sensation of terror1 but in a different way4 ,i was intensely cold4 ,my heart seemed to stand still4 ,i had ringing in my ears4 ,my hair seemed to rise upon my scalp4 ,i persisted in the effort1 and the previously mentioned noise in my ears grew louder and louder4 ,the roar became deafening4 ,it crackled like a mighty fire4 ,i was fearfully conscious of myself4 ,having read vivid accounts of dreams1 visions1 etc41 it occurred to me that ,i would experience them4 ,i felt in a vague way that there were beings all about me but could not hear their voices4 ,i felt as though every muscle in my body was fixed and rigid4 ,the roar in my ears grew louder still1 and ,i heard1 above the roar1 reports which sounded like artillery and musketry4 ,then above the din of the noise a musical chord4 ,i seemed to be absorbed in this chord4 ,i knew nothing else4 ,the world existed for me only in the tones of the mighty chord4 ,then ,i had a sensation as though ,i were expanding4 ,the sound in my ears died away1 and yet ,i was not conscious of silence4 ,then all consciousness was lost4 ,the next thing ,i experienced was a sensation of intense cold1 and of someone roughly shaking me4 ,then ,i heard the voice of my jolly landlord calling me by name40 ,the landlord had found the doctor 8as white as a ghost and as limp as a rag10 and thought he was dead4 ,he says it took him ten minutes to arouse the sleeper4 ,during the time a physician had been summoned4 ,as to the causes of this condition as produced ,dr4 ,cocke says3 8,i firmly believed that something would happen when the attempt was made to hypnotize me4 ,secondly1 ,i wished to be hypnotized4 ,these1 together with a vivid imagination and strained attention1 brought on the states which occurred40 ,it is interesting to compare the effects of hypnotization with those of opium or other narcotic4 ,dr4 ,cocke asserts that there is a difference4 ,his descriptions of dreams bear a wonderful likeness to ,de ,quincey's dreams1 such as those described in 8,the ,english ,mail-,coach10 8,de ,profundis10 and 8,the ,confessions of an ,english ,opium ,eater10 all of which were presumably due to opium4 ,the causes which ,dr4 ,cocke thinks produced the hypnotic condition in his case1 namely1 belief1 desire to be hypnotized1 and strained attention1 united with a vivid imagination1 are causes which are often found in conjunction and produce effects which we may reasonably explain on the theory of self-hypnotization4 ,for instance1 the effects of an exciting religious revival are very like those produced by ,mesmer's operations in ,paris4 ,the subjects become hysterical1 and are ready to believe anything or do anything4 ,by prolonging the operation1 a whole community becomes more or less hypnotized4 ,in all such cases1 however1 unusual excitement is commonly followed by unusual lethargy4 ,it is much like a wild spree of intoxication--in fact1 it is a sort of intoxication4 ,the same phenomena are probably accountable for many of the strange records of history4 ,the wonderful cures at ,lourdes 7of which we have read in ,zola's novel of that name7 are no doubt the effect of hypnotization by the priests4 ,some of the strange movements of whole communities during the ,crusades are to be explained either on the theory of hypnotization or of contagion1 and possibly these two things will turn out to be much the same in fact4 ,on no other ground can we explain the so-called 8,children's ,crusade10 in which over thirty thousand children from ,germany1 from all classes of the community1 tried to cross the ,alps in winter1 and in their struggles were all lost or sold into slavery without even reaching the ,holy ,land4 ,again1 hypnotism is accountable for many of the poet's dreams4 ,gazing steadily at a bed of bright coals or a stream of running water will invariably throw a sensitive subject into a hypnotic sleep that will last sometimes for several hours4 ,dr4 ,cocke says that he has experimented in this direction with patients of his4 ,says he3 8,they have the ability to resist the state or to bring it at will4 ,many of them describe beautiful scenes from nature1 or some mighty cathedral with its lofty dome1 or the faces of imaginary beings1 beautiful or demoniacal1 according to the will and temper of the subject40 ,perhaps the most wonderful example of self-hypnotism which we have in history is that of the mystic ,swedenborg1 who saw1 such strange things in his visions1 and at last came to believe in them as real4 ,the same explanation may be given of the manifestations of ,oriental prophets--for in the ,orient hypnotism is much easier and more systematically developed than with us of the ,west4 ,the performances of the dervishes1 and also of the fakirs1 who wound themselves and perform many wonderful feats which would be difficult for an ordinary person1 are no doubt in part feats of hypnotism4 ,while in a condition of auto-hypnotization a person may imagine that he is some other personality4 ,says ,dr4 ,cocke3 8,a curious thing about those self-hypnotized subjects is that they carry out perfectly their own ideals of the personality with whom they believe themselves to be possessed4 ,if their own ideals of the part they are playing are imperfect1 their impersonations are ridiculous in the extreme4 ,one man ,i remember believed himself to be controlled by the spirit of ,charles ,sumner4 ,being uneducated1 he used the most wretched ,english1 and his language was utterly devoid of sense4 ,while1 on the other hand1 a very intelligent lady who believed herself to be controlled by the spirit of ,charlotte ,cushman personated the part very well40 ,dr4 ,cooke says of himself3 8,i can hypnotize myself to such an extent that ,i will become wholly unconscious of events taking place around me1 and a long interval of time1 say from one-half to two hours1 will be a complete blank4 ,during this condition of auto-hypnotization ,i will obey suggestions made to me by another1 talking rationally1 and not knowing any event that has occurred after the condition has passed off40 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,simulation4--,deception in ,hypnotism ,very ,common4--,examples of ,neuropathic ,deceit4--,detecting ,simulation4--,professional ,subjects4--,how ,dr4 ,luys of the ,charity ,hospital at ,paris ,was ,deceived4--,impossibility of ,detecting ,deception in ,all ,cases4--,confessions of a ,professional ,hypnotic ,subject4 ,it has already been remarked that hypnotism and hysteria are conditions very nearly allied1 and that hysterical neuropathic individuals make the best hypnotic subjects4 ,now persons of this character are in most cases morally as well as physically degenerate1 and it is a curious fact that deception seems to be an inherent element in nearly all such characters4 ,expert doctors have been thoroughly deceived4 ,and again1 persons who have been trying to expose frauds have also been deceived by the positive statements of such persons that they were deceiving the doctors when they were not4 ,a diseased vanity seems to operate in such cases and the subjects take any method which promises for the time being to bring them into prominence4 ,merely to attract attention is a mania with some people4 ,there is also something about the study of hypnotism1 and similar subjects in which delusions constitute half the existence1 that seems to destroy the faculty for distinguishing between truth and delusion4 ,undoubtedly we must look on such manifestations as a species of insanity4 ,there is also a point at which the unconscious deceiver1 for the sake of gain1 passes into the conscious deceiver4 ,at the close of this chapter we will give some cases illustrating the fact that persons may learn by practice to do seemingly impossible things1 such as holding themselves perfectly rigid 7as in the cataleptic state7 while their head rests on one chair and their heels on another1 and a heavy person sits upon them4 ,first1 let us cite a few cases of what may be called neuropathic deceit--a kind of insanity which shows itself in deceiving4 ,the newspapers record similar cases from time to time4 ,the first two of the following are quoted by ,dr4 ,courmelles from the ,french courts1 etc4 #a4 ,the ,comtesse de ,w-- accused her maid of having attempted to poison her4 ,the case was a celebrated one1 and the court-room was thronged with women who sympathized with the supposed victim4 ,the maid was condemned to death2 but a second trial was granted1 at which it was conclusively proved that the ,comtesse had herself bound herself on her bed1 and had herself poured out the poison which was found still blackening her breast and lips4 #b4 ,in #ahhf a man called ,ulysse broke into the shop of a second-hand dealer1 facing his own house in ,paris1 and there began deliberately to take away the goods1 just as if he were removing his own furniture4 ,this he did without hurrying himself in any way1 and transported the property to his own premises4 ,being caught in the very act of the theft1 he seemed at first to be flurried and bewildered4 ,when arrested and taken to the lock-up1 he seemed to be in a state of abstraction2 when spoken to he made no reply1 seemed ready to fall asleep1 and when brought before the examining magistrate actually fell asleep4 ,dr4 ,garnier1 the medical man attached to the infirmary of the police establishment1 had no doubt of his irresponsibility and he was released from custody4 #c4 ,while engaged as police-court reporter for a ,boston newspaper1 the present writer saw a number of strange cases of the same kind4 ,one was that of a quiet1 refined1 well educated lady1 who was brought in for shop-lifting4 ,though her husband was well to do1 and she did not sell or even use the things she took1 she had made a regular business of stealing whenever she could4 ,she had begun it about seven months before by taking a lace handkerchief1 which she slipped under her shawl3 ,soon after she accomplished another theft4 8,i felt so encouraged10 she said1 8that ,i got a large bag1 which ,i fastened under my dress1 and into this ,i slipped whatever ,i could take when the clerks were not looking4 ,i do not know what made me do it4 ,my success seemed to lead me on40 ,other cases of kleptomania could easily be cited4 8,simulation10 say ,messieurs ,binet and ,fere1 8which is already a stumbling block in the study of hysterical cases1 becomes far more formidable in such studies as we are now occupied with4 ,it is only when he has to deal with physical phenomena that the operator feels himself on firm ground40 ,yet even here we can by no means feel certain4 ,physicians have invented various ingenious pieces of apparatus for testing the circulation and other physiological conditions2 but even these things are not sure tests4 ,the writer knows of the case of a man who has such control over his heart and lungs that he can actually throw himself into a profound sleep in which the breathing is so absolutely stopped for an hour that a mirror is not moistened in the least by the breath1 nor can the pulses be felt4 ,to all intents and purposes the man appears to be dead2 but in due time he comes to life again1 apparently no whit the worse for his experiment4 ,if an ordinary person were asked to hold out his arms at full length for five minutes he would soon become exhausted1 his breathing would quicken1 his pulse-rate increase4 ,it might be supposed that if these conditions did not follow the subject was in a hypnotic trance2 but it is well known that persons may easily train themselves to hold out the arms for any length of time without increasing the respiration by one breath or raising the pulse rate at all4 ,we all remember ,montaigne's famous illustration in which he said that if a woman began by carrying a calf about every day she would still be able to carry it when it became an ox4 ,in the ,paris hospitals1 where the greater number of regular scientific experiments have been conducted1 it is found that 8trained subjects0 are required for all of the more difficult demonstrations4 ,that some of these famous scientists have been deceived1 there is no doubt4 ,they know it themselves4 ,a case which will serve as an illustration is that of ,dr4 ,luys1 some of whose operations were 8exposed0 by ,dr4 ,ernest ,hart1 an ,english student of hypnotism of a skeptical turn of mind4 ,one of ,dr4 ,luys's pupils in a book he has published makes the following statement1 which helps to explain the circumstances which we will give a little later4 ,says he3 8,we know that many hospital patients who are subjected to the higher or greater treatment of hypnotism are of very doubtful reputations2 we know also the effects of a temperament which in them is peculiarly addicted to simulation1 and which is exaggerated by the vicinity of maladies similar to their own4 ,to judge of this1 it is necessary to have seen them encourage each other in simulation1 rehearsing among themselves1 or even before the medical students of the establishment1 the experiments to which they have been subjected2 and going through their different contortions and attitudes to exercise themselves in them4 ,and then1 again1 in the present day1 has not the designation of an #8hypnotical subject' become almost a social position8 ,to be fed1 to be paid1 admired1 exhibited in public1 run after1 and all the rest of it--all this is enough to make the most impartial looker-on skeptical4 ,but is it enough to enable us to produce an a priori negation8 ,certainly not2 but it is sufficient to justify legitimate doubt4 ,and when we come to moral phenomena1 where we have to put faith in the subject1 the difficulty becomes still greater4 ,supposing suggestion and hallucination to be granted1 can they be demonstrated8 ,can we by plunging the subject in hypnotical sleep1 feel sure of what he may affirm8 ,that is impossible1 for simulation and somnambulism are not reciprocally exclusive terms1 and ,monsieur ,pitres has established the fact that a subject who sleeps may still simulate40 ,messieurs ,binet and ,fere in their book speak of 8the honest ,hublier1 whom his somnambulist ,emelie cheated for four years consecutively40 ,let us now quote ,mr4 ,hart's investigations4 ,dr4 ,luys is an often quoted authority on hypnotism in ,paris1 and is at the head of what is called the ,charity ,hospital school of hypnotical experiments4 ,in #ahib he announced some startling results1 in which some people still have faith 7more or less74 ,what he was supposed to accomplish was stated thus in the ,london ,pall ,mall ,gazette1 issue of ,december #b3 8,dr4 ,luys then showed us how a similar artificial state of suffering could be created without suggestion--in fact1 by the mere proximity of certain substances4 ,a pinch of coal dust1 for example1 corked and sealed in a small phial and placed by the side of the neck of a hypnotized person1 produces symptoms of suffocation by smoke2 a tube of distilled water1 similarly placed1 provokes signs of incipient hydrophobia2 while another very simple concoction put in contact with the flesh brings on symptoms of suffocation by drowning40 ,signs of drunkenness were said to be caused by a small corked bottle of brandy1 and the nature of a cat by a corked bottle of valerian4 ,patients also saw beautiful blue flames about the north pole of a magnet and distasteful red flames about the south pole2 while by means of a magnet it was said that the symptoms of illness of a sick patient might be transferred to a well person also in the hypnotic state1 but of course on awaking the well person at once threw off sickness that had been transferred1 but the sick person was permanently relieved4 ,these experiments are cited in some recent books on hypnotism1 apparently with faith4 ,the following counter experiments will therefore be read with interest4 ,dr4 ,hart gives a full account of his investigations in the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,dr4 ,luys gave ,dr4 ,hart some demonstrations1 which the latter describes as follows3 8,a tube containing ten drachms of cognac were placed at a certain point on the subject's neck1 which ,dr4 ,luys said was the seat of the great nerve plexuses4 ,the effect on ,marguerite was very rapid and marked2 she began to move her lips and to swallow2 the expression of her face changed1 and she asked1 #8,what have you been giving me to drink8 ,i am quite giddy4' ,at first she had a stupid and troubled look2 then she began to get gay4 #8,i am ashamed of myself1' she said2 #8,i feel quite tipsy1' and after passing through some of the phases of lively inebriety she began to fall from the chair1 and was with difficulty prevented from sprawling on the floor4 ,she was uncomfortable1 and seemed on the point of vomiting1 but this was stopped1 and she was calmed40 ,another patient gave all the signs of imagining himself transformed into a cat when a small corked bottle of valerian was placed on his neck4 ,in the presence of a number of distinguished doctors in ,paris1 ,dr4 ,hart tried a series of experiments in which by his conversation he gave the patient no clue to exactly what drug he was using1 in order that if the patient was simulating he would not know what to simulate4 ,marguerite was the subject of several of these experiments1 one of which is described as follows3 8,i took a tube which was supposed to contain alcohol1 but which did contain cherry laurel water4 ,marguerite immediately began1 to use the words of ,m4 ,sajous's note1 to smile agreeably and then to laugh2 she became gay4 #8,it makes me laugh1' she said1 and then1 #8,i'm not tipsy1 ,i want to sing1' and so on through the whole performance of a not ungraceful giserie1 which we stopped at that stage1 for ,i was loth to have the degrading performance of drunkenness carried to the extreme ,i had seen her go through at the ,charite4 ,i now applied a tube of alcohol1 asking the assistant1 however1 to give me valerian1 which no doubt this profoundly hypnotized subject perfectly well heard1 for she immediately went through the whole cat performance4 ,she spat1 she scratched1 she mewed1 she leapt about on all fours1 and she was as thoroughly cat-like as had been ,dr4 ,luys's subjects40 ,similar experiments as to the effect of magnets and electric currents were tried4 ,a note taken by ,dr4 ,sajous runs thus3 8,she found the north pole1 notwithstanding there was no current1 very pretty2 she was as if she were fascinated by it2 she caressed the blue flames1 and showed every sign of delight4 ,then came the phenomena of attraction4 ,she followed the magnet with delight across the room1 as though fascinated by it2 the bar was turned so as to present the other end or what would be called1 in the language of ,la ,charite1 the south pole4 ,then she fell into an attitude1 of repulsion and horror1 with clenched fists1 and as it approached her she fell backward into the arms of ,m4 ,cremiere1 and was carried1 still showing all the signs of terror and repulsion1 back to her chair4 ,the bar was again turned until what should have been the north pole was presented to her4 ,she again resumed the same attitudes of attraction1 and tears bedewed her cheeks4 #8,ah1' she said1 #8it is blue1 the flame mounts1' and she rose from her seat1 following the magnet around the room4 ,similar but false phenomena were obtained in succession with all the different forms of magnet and non-magnet2 ,marguerite was never once right1 but throughout her acting was perfect2 she was utterly unable at any time really to distinguish between a plain bar of iron1 demagnetized magnet or a horseshoe magnet carrying a full current and one from which the current was wholly cut off40 ,five different patients were tested in the same way1 through a long series of experiments1 with the same results1 a practical proof that ,dr4 ,luys had been totally deceived and his new and wonderful discoveries amounted to nothing4 ,there is1 however1 another possible explanation1 namely1 telepathy1 in a real hypnotic condition4 ,even if ,dr4 ,luys's experiments were genuine this would be the rational explanation4 ,they were a case of suggestion of some sort1 without doubt4 ,nearly every book on hypnotism gives various rules for detecting simulation of the hypnotic state4 ,one of the commonest tests is that of anaesthesia4 ,a pin or pen-knife is stuck into a subject to see if he is insensible to pain2 but as we shall see in a latter chapter1 this insensibility also may be simulated1 for by long training some persons learn to control their facial expressions perfectly4 ,we have already seen that the pulse and respiration tests are not sufficient4 ,hypnotic persons often flush slightly in the face2 but it is true that there are persons who can flush on any part of the body at will4 ,mr4 ,ernest ,hart had an article in the ,century ,magazine on 8,the ,eternal ,gullible10 in which he gives the confessions of a professional hypnotic subject4 ,this person1 whom he calls ,l41 he brought to his house1 where some experiments were tried in the presence of a number of doctors1 whose names are quoted4 ,the quotation of a paragraph or two from ,mr4 ,hart's article will be of interest4 ,says he3 8,the #8catalepsy business' had more artistic merit4 ,so rigid did ,l4 make his muscles that he could be lifted in one piece like an ,egyptian mummy4 ,he lay with his head on the back of one chair1 and his heels on another1 and allowed a fairly heavy man to sit on his stomach2 it seemed to me1 however1 that he was here within a #8straw' or two of the limit of his endurance4 ,the #8blister trick1' spoken of by ,truth as having deceived some medical men1 was done by rapidly biting and sucking the skin of the wrist4 ,l4 did manage with some difficulty to raise a slight swelling1 but the marks of the teeth were plainly visible40 7,possibly ,l4 had made his skin so tough by repeated biting that he could no longer raise the blister67 8,one point in ,l4's exhibition which was undoubtedly genuine was his remarkable and stoical endurance of pain4 ,he stood before us smiling and open-eyed while he ran long needles into the fleshy part of his arms and legs without flinching1 and he allowed one of the gentlemen present to pinch his skin in different parts with strong crenated pincers in a manner which bruised it1 and which to most people would have caused intense pain4 ,l4 allowed no sign of suffering or discomfort to appear2 he did not set his teeth or wince2 his pulse was not quickened1 and the pupil of his eye did not dilate as physiologists tell us it does when pain passes a certain limit4 ,it may be said that this merely shows that in ,l4 the limit of endurance was beyond the normal standard2 or1 in other words1 that his sensitiveness was less than that of the average man4 ,at any rate his performance in this respect was so remarkable that some of the gentlemen present were fain to explain it by supposed #8post-hypnotic suggestion1' the theory apparently being that ,l4 and his comrades hypnotized one another1 and thus made themselves insensible to pain4 8,as surgeons have reason to know1 persons vary widely in their sensitiveness to pain4 ,i have seen a man chat quietly with bystanders while his carotid artery was being tied without the use of chloroform4 ,during the ,russo-,turkish war wounded ,turks often astonished ,english doctors by undergoing the most formidable amputations with no other anaesthetic than a cigarette4 ,hysterical women will inflict very severe pain on themselves--merely for wantonness or in order to excite sympathy4 ,the fakirs who allow themselves to be hung up by hooks beneath their shoulder-blades seem to think little of it and1 as a matter of fact1 ,i believe are not much inconvenienced by the process40 ,the fact is1 the amateur can always be deceived1 and there are no special tests that can be relied on4 ,if a person is well accustomed to hypnotic manifestations1 and also a good judge of human nature1 and will keep constantly on guard1 using every precaution to avoid deception1 it is altogether likely that it can be entirely obviated4 ,but one must use his good judgment in every possible way4 ,in the case of fresh subjects1 or persons well known1 of course there is little possibility of deception4 ,and the fact that deception exists does not in any way invalidate the truth of hypnotism as a scientific phenomenon4 ,we cite it merely as one of the physiological peculiarities connected with the mental condition of which it is a manifestation4 ,the fact that a tendency to deception exists is interesting in itself1 and may have an influence upon our judgment of our fellow beings4 ,there is1 to be sure1 a tendency on the part of scientific writers to find lunatics instead of criminals2 but knowledge of the well demonstrated fact that many criminals are insane helps to make us charitable4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,criminal ,suggestion4--,laboratory ,crimes4--,dr4 ,cocke's ,experiments ,showing ,criminal ,suggestion ,is not ,possible4--,dr4 ,william ,james' ,theory4--,a ,bad ,man ,cannot ,be ,made ,good1 ,why ,expect to ,make a ,good ,man ,bad8 ,one of the most interesting phases of hypnotism is that of post-hypnotic suggestion1 to which reference has already been made4 ,it is true that a suggestion made during the hypnotic condition as to what a person will do after coming out of the hypnotic sleep may be carried out4 ,a certain professional hypnotizer claims that once he has hypnotized a person he can keep that person forever after under his influence by means of post-hypnotic suggestion4 ,he says to him while in the hypnotic sleep3 8,whenever ,i look at you1 or point at you1 you will fall asleep4 ,no one can hypnotize you but me4 ,whenever ,i try to hypnotize you1 you will fall asleep40 ,he says further3 8,suggest to a subject while he is sound asleep that in eight weeks he will mail you a letter with a blank piece of note paper inside1 and during the intervening period you may yourself forget the occurrence1 but in exactly eight weeks he will carry out the suggestion4 ,suggestions of this nature are always carried out1 especially when the suggestion is to take effect on some certain day or date named4 ,suggest to a subject that in ninety days from a given date he will come to your house with his coat on inside out1 and he will most certainly do so40 ,the same writer also definitely claims that he can hypnotize people against their wills4 ,if this were true1 what a terrible power would a shrewd1 evil-minded criminal have to compel the execution of any of his plans6 ,we hope to show that it is not true2 but we must admit that many scientific men have tried experiments which they believe demonstrate beyond a doubt that criminal use can be and is made of hypnotic influence4 ,if it were possible to make a person follow out any line of conduct while actually under hypnotic influence it would be bad enough2 but the use of posthypnotic suggestion opens a yet more far-reaching and dangerous avenue4 ,among the most definite claims of the evil deeds that may be compelled during hypnotic sleep is that of ,dr4 ,luys1 whom we have already seen as being himself deceived by professional hypnotic subjects4 ,says he3 8,you cannot only oblige this defenseless being1 who is incapable of opposing the slightest resistance1 to give from hand to hand anything you may choose1 but you can also make him sign a promise1 draw up a bill of exchange1 or any other kind of agreement4 ,you may make him write an holographic will 7which according to ,french law would be valid71 which he will hand over to you1 and of which he will never know the existence4 ,he is ready to fulfill the minutest legal formalities1 and will do so with a calm1 serene and natural manner calculated to deceive the most expert law officers4 ,these somnambulists will not hesitate either1 you may be sure1 to make a denunciation1 or to bear false witness2 they are1 ,i repeat1 the passive instruments of your will4 ,for instance1 take ,e4 ,she will at my bidding write out and sign a donation of forty pounds in my favor4 ,in a criminal point of view the subject under certain suggestions will make false denunciations1 accuse this or that person1 and maintain with the greatest assurance that he has assisted at an imaginary crime4 ,i will recall to your mind those scenes of fictitious assassination1 which have exhibited before you4 ,i was careful to place in the subject's hands a piece of paper instead of a dagger or a revolver2 but it is evident1 that if they had held veritable murderous instruments1 the scene might have had a tragic ending40 ,many experiments along this line have been tried1 such as suggesting the theft of a watch or a spoon1 which afterward was actually carried out4 ,it may be said at once that 8these laboratory crimes0 are in most cases successful3 ,a person who has nothing will give away any amount if told to do so2 but quite different is the case of a wealthy merchant who really has money to sign away4 ,dr4 ,cocke describes one or two experiments of his own which have an important bearing on the question of criminal suggestion4 ,says he3 8,a girl who was hypnotized deeply was given a glass of water and was told that it was a lighted lamp4 ,a broomstick was placed across the room and she was told that it was a man who intended to injure her4 ,i suggested to her that she throw the glass of water 7she supposing it was a lighted lamp7 at the broomstick1 her enemy1 and she immediately threw it with much violence4 ,then a man was placed across the room1 and she was given instead of a glass of water a lighted lamp4 ,i told her that the lamp was a glass of water1 and that the man across the room was her brother4 ,it was suggested to her that his clothing was on fire and she was commanded to extinguish the fire by throwing the lighted lamp at the individual1 she having been told1 as was previously mentioned1 that it was a glass of water4 ,without her knowledge a person was placed behind her for the purpose of quickly checking her movements1 if desired4 ,i then commanded her to throw the lamp at the man4 ,she raised the lamp1 hesitated1 wavered1 and then became very hysterical1 laughing and crying alternately4 ,this condition was so profound that she came very near dropping the lamp4 ,immediately after she was quieted ,i made a number of tests to prove that she was deeply hypnotized4 ,standing in front of her ,i gave her a piece of card-board1 telling her that it was a dagger1 and commanded her to stab me4 ,she immediately struck at me with the piece of card-board4 ,i then gave her an open pocketknife and commanded her to strike at me with it4 ,again she raised it to execute my command1 again hesitated1 and had another hysterical attack4 ,i have tried similar experiments with thirty or forty people with similar results4 ,some of them would have injured themselves severely1 ,i am convinced1 at command1 but to what extent ,i of course cannot say4 ,that they could have been induced to harm others1 or to set fire to houses1 etc41 ,i do not believe4 ,i say this after very careful reading and a large amount of experimentation40 ,dr4 ,cocke also declares his belief that no person can be hypnotized against his will by a person who is repugnant to him4 ,the facts in the case are probably those that might be indicated by a common-sense consideration of the conditions4 ,if a person is weak-minded and susceptible to temptation1 to theft1 for instance1 no doubt a familiar acquaintance of a similar character might hypnotize that person and cause him to commit the crime to which his moral nature is by no means averse4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the personality of the hypnotizer and the crime itself are repugnant to the hypnotic subject1 he will absolutely refuse to do as he is bidden1 even while in the deepest hypnotic sleep4 ,on this point nearly all authorities agree4 ,again1 there is absolutely no well authenticated case of crime committed by a person under hypnotic influence4 ,there have been several cases reported1 and one woman in ,paris who aided in a murder was released on her plea of irresponsibility because she had been hypnotized4 ,in none of these cases1 however1 was there any really satisfactory evidence that hypnotism existed4 ,in all the cases reported there seemed to be no doubt of the weak character and predisposition to crime4 ,in another class of cases1 namely those of criminal assault upon girls and women1 the only evidence ever adduced that the injured person was hypnotized was the statement of that person1 which cannot really be called evidence at all4 ,the fact is1 a weak character can be tempted and brought under virtual control much more easily by ordinary means than by hypnotism4 ,the man who 8overpersuades0 a business man to endorse a note uses no hypnotic influence4 ,he is merely making a clever play upon the man's vanity1 egotism1 or good nature4 ,a profound study of the hypnotic state1 such as has been made by ,prof4 ,william ,james1 of ,harvard ,college1 the great authority on psychical phenomena and president of the ,psychic ,research ,society1 leads to the conviction that in the hypnotic sleep the will is only in abeyance1 as it is in natural slumber or in sleepwalking1 and any unusual or especially exciting occurrence1 especially anything that runs against the grain of the nature1 reawakens that will1 and it soon becomes as active as ever4 ,this is ten times more true in the matter of post-hypnotic suggestion1 which is very much weaker than suggestion that takes effect during the actual hypnotic sleep4 ,we shall see1 furthermore1 that while acting under a delusion at the suggestion of the operator1 the patient is really conscious all the time of the real facts in the case--indeed1 much more keenly so1 oftentimes1 than the operator himself4 ,for instance1 if a line is drawn on a sheet of paper and the subject is told there is no line1 he will maintain there is no line2 but he has to see it in order to ignore it4 ,moreover1 persons trained to obey1 instinctively do obey even in their waking state4 ,it requires a special faculty to resist obedience1 even during our ordinary waking condition4 ,says a recent writer3 8,it is certain that we are naturally inclined to obey1 conflicts and resistance are the characteristics of some rare individuals2 but between admitting this and saying that we are doomed to obey--even the least of us--lies a gulf40 ,the same writer says further3 8,hypnotic suggestion is an order given for a few seconds1 at most a few minutes1 to an individual in a state of induced sleep4 ,the suggestion may be repeated2 but it is absolutely powerless to transform a criminal into an honest man1 or vice versa40 ,here is an excellent argument4 ,if it is possible to make criminals it should be quite as easy to make honest men4 ,it is true that the weak are sometimes helped for good2 but there is no case on record in which a person who really wished to be bad was ever made good2 and the history of hypnotism is full of attempts in that direction4 ,a good illustration is an experiment tried by ,colonel de ,rochas3 8,an excellent subject 99 99 99 had been left alone for a few minutes in an apartment1 and had stolen a valuable article4 ,after he had left1 the theft was discovered4 ,a few days after it was suggested to the subject1 while asleep1 that he should restore the stolen object2 the command was energetically and imperatively reiterated1 but in vain4 ,the theft had been committed by the subject1 who had sold the article to an old curiosity dealer1 as it was eventually found on information received from a third party4 ,yet this subject would execute all the imaginary crimes he was ordered40 ,as to the value of the so-called 8laboratory crimes10 the statement of ,dr4 ,courmelles is of interest3 8,i have heard a subject say10 he states1 8#8,if ,i were ordered to throw myself out of the window ,i should do it1 so certain am ,i either that there would be somebody under the window to catch me or that ,i should be stopped in time4 ,the experimentalist's own interests and the consequences of such an act are a sure guarantee4'0 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,dangers in ,being ,hypnotized4--,condemnation of ,public ,performances4--,a4 ,common ,sense ,view4--,evidence ,furnished by ,lafontaine4--,by ,dr4 ,courmelles4--,by4 ,dr4 ,hart4--,by ,dr4 ,cocke4--,no ,danger in ,hypnotism if ,rightly ,used by ,physicians or ,scientists4 ,having considered the dangers to society through criminal hypnotic suggestion1 let us now consider what dangers there may be to the individual who is hypnotized4 ,before citing evidence1 let us consider the subject from a rational point of view4 ,several things have already been established4 ,we know that hypnotism is akin to hysteria and other forms of insanity--it is1 in short1 a kind of experimental insanity4 ,really good hypnotic subjects have not a perfect mental balance4 ,we have also seen that repetition of the process increases the susceptibility1 and in some cases persons frequently hypnotized are thrown into the hypnotic state by very slight physical agencies1 such as looking at a bright doorknob4 ,furthermore1 we know that the hypnotic patient is in a very sensitive condition1 easily impressed4 ,moreover1 it is well known that exertions required of hypnotic subjects are nervously very exhausting1 so much so that headache frequently follows4 ,from these facts any reasonable person may make a few clear deductions4 ,first1 repeated strain of excitement in hypnotic seances will wear out the constitution just as certainly as repeated strain of excitement in social life1 or the like1 which1 as we know1 frequently produces nervous exhaustion4 ,second1 it is always dangerous to submit oneself to the influence of an inferior or untrustworthy person4 ,this is just as true in hypnotism as it is in the moral realm4 ,bad companions corrupt4 ,and since the hypnotic subject is in a condition especially susceptible1 a little association of this kind1 a little submission to the inferior or immoral1 will produce correspondingly more detrimental consequences4 ,third1 since hypnotism is an abnormal condition1 just as drunkenness is1 one should not allow a public hypnotizer to experiment upon one and make one do ridiculous things merely for amusement1 any more than one would allow a really insane person to be exhibited for money2 or than one would allow himself to be made drunk1 merely that by his absurd antics he might amuse somebody4 ,it takes little reflection to convince any one that hypnotism for amusement1 either on the public stage or in the home1 is highly obnoxious1 even if it is not highly dangerous4 ,if the hypnotizer is an honest man1 and a man of character1 little injury may follow4 ,but we can never know that1 and the risk of getting into bad hands should prevent every one from submitting to influence at all4 ,the fact is1 however1 that we should strongly doubt the good character of any one who hypnotizes for amusement1 regarding him in the same light as we would one who intoxicated people on the stage for amusement1 or gave them chloroform1 or went about with a troup of insane people that he might exhibit their idiosyncrasies4 ,honest1 right-minded people do not do those things4 ,at the same time1 there is nothing wiser that a man can do than to submit himself fully to a stronger and wiser nature than his own4 ,a physician in whom you have confidence may do a thousand times more for you by hypnotism than by the use of drugs4 ,it is a safe rule to place hypnotism in exactly the same category as drugs4 ,rightly used1 drugs are invaluable2 wrongly used1 they become the instruments of the murderer4 ,at all times should they be used with great caution4 ,the same is true of hypnotism4 ,now let us cite some evidence4 ,lafontaine1 a professional hypnotist1 gives some interesting facts4 ,he says that public hypnotic entertainments usually induce a great many of the audience to become amateur hypnotists1 and these experiments may cause suffocation4 ,fear often results in congestion1 or a rush of blood to the brain4 8,if the digestion is not completed1 more especially if the repast has been more abundant than usual1 congestion may be produced and death be instantaneous4 ,the most violent convulsions may result from too complete magnetization of the brain4 ,a convulsive movement may be so powerful that the body will suddenly describe a circle1 the head touching the heels and seem to adhere to them4 ,in this latter case there is torpor without sleep4 ,sometimes it has been impossible to awake the subject40 ,a waiter at ,nantes1 who was magnetized by a commercial traveler1 remained for two days in a state of lethargy1 and for three hours ,dr4 ,foure and numerous spectators were able to verify that 8the extremities were icy cold1 the pulse no longer throbbed1 the heart had no pulsations1 respiration had ceased1 and there was not sufficient breath to dim a glass held before the mouth4 ,moreover1 the patient was stiff1 his eyes were dull and glassy40 ,nevertheless1 ,lafontaine was able to recall this man to life4 ,dr4 ,courmelles says3 8,paralysis of one or more members1 or of the tongue1 may follow the awakening4 ,these are the effects of the contractions of the internal muscles1 due often to almost imperceptible touches4 ,the diaphragm--and therefore the respiration--may be stopped in the same manner4 ,catalepsy and more especially lethargy1 produce these phenomena40 ,there are on record a number of cases of idiocy1 madness1 and epilepsy caused by the unskillful provoking of hypnotic sleep4 ,one case is sufficiently interesting1 for it is almost exactly similar to a case that occurred at one of the ,american colleges4 ,the subject was a young professor at a boys' school4 8,one evening he was present at some public experiments that were being performed in a tavern2 he was in no way upset at the sight1 but the next day one of his pupils1 looking at him fixedly1 sent him to sleep4 ,the boys soon got into the habit of amusing themselves by sending him to sleep1 and the unhappy professor had to leave the school1 and place himself under the care of a doctor40 ,dr4 ,ernest ,hart gives an experience of his own which carries with it its own warning4 ,says he3 8,staying at the well known country house in ,kent of a distinguished ,london banker1 formerly member of ,parliament for ,greenwich1 ,i had been called upon to set to sleep1 and to arrest a continuous barking cough from which a young lady who was staying in the house was suffering1 and who1 consequently1 was a torment to herself and her friends4 ,i thought this a good opportunity for a control experiment1 and ,i sat her down in front of a lighted candle which ,i assured her that ,i had previously mesmerized4 ,presently her cough ceased and she fell into a profound sleep1 which lasted until twelve o'clock the next day4 ,when ,i returned from shooting1 ,i was informed that she was still asleep and could not be awoke1 and ,i had great difficulty in awaking her4 ,that night there was a large dinner party1 and1 unluckily1 ,i sat opposite to her4 ,presently she again became drowsy1 and had to be led from the table1 alleging1 to my confusion1 that ,i was again mesmerizing her4 ,so susceptible did she become to my supposed mesmeric influence1 which ,i vainly assured her1 as was the case1 that ,i was very far from exercising or attempting to exercise1 that it was found expedient to take her up to ,london4 ,i was out riding in the afternoon that she left1 and as we passed the railway station1 my host1 who was riding with me1 suggested that1 as his friends were just leaving by that train1 he would like to alight and take leave of them4 ,i dismounted with him and went on to the platform1 and avoided any leave-taking2 but unfortunately in walking up and down it seems that ,i twice passed the window of the young lady's carriage4 ,she was again self-mesmerized1 and fell into a sleep which lasted throughout the journey1 and recurred at intervals for some days afterward40 ,in commenting on this1 ,dr4 ,hart notes that in reality mesmerism is self-produced1 and the will of the operator1 even when exercised directly against it1 has no effect if the subject believes that the will is being operated in favor of it4 ,says he3 8,so long as the person operated on believed that my will was that she should sleep1 sleep followed4 ,the most energetic willing in my internal consciousness that there should be no sleep1 failed to prevent it1 where the usual physical methods of hypnotization1 stillness1 repose1 a fixed gaze1 or the verbal expression of an order to sleep1 were employed40 ,the dangers of hypnotism have been recognized by the law of every civilized country except the ,united ,states1 where alone public performances are permitted4 ,dr4 ,cocke says3 8,i have occasionally seen subjects who complained of headache1 vertigo1 nausea1 and other similar symptoms after having been hypnotized1 but these conditions were at a future hypnotic sitting easily remedied by suggestion40 ,speaking of the use of hypnotism by doctors under conditions of reasonable care1 ,dr4 ,cocke says further3 8,there is one contraindication greater than all the rest4 ,it applies more to the physician than to the patient1 more to the masses than to any single individual4 ,it is not confined to hypnotism alone2 it has blocked the wheels of human progress through the ages which have gone4 ,it is undue enthusiasm4 ,it is the danger that certain individuals will become so enamored with its charms that other equally valuable means of cure will be ignored4 ,mental therapeutics has come to stay4 ,it is yet in its infancy and will grow1 but1 if it were possible to kill it1 it would be strangled by the fanaticism and prejudice of its devotees4 ,the whole field is fascinating and alluring4 ,it promises so much that it is in danger of being missed by the ignorant to such an extent that great harm may result4 ,this is true1 not only of mental therapeutics and hypnotism1 but of every other blessing we possess4 ,hypnotism has nothing to fear from the senseless skepticism and contempt of those who have no knowledge of the subject40 ,he adds pertinently enough3 8,while hypnotism can be used in a greater or less degree by every one1 it can only be used intelligently by those who understand1 not only hypnotism itself1 but disease as well40 ,dr4 ,cocke is a firm believer that the right use of hypnotism by intelligent persons does not weaken the will4 ,says he3 8,i do not believe there is any danger whatever in this4 ,i have no evidence 7and ,i have studied a large number of hypnotized subjects7 that hypnotism will render a subject less capable of exercising his will when he is relieved from the hypnotic trance4 ,i do not believe that it increases in any way his susceptibility to ordinary suggestion40 ,however1 in regard to the dangers of public performances by professional hypnotizers1 ,dr4 ,cocke is equally positive4 ,says he3 8,the dangers of public exhibitions1 made ludicrous as they are by the operators1 should be condemned by all intelligent men and women1 not from the danger of hypnotism itself so much as from the liability of the performers to disturb the mental poise of that large mass of ill-balanced individuals which makes up no inconsiderable part of society40 ,in conclusion he says3 8,patients have been injured by the misuse of hypnotism4 99 99 99 ,this is true of every remedial agent ever employed for the relief of man4 ,every article we eat1 if wrongly prepared1 if stale1 or if too much is taken1 will be harmful4 ,every act1 every duty of our lives1 may1 if overdone1 become an injury4 8,then1 for the sake of clearness1 let me state in closing that hypnotism is dangerous only when it is misused1 or when it is applied to that large class of persons who are inherently unsound2 especially if that mysterious thing we call credulity predominates to a very great extent over the reason and over other faculties of the mind40 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,hypnotism in ,medicine4--,anesthesia4--,restoring the ,use of ,muscles4--,hallucination4--,bad ,habits4 ,anaesthesia--,it is well known that hypnotism may be used to render subjects insensible to pain4 ,thus numerous startling experiments are performed in public1 such as running hatpins through the cheeks or arms1 sewing the tongue to the ear1 etc4 ,the curious part of it is that the insensibility may be confined to one spot only4 ,even persons who are not wholly under hypnotic influence may have an arm or a leg1 or any smaller part rendered insensible by suggestion1 so that no pain will be felt4 ,this has suggested the use of hypnotism in surgery in the place of chloroform1 ether1 etc4 ,about the year #ahfj some of the medical profession hoped that hypnotism might come into general use for producing insensibility during surgical operations4 ,dr4 ,guerineau in ,paris reported the following successful operation3 ,the thigh of a patient was amputated4 8,after the operation10 says the doctor1 8,i spoke to the patient and asked him how he felt4 ,he replied that he felt as if he were in heaven1 and he seized hold of my hand and kissed it4 ,turning to a medical student1 he added3 #8,i was aware of all that was being done to me1 and the proof is that ,i knew my thigh was cut off at the moment when you asked me if ,i felt any pain4'0 ,the writer who records this case continues3 8,this1 however1 was but a transitory stage4 ,it was soon recognized that a considerable time and a good deal of preparation were necessary to induce the patients to sleep1 and medical men had recourse to a more rapid and certain method2 that is1 chloroform4 ,thus the year #ahfj saw the rise and fall of ,braidism as a means of surgical anaesthesia40 ,one of the most detailed cases of successful use of hypnotism as an anaesthetic was presented to the ,hypnotic ,congress which met in #ahhi1 by ,dr4 ,fort1 professor of anatomy3 8,on the #bast of ,october1 #ahhg1 a young ,italian tradesman1 aged twenty1 ,jean ,m--4 came to me and asked me to take off a wen he had on his forehead1 a little above the right eyebrow4 ,the tumor was about the size of a walnut4 8,i was reluctant to make use of chloroform1 although the patient wished it1 and ,i tried a short hypnotic experiment4 ,finding that my patient was easily hypnotizable1 ,i promised to extract the tumor in a painless manner and without the use of chloroform4 8,the next day ,i placed him in a chair and induced sleep1 by a fixed gaze1 in less than a minute4 ,two ,italian physicians1 ,drs4 ,triani and ,colombo who were present during the operation1 declared that the subject lost all sensibility and that his muscles retained all the different positions in which they were put exactly as in the cataleptic state4 ,the patient saw nothing1 felt nothing1 and heard nothing1 his brain remaining in communication only with me4 8,as soon as we had ascertained that the patient was completely under the influence of the hypnotic slumber1 ,i said to him3 #8,you will sleep for a quarter of an hour1' knowing that the operation would not last longer than that2 and he remained seated and perfectly motionless4 8,i made a transversal incision two and a half inches long and removed the tumor1 which ,i took out whole4 ,i then pinched the blood vessels with a pair of ,dr4 ,pean's hemostatic pincers1 washed the wound and applied a dressing1 without making a single ligature4 ,the patient was still sleeping4 ,to maintain the dressing in proper position1 ,i fastened a bandage around his head4 ,while going through the operation ,i said to the patient1 #8,lower your head1 raise your head1 turn to the right1 to the left1' etc41 and he obeyed like an automaton4 ,when everything was finished1 ,i said to him1 #8,now1 wake up4' 8,he then awoke1 declared that he had felt nothing and did not suffer1 and he went away on foot1 as if nothing had been done to him4 8,five days after the dressing was removed and the cicatrix was found completely healed40 ,hypnotism has been tried extensively for painless dentistry1 but with many cases of failure1 which got into the courts and thoroughly discredited the attempt except in very special cases4 ,restoring the ,use of ,muscles4--,there is no doubt that hypnotism may be extremely useful in curing many disorders that are essentially nervous1 especially such cases as those in which a patient has a fixed idea that something is the matter with him when he is not really affected4 ,cases of that description are often extremely obstinate1 and entirely unaffected by the ordinary therapeutic means4 ,ordinary doctors abandon the cases in despair1 but some person who understands 8mental suggestion0 7for instance1 the ,christian ,science doctors7 easily effects a cure4 ,if the regular physician were a student of hypnotism he would know how to manage cases like that4 ,by way of illustration1 we quote reports of two cases1 one successful and one unsuccessful4 ,the following is from a report by one of the physicians of the ,charity hospital in ,paris3 8,gabrielle ,c------ became a patient of mine toward the end of #ahhf4 ,she entered the ,charity hospital to be under treatment for some accident arising from pulmonary congestion1 and while there was suddenly seized with violent attacks of hystero-epilepsy1 which first contracted both legs1 and finally reduced them to complete immobility4 8,she had been in this state of absolute immobility for seven months and ,i had vainly tried every therapeutic remedy usual in such cases4 ,my intention was first to restore the general constitution of the subject1 who was greatly weakened by her protracted stay in bed1 and then1 at the end of a certain time1 to have recourse to hypnotism1 and at the opportune moment suggest to her the idea of walking4 8,the patient was hypnotized every morning1 and the first degree 7that of lethargy71 then the cataleptic1 and finally the somnambulistic states were produced4 ,after a certain period of somnambulism she began to move1 and unconsciously took a few steps across the ward4 ,soon after it was suggested--the locomotor powers having recovered their physical functions--that she should walk when awake4 ,this she was able to do1 and in some weeks the cure was complete4 ,in this case1 however1 we had the ingenious idea of changing her personality at the moment when we induced her to walk4 ,the patient fancied she was somebody else1 and as such1 and in this roundabout manner1 we satisfactorily attained the object proposed40 ,the following is ,professor ,delboeuf's account of ,dr4 ,bernheim's mode of suggestion at the hospital at ,nancy4 ,a robust old man of about seventy-five years of age1 paralyzed by sciatica1 which caused him intense pain1 was brought in4 8,he could not put a foot to the ground without screaming with pain4 #8,lie down1 my poor friend2 ,i will soon relieve you4' ,dr4 ,bernheim says4 #8,that is impossible1 doctor4' #8,you will see4' #8,yes1 we shall see1 but ,i tell you1 we shall see nothing6' ,on hearing this answer ,i thought suggestion will be of no use in this case4 ,the old man looked sullen and stubborn4 ,strangely enough1 he soon went off to sleep1 fell into a state of catalepsy1 and was insensible when pricked4 ,but when ,monsieur ,bernheim said to him1 #8,now you can walk1 he replied1 #8,no1 ,i cannot2 you are telling me to do an impossible thing4' ,although ,monsieur ,bernheim failed in this instance1 ,i could not but admire his skill4 ,after using every means of persuasion1 insinuation and coaxing1 he suddenly took up an imperative tone1 and in a sharp1 abrupt voice that did not admit a refusal1 said3 #8,i tell you you can walk2 get up4' #8,very well1' replied the old follow2 #8,i must if you insist upon it4' ,and he got out of bed4 ,no sooner1 however1 had his foot touched the floor than he screamed even louder than before4 ,monsieur ,bernheim ordered him to step out4 #8,you tell me to do what is impossible1' he again replied1 and he did not move4 ,he had to be allowed to go to bed again1 and the whole time the experiment lasted he maintained an obstinate and ill-tempered air40 ,these two cases give an admirable picture of the cases that can be and those that cannot be cured by hypnotism1 or any other method of mental suggestion4 ,hallucination4--8,hallucinations10 says a medical authority1 8are very common among those who are partially insane4 ,they occur as a result of fever and frequently accompany delirium4 ,they result from an impoverished condition of the blood1 especially if it is due to starvation1 indigestion1 and the use of drugs like belladonna1 hyoscyarnus1 stramonium1 opium1 chloral1 cannabis indica1 and many more that might be mentioned40 ,large numbers of cases of attempted cure by hypnotism1 successful and unsuccessful1 might be quoted4 ,there is no doubt that in the lighter forms of partial insanity1 hypnotism may help many patients1 though not all2 but when the disease of the brain has gone farther1 especially when a well developed lesion exists in the brain1 mental treatment is of little avail1 even if it can be practiced at all4 ,a few general remarks by ,dr4 ,bernheim will be interesting4 ,says he3 8,the mode of suggestion should be varied and adapted to the special suggestibility of the subject4 ,a simple word does not always suffice in impressing the idea upon the mind4 ,it is sometimes necessary to reason1 to prove1 to convince2 in some cases to affirm decidedly1 in others to insinuate gently2 for in the condition of sleep1 just as in the waking condition1 the moral individuality of each subject persists according to his character1 his inclinations1 his impressionability1 etc4 ,hypnosis does not run all subjects into a uniform mold1 and make pure and simple automatons out of them1 moved solely by the will of the hypnotist2 it increases cerebral docility2 it makes the automatic activity preponderate over the will4 ,but the latter persists to a certain degree2 the subject thinks1 reasons1 discusses1 accepts more readily than in the waking condition1 but does not always accept1 especially in the light degrees of sleep4 ,in these cases we must know the patient's character1 his particular psychical condition1 in order to make an impression upon him40 ,bad ,habits4--,the habit of the excessive use of alcoholic drinks1 morphine1 tobacco1 or the like1 may often be decidedly helped by hypnotism1 if the patient wants to be helped4 ,the method of operation is simple4 ,the operator hypnotizes the subject1 and when he is in deep sleep suggests that on awaking he will feel a deep disgust for the article he is in the habit of taking1 and if he takes it will be affected by nausea1 or other unpleasant symptoms4 ,in most cases the suggested result takes place1 provided the subject can be hypnotized al all2 but unless the patient is himself anxious to break the habit fixed upon him1 the unpleasant effects soon wear off and he is as bad as ever4 ,dr4 ,cocke treated a large number of cases1 which he reports in detail in his book on hypnotism4 ,in a fair proportion of the cases he was successful2 in some cases completely so4 ,in other cases he failed entirely1 owing to lack of moral stamina in the patient himself4 ,his conclusions seem to be that hypnotism may be made a very effective aid to moral suasion1 but after all1 character is the chief force which throws off such habits once they are fixed4 ,the morphine habit is usually the result of a doctor's prescription at some time1 and it is practiced more or less involuntarily4 ,such cases are often materially helped by the proper suggestions4 ,the same is true of bad habits in children4 ,the weak may be strengthened by the stronger nature1 and hypnotism may come in as an effective aid to moral influence4 ,here again character is the deciding factor4 ,dr4 ,james ,r4 ,cocke devotes a considerable part of his book on 8,hypnotism0 to the use of hypnotism in medical practice1 and for further interesting details the reader is referred to that able work4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,hypnotism of ,animals4--,snake ,charming4 ,we are all familiar with the snake charmer1 and the charming of birds by snakes4 ,how much hypnotism there is in these performances it would be hard to say4 ,it is probable that a bird is fascinated to some extent by the steady gaze of a serpent's eyes1 but fear will certainly paralyze a bird as effectively as hypnotism4 ,father ,kircher was the first to try a familiar experiment with hens and cocks4 ,if you hold a hen's head with the beak upon a piece of board1 and then draw a chalk line from the beak to the edge of the board1 the hen when released will continue to hold her head in the same position for some time1 finally walking slowly away1 as if roused from a stupor4 ,farmers' wives often try a sort of hypnotic experiment on hens they wish to transfer from one nest to another when sitting4 ,they put the hen's head under her wing and gently rock her to and fro till she apparently goes to sleep1 when she may be carried to another nest and will remain there afterward4 ,horses are frequently managed by a steady gaze into their eyes4 ,dr4 ,moll states that a method of hypnotizing horses named after its inventor as ,balassiren has been introduced into ,austria by law for the shoeing of horses in the army4 ,we have all heard of the snake charmers of ,india1 who make the snakes imitate all their movements4 ,some suppose this is by hypnotization4 ,it may be the result of training1 however4 ,certainly real charmers of wild beasts usually end by being bitten or injured in some other way1 which would seem to show that the hypnotization does not always work1 or else it does not exist at all4 ,we have some fairly well known instances of hypnotism produced in animals4 ,lafontaine1 the magnetizer1 some thirty years ago held public exhibitions in ,paris in which he reduced cats1 dogs1 squirrels and lions to such complete insensibility that they felt neither pricks nor blows4 ,the ,harvys or ,psylles of ,egypt impart to the ringed snake the appearance of a stick by pressure on the head1 which induces a species of tetanus1 says ,e4 ,w4 ,lane4 ,the following description of serpent charming by the ,aissouans of the province of ,sous1 ,morocco1 will be of interest3 8,the principal charmer began by whirling with astonishing rapidity in a kind of frenzied dance around the wicker basket that contained the serpents1 which were covered by a goatskin4 ,suddenly he stopped1 plunged his naked arm into the basket1 and drew out a cobra de capello1 or else a haje1 a fearful reptile which is able to swell its head by spreading out the scales which cover it1 and which is thought to be ,cleopatra's asp1 the serpent of ,egypt4 ,in ,morocco it is known as the buska4 ,the charmer folded and unfolded the greenish-black viper1 as if it were a piece of muslin2 he rolled it like a turban round his head1 and continued his dance while the serpent maintained its position1 and seemed to follow every movement and wish of the dancer4 8,the buska was then placed on the ground1 and raising itself straight on end1 in the attitude it assumes on desert roads to attract travelers1 began to sway from right to left1 following the rhythm of the music4 ,the ,aissoua1 whirling more and more rapidly in constantly narrowing circles1 plunged his hand once more into the basket1 and pulled out two of the most venomous reptiles of the desert of ,sous2 serpents thicker than a man's arm1 two or three feet long1 whose shining scales are spotted black or yellow1 and whose bite sends1 as it were1 a burning fire through the veins4 ,this reptile is probably the torrida dipsas of antiquity4 ,europeans now call it the leffah4 8,the two leffahs1 more vigorous and less docile than the buska1 lay half curled up1 their heads on one side1 ready to dart forward1 and followed with glittering eyes the movements of the dancer4 99 99 99 ,hindoo charmers are still more wonderful2 they juggle with a dozen different species of reptiles at the same time1 making them come and go1 leap1 dance1 and lie down at the sound of the charmer's whistle1 like the gentlest of tame animals4 ,these serpents have never been known to bite their charmers40 ,it is well known that some animals1 like the opossum1 feign death when caught4 ,whether this is to be compared to hypnotism is doubtful4 ,other animals1 called hibernating1 sleep for months with no other food than their fat1 but this1 again1 can hardly be called hypnotism4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,a ,scientific ,explanation of ,hypnotism4--,dr4 ,hart's ,theory4 ,in the introduction to this book the reader will find a summary of the theories of hypnotism4 ,there is no doubt that hypnotism is a complex state which cannot be explained in an offhand way in a sentence or two4 ,there are1 however1 certain aspects of hypnotism which we may suppose sufficiently explained by certain scientific writers on the subject4 ,first1 what is the character of the delusions apparently created in the mind of a person in the hypnotic condition by a simple word of mouth statement1 as when a physician says1 8,now1 ,i am going to cut your leg off1 but it will not hurt you in the least10 and the patient suffers nothing8 ,in answer to this question1 ,professor ,william ,james of ,harvard ,college1 one of the leading authorities on the scientific aspects of psychical phenomena in this country1 reports the following experiments3 8,make a stroke on a paper or blackboard1 and tell the subject it is not there1 and he will see nothing but the clean paper or board4 ,next1 he not looking1 surround the original stroke with other strokes exactly like it1 and ask him what he sees4 ,he will point out one by one the new strokes and omit the original one every time1 no matter how numerous the next strokes may be1 or in what order they are arranged4 ,similarly1 if the original single line1 to which he is blind1 be doubled by a prism of sixteen degrees placed before one of his eyes 7both being kept open71 he will say that he now sees one stroke1 and point in the direction in which lies the image seen through the prism4 8,another experiment proves that he must see it in order to ignore it4 ,make a red cross1 invisible to the hypnotic subject1 on a sheet of white paper1 and yet cause him to look fixedly at a dot on the paper on or near the red cross2 he wills on transferring his eye to the blank sheet1 see a bluish-green after image of the cross4 ,this proves that it has impressed his sensibility4 ,he has felt but not perceived it4 ,he had actually ignored it2 refused to recognize it1 as it were40 ,dr4 ,ernest ,hart1 an ,english writer1 in an article in the ,british ,medical ,journal1 gives a general explanation of the phenomena of hypnotism which we may accept as true so far as it goes1 but which is evidently incomplete4 ,he seems to minimize personal influence too much--that personal influence which we all exert at various times1 and which he ignores1 not because he would deny it1 but because he fears lending countenance to the magnetic fluid and other similar theories4 ,says he3 8,we have arrived at the point at which it will be plain that the condition produced in these cases1 and known under a varied jargon invented either to conceal ignorance1 to express hypotheses1 or to mask the design of impressing the imagination and possibly prey upon the pockets of a credulous and wonder-loving public--such names as mesmeric condition1 magnetic sleep1 clairvoyance1 electro-biology1 animal magnetism1 faith trance1 and many other aliases--such a condition1 ,i say1 is always subjective4 ,it is independent of passes or gestures2 it has no relation to any fluid emanating from the operator2 it has no relation to his will1 or to any influence which he exercises upon inanimate objects2 distance does not affect it1 nor proximity1 nor the intervention of any conductors or non-conductors1 whether silk or glass or stone1 or even a brick wall4 ,we can transmit the order to sleep by telephone or by telegraph4 ,we can practically get the same results while eliminating even the operator1 if we can contrive to influence the imagination or to affect the physical condition of the subject by any one of a great number of contrivances4 8,what does all this mean8 ,i will refer to one or two facts in relation to the structure and function of the brain1 and show one or two simple experiments of very ancient parentage and date1 which will1 ,i think1 help to an explanation4 ,first1 let us recall something of what we know of the anatomy and localization of function in the brain1 and of the nature of ordinary sleep4 ,the brain1 as you know1 is a complicated organ1 made up internally of nerve masses1 or ganglia1 of which the central and underlying masses are connected with the automatic functions and involuntary actions of the body 7such as the action of the heart1 lungs1 stomach1 bowels1 etc471 while the investing surface shows a system of complicated convolutions rich in gray matter1 thickly sown with microscopic cells1 in which the nerve ends terminate4 ,at the base of the brain is a complete circle of arteries1 from which spring great numbers of small arterial vessels1 carrying a profuse blood supply throughout the whole mass1 and capable of contraction in small tracts1 so that small areas of the brain may1 at any given moment1 become bloodless1 while other parts of the brain may simultaneously become highly congested4 ,now1 if the brain or any part of it be deprived of the circulation of blood through it1 or be rendered partially bloodless1 or if it be excessively congested and overloaded with blood1 or if it be subjected to local pressure1 the part of the brain so acted upon ceases to be capable of exercising its functions4 ,the regularity of the action of the brain and the sanity and completeness of the thought which is one of the functions of its activity depend upon the healthy regularity of the quantity of blood passing through all its parts1 and upon the healthy quality of the blood so circulating4 ,if we press upon the carotid arteries which pass up through the neck to form the arterial circle of ,willis1 at the base of the brain1 within the skull--of which ,i have already spoken1 and which supplies the brain with blood--we quickly1 as every one knows1 produce insensibility4 ,thought is abolished1 consciousness lost4 ,and if we continue the pressure1 all those automatic actions of the body1 such as the beating of the heart1 the breathing motions of the lungs1 which maintain life and are controlled by the lower brain centers of ganglia1 are quickly stopped and death ensues4 8,we know by observation in cases where portions of the skull have been removed1 either in men or in animals1 that during natural sleep the upper part of the brain--its convoluted surface1 which in health and in the waking state is faintly pink1 like a blushing cheek1 from the color of the blood circulating through the network of capillary arteries--becomes white and almost bloodless4 ,it is in these upper convolutions of the brain1 as we also know1 that the will and the directing power are resident2 so that in sleep the will is abolished and consciousness fades gradually away1 as the blood is pressed out by the contraction of the arteries4 ,so1 also1 the consciousness and the directing will may be abolished by altering the quality of the blood passing through the convolutions of the brain4 ,we may introduce a volatile substance1 such as chloroform1 and its first effect will be to abolish consciousness and induce profound slumber and a blessed insensibility to pain4 ,the like effects will follow more slowly upon the absorption of a drug1 such as opium2 or we may induce hallucinations by introducing into the blood other toxic substances1 such as ,indian hemp or stramonium4 ,we are not conscious of the mechanism producing the arterial contraction and the bloodlessness of those convolutions related to natural sleep4 ,but we are not altogether without control over them4 ,we can1 we know1 help to compose ourselves to sleep1 as we say in ordinary language4 ,we retire into a darkened room1 we relieve ourselves from the stimulus of the special senses1 we free ourselves from the influence of noises1 of strong light1 of powerful colors1 or of tactile impressions4 ,we lie down and endeavor to soothe brain activity by driving away disturbing thoughts1 or1 as people sometimes say1 #8try to think of nothing4' ,and1 happily1 we generally succeed more or less well4 ,some people possess an even more marked control over this mechanism of sleep4 ,i can generally succeed in putting myself to sleep at any hour of the day1 either in the library chair or in the brougham4 ,this is1 so to speak1 a process of self-hypnotization1 and ,i have often practiced it when going from house to house1 when in the midst of a busy practice1 and ,i sometimes have amused my friends and family by exercising this faculty1 which ,i do not think it very difficult to acquire4 7,we also know that many persons can wake at a fixed hour in the morning by setting their minds upon it just before going to sleep47 ,now1 there is something here which deserves a little further examination1 but which it would take too much time to develop fully at present4 ,most people know something of what is meant by reflex action4 ,the nerves which pass from the various organs to the brain convey with1 great rapidity messages to its various parts1 which are answered by reflected waves of impulse4 ,if the soles of the feet be tickled1 contraction of the toes1 or involuntary laughter1 will be excited1 or perhaps only a shuddering and skin contraction1 known as goose-skin4 ,the irritation of the nerve-end in the skin has carried a message to the involuntary or voluntary ganglia of the brain which has responded by reflecting back again nerve impulses which have contracted the muscles of the feet or skin muscles1 or have given rise to associated ideas and explosion of laughter4 ,in the same way1 if during sleep heat be applied to the soles of the feet1 dreams of walking over hot surfaces--,vesuvius or ,fusiyama1 or still hotter places--may be produced1 or dreams of adventure on frozen surfaces or in arctic regions may be created by applying ice to the feet of the sleeper4 8,here1 then1 it is seen that we have a mechanism in the body1 known to physiologists as the ideo-motor1 or sensory motor system of nerves1 which can produce1 without the consciousness of the individual and automatically1 a series of muscular contractions4 ,and remember that the coats of the arteries are muscular and contractile under the influence of external stimuli1 acting without the help of the consciousness1 or when the consciousness is in abeyance4 ,i will give another example of this1 which completes the chain of phenomena in the natural brain and the natural body ,i wish to bring under notice in explanation of the true as distinguished from the false1 or falsely interpreted1 phenomena of hypnotism1 mesmerism and electro-biology4 ,i will take the excellent illustration quoted by ,dr4 ,b4 ,w4 ,carpenter in his old-time1 but valuable1 book on #8,the ,physiology of the ,brain4' ,when a hungry man sees food1 or when1 let us say1 a hungry boy looks into a cookshop1 he becomes aware of a watering of the mouth and a gnawing sensation at the stomach4 ,what does this mean8 ,it means that the mental impression made upon him by the welcome and appetizing spectacle has caused a secretion of saliva and of gastric juice2 that is to say1 the brain has1 through the ideo-motor set of nerves1 sent a message which has dilated the vessels around the salivary and gastric glands1 increased the flow of blood through them and quickened their secretion4 ,here we have1 then1 a purely subjective mental activity acting through a mechanism of which the boy is quite ignorant1 and which he is unable to control1 and producing that action on the vessels of dilation or contraction which1 as we have seen1 is the essential condition of brain activity and the evolution of thought1 and is related to the quickening or the abolition of consciousness1 and to the activity or abeyance of function in the will centers and upper convolutions of the brain1 as in its other centers of localization4 8,here1 then1 we have something like a clue to the phenomena--phenomena which1 as ,i have pointed out1 are similar to and have much in common with mesmeric sleep1 hypnotism or electro-biology4 ,we have already1 ,i hope1 succeeded in eliminating from our minds the false theory--the theory1 that is to say1 experimentally proved to be false--that the will1 or the gestures1 or the magnetic or vital fluid of the operator are necessary for the abolition of the consciousness and the abeyance of the will of the subject4 ,we now see that ideas arising in the mind of the subject are sufficient to influence the circulation in the brain of the person operated on1 and such variations of the blood supply of the brain as are adequate to produce sleep in the natural state1 or artificial slumber1 either by total deprivation or by excessive increase or local aberration in the quantity or quality of blood4 ,in a like manner it is possible to produce coma and prolonged insensibility by pressure of the thumbs on the carotid2 or hallucination1 dreams and visions by drugs1 or by external stimulation of the nerves4 ,here again the consciousness may be only partially affected1 and the person in whom sleep1 coma or hallucination is produced1 whether by physical means or by the influence of suggestion1 may remain subject to the will of others and incapable of exercising his own volition40 ,in short1 ,dr4 ,hart's theory is that hypnotism comes from controlling the blood supply of the brain1 cutting off the supply from parts or increasing it in other parts4 ,this theory is borne out by the well-known fact that some persons can blush or turn pale at will2 that some people always blush on the mention of certain things1 or calling up certain ideas4 ,certain other ideas will make them turn pale4 ,now1 if certain parts of the brain are made to blush or turn pale1 there is no doubt that hypnotism will follow1 since blushing and turning pale are known to be due to the opening and closing of the blood-vessels4 ,we may say that the subject is induced by some means to shut the blood out of certain portions of the brain1 and keep it out until he is told to let it in again4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,telepathy and ,clairvoyance4--,peculiar ,power in ,hypnotic ,state4--,experiments4--8,phantasms of the ,living0 ,explained by ,telepathy ,it has already been noticed that persons in the hypnotic state seem to have certain of their senses greatly heightened in power4 ,they can remember1 see and hear things that ordinary persons would be entirely ignorant of4 ,there is abundant evidence that a supersensory perception is also developed1 entirely beyond the most highly developed condition of the ordinary senses1 such as being able to tell clearly what some other person is doing at a great distance4 ,in view of the discovery of the ,x or ,roentgen ray1 the ability to see through a stone wall does not seem so strange as it did before that discovery4 ,it is on power of supersensory1 or extra-sensory perception that what is known as telepathy and clairvoyance are based4 ,that such things really exist1 and are not wholly a matter of superstition has been thoroughly demonstrated in a scientific way by the ,british ,society for ,psychical ,research1 and kindred societies in various parts of the world4 ,strictly speaking1 such phenomena as these are not a part of hypnotism1 but our study of hypnotism will enable us to understand them to some extent1 and the investigation of them is a natural corollary to the study of hypnotism1 for the reason that it has been found that these extraordinary powers are often possessed by persons under hypnotic influence4 ,until the discovery of hypnotism there was little to go on in conducting a scientific investigation1 because clairvoyance could not be produced by any artificial means1 and so could not be studied under proper restrictive conditions4 ,we will first quote two experiments performed by ,dr4 ,cocke which the writer heard him describe with his own lips4 ,the first case was that of a girl suffering from hysterical tremor4 ,the doctor had hypnotized her for the cure of it1 and accidentally stumbled on an example of thought transference4 ,she complained on one occasion of a taste of spice in her mouth4 ,as the doctor had been chewing some spice1 he at once guessed that this might be telepathy4 ,nothing was said at the time1 but the next time the girl was hypnotized1 the doctor put a quinine tablet in his mouth4 ,the girl at once asked for water1 and said she had a very bitter taste in her mouth4 ,the water was given her1 and the doctor went behind a screen1 where he put cayenne pepper in his mouth1 severely burning himself4 ,no one but the doctor knew of the experiment at the time4 ,the girl immediately cried and became so hysterical that she had to be awakened4 ,the burning in her mouth disappeared as soon as she came out of the hypnotic state1 but the doctor continued to suffer4 ,nearly three hundred similar experiments with thirty-six different subjects were tried by ,dr4 ,cocke1 and of these sixty-nine were entirely successful4 ,the others were doubtful or complete failures4 ,the most remarkable of the experiments may be given in the doctor's own words3 8,i told the subject to remain perfectly still for five minutes and to relate to me at the end of this time any sensation he might experience4 ,i passed into another room and closed the door and locked it2 went into a closet in the room and closed the door after me2 took down from the shelf1 first a linen sheet1 then a pasteboard box1 then a toy engine1 owned by a child in the house4 ,i went back to my subject and asked him what experience he had had4 8,he said ,i seemed to go into another room1 and from thence into a dark closet4 ,i wanted something off the shelf1 but did not know what4 ,i took down from the shelf a piece of smooth cloth1 a long1 square pasteboard box and a tin engine4 ,these were all the sensations he had experienced4 ,i asked him if he saw the articles with his eyes which ,i had removed from the shelf4 ,he answered that the closet was dark and that he only felt them with his hands4 ,i asked him how he knew that the engine was tin4 ,he said3 #8,by the sound of it4' ,as my hands touched it ,i heard the wheels rattle4 ,now the only sound made by me while in the closet was simply the rattling of the wheels of the toy as ,i took it off the shelf4 ,this could not possibly have been heard1 as the subject was distant from me two large rooms1 and there were two closed doors between us1 and the noise was very slight4 ,neither could the subject have judged where ,i went1 as ,i had on light slippers which made no noise4 ,the subject had never visited the house before1 and naturally did not know the contents of the closet as he was carefully observed from the moment he entered the house40 ,many similar experiments are on record4 ,persons in the hypnotic condition have been able to tell what other persons were doing in distant parts of a city2 could tell the pages of the books they might be reading and the numbers of all sorts of articles4 ,while in ,london the writer had an opportunity of witnessing a performance of this kind4 ,there was a young boy who seemed to have this peculiar power4 ,a queer old desk had come into the house from ,italy1 and as it was a valuable piece of furniture1 the owner was anxious to learn its pedigree4 ,without having examined the desk beforehand in any way the boy1 during one of his trances1 said that in a certain place a secret spring would be found which would open an unknown drawer1 and behind that drawer would be found the name of the maker of the desk and the date #afci4 ,the desk was at once examined1 and the name and date found exactly as described4 ,it is clear in this case that this information could not have been in the mind of any one1 unless it were some person in ,italy1 whence the desk had come4 ,it is more likely that the remarkable supersensory power given enabled reading through the wood4 ,we may now turn our attention to another class of phenomena of great interest1 and that is the visions persons in the ordinary state have of friends who are on the point of death4 ,it would seem that by an extraordinary effort the mind of a person in the waking state might be impressed through a great distance4 ,at the moment of death an almost superhuman mental effort is more likely and possible than at any other time1 and it is peculiar that these visions or phantasms are largely confined to that moment4 ,the natural explanation that rises to the ordinary mind is1 of course1 8,spirits40 ,this supposition is strengthened by the fact that the visions sometimes appear immediately after death1 as well as at the time and just before4 ,this may be explained1 however1 on the theory that the ordinary mind is not easily impressed1 and when unconsciously impressed some time may elapse before the impression becomes perceptible to the conscious mind1 just as in passing by on a swift train1 we may see something1 but not realize that we have seen it till some time afterward1 when we remember what we have unconsciously observed4 ,the ,british ,society for ,psychical ,research has compiled two large volumes of carefully authenticated cases1 which are published under the title1 8,phantasms of the ,living40 ,we quote one or two interesting cases4 ,a ,miss ,l4 sends the following report3 ,january #d1 #ahhf4 8,on one of the last days of ,july1 about the year #ahfj1 at #c o'clock p4m41 ,i was sitting in the drawing room at the ,rectory1 reading1 and my thoughts entirely occupied4 ,i suddenly looked up and saw most distinctly a tall1 thin old gentleman enter the room and walk to the table4 ,he wore a peculiar1 old-fashioned cloak which ,i recognized as belonging to my great-uncle4 ,i then looked at him closely and remembered his features and appearance perfectly1 although ,i had not seen him since ,i was quite a child4 ,in his hand was a roll of paper1 and he appeared to be very agitated4 ,i was not in the least alarmed1 as ,i firmly believed he was my uncle1 not knowing then of his illness4 ,i asked him if he wanted my father1 who1 as ,i said1 was not at home4 ,he then appeared still more agitated and distressed1 but made no remark4 ,he then left the room1 passing through the open door4 ,i noticed that1 although it was a very wet day1 there was no appearance of his having walked either in mud or rain4 ,he had no umbrella1 but a thick walking stick1 which ,i recognized at once when my father brought it home after the funeral4 ,on questioning the servants1 they declared that no one had rung the bell2 neither did they see any one enter4 ,my father had a letter by the next post1 asking him to go at once to my uncle1 who was very ill in ,leicestershire4 ,he started at once1 but on his arrival was told that his uncle had died at exactly #c o'clock that afternoon1 and had asked for him by name several times in an anxious and troubled manner1 and a roll of paper was found under his pillow4 8,i may mention that my father was his only nephew1 and1 having no son1 he always led him to think that he would have a considerable legacy4 ,such1 however1 was not the case1 and it is supposed that1 as they were always good friends1 he was influenced in his last illness1 and probably1 when too late1 he wished to alter his will40 ,in answer to inquiries1 ,miss ,l4 adds3 8,i told my mother and an uncle at once about the strange appearance before the news arrived1 and also my father directly he returned1 all of whom are now dead4 ,they advised me to dismiss it from my memory1 but agreed that it could not be imagination1 as ,i described my uncle so exactly1 and they did not consider me to be either of a nervous or superstitious temperament4 8,i am quite sure that ,i have stated the facts truthfully and correctly4 ,the facts are as fresh in my memory as if they happened only yesterday1 although so many years have passed away4 8,i can assure you that nothing of the sort ever occurred before or since4 ,neither have ,i been subject to nervous or imaginative fancies4 ,this strange apparition was in broad daylight1 and as ,i was only reading the #8,illustrated ,newspaper1' there was nothing to excite my imagination40 ,hundreds of cases of this kind have been reported by persons whose truthfulness cannot be doubted1 and every effort has been made to eliminate possibility of hallucination or accidental fancy4 ,that things of this kind do occur may be said to be scientifically proven4 ,such facts as these have stimulated experiment in the direction of testing thought transference4 ,these experiments have usually been in the reading of numbers and names1 and a certain measure of success has resulted4 ,it may be added1 however1 that no claimants ever appeared for various banknotes deposited in strong-boxes1 to be turned over to any one who would read the numbers4 ,just why success was never attained under these conditions it would be hard to say4 ,the writer once made a slight observation in this direction4 ,when matching pennies with his brother he found that if the other looked at the penny he could match it nearly every time4 ,there may have been some unconscious expression of face that gave the clue4 ,persons in hypnotic trance are expert muscle readers4 ,for instance1 let such a person take your hand and then go through the alphabet1 naming the letters4 ,if you have any word in your mind1 as the muscle reader comes to each letter the muscles will unconsciously contract4 ,by giving attention to the muscles you can make them contract on the wrong letters and entirely mislead such a person4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,the ,confessions of ,medium4--,spiritualistic ,phenomena ,explained on ,theory of ,telepathy4--,interesting ,statement of ,mrs4 ,piper1 the ,famous ,medium of the ,psychical ,research ,society4 ,the subject of spiritualism has been very thoroughly investigated by the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 both in ,england and this country1 and under circumstances so peculiarly advantageous that a world of light has been thrown on the connection between hypnotism and this strange phenomenon4 ,professor ,william ,james1 the professor of psychology at ,harvard ,university1 was fortunate enough some years ago to find a perfect medium who was not a professional and whose character was such as to preclude fraud4 ,this was ,mrs4 ,leonora ,e4 ,piper1 of ,boston4 ,for many years she remained in the special employ of the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 and the members of that society were able to study her case under every possible condition through a long period of time4 ,not long ago she resolved to give up her engagement1 and made a public statement over her own signature which is full of interest4 ,a brief history of her life and experiences will go far toward furnishing the general reader a fair explanation of clairvoyant and spiritualistic phenomena4 ,mrs4 ,piper was the wife of a modest tailor1 and lived on ,pinckney street1 back of ,beacon ,hill4 ,she was married in #ahha1 and it was not until ,may #af1 #ahhd1 that her first child was born4 ,a little more than a month later1 on ,june #bi1 she had her first trance experience4 ,says she3 8,i remember the date distinctly1 because it was two days after my first birthday following the birth of my first child40 ,she had gone to ,dr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,cocke1 the great authority on hypnotism and a practicing physician of high scientific attainments4 8,during the interview10 says ,mrs4 ,piper1 8,i was partly unconscious for a few minutes4 ,on the following ,sunday ,i went into a trance40 ,she appears to have slipped into it unconsciously4 ,she surprised her friends by saying some very odd things1 none of which she remembered when she came to herself4 ,not long after she did it again4 ,a neighbor1 the wife of a merchant1 when she heard the things that had been said1 assured ,mrs4 ,piper that it must be messages from the spirit world4 ,the atmosphere in ,boston was full of talk of that kind1 and it was not hard for people to believe that a real medium of spirit communication had been found4 ,the merchant's wife wanted a sitting1 and ,mrs4 ,piper arranged one1 for which she received her first dollar4 ,she had discovered that she could go into trances by an effort of her own will4 ,she would sit down at a table1 with her sitter opposite1 and leaning her head on a pillow1 go off into the trance after a few minutes of silence4 ,there was a clock behind her4 ,she gave her sitters an hour1 sometimes two hours1 and they wondered how she knew when the hour had expired4 ,at any rate1 when the time came around she awoke4 ,in describing her experiences she has said3 8,at first when ,i sat in my chair and leaned my head back and went into the trance state1 the action was attended by something of a struggle4 ,i always felt as if ,i were undergoing an anesthetic1 but of late years ,i have slipped easily into the condition1 leaning the head forward4 ,on coming out of it ,i felt stupid and dazed4 ,at first ,i said disconnected things4 ,it was all a gibberish1 nothing but gibberish4 ,then ,i began to speak some broken ,french phrases4 ,i had studied ,french two years1 but did not speak it well40 ,once she had an ,italian for sitter1 who could speak no ,english and asked questions in ,italian4 ,mrs4 ,piper could speak no ,italian1 indeed did not understand a word of it1 except in her trance state4 ,but she had no trouble in understanding her sitter4 ,after a while her automatic utterance announced the personality of a certain ,dr4 ,phinuit1 who was said to have been a noted ,french physician who had died long before4 ,his 8spirit0 controlled her for a number of years4 ,after some time ,dr4 ,phinuit was succeeded by one 8,pelham10 and finally by 8,imperator0 and 8,rector40 ,as the birth of her second child approached ,mrs4 ,piper gave up what she considered a form of hysteria2 but after the birth of the child the sittings1 paid for at a dollar each1 began again4 ,dr4 ,hodgson1 of the ,london ,society for ,psychical ,research1 saw her at the house of ,professor ,james1 and he became so interested in her case that he decided to take her to ,london to be studied4 ,she spent nearly a year abroad2 and after her return the ,american branch of the ,society for ,psychical ,research was formed1 and for a long time ,mrs4 ,piper received a salary to sit exclusively for the society4 ,their records and reports are full of the things she said and did4 ,every one who investigated ,mrs4 ,piper had to admit that her case was full of mystery4 ,but if one reads the reports through from beginning to end one cannot help feeling that her spirit messages are filled with nonsense1 at least of triviality4 ,here is a specimen--and a fair specimen1 too--of the kind of communication ,pelham gave4 ,he wrote out the message4 ,it referred to a certain famous man known in the reports as ,mr4 ,marte4 ,pelham is reported to have written by ,mrs4 ,piper's hand3 8,that he 7,mr4 ,marte71 with his keen brain and marvelous perception1 will be interested1 ,i know4 ,he was a very dear friend of ,x4 ,i was exceedingly fond of him4 ,comical weather interests both he and ,i--me--him--,i know it all4 ,don't you see ,i correct these8 ,well1 ,i am not less intelligent now4 ,but there are many difficulties4 ,i am far clearer on all points than ,i was shut up in the prisoned body 7prisoned1 prisoning or imprisoned you ought to say74 ,no1 ,i don't mean1 to get it that way4 #8,see here1 ,h1 don't view me with a critic's eye1 but pass my imperfections by4' ,of course1 ,i know all that as well as anybody on your sphere 7of course74 ,well1 ,i think so4 ,i tell you1 old fellow1 it don't do to pick all these little errors too much when they amount to nothing in one way4 ,you have light enough and brain enough1 ,i know1 to understand my explanations of being shut up in this body1 dreaming1 as it were1 and trying to help on science40 ,some people would say that ,pelham had had a little too much whisky toddy when he wrote that rambling1 meaningless string of words4 ,or we can suppose that ,mrs4 ,piper was dreaming4 ,we see in the last sentence a curious mixture of ideas that must have been in her mind4 ,she herself says3 8,i do not see how anybody can look on all that as testimony from another world4 ,i cannot see but that it must have been an unconscious expression of my subliminal self1 writing such stuff as dreams are made of40 ,in another place ,mrs4 ,piper makes the following direct statement3 8,i never heard of anything being said by myself while in a trance state which might not have been latent in3 8#a4 ,my own mind4 8#b4 ,in the mind of the person in charge of the sitting4 8#c4 ,in the mind of the person who was trying to get communication with some one in another state of existence1 or some companion present with such person1 or1 8#d4 ,in the mind of some absent person alive somewhere else in the world40 ,writing in the ,psychological ,review in #ahih1 ,professor ,james says3 8,mrs4 ,piper's trance memory is no ordinary human memory1 and we have to explain its singular perfection either as the natural endowment of her solitary subliminal self1 or as a collection of distinct memory systems1 each with a communicating spirit as its vehicle4 8,the spirit hypothesis exhibits a vacancy1 triviality1 and incoherence of mind painful to think of as the state of the departed1 and coupled with a pretension to impress one1 a disposition to #8fish' and face around and disguise the essential hollowness which is1 if anything1 more painful still4 ,mr4 ,hodgson has to resort to the theory that1 although the communicants probably are spirits1 they are in a semi-comatose or sleeping state while communicating1 and only half aware of what is going on1 while the habits of ,mrs4 ,piper's neural organism largely supply the definite form of words1 etc41 in which the phenomenon is clothed40 ,after considering other theories ,professor ,james concludes3 8,the world is evidently more complex than we are accustomed to think it1 the absolute #8world ground' in particular being farther off than we are wont to think it40 ,mrs4 ,piper is reported to have said3 8,of what occurs after ,i enter the trance period ,i remember nothing--nothing of what ,i said or what was said to me4 ,i am but a passive agent in the hands of powers that control me4 ,i can give no account of what becomes of me during a trance4 ,the wisdom and inspired eloquence which of late has been conveyed to ,dr4 ,hodgson through my mediumship is entirely beyond my understanding4 ,i do not pretend to understand it1 and can give no explanation--,i simply know that ,i have the power of going into a trance when ,i wish40 ,professor ,james says3 8,the ,piper phenomena are the most absolutely baffling thing ,i know40 ,professor ,hudson1 ,ph4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 author of 8,the ,law of ,psychic ,phenomena10 comes as near giving an explanation of 8spiritualism10 so called1 as any one4 ,he begins by saying3 8,all things considered1 ,mrs4 ,piper is probably the best #8psychic' now before the public for the scientific investigation of spiritualism and it must be admitted that if her alleged communications from discarnate spirits cannot be traced to any other source1 the claims of spiritism have been confirmed40 ,then he goes on3 8,a few words1 however1 will make it clear to the scientific mind that her phenomena can be easily accounted for on purely psychological principles1 thus3 8,man is endowed with a dual mind1 or two minds1 or states of consciousness1 designated1 respectively1 as the objective and the subjective4 ,the objective mind is normally unconscious of the content of the subjective mind4 ,the latter is constantly amenable to control by suggestion1 and it is exclusively endowed with the faculty of telepathy4 8,an entranced psychic is dominated exclusively by her subjective mind1 and reason is in abeyance4 ,hence she is controlled by suggestion1 and1 consequently1 is compelled to believe herself to be a spirit1 good or bad1 if that suggestion is in any way imparted to her1 and she automatically acts accordingly4 8,she is in no sense responsible for the vagaries of a ,phinuit1 for that eccentric personality is the creation of suggestion4 ,but she is also in the condition which enables her to read the subjective minds of others4 ,hence her supernormal knowledge of the affairs of her sitters4 ,what he knows1 or has ever known1 consciously or unconsciously 7subjective memory being perfect71 is easily within her reach4 8,thus far no intelligent psychical researcher will gainsay what ,i have said4 ,but it sometimes happens that the psychic obtains information that neither she nor the sitter could ever have consciously possessed4 ,does it necessarily follow that discarnate spirits gave her the information8 ,spiritists say #8yes1' for this is the #8last ditch' of spiritism4 8,psychologists declare that the telepathic explanation is as valid in the latter class of cases as it obviously is in the former4 ,thus1 telepathy being a power of the subjective mind1 messages may be conveyed from one to another at any time1 neither of the parties being objectively conscious of the fact4 ,it follows that a telepathist at any following seance with the recipient can reach the content of that message4 8,if this argument is valid--and its validity is self-evident--it is impossible to imagine a case that may not be thus explained on psychological principles40 ,professor ,hudson's argument will appeal to the ordinary reader as good4 ,it may be simplified1 however1 thus3 ,we may suppose that ,mrs4 ,piper voluntarily hypnotizes herself4 ,perhaps she simply puts her conscious reason to sleep4 ,in that condition the rest of her mind is in an exalted state1 and capable of telepathy and mind-reading1 either of those near at hand or at a distance4 ,her reason being asleep1 she simply dreams1 and the questions of her sitter are made to fit into her dream4 ,if we regard mediums as persons who have the power of hypnotizing themselves and then of doing what we know persons who have been hypnotized by others sometimes do1 we have an explanation that covers the whole case perfectly4 ,at the same time1 as ,professor ,james warns us1 we must believe that the mind is far more complex than we are accustomed to think it4