M EN T S O F H Y P N O T IS M

TH E I N DU CTI O N OF H YP N O S I S ,

S P H E N O M E N A, I T S D A N G E R S A N D VA L U E

R . H A RR Y V I N C E N T
i t) ?

9:
4
W2!
’

”I D
( i t)
WTI H NTY I L L U S T R ATI O N S
T WE

S H O WIN G XP E RI M N T S
E E

LON D ON
K EGAN PA U L T R EN C H T R U B N E R
, ,
CO .
, LT D .

PAT E R N OST E R H O U SE C HA R IN G C R OSS RO AD

1 893
 P R E F A C E .

THIS b o o k has b e e n writt e n i n t he e nd e avou r to

m e e t a want which has oft e n b e e n p oin t e d .
out to
me . Withi n its page s I hav e tri e d to giv e a sim pl e
account of t he n atu r e an d f cts of hypnotism — to
ef e

show how t he stat e i s p roduc e d , and what i t is .

I t is not p e rhaps t he e asi e st thing i n t he world

, ,

for a writ e r on suc h a subj e ct to tr e at his t h e m e

!

, ,

pop ularly and at t he sam e tim e sci e ntifi cally ; and

, , ,

I am conscious of v e ry many fau lts .

T he us e of t e chnical t e rms has b ee n avoid ed and ,

controv e rsi al qu e stions hav e not b e e n mu ch discuss ed ,

as this wou ld hav e led m e to o far from my origin al

p u rpos e .

I thi nk it w e l l to s ay h e r e that I t ru st thi s

, ,

book wil l l e ad no on e to rashly e xp e ri m e nt with

hyp notism t he dang e rs of its ignorant practic e a re

almost i nnu m e rabl e and v e ry s e rious ; and whi lst ,

 P R EFA C E .

it has p artly b ee n my obj e ct to show t he valu e

and i m p ortanc e of a p rop e r us e of hypnotism i t ,

i s by n o m e ans my d e sir e to m ini mis e t he d ang e rs

of its abus e .

M y si nc e r e thanks a re d ue to D r C . L loyd Tuck e y ,

for his kindn e ss i n r e visi ng t he chapt e r on t he

m e d ical asp e cts of t he qu e stion ; to D r W P i ck e tt .

T urn e r fo r his a s sistanc e i n

, t he p r e paration of ma n y
of t he i llustrati ons a c c o m p a n y in g t he t e xt ; a nd to
'

M r L in dis ay P oult e r for re vising t he proof s h ee ts

,
.

R H A R R Y VI N C E N T
. .

O x FoR D , Oct ober ( 8 93 .

 C O N T E N TS .

P AG E

C HAP T E R I .

TH E G E NESIS OF H YP NOTISM

C HAP T E R I I .

THE LAT E R H ISTO R Y OF I IY P N OT I S M

C HAP TE R III .

M E NTA L A C TI O N

C HAP T E R IV .

THE I N D U C TI O N OF H YPN OSIS

C HAP T E R V .

TH E P H E N O M E NA OF H YPN OSIS

C HAP T E R VI .

DAN C ER S OF II Y P N O I ’‘
ISM

C HAP T E R VII .

TII E V A L U ES OF H YP N O I IS M
’ ‘

C HAP T E R V I II .

THE “
T R ANS F E R E X P E R I M E NTS

C HAP T E R IX .

H YPN OSIS I N A NI MA LS

APP E N D I X
 I L L U S T R A T IO N S .

I ,F ASC INATI O N
II T H E S U GGE STI O N O F F I G HTI N G
.

ID E A O F A LO ST
”

V A B S E N C E O F A B I L ITY T O S P ELL
.

VI .I NT O X I C ATI O N
A N H E AV E N L Y V ISI O N
“
VI I .
-

V II I “
.T OO THA C H E
IX M I R TH
.

X GR I E F
.

XI C HAN G E D P E R SO NA L ITY
.

XI I W R ITI N G A S A L ITT LE G I R L
.

XII I S I G NAT U R E U N D E R H A LL U C I NATI O N O F

XIV P E R SO NA L ITY
XV W R ITIN G U N D E R S U GGE STI O N O F I NT O X I C ATI O N
.

XV I F R O G C AT A L E P S ED
.

X V I I F R O G C A T AL E P S E D
.

X V I I I S NA K E CA TA L E P S ED
.

XIX T O A D C A T AL E P S ED
.

XX L I Z A R D CAT AL EP S E D
. .
 AU T H O R S QU OT E D AN D R E FE RR E D To .

A U G U STI N E S T D e Civit t e D ei , . a .

A N D R Y R pp o t s C m m iss i e 1 7 84
.
’
a r ae o a r s. .

B AI LL Y P R R pp o t s Com m i i es 1 7 84
, . . a r
’
ae ssa r . .

B ER I L L O N D r ED G A R
’
R ev ue de l Hy p t i m e
, O c t 1 8 90 . no s . . .

BE R NH E IM P ro f H D e la gg t i ,
t des pp li t ion a
. . su es on e s es a ca s

l a t /i é peu t igu E n glis h tr a n s l ti on

ra Lo n don 2 n d ed e. a .
,
.

1 8 90 .

B IN E T (E T F ER E) L i ma l m ag et is me P a ri s E n gli s h tran s .
’
an n
’
. .

l a ti on Lon don 3 rd e d 1 8 91
.
, .
, .

B O U I LL A R D R pp o t ’es . 1 83 7 a r a .

B U R D I N (j e un e ) (E T D U B O IS ) H is t oi re A caa m ique a u M ag n et is mo
!

’f ’ '
. e

a n i m a l et c P a ri s 1 8 9 1 , .
, .

B U R C K HA R D T R evu e a e l Hypn ot is m e A ug 1 88 8
’ ’
. . . .

BU R G G R A V J G Cu r M bo u m m ag et ica
, . 161 1 . a or r n . .

B U R O T P r o f R ev e de l Hyp ot is m e D ec 1 88 8
, . u
’
n . . .

B R AI D D r J AM ES N e ryp ology L on don 1 84

, 9 et c et c. u n .
, , .
, .

C AI LLE R pp o t ales Com m is s a i res

. a 1 7 84 r . .

C A R P E NT E R D r M en t l P /y s iology
, . a z .

’
CA V E N T O N . R apport a es Com m is s a i res . 1 83 7 .

C HA R CO , T P rof J M . . . Comp t es ren a u s

’
ae
’ ’
l A cacle‘m ie des S cien ces .

M ag net i s m a n d Hy p n ot is m Tb e F or u m , . 1 8 90 , e t c .

C LO QU E T . R pp
a or t a
’
es Com m is s a i res 1 83 7 . .

7 84
' ’

D et a ils ales cu res o e rees p a B u z a n cy . 1 .

C O R NA C R appo t a es Com m is s ires 1 8 3 7

. r
’
a . .

C O U R M ELLE S D r F o v eau d e Hy p ot is m ,
L on don 1 8 92 . n . , .

D A R C ET
’ ’
R pp o t a es C m m is s i es
. 1 7 84
a r o a r . .

D E BOR Y R app ort ales Com m is a ires

. 1 784 s . .

D E L B CE U F P r o f J
’
R evu e de l lfy p ot i s m e
, . . n .

’
D ELE U Z E J P F
’

,H is t oi e C rit i q u e a u M agn et is m o
. .
im l . r an a .

P a ri s 1 8 1 3 , .

D I GB Y S ir KE N EL M
, Of t he cu e of wou n ds by t he powder of y m . r s

p at lzy Lon don 1 660 .

, .
X 11 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HYP N O T ISM .

D U BO IS R apport des Com mis s a i res 1 83 7 . .

(ET BUR DIN j , e n )

u e s .
/ ’
H i t oi re A ca dé m iq u e d u t l[ag n et i s m e
a n i ma l P a ri s 1 841 .
, .

’
D U M O N TP AL L l ER D r A R ev e d e l Hyp n ot i m e Aug 1 8 90 , . u s . . .

E M E R Y R apport des Com m is s i e 1 8 3 7

. a r s. .

F ER E D r C Les lzyp ot igu e l y t rigu es con s ide ces com me ujet s

, . n s z s e
‘
r
‘
s
’
d e p eri en ce e tc
x Pa ri s 1 8 8 3 , .
, .

F ER E (ET B I N E T ) L a n i ma l Al g n et i m e Pa ri s 1 88 7 .
’
a
‘
s .
,
.

F O I S S A C R pport et d is cu s s io s de Z A cad em ie R oy a le s u r te M g
.
’
a s n a

n t is m e
‘
e im l P ri s 1 8 3 3 an a . a , .

F O R EL P r o f A D e Hyp t i m u s S t utt ga rt 1 8 90
, . . r no s .
, .

F O U QU I E R R pp ort de l A c dem ie R aj a le 1 8 3 3
’
. a a
’
/ . .

F R AN K L I N R pp ort des Com m i s i es

. 1 7 84 a s a r . .

G L O CE N I U S, R OD . Tract . de Al ag n et . v u ln . c u ra t . M a rb urgi,
1 60 8 .

’
G U E R SE N T . R app ort de l A cad e‘m ie R oy a le 1 83 3 . .

G U I LL O TI N . R app ort des Com m is s a i res 1 7 84 . .

G U R N E Y ED M U N D P o eedi
, . r c
g s of S oc iety f or P sy cli ica l R es ea rc/z
n .

G U R Y S J Comp di u m Tl
, . . en z eolo z a e lil ora lis
g .

H AM M O N D D S pi it u li m ,
r . r a s an d N erv ou s D era ng em e nt .

H E H L M A X I MI L IAN S J T
, , . . a b u la e S ola res , et c .
, et c . 1 7 63 .

H E I D E NHAI N P r f R Hyp , o . . n ot is t/i . L o n do n , 1 8 92 .

H E IN SI U S . B ey t rag e zu m ei n en Vers u cli en , et c . Lei ps i g , 1 7 76 .

’
ITA R D . R app ort de I A cad em ie R oy a le 1 83 3 . .

’
J U SSIEU , A L DE R appor t de l u n des com m is s a ires ,
. . . et c . P ri s a ,

1 7 84 .

K I N GSB U R Y D r G , . C . l e P ra ct ice o f Hyp n ot ic S ug es t ion .

Bri s t o l 1 8 9 1 , .

KI R CH ER A S J ,
.
, . . Adagn es s ive de A rte M ag n et ica . C o lo n ia e ,
16 43 , et c . , e tc .

K R A F FT E B I N G P r o f-

, . R . VO N . E in e ex p erim en t elle S t u die a uf dem

G eb iet e des Hy p n ot is mu s z . ud Ed . S t utt g rt a ,
1 8 90. E n glis h
tr l ti
an s a on L o n d o n , 1 8 90 . .

L AV O ISI E R R pp o t des C m m is s a i es 1 7 8 4
. a r o r . .

L E HM K U H L A S J T/eol g ia M o a lis , .
, . . z o r .

L E R O U X R app ort de l A adem ie R y a le 1 8 3 3

’
. c
’
o . .

L E R OY R app o t des Com m is sa ires 1 7 8 4

. r . .

L I EB A U L T , D r D u S om m eil et des Et a t s A n a log . ues . P ari s , 1 8 66

N e w Ed , 1 8 8 9 . .

L I EG O I S D e la s ugg es t ion , et c
. a ri s , 1 8 8 8 . P .

LU DW I G . D is s ert d e M ag n et is mo i n cor ore p b u ma n o . L ei p s i g ,

1 7 72 .
 A U T HO R S QU O T E D AN D R EFE R R E D To . x iii

L U YS ,
Dr . Cli n i ca l L ect u res Hyp n ot is m
on Tb e R ecen t D is coveri es .

in Hyp n ot is m . Tb e F ort n zglz t ly R ev iew, J u n e an d ugus t A

1 8 90 .

M AJ A U L T . R a
pport des Com m is s a ires . 1 7 84 .

M A N DU YT . do . 1 7 84 .

M A R C R pp t de l A cademie R oy le
. a or
’ ‘
a . 1 833 .

M A R TI A L B ook I I I . .

M A X W ELL D e M dici a M ag et i . F r an kf rt 1 6 7 9 e n n ca . o ,
.

M ES M ER D e i fl .
p l et m et 1 7 66 M moir s u r l
,
n ex u an aru , c .
, . e a

d e u ve t e d m g ét i m
co n im l
r P ri s 1 7 7 9 P eci lz i t origu
a a n s e a a . a , . r s s e

d f it
es el t if s u m g n et i m
a s r im l P ri 1 7 8 1 Gen er l
a a a
’
s e an a . a s, . a

E pl ti
x f M gn t i m C a rl s ruh 1 8 1 5 t c
an a o ns o a e s . e, , e .

M O LL D e Hy p ot is m s B e rli n 1 8 90 E glis h Tra s l a ti on

. r n u
’

.
, . n n .

Lo do 1 8 91 n n , .

M O NT GE R O N L Ve it e d M i a l . a r es r c es .

M O R S ELL I (E T AN Z I ) C t i b t sp e i m t l a lla F is iop i olog i . on r u o r en a e s c a

’
d ll Ip n ot i m o
e M il 1 8 8 9 s . an , .

M O TT E R pp t de l A adem i R y ale 1 8 3 3
.
’
a or c
‘
e o . .

M U SSY R pp o t de l A dem i R y le 1 8 3 3
.
’
a r ca e o a . .

M YER S F W H P , di g s f t i S i ty f o P y li i ca l R es e cli
. . . rocee n o le oc e r s c ar .

OCH O R OW I CZ D e l S gg es t i o m en t l P ri s 1 88 7 Tr an s l ati on
. a u n a e . a , . .

N e w Y o rk 1 8 90 , .

O S G O O D D r B t on M edi l a d S u g i lj u a l J un e 1 8 90
, . os ca n r ca o rn . .

O U D ET . R app ort des Comm i s s a i res . 1 83 7 .

P A R A C ELS U S Cu M o b u m M g . ra r or a n et i ca . 1 6 1 1 , et c .

P ELLE TI E R R pp o t a C m m i i
’
. a r es o s s a res . 1 83 7 .

P L INY H i t N t lib vii d li b

. s . a . . . an . x x v ii i .

P O I S SO N I E R . R app ort des Com m is s a i res . 1 7 84 .

P O M P O N AT I U S . D e I n ca n t a t i on i b u s . 1 657 .

I H ET Pr f
R C , o . CH . R evu e P /z ilos op lz iq u e . M rch a 1 88 4 .

R OU X . R app ort d es Com m is s a i res . 1 83 7 .

S AL L I N . R apport d es Com m iss a i r es . 1 78 4 .

S O LO N .
'
1n rv017 x a t eis éa vrov '
.

S O LO W ,
Dr J U L I US . N ew York M edica l j ou rn a l . M ar c h 1 4t h
1 89 1 .

S P E N C E R H E R B E R T P ri , . n ci
p les f
o P sy c/i olog l.

S TAN LE Y H i t y of P /I ilo . s or so
p lzy . 1 666 .

S T U R L U R SO N , S N O R R O H i s t ory o
f S ca n d i n a vi a n K i ng s . .

S UL TON I U S Vesp a s vi z . . .

T H I LL AY E . R app ort de l A cadc’

m i e R oy a le
’
. 1 83 3 .

T O U R E TT E , G I L L Es D E
’
L lzy p n ot z s m e LA .
'

et les et a /s a n a log ues a u

p oi n t de vu e me‘d i co leg a l -
. P a ri s , 1 887 .
 i
x v TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY P N O T I SM .

T U CK E Y , Dr C . Lo n do n ,

1 8 91 . The
1 89 2 .

TUK E , Dr H ACK . The I nflue nce f

o t he M i n d on t he B ody .

U N Z ER B es chreib u n g der m i t dem K iln t s lichen M ag n et

. a n g es t ellt e n

Vers uche lli n a, 1 7 7 5

. A .

V AN H EL M O N T . D e M agn et vu ln
. . c u ra t i on e P ari s ,
. 1 62 1 .

V O ISIN D r A N ovem be r 1 88 8
’
, . R evue de l Hyp n ot i s me . .

W I R D IG . N ova M ed ici n a Sp i rit u u m H am burg, 1 6 7 3

. .
 C H AP T E R I .

T H E G EN ESI S OF HYPN O T IS M .

I ts early b eg in n i n gs —Egy p t —G r ee c e—R om e — T he E be r s P ap yr us

S t J u s ti n A s c l ep i ades S o l o n M arti l P li n y Tac it us
a

S ue t on i us S t A ugus ti n e The r oy a l t ouc h P arac e l s us

P o m p o n a t ius — G loc en iu S — Kir c h e r —V an H e l m o n t —D i gby
M axw ell B u rggrav W i d ig F l udd H elin ot ius M es m e r
r

— V i en n a — H ehl—A c adem y o f B erli n —A c ad em y of B ava ri a

—D r O s t e rw a ld—P r o f B aur —P a ri s —M es me r ’s p ro p os iti on s
d Es lo n —Tr e a ti es W ith t he Ac ad em y O f S c i en c e a n d t he R o y a l
.

S o c i e ty o f M ed i c i n e—d Es lon an d t he F ac u lty o f M ed i c i n e

’ ‘

T he C o m m i s s i o n o f I n ves ti ga ti o n a pp o i n t e d —th e ir r e p o rt s —The

— —
r ep o rt o f J us s ieu M es m e r d i es at M Ors b u rg M es m e r s gen e r ’

os it y—D e fen c e aga i n s t a tt ac k s o n him .

T HE sci e nc e of hypn otism has b e e n e volve d from

such a labyrinth of idl e s u p e rstition and wi ld s p e c u
lation that e v e n thos e k ee nly i nt e r e st e d i n t he
d ev e lopm e nt of h u man knowl e dg e hav e h e ld aloof
from a subj e ct which appar e ntly pre s e nts s o
e ntangl e d a ma z e O f insol u bl e riddl e s .

I n t he long co u rs e of its history it has b e e n t he

fr e qu e nt pr ey of t he u n s c ie n t ic in v e stigator and in ,

d e e d almost all t he q u acks at o n e tim e or anoth e r

, ,

s ee m to hav e e nd e avour e d to r e nd e r it of u s e to
th e m .

I ts p e culi ar attraction for th e s e m e n lay in t he

fact that t he ordi nary run of m ankind kn e w nothing
A
2 T H E ELEM E N T S OF HYP N O T I SM .

of t he hy p noti c stat e and i n t he n arrown e ss

,

Of th e i r philosophy w e r e wont to attri bu t e to

t he sup e rnatural or t he u nknowabl e all that th e i r

li ttl e minds could not appre ciat e o r fathom M any .

,

how e v e r O f th e s e unsci e ntific sci e ntists w e r e pain

,

fully i n e arn e st and hypnotism was stil l m aking

,

h e adway wh e n t he profe ssional e nt e rtain e r t he char ,

l atan t he j uggl e r t he trickst e r l aid th e ir hands on

, , ,

t he m uch su ffe ring sci e nc e

-
.

I f e v e r m en had r e ason to curs e m en t he ,

hy p notists sur e ly hav e a right to m e t e out t he tr e at

’
m e nt to th e s e p e opl e N O soon e r had t he showman s
.

“
h e art b e e n gladd e n e d by his l at e st fi nd than he ,

“ ” “
proc ee d e d to add som e busi n e ss that his e nt e r
”
tainm e nt might b e still more e ffe ctiv e and i n a ,

spac e as short i n tim e as it was di re i n its e ffe cts ,

hypnotism b e cam e a b y e word for all that was low

-

and cont e mptibl e .

To thos e th e r e fore who would hav e a cl e ar know

, ,

l edg e of what hyp notis m i s and what i t is not a ,

study of its history is a n e c essity ; bu t S inc e to

m any t he su sp e nsion O f t he j udgm e nt whil e wading
thro u gh t he tal e of e xplod e d id e as m ay n ot b e an
e asy m att e r it may b e w e ll for som e to r e ad fi rst t he
,

lat e r chap t e rs d e aling with t he mod e rn th e ory of

hyp notism and th e n to re cur to th e s e first chapt e rs
,

for a more solid basis .

T he history of hypnotis m b e gins alm ost i n fabl e .

M e thods w er e in us e amongst t he E gyptia ns t he ,

4 T H E ELEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

i nstinct which anim at e d th e m c e as e d to e xist th e y ,

lost t he r e coll e ction of all th e y had d e clar e d .

A scl e piad e s was i n t he habit of putting fr e n z i e d

p e rson s to S l e e p by rubbing and wh e n th e s e frictions ,

w e re p rolong ed t he p ati e nt was plung e d in a d e e p

,

l e thargy .

O n e of t he e arli e st and at t he sam e tim e most

striking r e fe r e nc e s to t he us e of som e form of n e rv e
1
stimulation as a cu rativ e ag e nt occ u rs i n S olon .

’
ol dAiy ns !
wol m 6 f ve
ya y i yue ra t bitx yo s
‘ ‘ ‘
c
‘ ‘
.
,

s 3! I s/ l I
K O UK a v 7 1 9
-
Ava a t r '

mrt a (pa p ua n a do ve
I '
dc
a

‘
TO V Ira /ca t s vova o m t x v
' '

/i evo v a pya
‘
Aea t s '
7 s

dxb dn evo g Xet p o iv dixpa

n
Gy m
A

M artial 2 touching appar e ntly on som e luxu ri o u s

,

r e fin e m e nt has a c u rious re fe r e nc e to t he s u bj e ct
, .

P liny 3 r e fe rs to t he m e thod which will b e d e scrib e d ,

lat e r on of fascin ation,

.

1 i n rofln ls é v
xa t e II 5 9 6 2 S t an l ey (H is t ory of P hilos op hy
a vr o
'

, . .

1 66 6 ) gi ve s t he fo ll o wi n g tr an s l a ti on
Th m ll t h rt e s m ti m i a es d r g u s so e es n c re a s e a n a e

M r th ll t f phy i
o e an a g ar o s c c a n as s u a e

S m tim h f y f t h w r t di
o e e t e ur o e o s sea se

T h h d b y g t l t k i g wi ll pp
e an , en e s ro n . a e as e .

2 P ercu rrit agili c o r p u s rt e t rac t at rix a

M n um q ue d o c t a m s p arg it o m n ib u s m e m bri s
a
— B oo k I II Ep 8 2 . . . .

3 E s s e adjic it I s igo n us in T rib llis et I llyrn s q ui vis a quoq ue

,
a

fias c ine n t in t erim an t q u e q u o s d iu t ius in t e re a n t ur i a t is p e c ip u

, , r ra e

o c u lis : q uo d c o ru m m a l um p raec ip u e s en tir e p u b e es N o t ab ili s r . u

e s s e q u o d p up illas bi n as in S in gu lis o c u lis hab e an t H ujus ge n e ri s e t .

fe m in a s in S c ythi a q u ae v oc an t u r B it hy a e , p ro d it A po llo id es , n

P hilarchus e t in P o n t o Thib io ru m gen us m u lt o s q u e a li o s ej u d e m s

n a t u r ae ; q u o ru m n o t a s t ra d it in a lt e r o o c u l o ge m i n am p u p illa m i n

lt
a e r o e q i euffi gi e m e t c H i s t N a t
, lib
”
v ii c 2 — .P li n y al s o rec o m
. . . . . .

m en d s br ea thi n g o n t he fo r e h ead a s a m ean s o f c u r e H is t N a t lib . . . .

XXViii e c . 6 .
 T H E GEN ESI S OF HYPN O T I S M .
5

T he author of t he D en a riu m M e d ic u m writ e s

Fu e ru n t ant e H ip p oc ra t e m m u lti vi ri d o c t i qu i
nulla p ro rs u s m e di cina corpor e a u s i sunt s e d sola
-

spiritus e t a n im ae facultat e .

Tacitus and S u e tonius t e sti fy to t he cur e s p e r

1 2

form e d by t he E mp e ror Ve s p asian .

F i nally S t A u gustin e t e lls of a pri e st whom he

,
3

kn e w and who could r e duc e hi ms elf to a stat e n ot

to b e distinguish e d from d e ath .

E v e ryon e has h e ard of t he c u r e s d u e to t he royal

”
touch . N u m e rous cur e s w e re e ffe ct e d i n this
m ann e r by t he e arly kings O f F ran c e an d t he ,

“ ’
touch wa s sti ll i n vog u e i n Qu ee n A n n e s tim e .

I t s e e ms to have b ee n first e x e rcis e d by t he

S candin avi an P ri nc e s and p articularly by S t O laf
, ,

who is suppos e d to have r e ign e d from 1 0 2 0 to

Thus we notic e i n various ti m e s a n u mb e r O f ph e no
m e n a which may at first sight strik e t he r e ad e r as
, ,

but d istantly conn e ct e d with e ach oth e r ; t he natur e

and e xt e nt of th e ir conn e ction may b e mor e appar e nt
in t he lat e r C hapt e rs .

H ow far t he E gy p ti ans P e rsi ans G re e ks Romans

, , ,

kn e w of t he sci e ntific i mport of th e s e ph e nom e n a

and how much th ey kn e w s ee ms impossibl e to
d e cid e W e hav e bu t t he bar e r e cord o f a nu mb e r
.

of isolat e d facts ; th e r e s ee ms t o b e n o e vid e nc e of

1
H i t iv 8 1
s . . . V s p as vii 5 6 2
e . .
, .

3
D e C iv i t a t e D i M ign e Pa tres L ti n i T 41 S t A ug V ol v
e . . a . . . n .

PP
4 H i s t ory of S c an d i n avi Ki n gs
an . S n orro S t u rlu rs o n .
6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

any common m e thod or principl e I t is n ot im p ro b .

abl e sinc e m any of t he ph e n om e n a w e r e con n e ct e d

,

with t he oracl e s or with t he m ost l e arn e d physicians ,

that t he p e opl e e ith e r n e v e r took t he trou bl e to

l ook for any e xpl anation or attribut e d t he r e s u lt s ,

to s up e rnatural ag e ncy T he first trac e s O f any .

syst e m app e ar towards t he e n d of t he M iddl e A g e s ,

an d this syst e m gre w out of t he doctrin e s of astrology .

S om e of t he m ost famous m e n of t he d ay w e re at
work on t he subj e ct and notwithstanding t he strang e ,

doctri n e s advocat e d i n m ost of th ei r writings t he ,

stud e nt who v e nture s on th e m will fi nd his ti m e by

n o m e ans lost P romi n e nt amongst th e s e writ e rs .

a re Th e ophrastus P arac e lsu s P e tr u s P o m p o n a ui 1

t s , ,

Rod G lo c e n iu s
.
2
A than asi u s Kirch e r Van H e l
3
, ,

4
m ont S ir K e n e lm D igby G u l M axw e ll J G
5 6
. .
, , .
,

7 8
B u rgg ra v S e bastian VVird ig and oth e rs i ncl ud ing
, , ,

F lud d and H e lin o t ius .

1
D e I n ca n t a t i on i bu s . B as il ,
1 65 7 .

2
Trac t d e M ag n et . . vu ln . c u ra t . M a rb urgi, 1 60 8 .

3
A th a s i u Kirc h e r S J on e o f t he gre t es t s ch ol a rs o f t he
na s , . a

M iddle A ge M g es s i ve d A t e M g et i a
s . a n C o lo i e 1 64 3 e r a n c . n a , .

M ag e t ic um N a t u r ae R egn u m
n A mst 1 66 7 &c &c F . .
, .
, . or

c o m p le t e li t o f his w o rk s s ee Bibli o th eq ue d e la C o m p agn i e de

“
s

J é s us .
(Br us e l s
”
S ee A p pen d ix
s , .

V an H e l m o n t D e M g et V l . u t i on e P ris 1 6 2 1 &c
a n . un . c ra . a , .

5
S ir K en e l m D igby “ O f t h c ure o f w o un ds by t he p o wd e r o f
. e

s y m p thy L o d n 1 6 60
”
a . n o ,

6
G u lielm us M a xw e ll D e M e d i c i n a M gn e ti c . F ran kf a a. .

1 679 . S e e A p p en d ix .

7
J G
. B u g .
g a v C u r M
r o b o
r u m M agn e ti c
.
q u a ve r a Th eo
a r r a

p h r as t i (P a c e ls i ? )raM u m i s ig ifi ca t u 1 6 1 1 a n r.
”
.

9
S eb as ti an W irdig “
N o va M ed i c i n a S p irit uum
. H am b 1 6 7 3 .
”
. .
 TH E G EN ESI S OF HYPN O T I SM ‘

.
7

A l l th e s e m e n i n various ways att e mpt e d to , ,

d e monstrat e t he e xist e nc e of an un iv e rsal magn etic

forc e by which t he r e ciprocal action of bodi es i n ,

g e n e ral upon e ach oth e r and particularly t he ph e no

, ,

m e n a of t he hum an body and m ind w e re to b e e x ,

p lain e d T he human wil l was capabl e O f producing

.

an e ffe ct upon t he mi nds and organ ism s of oth e r

p e rsons P o m p o n a t ius and Van H e lmont w e r e t he
.

two most syst e matic u phold e rs O f this V i e w P ompo .

n a t iu s was P rofe ssor of P hi losophy at P adua He .

was born at M antua i n 1 4 6 2 an d di e d i n 1 5 2 5 ,

.

H e sought to p rov e that sickn e ss and d is e as e w e r e

curabl e by m e ans of t he m agn e tism e xisting i n e ach
“
p e rson Wh e n thos
. e who a re e ndow e d with this

faculty O p e rat e by e m p loyi ng t he forc e of t he imagin

ation and t he will this forc e affe cts th e ir blood ,

and th e i r spiri ts which produc e t he i nt e nd e d e ffe cts

,

” 1
by m e ans of an e vaporatio n thrown outwards .

H e alth according to t he sam e writ e r m ay b e

, ,

communicat e d to a Sick p e rson by t he s am e m e ans 2

.

John Baptist van H e lmont Was born at Bruss e ls i n

t he y e ar 1 5 7 7 H e was e du cat e d for t he m e dical
.

1
P o s ibil e
s q uod h o m o hab ea t t a l e m dis p os it ion e m
es t a pu d me
q uale m d is c im us S ic c on t in g it t a l e s h o m i n es q ui hab ea n t hujus m od i
.

vir es in p o t en ti a e t pe r vim im agin a t ivam e t d e s ide rat ivam c um a c t u

,

O p e an t ur t a li s virt u s e xit a d ac t u m
r , e t affi c it s ng u i n e m e t s p irit uu m
a

q ui p er evapo rat ion em p et un t ad e xtr a e t p rod uc u n t t ales e li e c t us

”
.

C a p iv p. . .
4
4 .

2
I n c red ibil e n on es t e ti am s a it at em p os s e p roduci
, n ad e xtra
an i ma t alit s e i mag inan t e e t d es i d e r an t e d e aegrit udin e
”
ab . Ca p i v . .

P 51 .
 8 THE ELE M EN T S OF H YPN O T I S M .

p ro fes s io n , S p e nt his li fe in ch e mical re s e arch e s

,
b ut .

T he discov e ry O f laudan u m O f t he S pi rit O f hartshorn

, ,

and O f t he volatil e salts are d u e to hi m he also dis

cov e re d t he e xist e nc e of t he a eri form flu ids to which
'

he gav e t he n am e G a s a n am e th ey still r e tain

,
.

H e d i e d i n 1 64 4 .

H is book was i nt e nd e d partly as an answ e r to

G loc e n iu s an e arli e r writ e r who had advocat e d t he
,

doctri n e s of magn e tis m but n ot i n a m an n e r agr e e

,

abl e to H e lmont and partly as a r e ply to F r R ob e rt

,
.
,

a J e suit who had cont e nd e d that t he cur e s p e rform e d

,

by m e ans O f this magn e tis m w e r e d u e to di abolical

ag e ncy .

H e m ak e s short work O f his O ppon e n ts

“
M agn e tism is an u niv e rsal ag e n t ; th e r e is n othing
n ew i n i t but t he n am e and i t i s a paradox only to
thos e who a re dis p os e d to ridicul e e v e rything and ,

who ascrib e to t he i n fl u e nc e of S atan all thos e

”
ph e nom e na which th e y cannot e xplain .

H e d e fin e s M agn e tism as 2 that occult pow e r

which bodi e s e x e rt ov e r e ach oth e r at a d istan c e ,

”
wh e th e r by attraction or re pulsion .

W irdig sums up his own position i n few but i ncisiv e

words T o t u s mun dus constat et p o s it u s es t i n
m ag n et im o omn e s s u b lu n a riu m v ic is s it u din e m fi u n t
,

1
M a ti s m us q ui a p as s i m vige t p rae t e r n om en n il n o vi c o n
gn e , , ,

ti n e t n ec pa rad o x us n i s i iis q ui c un c t a d e ride n t et in S at a n iae do m i

n m ab lega n t q u ae c u n q u e n on i n t elliga n t
”
u .

2
S ic voc it a m us earn o cc ult a m c o a p t a t io n e m q ua ab s en s in ab s e n s
p e r in flu u m ag it s i ve t rahe n d o ve l im p e lle n d o fi a t
”
x .
 T H E G EN ESI S OF HY PN O T I S M .
9

p e r m ag n et is m u m , vita c on s e rva t u r m agn e tismo

”
in t e rit us omniu m r e rum fi u n t p e r m ag n e t is m u m .

I t i s n otic e abl e that t he th e ori e s O f magn e tism

gai n forc e and pr e cision i n e ach s u cc e ssiv e writ e r .

P arac e lsus and G lo c e n iu s rath e r hi nt at than advocat e

t he doctri n e O f M agn e tism bu t Wird ig tak e s u p ,

’
a m uch mor e d e cid e d position whilst M axw e ll s
”
spiritus vitalis i ndi cat e s a gre at d e v e lopm e nt ,

’
an d i n fact was t he l egi ti mat e p r e cursor of M e sm e r s
”
d octrin e of t he un iv e rsal fl u id .

I t has b e e n t he fashion for m od e rn writ e rs to

pour u pon th e s e e arly stud e nts littl e e ls e than
ridicul e and cont e mpt F rom o n e work i n par
1
:

t ic u la r we l e arn that th e s e m e n wrot e vol u mino u s

books fi ll e d with st e ri l e d isc u ssions with u n prov e d
, ,

”
ass e rtions and with cont e mptibl e argum e nts
, .

I n re ply to this we can only s ay it is not d i ffi cu lt

to b e wis e aft e r t he e v e nt S om e of t he most l e arn e d .

m e n of ou r tim e a re still e ngag e d in t he e xamination

of th e s e qu e stions and i f t he stu d e nt will r e ad t he
,

2
r e ports of t he P sychical R e s e arch S oci e ty t he works ,

O f D r H ack Tuk e
3
and D r Carp e nt e r 4tog eth e r with
, ,

thos e of Kirch e r Van H e lmont and oth e rs he m ay

, , ,

fi nd m u ch that is c u ri ou s and int e r e sting N 0 dou bt .

many o f th e s e magn e tic sp e cu lations w e re wild and , ,

l
Bin e t et F éré, An i m al M g eti a n sm. 3 rd ed p 3 . . .

2
S e e R e po rt s of Co m m itt ee o M n es m e ri s m a so l p ap e r s by M y e rs
an d G ur ey n .

3
I flu
n en c e o f Mi t he n d up o n t he B ody , et c .
4 M en t a l P hy i o l gys o
”
.
IO T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

no doubt m any O f th e i r m e thods w e r e not altog e th e r

,

s ci e ntific ; but t he sci e ntific m e thod is mod e rn and ,

th e s e writ e rs w e r e not mod e rn .

A t this pr e s e nt tim e we a re p ractically ignorant

of t he n ature O f that forc e which gove rns t he
n e rvous syst e m The blood v e ss e ls of t he body
.
-

p ass ro u nd t he brain b u t th e y do not e nt e r i nto its

s u bstanc e an d t he brain its e lf is but a cong e ri e of
,

n e rv e s
. Th e s e n e rv e s a re light d e licat e m att e r ;
,

what it i s that giv e s th e m t he pow e r th ey p oss e ss we

h av e n o m e ans o f knowing .

This m uch we d o know that if a hum an body

,

r e c e ntly d e ad b e tak e n and a co n ti nu ous curr e n t

,

from a strong galvanic batt e ry b e administ e re d t he ,

m u scl e s of t he d e ad man wi ll contract and t he most

viol e nt contortions wi ll b e s e e n The d e ad m an has
.

b ee n known to spring upon his kn ee s mov e his h e ad , ,

roll his ey e s and chatt e r hi s t e e th S ti ll mor e if we

, .
,

tak e an animal and t ie O ff t he i nvolu ntary n e rv e s

t hat l e ad to t he stomach d ig e stion will i nstantly
,

c e as e ; but on a mod e rat e galvanic cu rr e nt b e ing

adm inist e r ed t he dig e stion will b e i mm e diat e ly
,

r e n e w e d A nd b e tw ee n M agn e tism and E l e ctrici ty

.

t he di ffe r e nc e i s not striki ng I t s e e ms th e re for e

.

as u nsci e ntifi c as it i s ung e n e rous to d e ny that

P arac e lsus and his follow e rs though th ey fe ll i nto
,

m any e rrors w e re at any rat e pr e paring t he way for

,

m or e d e finit e and m or e accurat e knowl e dg e .

I n t he middl e of t he e ight ee nth c e ntu ry anoth e r

 I 2 T H E ELE M EN T S O F HYPNO T I S M .

F ath e r H e hl a J e suit 1
Th e s e cu r e s w e r e sup p os e d
,
.

t o b e d u e to t he s ubtl e in flu e nc e or flu id of magn e t

i sm which was i m part e d to t he p ati e nts from st e e l
,

2
plat e s and m agn e ts s p e c ia lly p re p a re d for t he purpos e .

H aving i nv e stigat e d t he m att e r an d having satis ,

fi e d hims e lf of t he g e nuin e n e ss of t he cu r e s he ,

e nt e r e d u pon a s e ri e s of i nd e p e nd e n t e xp e ri m e nts .

Chanc e d iscov e re d what he co u l d not O n on e .

1
M a xi m ili n H ehl P r o fes s o r of A s tron om y t V i en was b rn t
a , a n a, o a

C h m it z in H u g ry i t he y e r 1 7 2 0
e n n D u ri n g t he y e r 1 7 4
a n 5 an d a . a

6 he s s i s t ed F th e r J F r c o i s t he h ead o f t he J s u it s
’
1 74 a a b e r va
. an ,
e O s

t ry t V i
o a H e th en w t t
en n a . C l u s en b g i Tr n il ia to en o a er n a s van

t e c h m ath m ti c s a d was r ec ll ed s o m e y e rs ft e rw r ds t o V i a
a e a ,
n a a a a en n ,

wh re he be c m e t he c hi f s tron o m e r F r m 1 7 5 7 t o 1 7 86 he
e a e a . o

p bli h ed y e rly E phe m e ici es A t t he r eq ues t of C t B a h fi (t he ’

u s a r . oun c o

D i s h A m b sad o r a t V i n ) he s e t ut fo L p l d i A p ril 1 7 6 8
an as en a ,
o r a an n

t o b e r ve t he tr an s it o f V n u s
o s d h vi n g a c c o m p li h e d his O bj ec t e , an a s ,

r e t u r d t o V i en n in 1 7 7 0 H e d i ed on t he 1 4th f A p ril 1 7 92
ne a . o .

A m gs t his w o rk s e
on ar

T bu l ae S o l a r es N L de la Caill e c um s upp l r e liqua t b ul a r

a . .
, . t a .

1 7 63 .

T abul ae l un ar es Tob M a ye r c um . . s upp l W . . C as s i n i de Lal a n de ,

s ui s
”
et 1 76 3
. .

D e tr an s it u V e n e ri s an t e dis c um so lis d ie t e rti o , J un . 1 7 69 ;

V Va rd a c hus ii in Fin m arc hia O b s e rva t o , 1 7 70 . D e P arala x i so li s ex

o b s e rva t io n e tran s it us V e n e ri s an n i 1 7 6 9 , et c , , .

2
U po n t he val ue o f t he m i n e ra l m agn e t in t he cur e o f S i c k n es s an d
d i s eas e n u m e r o us ea rly au th o r s h d writt en I t s u s e s e e m s t o h a ve a .

been r ec o m m e n ded by G a l en an d D i o s c o rid es The fo ll o wi n g a re .

s o m e o f t he c hi e f w o rk s

Lud wi g D i s se rt de M agn e ti s m o in c o rp o r e h um an o L eip s 1 7 7 2

“
. . . . .

Du z e r B es chr e ibun g d e r m it d e m K nu t s lic he n M agn e t an ges

.

t e llt n V e r s u c h e Al t o n a 1 7 7 5
”
e .
, .

H ein s iu s
“
B ey t ag e z u m e i n en V e rs u c h e n w e l c h e m it k u n s t
'

. r

li c h en M agn e t en in v e r s c hi eden en Kr an kh e it e n an ges t e llt w o rde n .

L e ips .1 77 6 “
S amm l un g de n eus t en ged ruc kt e n un d ges c hri e be n en
. r

N ac hri c ht en von M agn e t cu en L e ip s 1 7 78

“
H i s t o ri a Tri s
r .
”
. . ~

m t i o n i c i q u a d a
g in t a fe rre s e p t im aru m a P hilia t ro d e W oc h e r c r
u a ti ”
.

Fr eib urg 1 7 7 8 , .
 T H E G E N ES I S OF HYPN O T I S M . I 3

occasion M esm e r had bl e d a pati e nt and was g e tting ,

t he magn e tic tractors to h e al t he wo u nd wh e n he ,

accid e ntally p ass e d his hand ove r t he cicatrix and ,

was astonish e d to fin d that t he pass of his h and had

don e what had hith e rto b e e n e ffe ct e d only by m e ans
of t he m agn e ts .

Thi s sh e d a n e w light on t he p h e n om e na and i n ,

1 7 7 5 M e sm e r iss u e d a ci rcu lar l e tt e r addr e ss e d i n , ,

t he fi rst plac e to t he l e ading acad e m i e s

,
I n th is .

he m ain t ain e d t he e xist e nc e of A nimal M agn e tism

by m e ans of which m en cou ld m e ntal ly influ e nc e
e ach oth e r an d he d r e w a strong distinction b e tw e e n
,

t he magn e tism which he t e rm e d ani mal and t he

m agn e tism of m e tals T he A cad e my of B e rli n was

.

t he only o n e that r e pli e d to his l e tt e r and its ans we r

,

was not favou rabl e .

A bout this ti m e how e ve r t he A cad e my of Bavari a

, ,

nominat e d hi m as a m e mb e r T he pu blication of
.

’
r e ports o f M e sm e r s cas e s i n t he n e wspap e rs ro u s e d
Vi e nna to a high pitch of e xci t e m e nt O n e of t he .

d i re ctors of t he A cad e my of S ci e n c e at M u nich a ,

D r O st e rwald sai d that he had b ee n cur e d of

,

paralysis ; anoth e r P rofe ssor nam e d Bau r stat e d

, ,

that he had b e e n compl e t e ly cur e d of ophthalmia .

N ot on ly t he p e opl e b u t t he co u rt w e re to b e s ee n
at his l ev é e s an d his s e anc e s M e sm e r at first c u r e d
.

only by contact but he put forward lat e r t he th e ory

,

that various O bj e cts O f i ron wo od e t c w e re capabl e

, , .
,

of r e c e iving t he n e c e ssary magn e tism and he us e d ,

I 4 T H E ELEM EN T S O F HYPN O T I S M .

i n cons e qu e nc e various m e chani cal m e ans for t he

conv eyanc e of t he fluid .

’
Vi e nna had i nd e e d b ee n rous e d by M e sm e r s
work but from t he first he was t he obj e ct of gr e at
,

e nm ity . This hostility was d u e l arg e ly to t he v e st e d

i nt e r e sts of t he faculty which s ee m e d at stak e ; b u t
M e sm e r hims e lf was anything but conciliato ry and ,

i n 1 7 7 8 he l e ft Vi e nn a and w e n t to P aris .

B in e t and F ere stat e that

l “
oblig e d to qu it ,

Vi e nn a i n cons e qu e nc e of som e adv e n tu r e n ot

,

”
cl e arly e xplain e d M e sm e r cam e to P aris
, This .

r umou r of som e scandalous adve ntu r e s e e ms to

’
hav e b e e n i ndustri ously ci rculat e d by M e sm e r s
m any e n e mi e s as his r e ason for l e aving Vi e nn a till ,

by its constant r e p e tition i t gain e d g e n e ral cre d e nc e .

I hav e b ee n u n abl e to fi nd any authority for t he

”
adv e ntur e not cl e arly e xpl ain e d and th e re s e e ms ,

n o r e ason to suppos e that t he caus e of his l e aving

was anything mor e than t he g e n e ral hostil ity man i
fe s t e d against him . I n P aris M e sm e r construct e d
,

“
his f amous baqu e t or tub This s e e ms to hav e .

b ee n a wond e rfu l pi e c e of apparatus De leu z e .

d escrib e s i t as follows
I n t he c e ntr e of a larg e room stoo d an oak tub ,

fou r or fi ve fe e t i n d i am e t e r an d o n e foot d ee p ; it
was clos e d by a li d mad e i n two pi e c e s and e nclos e d
i n anoth e r tub or buck et A t t he bottom of t he
.

tu b a n umb e r of bottl e s w e r e laid i n conv e rg e nt rows

1
Op . c it .
p .
4
.
 TH E G EN ES I S OF HYPN O T I S M . 1 5

so that t he n e ck of e ach bottl e turn e d towards t he

c e ntre O th e r bottl e s fi l l e d with m agn e tis e d wat e r
.
,

tightly cork e d down w e r e l ai d in d iv e rg e nt rows

,

with th eir n e cks t u rn e d outwards S e v e ral rows w e re .

thus pil e d up and t he apparatus was th e n said to

,

’
b e at high pr e ssur e The tub was fill e d with wat e r
.
,

to which was som e tim e s add e d powd e re d glass and

i ron filings Th e r e w e r e also som e d ry tubs that is
.
, ,

pr e pare d i n t he sam e m ann e r bu t wi thou t any addi ,

t io n a l wat e r
. T he l id was p e rforat e d to allow O f t he

p assag e of m ov e abl e b e nt i ron rods which cou ld b e

-

’
appli e d to t he di ffe r e nt parts of t he pati e nts bodi e s .

A lo n g rop e was also fast e n e d to a ring i n t he lid ,

and t he pati e nts plac e d this loos e ly ro u nd th e i r lim bs .

N o dis e as e s O ffe nsiv e to t he sight such as sor es w e ns , , ,

or d e formiti es w e r e h e al e d T he pati e nts th e n d r e w

, .

n e ar to e ach oth er touching hands arms kn ee s or

, , , ,

fe e t T he handsom e st young est an d most robust

.
, ,

m agn e tis e rs h e ld also an i ron rod with which th e y ,

touch e d t he d ilatory or r e fractory p ati e nts The .

rods an d rop es had all u nd e rgon e a pr e parati on an d ,

in a v e ry short s p ade O f ti m e t he pati e nts fe lt t he

m agn e tic i nflu e nc e T he wom e n b e ing t he most
.
,

e asily affe ct e d w e r e almost at onc e s e i z e d wi th fi ts

,

O f yawning and str e tching th e i r e y e s clos e d th e i r

, ,

l egs gave way and th e y s ee m e d to suffocat e I n

, .

vai n did musical glass e s and harm oni e s r e sound t he ,

piano and voic e s re e cho th es e suppos e d aids only

-

’
s ee m e d to incr e as e t he p ati ents convulsive mov e
1 6 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

m e nts . S ard onic l aught e r pit e ous m oans and , ,

torr e nts of t e ars b u rst forth on al l sid e s T he bodi e s .

w e re thrown back i n spas modic j e rks t he r e spira ,

tions sound e d lik e d e ath rattl e s t he most t e rrify ,

ing symptoms w e r e e xhibit e d Th e n sudd e nly t he .

actors of this strang e sc e n e wou ld frantically or

rapturo u sly rush towards e ach oth e r e ith e r r ej oici ng ,

and e mbracing or thr u sting away th e i r n e ighbours

with e v e ry app e aranc e of horror .

“
A noth e r room was padd e d and pr e s ent e d a ,

d i ffe r e n t sp e ctacl e Th e r e wom e n b e at th e ir h e ads

.
,

against t he padd e d wal ls or roll e d o n t he cushion

cov e r e d floor i n fits of su ffocation I n t he m idst of .

this panting quiv e ri ng throng M e sm e r d r e ss e d in a

, , ,

l ilac coat mov e d abo u t e xt e nding a magi c wand

, ,

towards t he l e ast su ffe ring halting in fron t of t he

,

m ost viol e n tly e xcit e d and ga z ing st e adi ly i nto th e i r

e y e s whil e he h e ld both th e i r hands i n his bri nging
, ,

t he m iddl e fing e rs i n i mm e diat e contact to e stablish ,

t he comm u nication A t anoth e r mom e nt he wo u ld

.
,

by a motion o f op e n hands and e xt e nd e d fing e rs ,

’
O p e rat e with t he gr e at cu r re nt crossing and
‘
,

u ncrossing his arms with wond e rfu l rapidity to mak e

”
t he fi nal pass e s . Bailly who was lat e r t he r e port e r
,

to o n e of t he sci e ntific commi ssions which w e re

appoint e d to e xamin e t he M e s m e ric th e ori e s was a ,

witn e ss O f th e s e sc e n e s and he also has l e ft an

,

acco u n t of th e m The y e ar 1 7 7 9 is important as

.

1
t he o n e in which M e sm e r p u blish e d a pap e r clai m ,

1
M m oire s u la d é c ou ve rt e du M agn é ti sm e an i mal P ari s 1 7 7 9
e r .
, .
 T H E G EN ES I S OF HYPN O T I SM . I 7

i ng that he had discov e r e d a principl e capabl e of

c u ri ng e v e ry d is e ase H e s ums u p i n twe nty s e v e n
.
-

propositions

1 Th e r e is a r e ci procal action an d r e action b e tw ee n

.

t he plan e ts t he e arth and animat e n atu r e

, ,
.

2 T he m e ans by which this i nflu e nc e acts and r e acts

.

i s a flui d un iv e rsally d iffus e d S O conti nuous as ,

not to admit of a bre ak i ncomparably subtl e ,

and susc ep tibl e O f r e c e iving i ncr e asing an d , ,

communicating al l motor d istu rbanc e s .

3 This
. r e ciprocal action is subj e ct to m e chanical
but as y et u nknown l aws .

4T he re ci p rocal e ffe cts re sulting from this action

m ay b e consid e r e d as flux and r e fl ux .

5 This . r e flux i s m or e or l e ss g e n e ral mor e or l e ss ,

s p e cial mo re or l e ss com p l e x according to t he

, ,

n atu r e of t he caus e s which d e t e rmi n e it .

I t i s by this action t he most unive rsal which

,

occu rs i n natu re that t he e x e rcis e O f activ e

,

r elations b e twe e n t he plan e ts t he e arth and its ,

constitu e nt parts tak e s plac e ,

.

7 T h .e prop e rti e s of matt e r and of organic sub

stanc e d e p e nd o u this action .

8 The animal body e xp e ri e nc e s t he r e ciprocal

.

e flec t s O f this ag e nt and is dir e ctly a ffe ct e d by

'

,
‘

its i nsin u ation i nto t he substanc e of t he n e rv e s .

9 P rop e rti e s a re display e d an alogous to thos e of

.

t he m agn e t p articularly i n t he human body

, ,

B
1 8 TH E ELE M EN T S OF HY PN O T IS M .

in which d iv e rs e and O pposit e pol e s a re lik e wis e

to b e distingu ish e d and th es e may b e commu ni
,

c a t e d chang e d d e stroy e d and r e in forc e d

, , ,
E ve n .

t he ph e nom e non of d e cli nation may b e O bs e rv e d .

1 0 This p rop e rty O f t he hu man body which r e nd e rs

.
,

i t susc e ptibl e of t he i nflu e nc e of t he plan e ts

an d of t he r e ci procal action of thos e whi ch
e nvi ron it m anife sts its analogy with t he
,

m agn e t and this has le d m e to adopt t he t e rm

,

”
ani mal m agn e tism .

I I T he action an d vi rtu e of
. ani m al m agn e tism ,

thus charact e ris e d may b e comm unicat e d to

,

oth e r bodi e s i nani mat e or animat e .

1 2 This action and vi rt u e may b e str e ngth e n e d an d

.

di ffu s e d by s uch bodi e s .

1 3 E xp e rim e nts show that th e re i s a di ffusion of

.

matt e r s u btl e e nough to p e n e trat e a ll bodi e s

,

without any consid e rabl e loss of e n e rgy .

1 4I ts action
. tak e s plac e at a r e mot e distanc e ,

witho u t t he aid of any i nt e rm e diary s u bstanc e .

1 5 It
. is l ik e light in cr e as e d an d r e fl e ct e d by
, ,

m irrors .

1 6 I t i s communicat e d
. propagat e d and i ncr e as e d
, ,

by so u nd .

1 7 This m agn e tic vi rt u e m ay b e accumu lat e d con

.
,

c e n t ra t e d an d transport e d
,
.

hav e said that anim at e d bodi e s a re not al l

e qually s u sc e ptibl e ; i n a fe w i nstanc e s th ey
poss e ss so o p posit e a p rop e rty that th e i r pre s e nc e
 2 0 T H E ELEM EN T S O F HYPN O T I S M .

2 4By its aid

. t he p hysician
is e nlight e n e d as to t he
u s e of m e dicin e and may r e nd e r its action mor e
,

p e rf e ct and
, h e can p rovok e and di r e ct salutary
cris e s S O as to hav e th e m com p l e t e ly u nd e r his
control .

2 5 I n com m u nicating my m e thod I shall by a n e w

.
, ,

th e ory of m att e r d e monstrat e t he u niv e rsal

,

u ti lity of t he rm c r le I s e e k to e stablish
p p .

2 6 P oss e ss e d of this knowl e dg e t he physi ci an m ay

.
,

j udg e with c e rtainty of t he o rigin n atu re and , ,

progr e ss of dis e as e s how ev e r com plicat e d th e y

,

m ay b e ; he may hi nd e r th e ir d e v e lopm e nt and

accom plish th e i r cu r e witho u t e xposing t he
p ati e n t to d ang e rou s and t roubl e som e con
s e qu e nc e s i rr e sp e ctiv e of a g e t e mp e ram e nt and
, , ,

s ex E v e n wom e n i n a stat e of pr egnancy and

.

d uring parturi tion m ay r e ap t he s am e advantag e .

2 7 This doctrin e wi l l fi nally e n abl e t he physici an to

.

d e cid e u p on t he h e alth of e v e ry i ndivi dual and ,

of t he pre s e nc e of t he d is e as e s to which he may

b e e xpos e d I n this m ann e r t he art of h e aling
.

m ay b e brought to absolut e p e rfe ction .

T he t e mporary succ e ss at Vi e nn a s ee m e d li k e ly to
b e t u rn ed into a lasting o n e at P aris N ot only did .

m any physician s of good standing and m any in t e lli

g e nt m en p roclaim th e i r adh e r e n c e to his th e ori e s ,

but both p upi ls and pati e nts w e r e flocki ng to him i n

larg e and i ncr e asing n u mb ers H is tri um p h app e are d
.
 THE G EN ESI S OF HYPN O T I S M . 2 1

assure d wh e n he m ad e a conv e rt o f o n e of t he gr e at e st
sci e ntists of t he d ay— d E s lo n t he fi rst physician t o
’
,

’
t he Comt e d A rt O iS S o gre at w e re t he d e mands
.

mad e on hi m that M esm e r soon foun d it n e c e ssary

to e mploy s e v e ral assistants I t m ust b e m e ntion e d
.

that t he cris e s to which D e l e u z e r e fe rs w e re r e gard e d

by M e sm e r as an i mpo rtant fe ature and u nl e ss th e s e ,

could b e e xcit e d t he cu re was doubtful

, .

Th e r e s e e ms b u t l ittl e d oubt that th e s e cris e s

w e r e n o more and no l e ss than hyst e ri cal attacks
bro u ght about by t he e xciting combin ation of ci r
c u m s t an c e s .E xp e ctant att e ntion combin e d with ,

t he s t rang e sc e n e s i n which th e y w e r e taki ng part ,

wou ld b e s u flic ie n t to ind uc e such a stat e i n many

‘

who w e r e n ot subj e ct to hyst e ri a ; whilst wh e n

o n e had b e e n affe ct e d i n this mann e r t he in fe c
tion wo u ld rapidly spre ad M e sm e r at first had .

tak e n u p his abod e i n t he P lac e V e n dOm e but his ,

ho u s e th e r e was soo n too s mall to accom modat e t he

pati e nts and his n e xt st e p was to purchas e t he H Ot e l
,

Bullion wh e r e he e stablish e d fou r s e parat e b a guets

,

on e of th e s e he r e s e rv e d for t he poor whom he ,

tre at e d gratuito u sly This provision how ev e r was

.
, ,

in s u ffici e nt and he th e n m a g n e tis e d a tr e e i n t he

,

R u e Bondy wh e r e thousands of t he sick poor

,

w e re to b e s ee n con n e ct e d to t he tr e e i n t he hop e
of cu re—a ho p e u nd e r th e s e alt e re d ci rcumstanc e s
, ,

but s e ldom r e alis e d .

M e sm e r had ask e d t he A cad e my of S ci e n c e and

2 2 T H E ELEM EN T S O F HYP N O T I SM .

t he Royal S oci e ty of M e dicin e to i nstit u t e an

e nqui ry i nto his tr e atm e n t but he would n ot ass e nt,

to t he rigorous con ditions laid d own by th e s e bodi e s .

H e wish e d th e m to att e n d his s e anc e s an d witn e ss

h is e x p e rim e nts and wo u ld h e ar of nothing e ls e
, .

N e ith e r would agr ee to t he t e rm s of t he oth e r and ,

’
angry r e cri mi nation was all that cam e of M e sm e r s
att e mpt t o obtai n a C ommitt ee O f I nv e stigation .

’
The F acu lty of M e dicin e at d E s lo n s re q u es t
’
, ,

s u mmon e d a g e n e ral m ee ting to e x amin e his stat e

’
m e nts and M e sm e r s propositions T he m e e ting .

was e xtr e m e ly hostil e an d t he F acu lty witho u t

, ,

trou bling to e xami n e t he qu e stion or to discuss

’ ’
t he facts thr e at e n e d to e ras e d E s lo n s n am e fro m
,

t he list of physici ans u n l e ss he withdr e w from his

position N othing cou ld hav e b e e n mor e u nfai r or

.

m ore u nsci e ntific than this acti on on t he part of t he

’
F acu lty ; and M e sm e r s u nwi lli ngn e ss to submi t his
th e ori e s witho u t r e s e rve to t he e xami nation of th e s e
, ,

m en s ee ms j ustifi e d by t he e v e nts which follow e d .

’ ’
A t d E s lo n s in stigation M e s m e r publish e d a ,

pap e r as a vi nd ication o f hims e l f agai nst t he

1
,

m onstrously unfai r attacks mad e u pon hi m at t he

tim e The pr ej u di c e was s o gr e at that t he c e nsors
.

allow e d n o articl e to app e ar i n t he n e wspap e rs

which had e man at e d from any of his partisans .

Disgust e d with t he bigotry and i ntol e ranc e of

1 “
P rec i s hi s t orique de S fait s r e l a tifs au m ag n é ti s me a n i ma l.

Pa ri s , 1 78 1.
 T HE GE N ES I S OF HYPN O T ISM . 2 3

t he m e dical profession he l e ft P aris and a b s o

, ,

lu t e ly r e fus e d to stay though t he G ov e rn m e n t

,

O ffe r e d hi m a life p e nsion of francs if he

wou ld r e main .B ut his p u pils b e sought hi m to
r e tu rn and i n r e s p ons e to th e i r r e qu e st he cam e
,

back and gav e a co u rs e of l e ctur e s S ucc e ss stil l .

s e e m e d possibl e wh e n bitt e rn e ss rival ry an d

, , ,

j e alousy d ivid e d his follow e rs and he found ,

hims e lf attack e d from within as w e ll as from witho u t .

N othi ng was c e rtain and e v e ry o n e s ee m e d to b e

,

e ngag e d i n d e fe nding or attacking t he th e ori e s

which M esm e r had propound e d wh e n t he G ov e rn
,

m e nt m ad e an att e mpt to s e cur e som e sort of

p ac e and c e rtai nty by appoi nting a co m mission i n
e

1 8 7 4 to r e port u pon t he whol e qu e sti on Th e r e .

w e r e in fact two commissions T he o n e compos e d

.
,

of m e mb e rs of t he F aculty of M e dicin e of t he ,

A cad e my of S ci e nc e s and som e w e ll known

,
-

m e n su ch as F rankli n and L avoisi e r ; t he oth e r

,

tak e n from t he m e m b e rs of t he Royal S oci e ty of

M e di ci n e The r e ports of both w e r e u nfavou rabl e
.

’
to M e sm e r s claims The t wo comm issions p re
.

s e nt e d e laborat e r e ports giving a d e tail e d accou nt

,

O f th e ir m e e tings and e xp e rim e nts O wing to th e i r

.

gre at l e ngth i t is im possibl e to quot e th e m i n full

but as it is n e c e ssary that t he r e ad e r shou ld hav e a
cl e ar vi e w of t he nature of t he qu e stions in disput e ,

and of t he position assu m e d by t he various sci e ntists

of t he tim e t he conclusions are gi v e n b e low
,
.
Q 4 T H E ELEM E N T S O F HY PN O T I SM .

The stud e n t wi ll fi nd full t e xt i n t he p rint e d

t he

r e ports publish e d and a valuabl e historical c o m m e n

,

ta ry on this is suppli e d by t he work of Bu rdi n an d 1

D ubois whi ch also contains t he r e ports of t he lat e r

,

com missions .

The commission of t he A cad e my of S ci enc e was

t he fi rst to publish i ts r e port a n d its conclusion i s as ,

2
follows -

“
T he com mission e rs have asc e rtai n e d that t he
animal magn e ti c fluid is not p e rc e ptibl e by any of
t he s e ns e s ; that it has n o action e ith e r on th e m ,

s e lv e s O r on t he p ati e nts subj e ct e d to i t Th e y a re .

convinc e d that p r e ssu r e and contact e ffe ct chang e s

which a re rar e ly favou rabl e to t he anim al syst e m ,

and which i nj u riously affe ct t he i magin ation .

F in ally th ey hav e d e monstrat e d by d e cisiv e ex p e ri

m e nts that imagi n ation apart from magn e tism pro , ,

duc e s convulsions an d that m agn e tis m witho u t ,

i magin ation p rod uc e s nothi ng Th e y hav e com e to .

t he u n animous conclusion with re s p e ct to t he e x is

t e nc e and utility of magn e tism that th e r e is nothing ,

to prov e t he e xist e nc e of t he an i mal fluid that thi s

fluid sinc e it is n on e xist e nt has n o b e n e ficial
,
-

e ffe cts that t he viol en t e ffe cts O bs e rv e d i n pati e nts

1
H i s t o ire A c ad é m ique d u M agn é ti s m e A n i m al ac c om p gn é e de a

n o t e s e t de r e m a rq u es c ritiq ues s ur t o ut es le s o b s e r va ti o s e t e
pe i n x r

en c e fa it es jus q u c e j o ur pa C B u rd in j u e e t Fred D u b i s
s
’
a r .
, e n . o

P ri s 1 841 a , .

2
R ppo rt d e s C o m m i s s ir es d e la f c u lt é de M edec i e e t d e
a a a n

l ac d ém ie des S c i en c es c h a r ges p ar le R o i d e l e am en d u M agn é ti s m e

’ ’
’
a x

a im l
n a P ari s 1 7 84
.
, .
 TH E G EN ES I S OF HY PN O T I S M .
2 5

u nd e r publ ic tre atm e nt are d u e to contact to t he ,

e xcit e m e nt of imagi nation and to t he m e chan ical ,

i mitation which i nvolu ntarily i mp e ls u s t o r e p e at

that which strik e s ou r s e ns e s A t t he s am e tim e . ,

th ey are comp e ll e d to add sinc e i t i s an important ,

obs e rvation that t he contact and r e p e at e d e xcit e

,

m e nt of t he imagination whi ch prod u c e d t he cris e s

m ay b e com e hurtfu l ; that t he sp e ctacl e of th e s e
cris e s is lik ewis e d ang e rous on accou nt of t he ,

imitativ e faculty whi ch is a law of natu re and con

,

s e qu e ntly that all tr e atm e nt i n publi c i n which m ag

n e t is m is e mploy e d must i n t he e n d b e prod uctiv e
”
of e vi l r e sults .

S ib me dc
- “
B F R A N K LI N M A A U L T L E R O Y
.
, ,

’
SALLIN BAI LLY D A R C E T
, ,
DE ,

BO R Y G U I LLO T I N L A V OISIE R
, ,
.

P A R IS , r1 t h o f A ug u s t

F rom t he
r e port it will b e s ee n that t he comm is
s io n e rs consid e r e d t he im agination r e sponsibl e for

t he ph e nom e n a th e y had b ee n appoint e d to e xamin e ,

and d e ni e d altog e th e r t he e x ist e nc e of t he forc e to

which M e sm e r had giv e n t he nam e anim al m ag
n e t is m .

I n add i tion to this publi c r e por t t he commission e rs

pre s e nt e d a privat e r e port to t he king i n which th e y ,

r e fe rre d to t he obj e ctionabl e fe atu r e s of t he s e anc e s ,

and insist e d strongly on t he moral dang e r of t he

i

p rac t ic e o f an imal magn e tism .

2 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PNO T I S M .

T he Royal S oci e ty of M e dicin e iss u e d th e i r

r e port on t he l 6 t h O f A ugust and th e ir conclusions ,

a gr e e i ng I n t he m ai n with that of t he A cad e my of

S ci e nc e s an d t he F ac u lty of M e d ici n e w e r e as
follows 1

I t follows from t he fi rst part of ou r r e port

1 . That t he s o call e d a n i ma l m ag n et is m as it has

-

b ee n put forth i n ou r d ays is an anci e nt syst e m , ,

prais e d i n past c e nt u ri e s and th e n forgott e n

,
.

2 . That t he advocat e s of an imal magn e tism e ith e r ,

thos e who i nv e nt e d this syst e m or thos e who

hav e r e viv e d i t amongst us hav e not b ee n ,

abl e i n t he past nor can th ey now giv e any

,

p roof of t he e xist e nc e of t he u nkn own age nt ,

“ ”
or of t he flui d to whi ch th e y hav e ascrib e d
c e rtain pow e rs an d e ffe cts and that con ,

s e qu e ntly t he e xist e n c e of this ag e nt is

gratuito u s ly assu m ed .

3 . That what has b e e n call e d a n ima l m ag n et is m ,

r e d uc e d to its prop e r val u e by t he e xamin a

tion and analysis of facts is t he art of ca u sing ,

to fall i nto conv u lsions by t he touchi ng O f t he

m ost i rritabl e parts of t he body and by t he ,

friction e x e rcis e d on th e s e parts v e ry s e nsitiv e ,

p e rsons aft e r th e y hav e b e e n pr e par e d for this

,

r e sul t by multipli e d and concomitant caus es ,

1
R a pp o rt des C o mm i s s air es d e la S oc i e t e R o yal
'
e de M edec in e .

Pari s , 1 78 4.
2 8 TH E ELE M E N T S OF HYPN O T I SM .

and its e ffe cts i s at l e ast us e l e ss to thos e i n

,

whom n e ith e r e vacu ations n or convulsions

follow an d that it m ay b e com e d ang e rous by
,

provoki ng and carryi ng to a too h igh d e gr e e

t he t e nsi on of fi br e s i n thos e whos e n e rv e s a re

highly s e nsitiv e .

3 That it i s v e ry harmfu l to thos e i n whom it

.

produc e s e ffe cts which hav e b ee n wrongly call e d

cris es ; that it is all t he mor e dang e rou s as t he

s o cal l e d cris es a re strong e r or t he convulsions

-

more vi ol e nt an d t he e vacuati ons mor e abundant ,

an d that th e r e a re m any n atur e s i n whom t he

cons e qu e n c e s m ay b e fatal .

4That t he tre atm e nt i n pu bl ic by t he proc ess of

.

a n i m a l m ag n et is m adds to al l t he d rawbacks

m e ntion e d abov e that of e xposi ng a larg e

n u mb e r of oth e rwis e w e l l constit u t e d p e rsons to
-

contract a spasmodi c or convulsiv e habit which ,

may b e com e t he sou rc e o f t he gre at e st e vils .

5 That th e s e conclusi ons m ust e xt e n d to al l that is

.

now pr e s e nt e d to t he pu bli c u nd e r t he n am e of
a n i m a l m ag n et is m si nc e t he apparatus and e ffe cts
,

b e ing e v e rywh e re t he sam e t he i nconv e ni e nc e ,

and dang e rs to which it e xpos e s p e rsons d es e r ve

e v e ry wh e r e t he sam e att e ntion .

(S ign e d ) P O I S S O N I E R , C A1 L L E,
M A N D U YT, A N DR Y .

P A R IS , 1 6t h o
f A ug us t 1 78 4
.
 T H E G EN ES I S OF HY PN O T I S M . 2 9

Th e s e r e ports how e v e r conclusive th e y m ight oth e r

,

wis e hav e b e e n w e r e p racti cally nu llifi e d by t he

,

withdrawal of L au r e nt d e J u s s ie u t he gr e at botanist , ,

from t he commission of t he Royal S oci e ty of

M e dici n e .
J u s s ie u had admitt e dly e xam in e d t he
e x p e rim e nts wit h e xtraordin ary car e an d thoro u gh

n ess and fou nd hi ms e lf i n cons e qu e nc e u nabl e to

,

agr ee with his coll e agu e s H e p u blish e d a s e parat e

.

r e po rt with t he obj e ct o f showing that he had

p roduc e d c e rtai n e ffe cts which could n ot b e

e xplain e d by i magination ; an d he stat e d as t he ,

r e s ult of his obs e rvations that a s e nsibl e action ,

was prod uc e d by friction by contact and e v e n by , ,

proximity .H e d id not ad opt t he t e rm ani mal

m agn e tism but attribut e d t he i n flu e nc e to animal
,

”
h e at or as he t e rm e d i t l at e r
, ani malis e d e l e ctri c ,

fl u id .

H e d iscuss e d t he subj e ct e laborat e ly i n this

r e port 1 which he issu e d and his e xam i nation was
,

most thorough and sci e ntific I t must s u ffic e h e r e to .

give his conclusion .

“
Con clus ion —T he th e o ry of magn e tism cannot
b e admitt e d u ntil it is d e v e lop e d and su p port e d
by solid proof T he e xp e rim e nts m ad e to v e ri fy t he
.

e xist e nc e of t he m agn e tic flu id only p rov e that man

produc e s a s e nsibl e actio n o n his fe llow by fri ction ,

by contact and mor e rar e ly by t he m e r e fact of

,

1
rt
R a ppo d es c o m m i s s a ir es c h a rgé s
’
de l un p ar le R oi
’
d e l exam en
du magn é ti s m e an i m al P aris 1 7 84
.
, .
30 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

d rawing n e are r This action attrib u t e d to a non

.
,

e stablish e d u n iv e rsal fluid c e rtai nly b e longs to t he

,

ani mal h e at I n bodi e s which contin ually e man at e s

,

from th e m go e s s u ffici e ntly far and can pass from

, ,

o n e body i nto an oth e r A n imal h e at is d e v e lop e d

.
,

i ncr e as e d or di mi nish e d i n a body by ca u s e s e ith e r

,

m e ntal or physical ; j udg e d by its e ffe cts it shar e s ,

t he prop e rti e s O f tonic m e d ici n e s an d prod u c e s lik e

,

th e m e ffe cts e ith e r good or bad accordi ng to t he

d os e and t he circu mstanc e s u nd e r whi ch i t i s u s e d .

A wid e spr e ad and m ore int e llig e nt u s e of this ag e nt

wi ll b e tt e r S how its r e al action and d e gr e e O f u tility .

E v e ry d octor may follow t he m e thods he con sid e rs

advantag e ous to t he tr e atm e n t of dis e as e s but on ,

condition that he p u blish e s his m e thods wh e n th e y

a re n e w or oppos e d to t he ordinary practic e Thos e .

who hav e e stablish e d spr e ad or follow e d t he tre at

, ,

m e nt kn own as m agn e tic an d who propos e to con

,

t in u e a re th e r e for e bou nd to r e v e al th e i r obs e rva

,

tions and d iscov e ri e s ; and we m u st proscrib e any

s u ch tr e atm e nt t he proc e ss of whi ch shall not b e
”
m ad e known by prompt publicati on .

A L DE JU SSI EU
. . .

M e sm e r had b e e n with d ifli c u lt y i nd uc e d to r e t u rn

to P aris A ft e r t he r e port of t he com missions th e r e
.
,

s ee m e d littl e t e m ptation for hi m to r e m ain and he ,

r e tu rn e d to G e rmany .

H e di e d and was bu ri e d i n M o rs b u rg in 1 8 1 5 .
 T H E GEN ES I S OF HY PN O T IS M .
3 1

T he B e rli n physicians e r e ct e d a monum e nt ov e r t he

grav e i n honou r of his m e m o ry .

I t has b e e n t he fashion to sn e e r at him and to ,

accus e him e sp e cially of avaric e .

W e can hardly re concil e M e sm e r s tr e atm e nt of

’

t he poor with avaric e and hi s ki ndn e ss d o e s not

,

s ee m to hav e b ee n li mit e d to th es e .

D e l e u z e r e lat e s that M N i colas a p hysician of

.
,

G r e nobl e was o n e of thos e who cam e to b e e n roll e d

,

among his pupils H avi ng paid down t he s u m

.

r e quir ed he confe ss e d that t he sacrific e e mbarrass e d

,

”
him a good d e al .I thank you s ir said M e sm e r
, , ,

for you r z e al and confid e n c e ; but my d e ar ,

’
broth e r don t le t this m ak e you un e asy H e r e a re
, .

an h u ndr e d lo u is ; carry th e m to t he box that i t ,

may b e b e li e v e d you hav e paid as w e ll as t he r e st ;

”
an d le t this r e main a s e cr e t b e tw ee n ours e lv e s .

W e can not d o b e tt e r than qu ot e t he words of

D r M 0 1 of B e rli n
1 1

“
I do n ot wish to j oi n t he cont e mpti bl e gro u p
’
of M e sm e r s profe ssion al sland e r e rs H e is d e ad .

and can n o long e r d e fe n d hi ms e lf from thos e who

disparag e hi m wi thou t taki ng i nto consid e ration
t he circumstanc e s or t he tim e i n which he liv e d .

A gai nst t he u niv e rsal opinion that he was a va ric i

ous I r e mark that i n Vi e n na as w e l l as lat e r i n
, ,

M Ors b u rg and P aris he always h e lp e d t he poor

,

without r e ward I b e li e v e that he e rr e d i n his

.

H y pn o ti s m p 6
1
, . .
32 THE E LEM E N T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

t e aching but think i t is j ust to attack this only and

, ,

not his p e rsonal charact e r M e sm e r was mu ch

.

sland e re d i n his life tim e and th e s e attacks upon hi m

,

have b ee n continu e d till qu it e l at e ly L e t u s how .

,

e v e r consid e r m or e clos e ly i n what his all e g e d gr e at

,

cri m e consist e d H e b e l i e v e d in t he b eginn i ng that

.

he could h e al by m e ans of a m agn e t and lat e r that , ,

he could d o S O by m e an s of a p e rsonal i ndw e lling

forc e whi ch he could transfe r to t he b a gu et This .

wa s e vid e ntly his fi rm b e li e f and he n e v e r m ad e a

,

’
s e cr e t of i t O th e rs b e li e v e d that t he pati e nt s m e r e
.

i magin ation p l ay e d a part or that M e sm e r produ c e d

,

his e ffe cts by som e conc e al e d m e ans Th e n by .

,

d e gr e e s aros e t he l e g e nd that M e sm e r poss e ss e d

,

som e s e cr e t by m e ans of which he was abl e to pro

d uc e e ffe cts on p e opl e such as t he c u re of d is e as e s
, ,

but that he would not r e v e al it I n r e ality t he .

qu e stion was n ot at all O f a s e cr e t pu rpos e ly k e pt

back by him s inc e he i mag in e d and always i nsist e d
,

that he e x e rcis e d som e i ndividu al forc e F i n ally .

,

i f he us e d this su pposititious i ndivid ual forc e for t he

p urpos e of e arn ing m on e y he did n othing wors e than
,

d o m od e rn p hy s ic ian s a n d propri e tors of i nstitu tions

‘

who lik e wis e do n ot follow th e i r calling from p u re

lov e of th e i r n e ighbou r but s e e k to e arn th e ir own
,

l ivi ng by i t as th e y a re quit e j ustifi e d i n doing

, .

M e sm e r d id n ot b e hav e wors e than thos e who now

adays d iscov e r a n e w d rug and r e gard t he manu
factur e of i t as a m e ans of e nrichi ng th e ms e lv e s .
 T H E GEN ES IS OF HYPN O T I S M .
33

L et at last he j ust and c e as e to sland e r M esm e r

us , ,

who did only what is don e by t he p e opl e j ust

m e ntion e d That thos e who d e fam e M e sm e r know
.

t he l e ast abou t his t e achi ng an d hav e t he l e ast ,

acquai ntanc e with his works is v e ry cl e arly shown ,

”
b y a whol e s e ri e s of books about m od e rn hypnotism .

I t s e e ms e v e r t he habit of t he shallow sci e ntist to

plum e hims e lf o n t he mor e accurat e th e ori e s which
hav e b ee n provid e d for hi m by t he progr e ss O f
knowl edg e and of sci e nc e and th e n having b e e n fe d ,

with a li mit e d historical p a b ulu m to turn and talk ,

lightly an d wi th an air of t he most su p e rior con

,

d e sc e nsion of t he w e akn e ss e s an d folli e s of thos e

,

but for whos e pati e nt labou rs ou r mod e rn th e ori e s

would probably b e non e xist e nt 1 -

1
B es i des th os e a lready q uo t ed t he fo ll owi n g are s o me of t he c hi e f
,

p ubli c a ti o n s o f t he pe ri o d on t he s bj ec t u

S uppl emen t aux deu x r apport s d e M M les c omm i s s aire s de .

l a c ad ém ie et d e la fa cu lt é d e m é d ec i n e e t d e la s o c i é t é r o y al e d e
’

m é de c i n e A n on P ari s 1 7 84
”
. . .
, ,

C es t la r é p o n s e la p l u s s ag e et la p l u s c on c l uan t e qu on ait fa it e
’ ’

a ux r a
pp o rt s ; e ll e es t r é di gé e a vec un e e t rém e c l a rt é
’
Il n y a x .

’
a u cun e i d é e s s t em a t iq u e :
y on n y a p e r o it
g p as la m o i n dr e tr ac e
’
J e s u i s s u r p ri s q u e ll e n a it p as
’ ’ ’
d e x agéra t io n ou d en t hou s ias m e .

fai t p l us de s en s ati on 11 m e p aroit q u e ll e s uffi t pou r d ém on s t rer a

.
’

t o ut es p rit d ro it l injus t ic e des a tt aq ues d iri gé es c o tre le m agn é ti s m e

’
n

l e ff c ac it é de c e t age n t D e l e uz e H i s t o ir e Critique du
’ ”
et i . .

M agn é ti s m e an i m al P a rt ii p 5 9
.
”
.
, . .

C on s i d er a ti o n s s u r le M agn é ti s m e an i m a l s u r la th é o ri e d u m o n d e
e t d es ét res o r gan i s é s p ar M B e r gas s e L a H ay e 1 7 84
”
.
, .
, .

L a C o l o s s e a ux p i ed s d a rgil e p ar M W e ville rs
’
1 7 84
”
.
, . .

Thi s is a ve ry c l eve rly writt en s k e t c h an d e x pos es t he comm i s s i on ,

t o m u c h k een s a r c as m .

Tr ait é th é orique e t p r atiqu e d u M agn é ti s me an im al par ,

M D opp et do c t eur en m é dec i n e de la fac ult é d e T u ri n 1 7 84

.
, . .
34 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

’ ’
O b s e r vati on s s ur le M agn e t i s m e an im al , par M . d E s lo n .

Pa ri s 1 7 80
, .

’
“
Le ttr e de M d E s lo d oc t eu r r é ge t de la fac u lt é de m é dec i n e
. n ,
n

d e P ri s p r em i e r m é d ec i n d e m on s e i gn eu r le c o m t e d A t o is ;
’
a ,
r a

M P hili p d yen en c h a rge d e l m em e f cult é

.
, o L H ay e 1 7 8 2
a a . a , .

’
L ettr e s ur le M g é ti s me a i m al o l on e x ami e l c fo rm it é des
a n n , n n a on

o p i i on s d es p eu p l es a c i en s e t m o d e r e s d es s avan t s e t n o t mm e t
n n n , a n

d e M B ailly avec c e ll e d e M M es m e r et n l on c om p r e s e s m ém s
’
.
, . o a e

p i i on s u r pp o rt d es c o mm i s s air es ; a d r es s é e a M B ailly d ”
o n a a . e
’
l ac d ém ie d es s c i e c s p ar M G a l a rd d e M o n tj o y e P ri
”
a et c n e , .
, . . a s,

1 78 4 .

D o u t es p r ov i n c i a l p r o p os é s a M M les m é d ec i n s c o m
’
d un , .
-

m is s aires et c
,
”
L y o n 1 7 84
.
, .

The au th o r a c c o r d i n g t o D e l eu z e was M S e r van

, an c i e n avoc a t
, .
,

gé n é r a l a u p a rl e m e n t d e G r en o bl e
”
.

“
A n aly s e rai s on n é d es r ap po rt s des c om m i s s a ires et c p ar J , .
, .

B on n e fo y m e m br e d a c o ll ege r oy a l cle c hiru rgi e d e L y on Ly on 1 7 8 4

, .
, .

“
R éfle x ion s i m pa rti a l es s ur le M agn é ti s m e an i m al fa it es a p rés la ,

p u bli c a ti on d u r ap p o rt d e M M les c om m i s s air es 1 7 84

”
. . .
36 TH E E LEM E N T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

was m anife st e d i n t he e xp e rim e nts and obs e rvations

of his d iscipl e s P romin e nt amongst th e s e was t he
.

M arquis C ha s t e n e t d e P uys egu r M any cau s e s .

t e nd e d towards t he progr e ss of m agn e tism i n his

hand s I t m ust b e adm i tt e d that M e sm e r had mad e
.

e xtr e m e ly rash and i nconsid e rat e attacks on e ve ry

o n e who wo u ld not forthwith j oi n him ; an d i n

add itio n to this u nfortu n at e prop e nsity he s e e m e d
to b e i mbu e d wi th an inn at e lov e of t he myst e rious ;
whilst he m ust hav e displ e as e d m any who might
oth e rwis e hav e b e e n attach e d to him by his s en ,

s a t io n a l m ann e r of proc e du r e .

N on e of th e s e fau lts w e r e pre s e nt i n d e P uys egu r .

A t Bu z ancy he liv e d on his e stat e a qui e t an d

,

r e tire d life cont e nting hims e lf with his e xp e rim e nts

, ,

and curing thos e whom he could .

To hi m is d u e t he discov e ry of t he hypnotic stag e

“ ”
known as somn ambulism a condition m any fal l ,

i nto u nd e r hypnosis and i n which t he most striking

, ,

e x p e rim e nts m ay b e p e rform ed I t will b e re fe rr e d

.

to mor e fu lly wh en discussing t he various forms of

hy p nosis .

D e P u ys egur as was v e ry n atural u nd e r t he

,

circu mstanc e s wrongly i nt e rpre t e d many of t he

,

strang e charact e ristics of this stat e A t that tim e .

t he pow e r of t he subj e ct to r e c e iv e unconscio u s

”
s ugg e stion was not known and ind e e d r em ain e d
, , ,
‘

u nknown for som e long tim e aft e r .

I gnoranc e of this le d t he M arquis to conclud e that

 TH E LAT E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M .
37

“
in t he somnambulic stat e thought transfe r e nc e ,

“ ”
cl ai rvoyanc e an d oth e r i mpossibl e pow e rs w e re
,

to b e found i n t he subj e ct .

D e P uys egu r s e e ms to hav e thought that M e sm e r

kn ew of this stat e and D r M oll whi lst adm itting
,
1
,

that it is do u btful i ncli n e s to t he O pinion that M e sm e r

,

was awar e of it I t is di fficu lt to s u ppos e that i n t he

.

’
tho u sands of cas e s which cam e und e r M esm e r s
notic e th e r e w e r e no p ati e nts who fe ll i nto t he stat e of
somnamb u lism ; at t he sam e tim e M e sm e r thoroughly ,

b e li ev e d that his own p e rsonal an d m e ntal infl u e nc e

was a most i mportant factor an d this with him , , ,

might e asi ly hav e account e d for t he ph e nom e na

common to t he stat e I t s e e ms quit e possi bl e that
.

t he id e a of a stag e distinct and s u i g en eri s n ev e r

, ,

occu rre d to him .

D e P uys eg u r appar e ntly first i d e ntifi e d t he stat e

i n a p e asant who was su ffe ring from inflam mation
of t he l u ngs . The p e asant by n am e Victor was , ,

thrown into a qui e t sl e e p fr e e fro m t he convulsions

which had g e n e rally att e nd e d t he i nduction of t he
stat e I t was fo u nd that he could b e m ad e ch e e rful
.

or s ad to sing or to danc e i n accordanc e with t he

,

s ugg e stion conv ey e d to hi m by t he op e rator .

G uid e d by t he n e w knowl e dg e d e P uys egur at ,

onc e proc ee d e d to look for simi lar cas e s and to his ,

gr e at d e light fou nd many This tim e B u z ancy was .

t he r e nd e z vous O f all t he S ick th ey cam e i n th e ir

1
Op . c it .
, p 7
. .
38 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

n umb e rs and t he qu i e t h u mbl e M arquis soon fou nd

, ,

’
hi ms e lf at his wi t s e n d to know how to att e nd to t he
wants of all his pati e nts T he sci e ntifi c world was
.

b e tt e r r e pr e s e nt e d than it had b e e n with M e sm e r ,

and i t i s r e lat e d that at B u z ancy t he pati e nts w e re to

b e s e e n qu it e fr e e from t he t e rribl e convulsions and
fits which M e sm e r i nduc e d e nj oying a p e ac e ful and ,

r e fre shing sl e e p 1 .

The numb e r of pati e nts i ncr e as e d so rapidly that

t he plan of M e sm e r was r e sort e d to and d e P u ys egu r ,

magn e tis e d an e lm which was wid e ly k nown a s

“ ’ ”
P u y s é g u r s tr e e . I n this cas e t he op e rator how ,

e v e r was fr e qu e ntly in att e ndan c e and m any c u r e s

, ,

w e r e e ffe ct e d .

’
M e sm e r s pupil wa s still a v e ry long way from t he
truth but he had mad e a gr e at advanc e on his
,

’
mast e r s syst e m . I t is ad mitt e d by al l that d e
P uys egur was as hon e st as t he day and no d oubt ,

m uch of t he r e al impr e ssion which he cr e at e d was

d u e to his qu i e t disint e r e st e d an d m or e sci e ntific
, ,

e fforts .

I t can b e e asily und e rstood how e v e r that t he , ,

s u p e r normal e l e m e n t of t he som nambulic stag e

-

’
which e nt e r e d i nto d e P uy s ég u r s th e ory pr e s e nt ed ,

gre at scop e for t he profe ssion al e nt e rtai n e rs of which ,

th e y w e r e by no m e ans too slow to avail th e ms e lv e s ,

and t he silly and t he cre d u lo u s w e re gr e atly i mpos e d

u p on by th e s e C harlatans who i nve nt e d t he most ,

D e t ail s d es c u r es o p e ée s é B u an c y Cl o q uet S o i s s on s 1 7 84
1 ’
r z . .
, .
 TH E LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M .
39

ridiculous th e ori e s and s u cc e e d e d i n disg u sting most

,

sob e r mind e d p e opl e I n a larg e nu m b e r of s e mi

-
.

e d u cat e d communiti e s a rag e start e d for t he forma

tion of soci e ti e s d e vot e d to t he st u dy and practic e

o f magn e tism Th e y g e n e rally took t he nam e of
.

H armonic S oci e ti e s and u nd e r th e i r auspic e s u ntold

,

’
wond e rs w e r e p e rform e d a d li b it u m P é t é t in s nam e .

must b e m e ntion e d in passing H e was P r e sid e nt of .

t he M e dical S oci e ty at L yons and strongly O ppos e d ,

all t he th e ori e s of M e sm e r H e is notic e abl e as

.

having b e e n t he first to pu blish an account of

“
t he ph e nom e n a known as transposition of t he
”
s e ns es H e bro u ght b e for e t he L yons S oci e ty a
.

woman who according to his account co u ld s e e

, , , ,

h e ar fee l s m e ll an d tast e by m e ans of t he

, , ,

stomach and also by m e ans of he r fing e rs ;

,

s e v e ral O bs e rvations of a li k e natur e w e r e mad e by

him I t is sti ll a poin t of controv e rsy wh e th e r this
.

transposition is a physical fact or wh eth e r it is d u e

to sugg e stion and t he i ncr e as e d faculti e s of t he
,

p erson hypnotis e d ; th e y who mai ntai n t he actual

transposition of t he s e ns e s a re how e v e r v e ry few , , ,

and th e r e s ee ms littl e d o u bt that it falls und e r t he

cat ego ry of s u gg e stiv e faculti e s (s ee Chap V ) I n . .

1 8 1 3 a v e ry striking d e v e lopm e nt i n r e ality t he first ,

S ign of a distinct br eak from t he id e as O f M e sm e r ,

was introduc e d by t he A b b e F ari a who cam e from

I ndi a H e claim e d p e rhaps ind e finit e ly and with
.
, ,

no v e ry cl e ar p e rc e ption of t he chang e from t he

4
0 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

waking to t he sl e e ping stat e that t he hypnotic S l e e p ,

was d u e not to magn e tism or to any i nflu e nc e

p oss e ss e d by t he op e rator but to physiological action,

on t he brain — that i n fact it d e p e nd e d not on t he

, ,

hypnotist but on t he subj e ct I n this y e ar too

,
.
, ,

D e l e u z e publish e d his valuabl e work on t he history

1
of A nim al M agn e tism .

The advocacy of t he magn e tic d octri n e s had not

b e e n confin e d to P aris tho u gh t he e v e r varying ,
-

cou rs e of its fortu n e s th e r e claims most of t he

’
historian s att e ntion As e arly as t he y e ar
.

1785 A ni m al M agn e tis m had gain e d grou nd in

G e rmany .

Throughout t he e nq u i ry was of a m uch more

,

thorough an d sci e ntific natur e than at P aris ; s o

much s o that t he for e most physicians w e r e l e cturing
,

at t he Univ e rsiti e s on t he s u bj e ct I n F ranc e t he .

,

study O f magn etism had b e e n practically l e ft to

laym e n and t he natural r e sults of such n eglig e nc e
,

w e r e soon a p pare nt ; i n G e rmany t he opposit e was

t he cas e and many sci e ntists w e r e e ngag e d i n its
,

i nv e stigation By 1 8 00 it had spr e ad to practically

.

e v e ry count ry and was r e c e iv e d i n D e n mark and

,

Russi a with much e nthusi asm .

T he P r u ssian G ov e rnm e nt (1 8 1 2 ) commission e d

D r W o lfa rt to visi t M esm e r and r e po rt on t he
subj e ct H e r e tu rn e d a z e alous support e r of M ag
.

1
H i s t o ire c ritique ’
d u M agn e t is m e an i m al J P F
. . . . D e l eu z e . 2

v ol s . P ri s 1 8 1 3
a ,
.
 T H E LA T E R H IS T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M .
4
I

n e t is m , using it in his tr e atm e nt and l e ctu ring on ,

t he s u bj e ct at t he B e rlin Un iv e rsity .

I n all th e s e co u ntri e s howe v e r M agn etism le d a

, ,

qui e t sob e r and r e sp e ctabl e life T he stu rdy T e uton

, , .

took magn e tism as he tak e s most thi ngs— qui e tly .

N ot s o with t he F r e nch ; th e re o n e was a magn e tist ,

or not a magn e tist a b e li e v e r or not a b e li e v e r ; it

,

must hav e b ee n t he bet e n oire of e v e ry pati e nt

inv e stigator D r B e rtrand i n 1 8 2 0 gav e a s e ri e s o f
.
, ,

public l e ct ur es on t he O ld th e m e and G e n e ral N o iz e t ,

pre par e d a pap e r for t he Royal A cad e my at B e rl in

i n both of th es e th e r e is e vid e nc e that t he A bb é
’
F ari a s e xp e rim e nts and O bs e rvations had not
b e e n without e ffe ct though n e ith e r B e rtrand nor
,

N o iz e t had b e e n abl e to fr e e th e ms e lv e s from t he

cu rre nt th e ori e s and th e i r contributions to t he qu e s
,

tion are of littl e val u e Till t he gov e rn ors of t he

.

hospitals put an en d to th e m D u P ot e t G e org e t , , ,

and Rostan w e r e carrying out e xp e rim e nts at t he

H Ot e l D i e u and t he S a lp é t riere F o is s a c e nd e avour e d
-
.

to p e rs u ad e t he A cad e my of M e dicin e to tak e up

t he qu e stion again r e lying chi e fly on t he fact that
,

L aur e nt d e J u s s ie u had brok e n at t he ti m e with t he

commission of 1 7 8 4and had publish e d t he r e port
,

which has b ee n m e ntion e d in t he first chapt e r F o is s a c .

ev e ntually su cc e e d e d i n gaining t he h e aring of t he

A cad e my and th ey appoint e d a comm itt e e to d e cid e

,

wh e th e r a furth e r e xami nation of A nimal M agn e tism

w e r e n e c e ssary or e xp e di e nt T he committ ee re
.
42 T H E ELEMEN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

port e d in favo u r of a commission b e ing appoint e d ,

and i n J un e 1 8 2 5 a com m ission of e l e v e n was

nominat e d T he comm ission s ee m e d to b e i n no
.

’
h u rry and it was only aft e r fi v e y e ars r e s e arch that
,

i n J u n e 1 8 3 1 th ey pre s e nt e d th e i r r e port 1 .

The r e port is val u abl e on acco u nt O f t he v e ry

good d e scription of som e of t he stat e s which it
giv e s and for this r e aso n I app e nd t he conclusions
, ,

of t he r e port i n fu ll A v e ry car e ful an d d e tail e d .

accou nt of t he various e xp e rim e nts m ad e pr e c e d e d

th es e conclusions .

CO N C L U SION S .

1 . The contact of t he thu mbs or of t he hands ;

fri ctions or c e rtai n g e stu r e s which a re mad e at
, ,

a s mall distanc e from t he body an d call e d ,

p a s s es a re t he
,
m e ans e mploy e d to pl ac e

o u rs e lve s in magn e ti c conn e ction ; or i n oth e r ,

words to transmi t t he magn e tic i nflu e nc e to

,

t he pati e nt .

2 . T he m e ans which a re e xt e rnal and vi sibl e a re not

always n e c e ssary sinc e on many occasions t he ,

wi ll t he fix e d look hav e b e e n foun d s u ffici e nt to

, ,

1
A c ad em y w r fr i d t p ri t thi s r e po rt an d c o s e q ue tly
The e e a a o n , n n

n o o ffi c i l t e xt is ia xi t c e T he c o c l us i on s re t ak en fro m
n e s en . n a

R app o rt e t D i s c u s s i on s d e l A c de m ie R o y l e s u le M gn é ti s m
“ ’
a a , r a e

n im al M P F o i s ac P ri s 1 8 3 3 A tran s l ti o of t he r p o rt
”
a . . . s . a , . a n e ,

m de by J C C lqu h u (E d i
a . . o o s a y s th t it wa s t k e
n n . fr m a a n o

a lith ograph ed c op y s pp li ed t o t he m em b e rs o f t he A c d m y
u a e .

H us s o a l s o p ubli s h d l t r w o rk c t i n i n g t he r e port f t he
n , , e a e a on a o

c om m i s s i o n a n d an a c ou t f th e ir m ee ti gs
c n o n .
44 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

9 The. r e al e ffe cts produc e d by m agn e tism are v e ry

vario u s I t agitat es som e and sooth e s oth e rs
. .

M ost commonly it occasions a mom e n tary

,

acc e l e ration of t he r e spiration and of t he

ci rculation fugiti v e fi b rillary convu lsiv e motions
,

r e se mbling e l e ctri c shocks a nu mbn e ss i n a,

fi

gre at e r or l e ss d e gre e h e avin e ss somn ol e ncy

, , ,

an d in a small n um b e r of cas e s that which t he

magn e tis e rs call somnambulism .

IO . T he e xist e n c e o f an u n iform charact e r to e nabl e

us to r e cognis e i n e v e ry cas e t he re ality of
, ,

t he stat e of somn ambuli sm has not b e e n

e stablish e d .

1 1 . H ow e v e r we m ay conclud e with c e rtainty that

,

this stat e e xists wh e n i t giv e s ris e to t he d e

,

v elo p m e n t of n e w faculti e s which hav e b e e n

,

d e sign at e d by t he nam e s of cla i rv oy a n ce i n t u i ,

t ion,
i n t ern a l p revis ion or wh e n it prod u c e s
,

gr e at chang e s i n t he physi cal e conomy s u ch as ,

i ns e nsibility a s u dd e n and consid e rabl e i ncre as e

,

of str e ngth an d wh e n th e s e e ffe cts cannot b e

,

r e fe rr e d to any oth e r ca u s e .

12 . A s among t he e ffe cts attribut e d to som nambu lism

th e r e a re som e which m ay b e fe ign e d s o m n a m
b u lis m its e lf m ay b e fe ign e d an d fu rnish ,

quack e ry w ith t he m e ans of d e c e ption Th u s .

i n t he obs e rvati on of th e s e ph e nom e n a which d o

not p res e nt th e ms e lv e s again but as isolat e d ,

facts i t is only by m e ans of t he m ost att e ntiv e

,
 T HE LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HY PN O T I S M .

45
scruti ny t he most rigid pre cau tions an d n u m e r
,

ous and vari e d e xp e rim e nts that we can e scap e

,

i llusi on
.

1 3 S l ee p
.
p roduc e d with mor e or l e ss prompti tud e is
a r e al but not a constant e flec t of m agn e tism .

1 4W e hold it as d e monstrat e d that it has b e e n

.

produc e d i n ci rcu mstanc e s i n which t he p e rsons

cou ld not S e e or w e re ignorant of t he m e ans
, ,

e mploy e d to occasion it .

1 5 Wh e n a p e rson has onc e b e e n mad e to fal l i nto

.

t he m agn e tic sl ee p i t is not always n e c e ssary

,

to hav e r e cours e to contact i n ord e r to m agn e tis e

him an ew T he look of t he m agn e tis e r his
.
,

volition alon e poss e ss t he sam e i nflu e nc e

, .

1 6 I n g e n e ral
. chang es m or e or l e ss r e markabl e
, , ,

a re produc e d upon t he p e rc e ption and oth e r

m e ntal fac u lti e s of thos e who fall i nto s o m n a m

b u lis m i n cons e qu e nc e of m agn etism .

(a ) S om e p e rsons amids t t he nois e of confus e d

conv e rsation h e ar only t he voic e of t he m agn e tis e r ,

s e ve ral answ e r pr e cis e ly t he qu e stions he pu ts to

th e m or which a re addr e ss e d to th e m by thos e
i ndividu als with whom th ey hav e b e e n p lac e d in
m agn e tic conn e ction oth e rs carry on con v e rsation
with all t he p e rsons around th e m .

N e v e rth e l e ss it is s e ldom that th ey h e ar what is

,

passing arou nd th e m D uring t he gr e at e r part of

.

t he tim e th ey a re compl e t e strang e rs to t he e xt e rnal

46 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

and u n e xp e ct e d n ois e which is m ad e clos e to th e ir

e ars such as t he sou nd of cop p e r v e ss e ls stru ck
,

briskly n e ar th e m t he fal l of a pi e c e of fu rnitu re e t c

, , .

(b ) The e y e s a re clos e d t he ey e lids yi e ld wi th

,

difli c u lt y to t he e fforts which are mad e to op e n

th e m ; this op e ration which i s not without pai n
, ,

shows t he ball of t he e y e convuls e d an d carri e d

u pwards and som e tim e s t u rn e d to wards t he low e r

part of t he orbit .

()
c S om e ti m e s t he pow e r of sm e lling app e ars to

b e an nihilat e d . Th ey m ay b e mad e to inhal e

m uriati c acid or ammoni a without fe e ling any in c o n
v e n ien c e n ay witho u t p e rc e i vi ng i t
, , T he contrary.

tak e s plac e i n c e rtai n cas e s and th e y r e tai n t he s e ns e

,

O f sm e ll .

( )
d T he gr e at e r nu mb e r of t he somnambulists

whom we hav e s ee n w e r e com pl et e ly ins e nsibl e .

W e might tickl e th e i r fe e t th e i r nostrils and t he

, ,

angl e of t he e y e s with a fe ath e r ; we might pin ch

th e i r ski n s o as to l e av e a mark prick th e m wi th ,

pi ns u nd e r t he nails et c witho u t prod uci n g any

,
.
,

pain without e v e n th e i r p erc e i v m g it F i n ally w e

,
.
,

saw o n e who was ins e nsibl e to o n e of t he most

painful op e rations i n su rg e ry and who did n ot ,

manife st t he slight e st e motion i n her count e nanc e ,

he r p uls e or her r e spi ration

,
.

17 . M agn e tism is as in t e ns e an d as sp ee di ly fe lt at
a distanc e of s ix fee t a s of S I X I nch es and t he ,
 T H E LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF H YPN O T I S M .
47
ph e n om e n a d ev e lop e d a re t he sam e i n both
cas e s .

1 8 The action at a d istanc e d o e s n ot app e ar ca p abl e

.

of b e i ng e x e cut e d with s u cc e ss e xc e p ting

u pon individuals who hav e b e e n alr e ady
magn e tis e d .

1 9 W e only s a w o n e p e rson who fe ll i nto s o m n a m

.

b u lis m u pon b e ing magn e tis e d for t he fi rst

tim e .S om e ti m e s som nambu lism was not
manife st e d u ntil t he e ighth or t e nth sitting .

2 0 W e hav e i nvariably s e e n
. t he ordinary sl ee p ,

which is t he r e p os e of t he organs of s e ns e of ,

t he i nt e ll e ctu al facu lti e s and t he voluntary

,

motions pr e c e d e and t e rminat e t he stat e of

,

somnambulism .

2 1 Whil e i n t he stat e of somnam b u lism t he pati e nts

.
,

whom we hav e O bs e rv e d r e tai n e d t he u s e of

,

t he faculti e s which th e y poss e ss e d wh e n awak e .

E v e n th e ir m e mory app e ar e d to b e m or e faithfu l

and mor e e xt e nsiv e b e ca u s e th ey r e m e mb e re d
,

e v e ryt hing that p ass e d at t he tim e and e v e ry

tim e th e y w e r e plac e d i n t he stat e of

somnambulism .

2 2 Upon
. awaking th e y said th e y had totally
forgott e n t he ci rcumstanc e s whi ch took plac e
d u ring t he som nambulism an d n e v e r re coll ect e d
th e m F or this fact we can hav e n o oth e r
.

authori ty than th e i r own d e clarations .

2 3 T he . musc u lar pow e rs O f somnambulists are

48 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T ISM .

som e tim e s b e n u mb e d and paralys e d A t oth e r .

ti m e s th e i r motions a re constrain e d and t he ,

som nambulists walk or tott e r about lik e dru nk e n

m en som e tim e s avoiding and som e ti m e s n ot
,

avoid ing t he obstacl e s which m ay happ e n to b e

in th e i r way Th e r e a re som e som nambulists
.

who pr e s e rv e e nti r e t he pow e r of motion th e r e

a re e v e n som e who display mor e str e ngth and

agility than i n th e i r waking stat e .

2 4W e hav e s e e n
. two somnambu lists who dis
t in g u is he d with th e ir e y e s clos e d t he obj e cts
, ,

which w e r e plac e d b e for e th e m ; th ey m e ntion e d

t he colour and t he val u e of cards witho u t touch

i ng th e m ; th e y r e ad words trac e d with t he

han d as also som e lin e s of books op e n e d at
,

random . T he ph e nom e na took plac e e v e n

wh e n t he ey e s w e re k e pt tightly clos e d with
t he fing e rs .

2 5 I n two somn ambulists we fo u nd t he faculty of

.

fore s e e i ng t he acts of t he organism mor e or

l ess r e mot e mor e or l ess complicat e d O n e
,
.

of th e m ann ounc e d r e p e at e dly s e v e ral m onths

,

pre viously t he day t he hour and t he m inut e

, , ,

of t he acc e ss and r e turn of e pi l e ptic fits The .

oth e r announc e d t he p e riod of his cure Th e i r .

p r e visions w e r e re alis e d with r e m arkabl e e xact

n e ss Th ey app e are d to u s to apply only to

.

acts or inj u ri e s of th e ir organism .

2 6 We . found only a singl e som nambulist who

 T H E LA T E R H IS T O R Y OF HY P N O T I S M .
49
point e d out t he symptoms of t he dis e as e s of
thre e p e rsons with whom s he was pl ac e d i n
magn e tic conn e ction W e had how e v e r mad e
.
, ,

e xp e ri m e nts upon a consid e rabl e n u mb e r .

2 7 . I n ord e r to e stablish with any d e gr ee of e xact

n e ss t he conn e ction b etw ee n magn e tis m and
th e rap e utics i t would b e n e c e ssa ry to h av e
,

obs e rv e d its e ffe cts u pon a gr e at nu mb e r of

i ndivid u als and to hav e m ad e e xp e rim e nts
e v e ry day for a long ti m e upon t he s am e
, ,

pati e nts A s this d i d not tak e plac e with u s

.
,

your committ e e could only m e ntion what th e y

p e rc e iv e d I n too sm al l a n u mb e r of cas e s to
e n abl e th e m to pronou n c e any j u dgm e nt .

2 8 . S om e of t he m agn e tis e d pati e nts fe lt n o b e n e fit

from t he tr e atm e nt O th e rs e xp e ri e nc e d a
.

mor e or l e ss d e cid e d r e li e f — v iz o n e t he .
, ,

s u sp e nsion of habitual pai ns ; anoth e r t he re ,

turn O f his str e ngth ; a thi rd t he r e tardation

,

for s e v e ral months of his e pil e ptic fits ; and a

fourth t he compl e t e cur e of a s e rious paralysis
,

of long standi ng .

2 9 . C onsi d e re d as a caus e of c e rtai n physiological

ph e nom e na or as a th e rap e u ti c r e m e dy
, ,

m agn e tism o u ght to b e allow e d a plac e withi n

t he circl e of t he m e dical sci e n c e s an d con ,

s e q u e ntly physicians only shou ld practis e it

, ,

or su p e rint e nd its u s e as is t he cas e i n t he

,

north e rn count ri e s .
50 T H E ELEM EN T S OF H YPN O T I S M .

30 . Y ou r comm itt ee hav e not b e e n abl e to v e ri fy ,

b e ca u s e th e y had n o opportu n ity of doing s o ,

oth e r facu lti e s which t he m agn e ti s e r had a n

n o u n c ed as e xisting i n som namb u lists B u t .

th e y hav e commu ni cat e d i n th e i r r e port facts

of su ffi ci e nt i m portanc e to e ntitl e th e m to
thin k that t he A cad e my o u ght to e ncourag e
t he inv e stigati ons i nto t he s u bj e ct O f an im al

m agn e tism as a v e ry c u ri ous b ran ch of psycho

logy an d n atu ral histo ry .

(S ign e d ) B O U R D O I S D E LA M O TT E P res i ,

d en t ; F O U QU I E R G U E N E A U D E
,

M U SSY G U E R S E N T H U SSO N
'

, , ,

I TA R D J J L E R O U x M A R C
, . .
, ,

T H I LLAY E .

N ot e — M M D O U B LE and M AGEN D I E
.

di d n ot consid e r th e ms e lv e s e n
titl e d to sign t he r e port as th e y
had n ot assist e d i n making t he
”
e xp e rim e nts .

A s long a s t he th e ory O f hyp n otic sugg e stion

r e main e d unknown it was im possi b l e for any in
,

ves t ig a t o r to avoi d falling i nto m any e rrors T he .

r e ad e r wil l notic e in t he r e port its e lf t he r e sult o f

this ignoranc e ; bu t as a critical and sci e ntific e x
am i nation of t he stat e s s o far as t he th e n e xisting
,

knowl e dg e allow e d t he r e port cannot b e too highly

,

rais ed T he fact that in t he i nv e stigati on of a

p .
5 2 T H E ELEM E N T S O F HYPN O T I S M .

i nt e nsify t he
g e n e ral d oubt and wond e r T he con .

t ro v e rs y b e cam e mor e k ee n t he r e criminations more ,

viol e nt as ti m e w e nt on and i n 1 8 3 7 a fr e sh att e m pt

, ,

wa s m ad e to arriv e at som e d e fin it e concl u si on on

t he subj e ct O n e by n am e B e rna urg e d t h e
.
, ,

A cad e my to grant an oth e r commission to e xamin e

his e xp e ri m e nts and a com m itt e e was appoi nt e d i n
,

answ e r to his conti nu e d r e qu e sts Th e ir r e port was .

’ ’
p u blish e d on J u ly 1 7 1 8 3 7 and th e y mad e a res u me
, ,

of th e i r r e s e arch e s i n t he s e v e n con clusions which

follow .

F I R S T CO N C L U S IO N .

I t r e s ults from all t he facts an d incid e nts which

we hav e witn e ss e d that first of all n o s p e cial proof
, ,

has b ee n giv e n u s of t he e xist e nc e of a sp e cial stat e

call e d t he stat e of m ag n et ic s om n a m b u lis m ; that it
i s sol e ly by a s s ert ion n ot proof that t he magn e tis e r
ha s proc e e d e d i n this r e sp e ct by a ffi rm ing to us at ,

e ach s e anc e and b e for e any att e mpt at e x p e ri

m e nt that his subj e cts w e r e i n a stat e O f som
,

n a m b u lis m .

program m e giv e n us by t he O p e rator stat e d

T he ,

it is tru e that t he subj e ct e nj oy e d his full s e nsibi lity

, ,

i n proof of which he co u ld b e pri ck e d and would ,

aft e rwards b e s e nt to sl eep i n pr e s e n c e o f t he

com mitt e e But i t r es u lts from t he e xp e ri m e nts
.

we mad e at t he s e anc e of t he 3 rd M arch and b e fore ,

any m agn e tic p roc ess that t he subj e ct did n ot s e e m

,
 T HE LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M .
53

to fe e l t he p ri cking b e fore t he s u ppos e d sl ee p more

than d uring it that his b e aring and answ e rs w e r e
,

much t he sam e b efor e and d u ring t he op e ration

call e d m agn e ti c Was it a mistak e on his part 1
.

Was i t natural impassibi lity or o n e acq u i re d by

habit ? Was it to at onc e m ak e hi ms e lf in t eres t in g P
That is what t he com m itt e e a re u nabl e to d e cid e .

I t is tr u e aft e rwards that e ach tim e we hav e b e e n

told that t he subj e cts w e r e asl ee p ; b u t we w e r e
t old and nothing m or e
, .

A nd if t he proofs of t he somnambu listi c stat e

w e r e lat e r on to r e su lt from e xp e ri m e nts on subj e ct s
s u ppos e d to b e i n that stat e t he valu e l e ssn e ss and
,

worthl e ssn e ss of th e s e proofs wo u ld follow from t he

conclusions w e a re about to d raw from th e s e v e ry
e xp e ri m e nts .

S E C ON D CO N C L U SIO N .

A ccording to t he p rogram m e t he s e cond s e anc e w a s

,

to consist i n t e sti ng t he ins e nsibility of t he subj e cts .

But aft e r r e calli ng t he r e stricti ons impos e d on your

,

committ e e that t he fac e was e xclud e d from any

,

such e xp e rim e nt ; that t he sam e was t he cas e for

al l parts naturally cov e r e d so that t he hands and
,

n e ck alon e r e main e d : aft e r r e calling that on th e s e

,

parts w e r e allow e d n e ith e r pinching or p u lling nor ,

contact with a body e ith e r ignit e d or at a som e

what high t e mp eratu r e ; that w e had to confin e
.
54 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PNO T I SM .

ours e lv e s to ins e rting n ee d l e s to a d e pth of about

half a lin e ; 1 a n d lastly that t he fac e b e ing
partly cov e r e d by a bandag e we could n ot j ud g e ,

of t he e xpr e ssion of t he fac e whilst trying to caus e

pai n ; aft e r r e calling al l th es e r e strictions we are ,

j u stifi e d i n d e d u cing— I s t that on ly very s lig ht

,

a n d lim it ed painfu l s e nsations co u ld b e prod u c e d ;

2 n d ; and that only on a fe w parts p e rhaps u s e d

,

to this kind of impr e ssi ons ; 3 rd that this ki nd of ,

i mpr e ssion was always t he sam e that i t r e s u lt e d ,

fro m a ki n d o f t a t ooing ; 4 t h th at t he fac e and ,

e sp e ci ally t he e y e s wh e r e pai nfu l e x r e ssions m ost

, p
e asi ly S how th e ms e lv e s w e r e hid d e n from t he com
,

m it t e e ; that owi ng to th e s e circu mstanc e s e v e n

absolut e compl e t e i mpassibility could n ot hav e b ee n
,

to u s a con clusiv e proof of t he abolition of s e nsi

b ilit y i n t he afor e said s u bj e ct .

T H I R D CON C L U SIO N .

T he magn e tis e r was to prov e to t he committ e e

that by his m e r e wi ll he co u ld r e store e i th e r locally ,

or g e n e rally s e nsi bi lity to his s u bj e ct this he call e d

,

res t i t u t i on of s e nsi bility .

But as it had b ee n i mposs ibl e for hi m to prov e to

us by e xp e rim e nts that he h ad r e mov e d or abolish e d
s e nsibi lity i n this yo u ng lady this e xp e ri m e nt b e ing
,

corr e lati ve to t he last it has b ee n for that v e ry

,

1
l . e .
, a bou t th
‘
ai o f an i n ch .
 T HE LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPNO T I SM .
55

r e ason impossibl e to prov e this re stitution ; and

b e sid e s it r e sults from t he facts we hav e O bs e rv e d ,

that all e ssays i n this dir e cti on hav e fail e d T he .

s u b j e ct d e scrib e d q u it e t he r e v e rs e of what he had

announc e d Y o u r e m e mb e r g e ntl e m e n that we
.
, ,

w e r e r e d u c e d for v e rification to t he ass e rtion of t he

s u b j e ct ; wh e n S he a fli rm e d for i nstanc e that s he
co u ld not mov e he r l e ft leg that s ur e ly was n o ,

proof to t he com mi tt ee that s he was magn e ti cally

paralys e d i n that m e mb e r ; but e v e n th e n he r words
disagr ee d with t he pr e t e nsions of t he m agn e tis e r ; s o
that from all t his r e sult e d ass e rtions without proof ,

oppos ed to oth e r ass e rtions e qu ally without proof .

F O U R T H C ON C L U S IO N .

What w e hav e j ust s aid about t he abolition and

r e stitution of s e nsibility appli e s to t he pr e t e nd e d
,

abolition and r e stitution of m ov e m e nt ; not t he

slight e st proof cou ld b e giv e n to t he com mitt e e .

F IF T H CO N C L U SI ON .

One of t he s e ctions of t he programm e was

e ntitl e d Ob edien ce to a m en t a l o rder to cea s e, in t he
m iddle a con vers a t ion an d a n s w er verb a ll by
o f ,
to y or
”
s ig n s a a rt icu a rl
p p ers on .

The m agn etis e r tri e d i n t he s e anc e of M arch 1 3 th

, ,

to p rov e to t he com mitt e e that t he pow e r of his will

could produc e this e ffe ct ; b u t it r esults from what
5 6 TH E ELEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

took plac e that far from prod u cing th e s e r e su lts t he

, ,

subj e ct s ee m e d to no long e r h e ar b e fore he want e d

to pre v e n t he r from s o doing and that s he again ,

s ee m e d to h e ar wh e n he positiv e ly d id n ot want he r
’
to h ear ; so that from t he su bj e ct s ass e rtions t he
, ,

facu lty of h e ari ng or n ot h e aring would hav e b e e n ,

i n he r i n compl e t e o p position to t he wi l l of t he
,

magn e tis e r .

But aft e r w e l l u nd e rstood facts t he commi tt e e n o

, ,

mor e conclud e an opposition th e m a subm ission ;

th e y hav e found a compl e t e i nd e p e nd e nc e an d
nothi ng m or e .

S IX T H C ON C L U S ION .

Tra n sp os i t ion f S ight

o .

Y i e lding to t he e ntr e a t y of t he committ e e t he ,

magn e tis e r a s we hav e s e e n had l e ft alon e hi s

, ,

abolitions and r e stitutions of s e nsibility and mov e

m e nt to com e to t he m or e i mportant facts —v iz .
,

vision without t he u s e of t he e y e s A ll t he i ncid e nts

.

r e lativ e to this hav e b e e n told you th ey took plac e

at t he S e an c e of 3 rd A pri l 1 8 3 7 .

By t he pow e r of his magn e tic pass e s M B e rn a , .

was to show t he committ ee a woman r e ading words ,

r e cogn ising playing cards following t he hands of a

-

watch not with t he e y e s bu t with t he occiput which

, ,

i mpli e d e ith e r t he transposition or t he us e l e ssn e ss or

, ,

t he s u p e rflu it y of t he organ of sight in t he m agn e ti c

 T H E LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HY PN O T I SM .
57

stat e T he e xp e rim e nts took plac e ; you kn ow how

.

th e y u tt e rly fai l e d .

A ll that t he subj e ct kn e w all s he cou ld infe r from

,

what wa s sai d n e ar he r al l s he could nat u rally

,

s u ppos e s he told whi l e s he was blindfold e d ; from

,

w hich w e con cl u d e fi rst of all that s he did not lack a

, ,

c e rt ain amou nt of skill Thu s t he m agn e tis e r i nvit e d

.

o n e of t he com mitt ee to writ e a word o n a card a nd

’
pr e s e nt i t to this wom an s occiput s he sai d s he co u ld
s e e a card and e v e n som e writing on it W e r e s he .

ask e d t he n um b e r of p e opl e pr e s e nt si nc e s he had ,

s e e n th e m e nt e r s he said approxi mat e ly t he n u mb e r

,

of p e rsons W e r e s he ask e d wh e th e r s he s aw a c e rtain

.

m e mb e r of t he committ e e plac e d n e ar her writin g ,

with a squ e aky p e n s he would rais e he r h e ad try to

, ,

s ee und e r t he band ag e and said t he p e rson h e ld

,

som e thing whit e i n his hand A sk e d wh e th e r s he .

cou ld say what was i n t he m outh of this p e rso n who ,

c e asing to writ e had plac e d hi ms e lf b e hi nd her s he

, ,

would say he had som e thing whit e i n his mouth ;

from which w e con cl u d e that t he said s u bj e ct was
mor e e xp e ri e n c e d and S kill e d than t he first and ,

kn e w how to m ak e mor e plausibl e su pposition s .

But as for facts r e ally fit to prov e sight by t he

,

occip u t d e cisiv e absol u t e u nansw e rabl e facts not

, , ,

only w e r e th ey wanting e ntir e ly wantin g but thos e

, ,

we s aw w e r e O f such a n atur e as to mak e us conc e iv e

s trang e suspicion s as to t he morality of this wom an ,

as we will pr e s e ntly show .

 58 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T IS M .

S E V E N T H CO N C L U S ION .

G iving up t he hop e of proving to t he committ ee

t he transpositi on of S ight t he u s e l e ssn e ss of t he e y e s
,

i n t he m agn e tic stat e t he m agn e tis e r wish e d to tak e

,

r e fug e i n clairvoyanc e or sight thro u gh opaqu e

bodi e s .

Y ou know t he e xp e ri m e nts m ad e on this point ;

h e r e facts carry with th e m th e i r chi e f conclusion ,

v iz . that a m an plac e d b e for e a wom an i n a c e rtai n

,

position was u nabl e to m ak e he r disting u ish through ,

a bandag e O bj e cts pr e s e nt e d to he r
,
.

But h e r e a m or e grav e thought occ u pi e d t he

com m itt e e L e t u s adm it for a mom e nt t he hypo
.

th e s e s s o handy fo r m agn e tis e rs that at ti m e s t he ,

b e st s ubj e cts lo s e al l l u ci dity an d that lik e t he r est

, ,

of m ortals th e y can no long e r s e e by t he occi put

, ,

stomach n ot e v e n across a b andag e ; le t u s if you

, ,

wi ll ad mit all this ; b u t what are we to concl u d e

, ,

wi th r egard to this woman from her m i nut e d es c rip

,

t ion of O bj e cts ot her than thos e pr e s e nt e d to he r ?

What can w e concl u d e of a s u bj e ct who d e scri b es a
kn av e of club s on a bl ank card who on a cou nt e r ,

s ee s a gold watch with whit e di al and black l e tt e rs ,

and who had we i nsist e d wo u ld p e rhaps hav e e nd e d

, , ,

by t e lli ng u s t he ti m e i nd icat e d by this watch ?

I f now g e ntl em e n you a s k u s what last and
, ,

g e n e ral concl usion we a re to d raw from t he whol e of

th e s e e xp e rim e nts m ad e b e for e u s we wi ll s ay that ,
60 TH E ELEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

of H u sson by a larg e m aj ority of t he A cad e my I f

,
.

t he r e port of 1 8 3 1 w e r e u nsatisfactory and i nd e fi nit e ,

this l ast was e v e n m or e s o By far t he gr e at e r p art

.

of i f not all t he att e ntion O f t he commission was

, ,

d e vot e d to a d e monstration of t he n on e xist e nc e of -

c e rtai n all eg e d magn e tic cond itions transposition of ,

t he s e ns e s p r e vision clai rvoyanc e e t c e t c

, , , .
, .

A n i mal M agn e tism i ts e lf was but incid e ntally

tou ch e d u p on I n fact t he com mission and t he
.
,

A cad e my had both b ee n following t he wrong sc e n t ,

and it was r egard e d as a fi nal s e ttl e m e nt wh e n

Burdin (t he you ng e r) with t he a p p roval O f t he
,

A cad e my offe r e d a pri z e of 3 000 fran cs to

,

any o n e who cou ld r e ad or who cou ld produc e a ,

p e rson ca p abl e of r e adi ng a giv e n writi ng without ,

t he aid of his e y e s an d i n t he d ark T he fi rst cand i .

d at e for thi s pri z e was a D r P ig ea ire who clai m e d

that his d aught e r a young girl abo u t t e n y e ars O ld
, ,

could i n t he somn ambulisti c stat e amongst m any ,

oth e r wond e rs re ad writing with he r e y e s cov e r e d

,

by a bandag e H e cam e to P ari s not withou t

.
,

cr e d e nti als T he P rofe ssor of P hysiology at M ont

.

p e llie r t e stifi e d to t he pow e r poss e ss e d by this gi rl ,

’
and i n P a ris he gav e som e s ea n ces b e for e s e v e ral
doctors who also stat e d that th ey had witn e ss e d an
,

e xhi bition O f th e s e p ow e rs I n t he b e ginning of t he

.

’
A cad e my s i nv e stigati on an hitch occu rr e d with t e
gard to t he bandag e T he com mitt e e wou ld not a c
.

c e pt t he black si lk o n e p rovid e d by P igea ire Th e y .

 T H E LA T E R H IS T O R Y OF HY PN O T I S M . OI

j u stly d e mand e d that t he bandag e shou ld b e of

su ch a ki nd that t he subj e ct could n e ith e r s e e ov e r ,

nor u nd e r nor through it U nd e r ordin ary circum

,
.

stanc es a bandag e is bu t a S light s e c u rity agai nst

,

fraud whilst i n t he cas e of a somnambu listic su bj ect

, , ,

any such p rovision wo u l d b e of littl e v alu e .

Thos e cond ucting t he i nv e stigation th e re fore , ,

p ropos ed a light and e asy fitti ng mask that t he ,

visi on might b e absolut e ly obscur e d To this .

P ig e a ire wou ld n ot list e n n or would he ass e nt to

,

any m odifications p ropos e d by t he com mitt ee and , ,

as n e ith e r sid e woul d agr e e to t he t e rms propos e d by

t he oth e r t he trial n e v e r took plac e
,
.

O n e by n am e T e st e cam e b e for e t he A cad e my

, ,

with gr e at e r pr et e nsions an d on e s that w e r e e asily

d e cid e d This g e ntl e man produc e d a som nambulist
.

who he said could r e ad a l e tt e r or oth e r m att e r

, ,

e nclos e d i n a box T he conditi ons w e r e i n this

.
,

cas e soon agre e d upon and t he suppos e d p ow e r as

, ,

soon shown to b e fi ctitious T he s u bj e ct was not .

abl e to r e ad a word .

O th e rs cam e forward with s im ilar clai ms and on , ,

th e i r fai lur e complai n e d that t he pr e s e nc e of t he

,

commission e rs had an e xciting an d d ist u rbi ng in

flu e n c e on th e i r subj e cts The A cad e m icians th e n
.

s aid th ey w e r e r e ady to award t he pri z e if t he con

t e nts of t he box w e r e d ivi n e d o u t of th e i r p r e s e n c e .

M Burdi n k e pt his francs

. .

That this e ffe ctiv e ly s e ttl e d t he q u estion of t he

62 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

sup e rno rm al stat e s with r e gard to clai rvoyanc e is

-

, ,

appar e nt bu t it by n o m e ans d e cid e d t he con

,

t ro v e rs y wi th r e gard to an i m al m agn e tism prop e r .

N e v e rth e l e ss t he A cad e my r e solv e d chi e fly i n con

,

s e q u e nc e O f th e s e last e xp e ri m e nts that h e n c e forth

,

any propositi on s of t he m agn e tists sho u ld n ot b e

e nt e rtain e d and that t he qu e sti on of m agn e tism its e lf
,

shou ld b e r e gard e d as d e fini t e ly an d fi nally clos e d .

This last conclu sion can only b e d e scrib e d as silly .

T he r e p e at e d failu r e s of t he vari ous com missions ,

which w e r e compos e d of t he most l e arn e d an d

sci e ntific m e n of t he day to s e parat e t he tru e from
,

t he fals e or e v e n to arriv e at any n e ar a pp ro x im a

,

tion of t he tr u th affords a striking illustrati on of t he

,

g e n e ral u s e l e ssn e ss of r e sorting to s uch m e an s .

E v e ry t ro u bl e was tak e n t he most mi nut e i nv e stiga

,

tions for t he gr e at e r part of a c e n t u ry w e re m ad e

, ,

and at t he e n d n o o n e was m uch t he wis e r than

he was at t he b e gin ni ng T he r e al iss u e s w e r e
.
,

throughout littl e u nd e rstood

,
T he magn e tis e rs
.

d e vot e d all th e i r e fforts to proving not t he e xist e n c e

,

of t he m agn e tic stat e but ph e n om e n a which w e re

,

only i ncid e ntal and O f r e al u s e on ly to t he psycho

lo g is t ; whilst t he commissions allow e d th e ms e lv e s
’

to b e le d i nto t he d iscussion of m u ltitud inous th e ori e s

to t he almost e ntir e n e gl e ct of t he r e al qu e stion th e y
had b e e n appoint e d to i nv e stigat e .

I t is giv e n to fe w to d iscov e r and th e i r discov e ry

,

i s oft e n d u e to t he happy combin ati on of chanc e

 TH E LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HY PN O T I S M . 63

and ski ll T he discov e ry m ad e t he body whom

.
, ,

i t most clos e ly int e r e sts proc e e ds fi rst to s n e e r

, ,

th e n to pay a constrain e d att e ntion and fi nally , ,

aft e r having in d u lg e d i n e v e ry sp e ci e s of abus e an d

vitup e ration kn own to m an it yi e lds to t he i n evitabl e,

1
an d r e cognis e s t he truth .

F rom abo u t 1 8 2 5 w e h e ar littl e of animal

magn e tism i n G e rmany tho u gh scatt e r e d abo u t
, ,

t he co u ntry th e r e w e r e m any tho u ghtfu l and criti cal

,

e nq u ir e rs O n e of t he most cu rio u s points is its

.

infl u e nc e on t he philosophy of t he tim e S chop e n .

ha u e r and som e oth e r l e ss kn own writ e rs m ad e

, ,

magn e tism and its ph e nom e n a t he basis of a larg e

part of th e i r philosophy I n most cou ntri e s an d .
,

in F ranc e particularly t he abus e s of magn e tism

,

common to its vulgar u s e w e r e i ncr e asing y e ar by

y e ar I mpostors and C harlatans mad e fr ee u s e of
.

it for t he purpos e s of e xtorti on and frau d of e v e ry

ki nd whilst t he most e xtravagant an d pr e post e ro u s
,

noti ons w e r e spr e ading am ongst t he ignorant and

t he cr e du lou s conc e rni ng it .

Th e r e a re s ev e ral i nstanc e s on re cord wh e r e

t he cl e rgy practis e d m agn e tism wi th n o l e ss an

obj e ct than that of obtaini ng sup e rnatural r e ve la

tions .

1
Th os e re ad er s who thi n k thi s a n e xag ge ra t e d v i e w m ay fi n d it s
u n h app y c o n firm a ti on by a r e fe r e n c e t o t he hi s t o ry o f t he r e c e ti o n s
p
ac c orde d t o H a r ve y s d oc tri n e o f t he c ir c u l a ti on o f t he bl o od
’
,
’
S i m ps o n s d i s c o very of c hl or o fo r m J en n er s i n trodu c ti on o f vacc i n a
’
,

ti on an d s o m e o th e r o f t he gr eat d i s co ve ri es
, .
64 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

P er e pr e ach e d a s e rm on in 1 8 4
L a c o rd a ire 6
at N Ot re D am e e ulogisi ng m agn e tism as a pow e r
,

that wo u ld onc e and for all confo u nd t he in fi d e ls ,

and d e monstrat e to h u m anity t he pow e r of t he

I nfin it e .

The Ch u rch was constantly i nt e rv e n ing i n t he

att e mpt to ch e ck th e s e strang e abus e s and in 1 8 5 6 ,

an e ncyclical l e tt e r was s e nt to all t he bishops

“ ”
contra abusus m agn e tis m i I t will b e fou nd i n
.

fu l l at t he e n d of thi s chapt e r .

E ngland wa s lat e i n adopti ng m agn e tism In .

1 8 3 7 how e v e r t he amiabl e but u nsci e ntific e n t hu s

, ,

ia s t D u P ot e t cam e to L ondon wh e r e he m e t
, , ,

D r J ohn E llio t s o n of t he Un iv e rsity Coll e g e

H ospital D u P ot e t su cc e e d e d i n e ngrafting on
.

his n ewly mad e fri e n d all t he m agn e tic th e ori e s

-

and from this tim e E llio t s o n m ad e u s e of magn e t

is m in t he hospital and adopt e d it into his r e gular
,

practic e T he cou ncil O f Univ e rsity Coll eg e how

.
,

e ve r ,
soon pass e d a r e solution agai nst i ts u s e in
t he hospital an d E llio t s o n at onc e r e sign e d
, T he .

m e dical pap e rs of t he tim e a re curious e vid e nc e

of what bigotry and ignoranc e a re capabl e The .

most vil e and ind e c e nt i nsinuations w e r e l e v e ll e d

at E llio t s o n who was at any rat e a physici an O f
, , ,

high attain m e nts and a p e rfe ct g e ntl e m an M any

, .

of t he charg e s and much of t he pr ej udi c e i t is ,

on ly fai r to s ay w e r e d u e to t he nons e ns e which

,

E llio t s o n combi n e d with his m e sm e ric th e ori es .

 TH E LA T E R H IS T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M . 65

The wis e man i ntrod u cing su ch a nov e l m ethod

of tr e atm e nt would hav e b e e n most car e fu l to
’
avoid anything lik e qu ack e ry E llio t s o n s e x p e ri
.

m e nts b e cam e littl e more than sob e r fooling .

“ ” “ ”
Clai rvoyanc e and P hr e n ology w e r e his con
stant stock in trad e whilst he r egularly e mploy e d
- -

“ ”
t he two sist e rs O k e y i n his O p e rations No .

doubt his charact e r was un imp e achabl e but he ,

has hims e lf to thank for much of t he p e rs e cu tion

from whi ch he suffe r ed E llio t s o n c e rtainly could
.

only hav e r e tard e d t he progre ss of hy p notism and ,

how e ve r we m ay r e gre t t he tr e atm e nt to which he

was subj e ct e d it is a matt e r O f congratulation to hav e
,

b ee n s o soon d eliv e r e d from what D r L loyd Tuck ey

“
has w e l l call e d a mas s of sup e ri ncu mb e n t ru bbish .

W e now pass from t he hist o ry of M agn e tism to

t he b e gi nnings of H ypnotism D r J am e s Braid of
.

M anch e st e r i nst e ad of cont e nting hims e lf with t he

,

m e sm e ric th e ori e s plac e d t he subj e ct for t he first

, .

tim e on a sci e ntific b a Sis by a car e fu l e xaminati on

, ,

of t he ph e nom e na T he A bb é F aria had antici

.

pat e d his discov e ry to a c e rtain e xt e nt but he lack e d ,

m ethod and his lang ua g e was vagu e and u n s c ien

,

t ifi c
. Braid e nt e r e d upon his i nv e stigation a com
p le t e sc e pti c I n. 1 8 41 he att e nd e d a d e monstration ,

giv e n i n M anch e st e r by L a F ontain e a m agn e tist ,

from S wit z e rland with t he avow e d obj e ct of e nd e a

,

v o u rin g to discov e r t he m e ans by which t he tricks

(as he r egard e d th e m ) w e r e p e rform e d S oon how .

,

E
66 THE ELEM E N T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

e v e r he had to admit that what ev e r was th e i r

,

e xplan ation t he facts th e ms e lv e s w e r e und e niabl e ;

,

b u t u nlik e E llio t s o n he di d n ot r e st cont e n t wit h

, ,

’
t he op e rator s e xplan ation that t he m e ans of t he

i n fl u e nc e was a magn e tic fl u id and he s e t hims e lf to

,

a s e ri ous st u dy of t he qu e stion T he fi rst p he n o m e

.

n on that app e ars to h av e attract e d his att e nti on as ,

a possibl e clu e to t he s e cr e t was t he fact that ,

t he s u bj e cts w e r e u n abl e to op e n th e i r e y e s He .

attribut ed this to t he e xhau stion of t he O ptic n e rv e s ,

and was le d th e r e by to t he con clusion which he ,

v e rifi e d by e xp e ri m e nts that t he i ndu ction of

,

hypn osis was d u e to physiological m odifications of

t he n e rvous syst e m Brai d ti re d t he n e rv e s of hi s
.

p ati e nts by fi xing th e i r ga z e on som e giv e n obj e ct ,

a m e thod which is v e ry common to day H e fo u nd -

.

that it was n e c e ssa ry for t he subj e ct to conc en trat e

his tho u ght as w e ll as his vision or i n oth e r word s ,

that e x pe ctant att e ntion was a n e c e ssary factor .

Braid primarily d e monstrat e d two things

I . That t he assumption of any s u ch forc e as a mag

n e tic fl u id m e sm e ric infl u e nc e or oth e r unknown
, ,

ag e n cy was u nn e c e ssary
,
.

2 .
That t he s tat e was a s u p e r n ormal physiological
-

o n e ind u c e d by a physical or appr e ci abl e action

on t he n e rvous syst e m .

I n ord e r to d istinguish th e s e conclusions from t he

i nchoat e mass of s p e cul ation and su p e rstition known
68 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

word a g e stur e a r e mark of o n e of t he sp e ctat ors is

, , ,

O ft e n s u ffici e nt to indicat e t he wish of t he op e rator .

To this fe at u re of u n con s ciou s s ugg es t ion a re d ue n e arly

all t he fallaci e s of s e rious stud e nts of hypnotism .

I t is also a c u rio u s fact that i n m ost cas e s of d e e p

,

hypn osis t he s u bj e ct wh e n hypnotis ed r e m e mb e rs

, , ,

t he e v e nts which took plac e on t he pre vi o u s

hypnos e s though he knows nothing of th e m in t he
,

waking stat e I t is thus fr e qu e ntly possibl e by an

.
,

u n iform adh e re n c e to c e rtain to u ch es for c e rtai n

action s o r e motions fo r t he hyp noti st to di sp e ns e
,

altog e th e r with v e rbal sugg e stion and r e ly on t he ,

to u ch which t he s u bj e ct wi ll instan tly i nt e rpre t i n

,

t he d e si r e d m ann e r Braid was r e markably succ e ss

.

fu l i n t he application of hypnotism to t he all e viation

and cu r e of d is e as e an d it i s di ffi cu lt to e x plain how
, ,

aft e r his d e ath t he s u bj e ct cam e to b e practically

,

forgott e n C arp e nt e r t he gr e at physio logist s u p

.
, ,

port e d hi m and oth e rs of high r e pu t e I t has b e e n

,
‘

’
thought probabl e that E llio t s o n s e xp e ri e nc e fright
e n e d B raid from att e m pti ng to at all hastily forc e

his id e as on t he pro fe ssion ; b u t he i n fact was , ,

i nd e fatigabl e i n its advo cacy and cannot b e accus e d

of u nd u e ca u tion .

T he fact s ee ms to b e that j ust about this ti m e

,

chloroform was i ntrod u c e d and thos e of t he m e dical

,

profe ssion who had paid any s e rious att e nti on to

hypnotism p e rsist e d i n placing its chi e f valu e i n
t he an ae sth e tic prop e rti e s of d e e p hypnosis No .
 T H E LAT E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPN O T I S M . 69

hypn otist would m aintai n that hypnotism co u ld e v e r

b e u s e d as an u nive rsal a n ms t he t ic tho u gh it m ay
,

b e of t he gr e at e st val u e i n cas e s wh e r e t he a d
m inistration o f t he u sual an ae sth et ics wou ld b e
d ang e rous or in e xp e di e nt .

This poi nt how e v e r was q u it e n egl e ct e d and on t he

, , ,

u s e of chloroform coming i n hypnotism s e e ms to hav e

,

b e e n ignore d on ly to b e r e introd u c e d into E ngland

,

withi n q u i te r e c e nt y e ars L ittr é and Robin an d

.
,

’
oth e rs publi s h e d e xtracts from Braid s writings i n
,

F ranc e an d M e u n i e r wrot e an articl e for t he P res s e ;

,
’

b ut t he int e r e st was for som e ti m e pu re ly th e or e tical

’
and B raid s discov e ry attract e d littl e att e ntion .

H ow e v e r i n 1 8 5 0 A z am a surg e o n of Bord e aux

, , , ,

’
tri e d e xp e r im e nts sugg e st e d by Braid s writings
, ,

o n a pati e n t s u ffe ring from spontan e o u s catal epsy .

H e also m ad e e xp e rim e nts on anoth e r pati e n t a n d ,

’
fo u nd th ey confi rm e d Braid s con clusions H e pub .

lis he d t he re s u lt S i n t he A rchives d e M édec in e In .

F ranc e t o o t he e nd e avou r was mad e to u s e hypnotism

, ,

as a g e n e ral an aesth e tic ; t he d i fficu lty was i ncr e as e d

sinc e it was not k n own that i ns e nsibility cou ld
b e prod uc e d by sugg e stion and thus only t he s u b
,

jec t s i n t he d e ep e st forms of hypn osis coul d b e

op e rat e d on without pain I ts u s e for such p u rpos e s
.

was soon rej ect e d i n favou r of chloroform F rom .

1 8 60 m any comp e t e nt i nv e stigators w e r e e ngag e d

,

on t he subj e ct and a n umb e r of works w e re p u b

,

lis he d d e aling with t he s ubj e ct I n 1 8 66 a p p e ar e d

.
7 0 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

t he famou s work by D r L ié b a u lt e n titl e d Du ,

“

S om m e i l e t d es Etats A n al ogu e s e t c A t t he ti m e
”
, .

of i ts publication how e v e r it was r e c e iv e d with m u ch

, ,

d e rision by t he m e dical faculty but withi n r e c e nt ,

y e ars a chang e has com e ov e r t he sc e n e and ,

L ié b a u lt is quot e d and r e fe rre d to l arg e ly by e v e ry

writ e r on hypnotis m or kindr e d s u bj e cts F or a .

l ong tim e L ié b a u lt labou r e d at N an cy but littl e ,

n otic e d by his profe ssion I n 1 8 8 2 M D umont .

,
.
,

who had witn e ss e d t he m e thods and practic e i n

vogu e at N ancy tri e d s om e e xp e rim e nts on his own
,

account The r e su lts w e r e s o s ucc e ssful that he

.

r e ad a pap e r to t he M e di cal S oci e ty thoro u ghly

’
s u pporting L iéb a u lt s m e t hods and tr e atm e nt .

’
This combi n e d possibly with Charcot s e xp e ri m e nts
, ,

at S a lp é t riere led D r B e rnh e i m to i nve stigat e t he

,

s u bj e ct H e by his own accou nt s e t to work i n a

.
, ,

v e ry sc e pti cal spi rit but m e t wi th r e s u lts s o striking

,

and c e rtain that he fe lt bound to sp e ak B e rnh e i m .

al r e ady poss ess e d a wi d e r e putation and his adop ,

t ion of hypnotism had at onc e t he e ffe ct of s e c u ring

for t he s u bj e ct a m uch more pati e nt h e ari ng than
h ad e v e r b e fore b e e n t he cas e .

M any sci e ntists i n F ranc e and G e rmany had

i nt e r e st e d th e ms e lv e s i n hypnotism but i t was n ot ,

till t he school of N ancy d e al t with t he qu e sti on

that i t took u p a r e al position in t he sci e nc e of
m e d ici n e B e rnh e im who had d e vot e d hims e lf to
.
,

“
it s study with L ié b a u lt publish e d his work
,
D e la
 T H E LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HY PN O T I S M .
7I

S u gg e stion e t c i n 1 8 8 4 N ancy b e cam e t he h e ad

, .
,
.

q u art e rs O f t he l e ading F r e nch hypnotists Th e re .

B e a u n is and L ié g o is work e d at t he physi ological

an d t he m e dico l e gal asp e cts of t he qu e stion The
-
.

cont e sts b e tw ee n t he schools of t he S a lp é t riere and

N ancy soon follow e d and e v e ry y e ar has s e rv e d to ,

i ncr e as e t he r e putation amongst sci e ntists of all ,

’
nations of L ié b a ult and his follow e rs whilst Charcot s
, ,

’
school d e spit e t he l e ad e r s e mi n e nc e i n his own branch
, ,

has b e com e m ore an d mor e d iscre d it e d till outsid e ,

P aris th e ir vi e ws a re hard ly r e pr e s e nt e d at all

,
.

To e n ti m e ra t e t he many st u d e nts and writ e rs i n t he

various countri e s wo u ld b e a l e ngthy task I t must
, .

s u ffi c e to say that b e sid e s t he two countri e s F ran c e

, ,

and G e rmany Russia D e nm ark N orway S w e d e n

, , , , ,

G r e e c e I taly S pain S wit z e rland B e lgium, A ustria

, , , , ,

t he U nit e d S tat e s S o u th A m e rica a re all r e pre s ent e d

,

by m any pati ent and l e arn e d i nv e stigators ; whilst i n

E ngland D r M iln e Bramw e l l of G ool e D r Kingsbu ry ,

of Blackpool and e sp e cially D r L loyd T u ck e y of

,

L ondon hav e contri b ut e d work of t he high e st

,

ord e r T he British M e di cal A ssociation has fo u nd

.

hypnotism worthy o f i nv e stigation though , ,

appar e ntly i t could hard ly r e conci l e its e lf qu it e

,

so s u dd e nly to t he cou rs e r e comm e nd e d by t he

commi tt e e th e y appoin t e d to i nv e stigat e and r e port
on t he qu e stio n 1 .

M e ntion must b e mad e of a fe w who hold m any

1
Vide n ot e o n p 5 1 . .
72 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

of t he m esm e ri c i d e as T he S oci ety for P sychical

.

R e s e arch is r e sponsibl e for m ost of th e m i n E ngland .

T he work don e by M y e rs and G urn e y u nd e r its ,

auspic e s m ust ran k high an d th e y hav e provid e d

, ,

m uch that claims ou r att e ntion and i nv e stigation .

E d mund G u rn ey di e d som e tim e ago but t he work ha s ,

b e e n carri e d on by M y e rs and oth e rs Tho u gh thi s .

S oci e ty has p u blish e d som e valuabl e r e cords of its

work i n this d ir e ction th ey can hardly b e consid e re d
,

convinci ng having r e gard to all t he circu mstanc e s

,

and i nd e e d th e y hav e n ot y e t claim e d that th e i r

, ,

e x p e ri m e nts can b e consid e r e d as at al l conclusiv e .

F or thos e who may b e C u rious as to t he morality

of hypnotism I app e n d two quotations ; t he fi rs t
,

shows t he vi e w tak e n by t he Chu rch in 1 8 5 6 and ,

will probably app e al only to Catholics ; t he soun d

common s e ns e of t he s e cond which is quot e d from
-

a th e ologian of t he S oci e ty of J e sus wi ll I thin k , , ,

b e appr e ciat e d by all .

1
T he Roman d e cr ee runs as follows -

“
A t t he g e n e ral co n gr e gation of t he H oly Roman
I nquisition h e ld i n t he conv e n t S ancta M ari a
(abov e M i n e rva) t he Cardin als and I nquisitors
, ,

g e n e ral a gainst h e re sy thro u ghout t he Christian

world aft e r a care fu l e xamination of all that has
,

b een r e port e d to th e m by trustworthy m e n touchin g ,

t he practic e of m agn e tism hav e r e solv e d to add r e s s

,

1
E pi t ol E c yc lic a S R om I q uis it i is ad om es E p i p
s a n . . n on n s co os

ad e r s u s m ag e ti s m i ab u s us Vi de C m p e d i um T heo l g i
”
v n . o n o ae

M o rali s. G u ry .
 T HE LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HY PN O T I S M .
73

t he pr e s e n t e ncyclical l e tt e r to al l t he bishops i n
ord e r that its abus e s m ay b e r e pre ss e d F or i t i s .

cl e arly e stablish e d that a n ew s p e ci e s of sup e rstition

has aris e n with r e gard to t he m agn e ti c ph e nom e na
, ,

with which many a re now c o n c e rn e d n o t with t he

'

l e gitim at e obj e ct of e l u cidating t he physical sci e nc e s ,

but i n ord e r to d e c e ive and misl e ad m e n u nd e r t he ,

b e li e f that things hidd e n r e mot e or i n t he fu t u r e

, ,

may b e r e v e al e d by m e ans of m agn e tism an d ,

e sp e cially by t he aid of c e rtain wom e n who a re

’
compl e t e ly und e r t he magn e tist s control .

“
The H oly S e e wh e n consu lt e d in p artic u lar
,

cas e s has r e p e at e dly r ep li e d by cond e m ning as

,

u nlawfu l all e xp e rim e n ts mad e to obtai n a r e s u lt

oppos e d to t he n atural ord e r and to t he moral law ,

an d to O btain which u nl awful m e ans a re m ad e u s e of .

I t was i n s uch cas e s that i t was d e cid e d on t he 2 1 5 t of

A pril 1 8 41 that magn e tism as s e t forth i n this p e tition
,

is not p e rmissi bl e S o lik ewis e t he holy congr e ga

.
, ,

t ion d e e m e d it w e l l to forbid t he u s e of c e rtai n books

which syst e matically d i ffu s e e rror on this s u bj e ct .

B ut sinc e e xclusiv e of sp e cial cas e s it b e cam e n ec e s

, ,

sary to prono u n c e on t he practic e of m agn e tism i n

g en e ral t he following r u l e was e stablish e d o n J uly
,

1 8 1 84 A ll e rror b e i ng r e mov e d sorc e ry t he

‘
7
'

, , ,

invocation of spirits e xplicit or implicit t he u s e of

, ,

magn e ti s m that i s t he simpl e act of e mploying phy

, ,

s ic a l m e ans not oth e rwis e forbidd e n is not morally

, ,

i ll egal s o long as it is for no illicit or e vi l O bj e ct .

74 T HE E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T IS M .

But t he application of p u re ly physical prin cipl e s

an d m e ans to things or r e su lts which a re i n r e ality
s u p e rnat u ral s o as to giv e th e m a physical e xplan a
,

tion is n othing but a d e lusion and is altog e th e r

, ,

’
i ll egal and h e re tical .

“
A ltho u gh this d e cr e e s u fli c ie n t ly e xplai ns wha t
is l awfu l or u n la wful in t he u s e or ab u s e of mag
n e t is m hu man p e rv e rsity is such that m en who hav e
,

d e vot e d th e ms e lve s to t he discov e ry of what e v e r

m i nist e rs to curiosi ty gr e atly to t he d e tri m e nt of
,

t he s alvation of souls an d e v e n to that of civi l

,

soci e ty boast that th e y hav e fo u nd t he m e an s of

,

pr e diction and d ivination H e nc e i t follows that

.

w e ak mind e d wom e n thrown by g e sture s which a re

-

, ,

not always mod e st i nto a stat e of som nambulism

, ,

and of what is call e d cla i rvoy a n ce profe ss to s ee ,

thos e things which a re invisi bl e and claim with rash ,

a u dacity t he powe r of sp e aki ng on r e ligious m att e rs ,

of calli ng up t he spi rits of t he d e ad of re c e iving ,

answ e rs to th e i r e nqui ri e s and of discov e ring what

,

is u nkn own or r e m ot e Th ey practis e oth e r sup e r

.

s t it io n s of lik e n atur e i n ord e r that by this gift O f

, ,

d ivin ation th ey may procur e consid e rabl e gai n for

,

th e ms e lv e s and th e ir mast e rs What e v e r b e t he arts

.

o r illusions e mploy e d i n th e s e acts since physical ,

m e ans a re us e d to O btai n u nnatural r e s u lts t he ,

i m p ostu r e is worthy of cond e mnation sinc e i t is ,

h e r e tical and a scand al again st t he p u ri ty of morals .

I n ord e r th e r e for e e ffe ctually to r e pre ss s o gr e at an

, ,
7 6 TH E E LE M E N T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

has s o far r e c e i ve d t he att e n tion of but fe w O f t he

casuists The following e xtract how e v e r tak e n
.
, ,

from t he lat e st M oral Th e ology of t he J e suits p lac e s ,

t he m oral qu e stion on a v e ry cl e ar footing .

T he following is t he transl ation of t he L atin

I n d e aling with t he sup e rstitions of m agn e tism ,

I hav e n e c e ssarily touch e d on t he gr e at q u e stion o f

anim al m agn e tism as it is call e d wh e th e r to what , ,

e xt e nt and wh e n it m ay b e al low e d as a r e m e dy for

, ,

t he cu ring of d is e as e R e c e ntly m any of thos e things

.

which w e re form e rly attri but e d to m agn e tism a re

now e xpl ain e d on oth e r grounds and attri b u t e d to ,

’
that t o which t he nam e hyp notism has b ee n giv e n
nam e ly a wond e rful art so that by m e ans of t he fi x e d
,

ga z e at o n e obj e ct and t he conc e ntration of mind on

o n e thi ng a stat e of mind is produc e d in which t he
,

functions of t he n e rv e s an d o f a c e rtain part of t he

brain a re inhibit e d r e fl e x co nsciousn ess c e as e s t he ,

m an u nd e r t he in flu e nc e do e s all things at t he will

, ,

of anoth e r ; he man ife sts unkn owi ngly his n at u ral , ,

i n clin ations and t he d e e p e r his sl e e p things t he mor e

, ,

strang e he do e s or s u ffe rs This m e thod i s prais e d .

as b e ing mor e r e liabl e i n su rgical op e rations as ,

an an ae sth e tic and as o n e by m e ans of which t he

,

d is e as e s of t he brai n and of t he n e rv e s rh e u m atism , ,

et c . m ay b e e asily c u r e d
,
.

By t he th e ologian t he in q u i ry has to b e mad e

wh eth e r th is re m e dy b e a l e gitimate o n e I t is n ot .

1
Theo lo gia M or ali s . A Leh m k uhl
.
, S .
J .
 T HE LA T E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPN O T I SM 77

possibl e to d e ny its l awfuln e ss e xc e pt e ith e r

(I ) The mod e of inducing t he stat e is un lawfu l or ,

(2 ) T he s tat e i ts e lf is u nlawful I n t he m ode i t do e s

.

n ot s ee m possibl e to hold that th e r e is anythi ng u n

lawful e xc e pt inj u ry or sup e rstiti on e nt e r into i t I
, .

cannot t hink i njury i s d on e sinc e t he subj e ct must

cons e nt and mor e ov e r i t is said that a man can
, , ,

throw hims e lf i nto t he s tat e S u p e rstition of its e lf

.
, ,

do e s not e nt e r in i f t he m e thods and stat e r e mai n

,

as I hav e d e scrib e d F or i t is c e rtai n that

.

u nacc u stom e d chang e s tak e plac e in a m an by t he ,

alt e ration of t he n e rv es and brain i n an altog e th e r ,

n atural m an n e r ; it is mor eo ve r agr e e d that t he most

, ,

compl e t e hallu ci nations c an b e caus e d by p e rfe ctly

nat u ral m e ans . Wh e th e r th e r e fore you consid e r
, ,

t he stat e can b e induc e d i n a h e althy man or ,

wh eth e r you consid e r i t re qui r e s rath e r a c e rtai n , ,

morbid stat e of t he n e rv e s you always hav e a ,

n atural m e thod of tr e atm e nt .

I s t he s t a t e th e n i llicit
Y o u hav e t he d e privation of r e ason and a stat e i n
which y o u r ev e al t he most privat e matt e r and i n ,

which without conscious n e ss or fre e dom you follow

, ,

t he bidding of anoth e r Th e re fore t he more such a

.

stat e app e ars u n fi t t in g for a m an t he grav e r m u st b e

u

t he n e c e ssary r e ason by vi rtu e O f which it m ay b e

allowabl e to in duc e such a state ; n or will i ts

ind u ction e v e r b e lawfu l e xc e pt with t he e x e rcis e
of caution .
78 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

Th e re fore I I t is not lawfu l without th e re b e a

.

rela t i vely s e rious ca u s e si nc e you al ways hav e a

,

stat e and m ethod violen t and in this stat e t he m an

,

is d e prive d of t he u s e of r e ason and that not i n an ,

ord i n ary m ann e r as i n sl e e p

,
.

.2 I t wil l n e v e r b e lawful without t he e x e rcis e of

d u e cau tion ; l e st som e o n e should inj u r e t he man
S O s e n t to sl e e p e sp e ci ally as t he man cannot ro u s e
,

hims e lf from t he stat e Wh e r e fore e xc e pt t he

.
,

op e rator b e a tr u stworthy m an I should r e fu s e to ,

plac e mys e lf i n his han ds B u t d u e caution b e ing

.
,

obs e rve d and th e re b e i ng a s u ffi ci e nt r e ason hy p n o

, ,

t is m wou ld b e lawfu l t he mor e so i f i t b e tru e that

,

d is e as e s oth e rwis e inc u rabl e a re by this m e ans to b e

cu r e d ; b u t this o u ght to b e i nv e stigat e d u nd e r t he
sob e r e xp e ri e n c e of Ski ll e d physicians and not to b e ,

lightly b e li e v e d si n c e i t is w e ll known that s u ch

things a re oft e n told which o n b e i ng e nq u i r e d i nto
, , ,

a re fo u nd to b e m e r e d e lusions .

T he J e s u it i n d e scri bing t he stat e its e lf has

, ,

c e rtainly ov e rstat e d t he cas e for i t m u st b e r e m e m

,

b e re d that only a proportion of hypnotis e d subj e cts

a re su ffici e ntly u nd e r t he i nflu e nc e to manife st
th e ir nat u ral i nclinations witho u t car e or discr e tion ,

and i nd e e d it is still a matt e r of controv e rsy

, ,

as t o how far t he d e e p es t subj e cts will pr ej udi c e

th e ms e lv e s by any act or word of th e i rs wh e n i n t he
hypnotic stat e I t i s c e rtai n that i n a large propor
.

t ion of subj e cts in t he d e ep e st form s of hypnosis a

 T H E LAT E R H I S T O R Y OF HYPNO T I SM .

79

criminal sugg e stion wil l not b e ob ey e d and i t has ,

b e e n cl e arly shown that t he su cc e ss of such a s u g ges

tion wo u ld d e p e nd u pon t he moral charact e r of t he
subj e ct .

’
F r L ehm k u hl s arg u m e nt howe v e r gains rath e r
.
, ,

than los e s any forc e by r e ason of th e s e q u alificati ons

i t is e vid e nt that i f t he i nd u ction O f t he d ee p e st
stat e wh e n possibl e b e contrary to n o moral law
, , ,

th e r e can b e no suspicion against t he ind u ction of

any O f t he light e r stag e s .

I t may b e fairly claim e d that hypnotism has n ow

gai n e d a position in t he sci e ntific world that mak e s
it im p e ra t iv e on al l m e d ical and psychological
.

st u d e nts to study t he facts and prop e rti e s of hy p n o

t is m . The m e dical m an who wo u ld fright e n his
pati e nts by t e lling th e m tal e s of i nsanity following
t he ind u ction of hypnosis and t he vario u s fictions
,

with which m ost a re fami liar i s b e g i nn i ng to b e,

g e n e rally r e cognis e d as o n e usi ng long words and

omino u s s e nt e n c e s wh e r e with to cloak his own
ignoranc e A t t he sam e ti m e it ought to b e u nd e r
.
,

stood by all that t he d ang e rs of t he u nsci e ntific and

, ,

ignoran t u s e of hypnotism a re mani fold ; and i t is to

b e hop e d that b e for e long t he S tat e will i nt e rv e n e
, ,

to regulat e its u s e by re nd e ri ng t he practic e of

hypnotism i ll e gal e xc e pt i n t he hands of duly
qu alifi e d m e n und e r prop e r r e strictions .
 C HAPTER I I I .

M EN T AL A C T IO N .

The h um an m i n d an d t he l ogi c a l fac ulty —The e m o tio n a l fac ulty

~

T he i n fl uen c e o f e n vir o n m e n t —T he O p p os it e in flu e n c e —T he
n ec e s s ity o f p r e d i s p os iti o n —The h a r m on y o f t he r e as on a n d
e m o ti o n —T he b a s i s o f r e s on —U n ity o f i m p r e s s i on s —M en t a l
a

i n fl uen c e o n t he an i m al fun c ti o n s —The c on d iti on o f s l e ep —T he

D a c o it s —C o m a —E x am p l e s o f s l e e p a lli ed t o c o m —The d r e am a

i g s t a t e— C on d iti o n s for t he i n du c ti o n o f s l ee p —T he r ec e p ti v ity

n

o f t he s l e e p i n g s t a t e The n t u r e O f t he d r e a m i n g s t a t e
a

S o m a m b uli s m —V i e w s of L iéb ault B e r n h ei m M 011 an d

n , , ,

T uc k e y o n s l ee p—The an a l ogi e s O f t he w aki n g s t at e —M ull e r

—H e rb e rt S pe n c e r — I d eas an d s en so ri a l i m p res s i o n s — E x
am p l e s o f th e s e —I d ea ti on — T he o rig i n ti on a by n e r ve c e tres n

—S us p en s i on o f t he i n hibit o ry c en tr e —S ugg es ti on —D iffe r en t

fo r m s o f thi s —Au t o m a ti c a n d y olun t a y ac ti o n s —I n c re as ed
r

o w e r d ue t o c o m bi n ed ac ti on o f th e s e —T he i n t ell e c t an d
p
s e n s a ti o s
n — Brai d s e x p e ri m en t s —O th e r illus trati on s —D r W igan
’

—H erb ert S pen c e r — Jo h n H un t e r —I n vo l un t a ry ac ti o n s

T he i n t e ll ec t an d t he o rg an i c fu n c ti o n s — H y s t e ri a— R e li g i o us
c o n vu l s i o n s —T he F akir s
—T he A is s ou n s —W es l e y —S h ak eri s m
a

O c ho ro wic —The s u bj ec ti ve n a t u re O f hyp n o s i s

z .

T H E hypnotist i s fr e q u e ntly ask e d to giv e a si mpl e

and compl e t e e xplanation of t he ph e nom e n a of
hypnosis and such a r e q u e st is r e asonabl e if it b e
,

cl e arly u nd e rstood that t he e xplanation must b e

m or e or l e ss t e ntativ e and i n proportion to ou r
k nowl e dg e of t he n orm al m e ntal stat e I t is how .
,

e v e r apt to b e forgott e n that o u r knowl e dge of this

,

n ormal condition i s v e ry limit e d and d e p e nds ,

altog e th e r on t he O bs e rvatio n of its p h e nom e na ;

 M E N T AL A C T IO N . 8 1

of t he actu al natu re of t he m en t a l proc ess e s we a re

e nti re ly ignorant A ny att e mpt th e re for e, to pro
.
,

po u nd a th e ory which should absol u t e ly e l u cid at e

t he m e ntal stat e p rod u c e d i n hypnosis wo u l d b e

plain ly fr u itl e ss an d w e m ust b e cont e nt i n t he

, ,

i nv e stigation of this abnormal condition to proc e e d ,

o n e xactly t he sam e lin e s which hav e b ee n follow e d

i n t he cas e of t he n ormal and common conditions o f
t he brain .O u r obj e ct th e n is a co m parison O f
, ,

r es u lts ; we tak e fi rst t he ph e nom e n a o f t he brai n

, ,

i n i ts various stat e s outsid e hypnosis an d compare ,

th e m with t he hypnotic ph e nom e na ; so that we m ay

arriv e with a fai r d e gr ee of c e rtainty at t he e ss e ntial
points of di ffe re nc e b e tw ee n t he two cond itions
I t is n e c e ssary to pr e dicat e O f t he h u m an mi nd

1 . That t he logical fac u lty of t he brain is chi e fly t he

re s u lt of training and e d u cation .

2 . That this logical fac u lty e v e n i n t he s p h e r e s

,

wh e r e it should b e most us e d is always modi

fi e d by t he s e ns e s of e motion and affe ction ;
whilst i n t he pre d isposition towards c e rtain
,

mod e s of tho u ght and action h e r e dity p lays ,

an important part .

x e rcis e of discri m in ation i n t he acc e ptanc e

T he e

of stat em e nt and d ogma com e s to us as we r e cognis e

t he n e c e ssity of such sc e ptici sm D u ring childhood.

this faculty do e s not e xist and stat e m e nt and d ogma

,

a re impr e ss e d on t he i nfant mi nd wi thou t arousing

F
82 TH E ELE MEN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

any logical r e sistan c e ; n o r do e s t he child poss e ss

any r e asonin g consciousn e ss of possibl e e rror .

Th u s t he e d u cation of t he child u nl e ss i t b e ,

p e c u liarly and e xc e ptionally wis e t e nds to r e strai n ,

t he action of fr e e will and i t m ay b e d o u bt e d

-

wh e th e r any m ind is capabl e of altog e th e r

withd rawing its e lf from t he bonds of train ing ,

circumstanc e and e nviron m e nt to which d u ring its

, ,

i n fan cy it has b ee n s u bj e ct e d F or t he m ind of gre at

.

r e fl e ctiv e and analytical pow e r i s apt to r e s e nt al l

id e as which app e ar to hav e b e e n impre ss e d on it by
su ch m e ans and is i n cons e qu e nc e attract e d by vi e ws
, , ,

and th e ori e s of an O pposit e n atu r e Thus i n t he .

,

l att e r cas e th e r e is a pr ej ud ic e against b e li e f and

, , ,

i n t he form e r th e r e i s a wish to b e li e ve ; both

,

i mpu ls e s springing not fro m an i nh e r e nt pow e r i n

t he m ind bu t from an e xt e rnal impr e ssion .

N or d o m e n bas e th e i r r e asonabl e acts on any

l ogical proc e ss ; t he obj e ct of t he publi c S p e ak e r of ,

t he r e ligiou s pr e ach e r of any o n e wh o t ri e s with any

, ,

su cc e ss to bring t he m aj ority rou n d to his sid e is

, ,

n ot to put b e for e his h e ar e rs or re ad e rs a co u rs e of

philosophic tho u ght i n which no flaw is to b e fo u nd ,

b ut rath e r to touch so m e com mon chord and e lici t

, , ,

for his doctrin e s a sympath e tic pre dispositi o n an d

att e nti on G iv e n this his vi ews d o n ot m ee t with t he
.
,

calc u lating fa u lt fi n d in g criticism of t he cold oppon

,
-

e n t b u t are r e c e iv e d by minds alr e ady pre par e d to

,

e x lain away di ffi culti e s and i nv e nt furth e r th e ori e s

p
84 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

abs e nt and i nd e e d i f not i n all at l e ast i n t he

, , ,

m aj ority i t m ay b e said t o pr e dominat e

, .

T he r e al and prop e r u s e of t he l ogical faculty i s

plainly t he p u rsu it of kn owl e dg e —a purs u it dictat e d
by t he l ov e of truth Thus n o t only i s t he b e li e f or
.

t he d isb e l i e f of any propositi on an act i n which

t he logical and t he e m otion al a re combin e d b u t ,

t he ca u s e of such i nt e ll e ctual action is p u r e ly

e m otion al .

That th e s e stat e m e nts m ay s e e m rash and para

d o x ic a l i s m or e than probabl e ; y e t it is only
p ossi bl e t o avoid th e s e co n cl usi ons if we a re abl e
t o S how that th e r e a re any whos e acts and thoughts ,

i n th e i r origi n an d e x e cution are pu r e ly l ogical

, .

\Ve hav e th e r e for e a m e ntal stat e to consid e r

, ,

w hich in its n orm al conditi on i s t he r e s u lt of an

, ,

e l aborat e balan cing of i d e as s e ntim e nts th e ori es

, , ,

and facts ; n e ith e r t he r e ason nor t he e m otion a re

capabl e of acting e ntir e ly i nd e p e nd e ntly of o n e
anoth e r b u t p e rform th e ir functions i n such subtl e
,

harm ony that n o singl e act can b e d e scrib e d as

pu r e ly r e asonabl e e motional o r id e ational I t
, ,
.

follows th e n that an i m pre ssion m ad e on t he

, ,

e motion al c e ntr e of t he brain by n o m e an s r e mains

m e r e ly an e moti onal impr e ssion b u t wi ll l e ad t he ,

r e asoning fac u lty to adapt t he action s i t d ictat e s to ,

an harmony with t he e m oti ons arous e d ; and so i t

is with al l t he c e ntr e s of t he brai n ; an im pr ession
i s not confin e d to t he particular c e ntr e which is
 M EN T AL A C T I ON .

pri marily affe ct e d b u t e xt e nds its in flu e n c e ov e r

,

t he whol e brain .

A s w e study t he ph e nom e na O f wh at is t e rm e d
s u gg e stion we s e e t he i mportanc e of cl e arly
,

appr e ciating this compl e x acti on O f t he brain i n ,

virt u e o f which an impr e ssion r e c e ive d by a singl e

s e ns e i s co nv e rt ed by t he p e rsist e nt t e nd e ncy of
,

t he brain to harm onis e all it s p e rc e ptions and

e motions i nto an i mpr e ssion r e c e iv e d and e ndors e d
,

by t he whol e of t he r e asoning and p e rc e ptiv e

fac u lti e s
.

B ut thu s far we hav e only touch e d on t he

psychological asp e ct of this m e ntal action ; w e
hav e still to not e that i f t he brai n b e t he organ ,

of t he mind i t i s e q u ally t he organ of t he animal

,

fu nctions .

To it s i nitiativ e is d u e e v e ry act of t he body an d ,

h e r e agai n t he harmony O f t he hum an organism is

e v e n m ore appar e nt I lln e ss of t he body will r e s u lt
.

i n i lln ess O f t he m ind W e hav e only to stay i n a

.

town wh e r e t he cli m at e i s e n e rvating to fi nd that a

'

corr e spond ing las s itud e of min d a c c o m p a n ie s t he

e nfe e bling of t he ani mal fu nctions .

A gain we fee l il l and go to t he th e atre or sp e nd

,

som e tim e am idst a bri lli an t soci e ty and forg e t i n ,

t he e xcit e m e nt and pl e asu r e of t he mom e nt o u r i lls ,

and pains to fi nd wh e n we c e a s e from t he e nj oym e n t

, , ,

that we n o long e r fe e l i ll and d e pr e ss e d b u t w e ll an d

happy .
86 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

A nd e v e ry re ad e r wi ll b e abl e to fin d from his

own e x p e ri e n c e many e xam pl e s of thi s c o rres p o n
d e nc e b e tw e e n t he mi nd an d t he body .

T he d e gr e e of i nfl u e n c e which is e x e rt e d ov e r t he
b ody by t he m i nd n e c e ssari ly vari e s larg e ly i n t he
p e rson of d ull h e avy and stupid d isposition its
, ,

r e su lts a re by n o m e ans striking ; to t he brilliant ,

vivacious d ispositi on wh e r e t he m e ntal instru m e nt

,

i s of fi n e adj u stm e nt and d e l icat e str u ctu r e; we look

for ou r b e st e xampl e s ; W hilst we l e arn m u ch from
t he study of thos e abnormal cas e s wh e r e t he brain i s ,

ov e r s e nsitiv e an d m or e or l e ss o u t of balanc e and ,

wh e re i n cons e qu e nc e r e s u lts a re obtain e d of a

, ,

s tran g e an d wond e rfu l charact e r .

W e have th e n to consid e r t he various stat e s O f

, ,

t he brain in t he m any asp e cts it pr e s e nts u nd e r

n ormal and u nd e r e x c e ption al conditions .

F i rstly we wi ll con sid e r v e ry bri e fly and c u rsori ly

,

t he stat e of n orm al sl e e p .

P rofou nd sl e e p is a s usp e nsion of t he an im al

pow e rs of s e n s e and m oti on I n this stat e t he con
.

s c io u s n es s is n ot e xcit e d by t he transm ission o f

s e nsation to t he brain nor by t he transmissi on from
,

t he brai n of n e rvous i mp u ls e s D u ring t he d e e p e s t

.

sl e e p t he an imal proc e ss e s proc e e d uni n t e rrupt e dly .

P u lsation , r e spi ration conti nu e ; whil e t he u n c o n

,

s c io u s n e s s of t he sl e e p e r r e m ains appar e ntly p e rfe ct

he i s ca p ab l e of adapting hi ms e lf to outsid e circu m

stanc e s ; thus he wi ll turn i n hi s b ed from w e ari n ess
,
88 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYP NO T I S M .

m ost activ e ly e ngag e d wo rn ou t by t he conti nu e d

,

m e ntal t e nsion fe ll asl e e p and r e main e d p e rfe ctly

, ,

unconscious for two hours withi n a yard of o n e of ,

his larg e st g u ns whi ch was b e i ng work e d e n e rg e tic

ally d u ring t he whol e p e riod .

B e tw e e n t he condi tion of normal profoun d sl e e p an d

t he n orm al waking stat e th e r e a re many gradations
,
.

T he d rea m ing stat e s e e ms to b e o n e i n which that

part of t he brain r e c e iving t he n e rvous impul s e s of
,

e xt e rnal s e nsati on is fully contract e d by r e ason

,

Of t he withd rawal O f t he prop e r blood s u pply

from t he brai n ; whi ls t t he c e ntre for t he int e rn al

i m puls e s of t he c e r e bru m is only partial ly con
tract e d and i n cons e qu e nc e t he brai n is conscio u s
, , ,

of i nt e ll e ct u al s ensation but i s u nconscious of any

,

e xt e rnal s e ns e i mpr e ssion .

F or t he i nduction of sl e e p s e ve ral concom itan t

condi tions a re n e c e ssary .

1 . An e xha u sti on of p ot e ntial e n e rgy i n t he brai n

c e lls caus e d by pr evious fu nction al activity
,
.

2 . A l e ss an d d e cr e asi ng flo w of blood thro u gh t he

brai n .

3 . Ch e m ical chang e s i n t he tissu e an d brain d u e to

t he wast e prod u cts caus e d by n e rvo u s action .

Th e r e are oth e r con ditions m or e o r les s n e c e ssary '

such as a com fortabl e postu r e a p e ac e ful stat e of ,

t he m i nd t he abs e nc e of e xt e rnal e xcit e m e nt e t c

, , .

S om e ti m e s how e v e r t he pr e s e n c e of e xt e rn al
, ,
 M EN TA L A C T I ON .
9

e xcit e m e n t is n e c e ssary thos e accustom e d to S l ee p

i n t he m idst of gr e at nois e fi nd i t difficu lt t o sl e e p
wh e n th e re i s p e rfe ct S i l e nc e .

M onotono u s r e p e titi ons have a t e nd e ncy to in

d u c e sl e e p ; t he u nvarying acc e nts O f an u nskilfu l
pr e ach e r a re an instanc e .

T he transition from t he waki ng to t he sl e e ping

stat e and v ice vers a m ay b e sudd e n but g e n e rally
, ,

th e r e is a noti c e abl e gradation Th u s t he m an who

.
, ,

“
wh e n sitting in his arm chai r do z e s is bro u ght
-

back to a parti al d egr e e O f consciousn e ss by his

h e ad falling forward I t is a com mon e xp e ri e n c e
.

with m any to wak e u p at any tim e th ey m ay hav e

pr e vio u sly d e cid e d u pon Th is is a fact of p e c u liar
.

importanc e and i nd e e d t he v e ry fami li arity with

, ,

many strang e facts pr e v e nts ou r prop e r appr e ciation

of th e m . I t is possibl e to awak e an h e avy
S l e e p e r by m e an s which would fail e ntir e ly with
anoth e r— t he m e a n s b ei ng in cid e nt to hi s calling
or profe ssion . D r Carp e nt e r giv e s a graphic
illustration of this
“
M ost sl e e p e rs a re awok e by t he sound O f t hei r
own n a m es utt e r e d i n a low ton e ; wh e n i t r e q u ir e s

a m u ch lo u d e r sound of a d iffe r e n t d e scription to

prod uc e any m ani fe station o f consciousn e ss T he .

sam e thi ng is s ee n i n com atos e stat e s ; a pati e nt

b e ing oft e n fo u nd capabl e of b e ing mom e ntarily
aro u s e d b y s ho u t in g his n am e i nto his e a r wh e n
~

no oth e r sound produ c e s t he l e ast e ffect T he .

90 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

m e d ical practition e r i n his fi rst profo und sl e e p

,

aft e r a laborious day is awok e by t he fi rst strok e

,

of t he clapp e r of his night b e ll o r e v e n by t he -

m ov e m e nt of t he b e ll wi r e which pre c e d e s it T he
-
.

t e l e graph cl e rk how e v e r d e e p t he r e pos e i n which

-

he has lost t he r e m e mbranc e of hi s pr e vious vigi l s ,

i s r e call e d to activi ty by t he faint e st sou nd prod uc e d

by t he vibration of t he signalli ng n ee dl e to whos e ,

ind icati ons he is r e q u ir e d to giv e d ilig e nt h ee d .

The m oth e r whos e anxi e ty for her offs pring is for

,

a ti m e t he d omin ant fe e ling i n he r m i nd i s arous e d ,

from t he r e fr e shing sl umb e r in which al l he r car e s

hav e b ee n forgott e n by t he slight e st wai l of u n e as i
,

”
n e ss p roc e e ding from he r infan t charg e .

Thus i n o rd inary sl e e p th e re is O ft e n pr e s e n t a
,

p e cu li ar recept ivity for c e rtai n d e fini t e s e ns e im -

p re ssions acquir e d by r e ason of t he pr evious di r e ction

of t he m i nd .

D r e am ing sl e e p p r e s e nts m any n ot e worthy p ec u

lia rit ies
. T he consciousn e ss of t he e xt e rn al i s
compl e t e ly abs e nt ; t he m ind is m or e or l ess activ e
conscio u sn e ss of this acti on is m ore or l e ss pre s e nt ,

and t he subs e qu e n t r e m e mbranc e of t he d r e am is

som e ti m e s com p l e t e som e tim e s ha z y and som e
, ,

tim e s n on e xist e nt
-
.

A ll control ov e r t he cu rre nt of tho u ght i s

s u sp end e d Th e r e a re many i ns tanc es wh e re t he
.

s l e e p e r i n his d r e am has b ee n abl e to compl e t e

calculations writ e p o e ms compos e m usi c
, ,
T he .
92 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T ISM .

sl e e p I n t he fe w e xp e rim e nts o f this n atur e that

.

t he writ e r h as b e e n abl e to m ak e he has m e t with ,

som e satis factory but not conclusiv e r e su lts .

I n t he discussion of t he vari ous hypnotic stat e s

t he r e ad e r wi ll n otic e that th e r e is o n e stat e

somnambulism —in which t he s ubj e ct on awaki ng , ,

has com pl e t e ly forgott e n al l that took plac e und e r

t he hypn osis ; whi lst i n t he oth e rs t he m e mory i s
, ,

mor e or l e ss compl e t e .

Th e s e two stat e s fi n d th e i r co u nt e rparts also i n , ,

d r e aming sl e e p Th e r e s ee m to b e i n fact thr e e

.

phas e s of dre am s

1 . D r e ams , occu rring m ost fr e q u e ntly i n d e e p sl e e p ,

whi ch in t he waking stat e a re qu it e forgott e n

, ,
.

2 . D r e am s r e m e m b e r e d o n waking .

3 . D r e am s in which t he sl e e p is so light that th e y

a re not only r e m e mb e r e d but th e ir u nr e ality is
,

r e cognis e d d u ri ng t he d r e am its e l f .

F o r all th e s e c u riou s facts we

fi nd striking
,

an alogi e s i n t he various d egr e e s of hypnosis Th e r e .

is a mor e i nt e ns e form of d re am sl e e p walking or -

somn amb u lis m — which di ffe rs from t he light e r forms

In t he fact that t he dr e am e r n ot only thi nks b u t

acts H e r e again th e r e a re m any stag e s from t he

.
,

o n e who mutt e rs i ncoh e r e nt words to t he d e e p e st

som nambu lism with which most a re fami liar T he .

somnambulist can cl e arly s ee his way as he pass e s

by but he d o e s not s ee any p e rsons who may b e
,
 M EN T AL A CT ION .
93

watching hi m ; nor do es he h e ar words that a re

add re ss e d to him H e is awak e appar e ntly only
.
, ,

to p e rform t he particular act which is i n hlS m i nd .

I t is possibl e how e v e r for t he somn ambulist to

, ,

h e ar words addr e ss e d to hi m i f th ey hav e r e fe r e nc e

to t he subj e ct o n which he is i nt e nt T he fol lowing .
,

q u ot e d from D r Carp e nt e r is a cas e i n point

,

“
A yo u ng lady wh e n at school fr e q u e ntly b e gan
, ,

to talk aft e r having b e e n asl ee p an hou r or two ;

he r id e as almost always ran u pon t he e v e nts of t he
pre vious d ay ; and if e ncou rag e d by l e ading qu e stions
,

addr e s s e d to he r s he would giv e a v e ry disti nct

,

and coh e re n t account of th e m fr e qu e ntly disclosing

,

he r own p e ccadi llo e s and thos e of her school fe llows -

and e xpr e ssing gre at p e nit e nc e for t he form e r whilst ,

s he s e e m e d to h e sitat e about making known t he latt e r .

To all ordi nary sou nds how e v e r s he s e e m e d p e r

, ,

fe c t ly i ns e nsibl e
. A lo u d n ois e would awak e he r ,

bu t was n e v e r p e rc e iv e d in t he sl e e p talking stat e ; -

and i f t he i nt e rlocutor ad dr e ss e d to he r any qu e s

tions or obs e rvati ons that d id not fall i n with her
trai n of thought th e y w e re co mpl e t e ly d isr egard e d
, .

By a littl e adroitn e ss how e v e r s he m ight b e le d

, ,

to talk u pon almost any s u bj e ct — a transition b e ing

g ra d u a lly mad e fro m o n e to anoth e r by m e ans of
.

”
l e ading q u e sti ons .

P e rhaps t he most im portant not e o f t he s o m n a m

bulic stat e is that nothing of t he thought or action
is r e m e mb e re d in t he waking stat e or is r e m e mb e r e d
,
94 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I SM .

only as a dr e am E ve ry p articu lar how e ve r is oft e n

.
, ,

r e m e mb e r e d on t he n e xt occasion .

A noth e r cas e i s quot e d by Carp e n t e r proving

, ,

“
cl e arly this fact A s e rvant maid rath e r giv e n
.
-

to sl e e p walking miss e d o n e of he r combs ; and

-

b e ing u nabl e to d iscov e r it o n making t he m ost ,

d ilig e n t s e arch charg e d t he fe llow s e rvant who sl e pt

,
-

i n he r room with h aving tak e n it O n e m orning

,
.
,

how e v e r s he awok e wi th t he com b i n her ha n d ; s o

,
'

that th e r e can b e no d ou bt that s he had p u t i t

away on a pr e vi ou s night witho u t pre s e rving any ,

waking re m e m branc e of t he occ u rr e nc e ; an d that

s he ha d r e cove r e d i t wh e n t he r e m e mbranc e of its

hiding plac e was brought to he r by t he r e curr e nc e

-

”
of t he stat e i n which it had b e e n s e cre t e d .

Thi s r e cu rre nc e of m e mory coincid e s pr e cis e ly

with t he fe at u r e s of t he hypnotic stat e wh e re t he ,

subj e ct o n awaking will kn ow n othing of t he e x

p e rim e n t s p e rform e d b u t on t he n e xt hypnosis
,

will r e m e m b e r th e m all .

F in ally I q u ot e o n e of t he most compl e t e cas e s

,

e xtant ,
r e cord e d by D r A b e rcombi e on t he
a u thority of D r J am e s G re gory and quot e d by ,

Carp e nt e r A n o fli c er who s e rv e d i n t he e xp e d ition

.
‘

to L o u isbu rgh i n 1 7 5 8 was subj e ct to d re aming .

’
T he co u rs e of this i nd ivid ual s d r e ams could b e co m

p le t e ly dir e ct e d by whi sp e ring i nto his e ar e sp e ci ally ,

i f this was d on e by a fri e nd with whos e voic e he was

familiar and his compan ions i n t he transpo rt w e r e
,
96 TH E ELE M EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

m e nts he had no distinct r e coll e ctio n of his d r e ams ,

b u t on ly a con fus e d fee ling of oppr e ssion and fatigu e ,

an d he us e d to t e l l his fri e nds that he was s u re th e y

had b ee n pl aying som e trick u pon hi m .

L ié b a u lt and B e rnh e i m hav e all along m ai ntain e d

t he clos e r e lati onshi p of n atu ral and hypn oti c sl e e p ,

and th e i r vi e w s ee ms to b e confirm e d by a larg e mass

of e vid e nc e D r M 0 11 and D r L loyd T u ck e y ho w
.
,

eve r, though th e y both adopt t he m e thods and

th e ori e s of N ancy di ffe r from this opin ion Tuck e y
, .

says ,
I cannot b u t thi nk that B e rnh e i m has
som e what e xagg e rat e d t he clos e n e ss of t he an alogy
”
b e tw e e n hypn otic and n atural sl e e p an d u nqu e s tion
,

ably in t he light e r forms of hyp nosi s t he r e s e mblanc e

is not at fi rst sight gr e at
, , but t he fact of t he sub
’
j e c t s e xp e ctancy and of t he artificial i nd uction
of t he stat e may s e rv e to e xpl ai n t he i ncr e as e d
pow e rs of t he stat e s compar e d with light n atu ral
sle e p .

T he n e xt n e c e ssary consid e ration is t he analogy

of hypnoti c sugge stion to b e fo u nd i n t he waki ng
stat e .

T he i nflu e nc e of t he mi nd u pon t he bo dy to thos e ,

who hav e st u di e d at all t he n e rvo u s syst e m s ee ms ,

no mor e wond e rful than t he i nfl u e nc e which t he body

h as ov e r t he m e ntal stat e b u t t he s udde n physical
chang e s which occu r i n r e spons e to a m e ntal
i mpre ssion oft e n occasion s urpris e from t he fact of
,

t he cau s e b e ing a pow e r so intangibl e and so littl e

 M E N T A L AC T IO N .

97
u nd e rstood as t he brai n T he n atu r e and t he pow e r
.

of this i nfl u e nc e vari e s gr e atly i n i ndividuals but its ,

comm on pre s e n c e in al l is d e monstrat e d M ii lle r .

said that I d e as do n ot act m e r e ly on t he m otor

apparatus by which th e y a re e xpr e ss e d ; th ey as
fre qu e ntly a ffe ct t he organs of s e ns e which th e n ,

”
pre s e n t s e nsorial impr e ssions or i mag e s of t he i d e as .

H e rb e rt S p e n c e r by his own accou nt i f he thought

, ,

of s ee ing a slat e r u bb e d by a S pong e e xp e ri e nc e d ,

t he sam e thrill that actu ally s e e ing i t produc e s .

The w e ll known tal e of t he butch e r who wh e n

-

g e tting down a j oi nt of m e at fe ll an d was ca u ght ,

up by t he hook is anoth e r instanc e T he hook as

, .
,

a matt e r O f fact only pass e d thro u gh hi s coat ; but

,

he i mag in e d that h e was lit e rally hu ng u p by t he

fl e sh and e x p e ri e nc e d i n cons e qu enc e t he most
, , ,

acut e agony D r H ack Tuk e r e lat e s a cu rious i llus

.

t ra t io n of t he in fl u e nc e of t he imagin ation upon

s e nsorial impr ession which occu rr e d during t he fi re

,

at t he C ry stal P alac e i n 1 8 6 7 Wh e n t he animals .

w e re d e stroy e d by t he fi re it was s u ppos e d that t he

,

chimpan z e e had succ e e d e d i n e scaping from hi s

cag e A ttract e d t o t he roof with this e xp e ctati on i n
.

full forc e m en saw t he u nhap p y animal holdi ng on

,

to it and writhing i n agony to g et astrid e o n e of t he

,

i ron ribs I t n e e d not b e s aid that i ts struggl e s w e re

.

watch e d by thos e b e low with bre athl e ss susp e ns e

“ ”
and sick e ning dre ad But th e r e was no ani mal
.

what e v e r th e re a nd all this fe e l ing was thrown away

,

G
9 8 TH E E LEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

u p o n a t att e r e d pi e c e of bli nd s o torn as to r e s e mbl e

,

to t he ey e of fancy t he body arms and l egs of an , ,

ap e D r Tuck e y qu ot e s a cas e re cord e d by Wood

hous e B rain e t he chloroformist T he O p e rator had
, .

plac e d t he i nhaling bag withou t any e th e r or oth e r

,

an ae sth e ti c ov e r t he m outh and n os e of t he pati e nt

,

a young gi rl —in ord e r to famili aris e he r with t he

tr e atm e nt . H e was astonish e d to find that i n a
m om e nt or two t he pati e nt was b e comi ng u n c o n
scious ; and soon her ey e s t u rn e d u p and s he was
, ,

p e rfe ctly i ns e nsibl e and a ,

p ai nful O p e ration was
p e rform e d without t he us e of any an aesth e tic .

I m agin ation is a prop e r t e rm to us e i n such cas e s ,

i f i t b e p ro p e rly u nd e rstood b u t it m u st b e r e m e m
b e r e d that t he e ffe ct i s as r e al an d j ust as mu ch a
fact wh e n t he n e rv e curre nts a re s e nt from t he brai n
t o a p articular p art of t he body as wh e n th es e ,

curr e nts a re dispatch e d from that part O f t he body

to t he brain .

This i s conclu siv e ly shown i n t he instanc e s qu ot e d ,

and how e v e r won d e rful or i n e xplicabl e i t m ay s e e m

,

to m any it cannot b e d e ni e d th at t he i magination

,

was s uffici e nt to prod u c e a stat e i n which a most

p ainfu l op e rati on cou ld b e p e rform e d without in t he

l e ast distr e ssing t he p ati e nt But i n r e ality t he

.
, ,

ph e nom e non i s n o m o re i n e xplicabl e than t he ordin ary

and mor e normal action of t he n e rv e s and for this ,

“ ”
r e aso n I pr e fe r t he t e rm I d e ati on to that of
“ ”
I magination sin c e t he latt e r word by its fre qu e nt
, ,
1 00 T HE ELE M EN T S O F H YPN O T I S M .

and e sp e cially o f t he i nhibi tory or r e straining

c e ntre I t is w e ll known that u nd e r circ u mstan c e s
.

o f e xtr e m e fright acts hav e b e e n p e rform e d which ,

und e r ord i n ary conditi on s would n e v e r hav e b e e n

,

att e m pt e d. M e n chas e d by bulls hav e j ump e d

across str e ams cl e ar e d hu rdl e s and accomplish e d
, ,

athl e ti c fe ats whi ch i n th e ir e v e ry d ay life th e y

,
-

would hav e l a u gh e d at t he i d e a of t ryi ng T u ck e y .

r e cords t he cas e of a young lady who had for

m onths b ee n confin e d to he r b e d or cou ch u nabl e to , ,

walk a st e p from ap par e nt p aralysis whi ch d e fi e d

,

al l tr e atm e n t O n e m orning n e ws was brought that

.

he r broth e r to whom S he was d e vot e dly attach e d

, ,

had fall e n from his hors e and was lyi n g in a critical

cond ition som e m il e s away S he i m m e diat e ly got
.

up h e rs e lf h e lp e d to saddl e a hors e rod e to t he

, ,

sc e n e of t he accid e nt an d n u rs e d he r broth e r n ight

,

an d day for a w e e k T he n e rvou s S hock had brought

.

t he volition al c e ntr e or wil l into op e rati on a n d s he

, , ,

was p e rm an e ntly cu r e d O f t he larg e nu mb e r of.

e l e ctrical b e lts which a re adv e rtis e d few poss e ss any

e l e ctrical pow e r as any o n e with a slight knowl e dg e

,

of e l e ctricity can v e ri fy by a c u rsory e xamination .

That m any of th e m d o good i s almost e qually

und e n iabl e and this s o far from b e ing wond e r
, ,

ful is only anoth e r e vid e nc e of t he p ow e r of

,

sugge stion .

A fri e nd was t e l lin g m e r e c e ntly of an e x p e ri e nc e

which b e ars mu ch on t he pr e s e nt p oint H e w e nt .
 M EN T AL A C T I ON . 101

to b e d fe e ling v e ry i ll an d his wi fe s e nt for t he

,

doctor I nst e ad of m e re ly pr e scribing for his pati e n t

.
,

t he doctor s at by t he b e dsid e talking airi ly and

lightly an d assuring hi m occasionally that he was

,

r e ally q u it e w e ll A t t he e n d of half a n hou r t he

.
- -

d octor l e ft and my fri e n d ask e d why t he doctor had

,

b e e n s e n t for —he felt p e rfe ctly w e ll A sp e ll of

,
.

m e n tal fatigu e an d worry had r e sult e d i n a m i ld

attack of n e rvo u s prostration which t he skilfu l sug
,

g estion O f t he doctor had b e e n suffi ci e nt to d issipat e .

M any mor e i nstanc e s might b e add u c e d bu t thos e ,

quot e d a re su ffici e nt to i llustrat e t he i nflu e nc e of

s u gg e stion on t he n e rvous an d cons e qu e ntly on t he
,

physical syst e m
, .

I t m ay b e said how e v e r that t he p ractic e of this

, ,

sugg e stion i n t he cas e of w e ak m i nd e d p e rsons i s

-

no doubt of valu e but that it is un lik e ly to b e

,

applicabl e to o n e poss e ss e d of a r e ally h e althy mi nd

and body I n r e ality e v e ry o n e is i nfl u e nc e d by
.
,

s u gg e stion i n t he cas e of o n e with n o gr e at str e ngth

of will a word or an act m ay b e su ffici e nt to attai n
,

t he p u rpos e whilst a h e althy m ind will g e n e rally

,

only re spond to a mor e hidd e n and a mor e s u btl e

i mpuls e . What i s i t that so i mbu e s t he mi nd
of t he Cons e rvativ e with his pri ncipl e s that he ,

compl et e ly fai ls to a pp r e ci at e t he qualiti e s and

doctri n e s of his oppon e nts ? A n d why such
cont e mpt i n t he L ib e ral for t he id e as of
C ons ervatism
1 02 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .
’

Training e d ucation e nvi ron m e n t i n t he larg e

, , ,

m aj ority of cas e s account for t he political and oth e r

,

vi e ws of m e n A ll th e s e a re but forms of s ugg e stion

.
,

e mphasis e d possibly at no giv e n tim e wi th any gr e at

, ,

i nsist e nc e bu t y e ar by y e ar e ngraft e d o n t he m i nd
, , , .

T he i n fl u e nc e which a l e arn e d an d pati e nt schol ar

will e x e rt ov e r m any of his l ist e n e rs an d r e ad e rs i s
of a si milar n atu r e .

T he m ost su cc e ssfu l l e ad e rs of thought a re thos e

who b e st know how to s u gg e st by a s ubtl e com
binati on of t he t e ntativ e an d t he d ogmatic .

Thus th e r e s e e m s to b e i n t he hu m an organ is m a
,

d ual n e rvo u s acti on t he o n e automatic and i n tuitive

, ,

h
t e oth e r ration al volition al and d e li b e rativ e
,
1
Th e y
,
.

m ay act s e parat e ly or tog e th e r as ci rcumstanc e s

, ,

d e mand . G e n e rally walking s e e ing h e aring a re

, , ,

autom ati c actions i n whi ch n o e x e rcis e o f t he will is

n e c e ssary ; n or can it b e s aid that tho u gh t he action ,

of t he will i s n ot fe lt i t m ay n ev e rth e l e ss b e n ec e s
, , ,

“ ”
sary to and acting i n th e s e a utomatic acts S u ch
, ,
.

an hypoth e sis i s n ot appli cabl e t o t he i nvoluntary

mov e m e nts of t he h an d or arm oft e n m ad e on t he ,

im p u ls e of t he m om e nt t o b e ch e ck e d t he n e xt,

mom e n t by t he action o f t he r e asoni ng an d d el ib e r

ativ e c e ntre s an d i t is n ot possibl e t o al lo w of
any voliti onal act i n t he p e rform anc e of t he
organ ic function of r e spirati on Whilst t he action
,
.

of th es e two parts of t he n e rvo u s syst e m — t he

Vide Tu c k ey op
1
it , . c .
10 4 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

e qu ally gre at e xt e nt ti l l it wo u ld s e e m that he could

,

hardly d o more had he t he u s e of hi s s ight .

T he i nt e ll e ct i s capabl e of producing s e nsation

—i ncr e asing t he s e nsation to an abnorm al d egr ee or ,

susp e nding i t altog e th e r I nstanc e s of t he produc

.

tion i ncr e as e or s u sp e nsion of s e nsation a re to b e

, ,

fou nd i n larg e nu mb e rs A ll thr e e m ay occu r i n

.

t he sam e i ndivi d ual at d iffe r e nt tim e s but i t is ,

m or e O ft e n fou nd that t he i nd ivid ual i s s u bj e ct to

only o n e of th e s e i nt e ll e ct u al influ e nc e s .

Brai d r e cords an e xp e ri m e nt of his b e aring o n

this H e r e qu e st e d fo u r g e n tl e m e n i n good h e alth
.

to lay th e i r arms on a tabl e with t he palm of th e i r

hand u pwards E ach was to look at t he p alm of
.

his hand for a few mi nut e s with fix e d att e ntion an d ,

watch t he r e s ult I n about fi v e m i n ut e s t he fi rst a

.
,

m e mb e r of t he Royal A cad e my stat e d that he fe lt a

,

s e nsation of gre at cold i n t he han d ; anoth e r who ,

was an author of n ot e said that for som e ti m e he

,

thought n othi ng was going to happ e n but at last he ,

e x p e ri e nc e d a d arting pricking s e nsation i n t he palm

,

of t he hand as if e l e ctric sparks w e re b e i ng d rawn

,

from it t he t hird g e ntl e m an who had b ee n m ayor

,

of a larg e borough sai d that he fe lt a v e ry u n c o m

,

fo rt ab le s e nsati on of h e at com e ov e r hi s hand t he

fou rth s e cr e tary to an i mportant associ ation had
, ,

b e com e rigidly catal e ptic his arm b e ing firmly fix e d

,

to t he tabl e .

T he notic e abl e point about this e x p e ri m e n t is th at

 M E N T AL A C T I ON . 105

Braid m ad e no sugg e stion that th e r e sho u ld b e any

s e nsation and i n t ryi ng e x p e ri m e nts of this ki nd I
,

hav e fr e qu e ntly sought to fi nd som e con n e ction

b e tw e e n t he int e ll e ctual d isposition of t he individu al
and t he natur e of t he s e nsatio n e xp e ri e nc e d I n .

young wom e n of good m e ntal capacity an d o f s e nsi

tiv e disposition t he arm will most fr e q u e ntly b e com e
,

catal e pti c ; i n m e n and wom e n of brilliant capacity ,

t he arm g e n e rally b e com e s rigid or th ey fe e l

,

“
a s e nsation oft e n d escrib e d as pricking but ,

mor e oft e n as v e ry strang e whi lst i n thos e of

som e what low e r m e ntal ord e r but of a mor e e v e n
,

t e m p e ram e n t h e at o r cold is m ost commonly fe lt

,
.

The e x p lanation s ee ms to lie i n t he fac t t hat t he .

blood sup p ly of a p art wi ll b e i ncr e as e d i f att e ntion

i s d e vot e d t o that part .

“
J ohn H unt e r said I am confid e nt that I can fi x
,

my att e ntion to any part u ntil I hav e a s e nsation i n

”
that part ; and any doctor wh e n t e sting t he con
,

d ition of t he h e art will s e e k to d istract t he att e ntion

,

of his pati e nts from that organ T he fact of this .

i ncre as e d flow of t he blood d o e s not how e v e r , ,

e x l ai n t he varyi ng natur e of t he s e nsations nor t he

p ,

catal e psy and i t i s p robabl e that t he s e ns e of con

,

striction d u e to t he e xc e ss of blood acts as a s u g

, ,

”
g e stion p er s e i n p e rsons of e l e ctric o r s e nsitiv e
n atu r e r e sulti ng i n p artial o r compl e t e i nhibition of
,

t he motor n e rv e s This s e e m s t he only possi bl e

.

e xplanation of t he catal e psy

; but th e r e a re oth e r
1 06 TH E EL EM EN T S OF HY PN O T ISM .

e xplan ati ons a p pl i cabl e t o t he S impl e s e nsation .

T he constant ch ang e s which tak e plac e i n t he tissu e

a re u nobs e rv e d by t he i ndivi du al i n n orm al cir
c u m s t an c e s ; but i t is not i m ossibl e that o n t he
p
att e ntion b e ing d i r e ct e d to a particular part thos e ,

proc e ss e s m ay to a c e rtain e xt e nt affe ct t he

, ,

consci ous n e ss and thu s form an i nh e r e n t s u gg e stion

, .

R e ich e nbach i m agi n e d he had d iscov e r e d a n e w

“ ”
p ow e r wh ich he t e rm e d t he O di c forc e This .

p ow e r h e fou nd to p roc ee d from m agn e ts and he ,

e laborat e d his th e ori e s wi th mu ch e vid e n c e B rai d .

i nv e stigat e d th e s e d iscov e ri e s and found that d raw

, ,

ing a m agn e t or oth e r O bj e ct from t he wrist to t he

poi n t O f t he fi ng e rs produ c e d n e arly always som e
e ffe ct . T he p e rsons woul d e xp e ri e n c e a chang e of
t e m p e ratu r e tingling cr e e ping pricking e t c whilst
, , , , .
,

wh e n he d r e w t he m agn e t from t he fi ng e rs to t he
wrist i t was g e n e rally fol low e d by a chang e O f
,

s e nsation from t he alt e r e d cu rr e nt of i d e as sugg e st e d

by t he r e v e rs e d motion I n ord e r to satis fy hi ms e l f
.

that th e s e w e r e all d u e e nti r e ly to sugg e sti on B raid ,

r e qu e st e d his pati e nt to look asid e or int e rpos e d a

,

scr ee n and i f th ey w e r e r e qu e st e d to d e scrib e th e ir

,

s e nsations d u ri ng t he r e p e tition of t he p roc e ss e s ,

si mi lar symptoms w e r e r e al is e d wh e n th e r e was

nothing don e b eyond watching th e m and n oti ng th e i r
r e spons e s B rai d quo t e s anoth e r cas e T he pati e n t
. .

was a lady whom he pl ac e d i n a dark room and

,

th e n r e qu e st e d he r to look at t he p ol e s of a pow e rfu l

 1 08 THE ELEM E N T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

i d e as of s e nsations accompany i ndir e ct an d t h e r e

, ,

”
for e w eak e xcitation of t he sam e n e rv e c e ntr e s
,
-
.

J ohn H u nt e r said th at e v e ry part of t he body

sympathis e s with t he m i nd for what e v e r affe cts t he
,
”
m ind t he body is a ffe ct e d i n proportion
, That .

this is s o is con firm e d by u n iv e rsal e xp e ri e nc e .

E v e ry h u m an passion i s b e tray e d i n action wh e n ,

a ppar e ntly such action is quit e unn e c e ssary

, At a .

publi c m e e ting wh e r e k e e n i nt e re st is arous e d t he

, ,

vari ous e motions d e pict e d o n t he fac e s of t he

aud i e nc e pre s e nt an e ntrancing study T he m ov e
, .

m e nts m ad e i n pri vat e conv e rsation oft e n qu it e ,

i nvol u ntary an d always in h arm ony with t he

,

thoughts an d utt e ran c e s of t he sp e ak e r b e tray t o ,

an e xt e nt fr e qu e ntly u n appr e ciat e d t he subtl e

, ,

i nt e r action of t he vari o u s n e rve c e ntr e s N ot only

- -
.

do e s t he i n t e l l e ct poss e ss an d u s e an e normous
i nflu e nc e ov e r t he s e nsations and volu n tary actions ,

bu t t he o rgani c fu n cti ons a re e qu ally affe ct e d by i t .

S O fr e qu e ntly hav e e min e nt sp e ci alists di e d fro m

t he dis e as e which has b ee n th e i r particular study
that t he e xpla n ation of coi ncid e nc e is too w e ak to
accou nt for t he facts O n e of t he m ost curi ou s
.

i nstanc e s r e cord e d is that of a m e dical stud e nt i n

P aris who was b e ing in iti at e d i nto t he mysti c rit e s
,

of a M asoni c soci e ty H is ey e s w e r e bandag e d a

.
,

ligature bou nd rou nd his arm an d t he usual p re ,

p ara t io n s m ad e to bl e e d him Wh en a.
p r e t e nc e

of op e ni ng t he v e i n was m ad e a str e am of wat e r was

,
 M EN T AL A CT ION . 1 09

spurt e d into a bowl t he sound of which r e s e mbl e d

,

that o f t he flow of blood which t he stud e nt was

anticipating T he cons e q u e nc e was that i n a few
.

m om e n ts he b e cam e pal e and b e for e long fai nt e d

away .

P e rhaps t he strong e st and most pat e nt t e sti mony

of t he I nfl u e nc e of t he M in d on t he Body is to b e
fou nd I n hyst e rical cas es Th e s e cas e s pr e s e n t t he
.

gre at e st di ffic u lty to physici ans as i n n e arly all O f

,

t h e m t he pati e nt i s syst e m atically b e nt on d e c e iving ,

and e nd e avou rs by all t he m e ans i n he r (for hyst e ri a

is a dis e as e of which wom e n practically m ai ntai n a
monopoly ) pow e r to e xagg e rat e t he sym ptoms I n .

cas e s of hyst e ri a it i s w e ll known that t he pati e n t

n e ith e r go e s i nt o fits n or fai nts unl e ss th e r e b e som e
o n e p r e s e nt . I n s e ri o u s cas e s how e v e r t he d is e as e
, ,

“
is mor e r e al an d D r H am mon d d e scri b e s i t as
,
a
”
p aralysis of t he wi ll .

A n hyst e ri cal pati e n t 1 wi l l sudd e nly tak e to he r

b e d and d e cl ar e s he has n o fee ling and no pow e r i n
he r arms or l egs . T he most car e fu l e xamin ati on
shows that s he i s sp e aki ng t he truth P i ns may b e .

thrust i nto t he li mb it m ay b e pu nctur e d or scorch e d

, ,

and y et t he pati e nt n e ith e r winc e s nor b etrays t he

l e ast S ign of pain .A nalogi e s O f such a stat e
a re to b e foun d i n ordi nary li fe ; wh e n by e xci t e ,

m e nt o r som e disturbing i nflu e nc e t he brai n i s

1
Thi s an d o th e r cas e s are t ak en fro m “
S pirit uali s m an d N e rvo us
D e r an gem en t
. H am mon d .
I IO T H E ELEM EN T S O F HY PN O T I S M .

working at s uch a high strai n as to b e b eyond its

inhibitory an d vol ition al control S oldi e rs e ngag e d .

i n a furi ous battl e hav e b e e n s e riously wound e d and

hav e fo u ght on u nconsciou s of eith e r p ai n or I njury
, ,

and still m or e fr e qu e ntly i n t he midst o f a gam e

, , ,

an inju ry has b ee n r e c e iv e d of which t he play e r ,

is con scious b u t till his e xcit e m e nt has cool e d

, ,

down he has not had t he pow e r to locat e t he

,

i nj u r e d part T he e xtraordin ary tr e atm e nt to

.

which hyst e rical p e rsons can b e subj e ct e d withou t

th e i r e x p e ri e nci ng any ill e ffe cts al most baffl e s ,

com p r eh e nsion .

M ontg e ron 1 r e lat e s that many wom e n who visit e d

t he tom b of t he A bb é P aris gav e th e ms e lv e s blows
with i nstru m e n ts i n such a m an n e r that t he sharp
2
points w e r e forc e d i nto t he fl e sh F o u illo n stat e s .

that anoth e r had h e rs e l f hu ng u p by t he h ee ls with

t he h e ad downwards and r e mai n e d i n that position
,

thr ee qu art e rs of an hou r

-
O n e day as s he lay .
,

e xt e nd e d on her b ed two m e n who h e ld a cloth

,

u nd e r her back rais e d he r u p an d thre w he r for ward

,

two thousan d fou r hundre d ti m e s whil e two oth e r ,

p e rsons pl ac e d i n fron t th rust he r back A noth e r

, .

day fou r m e n having tak e n hold of her by t he

, ,

e xtr e miti e s b egan to pul l he r e ach wi th al l his

, ,

str e ngth an d s he was thus dragg e d i n di ffe r e nt

,

di r e ctions for t he spac e of s om e min ut e s S he .

1
La V é rit é des M irac l es q uo t ed by H am mon d
, , op . c it .

Quo t ed by H am m o n d O p c it , . .
I I2 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

h e ad alon e r e sting o n t he b e d and t h e n s u dd e nly

,

straight e ni ng h e rs e lf out s he wou ld fall h e avi ly

, .

I n stantly t he arch was form e d agai n ; agai n s he

fe ll an d this proc e ss was k e pt u p with i nconc e ivabl e
rapidity for s e v e ral h ours e v e ry day I n anoth e r .

instanc e a lady d uring an attack of hyst e rical

, ,

paroxysm s to which s he was liabl e b e at he r h e ad ,

with s uch viol e nc e against a lath and plast e r parti

tion that S he mad e a hol e i n it whil e littl e or n o
, ,

i nj u ry was i n flict e d on h e rs e l f I n anoth e r a girl

.
, ,

e ight e e n y e ars of a g e lay down on t he floor an d

,

m ad e al l t he m e mb e rs of her fami ly stand on her

i n turn A lady i n ord e r that s he might re s e mbl e
.
,

thos e m artyrs who suffe re d on t he rack ti e d he r ,

wrists with a stou t cord m ount e d a st e p l add e r

,
-

fast e n e d t he cord t o a hook i n t he wall an d j u mping ,

from t he ladd e r succ ee d e d in d islocating he r S hould e r .

A n oth e r lady rigidly clos e d he r m outh and r e fu s e d ,

t o O p e n it e ith e r to tak e food or to S p e ak for ov e r

forty e ight hou rs N o forc e that i t was safe to u s e
-
.
, ,

cou ld ov e rcom e t he co ntraction of her muscl e s and n o ,

p e rsu asi on i nduc e her to r e lax th e m S he only yi e ld e d .

to an i rr e sistibl e im p u ls e to talk and to a d egr e e o f

,

hu ng e r that h uman n atu re could n o lo n g e r e ndu re .

.

I n t he si xt e e nth and s ev e nt e e nth c e ntu ri e s s e v e ral

conv e nts i n E u rop e w e r e afflict e d with an e pid e mi c
of hyst e ri a S u ch dis e as e s a re gre atly i ncr e as e d by
.

vi rtu e of t he i mitativ e faculty and many nuns We re

,

su ffe ri n g from fe arfu l convulsions an d c atal e pti c

 M E N T AL A CT I ON . 1 I 3

p aroxys ms . T he
nuns of L o n d o n a re a notabl e cas e .

”
I n th e s e tim e s d e moni acal poss e ssion was b e li e v e d
i n as of not i nfr e qu e nt occurr e n c e and i n fact
, , , ,

m any of t he nu ns i n th e i r hyst e rical attacks accus e d

p e rson s of b e wi tching th e m .

The n at u r e of t he ph e n om e na is shown i n a
s e ri e s of c u rious qu e stions put to t he Un iv e rsity of
M ontp e lli e r by F r S ant e rr e
. .

1 Wh e th e r t he b e nding bowing and r e moving of

.
, ,

t he body t he h e ad touching som e tim e s t he sol e s

,

of t he fe e t with oth e r contortions an d strang e

,

p ostur e s a re a good S ign of poss e ssion ?

,

2 Wh e th e r t he quickn e ss of t he motion of t he h e ad
.

forwards and backwards bringing it to t he ,

back an d t he br e ast b e an i nfalli bl e m ark of

,

p oss e ssi on
3 Wh. e th e r a s udd e n sw e lling of t he tong ue t he ,

throat and t he fac e an d t he sudd en alt e ration

, ,

of t he colour a re c e rtai n m arks of p oss e ssion

,

4Wh eth e r duln ess and s e ns e l essn e ss or t he priva

.
,

tion of s e ns e e v e n to b e pinch e d and pri ck e d

,

without com p laining without sti rring and e v e n

, ,

without changi ng colou r are c e rtai n m arks of

,

poss e ssion
5 Wh e th e r t he i m mobi lity of t he whol e body which
.

happ e ns to t he pr e t e nd e d poss e ss e d by t he ,

command of th e i r e xorcists d uri ng and i n t he

middl e of t he strong e st agitations b e a c e rtain ,

S ign of a truly diabolical p oss e ssion

H
1 1 4 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I SM .

6 Wh eth e r t he y e lping or barking li k e that of a

.

dog i n t he br e ast rath e r than i n t he throat b e

, ,

a m ark of p oss e ssion

7 Wh e th e r a fi x e d st e ady look upon som e obj e ct
.
, ,

without moving t he ey e on e ith e r S id e b e a good

,

m ark of poss e ssion

8 Wh e th e r t he answ e rs that t he pr e t e n d e d poss e ss e d
.

mad e in F re nch to s om e q u estions that a re pu t

,

to th e m i n L atin a re a good m ark of p oss e ssion

,

9 Wh e th e r to vomit su ch things as p e opl e hav e

.

swallow e d b e a S ign of poss e ssi on

I O Wh e th e r t he p rickings of a lanc e t upon d iv e rs
.

parts of t he body witho u t blood i ssuing th e nc e

,

a re a c e rtai n m ark of poss e ssion ?

I n addition to th e s e cas e s on t he Contin e nt a ,

similar form of hyst e ri a was pr e val e nt i n A m e rica ,

i nstanc e s of which H am mon d r e cords Th e y

.
,

how e v e r d id n ot last long

,
. M ath e r writ e s that
E x p e ri e nc e S how e d that t he mor e th e s e w e r e
a p pr e h e nd ed t he m or e w e r e sti l l a ffl ict e d by S atan ,

and t he n um b e r of confe ssions i ncre asing did but

i ncr e as e t he numb e r of t he accus e d ; and t he
e x e cuti ng of som e m ad e way for t he ap r e h e nding
p
of oth e rs F or sti l l t he a fflict e d com p lain e d O f
.

b e ing torm e nt e d by n e w obj e cts as t he form e r w e r e

,

r e mov e d S o that thos e who w e r e conc e rn e d gr e w

.

ama z e d at t he nu mb e r and quality of t he p e rsons

accus e d an d fe ar e d that S atan by his wil e s had e n
,

wra pp e d i nnoc e nt p e rson s u nd e r t he im p utation of

1 1 6 TH E ELE MEN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

’
h e ar e r m ay b e an e vid e n c e of t he h e are r s fi n e
,

p e rc e ption an d d e li cat e tast e I nd e e d without t he .

,

con stan t i nt e raction which i s t he r e sult of human

thought life wou ld b e a dr e ary monotony T he
, .

sugg e sti on how ev e r O ft e n hidd e n u nd e r this pow e r

, ,

or i nflu e nc e m ay fr e qu e ntly b e ar with s u ch forc e

,

o n p e rson s as to e nti r e ly ov e rcom e t he voliti onal

and rati onal c e ntr e s Th e y b e com e i mbu e d with
.

an id e a which i s t he ruling passi on and n o e xt e ri or

, ,

ci rcu mstan c e s can affe ct or wi ll b e notic e d by th e m

, , .

This stat e m ay occu r i n m e n an d wom e n of high

m e ntal calibr e and i n fact i s m or e lik e ly to occur
,

in s u ch I t i s n o i nfre qu e n t e xp e ri e n c e to h e ar
.

p e rsons s ay that i n l ist e n ing to som e p e rformanc e

,

of m usi c or a d ram a at t he th e atre for t he tim e ,

“ ”
th e y quit e lost th e ms e lv e s and o n e has only to ,

watch th ei r cou nt e n anc e at such a ti m e to fi nd

i ts concl u siv e v e rifi cation E xt e rnal ci rcumstanc e s .

hav e lost al l hold of th e m Th ey a re e n tir e ly .

domin at e d by t he id e a which has b e e n pr e s e nt e d

to th e m ; e xt e rn al consci ousn ess i s abs e nt and , ,

oft e n shaking or som e oth e r mor e or l e ss viol e nt

, ,

m e ans has to b e re sort e d to i n ord e r to bri ng

, ,

th e m back onc e mor e in to tou ch with t he out e r

, ,

world O n e has only to stu dy m any of t he con

.

vu ls ive r e ligio u s mov e m e nts to notic e this i n flu e nc e

e x e rt e d to such an e xt e nt that t he d e vot e es a re

absolut e ly b eyond all r e ason and control I n I nd ia .

it is w e ll known that th e re a re m any s e cts who by ,

 M E N T AL A CT I O N . I 1 7

t he p ractic e of strang e arts r e d u c e th e ms e lv e s to

,

conditions i n which th ey a re abl e to p e rform fe ats

that fi ll t he onlook e r with am a z e m e nt T he F akirs .

and oth e rs hav e fi ll e d t he sp e ctator with wond e r

and awe by m any of th e i r p e rformanc e s ; though by ,

t he t e stimony of critical obs e rv e rs i t s ee ms as i f , ,

with r e gard to t he F aki r t he human t e nd e ncy to

,

e xagg e rat e is r e s p onsibl e for som e of t he tal e s told

of th e m The A I s s ou an s a re a pow e rful r e ligiou s

.
‘'

s e ct i n M orocco an d s om e of th e m w e r e to b e s ee n
,

p e rform ing i n L ondon r e c e ntly I quot e from t he .

de scription O f an e y e witn e ss -

“
Th e s e A I s s o u a n s bring o n th e ms e lv e s a sort o f
' ‘

d e li ri um by d anc e s and t he r e p e tition of s p e ci al

litani e s chant e d i n chorus and by i nhaling p e rfum e s
of a particu lar quality t he whol e b e ing accom pani e d
,

by m usic of a strang e and w e ird charact e r A t fi rst .

th ey all s it rou nd looking grav e and with an air of

,

thorough conviction E ach A is s u o an p e rforms in

.
‘

his turn an d th e n aft e r an haru m s c a ru m danc e -

without rhym e or rhythm follow e d by di sord e rly ,

l e aps and bounds th ey all howl an d t he music

,

c e as e s E ach actor s e e ms to fe e l a divin e i nspi ration

.
,

and to b e r e ady to d ar e and accomplish anything .

Th e s e A Is s o u a n s o n e by o n e e xhibit e d s u ch sp e ci
‘

, ,

m e n s as t he abov e of t he mann e rs of th e i r country ,

b e fore a crowd o f sp e ctators O n e of th e m m ight .

b e s ee n e ating t he thorny l e ath e ry l e av e s of t he

,

cactus ; anoth e r pi e rci ng his ch ee ks tongu e n eck , ,

1 1 8 TH E E LEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

an d arms with l ong thick i ron n e e d l e s attach e d to

,

h e avy balls anoth e r wo u l d gr e e dily d e vou r

scorpions and l iv e snak e s ; anoth e r would crack
with his t e e th appar e ntly with gr e at gusto sharp
, ,

fragm e nts o f gl ass ; a h e ad man of t he trib e lick e d

a re d hot shov e l and forc e d his ey e o ut of its S ock e t ;
-

—and al l this was r ep e at ed ove r and ov e r again .

“
The A I s s o u an wi ll t e ar and l ac e rat e his skin
''

scarc e ly m aking t he blood ru n and whil e thus , ,

torturing hi ms elf he wi ll l e ap bound howl and , , , ,

th e n salu t e his compan ions on t he for e h e ad an d s it

d own grav e ly H e wi l l le t his sto mach b e pi e rc e d
.

with long n ails driv e n i n wi th a m all e t by o n e of hi s

c o r e ligionists
-
and not cont e nt with cru n chi ng glass
with his j aws and d e vou ri ng it he wi ll swallow
, ,

whol e p e bbl e s d e vou r livi ng vi p e rs o r m ak e th e m

, ,

”
bit e with u ndisguis e d s atisfaction 1
.

Th e s e how e v e r a re probably forms of hypnotism

, ,

i nd u c e d by t he fatigu e or t he d rugs th e y i nhal e .

Tu ck e y says that th ey a re hypn otis e d by th e i r pri e st

b e for e t he p e rform anc e .

Th e r e are m any i nstanc e s i n mod e rn ti m e s i n ,

E ngland of t he pow e r o f unh e althy sugg e sti on on

,

p e rson s of morbi d i nt e ll e ct .

T he following i s tak e n from t he d iary o f W e sl ey

S u n day M ay 2 0 — B e i ng with M r B —ll at
,
.
,

E v e rton I was much fatigu e d and did not ris e but

, ,

M rs B did and obs e rv e d m any fainting and cryi ng

,

1
F ov eau d e Cou r m ell es . Hyp n ot is m , p . 1 69.
12 0 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HY P N O T I S M .

lou d bre athing lik e that o f p e opl e h alf strangl e d and -

gasping for life ; and i nd e e d al m ost al l t he cri e s ,

w e r e lik e thos e of h um an cr e atu r e s dying i n bitt e r

anguish G r e at nu mb e rs w e pt without any n ois e
‘

oth e rs fe ll d own as d e ad ; som e s inking in sil e nc e ;

som e with e xtr e m e nois e an d agitation I stood on .

t he p e w s e at as did a you ng man on t he opposit e

,

p e w ,
an abl e bod i e d
-
fr e sh h e althy cou ntryman
, , bu t
i n a mom e nt whi l e he s e e m e d t o think of nothing
,

l ess d own he dropp e d with a vi ol e nc e i nconc e ivabl e

,
.

T he adj oi ning p e w s e e m e d to shak e with his fall I .

h e ard aft e rwards t he st amping of his fe e t ; r e ady to

br e ak t he boards as he lay in strong convulsi ons at
t he botto m of t he p e w A m ong s e ve ral that w e r e
.

struck do wn i n t he n e xt p ew was a girl who was as ,

viol e ntly s e i z e d as he Wh e n he fe ll M r B— ll
.
,

an d I fe l t ou r souls thrill e d with a m om e n tary d re ad

as wh e n o n e m an i s kill e d with a cannon ball anoth e r -

oft e n fe e ls t he wi nd of i t .

“
A mong t he chi ld r e n who fe lt t he arrows of t he
A l mighty I s aw a st u rdy boy about e ight y e ars
, ,

old who roar e d abov e his fe l lows and s ee m ed i n

, , ,

his agony to struggl e with t he str e ngth of a grown

,

man H i s fac e was red as scarl e t an d al most al l

. ,

on whom G o d laid H is hand tu rn e d e i th e r v e ry re d

,

or almost black Wh e n I r e tu rn e d afte r a littl e

.
,

’
walk to M r B eve ridg e s hous e I fo u n d i t full of
, ,

e o l e H e was fa tigu e d b u t sai d he would n e v e r

p p .
,

t he le s s giv e th e m a word of e xhortation I stay e d .

 M EN T AL A C T ION . I2 I

i n t he n e xt room an d s aw t he girl whom I had

,

O bs e rv e d so p e c u liarly distr e ss e d i n t he chu rch

lying on t he floor as o n e d e ad but without any ,

ghastlin e ss i n her fac e I n a few m inut e s we w e r e

.

i nform e d of a wom an fi ll e d with p e ac e and j oy ,

wh o was c rying out j ust b e fore S he had com e .

thirt ee n mi l e s and i s t he sam e p e rson who d r e am e d

,

Mr B wou ld com e to her villag e on that d ay

wh e r e on he di d com e though without e ith e r know
,

ing t he plac e or t he way to i t S he was convin c e d .

at that ti m e J ust as we h e ard of he r d e liv e ranc e

.
,

t he gi rl o n t he floor b e gan to st i r S he was th e n .

s et o n a chair and ,
aft e r sighing awhil e sudd e n ly
, ,

ros e u p r ej oi cing i n G o d H e r fac e was cov e r e d .

with t he m ost b e autiful smil e I e v e r saw S he .

fr e qu e ntly fe ll on he r kn e e s bu t was g e n e rally ,

ru nni ng to an d fro sp e aking th e s e an d t he lik e

,

words : O h what can J e sus d o for lost sinn e rs ?

‘
,

H e has forgiv e n all my S ins ! I am i n h e av e n '

I am i n h e av e n ! O h how H e l ov e s m e I A nd ,

’
how I lov e H i m M e anti m e I s aw a thin pal e
.
,

girl w e e ping with sorrow for h e rs e l f an d j oy for

,

her compan ion Q uickly

. t he s mil es of he av e n
cam e lik e wi s e on he r an d he r prais e s j oi n e d with
,

thos e of t he oth e r I also th e n laugh e d with e x

.

tr e m e j oy s o d id M r B —ll (who s aid i t was m or e

,

than he could w e l l b e ar) S o di d all who kn e w .

t he L ord and som e of thos e who w e r e waiting for

,

salvation ti ll t he cri es of thos e who w e r e struck

,
12 2 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

with t he arrows of conviction w e re al m ost lost i n

t he sou nds of j oy I m m e di at e ly aft e r a s t ra n g e r
.
,

w e ll dr e ss e d who stood facing m e fe l l backward t o

-

, ,

t he wall ; th e n forward on his kn e e s wri nging his ,

hands an d roaring lik e a b u ll H is fac e at fi rs t

,
.

tu rn e d quit e re d and th e n almost black H e ros e

,
.

an d ran agai nst t he wal l till M r K e e li ng an d

,

anoth e r h e l d him H e scr e am e d ou t O h what

.
,
‘
,

shall I d o what shall I do ? O h for o n e drop

, ,

’
of t he blood of Christ ! A s he spok e G o d s et ,

his sou l at l ib e rty ; he k n e w his S i ns w e r e blott e d

ou t ; and t he rapture s he was i n s e e m e d too gre at
for h u m an n at u r e to b e ar H e h ad com e fo rty
.

mi l e s to h e ar M r B and was to l e av e t he n e xt
m orning ; which he d id with a glad h e art t e lling ,

all who cam e i n his way what G o d had don e for

his soul . A nd n o w d id I s e e su ch a sight as
I d o not e xp e ct agai n on this sid e e t e rni ty .

T he fac e s of t he thr ee j ustifi e d child r e n and I ,

think of all t he b e li e v e rs p r e s e nt d id r e ally S hin e ;

,

and such a b e auty such a l ook of e xtre m e h appi

,

n e ss and at t he sam e ti m e of d ivi n e lov e an d

, , ,

s impl icity d i d I n e v e r s ee i n hum an fac e s ti ll now

,
.

T he n e wly j usti fi e d e ag e rly e mbrac e d o n e anoth e r ,

’
w ee ping on e ach oth e rs n e cks for j oy Th e n th e y .

salut e d al l of th e ir own s e x and b e sought m en an d

,

”
wom e n to h e l p th e m i n p raising G o d .

A noth e r cu rio u s i nstan c e o f t he susp e nsion of

”
t he rational c e ntr e s i s to b e fou nd in S hak e rism .
 1 2 4 T H E ELE M EN T S O F HY P N O T I SM .

“
by what th ey call t he j e rks for two w e e ks at
a tim e d uri ng t he whol e of which p e riod t he h e ad
,

is k e pt i n co ntinu al motion by qu ick convulsiv e

motions of t he sho u ld e rs an d n e ck O n e you ng .

“ ”
woman who h ad b e e n j e rk e d for thr e e w e eks
had he r fac e frightful ly swol l e n and he r e y e s ,

d ilat e d and bloodshot .

“
D ir e ctly aft e r t he j e rks S he b egan t o talk i n
u nknown tongu es and conti n u e d at short i nt e rvals
, , ,

for thr e e or fou r d ays ; th e n s he stopp e d su dd e nly

an d r e mai n e d e ntir e ly m ut e for two w e eks no ,

p ossibl e p e rsuasion b e ing su ffici e nt to m ak e he r

” ’
say e v e n y es or no This e xp e ri e nc e is call e d
.

”
t he d u mb d e vils 1
.

I hav e e nd e avou r e d to giv e i n th e s e variou s

i nstanc e s an e xampl e of t he nu m e rous phas e s of
sugge stiv e influ e nc e whi ch can b e bro u ght to b e ar
i n t he waki ng stat e I n ord e r to r e nd e r i t as
.

compl e t e as p ossibl e I hav e not h e sitat e d to i nclud e

,

i n t he cat ego ry m any strang e an d u nh e althy form s

of this powe r ; but i t must b e not e d that t he
u nh e althin e ss o f th e s e sym p toms l i e s i n t he fact that
t he brai ns of s uch p e rsons a re in t he w a hing s t a t e , ,

O p e n to su ch i nflu e n c e I t is e vid e nt that u nd e r

.

chloroform and e th e r p e rsons a re r e duc e d to a

,

conditi on which wou ld i nd ee d b e s e riou s w e r e i t

t o occur s pontan e ously u nd e r norm al conditions
, ,

withou t t he ad m i nistratio n of any an ae sth etic or

1
H a mm on d . Op . c it .
, p . 2 4
3 et s eq .
 M EN T AL A CT ION . I2 5

d rug ; but i t is no r e fl e ction o n hy p notism that

si miliar stat e s as thos e that h av e b e e n d e scrib e d
cou ld b e produc e d u nd e r hypnosis F or w e r e this
.

oth e rwis e t he p e cu liar valu e of hypnotism i n t he

,

cu re of fu nctional an d n e rvous disord e rs woul d

d isa p p e ar
.

I t has b e e n alr e ady e xplain e d that th e s e strang e

ph e nom e na w e r e d u e to t he susp e nsion of t he
volitional c e ntr e ; this b e ing s u sp e nd e d t he whol e
,

of t he n e rvous syst e m is d e p e nd e nt for its action

u pon t he id e as that a re i mpr e ss e d u pon i t and ,

acts up on thos e id e as without any control or

r estrai nt by r e ason of t he i nhibition of thos e centre s
which can on ly giv e t he n e c e ssary control ling pow e r .

The p e rsons subj e ct to th es e re lig o u s convulsions ,

which hav e b ee n r e fe rr e d to a re am e nabl e to n o

,

ordi nary m e di cal tre atm e nt ; but hypnotism with ,

t he facility it giv e s t he O p e rator of i ncr e asing t he

pow e r an d t he forc e of t he w e ak e n e d n e rv e c e n tre s

-

i s capabl e of com p l e t e ly curing m any such cas e s

of hyst e ria .

Th e r e a re m any subtl e forms of sugg estion which

hav e not b e e n touch e d i n this chapt e r but which ,

a re curious and i nt e r e sti ng as e xampl e s of i ts action

i n t he normal and p e rfe ctly h e althy w aking stat e .

D r O c ho ro wic z 1 r e lat e s an e xp e rim e nt which I

hav e tri e d u nd e r simili ar circumstanc es oft e n with
,

succ ess H e shal l t e l l i t i n his own words

.

1 M en t a l S u
gg es ti o n p 2 0
, .
1 2 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

M y fri e nd P a man no l e ss abs e nt m ind e d

.
,
-

than he is k ee n of i nt e ll e ct was playing ch e ss i n ,

a n e ighbou ring room O th e rs of us w e r e talking .

n e ar t he door I had m ad e t he r e m ark that it was

.

’
my fri e nd s habi t , wh e n he paid clos e st att e nti on
to t he gam e to whistl e an ai r fro m M adam e ‘

’
A ngot .I was abou t to accompany hi m by
b e ating tim e on t he tabl e ; bu t this ti m e he
‘

whistl e d som e thi ng e ls e — t he m arch from Le

‘

’
P ro p hé t e .

’
said I to my associat e s
L ist e n , we a re going
‘

to play a tri ck u p on P W e wi ll m e ntally ord e r .

hi m to p ass from “
L e P roph et e to L a F i ll e
“

d e M adam e A ngot .

“
F i rst I b e gan t o d ru m t he m arch ; th e n pro ,

fi t in g by som e n ot e s common to both I pass e d ,

qu ickly to t he qu ick e r and m or e s t a cca t o m e asu r e

’
of my fri e nd s favou rit e ai r P on his part also . .

su dd e n ly chang e d t he ai r an d b egan t o whistl e ,

’
‘
M ad am e A ngot E v e ryon e bu rst out l aughing
. .

M y fri e nd was too mu ch absorb e d i n a ch e ck to

t he qu e e n to notic e anything L e t u s b e gi n ‘
.

’ “
again said I an d go b ack to L e
, ,
‘

“
A nd straightway we h ad M ey e rb e e r onc e more
”
with a sp eci al fugu e .

I t i s an amusing e xp e rim e nt to stan d som e wh e r e

i n a p ublic thoroughfar e whilst a fri e nd looks in ,

t e n t ly on som e imagi nary obj e ct on t he path S om e .

p ass e rs b y wil
-
l casually look rou nd ; m or e will stop
 C H A P TE R I V .

T H E I N D U C T ION OF HYP N O SIS .

H y p n os i s n ot n un n at ur l s t at e —T e l epa thy —Cl a irvo ya c e—The

a a n

m e th o ds o f i n d u c i g hy p os i s T he M es m e i c Br i d s —Pas s es
— n — n
’
r a
’—
e — a
’— ’—
B rge r s Fas c i n ti o n L as egue s F a ri s M ag e t s D r ugs a n

Luy s m iro ir r o t atif T he N an c y m eth od—T he m eth ods o f

’

w ki g—D an ge r o f s ubj e c t n o t w aki n g—D ur ti n of hy p o ti c

a n a o n

S l eep —S u c e tibility t o hy n o ti s m—V a n E e d e n —

s W e tt ers tr a d
p p n

T u k e y— F o r l —L iéb ault —The s t age s o f hy pn o ti s m —G u rn e y

c e

F o r e l— T uc k ey —L iéb ault —B e rn h e i m—T he s c h oo l o f Ch a rc o t

T he d i ff r e n c e o f t he t wo s c h o o l s —The
e N ew M es m e ri s m an d

t he P a ri s s c h oo l .

I T i s cl e ar that t he d octri n e s si gnifi e d by t he

t e rms f m e s m e ris m
‘
ani mal m agn e tism e l e ctro
,
(C
,
(6

”
biology an d t he l ik e w e r e i n capabl e of any s e rious
, ,

s ci e ntifi c study si nc e th ey conc e rn e d a stat e whi ch

, ,

o n th e s e th e ori e s was altog e th e r i ncomp r e h e nsibl e

,

i f not sup e rnatural ; wh e th e r tru e or u ntru e th e y ,

m ay b e said to stand m u ch i n t he sam e position

towards t he sci e ntifi c world as S pi ritualism an d
Th e oso p hy By hypnotists i t i s cl ai m e d that thi s
.

s tat e wh e th e r it b e call e d m e sm e ri c m agn e tic or

, , ,

what n ot is o n e pu re ly physiol ogi cal and subj e ctiv e

, ,

and this th e o ry has b ee n adh e r e d to by alm ost all

sci e ntists who hav e studi e d t he qu e stion S inc e
, ,

Braid fi rst p ropound e d it .

 T H E I N D U CT IO N O F HY PNOS I S . [2 9

Th e r e a re many i nt e r e sting qu e stions s u ch as ,

T e l e pathy Tho u ght r e ading C lairvoyanc e e t c u pon

,
-

, ,
.
,

which it would b e p e rhaps rash to giv e any d e cid e d

opi nion ; b u t it m ust b e sai d that t he hypnoti c
stat e per s e has nothing to d o with any of th e s e
ph e nom e na I f t e l e p athy b e possibl e b e tw ee n two
.

p e rsons i t is by no m e ans u nl ik e ly that t he p ow e r

,

would sti ll e xis t or e v e n b e i ncre as e d und e r

,

hypnosis .

A ll th e s e strang e psychical cond itions pr e s e nt

probl e ms of t he d e e p e st i nt e r e st ; and i f I d o not
att e mpt to d e al with th e m h e r e it is not b e caus e ,

th ey do n ot r e pay t he tim e tak e n i n th e i r study ,

but b e caus e th ey hav e not a s u ffi ci e nt b e aring on

t he normal stat e s of hypnosis to j ustify a discussion

O f th e m .

T he m e thods of i nducing hypnosis a re m any

and vario u s and I proc e e d to e n um e rat e t he
,

1
on e s pri ncipally us e d .

1
It m ay b e w e ll t o d e fi n e s e ve ra l t e r m s whi c h will b e fr eq u en tly
u s ed in t he c o u r s e o f thi s b o o k I h av e c a re fully avoi d ed a ll t ec h n i c a l
.

t e r m s as far as p os s ibl e ; b ut t he few a pp en d ed a re n ec es s ary fo r

,

brevity an d c l e r n es s a .

H YPN O TI S M The s c i en c e whi c h trea t s o f t he c on diti on whi c h i

. s

c ll hy p n os i s I t d en i es th a t th e re is n y tr uth in t he th eo ri es
“
a e d . a

k wn o n as a n i l ag ti
m a m n e s m “
m e s m e ri s m ,
”
et c a n d is fo un d e d
, .
,

o n t he th eo ry th a t t he s t a t e is S i m p ly a s u p e r n o r m a l c o n d iti o n o f t he
-

br i n
a .

H YPN O S IS (G reek lim s s l ee p ) T he s t at e p ro duc ed by m ean s

o ,
.

o f hy p n o ti s m a n d whi c h was fo r m e rly c all ed t he m agn e ti c

“ ”
, r o

m es m e ri c s l ee p I t is ad m itt ed th a t t he t e r m hy pn o s i s m ean i n g
.
, ,

as it d oes Sleep d oe s n o t a d e q ua t e ly r e p r e s e n t b y it s d e ri va ti o n
“ -

, ,

t he s t at e p r od uc e d s in ce m an y who are un d o u bt ed ly hy n o ti s ed a re
, p
1 30 T HE ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

T HE M ESM E R I C M E T HO D S A s we h av e s een i n .

t he fi rst chapt e r M e sm e r did n o t r e ly on any o n e

,

m e thod but mad e u s e of n um e rous contrivanc e s by

,

m e ans of which he sought to influ e n c e his pati e nts .

T he e ss e ntial poin t was that t he pati e nt should b e

i n contact with t he m agn e tis e r or t he magn e tis e d
b a gu et i n ord e r that t he flui d
,
might pass i nto t he
’
pati e nt s body .

’
B R AI D S M E T HO D Brai d plac e d som e obj e ct .

b e for e and slightly abov e t he e y e s of his pati en t .

H e th e n command e d him to ga z e fix e dly at this

o bj e ct and to con c e ntrat e his att e ntion o n it D r
,
.

E rnst J e n d ras ik of B ud a P e sth has e xpr e ss e d -

t he O pin ion that fi x e d att e ntion is only e ffe ctiv e

b e caus e i t ca u s e s fatigu e of t he n e rv es of sight ,

and cons e qu e ntly prod uc e s i ns e nsibility to e xt e rn al

s e ns e sti mulation I t i s known that for t he i nd u ction
-
.

p e rfe c tly i
c o n s c o us an d r e m e m b e r o n r e t u rn i n g t o t he n o r m a l s t at e
, ,

e ve rythi n g th a t ha s oc c u rr ed d u ri n
g t he ti m e th e y w e r e in hy p n o s i s .

Y e t it is d ifli c lt if n o t i m p o s s ibl e t o fi n d a n y w o r d whi c h w o u l d

u , ,

ad e q u a t e ly r e p r e s e t t he c o n d iti o n i n d uc e d
n a n d s o l o n g as we c l ea rly

u n d e r s t a n d wh a t i s m e a n t by t he t e r m hy pn o s i s we c an a ffo r d t o ,

l e ave o n o n e s i de t he q ues ti on o f its d e ri vati ve m e an i n g The .

e s s e n ti a l c h a r a c t e ri s ti c o f t he hy p n os i s is n o t s l ee b u t a n hei ght e ed n
p ,

an d i n crea s ed rece p t i vi ty of s ugges t ion .

H YPN O TIST T he on e who s c i tifi c lly i n duc es hyp os i s

. en a n .

H YPN O T EE HYPN O TI C S U BJ E C T e wo rds us ed t o s i g ify t he

, , , ar n

p e r on hy p n o ti s d S ubj c t is t he o e m os t freq ue tly us ed ”

s e . e n n .

H YPN O TI C S U GGESTI O N A n y s ugg s ti n o r i m p re s i n gi ven t o

. e o s o

t he p ti e t by t he hy p o ti s t e ith e r i w o r d s writi n g o r in a y m
a n n er n , , n an n

whi c h t he s ubj c t c an app r ec i t e

e a .

H YPN O G E N ESIS hyp osig i hyp oge y A ll ugly w o rds s om e

, n en es s , n n .

ti m es us ed t o ign ify t he i n duc ti o n of hy pn os i s

s .
1 3 2 T I I E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

t iv e M agn e tic P ass for Toothach e N e u ralgia Rh e u , ,

“
m a t is m et c ,
T he Cu rativ e M agn e tic P ass for
.
,

”
S pi nal Com plaints e t c This is of cou rs e pu re
, .
, ,

n ons e ns e b u t s e v e ral hypnotists clai m that t he

,

m e thod of sim pl e pass e s is oft e n v e ry val uabl e Ch . .

Rich e t P rofe ssor of P hysiology at t he Un iv e rsity of

,

P aris us e s this m e thod i n pr e fe r e nc e to any oth e r

, .

I h av e foun d it v e ry e ffe ctiv e i n many cas e s T he .

pre cis e n atu re of t he action of th e s e pass e s is d iffi

cult to d e t e rmi n e U nqu e stionably t he e l e m e nt of
.
,

sugg e stion e nt e rs in but it is doubtfu l wh e th e r this

,

can accou nt for all t he re sults I t has b e e n sugg e st e d .

that t he di ffe re nc e of t e m p e rat u r e b e tw ee n t he hands

of t he op e rator and t he fac e of t he pati e nt m ay caus e
a strang e s e nsation and thu s induc e an inhibitory ,

action i n t he d e l icat e n e rve s of t he e y e and of t he

m outh .

’
BE R GE R S M E T HO D P rofessor O skar B e rg e r of .

B r e slau has stat e d that i n som e cas e s he fo u nd that

warmth alon e was s u ffici e n t to induc e hypnosis and ,

that i n a fe w i nstanc e s i t w as only n e c e ssary to

warm his hands and hold th e m n e ar t he h e ad o f t he
s ubj e ct .

This th e ory rath e r supports t he e xplanation of t he

pass es which ha s b e e n s u gg e st e d abov e A noth e r .

h ypoth e sis i s that e l e ctrical action is caus e d Dr .

J e an d e T a rc han o ff has shown that syst e mati c g e ntl e

stimulati ons of t he ski n prod u c e slight cu rre nts o f
e l e ctrici ty in i t and also that th e s e cu rr e nts can b e
,
 T H E I N D U CT I ON OF HY PN OS I S . 1 33

prod uc e d by a strong conc e ntration of t he wi ll ,

in cons e qu e nc e of which conc e ntration muscu lar ,

con traction always e ns u e s T he m e sm e rists h e ld

.
,

as t he r e su lt of th e ir obs e rvati ons that a strong ,

volitional e ffort was n e c e ssary and t he e x p e ri m e nts ,

of T a rc ha n o ff may s e rv e to e xplain t he valu e of

this e x e rtion of t he will .

P rofe ssor A P itr e s of Bord e au x stat e s that c e rtain

.

portion s of t he body a re m ore particularly s e nsitiv e

to stimu lation of t he skin Th es e parts he t e rms .

“ ”
z on e s hy p n og en es a n d a conti nuous sti mulus
,

appli e d to any o n e of th e s e parts is said to produc e

hypnosis i n som e p e rsons P rofe ssor H S pitt a
. .

of T ii b in g e n and P rofe ssor J P u rkin g e of Br e slau

, .

and P ragu e hav e t e stifi e d to t he i n flu e nc e of g e ntl e

,

fri ction of t he for e h e ad an d s e v e ral subj e cts hav e

,

told m e that th e ir sl ee p was d e e p e n e d by this

s troking of t he for e h e ad which I hav e m ad e u s e
,

of i n many cas e s .

P rofe ssor A dolp h VVe in ho ld of Ch e mn it z has

m ad e u s e of t he e l e ctric batt e ry and clai ms t he s am e ,

r es u lts from it as from m e s m e ri c pass e s though he

do e s not consid e r that sugg e stion is e xclud e d .

P rofe ssor A lb e rt E ul e nbu rg by galvan ising t he ,

h e ad succ ee d e d in obtai ning a l e thargi c condition ;

,

th is e xp e rim e nt how e ve r was n ot v e ry convi nci ng

, , ,

as t he pati e nt had alr e ady su ffe r e d from attacks of

l e thargy. T he m e ntal e l e m e nt i s c e rtainly not
e xclud e d i n th e s e cas e s of e l e ctrisation and P rofessor
1 34 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

H i rt of B r e slau whilst he constantly u s e s e l e ctricity

,

i n this way is quit e positive that i t i s n ot t he

,

galvani c curre nt but t he m e ntal i nflu e nc e which

ca u s e s t he hy p nosis .

F AS C I NA T ION This m e thod introduci ng as it

.
,

do e s a larg e amou nt of t he p e rsonal e l e m e nt is a ,

“ ”
favou rit e o n e of t he m e sm e ri c profe ssors The .

’
su bj e ct is tol d to ga z e st e adily i nto t he op e rator s
ey e s
. I t fr e qu e ntly happ e ns that i n a short spac e of
tim e t he subj e ct will i mitat e e v e ry m ov e m e n t of t he
op e rator al l t he whil e k ee ping his e y e s firmly fix e d
,

o n thos e of t he op e rator This m e thod is som e what

.

risky si nc e if t he subj e ct b e r e fractory t he op e rator

, , ,

hims e lf may i nvoluntari ly b e com e hypnotis e d .

D r L loyd Tuck e y r e cords an i nsta n c e wh e r e i n ,

u sing this m e thod on o n e occasion he found hims e lf ,

d e ve loping t he first sym ptoms of hypnosis .

’
L AS E G U E S M E T HO D D r Ch . L a s eg u e a
.
,

physician of P aris fo u nd that closi ng t he e y e s and

,

th e n m aking a m od e rat e p r e ssu r e o n t he e y e balls for

s om e m in u t e s oft e n i ndu c e d t he stat e .

’
F A R IA S M E T HO D T he A bb e F ari a us e d to con
.

c e ntrat e t he att e ntion of his su bj e ct as mu ch as

possibl e and aft e r som e m i n u t e s of p e rfe ct sil e nc e
, ,

would s udd e n ly sho u t i n a lou d and command ing

“ ”
voi c e t he word sl e e p I n m any cas e s this was
.

su ffi ci e nt to obtai n t he d esi r e d r e s u lt .

A sudd e n fright oft e n ca u s e s a t e mporary paralysis ;

i nd e e d t he fatal railwa y accid e nts would b e l e ss i n
,
 1 3 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

his p ock e t and as he e xp e ct e d , found that n o e ffe ct

, ,

was produc e d .

D R U GS Chambard p l ac es t he a n ms t het ics chloro

.

form e th e r and oth e r si milar d rugs amongst t he

, , ,

ag e nts for produci ng hypn osis That i n som e ca s e s .

, ,

a r e c e ptivity to s u gg e stion occu rs i n t he stat e

produc e d by t he action of d rugs is und e n i abl e ; but
t he sam e m ay b e sai d O f c e rtai n abnormal forms

of ordinary sl ee p an d i t s e e ms an u nn e c e ssary
,

confusion of t he s u bj e ct to r egard th es e analogo u s

stat e s as hypnotic .

’
L U YS M I R OI R RO T A T I F This i s an ing e nio u s
.

i nstrum e nt i nv e nt e d by D r L uys of t he Charity

,

H ospital P aris I t consists of two m irrors rapidly

, .
,

r evolving in O pposit e di r e ctions and by ga z ing at ,

thi s for a short tim e t he sight b e com e s tir e d and

d a z z l e d an d hy p n osis is e as ily produc e d
, .

M any advantag e s a re clai m e d for this m e thod ,

that i t sav e s t he op e rator ti m e and troubl e and i s im ,

p e rson al that a nu mb e r of p e o p l e can b e hypnotis e d

at t he sam e tim e by i ts m e ans ; and that i t n e v e r fails .

I qu e stion wh e th e r t he saving of ti m e is r e ally s o

gr e at as might b e i magi n e d for e ach subj e ct m us t ,

’
n e e d t he hypnotist s p e rsonal att e nti on whi lst th e re ,

a re many oth e r m e thods e qually i mp e rsonal O nly .

fai rly susc e pti bl e p e rsons and thos e who had b e e n ,

p r e viously h yp notis ed would g e n e rally

,
sp e aking , ,

b e i nflu e nc e d en m a s s e and th e s e co u ld b e hy p n o
,

t is e d as qui ckly by almost any oth e r m e ans .

 T H E I N D U C T ION OF HYPN OS I S . 1 37

I have how e v e r foun d it o f gre at s e rvic e in som e

, ,

c as e s though on t he oth e r hand it has fail e d i n

, , ,

in stan c e s wh e r e oth e r m e thods h av e s u cc e e d e d .

D r L loyd T u ck e y and D r Kingsb u ry both advis e

ca u tion i n t he u s e of this rotati ng mi rror ; and
though I hav e n ot p e rsonal ly s e e n any i l l e ffe cts
produc e d by i t I can w e ll u nd e rstand that i n t he
,

cas e of n e rvo u s p e rsons i t m ight hav e a v e ry d is

t u rb in g e ffe ct .

TH E N A N C Y M E T HO D H ardly any hypn otist

.

adh e re s rigidly to any o n e m e thod H e fi nds .

that wh e r e it i s t he brai n that i s m ost inti mat e ly

,

conc e rn e d t he i di osyncrasi e s and C haract e r of e ach

,

s u bj e ct m u st b e stud i e d an d a m e thod chos e n whi ch

,

s e e ms m ost lik e ly to tak e e ffe ct .

I n all th e s e di ffe re nc e s of d e t ails how e v e r th e r e , ,

is o n e m ai n pri ncipl e n o w r e cognis e d by t he whol e

body of sci e nti fic hypnotists an d this i s t he th e ory
,

of s ugg e sti on .

The A bb é F aria i n 1 8 1 4is appar e ntly t he fi rst

, ,

who can b e said to hav e m ad e any adva nc e toward s

t he e lucidation of this p rinci pl e Braid i n 1 8 5 0
.
, ,

w e hav e s e e n by his insist e nc e on t he n e c e ssity

,

of conc e ntration and fi x e d att e ntion mad e gr e at ,

advanc e s but to D r L ié b a u lt of N ancy b e longs t he

honou r of giving t o t he world a sci e ntifi c e xpositio n
of t he ra t ion a le of hypnotism W e hav e it from .

’
L ié b a u lt s own lips that he wa s fi rst attract e d t o t he
’
subj e ct by r e ad ing B raid s works and he has con ,
1 38 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

s t an t ly
ad mitt e d that t he N ancy syst e m is i nd e bt e d
to B rai d for its r e al g e n e sis I n con n e ction with .

N an cy must b e m e ntio n e d D r B e rn h e i m who has ,

gr e atly d ev e lo p e d and syst e matis e d t he study of

hypnotism .

T he m e thod i n comm on u s e at N an cy is as
follows
T he pati e nt is comfortably s e at e d i n an e asy
chai r with his back to t he light and t he op e rator
, ,

stands by his sid e holding u p two fi ng e rs of his own

,

’
hand som e fe w i nch e s from t he pati e nt s e y e s T he .

p ati e n t is told to look int e ntly at th e s e two fing e rs ,

and as far as possibl e to k e e p his m in d a blan k

, ,
.

A s soon as t he e y e s b e gi n t o show symptoms of

w e ari n e ss t he hypnotist b egins i n a s om e what
,

m u ffl e d and m onotonous ton e of voic e to s u gg e st

sl e e p .

S om e tim e s t he op e rator without waiting for t he ,

sym ptoms to app e ar will start at onc e t el ling t he

,

“ ”
p ati e n t Y ou a re b e gi nning to fee l d rowsy
,
Y ou r ,

”
sight i s ge tting d im e t c e t c whilst i n oth e r cas e s
,
.
,
.
,

he will wait ti ll t he e y e s b e gi n to bl in k s om e what ,

and th e n s e e k to i n cr e as e t he sl ee pin e ss by s u g
g e stions which a re m ad e as t he sym ptoms b egi n
,

t o d e v e lop th e ms e lv e s .

I t is n ot to b e suppos e d that i n al l cas e s pr e cis e ly

t he sam e form ul a or d e tai ls of tre atm e n t a re
follo we d ; but t he principl e is t he sam e Th u s .

’
this m e thod of N ancy tak e s Braid s syst e m of
 1 4
0 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

T he
forcibl e op e n ing of t he e y e s will som e tim e s
awak e n t he pati e nt I d o n ot u s e mys e lf any of .
, ,

th e s e physical m e ans b u t r e ly sol e ly on s u gg e s ,

tion tho u gh I fre q ue ntly blow lightly on t he e y e s to

,

e ns u r e t he s ugg e stion taking i m m e d iat e e ffe ct .

Th e re is n e v e r t he l e ast d ifli c u lt y or d elay i n

e nd ing t he hypnosis but i n all cas e s t he subj e ct i s , , ,

bro u ght back to t he normal stat e i nstantan e ously .

I n t he hands of an u nski lful or ignorant op e rator

t he s u bj e ct m ay pass from t he waki ng stat e i nto a

condition of appare nt l e thargy and out of t he hands ,

of t he e xp e ri m e nt e r who i s abl e n e ith e r to awak e n ,

nor to i nflu e nc e his subj e ct Th e s e mis fortun e s can .

n e v e r occur to t he practis e d hypnotist but m any

s u ch cas e s a re known and t he dang e r of th e s e rash ,

e xp e rim e nts i n hypnotis m cannot b e too strongly

1
i nsist e d o n .

1
A r eco r ded by D r J uli us S ol o w (N ew Yorh M edica l
ca s e is
u n al M a rc h 14 A y ou n g m an w as hy p n o ti s ed by a
j o r , ,

fri en d at an e ven i n g p a rty fo r fu n The firs t a tt e m p t p ro duc e d

, , .

tre m bli n g through out t he wh o l e b od y a s ec o n d tri a l was m ade with

n o b e tt e r r es u lt ; t he thir d ti m e t he s u bj e c t was s e i z e d with vi o l en t
,

tr em bli n g o f t he a r ms an d he began t o s hi ve r H e th e n fe ll on t he
, .

fl o o r j um p ed u p be c am e m e rry l augh e d j ok ed an d s an g ; th en
, , , , ,

v i o l e n t c o n vu l s i o n s s e t i fo ll o w ed by l os s o f s p eec h ; c a t al e ps y n ext
n ,

s u p e r ve n e d an d t he wh o l e b o d y e x c ep t t he a r m s b ec am e ri g i d
, , Fo r , .

t wo d ay s c o n vu l s i o n s l o s s o f s p e e c h a n d c a t a l e p s y r ec u rr e d ve ry
, , ,

fr e q ue n tly a n d t he s i ght o f an ythi n g bri ght e x c it e d t he m an t o m ad

,

n es s . V a ri o us s eda ti ves w e r e tri e d an d fo r t e n d ay s his c o n d iti on was ,

n o t m u c h i m p r o ve d b ut a ft e r thi s t he s e ve r e s y m p t o m s b e gan t o g i ve
way t o o u tb u r s t s o f a lt e r n a t e s i n gi n g an d l am e n ti n g an d a ft e r an o th e r ,

p e ri o d of tw e l ve d ay s d u ri n g whi c h ti m e his t e mp e r a t u r e w en t u p t o
,

he r ec o ve r e d .
 T H E I N D U C T I ON O F HY PNOSI S . 1
41
Wh e n onc e i t is fou nd that t he p ati e nt do e s n ot
awak e n i n ob e di e nc e to t he f u rt her
O p e rator ,
no

a t t emp t s t o w a he hi m s hou ld b e m a d e b u t an e x ,

p e rie n c e d hypnotist should b e i m m e di at e ly s e nt for ,

or i f o n e cannot b e fo u nd t he s u bj e ct should b e
,

allow e d to sl ee p it o ff I n t he o n e or two cas e s of

.

t he ki nd which hav e com e u nd e r my notic e t he ,

harm don e was almost e ntir e ly d ue to t he ign orant

and futil e att e mpts m ad e to arous e t he pati e nt .

The duratio n of t he hypnotic sl ee p of t he subj e ct ,

i f not awak e n e d is v e ry vari abl e S om e subj e cts

, .

will wak e at t he pre cis e mom e nt wh e n t he O p e rator

l e av e s th e m t he fact of his abs e nc e acting as a
,

s ugge stion that th ey a re n o long e r und e r his i nfl u e nc e .

O th e rs wil l b e awak e n e d by an u n e xp e ct e d or loud

n ois e S om e will b e rous e d fro m t he stat e by e fforts
.

m ad e i n it ; thus for i nstanc e I hav e s ee n a subj e ct

, ,
'

awak e n e d by laughing loudly i n ob e di e nc e to an

hypnotic sugg e stion I f t he s l ee p b e light s ubj e cts
.
,

wi ll oft e n r e turn to t he n atu ral stat e i n a v e ry short

p e riod ; but i f it b e d e e p t he sl ee p m ay conti nu e for
, ,

thre e or fou r hou rs D r B e rnh e im m e ntions o n e

.

cas e in which t he S l e e p last e d e ight e e n hours .

T he condition aft e r hypnosis i s found to b e

p e rfe ctly normal I n t he hands of an e xp e ri e nc e d
.

hypnotist t he s u bj e ct n e v e r fi nds that he is su ffe ring

“ “
fro m any su ch things as drowsi n e ss or gidd in e ss .

I t is commonly suppos e d that thos e s usc e ptibl e

to hypnotism a re comparativ e ly few or that at
'

, ,
 1
4
2 T H E E LE M EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

any rat e th e y a re not i n a p e rfe ctly norm al an d

,

sou nd condition of m ind and body .

S o far how e v e r from this b e i ng tru e t he r e v e rs e

, , ,

is t he cas e .

I t i s practically i mpossibl e to hypnotis e id iots .

Voisi n succ ee d e d i n hypnoti sing t e n p e r c e n t of hi s .

i nsan e pati e nts but thi s he only accom plish e d aft e r

,

t he e xp e nditur e of an e norm ous amo u nt of tim e an d

pati e n c e I t i s a com monplac e id e a that wom e n

.

a re m or e susc e ptibl e than m e n but i t has b e e n

,

prov e d by e xp e ri e n c e that s e x has littl e if a n y

thing to d o with t he qu e stion .

A s far as hyst e ri a is con c e rn ed i t by n o m e an s ,

pr e d ispos e s to hypnotism ; and i n d e e d t he whol e

, ,

class of id e as that p e rson s susc e ptibl e to hypnotism

a re e ith e r hyst e rical w e ak i n m ind or w e ak i n
, ,

body is contradict e d by t he e xp e ri e n c e of e v e ry
,

2 hypnotist .

The subtl e an d i nt e ll e ctual m i nd is m or e e asily

hypn otis e d than t he d u l l an d t he st u pid an h e althy
p e rson m or e e a s ily than an u nh e althy o n e .

N or d o e s n ation ality m at e ri ally affe ct t he

qu e stion .

T he susc e ptibility of t he subj e ct is of cou rs e , ,

an i mportant factor i n t he ti m e tak e n to i nd u c e

hypnosis .

By a skilfu l op e rator a larg e proportion wi ll b e

hypnotis e d i n ti m e s varying from fi fty s e conds t o
fou r minu t es S om e cas e s pre s e n t gr e at di ffi c u lty
.
,
1 4
4 TH E ELE M EN T S OF H YPN O T I S M .

e ffe ct on hyp n otic susc e ptibility T he D utch a re .

n ot g e n e rally consid e re d to b e O f an hyst e rical or

e xcitabl e t e mp e ram e nt y e t D r Van R e n t e rg he m i n
, ,

a r e port to t he M e dical Congr e ss at A mst e rdam

o n 1 7 8 cas e s had only to chronicl e 9 fai l u r e s
, .

D r Van E e d e n says that he fi nds t he proportion

of t he u n in flu en c e d but littl e larg e r tha n that S hown
in t he N ancy statistics .

I n S w e d e n D r W e tt e rst rand fou nd only 1 7 p e rsons

,

whom he co u ld n ot hypnotis e ou t of 7 1 8 pati e nts .

D r Tuck e y t e lls m e that nin e ty p e r c e nt i n his .

,

opin ion can b e hypnotis e d an d my own av e rag e

, ,

agr e e s with this .

B e rnh e im and F or e l hav e both said that t he

opinion of hospital surg e ons who can not hypnotis e
at l e ast e ighty p er c e nt of th e i r pati e nts is of n o .
,

valu e .

S om e physici ans and surg e ons without any ,

practical and v e ry littl e th e or e tical knowl e dg e

, ,

h ave m ad e o n e or two att e mpts at hypn otising

p e rsons and on failing hav e r ej e cte d hypnotism
, , ,

as valu e l e ss S uch acti on is as foolish as it is

.

u nsci e ntific E v e n P rofe ssor F or e l of Z iiric h foun d

.

that as his e xp e ri e nc e i ncr e as e d his failu re s b e cam e

, ,

l e ss I n his fi rst r e port he r e cord e d e l e v e n failu r e s

.

i n forty on e cas e s ; i n his s e cond r e port on fi ft y

-

e ight cas e s he had only fail e d i n e l e v e n instanc e s ;

,

a n d i n a third r e port o n tw e nty nin e cas e s th e r e -

w e r e only thre e fai lur es .

 TH E I N D U CT IO N OF HY PN OSI S . 1 45
D r L ié b au lt ,
so far back as 1 8 8 0 had tr e at e d 1 0 1 2 ,

pati e nts out of whi ch nu mb e r he had o nly 2 7

,

whom he could not hy p notis e H e r e is his tabl e .

RE U T S L S OF E x p E R I M E N Ts 1012 PE R SO N S .
1

D r o w s i n es s
L i gh t S leep
D ee p S l ee p
P r o fo un d S l e ep
L i gh t S o m n a mb uli s m
D e e p S o m n amb uli s m
U n a ffe c t ed

I t is not of cou rs e p r e t e nd e d by any of th e s e

, ,

authoriti e s that this succ es s was attain e d i n e ach

cas e i n t he first sitting E v e ry hypnotist can t e ll .

of com p l e t e failure i n s e v e ral att e mpts which ,

he has only tu rn e d i nto succ e ss by continu e d

p e rs ev e ranc e A s a rul e how e v e r und e r prop e r
.
, ,

conditions a pati e nt if he b e hypnotisabl e at al l

, , ,

can b e s e nt to sl ee p in s ix sittings .

O n e of t he fi rst practical di ffi culti e s of t he hyp

notist li e s in s e curing t he n e c e ssary m e ntal attitud e
of t he pati e nt 2 I t is obvious that a p e rson who sits
.

down i n an amus e d and sc e ptical mood with an ,

”
hypnotis e m e if you can e x p r e ssion on his fac e
- - - -

is not lik e ly to b e e asily i n flu e nc e d By t he .

1
S ee p . 1 6 fo r s t ages
4 .

2
Thro ugh ou t thi s bo o k t he wo rd , pa ti en t
”
is us e d as t he an o n t ym
o f o pe r a t o r i e on e o p e r a t ed up o n
, . .
, .

K
1 4
6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

ignorant an d n arrow m i nd e d whos e p hilosophy -

coincid e s with th e i r m e ntal faculti e s anything ,

o u tsid e th e ir own sph e r e is r e gard e d ip s o f a ct o as

u n r e liabl e .

M y own e x p e ri e nc e such as i t is has prov e d to m e

, ,

that s usc e ptibility to hypnotism is t he S ign rath e r of

a fi n e than of a poor i nt e ll e ct With t he e ducat e d .

and t he r e fin e d my e xp e ri m e nts h av e b ee n u niform ly

m or e succ e ssful O n r e fe rri ng to my not e s I fin d
.
,

that am ongst m e mb e rs of t he U niv e rsity of O xford

I hav e succ e e d e d i n hypnotising 96 p e r c e nt of .

thos e I have tri e d .

T he n e xt i m portant qu e stion is t he d e pth of

i nflu e nc e to which e ach may b e s u bj e ct e d H ardly .

any two cas e s of hypnosis can b e sai d to pr e s e n t

conditions pre cis e ly alik e T he individ u ality of t he .
.

p e rson s e e ms to b e sti l l e xist e n t u nd e r t he d e e p e st

forms of hypn osis ; but for purpos e s of conv e ni e nc e
,

and classification t he l e ading hypnotists hav e ad opt e d

,

various m e thods for d e t e rmining t he particular d e pth

o f i n flu e nc e at which t he su bj e ct m ay b e .

E dmund G urn e y whos e r e s e arch e s a re valu abl e

1
, ,

tho u gh sp e c u lativ e d ivid e d hypnosis into two

,

stag e s
I . T he “
al e rt stag e .

“
2 . The d e e p stag e .

P rofe ssor A ug u st F ore l of Z u rich n am e s thre e

stat e s
1
Vide P roc eedi n gs o f t he Ps y chi c al R es earc h S o c i e ty .
1 48 THE E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

3 S ugg e stiv e catal e psy s lightly pr e s e nt

. .

4 S ugg
. e stiv e catal e psy mor e pronounc ed .

5 S ugg
. e stiv e contractu r e s m ay b e i nd uc e d .

6 A utomati c ob e d i e nc e
. .

7 L oss of m e mory on waking

. H allucin at ion s
.

n ot possi bl e .

8 L oss of m e m ory
. S light possibility of
.

prod u ci ng hallucinations b ut n ot post ,

hypnotically .

9 L oss of m e mo ry
. H y p n otic and post
.

hypn o tic h allucinations possibl e .

A ll the se att e mpts to prop e rly classify t he stag e s

o f hyp nosis a re val u abl e an d th e y a re giv e n
,

h e r e that t he r e ad e r may form som e id e a of t he

vari e ty of cond ition s r e pre s e nt e d by t he word
hypn osis A s a m att e r o f fact how e v e r th e s e
.
, ,

d ivisi ons a re not r e sp e ct e d by t he subj e cts P h e no .

m e n a a re constan tly foun d i n o n e stag e which a re

o nly su p os e d to b e long to anoth e r and d e e p e r o n e
p .

A s D r Kingsbu ry says p ati e nts vary as much i n

,

hypnosis as th ey d o i n th e ir fe atur e s and d o not ,

r e sp ec t any th e or e tic arrang e m e nts but constantly ,

o v e rst e ou r sci ntifi c boundari s and s o r e nd e r

p e e ,

a nything lik e m ath e matical e xactitud e out of t he

u e st ion
q .

’
M Be a u n is p r ep are d an analysis of L iéb a u lt s
.

fi gure s whic h is v e ry int er esting

,
 T H E I N D U CT I ON OF HY PNOSI S . 1 49

D p
ee L ig ht D ro w s i U n af
Sl p
ee . Sl p
ee . n e ss . fe c t e d .

Up to 7 y ea r s
F ro m
.

7 to 1 4
1 4t o 2 1
2 1 to 2 8
2 8 to 3 5
a) 3 5 10 42 as

n 42 t o 49 n

n 49 t o 56
56 10 63
O er
v 63

F rom this that t he d e e p e r stag e s a re l e ss

we s ee

fr e qu e n tly found i n t he old than i n t he you ng .

A p e c u liar m e ntal cond ition is foun d i n t he light e r

stag e s T he subj e cts s a y on awaking that th e y
.

h av e n ot b e e n asl ee p at al l an d a re qu it e positiv e ,

t hat th e y hav e not b e e n hypnotis e d ; wh e n chal

l e ng e d with t he fact that th e y co u ld not op e n th e i r
e y e s b e n d th e i r arms or p e rform any oth e r forbidd e n
, ,

mov e m e nt th e y r e ply that th e y cou ld hav e don e so

,

i f th e y had lik e d but that th ey d id not want to tak e

,

t he n e c e ssary troubl e .

T he d iscussion o f th e s e stat e s woul d b e in c o m

p le t e without a r e fe r e n c e to t he P aris school T he .

schools of N ancy an d of P aris a re i n con flict o n

al most e v e ry i mportant poi nt of t he qu e stion I n .

s u ch a b rochu re as this i t would b e i n e xp e d i e nt to ,

'

d isc u ss th e s e d i ffe r e nc e s at any l e ngth t he more ,

e sp e cially as t he s ubj e ct bristl e s w ith t e chnicaliti e s .

A bri e f notic e of t he doctrin e s of Charcot and his

follow e rs m ust th e r e for e suffi c e .
1 50 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

The chi e f controv e rsy con c e rns t he hypnotic stat e ,

’
and for t he prop e r u nd e rstan ding of Charcot s th e ory
I h e re app e nd an e xtract from his writings
I The Ca t a lep t ic S t a t e —This m ay b e prod u c e d
. .

(a ) pri marily u nd e r t he i n flu e nc e of an i nt e ns e and

,

u n e xp e ct e d n ois e of a bright light p re s e nt e d to t he

,

ga z e or again i n som e s u bj e cts by t he more or l e ss

, , ,

p rolong e d fixing of t he eye s on a giv e n obj e ct ; (b )

cons e cutive ly to t he l e thargic stat e wh e n t he e y e s , ,

which u p to that mom e n t had b ee n clos e d a re ,

e xpos e d t o t he light by raising t he e y e lids T he .

su bj e ct th u s r e nd e r e d catal e pti c is motionl e ss and ,

as i t w e r e fasci nat e d
, T he e y e s are op e n t he ga z e
.
,

i s fix e d t he e y e lids d o not qu iv e r t he t e ars soon

, ,

gath e r and flow down t he ch e eks O ft e n th e re is .

an aesth esi a of t he conj u nctiva and e v e n of t he ,

corn e a The li mbs an d al l parts of t he body m ay

.

r e tai n t he p osition i n which th ey a re plac e d for a

consi d e rabl e p e ri od e v e n wh e n t he attitud e is o n e
,

which i t i s d i ffi cult t o m aintain T he limbs app e ar .

t o b e e xtre m e ly light wh e n rais e d or displac e d an d ,

th e re i s n o flex ib ilit a s cerea nor y e t what i s t e rm e d

,

t he stiffn e ss of a l ay figu r e The t e ndon r e fl e x

.

disap p e ars N e u ro muscular hyp e r e xcitability is

.
-

abs e nt Th e re is compl e t e i ns e nsibili ty to pain b u t

.
,

som e s e ns e s r e tai n th e ir activity at any rat e i n part ,

— t he muscular s e ns e and thos e of sight an d ,

h e ari ng This continuanc e of s e nsori al activi ty

.

oft e n e nabl e s t he e xp e ri m e nt e r to i nflu e nc e t he

1 5 2 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

wh e n rais e d th ey fal l back again as soon as th ey a re

l e ft to th e ms e lv e s T he p u pils a re o n t he oth e r
.
,

hand contract e d t he ey e s are clos ed or half clos e d

, , ,
-

an d an al most inc e ssan t qu iv e ring of t he ey e lids

m ay usually b e obs e rve d Th e r e is an e xagg e ration
.

of t he t e ndon r e fl e x ; n e uro m uscu lar hy p e rex c it

-

ability is always pr e s e nt although it vari e s i n,

int e n s ity I t may b e g e n e ral e xt e nding to al l t he

.
,

muscl e s of t he ani mal syst e m t he fac e t he trunk an d

, , ,

t he limbs ; an d it may also b e partial only pr e s e n t ,

for instan c e i n t he u pp e r li mbs and n ot i n t he

,

fac e This ph e n om e non i s display e d wh e n m e chan

.

i cal e xcit e m e nt i s appli e d to a n e rv e tr u nk by m e an s -

o f pre ssu r e with a rod or qui ll ; this caus e s t he

muscl e s suppli e d by this n e rv e to co n tract .

T he m uscl e s th e ms e lv e s may b e dir e ctly e xcit e d

i n t he sam e way ; som e what i nt e ns e and prolong e d
e xci t e m e nt of t he m uscl e s of t he li mbs trunk and , ,

n e ck produ c e s contractu r e of t he mu s c l e s i n qu e stion ;

on t he fac e how e v e r t he contracti on s a re transitory
, , ,

an d d o not b e com e e stablish e d i n a stat e o f

p e rman e nt contractu re Contractu re m ay also b e
.

prod u c e d i n t he l imbs by m e an s of r e p e at e d
p e rcussion of t he t e ndons Th e s e contractu r e s
.
,

wh e th e r prod uc e d by e xcit e m e nt of t he n e rv e s
o r m uscl e s o r by p e rcussion of t he t e ndons a re
, ,

rapidly r e lax e d by e xciting t he antagonist m uscl e s .

A s i t has b e e n alr e ady said t he catal e ptic stat e ,

can b e instantan e o u sly d e v e lop ed i n a s ubj e ct

 TH E IN D U CT I ON OF HYPN OSI S . 1 53

plung ed i n l e thargy i f whil e i n a light room t he

,

u pp e r e y e lids a re rais e d so as to e xpos e t he

eyes .

“
3 Tl
. i e S t a t e f
o A rt fi
z cz a l S om
'

n a m b u lis m — This
stat e m ay i n som e su bj e cts b e im m e diat e ly pro
, ,

d u c e d by fi x it y of ga z e an d also i n oth e r ways

,

which it is n o t n o w n e c e ssary to e nu m e rat e It .

m ay b e produc e d at wi ll i n s u bj e cts who hav e first

b e e n thrown i nto a stat e of l e thargy or cat al e psy
by e x e rti n g a si mpl e pr e s s u r e on t he scalp or by a
-

,
‘

slight friction This stat e s e e ms to c orr e spond with

.

what has b e e n t e rm e d t he m agn e tic sl e e p .

“
I t i s di fficult to analys e t he v e ry compl e x
ph e nom e n a which a re p re s e nt e d u n d e r this form .

I n t he r e s e arch e s mad e at t he S a lp é t rié re m any of ,

th e m hav e b e e n p ro v is m n a lly s e t asid e T he chi e f .

a rm has b ee n to d e fi n e, as far as possibl e t he ,

charact e ri s ti cs which d isting u ish somn amb u lism

from t he l e thargic and catal e pti c states and to ,

d e monstrat e t he r e lations which e xist b e tw e e n i t

and t he two l att e r stat e s .

The ey e s a re clo s e d o r half clos e d ; t he e y e lid s

-

g e n e rally quiv e r ; wh e n l e ft to hims e lf t he subj e ct

s ee ms to b e asl e e p but e v e n i n this cas e t he limbs
,

a re not i n such a pronounc e d stat e of r e laxation as

wh e n we hav e to d o wi th l e thargy N e uro mu sc u lar .

-

hyp e re xcitability as i t has b ee n d e fin e d abov e do e s

, ,

not e xist ; i n oth e r words e xcit e m e nt of t he n e rv e s

,

or of t he muscl e s th e ms e lv e s and p e rcussion of t he

,
1 54 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

t e ndons do not p rod uc e contractur e O n t he oth e r

,
.

h and various m e thods am ong oth e rs passing t he

, ,

han d l ightly and r e p e at e dly ov e r t he surfac e of a

li mb (m e sm e ri c p ass e s ) or again br e athing g e ntly
, , ,

o n t he skin caus e t he limb to b e com e rigid but i n

, ,

a way which di ffe rs from t he contractu r e d u e to

m u scular hyp e r e xcitability s inc e it cannot lik e t he , ,

l att e r b e r e lax e d by m e chani cal e xcit e m e nt of t he

,

antagon istic muscl e s ; it also d i ffe rs from catal e pti c

i mmobi lity i n t he r e sistanc e e ncou nt e r e d i n t he
r e gion of t he j oints wh e n t he att e mpt i s mad e to
,

giv e a chang e of attitu d e to t he sti ffe n e d li mb To .

d istinguish this stat e from catal e ptic im mobi lity ,

strictly so call e d it is propos e d to distinguish t he

,

rigid ity p e cu liar to t he som n ambulist stat e by t he

’ ’

n am e of ca t a lep s oz a rzgi dz zjy ; it might also b e call e d

'

'

s eu do ca t a le p tzc
p
-
.

“
Theski n i s ins e nsibl e to p ain but this is com ,

b in e d with hyp e rae sth e s ia of som e forms of cu tan e ous

s e nsibi lity of t he mu scular s e ns e and of t he sp e ci al
, ,

s e ns e s of s ight h e ari ng and sm e ll

, I t i s g e n e rally
,
.

e asy by t he e mploym e nt o f commands o r s u g g es

,

t ion to i nd uc e t he subj e ct to p e rform v e ry compl e x

,

automatic actions W e m ay th e n obs e rv e what is

.

strictly call e d artifici al somn ambulism .

“
I n t he cas e of a su b j e ct in a stat e of s o m n a m
b u lis m a slight pr e ssu r e on t he corn e a mad e by
, ,

applying t he fi ng e rs to t he e y e l ids wil l chang e that ,

s tat e i nto a l e thargy accom pani e d by n eu ro m uscular

1 56 THE ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T ISM .

—t he n am e th ey have giv e n to stat e i n duc e d by t he

t he N ancy m e thods Wh e n w e hav e to d e al with

.

sugge stiv e tre atm e n t t he r e su lts wi ll u ndoubt e d ly

d e p e nd on what i s e xp e ct e d by t he op e rator wh e n ,

howe v e r we hav e a stat e of n e u ro m u scul ar hyp e r

,
-

e xcitability (not d u e to sugg e sti ons ) e t c d e scrib e d ,

.
,

a s e ss e ntial ph e nom e n a of t he hypnotic cond ition ,

t he qu e stion naturally aris e s H ow is it that no oth e r ,

obs e rv e rs can fi nd th e m ? T he an sw e r is s u ppli e d

by M e ssi e u rs Bin e t e t Fé ré prom in e n t follow e rs of ,

“
Charcot who ad m it that r e su lts d i ffe ring from
,

thos e of Charcot wi ll b e obtain e d i f t he pati e nts

’

a re s ubj e ct e d to a d i ffe re nt m od us op era n d z i f i n ,

'

oth e r words t hey do n ot receive t he s o m e lzyp n ot z o

” 1
ed u ca t i on .

I t is to b e d e e ply r e gr e tt e d that und e r t he shad ow

of t he famous S a lp é t riere a positio n has b e e n
a s s u m e d t he e ffe ct o f whi ch h as b ee n to s e riously
,

r e tard t he sob e r study and st e ady progr e ss of

2
hypnotism .

The articl e s which app e ar e d in t he T!mes at t he

,

”
b e ginning of 1 8 93 e ntitl e d T he N e w M e sm e rism
, ,

and t he m any arti cl e s which hav e b e e n writt e n on ,

t he abus e s o f hypnotis m i n t he P aris hospitals hav e ,

1
Op . c it .
, p . it ali c s are m i n e
1 00 . T he .

2
A s I wa s c o rr e c ti n g t he p r o o fs o f thi s c h ap t e r a t N an c y t he , ,

n ew s was br ought t o m e o f t he d ea th o f D C h a rc o t I t is p e rh ap s
r .
, ,

w ell t o s ay th a t for s om e ti m e D C h a r c o t had r etire d fro m n y

, , r a

p r o m i n e n t ad vo c a c y o f th e s e vi e w s a n d th a t his fo ll o w e r s a e
, r

r es p o n s ibl e for m an y o f t he l at e r d e ve l o pm e n t s .
 T H E I N D U C T ION OF HYPNOS I S . [5 7

d e alt sol e ly with t he m e thods and e x p e ri m e nts of

t he P aris school .

D r A lb e rt M oll writing m e r e ly from t he histori cal

,

standpoint has said

,
I t is tru e that as has al re ady ,

b ee n m e ntion e d t he stu dy of hypnotism had b e e n

,

b egu n i n various countri e s i n con n e ction with t he

work of Charcot . A s how e ve r i n cons e qu e nc e of t he
, ,

rath e r o n e sid e d standpoi nt of th e s e i nv e stigations

-

t he di ffe r e nt e nquir e rs fail e d to fi nd any lasting

satisfaction e v e n t he n am e of Charcot was pow e rl ess

,

to giv e a g e n e ral e xt e nsion t o t he st u dy of hy p n o

t is m
. O nly wh e n t he school of N ancy cr e at e d a
s ure r basis for hypnotism by a profou nd e r psycho
logical conc e ption could p e opl e e ls e wh e r e b egin t o
d e vot e th e ms e lv e s on a larg e r scal e t o t he study of
i t I n F ranc e i ts e lf t he i mportanc e of t he N ancy
.
,

inv e stigators was mor e and mor e r e cognis e d A . .

Voisin B é rillo n an d n um e rous oth e r e x p e ri m e nt e rs

, ,

occupi e d th e ms e lv e s with t he subj ect an d e v e n ,

thos e who h ad at fi rst consid e r e d t he e xp e ri m e n ts

of Charcot to b e of high e r valu e t urn e d i n larg e ,

numb rs to t he school of N ancy

e 1
an d D r Tu ck e y ,

writing from t he m e dical standpoi nt s ays Of ,

t he consid e rabl e n umb e r of m e d ical m en I hav e m e t

’
who hav e att e nd e d Charcot s d e monstrations n ot ,

o n e has look e d u on hypnotism as mor e th an a toy

p ,

and not o n e has ad opt e d it for t he tr e atm e nt o f

d is e as e ; wh e r e as all thos e I hav e m et who hav e
1
Op . c it . , p . I 6.
I 58 TH E ELEM E N T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

stu di e d t he s ubj e ct at t he elz fz z q ues at N an cy h av e

' '

b e e n thoro ughly convi nc e d iq f t he val u e O f t he ‘

1 ”
tr e atm e nt an d hav e adopt e d it int o th e i r practic e
,
.

M u ch confu sion has b e e n caus e d by t he oft .

r e port e d doi ngs of t he P aris school L ittl e i s h e ard .

of t he qui e t e r an d m or e sci e ntifi c m e thods of N an cy ,

b u t t he s t artl ing tal e s from t he P aris ian elz m gzz es

' '

hav e not u nnatural ly fill e d t he l ay m ind with di stru st

and suspicion an d i t is now only consist e nt with
,

sci e ntific d u ty an d a r e gard for facts to stat e

that m any of t he e xp e rim e nts of t he S chool of
P aris a re u nfort u n at e ly u n r e liabl e and u ntrust
, ,

w orthy .

1
Ps y ch o Th e rap eu ti c s
-
. Lon don , 3r
d ed . 1 8 9 1 , p .
53 .
1 60 THE E LE M EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

adopt e d t he d e pth O f t he hyp noti c sl e e p and t he

, ,

n atu ral d isposition of t he s u bj e ct F irst a re to b e .

n ot e d t he ph e nom e na of t he stat e wh e n no e xt e rn al
sugg e stion is m ad e or i nflu e nc e e x e rt e d on t he
,

subj e ct S om e a re abl e to mov e with p e rfe ct e as e

.

and fr ee dom thus th e y wi l l brush a fly o ff t he fac e

with t he hand or chang e th e i r position wh e n o n e
,

p ostur e b e com e s w e aryin g O th e rs pr e s e nt all t he

.

app e aranc e s of b e ing i n an h e avy sl e e p M ov e m e nts .

,

if th e y b e m ad e at all a re v e ry slow and langu id

, .

B e tw e e n this e as e of m ov e m e nt an d t he incapacity
to m ov e th e r e a re m any transitional stag es I f t he
, .

hypnosis b e induc ed by m e ans O f t he fix e d ga z e o r

by any m e thod which r e quir e s som e e ffort o n t he
part o f t he s ubj e ct t he p u lsation and r e s p i ration a re
,

slightly i ncre as e d .

T he actu al i nducti on of t he sl e e p is g e n e rally

m ark e d by a d ee p i nspiration D u ring t he sl e ep t he
.

br e athing and t he pu lsation b e com e slightly sl ow e r

a s a rul e but a re m ark e d by gre at fi rmn e ss and
,

r e g u larity 1 .

The e y e s an d t he m ou th oft e n show striking sym

toms of t he ons e t of hypnosis T he closi ng of t he .

ey e s is g e n e ral ly pr e c e d e d by a m ark e d quiv e ring

o f t he ey e lids an d th e s e vibrati ons a re oft e n m ai n

,

t a in e d for som e ti m e aft e r t he e y e s hav e clos e d .

I t is not always n e c e ssary that t he e ye s should

.

1
Vide l bo ra t e trac i n gs a n d t abl es I n
e a C o n tribu to s pe ri me n t al e
’
a ll a F i s i o s i c olo ia d e ll I n o ti s m o M o r s elli e T anz i
”
p g p . .
 T H E PHENOM EN A OF HYPN OS I S .

be clos e d for a p e rson to b e hypnotis e d though ,

this is g e n e rally t he cas e an d i n many i nstanc e s to

,

op e n t he e y es would awak e n t he subj e ct .

Wh en t he m e thod of hypnotism by fasci n ation is

us e d t he e y e s m ay r e mai n O p e n t he whol e ti m e
,
.

-
I n t he d ee p est hypnosis it is fr e qu e ntly found
th at t he e y e s are not qu it e clos e d bu t that th e r e
,

i s a s light op e ni ng l e ft through which t he e y e bal l

,

c a n b e s ee n Som e tim e s in hypnosis as t he e y e s

.
,

c los e
,
t he e y e ball tu rn s u pwards and r e m ai ns i n

t his position till t he subj e ct is awak e n e d ; at oth e r

tim e s it is foun d that t he e y e ball r e turns to its

natural position wh e n t he e y e s a re clos e d .

P e rhaps a m or e subtl e symptom is t he strang e e ffe ct

w hich t he i nduction of hypnosis produ c e s on t he
d e licat e muscl e s of t he mouth I hav e n e v e r fail e d
.

to obs e rv e this symptom m or e or l e ss m ark e d in

, ,

e v e ry cas e wh e th e r t he hypnosis i ndu c e d b e light

or d ee p O ft e n t he sym p tom is o nly r e cognisabl e by

.

‘
a s li ht com r e ssio n of t he lips ; but fr e qu e ntly t he
g p
o n t ra c t io n of t he muscl e s is s o obvious that t he

subj e ct app e ars to b e i ndulging i n a gri m ki nd of

s mil e .

I n any but t he light e st stag e s of hypnosis al l

m uscular mov e m e nts can b e pr e v e nt e d or ind u c e d
by m e ans of sugg e stion Thu s t he stat e m e nt Y ou
.
,

“
c annot O p e n you r mouth or Y ou cannot b e nd
,
”
your arm is su ffi ci e n t to pre v e nt t he acti on b e ing
,

p e rform e d .
1 62 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HY PNO T I S M .

T he subj e ct may b e u nabl e to m ak e t he mov e

m e nt b e caus e he can not contract t he prop e r muscl e s
whilst i n oth e r cas e s t he s u gg e stion caus e s a con
t ra c t u re of t he antagonisti c m uscl e s and thus t he
'

forbidd e n m ov e m e n t b e com e s i mpossibl e T he .

s imp l e i nabi lity is fr e qu e ntly s e e n wh e n t he s u g

“ ”
g e stion ,
Y ou cannot op e n you r e y e s is m ad e ,
.

U n abl e to contract t he prop e r m u scl e s t he s u b ,

jec t att e mpts to op e n his e y e s by e l e vati ng his

e y e brows .

I t is also possibl e to allow or pr e v e nt contracti on

for any o n e partic u lar pu rpos e A s u bj e ct i n re
.
,

spons o to t he prop e r sugg e sti on will b e abl e to s ay

,

som e d e finit e word but i n all oth e r r e sp e cts will

,

b e absolut e ly d u mb H e will b e abl e to writ e

.
,

play t he pi ano s ew ; but q u it e u nabl e to hold i n

,

his hand som e giv e n O bj e ct .

A s any m u sc u lar mov e m e nt can b e i nhibit e d so ,

a m ov e m e nt can b e i nd u c e d e ith e r against or

without t he will of t he s u bj e ct Th u s t he s u gg e s
’

tion m ay b e m ad e that it is i m possibl e for hi m to

pr e v e n t his arm rising to a l e v e l with his sho u ld e r
wh e th e r it is witho u t or against t he wi ll has to b e
d e cid e d by t he n at u r e of t he mov e m e nt .

I n t he cas e of t he mov e m e nt m ad e simply with

o u t any i nt e ntional act o f t he wil l t he arm will
,

ris e m e chanically an d automatically ; but th e r e i s

’
n o e vid e nc e of r e sistanc e on t he s u bj e ct s part O n .

t he oth e r hand t he m ov e m e n ts mad e against his

,
16 4 TH E ELEM E N T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

oth e r n am e s i mitation,
fascination
,
and ,

D onatism (this last from D onato who m ad e gr e at ,

u s e of i t ) .I n this syst e m t he op e rator fix e s his

,

e y e s on t he e y e s of his s u bj e ct an d aft e r a short

,

ti m e t he subj e ct follows e v e ry mov e m e nt m ad e by

t he magn e tist I f he lift an arm t he subj e ct d o e s
.
,

t he sam e i f he kn e e l t he subj e ct kn ee ls ; and so on

,
’

a d z nfi rz z t a m H e re fascin ation was t he form of

'

hypnosis i nduc e d The sam e stat e can b e obtain e d

.

by op e ning t he ey e s of an hypnotis e d p e rson wh e n ,

’
t he hypnotist by ga z ing fix e dly i nto his subj e ct s
,

e y e s will b e abl e to obtai n th e s e im itativ e mov e m e nts .

I f t he fing e r o r t he mou nt e d top of a walking stick

,
-

’
( s ee F .ig I ) b e pl ac e d b e for e t he subj e ct s e y e s he
, ,

wi ll follow t he fing e r or t he stick as t he cas e m ay

, ,

b e ; i n all this it is cl e arly s u gg e stion which is

t he basis of t he ph e nom e na The subj e ct wi ll n ot
.

p e rform any of th e s e i mitativ e acti ons nor wi ll he ,

“
be fascin at e d by t he stick u nl e ss he fully ,

u nd e rstands that it is e xp e ct e d of him .

I n v e ry many ways by a l ook or a move m e nt t he

, ,

hy p n otist is oft e n abl e to conv ey a sugg e stion

to his subj e ct which wil l b e qu it e as pot e nt as i f
m ad e by m e ans of sp e e ch (F ig This e xtr e m e
.

susc e ptibility to sugg e stion is e ith e r not known or

i s ov e rlook e d by t he ordinary p ublic and t he ‘

profe ssional hypnotis e rs O ft e n avai l th e ms e lv e s of

this com mon ignoranc e to d e c e iv e thos e who m ay
att e n d th e i r e xhibitions .
FIG . I
1 66 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I SM .

tion th e re has b e e n a striking physical chang e ; b u t

it is also claim e d that in som e cas e s t he contraction
is s o g r e at that a contrary s u gg e stion will n ot s u ffic e
to co u nt e ract t he e ffe ct O f t he fi rst I hav e O bs e rv e d .

n um e rous cas e s of t he most rigid catal e psy but ,

this failu r e O f t he s e con d s u gg e stion is qu it e u m

known to m e ; though fr e qu e ntly I hav e notic e d a
, ,

d e lay of a fe w s e conds b e for e t he arm r e gai ns its

prop e r e l asticity This h ow e v e r s e e ms e xplain e d
.
, ,

by t he au to s ugg e stion which t he contract e d stat e

-

of t he m uscl e wou ld n aturally hav e on t he m ind of

t he subj e ct .

I f for e xampl e t he subj e ct b e pr e v e nt e d from

, ,

sh u tting his m outh wh e n t he contrary s u gg e stion

,

b e mad e t he mouth will shut with a sn ap cl e arly

, ,

showing that an e ffort was n e c e ssary to ov e rcom e

t he contract u r e .

Whi l e it m ay s ee m con fusing to dissoci at e t he e ffe ct

from t he ca us e i t is m ost i mportant to not e that t he
,

stat e of rigid ity i nd u c e d is in n o s e ns e i maginary or

, ,

d e p e nd e nt u pon t he si mpl e in ability of t he wi l l

to mak e t he n e c e ssary e ffort but that an actual ,

tangibl e and physical con tractur e of t he mu scl e s

do e s r e ally tak e plac e .

A noth e r com mon ph e nom e non of t he stat e i s that

call e d by L ié b au lt an d B e rnh e im a u tomatic mov e
” ”
m e nt and by M ax D es s o ir continu e d mov e m e nt
, .

’
I f t he hy p notic s arms b e rotat e d or his hands s e t ,

r e volvi ng round o n e anoth e r th e y wi l l contin u e ,

FI G . 2 .
—
P /zy s z ca 1 S ugg es t ion of F ight i ng (m ade by t he p l ac i n g o f
t he h an d s in p o s iti o n )
.
1 68 TH E E LE M EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

catal e psy of t he e n ti re body wh e n t he whol e ,

of t he vol u ntary m uscl e s b e com e absol u t e ly

rigid I n this condition t he body may b e plac e d
.

.
,

with t he h e ad on o n e chair and t he fee t on anoth e r ,

and wi ll r e mai n i n a p e rfe ctly straight lin e b e tw e e n

th e s e two poin ts S o compl e t e is t he rigidity that
.

t he body i n this position wi ll sustain an e norm ous

w e ight withou t b e nding I hav e s e e n a youth .

,

by n o m ean s athl e tic o r e xc e ptionally strong in ,

this rigid stat e sustai n without any appare nt

, ,

u n e asi n e ss and without any harm fu l r e s u lt a ,

w e ight e xc ee ding o n e hu ndr e d and fi ft y pounds -

- -
.

I t m ust b e s aid that i n additio n to t he vario us ,

ki nds of m u sc u lar contraction u nd e r hypnosis which ,

hav e b e e n d e scrib e d i t has b e e n claim e d by Charcot

,

and oth e rs that th e r e a re c e rtai n r e fl e x actions to b e

found which do not app e ar i n normal conditions 1
.

The stag e s of Charcot wi ll b e found i n t he

pr e vious chapt e r I t is su ffi ci e n t h e r e to n otic e that
.

Charcot an d his follow e rs claim for what th ey

t e rm t he stat e of l e thargy (prod uc e d e ith e r by
“
m e an s of fi x e d att e ntion o r from t he catal e ptic ,

stag e by closing t he e y e s ) that th e r e is pre s e nt a ,

1
D r M o ll (o p c it p 8 0 ) e x p l ai n s t he t e r m s “ v l un t ry
. . . an d o a

r fl ex
e .

W e u d rs t d by r e fl e x ti on o f t he m us c l es th a t p rti c ul ar c tio
n e an ac a a n

whi c h is i d uc ed by e x c it ti on f s e so ry n e v with o u t t he c o
n a o a n r e,

o p e ra ti ono f t he will W h e fo e x m p l e an i s c t fli es t o t he eye

. n , r a , n e

it c l os es ; thi s c l os i n g i r e fl ex b eca us e it i i vo l un t a ry W h e on
s , s n . n

a n o th r o cc as i o n t he ey e is vo l u t rily c l o s e d thi
e is n o r e fl e x b u t a
n a , s

vo l un t ry m o e m en t
a v .
 THE PH ENOM ENA OF HY PN OS I S . 1 69

n e uro muscular hyp e r e xcitabili t y s o that i f any

-

n e rve b e pre ss e d all t he m uscl e s gov e rn ed by that

,

n e rv e i mm e diat e ly contract ; for instanc e i f t he ,

uln ar n e rv e b e press e d t he fing e rs wi ll contract

,
.

Ve ry few hyp notists a re foun d who agr ee with

Charcot i n his classification O f t he hypnotic stag e s ,

an d a larg e maj ority of t he b e st authoriti e s agre e

that th e s e strang e r e sults w e r e d ue to unconscious
and unint e nt ion al sugg estion on t he part of t he
op erator .D r M ol l has poi nt e d this out cl e arly ,

wh e n he says that sinc e this sou rc e of e rror has

b e e n mor e car e ful ly avoid e d t he stag e s of Charcot
a re l e ss and l e ss fr e qu e ntly obs e rv e d .

We tt e rstrand n e v e r onc e fou n d th e s e stag e s ,

although he e xp e ri m e nt e d on n o l ess than

d iffe r e nt su bj e cts The e ss e nc e of t he whol e
.

qu e stion is that accordi ng to Charcot an d his

,

school th e s e m uscular contractions e nsu e without

,

any m e ntal s ugg e sti on or i mpression b e ing mad e

on t he subj e ct This is e nti r e ly contrary to t he
.

e xp e rim e nts and obs e rvati ons of al most all t he

hypnotists i n e v e ry part O f t he world and th e r e fore ,

for t he e stablishm e nt of such stag e s as facts

a mass of i rr e fragabl e e vid e n c e i s n e c essary ; s o
far how e v e r from such e vi d e nc e b e ing i n any
, ,

’
way forthcoming w e hav e i t on Charcot s own
,

a u thority that i n tw e lv e y e ars o nly t e n pati e nts

,

w e r e found at t he S a lp é t riere i n whom th e s e stag e s

could b e produc e d Wh e th e r th es e stag e s may
.
1
70 T H E ELEMEN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

occu r i n a few s u bj e cts i s q u it e d ebat e abl e and I ,

should b e u nwilling to stat e that th e y di d not

e xist ; but wh e th e r th e y d o or do n ot e xist we ,

m ay safe ly s ay that th ey i n no way r e pr e s e nt

t he normal ph e nom e na of hypnotism and m ay ,

cons e qu e ntly b e pass e d ov e r witho u t furth e r c o n

sid e ration i n an e l e m e ntary han dbook s u ch as this .

N e arly e v e ry o n e i s familiar i f only by r e put e

, ,

with t he ordinary ph e nom e n a of t he hypnotic stat e

m otor im puls e s can b e inhibit e d ; d e afn e ss d u mb ,

n e ss blind n e ss i n many cas e s can b e caus e d ; t he

, , ,

sp e cial s e ns e s can b e su ppr e ss e d so that t he ,

strong e st am monia can b e h e ld u nd e r t he nostri ls

without t he pati e nt e vi ncing any S ign of d is
comfort The prop e r s u gg e stions b e i ng mad e he
.
,

wi ll e a t p epp e r and thi nk it is sugar or e at a ,

tabl e t of soap with gu s t o u nd e r t he i mpr e ssion that

,

it is a pi e c e of cak e I nd e e d almost e v e ry s e ns e
.
,

and organi c fu nction of t he body may b e affe ct e d .

A n ae sth e sia is v e ry oft e n pr e s e nt an d can b e ,

i ncr e as e d by s u gg e stion I t i s quit e impracticabl e

.

fo r hypnotism e v e r to b e us e d a s a g en e ral an aas

th e tic sinc e i n this r e sp e ct its op e ration is s o
, , ,

un c e rtain G e n e rally sp e aking e v e ry o n e can b e

.
,

r e nd e r e d i ns e nsibl e to pai n by chloroform or e th e r ,

whilst on ly a s mal l p e rc e ntag e of hypnoti c subj e cts

can b e s o d e e ply i n flu e nc e d as to plac e th e m i n t he
sam e d egr ee of ins e nsibi lity D r B e rnh e i m has
.

“
plainly said that hypnotis m cannot b e g e n e rally
1 7 2 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

M e mory according to ,
m ay b e sai d to M oll ,
1

consist of thre e parts fi rstly t he pow e r of r etaining ,

id e as ; s e cond ly t he pow e r O f r ep rod uci n g th e s e

,

id e as ; an d thi rdly t he pow e r of r e cognising t he

,

id e as and localising th e m corr e ctly i n t he past .

Without e xpr e ss s u gge stion it do es n ot app e ar

that t he capability of r e tain ing id e as in hypnosis
is m at e rially i ncr e as ed B ea u n is has n ot b e e n abl e
.

to fi nd any abnormal ph e nom e na nor has M ax ,

D e s s o ir arriv e d at a diffe r e nt r e s u lt T he few .

e xp e rim e nts which I hav e m ad e coi ncid e with th e s e .

Wh e n ho wev e r it is s u gg e st e d that th e re shall b e

, ,

an i ncr e as e of m e m o ry t he r e sults a re most striking ,

.

O n this point it is oft e n v e ry d i fficult to avoid

unconscio u s s u gg e stio n sinc e t he m e r e r e p e tition of ,

any word s or li n e s fr e qu e ntly acts as a sugg e stion

that t he s u bj e ct is to r e m e mb e r th e m .

Whilst how e v e r t he r e t e n tion of id e as for a long

, ,

tim e is n ot i ncr e as e d I am i ncl i n e d to thi nk that

, ,

apart from s u gg e stion th e r e i s a gr e at e r capability

,

for a short p e riod i e t he s u bj e ct i n hypnosis

, . .
, , ,

would re m e mb e r m or e of a s p e e ch fi ve minut e s aft e r

it s d e liv e ry than he would i n t he normal stat e .

To a s u bj e ct q u it e ignorant of G r e e k I r e p e at e d ,

’ ’
Ka i K a r a y o I T es T ct 7 r7\0ia e 7 ri T ip
'
t he s e nt e nc e : / ‘
!

y ju q eV res dr a m a ijx o ho dena a v

'
i ,
- -
and I fou nd
that he could r e cit e mor e aft e r o n e r e p e tition d uring ,

hypnosis than aft e r on e r e p e titio n i n t he waking

,

1
Op . c it . , p . 12 3 .
 T H E PH EN OM ENA OF HY PN OS I S . 1 73

stat e M y e xp e ri m e nts on t he point though th e y

.
,

all t e nd to confi rm this V i e w hav e not b e e n ,

su ffi ci e ntly e xt e nsiv e to j ustify t he cat egorical

ass e rtion that this t e mporary i ncr e as e is a common
charact e ristic of hypnosis .

T he q u e stion wh e th e r t he chain of m e mo ry in ,

ordinary life is brok e n by hypnosis i s not capabl e

,

of any v e ry d e finit e answ e r .

I n t he light e r stage s of hypnotism t he m e m ory is

’
p e rfe ct ; i n t he hypnosis t he s u bj e ct s m e mory of
his norm al stat e is act iv e and on t he e nding of t he
, ,

hypnosis he is abl e to d e scrib e al l that occu rr e d

, .

’
I n d e e p e r stag e s t he m e mory is l ost un l e ss ft e r , ,
.

awak e ning him som e hi nt b e giv e n to t he s u bj e ct

, ,

this wil l oft e n s e rv e to bring t he whol e chai n of

e v e nts to his re coll e ction H e id e nhai n i nstanc e s t he
.

cas e O f his broth e r to whom un d e r hypnosis he said

, , ,

A lles j jeder n eige erm ten Ton e” m m rein

s ok w ez ge ,

”
Oar . This s e nt e nc e his broth e r on awak e ning
, , ,

mad e many att e m pts to r e coll e ct but e ntir e ly fail e d

,

“
u ntil H e id e nhai n m e ntion e d t he word schw e ig e .

I hav e fou nd a fe w cas e s of this sudd e n r e coll e ction

u pon a hint b e ing giv e n
; g e n e rally how e v e r t he , ,

m e mory is ha z y an d o ft e n r e solve s its e lf into som e

,

“
such q u e stion as D id you s ay anything about s o
”
and so ?
I n t he d e e p est stat e s m e m o ry is e ntir e ly lost t he ,

subj e ct fails altog e th e r to r e m e mb e r any e v e nt of

t he hyp notic s l e e p and wh e n anything he m ay
, ,
1 74 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

hav e d on e u nd e r hypnosi s i s poin t e d ou t to him

,

he m ani fe s ts t he gr e at e st s u rpris e .

A v e ry important fact t o b e notic e d is that i f

, , ,

t he s u bj e ct b e hypnotis e d a s e cond ti m e he wi ll ,

r e m e mb e r all t he e v e nts of t he pre vio u s hypnosis ;

and thus a d e e p hypnotic s u bj e ct m ay b e said t o
l e ad two d isti nct l iv e s — t he hypnotic i n which he ,

re m e mb e rs spontan e ously al l t he s u gg e sti ons which

hav e b e e n m ad e an d t he e v e nts which hav e tak e n
plac e d u ri ng pr e vio u s hypn os e s and t he waki n g in ,

which he has no r e coll e ction or knowl e dg e of th e s e

e v e nt s
.

Th e r e is no m e mory of acts d on e i n t he s o m n a m
b u li c stat e b e caus e that associ ation of c e ntr e s an d
,

balancing of o n e m e ntal fu n ction by an oth e r which

constit u t e i d e ation s e lf control att e ntion volition
,
-

, , ,

comparison and m e mory a re for t he tim e b e ing

,

r e nd e r e d i nop e rativ e A pati e nt u nd e r hypnoti c

.

infl u e n c e m ay b e compare d to a com p licat e d

m achin e which is thrown o u t of g e ar and y e t can ,

b e s o adj u st e d that som e part s can b e m ad e to act

i nd e p e nd e ntly O f t he oth e rs (T u ck e y ) S om e p e r
.

sons r e m e mb e r al l t he hypnotic proc ee dings during

th e ir nightly sl e e p ; it i s not rar e for t he hypnoti c
d re am to b e r e p e at e d i n n atural sl e e p .

A noth e r striking ch aract e risti c of d e e p hypnosis

is that not only will t he e v e nts of p r e vious hypnos e s
,

b e r e m e mb e r e d b u t sc e n e s of e v e ry d ay life a re
,
-

r e m e mb e r ed and t he m ost vivid r e coll e ction of

,
1
76 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

This d ual m e mory (i e t he m e mory of both t he

. .

hypnotic and t he norm al life) has b e e n t e rm ed

”
d oubl e conscio u sn ess .

T he hypnotic m e mory is an e l e m e nt which t he

e xp e rim e nt e r has to car e fully guard against l e st ,

he b e le d into m any e rrors by n e gl e cting t he

n e c e ssary pr e cautions I f for i nstanc e t he o p e rato r
.
, ,

has b e e n i n t he habi t of con n e cting som e particula r

touch or pass with t he v e rbal s u gg e stion of a n
act he wil l fi nd that owi ng to t he m e mory 0
, ,

t he subj e ct con n e cting t he touch or pass wi th

t he v e rbal sugg e stion he can dis p e ns e with sp e e ch

, ,

and r e ly sol e ly on t he touch for t he p roduction o f

t he d e si r e d e ffe ct.This e xplains m any of t he tricks
of t he m agn e tis e rs who hav e l e arnt i n t he sam e
, ,

way to omi t v e rbal sugg e stion and thu s ad d to t he

,

myst e ry of th e i r p e rform anc e s .

O n e fr e qu e ntly finds t he subj e ct int e rpre ting som e

act of t he hypnotist as a sugg e stion ; on a fi rst
’
hypnosis I slightly rais e d t he su bj e ct s hand and ,

th e n by sugg e stion m ad e i t rigid ; i n all hyp nos e s ,

sinc e it has b ee n only n e c e ssary to e l evat e this

,

hand to O btain t he rigidity .

1
M 011 told a pati e nt to rais e t he l e ft leg ; as he
gav e t he command he i nvolu ntarily took hold of t he
’
pati e nt s right hand Wh e n i n a l at e r hypnosis he
.
, ,

took hold o f his right hand t he pati e nt i mm e di at e l y

rais e d his l eft leg .

1
Op . c it . , p . 12 9
.
 TH E P H EN OMENA OF HY PN OS I S . 1 77
A noth e r i nstanc e of t he hypnotic m e mory O ft e n
occu rs during hallucinations Thus if a s u bj e ct
.
,

imagin e hims e lf a g e n e ral he will l e ad t he r e gi m e nt

,

in to t he fi e ld i ncit e his m e n to pr e ss forward and

, ,

wi ll h e ar all t he n ois e incid e nt to a battl e ; if aft e r ,

s e v e ral oth e r hal l u cin ations he find hi ms e l f a

,

c hild s o m e loud and u n e xp e ct e d nois e d u ring this

'

imaginary childhood may s e rv e to bring back t he

pre vio u s sugg estion that he was a g e n e ral and he ,

will promptly go through all his pr e vious actions

p e c u liar to this hall u cin ation .

S o far we hav e tr e at e d m e mory as we fi n d i t i n

t he hypnoti c stat e nat u rally and apart from t he
, ,

action O f sugg estion . With t he introdu ction of

s u gg e stion w e find som e v e ry important r e su lts .

To t he i ncr e as e O f m e mory as occasion ally a ,

natural ph enom e non of hypnosis I hav e alr e ady ,

r efe rre d i n my e xp e ri m e nts on t he i ncr e as e d u e

to sugg e stion . I hav e not b e e n abl e to obtai n
any r e ally d e fi nit e r e sults and this i s d u e to t he d iffi
,

culty alr e ady m e ntion e d of distinguishing b e tw e e n

, ,

t he h e ight e n e d pow e r b e longing to t he hypnosis

its e lf and that d ev e lopm e nt caus e d by t he pr e cis e

,

sugg e stion The only m e ans of at all satisfactorily

.

arriving at t he d egr e e of t he sugg e stiv e m e mo ry is

b y first q u e stioning t he subj e ct d u ring hypnosis as
to som e fact of his life till his m e mo ry fails hi m and ,

th e n asc ertaining wh e th e r he can throw any furth e r

light on t he matt e r by a s u gg e st e d incr e as e of
M
1 78 THE ELE M EN T S OF HY PNO T I S M .

m e mory H e r e t he r e sults of my obs e rvat i ons hav e

.
, ,

u p to t he pr e s e nt b ee n v e ry confusing and di fficult

,

of v e rification for on t he s u gg e stion b e ing m ad e t he

, , ,

s u bj e ct oft e n proc ee d e d to giv e a d etail e d acco u nt

most gratifyi ng at first sight to t he e xp e rim e nt e r
, ,
.

U n fortu nat e ly i n all t he cas e s wh e r e v e rification or

,

t he r e v e rs e was possibl e th e s e d e tails prov e d to b e by

,

n o m e ans corr e ct and I was forc e d t o t he con cl u sion

,

that t he subj e ct i m pr e ss e d by t he s u gg e stion that he

,

coul d r e m e mb e r forthwi th gav e an account con

,

sist e nt with t he sugg e stion but i nconsist e nt with t he ,

facts This S pontan e ou s adaptation of m ind by n o

.
,

m e ans to b e co nfo u nd e d with sim ulation i s cl e arly ,

s ee n i n t he ph e n om e non of F a ls e M em ory If it b e .

s u gg e st e d to a subj e ct that he ha s b ee n to A m e ri ca ,

he will giv e d e tails of hi s visit d e scrib e what he s a w , ,

nam e t he boat on whic h he sai l e d e t c e t c T he

'

. .
, ,

d e tails giv e n will n atu rally corr e spond with t he, ,

e ducation an d kno wl e dg e of t he p e rson Thus all .

about A m e rica that o n e subj e ct co u ld t e ll m e

, ,

“ ”
wa s t he Whit e H ous e which he s aw i n N e w ,

Y ork .

A noth e r how e v e r though he had n ot b e e n o u t O f

, ,

E ngland spok e with gr e at acc u racy of m any of t he

,

A m e ri can habits an d i nstitution s R e fe rrin g to t he .

cosmopolitanism of N e w Y ork he said that o n e m e t ,

e v e ry n ational ity u nd e r t he s u n i n its str e e ts

; he
d e scrib e d t he politi cal d i ffe r e nc e s b e twe e n t he R e
”
p ublican an d t he D e m ocrat .
1 80 TH E ELE M EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

qu esti on wi ll b e re fe rr e d to mor e fu lly l at e r (s ee

p .

I t is also possi bl e to p roduc e by m e ans of s u g

g estion e ith e r e rrors of m e mory or loss of m e mory .

O n e of my su bj e cts i n ob e di e n c e to an impr ession

,

of t he form e r kin d n ot on ly m ai ntain e d that t he

,

d at e of t he Conqu e st was 1 06 7 bu t comm e nt e d on ,

t he g e n e ral in accuracy of historians i n this m att e r ;

i n anoth e r cas e t he pati e n t was i nduc e d by s u g

g e stion to forg e t wh e n writing to m e t he n u mb e r
, ,

of t he hous e i n which I was r e siding ; and I n e v e r

r e c e iv e d a l e tt e r from hi m corr e ctly add r e ss e d ;
though in O b e di e nc e to t he sugg e stion he was
, ,

quit e abl e to r e m e mb e r t he prop e r n umb e r wh e n

he c a He d .

L ossof m e mory can b e i nd u c e d an d t he rec o l ,

’
l e ction of any p e riod of t he subj e ct s li fe m ay b e
compl e t e ly d e stroy e d T he subj e ct can b e m ad e to
.

forg e t his own n am e his a g e wh e r e he liv e s or what

, , ,

is his occ u p ation A ccordi n g to F ore l and to F ranck

.

it is possibl e to caus e a s u bj e ct to forg e t e ntir e ly a

‘

languag e he has l e arnt .

Th e r e a re m any d e lusions clos e ly conn e ct e d wit h .

t he m e m ory i n that th e y d e p e n d o n this faculty for

,

t he i nd u ction ; un d e r this h e ad m ay b e cl ass e d t he

ph e nom e n a of F als e M e mo ry alr e ady d e scrib e d .

I f t he s u bj e ct b e told Y ou hav e j ust b e e n ru n

,

ning e xtr e m e ly fast y o u ran half a m il e as hard as

”
y o u co u ld go he will in cons e qu e nc e of t he fals e
, ,
 TH E P HENOM ENA OF HYPN OS I S . 1 81

r e coll e ction i nduc e d gasp for br e ath and fe e l

,

consid e rabl e fatigu e .

A n oth e r s u gg e stion may b e mad e Y ou hav e not ,

”
had anything to e at to day O n waking he will
-
.
,

not only t e ll you that he has had n othing b u t ,

will fe e l e xtr e m ely hungry an d d e mand som ething ,

to e a t
.

M any of t he m otor disturbanc e s m ay b e consid e r e d

as r e lat e d to loss of m e mory S inc e a mov e m e nt is
.

mad e impossibl e i f t he m e mory of it cannot b e fi rst

call e d up (M oll ) .

This is t he cas e with t he paralysis for a sp e cial

“
act cal l e d by B i n e t e t F é ré paralysi e s sy t e ma
,
s

”
tiq u es
, and to which I hav e giv e n t he t e rm
”
partic u lar inhibition .

Th e s e t e rms r efe r to thos e cas e s i n which t he

paralysis is n ot att e nd e d by total functional i ncapa
city of any group of muscl e s int e rfe re d with ; but
wh e re t he function is i nt e rfe r e d wi th for o n e
particular pu rpos e .

A n hypnotis e d p e rson m ay b e d e pri v e d of t he

pow e r of m aki ng hims e lf u nd e rstood by facial e x
p re ssion .I n t he sam e way any particular act such ,

as drawing s ewi ng writing si nging e t c can b e

, , , , .
,

pr e v e nt e d .

With r e fe r e nc e to th e s e particular inhibitions it is

important to not e that th ey rang e th e ms e lv e s i n two
d istinct class e s T he subj e ct may b e d e prive d of
.

t he p e rc e ption , for i nstanc e of a word or l e tt e r and

, , ,
1 82 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

i n cons e qu e nc e o f t he powe r to writ e i t ; t he idea

, ,

how e v e r of t he particu lar word o r l ett e r he will

, ,

or wil l not r e tain according to t he sugg e stion

, ,

mad e .

I f he r e tai n t he i d e a of t he word or l e tt e r he is ,

qu it e conscious of his i n ability to u tt e r or to writ e it

he is ann oy e d with hims e lf on accou nt of thi s
in ability and wi ll e nd e avou r to avoid usi ng it
,
.

Thus for i nstanc e I s u gg e st e d to a boy whom I

, , ,

had hypnotis e d that he wo u l d b e u n abl e to utt e r

,

t he word M ary O n waking hi m t he followi ng

.

dialogu e e nsu e d
Eg o N ow will you pl e as e r e p e at this s e nt e nc e
.
, ,

”
M ary h ad a littl e lamb ?
S u bject S /ze had a littl e l amb
. .

E N o I s ai d M a ry had t he littl e lamb

.
,
.

S S /z e had a littl e lamb

. .

E P l e as e r e p e at t he s e nt e nc e as I q u ot e d it
. .

”
S (aft e r a p aus e ) P olly had a littl e lamb
. .

“
E Wi ll you b e s o good as to s ay
. M a ry had a ,

littl e lamb 1
S (indignantly) W e ll I told you S he had a littl e
.
,

lamb .

A ft e r many e vasions an d e xcus e s I succ e e d e d i n ,

finally g e tting hi m to adm it that he cou ld not

”
p ronou n c e t he word M ary .

The e xtr e m e acut e n e ss of t he subj e ct i n find ing

e xc u s e s for t he non p e rforman c e of an action is -

oft e n v e ry mark e d I n t he last e xp e ri m e nt t he

.
FI G .
3 .
—N or/n a l Wri t i n g .

(R e d u c ed o n e -
f rth )
ou .
 M S
’
M

a.

FIG .
—
4 T/z e
. i dea f
o
“
a los t .

(R e d uc e d one -
f rt h
ou .
)

To B hut an —B t w
e e en pp . 1 82 an d 1 83 . T o fa c e Fig .
3 .
 1 84 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

B y m e an s of this form of sugg estion any hallu ,

1
c in a t io n or i llusion m ay b e i nd u c e d any id e a ,

cr e at e d The sugg e stion m ad e t he subj e ct wi ll

.
,

b e com e i ntoxicat e d (F ig 6 ) he m ay s e e t he .

m ost b e autifu l visions (F ig fe e l pain (F ig . .

b e impr e ss e d with j oy (F ig or t he r e v e rs e (F ig . .

I t is n ot pr e t e nd e d that i n all cas e s t he e x

e ri m n t s d e scrib e d i n th e s e pag e s could b e p e r
p e

form e d with any hypnotic subj e ct .

N ot only do e s post hypn otism afford t he most -

striking e xp e ri m e ntal r e su lts but it also giv e s to ,

t he physici an an i nstr u m e nt by m e ans of which he

may cur e with e as e an d facility m any d is e as e s and

ailm e nts in curabl e or cu rabl e with gr e at di ffi cu l ty , ,

by ordinary m e dical m e thods and aft e r a long p e ri od .

H e r e in l i e s t he e xc e ption al valu e of hypn otism

for psychological an d m e dical purpos e s h e r e i n also
l i e s a gr e at p art of t he d ang e r of hypnotism .

1
S en s e d l us i o s a e d i vi ded i t o h ll uc i n ati n s a d ill us i on s The
e n r n a o n .

fir s t is t he p e r ep ti o o f an o bj ec t wh e re in re lity th e re is n o thi g
c n a n

t he s ec o n d is t he f l s e i t e r p r t ti on o f
a e xi ti g
n xt e r l O bj ec t
e a an s n e na .

I f fo e x m p l a boo k b e t k fo cat
, r a e, bl ow o n t he t bl e fo
a en r a , or a a r

t he firi g f n c n o
o awe t lk o fa n ill us i o b ut if a c t b e s e en
n, a an n, a

wh e r e th e re is n o thi n g w e c ll it a h all uc i ti on W e h ve th u
, a n na . a s

t d o with
o h ll uc i ati on wh en an e xt e l o bj ec t c us es a p e rc ep
an a n rn a a

ti on by m ea s o f as s oc i ti
n A c h ir in whi c h a p rti c ul a r p e rs o
a on . a a n

has o ft e n s a t m y by ,s oc i a ti o
a c ll up a as i m ge o f th t p e r s on ;
n a n a a

thi s is an h ll u c i ti on c ll e d up by an e xt e r l o bj ec t (M o ll )
a na a na .

2
I t is n t c l i m d th t t h ill us tra ti on s app en ded e in y way
o a e a e ar an

p r o o fs o f t he hy pn s i as t he a ttit u d e n d e x p r es s i o c ould o f c o ur se
o s, a n , ,

b e as s u m e d with o u t it s id F or t he e x p r es s i o s
a . h o w eve r a s ub n ,
”
,

jec t wh e fea t ur es w er e p ec uli arly e x p r es s i o l es s was c h s e an d in

, os n ,
o n ,

t he w aki n g s t at e it w s i m p o s ibl e t o O bt a i n an y r es ult s s o v i v i d

a s .
 flu S wl ,
W e

FIG .
5 .
—A l!5 en ce of A oi li ty t o Sp ell .

(Fo r n o r m a l writi n
g, s ee fa c s i m il e , p age

(R e d u c ed one -
f rt h )
ou .
 TH E P HEN O M EN A OF HY PNOS I S . 1 85

A ny sugg e stion that tak e s e ffe ct i n hypnosis will

also tak e e ffe ct post hypnotically
-
S ugg e stiv e
.

paralysis has last e d for s e v e ral days Krafft E bing .

-

s u gg e st e d to a p ati e nt that he should m aintai n a

d e finit e bodi ly t e mp e rat u re for a fix e d tim e and ,

this sugg e stion was accu rat e ly fu lfi ll e d I n t he .

sam e way any m ov e m e nt o r any d e l usion O f t he

,

s e ns e s can b e i ndu c e d ; d r e ams can b e sugg e st e d ,

and sl ee p fr ee from dr e ams .

A sugg e stion carri e d on from hypnosis i nto t he

normal stat e is call e d a continu ativ e sugg e stion ;
as for i nstanc e wh e n a subj e ct is giv e n toothach e
h
in t e hypnoti c stat e and is told that he wf still “

su ffe r from it wh e n he awak e s .

A common b u t i nt e r e sti ng e xp e rim e nt i s t he

“
following I m ak e t he s u gg e stion Y ou will count
.
,

”
u p to t en an d you will wak e wh e n you g et to fi ve
, .

The r e sult is n ot always t he sam e ; som e tim e s

a subj e ct will count up to fi ve th e n O p e n his e y e s
,

and finish t he co u ntin g in an a u tomatic and

m e chanical m ann e r ; oth e rs wil l wak e at fi v e an d ,

will n ot continu e t he coun ting .

E xc e pt for e xp e ri m e ntal pur p os e s how e v e r t he , ,

conti nu ativ e form of sugg e stion is not O ft e n us ed ,

and t he hypnotist g e n e rally r e li e s o n t he sugg e stion .

to b e carri e d out aft e r waking .

I t i s not n e c e ssary to its succ e ss that t he s ug ges

tion sho u ld take i mm e diat e e ffe ct L e t i t b e said
.

“
to a subj e ct Wh e n y o u com e t o s ee m e this day
,
1 86 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I SM .

fortnight , you will n ot b e abl e to sp e ak and on

that d ay he is quit e u nabl e to utt e r a word .

Th e r e a re i n n u m e rabl e forms O f such d e fe rr e d

sugg e stion I t must b e not e d how e v e r that som e
.
, ,

form s will n ot always succ ee d with c e rtai n subj e cts .

’
Thus an hypn otic is told at fou r O clock that wh e n
, , , ,

t he clock stri k e s fi v e he will fi nd that he is at a

,

conc e rt and will go to t he pian o an d sing

, Im .

m e diat e ly t he sugg e stion is give n I wak e hi m and ,

he wi ll talk and conduct hi ms e lf quit e n aturally ,

and wi l l not h av e t he l e ast id e a that any such

s u gg e stion has b e e n m ad e to h i m ; only as soon as ,

t he clock strik e s fi v e u p he wi ll g e t and s e ating

, ,

hi ms e lf at t he p i ano wi ll b egi n to sing .

I n this cas e t he pr e cis e ti m e for t he carrying o u t of

t he s u gg e stion is fi x e d by an e xt e rnal sign and th e s e ,

sugg e s ti ons n e arly always s ucc ee d I f how e v e r we .

, ,

do not nam e any s uch concr e t e sign but r e ly on ,

som e thing l e ss d e fi nit e such a s a p e riod O f ti m e t he

, ,

r e sults a re m ore u nc e rtain .

T he s u gg e stion i s m ad e to a subj e ct that in an

’
hou r s tim e he wi ll g e t u p and d anc e ; som e wi l l
carry out this s u gg e stion p u nctually ; oth e rs wil l
d anc e b u t th e y wi ll b egi n a quart e r O f an hou r too
,

soon or (v e ry rar e ly ) a littl e l at e ; with many t he

,

s u gg e stion wi ll altog e th e r fai l owing to its want of

d e fi n it en es s .

Th e s e tim e e xp e ri m e nts a re g e n e rally valu e l ess

wh e n p e rform e d b e fore a larg e nu m b e r O f sp e ctators ;
 TH E PHEN OM ENA OF HY PNOSI S . 1 87

as t he ti m e approach e s t he audi e nc e b egin to giv e ,

vari ous i ndi cations of th e ir e xp e ctation and as , ,

t he pr e cis e tim e arriv e s will look at t he clock ,

this
i s q u it e s u ffici e nt to giv e t he e xt e rnal sign O ft e n
n e c e ssary to m ak e t he e xp e rim e nt a succ e ss and , ,

cons e qu e ntly any r e su lt O btai n e d i s of n o valu e

,
.

A noth e r m e ans of d e ciding t he m om e nt for t he

e x e cution Of a post hypnoti c s u gg e stion is t he
-

“
fo llowing I s ay to t he subj e ct
-
Wh en I g e t up ,

and O p e n t he w indow you will i mm e d i at e ly b e com e

,

’ 1
v e ry angry I wak e hi m an d we conv e rs e amicably
.

til l I op e n t he wind ow wh e n he at onc e b egin s to,

look s e riously annoy e d I a s k hi m what he is angry

.

abo u t and he says that to O p e n t he window it s a

, , I

ridi cu lous i d e a ; d id I not know that he obj e ct e d to

”
d raughts e t c e t c
, .

T he sugg e stion may b e m ad e m or e s u btl e i f t he

s u bj e ct b e tol d to la u gh wh e n t he hypnoti s t for s ay , , ,

t he t e nth t im e taps his hand on t he tabl e

,
.

A s w e tal k tog e th e r I u nconc e rn e dly tap t he ,

tabl e with my fi ng e rs ; at t he t e nth tap t he subj e ct

la u ghs F r e qu e n tly tho u gh t he e x e cution of t he
.
, ,

sugg e stion wi l l n ot b e so pr e cis e b u t wi ll happ e n ,

a littl e b e for e or aft e r t he e xact mom e nt .

By many subj e cts d e fe rr e d sugg e stions wi ll b e

carri e d out though th e ir e x e cution b e d e laye d for a
,

long p e riod I sugg e st e d to a fri e n d that i n e ight

.
,

w e e ks tim e he should i n writi ng m e r e v e rs e my

, , ,

in itials ; du ring t he i nt e rv e ning p e riod I r e c e ive d

1 88 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

m any l e tt e rs from hi m all corr e ctly addr e ss e d , ,

b u t at t he e n d of thi s tim e I r e c e iv e d a l e tt e r
“ ”
add r e ss e d H arry R Vinc e nt . .

I hardly e xp e ct e d that this e xp e rim e nt would

s ucc e e d — for i n t he fi rst plac e t he r e was n o m e ntion
, ,

of any pr e cis e d at e su ch for i nstan c e as J uly 2 0t h

, , , ,

which wo u ld hav e m at e ri al ly add e d to t he sugg e stiv e

forc e b u t on ly a p e riod O f e ight w e eks ; and i n t he
, ,

s e cond plac e t he s ugg e stion was o n e p e culiarly

,

o p pos e d to h is kn owl e dg e and his h abit .

I t i s fre qu e ntly possibl e to obtai n t he fu lfi lm e nt

of post hypnoti c s u gg e stions at e xtr e m e ly distant
-

p e riods .

S om e tim e s th e s e su cc e e d wh e n t he sugg e stio n i s

“
lacking i n pre cisi on as for i nstanc e Y ou will wri t e
, , ,

m e a l e tt e r saying that you think I must b e u nw e ll

, ,

on t he 4 o t h day cou nting from t o day

”
-
.

S ucc e ss i s mor e O ft e n O btain e d wh e n t he s u gg es

tion nam e s som e p re cis e d ay I s ai d on july l o t h .

“
to a subj e ct Y ou wil l com e to m e on S e pt e mb e r
,

2 0 t h and fin d m e standi ng on my h e ad T he .

sugg e stion was ob e y e d and on S e pt e mb e r 2 0t h ,

“
he cam e and la u ghing ask e d
,
si nc e wh e n h ad
, ,

”
I b e com e an acrobat .

The q u e stion n atu rally aris e s What i s t he ,

pr e cis e condition of t he s u bj e ct during t he action

”
of t he p ost hyp noti c s u gg e stion ?
-

This is not capabl e O f a v e ry si m pl e answ e r ,

b e caus e t he stat e vari e s with t he p e rson hy p notis e d ,

 TH E P HEN OM ENA OF HY PN OS I S . 1 89

and it is n e c e ssary to cl e arly u nd e rstand t he n at u r e

of th e s e conditions b e for e any e xplanation i s possibl e .

A n e xampl e O f e ach O f th e s e post hypn oti c stat e s -

follows .

“
I I s ay to A who is hypnotis e d
.
, Wh e n y o u ,

wak e as soon as I g e t up fro m my c hai r y o u will

,

go to t he clock and alt e r t he hands til l th e y stand

’
at fou r O clock I wak e him and we talk tog e th e r
.
, .

Th e r e is n ot t he l e ast app e aranc e O f d rowsin e ss or

sl ee pi n e ss S u dd e nly I ris e from my chair ; im
.

m e diat e ly he tu rns t olook at t he clock and b e com e s ,

as it w e r e e xtr e m e ly abs e nt min d e d i n a mom e nt

,
-

hardly p aying any att e ntion to what I am talking

abo u t h e go e s to t he clock and i n a listl ss
,
e

m e chanical way alt e rs it s hands I th e n sugg e st .

to him that he cannot s e e m e that he is d e af , ,

et c
.
,and all th e s e s u gg e stions he acc e pts To .

d e stroy this stat e of s u gg e stibility it i s n e c e ssary

to r e awak e n him H e r e th e n w e s e e thr e e
.

stag e s .

a H ypnosis
. .

B Waking stat e
. .

y A condition
. i n which h e ob e ys t he pos t
hypnoti c and is O p e n to fu rth e r s ugg e stion
, .

M oll says that he is u nabl e to disting u ish t he

condition y psychologically from a tru e hypnosis ,

and this s e e ms p e rfe ctly sou nd I n th e s e cas e s

.

’
D e lb oeu f s propo s ition that to mak e a post hypnotic -

i m pr e ssion is r e ally to ord e r a n ew hypnosis at a

1 90 T H E ELEM EN T S O F HYP N O T I S M .

fix e d mom e nt i n which t he sugg e stion will

,
be
carri e d o u t i s cl e arly confi rm e d
, .

I I I s a y to B anoth e r p e rson und e r hypnosis

.
, ,

Wh e n you awak e d i r e ctly I plac e my hand on t he ,

”
tabl e y o u wi ll b e un abl e to r e m e m b e r you r n a rrie
,
.

A ft e r waking he talks to m e and wh e n I a s k hi m his

n am e he t e lls m e i mm e diat e ly ; we go on talking
, ,

and I pu t my hand on t he tabl e he is qu it e u n abl e

to giv e his n am e tho u gh he s e e ks to e xcus e hi ms e l f
,

by s aying that he has alr e ady told m e a m om e nt

b e for e A ll t he tim e how e v e r th e r e is no listl e ss
.
, ,

n e ss or abs e nt mind e dn e ss and he is n ot O p e n to

-

any furth er sugg e stions I f a day or two aft e r wards .

I plac e my hand on t he tabl e it has no e ffe ct on hi s ,

m e m ory N ot only this but he r e coll ects p e rfe ctly

.
,

t he i nabi lity t o r e m e mb e r his n am e on t he pr e vio u s

occasion H e re we hav e no symptoms of tru e

.

hypnosis .

I I I I tak e anoth e r s u bj e ct C an d sugg e st to hi m

.
, ,

that wh e n he a wak e s i f A sp e ak to hi m he wi ll
m ak e a grimac e at hi m if B sp e ak to hi m he will
put out hi s tongu e .

A sp e aks to hi m i m m e di at e ly he m ak e s a grim ac e ,

at hi m —e ach tim e A sp e aks C d o e s t he sam e thing .

B sp e aks and C p u ts out his tong u e

,
.

I a s k him Why d id you m ak e that grimac e j ust

,

”
n ow ? H e i nsists that he m ad e no gri mac e .
 T I I E P H EN O M E NA OF HYP N O S I S . 1 91

Why th e n d id y o u p u t out you r tongu e ?

, ,
I
”
d id not p u t ou t my tongu e he r e pli e s and n othing , ,

wi l l i ndu c e him to admit that he p e rform e d e ith e r

O f th e s e actions H e i s qu it e u nsusc e ptibl e to any
.

oth e r s u gg e stions and r e m e mb e rs o u r conv e rsation

,

he on ly fails to r e coll e ct t he s u gg e st e d actions ,

and t he r e marks of A an d B with which th e y w e r e ,

conn e ct e d .

I V I sugg e st to D that d ir e ctly he awak e s he

.

shal l pac e up and down t he room tw e lv e ti m e s he

do e s s o and d uri ng t he ti m e he is walking u p an d
,

d own t he room I t e ll him that t he floor is v e ry hot

,

he j umps O ff t he floor and e n d e avo u rs to spring o ve

‘

t he room i n ord e r to avoi d b u rni ng his fee t ; I s ay

that he is i ntoxi cat e d an d he b e gins to roll about as

,

a drunkard D i re ctly he has fi nish e d t he tw e lfth turn

.

u p and d own t he room I mak e a sugg e stio n that he

,

cannot hold o u t his hand but hegiv e s m e his hand ,

without any di ffic u lty .

I n this cas e th e n t he s u bj e ct i s susc e ptibl e to

, ,

s u gg e stion s o lon g as he is p e rform ing t he act but is ,

quit e i nd e p e nd e nt dir e ctly he has com pl e t e d i t .

This s u bj e ct also r e m e mb e rs n othing e ith e r O f t he

walking or of t he s ensation sugg e st e d .

V T he last condition I think it n e c e ssary to

.

d escrib e is a cas e of spontan e ous waking Thus I .

s u gg e st to E th at he wi l l play t he p ian o as
1 9 2 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

soon as he wak e s he go e s to t he piano and b e gins

pl aying S udd e n ly I t e l l hi m that he has brok e n t he
.

i nstrum e nt he looks som e what d a z e d for a mom e nt ,

and th e n wak e s u p e nti r e ly .

H e is abl e to r e coll e ct t he playing of t he piano ;

bu t his m e m ory is not p e rfe ct H e t e ll s m e that it .

com e s to hi s m i nd m uch as a d r e am do e s i n a fe w
hours his m e mory of t he act is sti l l fe e bl e r in a day ,

or two i t is quit e abs e nt 1

.

T he i mport ant symptoms O f th e s e vari o u s stag e s

s ee m to b e t he r e n e w e d susc e ptibi lity to sugg e stion
and t he loss of m e mory O n t he qu e sti on wh eth e r .

t he stat e O f r e n e w e d sugg e stibility is i n r e ality a tru e

hypnosis m any hav e mad e nu m e rous e xp e ri m e nts

,
.

E dmu nd G u rn ey i n p articu lar has contribut e d som e

, ,

val u abl e r esu lts on this branch of t he su bj e ct 2 .

A st riking e xp e ri m e nt was on c e m ad e by F or e l .

’
H e said to a nu rs e Wh e n e v e r y o u s ay S i r to t he
,

assistant physici an you will scratch yo u r right t e mpl e

with you r right han d without noticing T he nu rs e .
”

talk e d rational ly and cl e arly all t he tim e but s he ,

was qui t e u nconscio u s that s he was scratching he r

fac e which s he di d wh e n ev e r s he us e d t he word
,

“ ”
Sir .

I t will b e s ee n from t he abov e e xampl e s that t he

, ,

natur e of t he pos t hypnotic stat e vari e s gr e atly and

-

1
thi s c l as s ifi c a ti on o f t he s t a t es in p o s t hy pn o ti s m 1 h ave in grea t
In -

m an n e f fo ll o w ed M o ll .O p c it p 1 4
. .
, 4et ea
. . s .

2
Vi de P r o ceed i n gs o f t he S o c i e ty fo r P s y c hi c a l R e s e a r c h .
 T H E PH EN OM ENA O F HYP N OSIS . 1 93

this vari ation is d e p e nd e n t on t he i ndi vid u ality of

t he subj e ct . T he r ead e r who wish e s for m or e o n
this subj e ct m ay r e fe r with advantag e to L ié b au lt ,

Rich e t B e rnh e im D e lb oeu f G urn e y F ore l D u mo n t

, , , , ,

palli e r B e a u n is L ié g o is and oth e rs

, , ,
.

A ft e r this consid e ration o f t he vari ous post hyp -

n o t ic stag e s w e a re t he b e tt e r a b l e to u nd e rstan d
,

t he ph e nom e n a of hypnosis and post hyp nosis which -

I now proc e e d to d e scrib e .

H a llu c i n a t i on s and I llu s ion s E v e ry o n e is .

familiar at any rat e by r e put e with t he ord in ary

, ,

d e l u sions i nd u c e d by t he profe ssion al m agn e tis e rs

“
for t he p u rpos e O f th e ir e nt e rtai nm e nts and i t ,

is u nn e c e ssary to d e scrib e th e m v e ry fully W e

'

fi nd i n profound e r hall u cinati ons m any i mportant

clu e s to t he psychological n at u re of t he chang e
wrought by hypn otism o n t he mi n d of t he subj e ct .

Ch Rich e t has r e cord e d m any O f his O bs e rvations

.
,

and I giv e o n e as typi cal O f t he d e e p s e at e d n at u re -

O f t he hall u cinations .

M me A . a r e sp e ctabl e m atron u nd e rw e nt ,

t he following m e tamorphos e s — A s a p ea s a n t S he .

“
r u bb e d he r e y e s and str e tch e d h e rs e lf What
’
O clock is it ? F our i n t he morning ! S he d rags
”

“
he r fe e t as i f w e aring sabots I mu st g e t u p and go
.

to t he stabl e N ow L a Rouss e turn round

.
, S he
“
assu m e s to b e m ilking a cow L e av e m e alon e
.
,

G ros J e an l e av e m e alon e I s a y and le t m e g e t on

-

, ,

”
with my work A s a n a ct res s
. H e r fac e s o harsh
.
,

N
19 4 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

an d d issatisfi e d a m om e nt b e fore assu m e s a sm ili ng ,

e xpr e ssi on . Y ou s ee my skirt ? M y d i r e ctor

i nsist e d that i t shou ld b e l ong e r I n my O pin ion .
,

t he short e r t he b e tt e r bu t th e s e d i r e ctors a re always

annoying D O com e an d s e e m e som e ti m e s ; I am
.

always at hom e at thr e e Y o u m ight pay m e a v is it .

,

”
and bri ng a p r e s e nt with you A s A rclz é is /i op of .

P a ri s . H e r fac e ass u m e s a v e ry s e rious e xpr e ssion ,

an d s he sp e aks slowly i n a voi c e s w e e t as hon ey

,

I must fi nish writi ng my charg e O h i t is y o u M .

, , .

le gran d vicair e What d o you want ? I di d n ot

.

’
wish to b e d isturb e d Y es this is N e w Y e ar s
.
,

D ay and I m u st go t o t he cath e dral

, This i s a .

v e ry r e v e r e nt crowd is i t n ot M le gran d vicair e ?

, , .

Th e r e is still a s e ns e of r e ligion i n t he p e opl e what ,

e v e r happ e ns L e t that chi ld co m e n e ar that I m ay

.
,

”
bl e ss h i m . S he pr e s e nts an i magi n ary ri ng for t he
chi ld to kiss an d thro u ghout this sc e n e s he m ak e s
,

g e stur e s of b e n e di ction t o t he right and l e ft I .

hav e n o w an oth e r task i n hand I m u st g O and pay .

my r e sp e cts to t he P r e sid e n t O f t he R e p u blic M . .

le P r e sid e nt I giv e you my good wish e s T he Ch u rch

,
.

wish e s y o u a long li fe in S pit e of t he cr u e l attacks

m ad e u pon he r s he knows that s he has n othing to
,

fe ar as long as a p e rfe ctly hon e st m an is at t he h e ad

”
O f t he R e p u blic S he p aus e s app e ars to list e n and
.
, ,

says asid e Y es y e s only fals e pro mis e s !

, , ,
Th e n
” 1
al oud N ow let us pray
,
and s he k n e e ls do wn .

1
R e vue P hil o s phiq ue M a r c h
o . 1 88 4 .
1 9 6 TH E E LEM E N T S OF HY PNO T I SM .

that I was M r A O n awaking he proc e e d e d to

.

d iscours e m ost e loqu e ntly and hypnotis e d m e as ,

his s ubj e ct I n t he cou rs e O f t he l e ctu r e he had

.

h e ard a few t e chn ical t e rms u s e d th e s e he was n ot

acqu aint e d with b u t not to b e outdon e he r e sort e d
, , ,

to t he m ost strang e combinations of syl l abl e s ,

“ ”
d e scri bing t he n os e a s t he n a s a liu m p im p o liu m .

S uch facts as th e s e might sugg e st to t he r e ad e r a

doubt as to wh e th e r t he hypn osis was g e n u i n e ; O f
this how e v e r th e r e can b e n o d oubt and in al l e x
, , ,

p e rim en t s which I r e cord t he subj e cts hav e al l b e e n

,

subm itt e d to t he m ost rigi d t e sts which n o o n e ,

could for o n e m om e nt s ustain u nl e ss i n a d e e p

, ,

hypnotic stat e .

I n all hall ucinations o f p e rson al ity t he p e rson

“ ”
hypnotis e d wi l l always liv e u p to t he charact e r
as far as his k nowl edg e wil l al lo w I t is quit e .

possibl e to mak e t he s u bj e ct b e l i e v e he i s som e

i nanimat e O bj e ct s u ch as a chai r a carp e t a pi e c e
, , ,

of window glass e t c I r e c e ntly s u gg e st e d to o n e

, .

O f my s u bj e cts that he was a strawb e rry i c e H e at .

onc e b e cam e flaccid and as t he room was hot b e gan

, , ,

“ ”
to m e lt till he fi nally sank to t he grou nd i n an
,

amorphous m ass .

V e ry O ft e n an illusion giv e n will r e su lt in what is

t e rm e d au to sugg e stion for i nstanc e a p e rson ,

hypnotis e d e arly in t he aft e rnoon i s awak e n e d i n fi ve

mi nut e s with t he id e a that it is s e v e n in t he e v e ning .

H e says he fe e ls hu ngry and wants his d in n e r .

SM Zi a t fi GS
‘

FIG . I 1 .
— N or7n a l

(R ed u c ed on e -
fo rth )
u .
 T H E PH EN OM ENA OF HYPN OS I S . 1 97
’
I f it b e s u gg e st e d that t he O p e rator s hand is a
pistol o n his clicki ng his fi ng e r t he subj e ct wil l put
, ,

up his hands to his e ars and complai n of t he nois e

occasi on e d by t he firi ng t he i mpr e ssion of which
,

has b e e n convey e d to his mind by t he s u gg e stion

of his own int e ll e ct .

T he followi ng i nstanc e of a fr e qu e nt ph e no
m e non in post hypnotic s u gg e stion is notabl e
-
I .

sugg e st e d to a lady that wh e n s he awok e s he should

fi nd that t he floor wa s cov e r e d with tin tacks and -

that s he h ad no sho e s on .

I m m e diat e ly on waking s he hu dd l e d h e rs e lf u p
,

i n t he chai r an d d re w he r fe e t O ff t he floor Wh e n .

“
ask e d t he r e ason s he s aid th e r e was som e thi ng
,

sharp an d on b e ing fu rth e r pr e ss e d as to w h t i t

,
a

“ ”
was s he said pi ns
,
this variation slight i n its e lf
, ,

i s a pot e nt i llustration O f t he d egr e e in which t he

whol e brai n is i mpre ss e d by hypnotic s u gg e stion ;
t he word ti n tack was qu it e lost an d t he i nt e ll e ct
-

had tak e n to its e lf t he id e a or conc e ption sugg e st e d

by t he hall u cination Bin e t e t F ere whos e g e n e ral
.
“
,

”
study O f sugg e stion i s most sci e ntific an d scholarly ,

point out that hyp noti c hal l u ci nation has always

t he app e aranc e of a spontan e ous symptom On .

awaking t he su bj e ct ob e d i e ntly p e rforms t he act

,

which he was ord e re d to do during t he hypn oti c

sl ee p but he do e s not r e m e mb e r who gav e hi m t he
,

ord e r nor e v e n that i t was giv e n at all I f ask e d

,
.

why he is p e rforming t he act he u su al ly r epli e s

,
1 98 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

that he do e s not know or t hat t he id e a has com e ,

i nto his h e ad H e g e n e rally s u ppos e s it to b e a

.

spontan e ous act and som e tim e s he e v e n i nve nts

,

r e asons to e xplai n his cond u ct A ll this shows that .

t he m e mory O f t he s u gg e stion so far as r e sp e cts its ,

1
u tt e ran c e i s com pl e t e ly e ffac e d
, .

S om e of t he r e sults which I am about to chronicl e

may s e e m s o startling that I can qu it e u nd e rstan d
th e s e b e ing r e c e iv e d by som e with a c e rtai n d e gre e
, ,

of suspi cion ; an d ind e e d i n all s u ch m att e rs t he , ,

mor e sci e ntific m in d wil l n a t u ral ly d e m and to at ,

any rat e s e e th e s e ph e n om e na b e for e th e y yi e ld

,

th e i r absolut e cr e d e n c e ; how e v e r i t is not my ,

p r e s e nt d uty to convi nc e any o n e b ut on ly to ,

r e cord t he facts .

A n a s t /zes i a I n al l t he d e e p stat e s O f hy p n osis

.
,

compl e t e an ae sth e si a can b e prod u c e d T he most .

pow e rful e l e ctri c curr e nts can b e ad minist e re d

withou t t he pati e nt e vinci ng t he l e ast sign O f
discom fort . T ee th m ay b e d rawn and stopp e d ,

and any s u rgical op e ration p e rform e d withou t

c a u s in g a n pai n to t he su bj e ct
y .

The fact that this an ae sth e si a can b e produc e d i n

all d e e p hypnos e s provid e s t he e xp e ri m e nt e r with
,

a r e ady m e an s O f d e m onstrati n g that th e r e i s n o

“
acting on t he part O f t he su b j e ct .

T he p u ls e resp i ra t ion and t emp era t u re a re capabl e

, ,

of gr e at m odificati on by m e an s of sugg e stion .

’
1
Bi n e t et F ere , op . c it .
, p . 2 09 .
 T H E PH EN OM E N A OF HY PN OS I S . 1 99

Kra fft E bing sugg e st e d to a pati e nt that he was

-

“ ”
i n a bath and prod u c e d
,
goos e skin by this -

m e ans.

S ignt .T he hall u cin ations and ill u sions O f sight

a re e xtr e m e ly various an d i nt e r e sting I t m ay b e .

sugg e st e d that som e o n e i n t he room is anoth e r ;

t he subj e ct will acc e pt t he i llusion that t he hy
p
notist hims e lf is som e o n e e ls e R e c e ntly I .

s u gg est e d to an hypnotic that on waking he

sho u ld fin d that 1 was X m e ntion ing a c e rtain ,

g e ntl e man who wa s a m u tual fri e n d N ot only

'

’
did he add r e ss m e by t he fri e n d s nam e bu t aft e r ,

a whil e of his own i nitiative b egan to discuss

, ,

mys e l f The most com plicat e d illus ions can b e

.

succ essfully e ffe ct e d I told an hypnotic that

.

wh e n he awok e he should fi n d a fri e nd O p posit e

hi m to b e t he Bishop of O xford ; that i n thre e
minut e s lat e r this sam e fri e nd sho u ld b e his coll eg e
,

sco u t ; th e n aft e r t he e xpi ration of a fu rth e r thr ee

,

min u t e s he was to fin d h is own fath e r sitting

,

opposit e ; and fi nally that t he fath e r should b e

,

chang e d i nto a colli e d o g N ot only w e re th e s e.

i ll u sions p e rfe ctly carri e d out by t he subj e ct b u t ,

t he tim e was O bs e rv e d with gr e at pr e cis ion tho u gh ,

he di d not look at his watch and th e r e was not a ,

clock i n t he room A p e rson by s u gg e stion m ay b e

.
, ,

r e nd e r e d i nvisibl e to t he s ubj e ct Bin e t et F er e .

r e lat e s an instanc e O f this e v e ry d e tail of which I

,

have O ft e n confi rm e d by e xp e ri m e nts .

2 00 T H E E LEM EN T S O F HYPN O T I S M .

W e sugg e st e d to an hypnotis e d s u bj e ct that wh e n

s he awok e s he wo u ld b e un abl e to s e e F but
that s he wo u ld continu e to h e ar his voic e Wh e n .

s he awok e F ,
plac e d hi m s e lf b e for e he r b u t s he ,

d id n ot look at hi m and wh e n he e xt e nd e d hi s
,

hand th e re was n o corr e spondi ng g est u r e on he r

,

sid e S he r e m ain e d qu i e tly s e at e d i n t he chai r i n

.

which s he had b e e n sl e e ping an d we s at waiting ,

b e sid e he r A ft e r a whil e t he subj e ct e xpr ess e d

.
,

su rpris e at n o long e r s e e ing F who had b e e n

i n t he laboratory an d s he ask e d what had b e com e
,

O f hi m W e r e pli e d H e has gon e ou t ; y o u may

.
,

r e tu rn to you r room F .
”
p lac e d hi ms e lf b e for e
t he door T he subj e ct aros e sai d good m orni ng
.
, ,

and w e nt towards it just as s he was about to lay

.

hold of t he han dl e s he kn ock e d u p against F

,

whom s he wa s unabl e to s e e This u n e xp e ct e d .

shock m ad e he r s tart : s he tri e d to go on again ,

but o n e n co u nt e ring t he s am e i nvisibl e and in e x

plicabl e r e sistan c e s he b e gan to b e afraid and
, ,

r e fus e d to go n e ar t he door .

W e n e xt took u p an hat a n d show e d i t to t he

,

subj e ct S he saw i t quit e w e ll an d touch e d i t i n

.
,

ord e r to satisfy h e rs e l f that i t w a s r e ally th e re .

W e th e n pl ac e d it on F ’
s h e ad and words ,

’
cannot e xpr e ss t he subj e ct s s urpris e s i nc e it a p ,
.

p e are d to he r that t he hat was s usp e nd e d i n t he

air H e r surpris e was at its h e ight wh e n F
.

took off t he hat an d salut e d he r with i t s e v e ral

2 02 T HE ELEM EN T S OF H Y PN O T IS M .

W e ask e d why put he r h and to he r fac e an d

s he ,

s he r e pli e d that it i tch e d o r was painfu l and S he , ,

th e r e for e scratch e d i t H e r tran qui l assu ranc e was

.

e xtr e m e ly cu rious W e b egg e d he r to strik e out

.

vi ol e ntly i nto spac e and at t he mom e nt s he rais e d

,

her arm i t was arr e st e d by F W e ask e d what

wa s t he m att e r an d s he r e pli e d that he r arm was
,

a ffe ct e d by cramp S he was th e r e for e n e v e r at a

.
, ,

loss ; s he i nvari ably e xplai n e d e v e ryt hing how e v e r ,

1
insu ffi ci e nt t he e x p l an ation might b e .

T he i ncr e as e O f t he fac u lty of S ight whi ch can b e

produ c e d is a striking ph e nom e non I gav e to my .

s u bj e ct a blank pi e c e O f p ap e r with t he s u gg e stion

that he sho ul d fi nd th e r e o n a colu m n of figur e s H e .

told m e i n r e ply to my qu e sti on that he s aw th e m

, ,
.

I th e n ask e d hi m to r e ad th e m o u t to m e b eginning ,

from t he top T he n u mb e rs whi ch he r e ad ou t

.

a re h e r e giv e n M y n e xt r e q u e st was for hi m to

. 8
add th e m tog e th e r and t e ll m e t he r e su lt w hich 6 ,

he gav e as 1 04 A sk e d to add t he I s t 4
. t h and 10 , ,

8 th nu mb e rs (co u n ti ng from t he top ) he r e pli e d I4 ,

T he total of all t he n u mb e rs consisting 9

O f two figur e s he gav e as 6 5 — a n e rror O f 2 he 4
gav e how e v e r t he corr e ct tot al (v iz 3 7 ) on 1 8
, ,
.

b e ing told to ad d tog e th e r t he n u mb e rs of o n e 1 3

figur e Cl e arly al l this must hav e d e p e nd e d
.
, 5
on t he m e mory of t he figu r e s which he r e ad 1 2
out t o m e as s e e n by him on t he bl ank sh ee t 3
of pap e r . 2

Bi e t e t F er e o p c it p 3 05
1
n
, . .
,
. ‘
 T HE P H EN OM EN A OF HY PN OS I S . 2 03

O n taking t he pap e r away from him I fo u n d ,

i t was impossibl e to obtai n any corr e ct r e s u lts ; he

was u nabl e to n am e any O f t he n u mb e rs b e yon d t he
fi rst two Th u s t he m e ntal illusion was inti m at e ly
.

con n e ct e d with t he s u rfac e O f t he pap e r an d r e su lt e d

,

i n an id e ntifi cation of t he various m arks an d lin e s

o n t he p ap e r m or e or l e ss i nvisibl e to t he ord ina ry
,

e e but r e nd e r e d plai n to t he s ubj e ct by r e ason O f

y,

t he incr e as e of faculty .

With t he O bj e ct of asc e rtaining t he l e ngth of ti m e

i t wa s possibl e for t he hall u cination to r e m ai n i n i ts
e nti r e ty I al low e d an i nt e rval of half an hour to

e laps e ; at t he e n d of this tim e t he subj e ct said he

cl e arly s aw t he figur e s wh e n he look e d at t he pap e r .

“ ”
I n r e p e ating th e m he l e ft out 9 and gav e t he
,

n u mb e r 1 8 as S e v e ral oth e r e xp e rim e nts

w e r e th e n proc ee d e d with and aft e r an i nt e rval of two
,

hou rs he fail e d to g e t at al l n e ar t he prop e r ord e r ,

though he sti ll confi n e d hi ms e lf to t he nu mb e rs and ,

p e rsist e d i n g u e ssing u nti l 1 took t he pap e r away .

That i n all such hall u cin ations t he i ncr e as e d

fac u lty of sight plays an im portant part is e vi d e n t
from t he following e xp e ri m e nt
1 tak e a pi e c e of m an u scri pt pap e r and sugg e st
to hi m that it is a photograph This sh ee t is th e n
.

mi ngl e d with som e fifty oth e rs of pr e cis e ly t he sam e

shap e si z e and form T he S h e e ts a re giv e n to t he
, ,
.

subj e ct and he i s told to fin d t he photograph ; he

,

go e s thro u gh t he pack e t ti ll he com e s to t he o n e on

2 0 4
. T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

which i t was s u gg e st e d he sho u ld fi nd a photogra p h . .

This he at onc e id e ntifi e s .

Wh e n s u ch facts as th e s e a re s e e n i n hypnosis ,

t he r e ad e r will e asi ly u nd e rstand how e xcusabl e

”
w e r e t he th e ori e s O f clairvoyanc e pr e vision e t c
, , .
,

advan c e d by t he e arly m agn e tists T he stat e n e v e r .

,

t he le s s is a pu r e ly physiologi cal o n e
, I f t he p i e c e .

of p ap e r b e tu rn e d round t he portrait i s n o long e r ,

s ee n ; i f i t b e tu rn e d u psid e down t he portrai t i s ,

s e e n u psid e down als o A ll this th e n d e p e nds o n.

, ,

’
t he conn e ction h e ld i n t he su bj e ct s m ind b e twe e n
, ,

t he halluci nation and t he p e cu li ar su rfac e of t he

particular sh e e t of pap e r Th e s e m e an s of id e n t i .

“ ”
fi c at io n hav e b e e n t e rm e d poi nts of r e cognition .

F urth e r still if all th e s e s h ee ts O f pap e r b e photo

,

graph e d an d t he prints b e su bmi tt e d to t he subj e ct

, ,

he wi ll b e abl e to i d e ntify t he photographic copy

as w e l l as t he origin al pi e c e of pap e r .

Ch Fé ré r e cords an e xp e rim e nt d e vis e d by hi m

.

s e lf .
“
W e pl ac e a blank card 0 11 a bl ank sh ee t of
pap e r and with a bl unt point e r which d o e s n ot
, , ,

how e v e r to u ch t he pap e r we fol low t he outli n e O f

, ,

t he card s o as to s ugg e st t he i d e a O f a black lin e .

W e ask t he subj e ct on awaking to fold t he pap e r i n

, ,

accordanc e with th e s e i maginary li n e s he holds t he

pap e r as far fro m hi m a s i t was at t he mom e n t of
sugg e stion and he folds i t s o as to form a r e ctangl e
, ,

” 1
which pr e cis e ly cov e rs t he card .

’
1
L es hy p o tiq u e hy s t é riq u es c o s i d ér é es c om m e s ujet s d é p erie n ce
n s n x ,

etc. Ch F e e P ri 1 88 3
. r . a s, .
2 06 TH E E LE MEN T S OF HYPN O T IS M .

be i ndu c e d by sugg e sting that wh e n al l i s sil e nt he , ,

shal l h e ar t he voic e of a fri e n d wi thou t b e ing abl e

to s e e hi m O n e thus i mpr e ss e d m aintai n e d a
.
, ,

disj oint e d conve rsation aski ng q u e stions hims e lf ,

an d r e plying to i magi n ary qu e stions .

T he s e ns e O f h e aring I hav e fr e qu e ntly known to

b e incr e as e d to an e normous e xt e nt by s u gg e stion ,

u nd e r hypn osis .

A fri e nd who could i n t he n ormal stat e only h e ar

, ,

t he ticking of a watch at a l ess d istanc e than fo u r

fe e t could by hypnotic sugg e stion h e ar it tw e lve

, , ,

fe e t away and thro u gh a cl os e d d oor

,
.

S im ilarly t he sl ight cli cking O f a p ai r of m icro

,

scopic forc e ps could b e h e ard wh e n t he su bj e ct was

at t he e xtr e m e e n d of t he room and t he forc e ps w er e
i n t he n e xt room O n o n e occasi on I got som e
.

do z e n g e ntl e m e n to shou t conti n u ously t he word

To m am idst al l this di n anoth e r w as i n a , ,

low voic e to u tt e r t he sam e word

,
Thi s l at te r .

g e ntl e m an stood b e hi nd all t he r e st ; so gr e at was

t he n oi s e that although I was stan di ng n e xt to
,

him I only kn e w wh e n he had spok e n t he word

,

by t he m ov e m e nt O f his lips T he subj e ct how e v e r .

, ,

who co u ld n ot s ee t he sp e ak e r i m m e d i at e ly d e t e ct e d ,

t he s ou n d an d call e d o u t as he had b ee n i nstruct e d ,

to do This word wa s r e p e at e d thi rt e e n ti m e s at

.
,

diffe r e nt int e rvals varyi n g from tw e nty s e conds to

,

thr ee m inut e s an d i n e v e ry i nstanc e t he s u bj e ct

,
‘

d e t e ct e d t he voi c e i nstantan e ously .

 T H E PH EN OM ENA OF HYP N OSI S . 2 07

A still mor e s ubtl e e xp e ri m e nt was tri e d As .

e v e ryon e knows i n a whisp e r all i ndivi d u ality of

,

voic e is appar e ntly lost I f any o n e wi ll t u rn his .

b ack to som e fri e nds an d g e t th e m t o softly whisp e r

i n tu rn he wi ll find i t impossibl e to d iscov e r who is
,

whisp e ring as t he p e culi ar t i m b re of t he voic e s e e ms

,

abs e nt .

Thi rt ee n stood b e hin d t he su bj e ct mys e lf amongst ,

t he n umb e r an d w e all i n tu rn or ou t o f t u rn
, , , ,

“ ”
whi s p e r e d t he word both e r T he ord e r was .

constantly vari e d b u t i t was i m possibl e to d e c e iv e

,

t he s u bj e ct who d ir e ctly I whisp e r e d r e cognis e d

, , ,

my voic e .

Ta s t e The subj e ct m ay b e told that he is v e ry

.

fond of sugar sticks ; if a cand l e b e pr e s e nt e d to

him with t he sugg e stion that i t is a sugar stick he ,

wi ll proc e e d to e a t it with r e lish i n t he sam e way ,

he m ay b e told that som e harml e ss su bstanc e such ,

as wat e r i s n a u s e o u s and he will e vi nc e sympto m s

, ,

of t he gr e at e s t disgust o n tasti ng i t and i n som e , ,

cas e s vom iting m ay e ns u e

, .

Und e r t he hall u ci nation of tast e poisons hav e ,

b e e n giv e n to subj e cts with appar e n tly n o harm

fu l r e s u lts A q u antity of qu in in e has b e e n
.

administ e re d to o n e hypnotis e d p e rson which

would hav e b e e n su ffi ci e nt to ki ll t e n p e rsons i n
t he n ormal stat e 1 Wh eth e r this b e s o or not i t is‘
.
,

1
DrT k y (op c it p
uc e . .
, . 1 69 ) sa ys :
“
S eve ra l m ed i c l m en a who
w e re pre s en t a t a r ecen t pe rfo r m an c e as s u r e m e th t th e y a s aw
2 08 TH E ELE M E N T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

c e rtai n that t he m ost d e l e t e rious and naus e ous

sub s tan c e s can b e t ak e n witho u t t he s u bj e ct s u ffe ring
fro m any appar e nt pai n or d iscom fort That such .

e xp e ri m e nts e v e nt u ally d o no inj u ry I am not

i ncl in e d to b e li e v e but i n any cas e t he abs e nc e of
, ,

any i mm e d iat e e ffe cts is mos t stri king .

S m ell A n e xp e ri m e n t which 1 hav e fr e qu e ntly

. .

p e rform e d is t he followi ng — A nu mb e r O f p e rson s

e ach tak e i n th e i r hands som e small obj e ct s u ch as a ,

p e nkn ife a p e nci l cas e a coin e t c Whi l e t he s u b

, , ,
.
“

j c e t is sti ll ou t O f t he roo m th e s e articl e s a re plac e d

o n t he tabl e and t he su bj e ct is bro u ght i nto t he room
, .

H e tak e s u p t he fi rs t O bj e ct sm e lls i t an d th e n , ,

sm e lls t he hand s of t he vari ous p e rsons till he com e s

to t he own e r of t he obj e ct wh e n he l e av e s i t i n h is
,

or her hand and s o on u nt i l he has s e ttl e d t he

, ,

own e rshi p of all t he ar ti cl e s plac e d on t he tabl e .

A noth e r e vid e nc e of this i ncr e as e of facu lty was

giv e n wh e n I w e n t whilst t he s u bj e ct was out O f t he
,

room to som e booksh e lv e s an d pass e d my fing e rs

,

down t he backs of s e v e ral books The s ubj e ct on .

,

r e tu rni ng i nto t he room s m e ll e d my t wo fi ng e rs

, ,

and going to t he booksh e lv e s pull e d ou t t he books

which 1 had touch e d .

M any hall u cin ations O f t he s e ns e of sm e ll a re

s o m n am bu li c bj ec t s s w a ll o w as m uc h as e i ghty gra in s o f qui n i n e
su

in o e d o s e an d th a t th e y w a t c h e d for e ffe c t s an d fo u n d n o n e
n ,
T he .

s am e p u bli c p e rfo r m e r m a d e his un fo rt un a t e s u bj e c t s d ri n k l a rg e a n d

a l m os t p o i s on o u s q ua titi es o f p a r a f
n fi n O il k e r o s i n e an d o th er n aus e o us
, ,

c o m p ou n d s with ou t p r o du c i n g a n y r es u lt .
2 10 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I SM .

hand . H e d e sc rib e s i t as som e thi ng smooth ,

” “
h e avy ,
fe e ls lik e m e tal on a book b e ing
“
s ubstitut e d he d e scri b e s i t as
,
not s o h e avy ,

“ ”
som e thing ro u gh e t c e t c ,
.
, .

H al l u ci n ation s O f Colou r and Colou r B lin dn es s

m ay b e prod uc e d P ari n a u d t he h e ad of t he
.
,

O phthalmological l aboratory at t he S a lp é t riere ha s ,

sum m e d u p th e s e i n a p ap e r contri b u t e d to Bin e t e t

F ere s work A nim al M agn e tism and a portion O f
’ “ ”
,

this I qu ot e tho u gh i t m u st n ot b e forgott e n that

,

th e s e r e s u lts a re p robably d u e to t he hypnotic

trai ni ng which th e s e authors hav e r e fe rr e d to .

H a llucin a t ion s f
o colou r m ay develop p b en om en a o f
c/z rom a t ic con t ra s t as rea d il
y as , an d w i t /i even

g rea t er i n t en s i ty , tb an t /z e a ct u a l p ercep t ion o f

I f for i nstanc e a p i e c e of pap e r divid e d by a

, ,

li n e b e pr e s e nt e d to a hyp n otis e d s ubj e ct and it b e ,

s u gg e st e d to he r that o n e hal f is re d t he s e nsation ,

of t he com pl e m e n tary col ou r gree n occurs o n t he , ,

oth e r hal f I f aft e r awaking t he s e nsation O f re d

.
, ,

r e main s o also d o e s t he s e nsation of gr ee n

, .

“
I n ord e r to u nd e rstan d t he m e ani n g of this fact ,

I m ust r e fe r to t he following e xp e ri m e nt r e lating to ,

chrom ati c contrast which 1 com mu n icat e d to t he

,

’ ’
S oc iet e d e B iolog ie in ju ly 1 8 8 2 .

“
A card which is half whit e and half gr ee n on
o n e sid e and wholly whit e on t he oth e r is m ark e d
, ,
 T HE PH EN OM EN A OF HY PN OS I S . 2 1 1

i n t he c e ntre on both sid e s wi th a spot i nt e nd e d to

fi x t he vision F or half a m i n u t e t he e y e s a re fix e d
.

on t he parti colour e d sid e and th e n t he card is

-

t urn e d and t he e y e s a re fi x e d on t he c e ntral spot of

t he whit e sid e O n t he half which corr e sponds to
.

t he gr e e n half a re d ti n t app e ars which is m e r e ly t he

‘

d e fin itiv e aft e r i mag e and on t he oth e r half t he com

-

p le m en t ary gr ee n tint is s e e n The aft e r i mag e O f -

.

re d ha s th e r e for e d e v e lop e d by i nduction t he s e nsa

, ,

tion O f gr ee n i n t he part of t he r e tin a which had

only r e c e iv e d t he i mpr e ssion of whi t e This e x p e ri .

m e n t which m ay b e vari e d i n di ffe r e nt ways s o as

, ,

to e stablish t he fact that we hav e to do with positiv e

s e nsations and n o t with any e rror o f j u dgm e nt
, ,

shows that e v e ry i m pre ssi on of colo u r l e ads to a m or e

or l e ss p e rsist e nt modi fication o f t he n e rvous -

e l e m e nts which prod u c e t he aft e r i mag e an d that -

this m odi fication ca u s e s i n t he parts not affect e d a , ,

modificati on in t he opposit e di r e ction which d e v e lops

”
t he compl e m e nta ry s e nsation 1
.

1
T he tro ve rs y o n thi s q u es ti o n is a ve ry i m p o rt n t on e b ut it is
c on a ,

t o o l ab o r a t e t o b e d e a lt with h e r e
e The p o i n t is wh e th e r th e r e b e
.

an a f fec ti o n o f t he a p pa r t u s O f vi s i o n t he r e ti n a an d t he o p ti c n e r ve
a , ,

o r wh e th e r t he i m age b e a s ubj e c ti ve o n e a w a k en e d a s a m e m o ry

t he vi s u l c e n tr e a n d e vo k ed by t he s u bj e c t s i n t e ll ec t
’
in a The .

ex pe ri m e n t s o f P a ri n au d w o ul d S h o w th a t t he a lt e r a ti o n w as o f t he
fo r me r d e s c ri p ti o n b t B e r h e i m has m ad e an e lab o rat e s e ri es o f
, u n

e x p e ri m en t s d e m o n s tr a ti n
g th a t t he i m age is a p sy cl i c l an d n o t z a

a p hy s i c a l o n e I t do es n o t p a s s by t he p eri ph era l a ppa rat us of

.

v i s i on , has n o O bj ec ti ve r e a lity fo ll o w s n o o p ti c a l l a ws
, b u t is ,

d ue t o i n t e ll e c t ual ac ti o n Vide S ugges ti ve Th e r ap e u ti cs z ud ed

.
,

c h a p t e r vi .
2 1 2 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

M u s cu la r S en s e
. I f a s u bj e ct b e told he is
hold ing a hat in his hands he wi ll b e un abl e to clos e
th e m witho u t u sing forc e by r e ason of t he r e sistanc e
,

caus e d by t he i magin ary hat .

To fi nd t he amoun t of forc e r e quir e d for t he

closing of t he hands I s u gg e st e d that th e r e wa s a
,

rol l of tiss u e pap e r b e tw e e n his hand s and that he

was to clos e th e m wh e th e r or n ot he spoi lt t he pap e r .

H e r e t he di ffic u lty w a s not gr e at ; wh e n he h e l d

t he i magin ary hat i t was gr e at e r and on b e i ng told ,

that he was holding a brick he m ad e t he m ost ,

str en uo u s e fforts to bring his hands to g e th e r and he ,

at last gav e it u p a s impossibl e .

Un ila t era l Hyp n os is A l l t he halluci nations we

.

hav e pr e viously d is cuss e d hav e a ffe ct e d t he whol e

p e rsonal ity of t he in dividual I t has b e e n shown
.

that by m e ans O f auto s u gg e stion i f a sugg e stion

-

affe cting t he sight b e m ad e t he oth e r s e ns e s all act

,

i n harmony with t he s ight T he ph e nom e non of .

u ni lat e ral hypnosis pr e s e nts how ev e r an e xc e ption

, ,

to this rul e at onc e startling and convi ncing I go .

to t he right e a r of my subj e ct and s a y to him ,

Wh e n y o u wak e u p y o u wi ll fi nd t he s u n is shining
”
brightly and that t he w e ath e r is p e rfe ct
,
I go to .

“
his l e ft e ar an d s ay Wh e n y o u wak e u p y o u wil l
,

fi nd i t is rain ing hard an d that it is a d u ll mis e ra b l e

,

”
d ay . O n waki ng t he r e s u lt i s v e ry e vid e nt and it
, ,

is t he m or e i mportant a s it is I b e li e v e almost , ,

i mpossibl e to b e s im u l at e d for t he o n e s id e of t he
,
2 1 4 T H E E LEM EN T S O F HY PN O T I SM .

warn ing b e for e he was hypn otis e d an d ass u re d him ,

that it was a cap he had i n hi s lap and that he ,

mistook it for a d og by m e an s O f t he hypnoti c

su gg e stion I had gi v e n to him H e look e d at m e .

with a pu z z l e d e xpr essi on for som e m om e nts and ,

“
final ly la u gh e d saying
“

,
Y ou must h av e b e e n
,

hypnotis e d yours e lf I t hin k

,
s
.

I must now r e fe r to a fr e qu e nt an d im portant

sym ptom O f hypn osi s which i s call e d rapp ort .

This is pr e s e nt i n al l t he d e e p stag e s o f hypn osis ,

and is s e e n by t he fact that t he s u bj e ct wil l only

pay att e ntion to what t he hypnotist says TO .

anything which t he on look e rs m ay s ay or d o he

is quit e oblivio u s I f this cond itio n O f rapp ort b e
.

not p r e s e nt spon tan e o u sly i t may b e e vok e d by

, ,
.

m e ans of sugg e stion I n t he sam e way t he s u bj e ct

.
,

can b e put i nto rapp ort wi th anyo n e e ls e on t he prop e r

s u gg esti on b e ing m ad e by t he hypnotist A gr e at .

d e al has b e e n writt e n on t he su bj e ct of this

con n e cti on b e tw e e n t he s u bj e ct and hypnoti s t ;
m any of t he th e ori e s advanc e d to e xplain t he
ph e nom e non s e e m s om e what wi ld and un n e c e ssary .

Thus D r M oll i n disc u ssi ng t he analogi e s of rapp ort

, ,

i n t he waking stat e wri t e s,

“
W e s e e this e v e ry d ay i n ord in ary life an d par ,

t ic u la rly i n lov e a ffai rs I t happ e ns O ft e n that o n e

.

p e rson is attract e d by anoth e r and r e p e ll e d by a

third withou t b e ing abl e to d iscov e r his r e asons fo r
,

i t R e ason O ft e n points out t he p e rv e rsity of his

.
 TH E PHEN OM E NA OF HY PNOS I S . 1 5

inclin ation ; and y e t he cannot ov e rcom e t he

strong m e ntal infl u e nc e which attracts him De .

g u s t i b us n on es t d isp u t a n d u m it is u s e l e ss to argu e
about ou r tast e s b e caus e th e y a re n ot guid e d by
,

re ason bu t by c e rtai n u nd e fi n e d ag e nci e s T o cal l

, .

th e s e fe e lings sympathi e s an d anti pathi e s e xplains

” 1
n othing .

T he hypnotic ra p port s e e ms to m e c apabl e of a

sim pl e r e xplanati on T he s u bj e ct go e s to sl e e p with
.

t he hypnotist watching hi m ; no o n e e ls e to u ch e s

hi m or sp e aks to him and t he sugg e stion at onc e

,

’
cr e e ps into t he subj e ct s m i nd that he is i n to u ch
with t he op e rator alon e .

I t i s e vi d e nt from t he d iscussion of t he many

hypnotic ph e nom e n a which as we hav e s e e n d e p e n d
, , ,

larg e ly for th e i r production u pon t he action O f t he

int e l l e ct an d t he m e mory that with r e gard to ,

hypnosis i t would b e altog e th e r m isl e ad ing an d

“ ”
fals e to sp e ak of unconscio u sn e ss u nd e rstanding ,

by this t e rm t he psychol ogical m e aning a stat e

in which n o psychical p roc e ss tak e s plac e .

I t is e qu ally cl e ar how e v e r that though it b e

, ,

inaccurat e to sp e ak of loss of conscio u sn e ss i n

hypnosis w e hav e n e v e rth e l e ss to d o with a singu lar
,

and abnorm al form O f conscio u sn e ss .

T he e tiological th e ori e s advanc e d by t he vario u s

a u thoriti e s on t he subj e ct are e xtr e m e ly nu m e ro u s ,

though now th e r e s e e ms to b e a n e ar e r approach

1
Op . c it . , p 62. .
2 1 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

t o u nani mity than was t he cas e a few y e ars

ago .

T he ma i n ch aract e risti c of hypnosis s e e m s to b e

t he t e mporary in hibition of t he volition al pow e r Of

t he brain . This inhibi tion vari e s in i ts d e gr ee and

n atu re with e v e ry subj e ct an d n o t wo hypnotis e d
,

p e rsons p r e s e nt pre cis e ly t he s am e sym ptoms

a n e vid e n c e that e v e n i n t he d e e p e st hypnos e s t he

i ndividu ality O f t he su bj e ct is n ot d e stroy e d .

L e t u s tak e an e xampl e of voli tion al action i n t he

n orm al life I f a p e rson b e told to rais e his arm
.
,

thi s ord e r is conv e y e d first to t he c e ntre of h e aring

and th e nc e to t he high e st c e ntr es which consid e r
,

t he C i rcu m stan c e s and r e ason abl e n e ss of such action

i f thos e c e ntr e s of e motion and r e fl e cti on favo u r

t he e x e cution of t he ord e r th e n t he will s e nds
,

an i m p u ls e to t he motor c e ntr e s and t he arm is

,

rais e d .

I f t he ord e r b e giv e n i n an i mp e rativ e ton e to

o n e acc u stom e d to ob e y t he voic e of authority t he

action wi ll b e carri e d ou t a u tomatically ; t he com

m an d wi ll b e r e fe rr e d di re ctly from t he auditory
c e ntre to t he muscl e s O f t he arm (Tu ck ey) .

I n s u ch a cas e wh e r e t he ord e r i s follow e d by

,

i ts au tom atic action t he two stand in t he r e l ation of

,

caus e and e ffe ct Tu ck ey q u ot e s on this point t he

.

sto ry O f an O ld soldi e r who whil e carrying hom e

,

his S unday di nn e r was hail e d by a practical j ok e r

, ,

“ ”
who call e d A tt e ntion ! H is arm s i mm e di at e ly
2 1 8 TH E ELE M EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

to b e told by a s u bj e ct who ha s on ly b e e n slightly

i n flu e nc e d that he ha s not r e ally b e e n hypnotis e d
at al l H e r e m e mb e rs p e rfe ctly al l that took pl ac e
.

u nd e r t he hypnosis an d e xplai ns hi s inability to

,

op e n his e y e s or part his hands by saying he

co u ld hav e don e s o if he wish e d only he d id n ot ,

want t o both e r about tryi ng This is t e rm e d

.

“ ”
t he i ll usion of r e sistanc e .

A noth e r s ubj e ct may b e i n such a light stat e

that it i s i mpossibl e to pr e v e nt any m u scul ar action
n e v e rth e l e ss toothach e or any sim ilar pai n m ay b e
,

tak e n away with t he gr e at e st e as e .

T he fact that on waki ng subj e cts find t he pai n

, ,

com pl e t e ly gon e convinc e s th e m O f what th e y

,

wou ld oth e rwis e hav e stoutly d e ni e d viz that ,

.
,

hypnosis has b e e n i nd u c e d .

I n s u ch light stat e s i f t he p ati e nt ha s not b e e n

,

s u ffe ring pr e vious to his hypn osis from som e ail m e nt

, , ,

it is som e ti m e s q u it e i mpossi bl e to p e rs u ad e hi m
that he ha s b e e n i n t he l e ast d e gr e e hypnotis e d .

P e rhaps t he most c u ri o u s i nstan c e O f this t e nd e ncy

is s e e n i n t he following cas e — A fri e nd whom I ,

had hypnotis e d s e v e ral ti m e s p r e vi ously complain e d ,

of fe e ling v e ry i l l and d e p re ss e d — a com plai nt that

w a s born e out by his app e aranc e I hyp notis e d .

him an d he fe ll i n abo u t a min u t e i nto his

, , ,

u s u al stat e of light sl e e p Wh e n 1 had fi nish e d.

t he O p e ration and was going to wak e him he ,

sudd e nly said i n a v e ry m e as u r e d an d listl e ss

,
 T H E PH EN OM E NA OF HYP N O S I S . 2 1 9

m ann e r i n dicativ e of t he fact that he was still

,

“ ’
u nd e r t he influ e nc e Y ou kno w Vin c e nt I m not
, , ,

’
hypnotis e d you co u ld n t pre v e nt m e doi ng anythi ng .

I im m e di at e ly awok e him and he was profou ndly

,

astonish e d to fin d that s o far from b e i ng ill and

d e pr e ss e d he fe lt w e l l an d happy H ad i t n ot b e e n
,
.

fo r t he fact that he was pr e viously su ffe ring from

d e pr e ssion nothing wo u ld hav e convin c e d hi m that
,

he had b e e n hypn otis e d .

R ich e t has d e scrib e d m u ch t he sam e ph e n o

m e non
“
On e O f my fri e nds who was d rowsy bu t n ot
,

quit e asl ee p care fu ll y studi e d this ph e nom e n on of

,

i ncapacity combin e d with t he i llusion of capacity

, .

Wh e n I pr e scri b e d a mov e m e nt he always p e r ,

form e d it e v e n altho u gh he had b e for e he was

, ,

magn e tis e d b e e n d e t e rmin e d to r e sist H e fo u nd

,
.

this hard to u nd e rstan d wh e n he awok e and said , ,

that he c e rtainly co u ld hav e r e sist e d only he d i d ,

n ot wish to d o s o S om e tim e s he was incl i n e d to

.

”
b e li e v e that he was si m u lating Wh e n 1 am asl ee p
.
,

“
he said ,
I fe ign a u tomatism altho u gh I b e li e v e
,

that I m ight act oth e rwis e I b e gi n with t he fi rm

.

d e t e rmin ation n ot to si m u lat e bu t as soon as I am

,

asl e e p i t s ee ms that i n spit e O f mys e lf sim u lation

, ,

”
b egins.

A sti ll mor e im portant ph e nom e non of hypnosis

is t he p re s e nc e of a l at e nt moral conscio u sn e ss
which wi ll pre v e nt t he s ubj e ct saying anything
2 2 0 T H E ELE MEN T S O F HY P N O T I S M .

or p e rforming any act r e pulsiv e to hi m . I had

n o d i ffi culty i n p e rs u ading a rigid total abstai n e r that
a glass of wat e r i n fron t O f hi m w a s a glass of
win e b u t wh e n I s u gg e st e d that he wo u ld b e boun d
,

to d ri nk t he i magin ary win e he forthwith awok e

,
.

I put a s t e e l dagg e r i nto t he han d of a subje ct ,

with t he s ugg e stion that on awaking he should stab

, ,

me . T he ord e r w a s not ob ey e d .

The possibiliti e s O f cri mi nal s u gg e stion wi ll b e

consid e r e d i n anoth e r chapt e r it is s u ffici e nt h e r e to
stat e that i n g e n e ral any s u ch sugg e sti on will e ith e r
, ,

e n d t he hypnosis forthwith or b e d isob e y e d

,
.

I n th e s e fe w pag e s I hav e e nd e avou r e d to giv e a

bri e f accou nt O f t he chi e f ph e nom e n a which a re
com m only to b e n oti c e d i n hypnosis ; m any int e r
e sting q u e stio n s hav e b e e n l e ft u ntou ch e d sin c e th e y
,

wo u ld hav e le d m e too far from my origin al p u rpos e ,

and wo u ld hav e involv e d m u ch t e ntativ e discussion

b u t I tr u st this chapt e r m ay b e su ffi ci e nt to gi v e
t he r e ad e r a fairly compl e t e i d e a of t he m ai n

ph e nom e na .
2 2 2 T H E E LE M EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

l m e nt i n i t I su ppos e e v e ry hypnotist i s familiar

e e .

wi th that u plifting O f t he e y e brows and r e provi ng

shak e of t he h e ad which a re m e an t to con v ey that
,

“ ”
t he whol e thing is to s ay t he l e ast
,
qu e stion abl e
,
.

A n e sti mabl e an d c u lt u r e d lady o f my acqu aint

anc e ha s s u ch an horror of hypn otism and al l ,
“

conn e ct e d with it that I b e li e v e s he e xp e cts to h e ar

,

o n e d ay that I am poss e ss e d of t he d e vi l of
hypnotis m ! To arg u e with su ch p e opl e would of ,

cours e b e ridic u lo u s O n e might as w e l l try and

,
.

carry on an i nt e r e sting conv e rsation with t he gard e n

gat e This ki nd of oppos ition how e v e r al most e v e ry
.
, ,

m od e rn discov e ry has had to m ee t and t he strang e ,

thi ng is that al l t he n e w scholarshi p an d cu ltu r e

of our e ra d o n ot s e e m to h av e mu ch in flu e nc e o n
it Wh e n t he je suits in 1 6 4
.
9 introd u c e d P e ruvi an
bark i nto E u rop e it s u s e was prohibit e d on t he
,

grou n d that it s c u r e s w e r e too rapid and that it ,

poss e ss e d n o vi rt u e b u t what it d e ri v e d from a

co mpact m ad e by t he I ndians with t he d evi l !
T he i nt rod uction of vacci nation wa s t he sign al for
t he outb u rst O f almos t e v e ry form o f r e ligious
” “ ” ”
fanatici s m H e lli sh
. d e vi lish
,
A ntichrist w e re
, ,

som e of t he n am e s appli e d to that which has

practi cally fr e e d thi s cou ntry from t he r e al sm all
pox .

Kingsbu ry qu ot e s a c e l e brat e d p r e ach e r of his

ti m e who pre ach ing i n L iv e rpool i n 1 8 4
, , 4 said I , ,

hav e s ee n nothing of i t n or d o 1 thi nk i t right to

,
 THE D ANG E R S OF HYPN O T I S M . 2 2 3

t e mpt G o d by going to s e e i t 1 hav e n o t faith to

.

go i n t he n am e of t he L ord J e s us an d to command ,

t he d e vi l to d e part .

This is bigotry p a r ex cellen ce an d t he sam e spi rit

,

e xists to day n ot on ly wi th r egard to hypnoti s m

‘

, ,

but with r egard to e v e ry advanc e m ad e by sci e nc e .

“
T he young lady thi nks i t is wrong and t he old ,

“
m an thinks i t o u ght to b e put a stop t o
“
H um e i n his H istory of E ngland ha s tol d u s
, ,

that no physi cian i n E u rop e who had r e ach e d forty

y e ars of a g e e v e r to t he e n d of his life adopt e d
’
H arv ey s d octri n e of t he ci rc u lation of t he bloo d
D r N orman K e rr S ir A ndr e w C lark D r W B
, ,
. .

Richardson an d oth e rs h av e attack e d hypnotism

, ,

with s u ch v e h e m e nc e that it s ee ms a s if t he E nglish

lang u ag e wo u ld n e e d a fr e sh s u pply o f adj e ctiv e s
w e r e th e s e attacks at al l p e rsist e nt .

T he curious fact is how e v e r that non e O f th e s e

, ,

g entl e m e n produc e e vi d e nc e of th e ir e xtraordinary

stat e m e nts S i r A ndr e w Cl ark r ej e cts t he e vi d e nc e
.

O f som e of t he gr e at e st authoriti e s a s pr ej u dic e d an d ,

th e n proc e e ds to d iscours e o n his own e xp e ri e nc e ,

w ithout giving any corroboration i n t he shap e of ,

fact of his unwarrantabl e stat e m e nts

,
.

T he n at u r e of t he e vid e n c e that can b e bro u ght

against hypnotism is cl e arly shown by it s most vir u
l e nt oppon e nt D r N orm an K e rr who according to
, , ,

’
his own account aft e r thi rty y e ars obs e rvation of
,

hypnotism kn ew at l e ast o n e cas e i n which aft e r

, ,
2 2 4 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

appar e nt b e n e fi t from hypn otic tr e atm e nt m e ntal ,

i nstability pass e d i nto i nsanity That i n on e ca s e

.

a m an m e ntally u nstabl e fi nally b e cam e i nsan e do e s

not s e e m a v e ry crushing indi ctm e nt ; an d e v e n
t he l e arn e d d octor hims e lf do e s n ot t e l l u s that

this fi nal stat e was i n cons e qu e nc e of bu t only ,

subs e qu e nt to hypnotism
,
.

Th e r e a re c e rtai n popu lar m isconc e ptions with

r e gard to hypnotism which gr e atly pr ej u dic e t he
p u bli c mi n d agai ns t i ts u s e and whi ch hav e only
,

to b e d issolv e d for i t to obtai n a faire r h e ari ng .

Th u s for i nstanc e i t is oft e n said that hypnotism

, ,

’
r e su lts in t he w e ak e ning of t he s ubj e ct s i nt e llig e nc e
and brain pow e r .

To this id e a which i s n othi ng m or e than a

,

sup e rstition m ust b e O ppos e d t he t e stim ony of

,

e v e ry hypn otist who has practis e d l arg e ly T he p re

.

cis e stat e m e nts of th e s e nu m e rous a u thoriti e s m ight

b e q u ot e d bu t two will su ffi c e
,
A ft e r D r B e rn h e im
.

“
had i nd uc e d hyp n osis ov e r tim e s he said I
, ,

hav e n e ve r s e e n any harm prod u c e d by sl ee p i nd uc e d

according to ou r m e thod and D r L ié b a u lt aft e r ,

’
thirty y e ars conti nuou s practi c e of hypn otism says ,

that he cannot r e call a s ingl e occasion 0 11 which he

r e gr e ts having adopt e d tr e atm e nt by hypnotism I .

n e e d hardly s ay that i n t he hands of t he ign oran t

hypnotism m ay b e t he caus e of u ntold d ange rs ;
b u t this is its abus e and n ot i ts u s e .

A n oth e r com mo n id e a is th at t he s ubj e ct on c e ,

2 2 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

be hypnotis e d agai nst his or her will This is an .

e nti r e fallacy Tb e con s en t of t lce s u bject is a lw ay s

.

n eces s a ry T O prov e this I hav e r e q u e st e d s om e of

.
,

my d e e p e st s u bj e cts to r e fu s e th e i r cons e nt with ,

t he r e su lt that my e ffo rts to hypnotis e th e m h av e

b ee n e nti re ly i n vai n .

L astly it is suppos e d by s om e that from t he ti m e

,

a p e rson i s hypnotis e d he is u nd e r t he i nflu e nc e of

t he O p e rator an d that for his whol e life he wi ll b e
,

at his bidd ing This i d e a is compl e t e ly u ntr u e

. .

W e fi nd oth e rs b e li e vi ng that t he hypn otist can

e v e n i nflu e n c e his pati e nts at a di stanc e and by ,

t he simpl e conc e ntration of wi l l control th e ir

1
thoughts and actions wh e r e v e r th e y m ay b e .

S uch id e as as th e s e a re r e ally too abs urd to

d e ny ; th e r e is som e e xc u s e how e v e r for p e rsons , ,

holdi ng this vi e w ; sin c e m any of t he C harlatans

who combi n e d with th e i r stock in — trad e a c e rtain -

am ou nt of m e sm e rism e l e ctro bi ology e t c us e d to ,

-

,
.
,

ass e rt that al l th e s e thing s w e r e possibl e .

Thus t he com m on n otion s con c e rn ing hypnotism

,

hav e n o basis of fact Th ey not only are i n cr e dibl e

.

by any s a n e m i nd but also t e nd to hi nd e r a ,

consid e ration of t he r e al d ang e rs of hypn otism .

Th e s e d ang e rs 1 proc e e d to e nu m e rat e A nd .

fi rstly on t he r e lation of hypn otism to cri m e ; this

,

has to b e consid e r e d b e cau s e as we hav e s ee n i n ,

1
I h ave alre d y r fe rr ed t t ti ve ly t o t he ge era l q u e ti o of
a e ,
en a ,
n s n

t e l e p thy Thi s m us t n t b e c o fus ed with t he fi c ti j us t m e ti on ed

a . o n on n .
 THE DA N C E R S O F HY PN O T I SM . 2 2 7

t he e arli e r portion of this book som e p e rsons a re ,

so d e e ply in flu e nc e d that th e y b e com e e ntir e ly

ob e di e nt to t he hyp n otist Th ey a re absol u t e ly
.

i ns e nsibl e to pain and on waking can r e m e mb e r

,

n othing of anything which m ay hav e happ e n e d i n

hypnosis .

I t is cl e ar that su ch a stat e pr e s e nts possibi liti e s of

’

cri m e bu t i t is to b e re m e m b ere d that accord i ng

,

to all t he obs e rvations O f L ié b a u lt B e rnh e i m e t c , , .

,

only about fi ft e e n p e r c e nt O f s u bj e cts a re i nfl u e n c e d

.

to this d ee p d egr ee which i s t e rm e d S om nambulism

, .

N e v e rth e l e ss h ow e v e r small t he nu mb e r t he fact

, ,

that it is possibl e for a cri m in al action to b e propos e d

or a crimi nal s u gg e stion m ad e with su cc e ss j u stifi e s ,

a co nsid e rati on o f t he m att e r .

This qu e sti on of t he cri min al u s e of hypnotis m

“
r e c e ntly cam e b e fore t he publi c i n t he G o u ffé
”
m u rd e r trial . G a b rille B o m p a rd as i s w e ll known , ,

s e t u p t he d e fe nc e that he r part i n th e trag e dy was

d u e to post hypnoti c sugg e stions giv e n to he r by

-

he r paramou r M ich e l E yraud

,
A larg e amount O f
.

e vid e n c e was call e d on both sid e s but t he j u ry ,

r e fu s e d to acc e pt t he d e fe nc e p u t forward an d ,

r etu rn e d a v e rd ict of gu ilty .

Th e n th e r e is t he li abi lity to assa u lt a possibility ,

which i n t he cas e of fe mal e s u bj e cts i s obviously of

, ,

t he gr e at e st possi bl e i mportanc e S e v e ral cas e s .

,

wh e r e a crimin al ass a u lt has b ee n commi tt e d hav e ,

b ee n r e port e d i n various cou ntri e s O n this poin t .

2 2 8 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

t he r e m edy is e asy an d shou ld b e pu t i n forc e b v

,

t he O p e rator for t he sak e of h is own r e s pon sibility ,

an d by t he subj e ct for he r safe ty an d confid e nc e .

“
D r Kings bury sums this u p w e ll by sayi ng NO ,

p e rson should p e rmit hi ms e lf or h e rs e lf to b e

hy p n otis e d sav e by a m e d ical m an (or prop e rly
a u thoris e d sci e ntist) who has a ch aract e r to m ai n
tain and i n whos e int egri ty an d ability confid e nc e
,

can b e r e pos e d A n d furth e r n o woma n shou ld

.
,

allow h e rs e lf to b e hypnotis e d e xc e pt i n t he
pr e s e nc e of o n e o r more witn e ss e s of whom s he
” 1
ap p rov e s .

T he possibiliti e s of cri mi nal sugg e stion hav e b e e n

e l aborat e ly discuss e d by m any writ e rs promin e nt ,

amongs t who m a re G ill e s d e la To u r e tt e L i ég o is , ,

an d F or e l .

I t is adm itt e d by all that e v e n amongst s o m n a m

b u lis t s t he pro p ortion wh o would commi t a cri m e
i n r e spons e t o sugg e stion is almost i nfi n it es im a l .

F or not only wi ll t he subj e ct r e fus e to commit a

cri m e but i t h as b e e n O ft e n n otic e d that any
,
'

sugg e stion whi ch is r e pulsiv e to t he fe e li ngs of t he

,

pati e nt , wi l l i n al l probabi lity b e disob eye d

, , .

L iég o is narrat e s am ongst m any oth e rs t he fol low

in g cas e
1 d issolv e d a whit e powd e r i n wat e r an d ,

sol e mnly d e clar e d to M adam e C (a pati e nt ag e d

thirty fi ve ) t hat it w as ars e n i c I th e n sai d t o her
-
.

1
Tb e P ra ct ice f
o H yp n ot i c S ugges t ion , p . 1 19.
2 30 T H E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

W e blow on H E—
’
. y e s who aft e r awaking
s e , , ,

con tinu e s conv e rsing with us all t he whil e pl aying

,

with t he r e volv e r (or rath e r t he ru l e r that r e pr e s e nts

a r e volv e r i n his e y e s) ; which he absol ut e ly r e fus e s
to part with T he sugg e stion n ot y e t h aving b ee n
.

fu lfill e d t he su bj e ct wou ld soon e r kill any o n e who

,

tri e d to d isposs e ss hi m of his w e apon rath e r th an ,

give it u p .

“
A t a c e rtai n mom e nt ou r fri e nd B who h as
b e e n warn e d of t he way he will b e gr ee t e d e nt e rs ,

t he ward H E
. allows hi m to approach and
.
,

th e n cool ly d ischarg e s his pistol poi n t blank at

’
hi m B . falls d own e xclai ming : I am kil l e d !
,
‘

’
What we say to H E
, .you hav e ki ll e d ‘

M onsi e u r B bu t what can hav e in duc e d you to

’
commit su ch a cri m e ? M onsi e u r B
‘
di d not
’
prop e rly att e nd to m e ; I hav e r e v e ng e d mys e l f !
’
‘
That is not a s u ffici e nt r e ason Y ou m ay think .
‘

so ,
but I had also m any oth e rs ; b e sid e s he was ,

doom e d to d ie by my han d
D r L uys of t he Chari ty H ospital P aris i n o n e , ,

”
of his Clinical L e ct u r e s o n H ypnotism says ,

Y ou can not only oblig e thi s d e fe nc e l e ss b e ing ,

who is incapabl e of opposing t he slight e st r e sistan c e ,

to giv e from hand to han d anythi ng you m ay

choos e bu t you can also m ak e hi m sign a promis e
, ,

d raw u p a bi ll of e xchang e or any oth e r k i nd o f

,

agr e e m e nt Y ou m ay m ak e hi m wri t e an hol ographic

.

wil l (whi ch accordi ng to F re nch law would b e valid ) ,

 THE D ANG E R S OF H YPN O T I S M . 2 3 1

which he wil l hand ov e r t o you an d of which he ,

will n ever b n ow t lze ex is t en ce H e i s r e ady to fu lfi l

.

t he minut e st l e gal form aliti e s and will d o s o with,

a calm s e re n e an d n at u ral m an n e r calcul at e d to

, ,

d e c e iv e t he m ost e xp e rt law O ffic e rs T he s o m n a m .

b u lis t s will n ot h e sitat e e ith e r you m ay b e su r e , ,

to mak e a d e nu nciation or to b e ar fals e witn ess ;

,

th ey a re I re p e at t he pass iv e i nstru m e nts of you r

, ,

will . F or i nstanc e tak e E ,

s he will at my
bidding writ e o u t an d si gn a don ation of forty
pou nds i n my favou r I n a cri mi n al poi nt of vi e w
.
,

t he subj e ct u nd e r c e rt ain sugg e stion s wi l l m ak e fals e

d e n unci ations acc u s e this o r that p e rson an d

, ,

maintai n with t he gr e at e s t assu ranc e th at he has

assist e d at an i magi nary cri m e I wi l l r e call to
.

you r m i n d thos e sc e n e s O f fi ctitio u s assassi n ation ,

which I hav e e xhibit e d b e for e y o u .

“ ’
I was care fu l to plac e in t he su bj e ct s hand a
pi e c e of pap e r i nst e ad o f a d agg e r or a r e volv e r ;
b u t it is e vid e nt that i f th e y had h e ld v e ritabl e
,

m u rd e rous i nstru m e nts t he sc e n e m ight hav e had

,

”
a tragic e nding .

I t m u st b e r e m e mb e r e d that all th e s e e x p e ri m e nts

which hav e b e e n m ad e w e r e s u rround e d with ci r
c u m s t a n c e s which would convi nc e t he s ubj e ct of a

want of r e ality .

Th e r e is no d oubt that s u bj e cts may b e i nd u c e d

’
to commit al l sorts of i magin ary cri m e s i n on e s
“ ”
st u dy (M oll ) . Th e s e laboratory e xp e rim e nts
2 32 T H E ELEM EN T S OF H YPN O T I S M .

p rov e nothing b e caus e som e trac e of consciousn e ss

,

al ways r e m ai ns to t e l l t he subj e ct that t he crim e ,

tho u gh he m ay fe e l bou nd t o commi t it is n ot ,

cri minal This may s e e m p aradoxical ; bu t I think

.

t he O bs e rvati on i s confirm e d by al most e v e ry

op e rator that th e r e i s p r e s e n t i n at any rat e 99 p e r
c e nt of hypnotis e d p e rsons a cert a in la t en t m ora l
.

con s c i o us n es s which wi ll pr e v e nt t he s u cc e ss of any

sugg e stion r e p u gn ant to th e i r tast e s r e ligion or , ,

morals .

S ti ll from t he e xp e ri m e nts of L iégo is an d oth e rs

, , ,

i t s ee ms as i f th e r e w e re a v e ry sm al l class who
could b e i nd u c e d to co m m it a r e al cri m e .

M any oth e r possibiliti e s of sugg e stion m ay occu r ,

s uch for i nstanc e as t he sugg e stion that t he subj e ct

, ,

on waki ng should writ e a ch e qu e o r mak e a wi ll in

’
t he op e rator s favou r .

I n all this i t wi ll b e s ee n that

1 O nly t he sm all e st p e rc e ntag e of subj e cts a re at

.

all l ik e ly to b e ob e di e nt to t he sugg e stion .

2 T he m ann e r of carrying out t he act is lik e ly

.

to b e tray t he fact that th ey a re acting und e r

post hypnotic sugg e stion
-
.

3 T he o p e rator him s e lf runs i nto gr e at dang e r ;

.

for o n t he su bj e ct b e ing hypnotis e d by som e

,

o n e e ls e t he whol e facts of t he cas e m ight b e

,

asc e rtain e d .

N e v e rth e l e ss , i t is i m p ort ant that e v e ry on e

2
34 . T H E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

“
3 . N ev e r giv e to t he hypnotis e d s u bj e ct witho u t
,

his cons e nt any oth e r sugg e stions than thos e

,

n e c e ssary for his cas e The physici an has no rights

.

but thos e confe rr e d u p on hi m by t he p ati e nt H e .

shou ld limi t hi ms e lf to t he th e ra p e utic sugg e sti on ;

any oth e r e xp e ri m e nt is forbi dd e n hi m withou t t he
,

form al cons e n t of t he pati e nt e v e n i f it b e i n t he

,

i nt e r e st of s ci e nc e The physici an shou ld n ot profi t

.

by his authority ov e r t he pati e n t i n ord e r to p rovok e

this cons e nt i f he thi nk th at t he e xp e ri m e nt which
,

he wish e s to p e rform may hav e t he slight e st harm ful

”
e ffe ct .

The pr e s e n c e of r e sponsibl e witn e ss e s wh e n ev e r

hypnosis i s in du c e d wou l d practical ly pr e v e nt t he
possibility of any cri min al or i lli cit u s e of hypnotism ;
and i f this littl e book can i n any way i mpr e ss on
, ,

t he pu bli c m i nd t he urg e nt n e c e ssity for som e such

l egal r e striction s and safe gu ards it will not hav e

,

b e e n wri tt e n altog e th e r i n vain .

 C H AP T E R V I I .

THE V AL U ES OF HY P N O T I S M .

T he wor d “
s uggesti o n —N a t u r e o f m i n d affe c t e d— N e r vou s d i s eas es
C as e s o f D r B e r n h e i m —D u m o t p a lli e r — B c k ha d t —V o i s i n
'

n u r

V a n E ed en — Bi n o t — V elan d e r— O s ood —V n R en t e
ghe m an d
‘

g a r
-

T
V a n E e de —D e lb o eu f—L l o yd T uc k e y —Ki n gs b u ry — F e lk in
n

N a t u re of c u r es e ffec t ed .

WH ILS T t he st u dy of hypnotism has b ee n an d wi l l

continu e to b e of t he gr e at e st valu e i n al l psycho
logi cal matt e rs it has a gr e at e r cl ai m o n t he att e ntion
,

of t he crowd si nc e it has shown its e lf to b e of such

e nor m ous im portanc e i n m e dici n e Wi th this m e dical.

asp e ct I am qu it e u n qualifi e d to d e al on my own

acco u nt and I am t he m or e u nwilling to dabbl e i n a
,
.

sci e nc e not my own sin c e som e val u abl e works on

, ,

this part of t he s u bj e ct hav e b e e n p u bl ish ed .

W e hav e alr e ady r e fe rr e d to t he action of t he

min d o n t he body u nd e r its n orm al and abn ormal
,

conditions and it has b ee n s ee n that this m e ntal

,

i nflu e nc e i s capabl e of produ cing t he gre at est

phys ical chang e s I t i s t he O bj e ct of t he m e dical
.

hypnotist to i nduc e a stat e i n which t he m ind is most

r e c e ptiv e of sugg e stion and i n which that s u gg e stion
wil l b e act e d On with t he gr e at e st promptit u d e an d
2 3S
2 3 6 TH E ELE M EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

’
c e rtainty T he bet e n oi re of al l writ e rs o n this s ubj e ct
.
,

of m e n tal i n flu e n c e i s t he popu l ar confusion which

,

e xists b e tw e e n i magin ary di s e as e and d is e as e s of t he

i magination .

Th e r e i s no su ch thi ng as an i maginary dis e as e .

I f a m an p e rs ist i n thi nking fro m M ond ay m orning

to S aturd ay night that he is s e ri ously i ll t he v e ry ,

fact that he has this i mp r e ssion is cl e ar proof that

e ith e r hi s m in d o r his body is di s e as e d or out of

h e alth I t is only t he i d l e or t he stup id physici an

.

who would giv e n o h e e d to a p ati e nt b e ca u s e it is

“ ”
t he imagin ati on o r wil l whi ch is at fa u lt .

“ ”
S ugg e sti on i s j ust n ow t he fashion abl e t e rm
us e d by a nu mb e r of ordi n ary m e dical m e n who ,

happ e n to hav e r e ad or p e rhaps only h e ard of som e

,

prim e r of hypnotis m ; and appar e ntly th e r e are

, ,

many who thi nk that this word is qui t e su ffi ci en t

to accou nt for any chang e T he word how e v e r
.
, ,

at any rat e i n E nglish is r e ally a v e ry w e ak o n e

, ,

and i n n o s e ns e conv e ys t he m e ani ng i n which it i s

“ ”
us e d by hypn otists By sugg e sti on as i t is u s e d
.
,

i n ordi n ary l ife we m e an a pi e c e of advic e o r an

,

“ ”
hint offe r e d ; by s u gg e stion i n hypnotis m we
m e an an i mpr e ssion m ad e on t he m ind whi ch will
r e sult i n an i m m e d i at e adaptation o f t he brai n
and al l it controls to that i mpr e ssion Th e r e i s
.
,

mor e ov e r a gr e at d isti nction b e tw e e n t he u s e of

,

“
s u gg e stion i n t he waki ng an d i n t he hypnotic
stat e . Us e d i n t he waki ng i t is g e n e rally only
,
2 38 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

cur e s e ffe ct e d I th e r e for e app e nd som e ty p ical

.

obs e rvations r e port e d b y authoriti e s of t he high e st

,

r e putation i n t he m e di cal profe ssion whos e hon e sty ,

an d good faith a re b e yond all q u e stion Dr .

“
B e rnh e im i n hi s now famous tre atis e S ugg e stiv e
,

”
Th e rap e utics d e vot e s a larg e part of his work to
,

a min ut e d e scripti on of t he vari ous cas e s which

hav e com e b e for e hi m ; i n this way an hu nd re d
typical o b s e rvations a re r e cord e d The particulars .

a re of i nt e r e st only to t he m e di cal world and I ,

th e r e fore wi ll simply giv e a list of t he obs e rvations

as r e cord e d at t he e n d of his book .

A .
-
0rg a n i c d is eas es f
o t b e n ervous sy s t em : 10
.

1 . C e r ebral h e morrhag e h e mi pl e gi a he m ian ms t hes ia

, ,

with tr e m or and co ntractur e Cu re . .

2 . C e r e bro spinal dis e as e

-
apopl e ctiform attacks ,

paralys e s ul nar n e u ritis Cu re ,

. .

P artial l e ft h e mipl e gia Cu re . .

Traumatic e pi l e psy with traumatic rh e u m atism ,

.

S e nsory organi c h e mian ae sth e si a Cu re . .

D i ffu s e rh e umatic my e litis I mp rovem en t . .

C e r e bro spinal i nsu lar scl e rosis

-
M a rked [m .

p rovem en t for s ix m on t lzs .

8 . N e rvo u s tro u bl e s (organic ca u s e i n t he brachial

pl e xus T e m porary suppr e ssion o f t he s y m p
.

toms N o cu re. .
 THE V AL U ES OF HYPN O T I SM . 2 39

9 . P ar e sis of trau m atic o rigin of t he muscl e s of t he

, ,

han d Cu re
. .

10 . P are sis of t he e xt e nsors of t he han d and satur

n in e a n a t hes ia Cu re . .

B .
— Hy s t erica l d is ea s es 17 .

H yst e ro e pil e psy i n a man s e nsitivo s e nsori al

-

,
-

h em ian aesth e sia Cu re . .

H yst e ri a s e nsitivo s e nsori al an ae sth esia

,
-
Tran .

s i e nt suppre ssion of t he symptoms No .

1 3 H e mipl egia with l e ft s e nsitivo s e nsorial h e m i

-
.
,

an ae sth e si a Cu re . .

1 4 H yst e rical
. s e nsitivo s e nsorial he m ia n ze s t hes ia -
.

H yst e riform p a ro x s y m s with hyst e rical s o m n a m

b u lis m . Cu re .

A n ae sth e sia hyst e rical spi nal pai n Cu re . .

P aralysis with hyst e ri cal an ae sth e sia

,
Cu re . .

C onv u lsi ve hyst e ria with h e mian a e sth e sia

,
Cu re . .

H yst e ri a p a ro x s y m s o f con v u lsiv e w e e ping .

C onv u lsiv ehyst e ria Cu re . .

Convulsiv e hyst e ria with h e mi an aesth e sia , .

Conv u lsiv e hyst e ri a Cu re . .

Conv u lsiv e hyst e ria with h e mianaesth e sia , .

Convulsiv e hyst e ri a with h e mi an ae sth e sia , .

H yst e ria wi th he m ia n ms t hes ia

, Cu re . .
 T H E E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I SM .

2 H yst e ri a in t he m al e ; w e e ping and conv u lsiv e

6 .

a ro x s m s Cu re (at l e ast t e m porary )

p y . .

2 7 H yst e ri cal aphonia

. Cu re . .

C .
— N eu rop a t lt ic aff ec t ion s 18 .

N e rvo u s aphon ia Cu re . .

M oral i n e rtia with subj e ctiv e s e n sations in t he

,

h e ad . Cu re .

N e rvo u s aphon ia Cu re . .

P ost e pil e ptic tr e mor c e p ha lag ia and insom ni a

-

,
.

N e rv ous gastric trou bl e s ; an aesth e sia . [m

p rovem en t .

N e u ropathic pains Cu re . .

E pigastric pains Cu re . .

N e u ropathi c lu mbar pains insomn ia Cu re . .

P ar e sis wi th s e ns e of w e ight i n t he right le g

,
.

P ains in t he right le g Cu re . .

G irdl e pai n and pai n i n right groin with d iffi

-

c u lty i n walking for tw e nty months Cu re ,

. .

I nsomnia loss of app e tit e m e ntal d e pr e ssion

, , ,

tr e mor C u re . .

G loomy id e as i nsom nia loss of app e tit e,

Cu re , . .

I nsomni a thro u gh habit P a rt ia l Cu re . .

C e phalalgi a ; i nt e ll e ctual O bnubi lation Cu re . .

V e rtigo moral d e pr e ssion conn e ct e d with cardiac

,

dis e as e Cu re . .
2 42 THE ELEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

62 . D ynami c
psychical p arapl egia Cu re . .

6 3 P ains an d par e sis of t he low e r li mbs

. Cu re . .

F G a s t ro i n t es t in a l afi
-
ec t i on s 4 .

A lcoholic gastritis with i nsom ni a and w e akn ess

,

of t he l e gs I mp rovem en t
. .

Chroni c gastritis ; d ia t a t io n of t he stomach and

vom iting I mp rovem en t
. .

G astri c troubl e s ; bu rning s e nsation ov e r

st e rnu m ; i nsomni a Cu re . .

G astro i nt e sti nal cat arrh ; m e tritis ; n e u ropathy

-
.

I mp rovem en t .

G . Va riou s p a inf ul a
fi ec t ion s 12 .

E pigastric pai n Cu re . .

U mbilical and e pigastric p ain Cu re . .

I nt e rscapular pain Cu re . .

Thoraci c pai n ; i nsomn i a (Tub e rcu lar d iath esis ) .

H ypogastric and supra ingu i nal pains o n t he -

l e ft sid e conn e ct e d with an old p e lvic

p e ritonitis Cu re
. .

I nt e rcostal pain Cu re . .

Thoracic pain G ra d u a l cu re
. .

P ainful contusion of t he d e ltoid Cu re . .

M u scu lar pain i n t he fl an k Cu re . .

P ainful s p ot i n t he s id e Cu re . .

P ai ns i n t he e pitrochl e ar m uscl e s Cu re . .
 THE V AL U ES OF HYP N O T IS M .
43
79.P ai n i n t he shou ld e r an d u pp e r right l i mb from
e ffort Cu re . .

H .
-
R /i eu m a t ic a
fi ect ion s 19 .

80 . Rh e um atic paralysis of t he right for e arm -

Rh e umatic scapul o hu m e ral arthritis -

. I mp rove
m en t w it /t ou t c u re .

M uscular rh e umatis m with cramp Cu re . .

I li o lu mbar rh e umati c n e u ralgia

-
Cu re . .

A rthralgia cons e cutiv e to an arthri tis Cu re . .

P l e urodyni a and lu mbar pain h e lp e d by sug

g e stion Cure
. .

A pyr e tic articular rh e um atism G ra d u a l cu re . .

Chronic articular rh e u matism (wrists and i nst e ps ) .

88 . M uscu lar artic u lar and n e rvo us rh e umatism .

G ra d u a l cu re .

89 . A cromi o clavicular and xiphoid rh e um ati c pains

-
.

M uscul ar l umbo crural rh e u matism with sacro

-

sciatic n e uralgia R ap id i mp rovemen t ; a lmos t

.

t ot a l cu re .

A pyr e tic articular rh e umatis m G ra dua l cu re . .

A cromio clavicular rh e um atic pains

-
Cure . .

M uscul ar rh e um atism in t he arm and right leg .

94 G onorrh e al
. rhe umatism . G ra d ua l c u re .
2 44 T HE E LE M EN T S O F HYPN O T I S M .

A cromio cl avicular an d xiphoid articul ar rh e u

-

m a t is m Cu re . .

Rh e umatic articular pai ns Cu re . .

D orsal and m e tacarpo phalang e al rh eu m atic -

pains Cu re
. .

Rh e um atic dorso lum bar an d sciati c p ains

,
-

, .

I —N eu ra lg ia s 5 .

99 . R e b e lli ous sciatica Cu re . .

1 00 . R e c e nt sciatica h e lp e d by one sugg e stion .

101 . R eb e l lious sci atica Cu re . .

1 02 . R e b e llious sciatica G ra dua l cu re . .

1 03 . N e u ralgi a of t he trig e mi n us with facial t ic

dou lou reux . A lm os t com

p let e cu re .
1

D r L l oyd
Tuck e y has compil e d a list of som e
typical cas e s fro m which I tak e som e e xampl e s
I H yst
. e rical con tractu r e of t he leg 2
Cu red . .

3
2 A ggravat e d hypochondriasis
. Cu red . .

4
3 A c u t e pu e rp e ral m ania
. Cu red . .

4 H yst e ria t e n d e ncy to t e taniform spasms

.
, ,
in s o m
5
nia m orphi a and chloral habit
,
Cu red . .

1
B e rn h e i m o p c it p 404et s eq
, . .
, . .

2
D um o t p a lli e r (P hys i c i a n t o t he H o t e l D i e u P a ri s )
n R evu e d e , .

l H yp n o ti s m e A p ril 1 8 90
’
. .

3
B uc k hardt (s up e ri n t en d en t o f t he as yl u m a t P réfargi er) R e vue .

d e l H y pn o ti s m e
’
A u g 1 88 8 . . .

1
B uc k hard t I b id
‘
. .

5
B u c k hard t , loc . c it .
2 46 THE ELE M EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

’
Dr T u c k ey s
own work h as b e e n so i mportan t
that my quotations wou ld b e v e ry i ncom pl e t e did .

th ey not i nclu d e his obs e rvati ons 1 am mu ch ia .

d e bt e d to hi m for t he troubl e an d ti m e S p e nt in
showi ng m e hi s own m e thods A s e l e ction from .

his cas és follows ; t he r e ad e r who wish e s for mor e

wil l fin d th e s e and oth e rs fully discuss e d in D r
’ ” 1
T u c k e y s book P sycho Th e rap e uti cs
,
-
.

I Torticollis e t c
. Cu red
,
. .

2 Chronic di arrh oe a Cu red

. . .

3 P aroxysm al sn e e z ing
. Cu red . .

4 Chron ic constipation Cu red

. . .

5 S u pra orbital n e u ralgia

.
-
Cu red . .

6 S pin al i rritation
. Cu red . .

7 F unction al h e art t roubl e

. Cu red-

. .

8 S ymptoms d e p e nd e nt o n mitral d is e as e
. Cu r ed .

9 N octu rnal en e u re s is
. Cu red . .

1 0 Chronic rh e u matis m
. Cu red . .

I I N e rvous dysp e psi a

. Cu red . .

12 A m e norrh oe a
. Cu red . .

13 F unctional dysm e norrh oe a Cu red

. . .

1 4 D i psoman ia
. Cu red . .

15 Tobacco habi t
. Cu red . .

1 6 N e urasth e nia
. Cu red . .

17 . Chronic alcoholism Cu red . .

18 N e r vous p rostratio n
. Cu red . .

1 9 E xtr e m e an ae mia
. Cu red . .

1
Se e a l s o
“
T he V l ue o f H y pn o ti s m in Chr on i c A l c o h o li s m
a .

T uck e y L on do 1 8 9 2
. n, .
 THE V AL U E S O F HYPN O T I S M . 2 47
I also app en d a few cas e s from thos e re cord e d by
D r K in g s b u ry .
l

1 O bstin at e n e u ralgi a i n t he tongu e a nd m or

.
,

p ho n o m a n iac t e nd e ncy Cu red . .

2 I nsom nia with gr e at m e ntal d e pr e ssion Cu red

.
,
. .

3 M e lancholia and hypochondri asis

. Cu red . .

4 M uscu lar rh e u matism with ulc e rations of t he

.
,

throat Cu red . .

5 M en orrhagi a
. Cu red . .

6 I n e bri e ty
. Cu red . .

7 S tamm e ring
. Cu red . .

8 Contraction of t he P alm ar F ascia

. Cu red . .

9 Rh e u m atism i n t he hip
. Cu red . .

1 0 Chronic
. an aemi c h e ad ach e with i nsom nia ,
.

11 Chroni c constipation Cu red

. . .

12 P ains i n t he ch e st m e ntal d e pr e ssion palpita

.
, ,

tion Cu red
. .

13 M e lan choli a i nsomni a dysp e psi a

.
,
Cu red ,
. .

I 4 A sthm a (of s e v e ral y e ars d uration

’
.
) .

”
15 . Brain fog -
Cu red . .

16 N e urasth e nia
. Cu red . .

17 S ub acut e rh e u matism
.
-
Cu red . .

18 H e patic pain
. Cu red . .

1 9 N e urasth e nia
. Cu red . .

“ ”
2 0 . P u lsating spi n e Cu red . .

2 1 D ysm e norrh e a
. Cu red . .

2 2 P ainfu l varioc e l e
. Cu red . .

1
P rac ti c e of H y pn oti c S ugges ti o n . Bri s t o l , 1 8 91 .
2 48 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

2
3 . Cocain e and morphi a man ia . Cu red f or a

t ime . F in a lly t he p a t ien t rela p s ed .

2 4 M oral p e rv e rsion i n a child

. .
1
Cu red .

2 5 . Rh e um ati c contraction of fi ng e rs Cu red . .

’
2 6 . I n e bri e ty (t e n y e ars d uration ) Cu red . .

A n hos t of cas e s m ight b e q u ot e d bu t it is u n ,

n e c e ssary in a no n m e dical work to go through t he

,
-
,

e norm o u s list of th e m I h av e but o n e mor e list to .

1
S o m an y thi s ki n d h ave b e en c hro n i c l ed by va ri o us
c as e s of

a u th o riti es th a t w e r e i t n ot fo r t he r e pu t a ti o n o f t he writ e rs it
, ,

w o u l d b e di ffi c ult t o b e li eve s m e of t he s t a t em en t s 1 qu o t e Dr o .

Ki gs b u ry s d e s c ri p ti on o f t he c as e
n
’

S T aged e ight had for a c oup l e o f y ea rs g i ven her pa re n t s t he

. .
,

g r e t es t an xi e ty o wi n g t o t he m o s t u n ac c ou t a bl e p a r o xy s m s o f
a ,
n

m a li c i o u s c on du c t d u ri n g whi c h s he was m o r e lik e a y o u thfu l m an i ac

,

th a a n aughty girl S he w ou l d in t he m os t d elibe ra t e an d c o o l

n .

m an n e r p l an ho w t o i n fli c t b o d ily p a i n o n o th e r s F o r e x a m p l e s he .
,

wo ul d go u p t o her n u r s e an d c a r es s her an d whil e t he s e rvan t was ,

r ec i p r oc ati n g t he app a r en t affec ti o n w ou l d s udd en ly s trik e her in t he ,

ab d o m en with a ll t he s tr e n g th s he c o u l d m u s t e r A t o th e r ti m es s he .

wo ul d lie a w ak e fo r h o u r s a ll t he whil e fe i gn i g s l ee p an d wh en he r
, n ,

m o th e r was as l eep s he w o u l d l ea ve he r o wn b ed an d c li m b o n t o
, ,

th a t of he r m o th e r an d ki c k he r o n t he br eas t as h a rd a s s he c ou l d
, .

As a r e s u lt o f o n e o f th es e m i dn i ght a tt ac k s t he m o th e r had a ,

s w e lli n g in o e br e as t whi c h s he fear e d w o ul d deve l o p i n t o c an c e r

n , .

Thi s c hil d was p rtic ul a rly m us cul a r an d s eem ed h e rs e lf t o b e a l m os t

a ,

i n s e n s ibl e t o p a i n ; s he w o u ld l augh if s he w e r e fl ogged an d s ay ,

s he lik e d it E ve ry m ean s had b een e xh au s t e d in t he a tt e m p t t o

.

c o rr ec t thi s girl s h a bit s thras hi n g s ec l u s i o n c o l d s h o w e r b ath s lo w

’
, , , ,

d i e t et c,
b u t a ll t o n o p u rp os e
.
, S he b e c am e m o r e vi o l e n t an d
.

c all o u s a n d ab s o l u t e ly d i s o b e d i en t
, .

H e p a r en t s th o u ght he r
r
p o s s es s e d o f a d e vil an d d r ead e d her ,

g r o wi n g u p fe a ri n g th a t s he w ou ld e n d in a n a s yl u m o r on t he
, ,

ga ll o w s .

A ft e r o n e hyp o ti c s itti n g t he c hil d s c h a rac t er was c o m p l e t e ly

n ,
’

r evo l uti o n i s ed ; s he b ec am e o b ed i en t gen tl e l ovi n g an d th o ughtfu l , , ,

fo r o th e r s .
2
50 T H E E LE MEN T S OF HYPN O T I SM .

sus picion of quack e ry O n my b e half 1 must pl e ad

.

that t he m e dical works a re g e n e ral ly confin e d

to t he m e dical world and i n m att e rs s o im portan t
, ,

to all it s ee ms n ot altog e th e r u n fi t t in g that oth e rs

,

should b e abl e to form som e id e a of t he val u e an d

t he scop e of hypn otism i n its th e rap e utic appl ication .

T he lists which I hav e giv e n do n ot e xagg e rat e t he

b e n efits o f this a p plication sin c e i n t he s ucc e ssfu l
,

cas e s th e r e is n o m e ntion of t he tim e t ak e n i n

t he cur e .S u ch passag e s as t he fol lowi ng a re of
constant occurr e n c e i n t he r e ports of t he physician s
H e rid icu l e d t he id e a of hypnotism h e l ping him ,

b u t was soon affe ct e d tho u gh only to a sl ight d e gr ee

, .

H e was on ly hypnotis e d twic e but at t he e n d ,

of thre e w e e ks r e port e d that he was q u it e cu r e d ,

sl e e pi ng e v e ry night l ik e a chi ld an d e nj oying his

,

d ays . H e said he would gladly hav e giv e n t en

”
y e ars o ff his li fe for t he r e li e f he had obtain e d Or .
,

H e was only hypnotis e d onc e ; but at t he e n d of

nin e w ee ks w rot e to say that he had e v e r sinc e hi s
, ,

hypn osis fe lt qu it e an oth e r man abl e to d o any

,
‘
,

’
amou nt of work and e nj oy life .

A m ost cu riou s an d i mportant fact is that a

v e ry l arg e p roportion of t he c u re s chronicl e d are
,

cu re s of dis e as e s r e gard e d as practical ly i n c u rabl e

“ ”
or chron i c I n t he tabl e tak e n from D r F e lk in
‘

.
,

we hav e a list of 4 96 cas e s of which 2 2 4 w e r e

,

absol u t e ly cur e d and 2 00 i mprov e d ; or 4 2 4 cas e s

of succ e ss and b e n e fit to 7 2 fai l u re s .

 T HE V AL U ES OF H YPN O T I S M . 2 5 1

I t i s not wond e rfu l that t he vi llag e doctor and

t he e asy going parish practition e r know nothing of
-

th es e thi ngs an d vi e w with s u spicion an d ignorant

,

i ntol e ranc e t he att e mpt of t he for e most m e dical

m e n to i ntrod u c e hypnotis m i nto th e i r sci e nc e ; nor
ind e e d would it b e d e si rabl e for any conc e rn e d that
th e s e comfortabl e ornam e nts of th e i r s e v e ral parish e s
shoul d b e at all i mbu e d with t he hyp noti c id e as .

A littl e knowl e dg e i s a d ang e ro u s thing .

 C H A PTE R VI I I .

“
TH E TR A N SF ER EXPER IMENTS .

A LA R G E amou nt of public att e ntion has b e e n

“ ”
di r e ct e d to som e hypn otic e xp e ri m e nts conn e ct e d
wi th L a Chari t é H ospi tal P aris of which D r L uys
, ,

i s t he physici an D r L uys hi ms e lf fi rst p u t th e s e

.

th e ori e s b e for e E nglish r e ad e rs i n two articl e s i n

t he F ort n zg/i t ly R ev ie w for J u n e an d A u g u st 1 8 90 ,

“ ”
e n titl e d T he R e c e nt D iscov e ri e s i n H ypn otism
,
.

By this c u rio u s m e thod t he pati e nt h ims e lf is n ot

s e nt to sl e e p b u t anoth e r i s hypn otis e d an d th e n
, ,

“ ”
by m e ans of a m agn e t t he d is e as e is transfe rr e d
from t he pati e nt who is awak e to t he hypnotis e d
s u bj e ct who b e for e s he i s awak e n e d i s fre e d by
,

sugg e stion from t he e ffe cts This id e a i s by n o

.

“ ”
m e ans a d iscov e ry for m any y e ars ago som e thing
, , ,

v e ry simi lar was a favo u rit e doctri n e of t he m es

m e ris t s who fo u nd according to th e ir accou n ts that
, , , ,

wh e n t he pati e nts w e r e m e sm e ris e d th e ir p ai ns w e r e

,

e xp e ri e n c e d for a ti m e by t he m e sm e rist .

T he i n flu e n c e of t he m agn e t i n t he curi ng o f
d is e as e was fi rm ly b e li e v e d i n by m any of t he
anci e nts H ippocrat e s strongly ad vocat e d its u s e
.
,

2 52
2 54 TH E E LEM EN T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

strang e m e thods m ay s e rv e to show t he p robabl e

e xplanati on .

I . T he
subj e cts a re all hyst e rical .

2 T he sam e s e t of subj e cts a re i n daily att e ndanc e

.

at t he laboratory .

3 Th ey a re pai d by t he p ati e nts whos e ailm e nts

.

th e y a re suppos e d to tak e an d th ey att e n d ,

sol e ly for t he sak e of th e s e gratui ti e s .

4 Th ey a re always about t he laboratory s o that

.
,

th ey can s e e ex actly what i s e x p e ct e d of th e m

by s e e ing t he oth e r transfe r o p e rati ons .

A l l th s subj cts r g u larly r e ad t he history of

5 . e e e e

t he cas e s as pu blish e d in t he cli nical r e ports of

t he hos p ital .

6 T he ail m e nt is s een to b e ado p t e d by t he s u bj e ct

.

i f i t b e an appar e n t o n e su ch as p aralysi s ; i t is,

a s s u m ed to b e transfe rr e d i f i t b e n ot a visibl e

com pl ai nt su ch as h e art dis e as e

,
-
.

7 The pati e nt i n m any cas e s d o e s not a pp e ar to

.
, ,

b e any b e tt e r wh e n his transfe r is e ffe ct e d .

“ ”
Thus a pati e nt s uffe ring from paralysi s agitans
“ ”
m ay hav e h is a ffe cti on t ransfe rr e d to t he
s u bj e ct who will ad opt t he m ost viol e nt palsy ;
,

but al l this ti m e t he p ati e nt is su ffe ri ng sti ll 1 .

I t is pl ai n from th es e facts that t he s u ffe ring of t he

subj e ct is d u e to t he s ugg e stion mad e that he sho u ld

1
Vide Ki n gs bury ,
op . c it . , p . 1 47
.
 “ ”
TH E T R AN S F E R EX PE R I M EN T S . 2 55

s u ffe r whilst i n t he cas e s wh e r e t he pati e nt is r e ally

,

b e n e fit e d t he caus e cl e arly l i e s i n t he e ffe ct which

t he sight of t he su bj e ct u nd e rgoing his or he r

s u ffe ri ng wou ld n e c e ssari ly hav e on a p e rson of

impr e ssionabl e t e mp e ram e nt and vivi d i magin ati on .

’
A n oth e r of L uys th e ori e s i s that t he m agn e t can
p rod u c e e m otion al e ffe cts The argu m e n t is that
.
,

as t he north pol e of a m agn e t attracts t he n e e dl e ,

whil e t he south r e p e ls i t so i n hum an b e ings s i mi lar

,

e motions a re e xcit e d .

“
I f y o u pr e s e nt t he n ort li pol e of a magn e tic rod
to a subj e ct i n a stat e of l e thargy you arous e i n ,

him mov e m e nts of joy and e xpansion of fe e ling ;

and i f you con n e ct him with t he s ou tn pol e m ov e ,

”
m e nts of rep u ls i on app e ar .

Th er e m ight b e som e t e st i n th e s e e xp e rim e nts ,

sin c e t he s ubj ect we might think wou l d b e ign orant

, ,

a s to which was t he north pol e an d which t he south ,

and thus s u gge stion would b e e lim i nat e d U n fo r .

”
t u n a t e ly how e v e r a larg e N almost an i nch high
‘

, , , ,

writt e n i n blu e i nk was plac e d on t he north pol e

“

.
,

T he subj e cts a re als o suppos e d t o s e e flam e s

issu ing from t he magn e t of a b e auti fu l y ellow light
,

from t he n ort /z pol e and a b lu e light from t he s on t lt

,

pol e.

’
R e ich e nbach s subj e cts fo u nd that t he colours of
“ ”
t he odylic light at t he n ort lt p ol e w e r e blue an d ,

y ellow at t he s ou t /t .

M any oth e r e xp e rim e nts of L uys m ight b e

2 5 6 TH E ELEM EN T S OF HYP N O T I S M .

d e scrib e d such for i nstanc e as t he infl u e nc e of d rugs

,

i n s e al e d tub e s wh e r e by contact alon e t he ap p ro

,

p ria t e r e actions a re bro u ght about brandy produ cing ,

i ntoxication e t c et c
, .
,
.

Tra n sf eren ce of S en s a t ion O n e class Of e x p e ri .

m e nts i n L a C harit é have provid e d a gre at d e al of .

“ ”
copy of a ch e ap kin d for s e v e ral n e wspap e rs
, , .

This consists i n taki ng a glass of wat e r or a d oll ,

an d th e n transfe rring t he s e nsation of t he su bj e ct

to t he wat e r or t he doll I n cons e q u e n c e o f this
.

“ ”
transfe r e nc e i f t he wat e r b e touch e d or t he d oll
,

pin ch e d t he subj e ct e xp e ri e nc e s t he most ac u t e

,

agony an d gro ans u ntil t he wat e r or t he doll

, ,

as t he cas e m ay b e i s l e ft alon e ,
H e r e again .

sugg e stion is t he e xplanati on R e c e ntly I gav e a .

d e monstration of t he fallaci e s of th e s e e xp e rim e nts

and t he following was t he r e p ort

The
subj e ct was n o w i ntrodu c e d and b e ing ,

thrown i nto t he hypn otic stat e t he e xp e ri m e nt was ,

tri e d with compl e t e s u cc e ss Wh e n e ve r t he wat e r .

was touch e d a n d t il e s u bject wa s a wa re of t li e f a c t

, ,

he shudd e r e d and writh e d u nti l t he fe atur e s b e cam e

distort e d as i f with e xc e ssiv e pain Wh e n how e v e r .
, ,

t he wat e r was touch e d and t he pati e nt was k e pt i n

ignoranc e of t he fact th e r e was no e ffe ct what e v e r

,

upo n hi m .

N o r e fe re nc e would hav e b e e n mad e to th e s e

e xp e rim e nts at P aris sinc e i t s e e ms t he m or e
,
 C H AP T E R IX .

HYP N OS IS I N A N I MALS .

TH E h y pn otisation of an im als is possibl e to a v e ry

limit e d e xt e nt and i nd e e d it i s not altog e th e r accu
,

rat e to t e rm t he conditi on i nd u c e d hypnosis th e r e

, ,

is o f cours e n o r e c e ptivity to sugg e stion and al l we

, , ,

can obtain is a c e rtai n rigidity s o that t he an i mal , ,

bi rd or r e ptil e wil l r e m ai n i n any positi on i n which

, ,

i t may b e plac e d A ppar e ntly t he fi rst o n e to

.

notic e thi s ph e nom e non was D ani e l S c hwe n t er ,

who i n 1 6 3 6 c a t a le p s e d a n umb e r of cocks and .

h e ns . F r Ki rch e r (1 6 4
. 6 ) was t he fi rst to m ak e
any sci e nti fic e xp e ri m e nts on t he su bj e ct He .

took fowls and having ti e d th e i r l egs tog e th e r

, ,

p lac e d th e m on t he grou nd an d h e th e n ,
dr e w a
chalk lin e from th e i r b e aks with t he r e s u lt that t he
,

bi rds r e mai n e d p e rfe ctly m oti onl e ss A he n can .

b e m ad e to s it o r to transfe r he r n e st by m e ans
of a w e ll known e xp e di e nt The h e ad i s plac e d
-
.

u n d e r t he wi ngs an d t he bird is th e n rock e d g e ntly

,

to and fro wi th t he r e sult that it appar e ntly go e s to

,

sl e e p ; o n waki ng t he he n wi ll r e m ai n cont e nt e d ly
,

i n t he n est on which s he has b ee n pl ac e d .

 HYPN OSI S I N AN I MALS . 2 59

The F aki rs an d t he r e port e d to

A Is s o u a n s
''

a re

b e abl e to fasci nat e t he m ost v e nomo u s snak e s ,

to charm th e m with m u sic and in duc e t he ,

sn ak e to im itat e as far as possibl e th ei r mov e

, ,

m e nts .

A l l th e s e tal es r e quir e a gr e at d e al of sob e r

corroboration b e fore th e y can b e r egard e d as of
any val u e I t is w e ll known that i n t he cas e of
.

t he snak e charm e rs t he fangs of t he snak e s hav e

-

b ee n e xtract ed .

T he catal e psy i nduc e d i n an im als by n e rv e s t im u

lation has b e e n compar e d to t he fascin ation which it
is said m any ani mals can e x e rcis e ov e r oth e rs O f .

this fascin ation th e r e can hardly b e any do u bt I .

hav e fre qu e ntly s e e n frogs and littl e birds fascinat e d

by a snak e ; but i t is by no m e ans t he rul e O ut .

of an hund r e d frogs which w e r e put into my sn ak e

cas e only s ix w e re i n any s e ns e fascinat e d ; t he
,

oth e rs j um p e d about m ad ly ti ll th e y w e re caught by

t he snak e s .

I t s ee ms ras h to compar e this fasci n ation which

’

may b e t he n atural cons e qu e nc e of e xtr e m e fright ,

wi th t he catal e p sy i nd uc e d by m e ans of pr e ssur e on

t he n e rv e s .

M any such il lustrations a re giv e n a s analogous

i nstanc e s . I t is n ot e asy to catch a p ig e on by
going straight u p to t he bi rd but i t can b e q u ickly
,

tak e n by walking rou nd and rou nd it The pig e on .

tu rn s upon its elf so as not t o los e sight of t he

,
2 60 THE ELEM E N T S OF HYPNO T I S M .

p e rson who i s trying to catch it and can soon ,

b e s e i z ed
. This has b e e n quot e d as an hypnosis .

The obvious e xplanation s e e ms to b e that t he

bi rd was r e nd e r e d giddy and da z e d .

M any an imals m ay b e r e nd e re d ob e di e nt and

docil e by m e ans of t he fix e d l ook an d mov e m e nts
which will t e nd to conc e ntrat e th e i r att e ntion I .

am confid e n t Of b e ing abl e to pre v e nt t he most

vicious d og from attacki ng m e s o long as 1 can
k e e p my e y e s on him . O n o n e occasi on I s u c
c ee d e d i n comp e lling a
“
j i bbing hors e to back ”
,
”

by sim ply fixing my e y e s on his and th e n walking ,

towards hi m on my taki ng my e y e s fro m him he , ,

gl ad to b e r e l e as e d i m m e diat e ly start e d o ff i n t he
,

p rop e r di r e ction
,
and t h e d riv e r on that j ou,
rn e y ,

had no mor e d i ffi culty with hi m .

A ph e nom e non which s ee ms alli e d t o t he cata

l e psy i nduc e d by n e rv e sti m u lation is s ee n i n t he
s i m u la t ed dea t a of m any ani m als .

I ns e cts of m any kinds spid e rs crayfish e t c fal l

, , ,
.
,

i nto a stat e of com pl e t e ins e nsibi lity t he m om e n t

th ey a re alarm e d but th e y r e cov e r dir e ctly t he
,

e xciting caus e of t he alarm is r e mov e d

(Roman e s ) .

T he cat al e ptic stat e is i nd uc e d i n anim als e ith e r

by t he monoton ous e xcitation of p articu lar n e rv e s ,

or by constant pre ss u r e The o p e ration i n som e

.
,

cas e s is e asy i n oth e rs d i fficu lt ; whilst i n t he larg e r

, , ,

animals i t s ee ms g e n e rally i m p ossibl e owing to t he ,

gre at r e sistanc e mad e at t he outs e t .

FI G . 1 8 — S n a ke c at a leps ed (p
. .

FI G . 19 .
—To
ad Ca t a leps ed (p .
 HYPNOS I S I N AN I MALS . 2 61

B y m e ans of simpl e n e rve i nhibition I hav e ,

cats (rar e ly) dogs (l e ss rare ly but not

c a t a le p s e d , ,

oft e n ) pig e ons can ari e s fowls starlings crayfish

, , , , , ,

frogs (F igs 1 6 and I 7 ) sn ak e s (F ig

. toads
,
.

(F ig . l iz ards (F ig . slow worms e t c e t c -

, .
,
.

I t app e ars li k e ly that wi th i nstru m e nts for ,

applying t he prop e r sti mulation an d pr e ssu r e ,

catal e psy could b e i nduc e d i n t he larg e r animals ,

s uch as t he hors e and t he bullock .

Th e r e s e e ms how e v e r littl e of sci e ntific val u e in

,

“
t he hypnosis of ani mals e xc e pt a s a possibl e ,

e xplanation of t he ph e nom e n a d u e i n t he m an to

conc e ntrat e d att e nti on This animal catal e psy i s

.

ind uc e d from o u tsid e wh e n prod u c e d by m e ans

of n e rv e stimu lation ; t he s im u la t ed d ea t /i how e v e r , ,

of which m any i ns e cts a re capabl e is e vid e ntly an ,

act o f t he brai n i n its high e st c e ntr e s H e re .

,

th e n we hav e t he ph e nom e non of u nconsciousn e ss

,

to t he e xt e rn al produc e d by simpl e m e ntal action .

O n t he oth e r hand wh e n w e a re d e aling with

,

t he catal e psy induc e d by n e rv e e xcitati on we s e e m ,

to find som e analogy to t he hypnos e s i nduc e d by

m e ans of a sudd en flash of light or t he un e xp e ct e d
sounding of a loud gong .
2 64 THE E LEM EN T S OF HYPN O T I S M .

et u t ilis s im u m ub i mu lta N aturae s ec ret is s im a m ira cula

p an dun t ur pirit us vitalis op erat ion es hac t en us in c ogn itae
‘

reve lan t ur, t o t ius q u e huju s s ec ret a e artis fundamenta

form iss im is ra t io n ib u s e x p erie n t ia fult is p orrun t ur : philo
s op hiae s ec re t ioris , s t u dio s oru m gratia, A u c t ore G uillelm o
M ax vello, M D S coto . .
-
B ritano .
”
1 679 .

S o me of his id eas are very curio us .

He s eeks to prove t he follo wing t welve conclu s ions

“
C onclusio 1 . A ni m a non solu m in corpore proprio
vi s i b ili , s ed eti am e x t ra corpus e s t n ec corpore ,
”
organico c irc um s c rib it ur .

“
C oncl usio 2 A ni m a ex tra corp us propri um c o mm un it er
.
,
”
s ic dict um o p e ra t u r ,
.

“
C oncl us io 3 Ab o m ni corpor e rad u corporal e s fluun t
.
,

in q u i b us ani m a s u a praes enti a o p e ra t ur ; b is q u e

”
e mergi a m e t p o t en t iam op e ra ndi largit ur .

C oncl us io 4 “
R adii hi q ui ex an im alium c orp orib us
.
,

e m it t un t u r s piritu v itali gau d ent j

, p er q u em an im ae ,

O p e ra t io n e s d is p en s an t ur .

“
C oncl u s io 5 . E x cr e m ent a corporu m
spiritu s an im alium

vi t a l is p o rt ion em ret in en t ; id eo q u e vita il lis n egando

non es t E s t q ue ha ec vita eiu s dem c u m vi t a an im alis
.

”
s p e c ie i si ve a b e ad e m an i m a
prop agat ur .

“
C onclu s io 6 .I nter corp us e t e x cr e m enta a corpore pro
c ede n t ia c o n c a t en a t io
, q uaed a m es t s p irit u m sive
ra d io ru m lic et ex cre m enta lo n gis s im e s ep aren t u r
, ,

p t iu m corporis s ep aret urum si e u t et san gu ini s ead e m

a r
,
”
prors us es t ratio .

“
C oncl u s io 7 V it alit a s ha e c t am d iu d urat q ua m diu
.
,

e x cre m e nta si ve partes s ep arat ae vel san gu ini s in

, ,

ali u d d ivers ae s p ec ie i c o m m ut at us non fueri t .

”

“
C oncl usio 8 U n a parte corporis affe cta si ve spiritu
.
,

l aeso morbida c o m p a t iun t ur reliq ua

,
”
.
 APP EN D I X . 2 65

C oncl usio 9 piritus vi t alis in aliq ua part e fort ifi c at us

. Si s
”
fu erit fort ifi c at u r il la ip s a a c t io n e in toto corpore
,
.

“
C oncl u s io I o U b i m agis nud us e s t spiritus ib i c it ius
.

”
a ffi c it ur .

“
C oncl u s io I I . In e x cre m en t is , sa nguin e e t c non t am
,
.
,

im m ers us es t spiri t u s q uam in corpor e ide o q ue in ,

”
his c it ius a ffi c it u r .

C o ncl usio 1 2 C o mm i x t lo s p irit uum

. effi c it c o m p a s s io n em
”
a compas s ion e ill a o rt um d uc it .

SOME WR I T I N GS ON H YP N O T IS M AND K I N DR E D S U BJ E C T S .

F or t he gu id anc e of tho s e who m ay wi s h to st u dy t he

s ub je ct m ore full I app e nd a list of s o m e of t he m od ern
y ,

works . I t onl y e m b rac es b ooks and do es not incl u d e an y ,

contri b utions to encyclopaedi as revi ews et c though in , ,

.
,

the s e m ay b e found s om e of t he b es t work M any o f .

t he works b elo w are wri tt e n fro m e nti rely di fferent s tand

points and t he incl us ion of an y b ook is not n e c es sarily

,

a n e ndor s e m e nt of t he vi e ws m ainta in ed b y it s author 1 .

s h al l b e gl ad to h a ve any o m i s s ions poi n te d o u t to m e .

AZ AM . H yp n ot zlsnze, dou b le con s cien ce et a lt éra t ion d e la

p ers on n a lit é . P a ri s , 1 887 .

’
B EAU N IS . D u S om n a mb u lis me P revogu e . P aris, 1 886 .

B E LLA N G E R L e mag n ét is me, vérz t és clz ime P aris,

'

. et res .

1 8 84 .

B E L FI O R E . N apl es , 1 887 .

B E LLI D O . E x a men del b zp n ot is mo . M a drid, 1 888 .

B E N T I VE G N I . D ie H yp n os e un d ili re civilrecb t liclt e E eden

t u ng . L e ipz i g, 1 8 90 .

’
B ER I L L O N p oin t a e vue p éaagogi ou e
'
. La s ugg es t ion an ,

P ari s , 1 8 8 6 ; H y n ot is me ex éri men t a le, P ari s , 1 8 8 4

p p .
2 66 THE E LEM EN T S OF HY PNO T I S M .

B ER NH E I M . D e la s ugg es t ion , et c .
,
P ari s , 1 88 7 (L on d on ,

Hyp n ot is me, S ugges t ion , P sy clzo l -

era p ie
P a ri s , 1 8 91 .

B E SS E . D
’
e l lzy p n ot is me tlzerap eu t iou e . M ontp elli er , 1 888 .

B I N ET .La p sy c/
’
z olog ie a u ra is on n emen t , reclt ercb es ex
p eri
’
m en t a les p a r l lzy n ot is me Pa s , 1 8 8 6
p . ri .

B I N ET ET F ER E . L e mag n ét is me a n ima l . P ari s , 1 88 7 ;

L ondon , 1 891 .

B J O R N ST R OM . H yp n ot is men , den u t recklin

g oclz n u va ra n a e
‘ ’

s ta n d p un b t . S to c khol m , 1 88 7 N e w Y ork , 1 8 90 .

’
B O TT E Y L e mag n et is me a n ima l
. P ari s , 1 8 8 4 . .

B O U RR U ET B U R O T L es va ria t ion s de la p ers on n a lité . .

P ari s , 1 888 .

BR U G E L M A N N . Ib er
L den H yp n ot is mu s u n d s ein e Verw er
t u ng i n der P r a x is N e uwi ed , 1 8 8 9
. .

’ ’
BR U L LA R D Con s id era tion s gén éra les
. sur l et a t byp n ot igue .

N an c y, 1 8 8 6 .

C A L AT R A V E N O E l lzyp n ot is mo a l . a lca n ce de t oda s la s

i n telligen ci a s . M adrid , 1 888 .

CA M P I L I . I l g ra n de ip n ot is mo e la s ugges t ion e ip n ot ica

n ei ra
pp or t i col a
’
i r i t t o p en a le -
e civile . R om e ,

1 88 6 .

C H A R C OT . Ifyp n ot is me, mét a llos cop ie élect rot lz érap ie . P ari s ,

1 8 88 .

C O LAS ’
. L byp n ot is me et la volon té . P ari s , 1 88 5 .

CO RY . Ifyp n ot is m or M es meris m . B oston , 1 888 .

C O S TE
’
. L i n con s cien t , et c . P ari s , 1 88 8 .

CU L LER R E M ag n ét is me et byp n ot is me
. P ari s , 1 8 8 5 . .

DA VI D M ag n et is me a n ima l, s ugg es t ion Izyp n ot igue et p os t

.

lzyp n ot iou e, s on emp loi comme agen t t /z érap eu t iou e .

P ari s , 1 88 7 .

D E LAC R O I X . L es s ugges t ion s hyp n ot iq u es . U n e la cu n e

da n s la loi . P ari s , 1 886 .

D E L AG R A V E . H yp n ot is me, ét a ts in termedia res en tre le

som n zei l et la veille . P aris , 1 888 .
2 68 TH E ELE M E N T S OF HY PN O T I S M .

K R A FFT E B I N G -
. E in e ex p eri men t elle S t u dio au f dem
G eb iet des H yp n ot is m us . S tuttgart, 1 88 7 ; N ew
Y ork, 1 8 90 .

L ADAME
’ ’
. L lzy p n ot is me et la medecin e léga le . L yon ,
1 888 .

’ ’ ’
L A FFO R G U E . Con t rib u t ion d l ei n de médico leg a le de l lzy -

p
n ot is n ze . B ord eaux ,
1 887 .

’
L I EBA U LT . D u s ommeil et des et a t s a n a log u es con s idérés a u
’
p oin t de vu e de l a ct on i du mora l s ur le p lty s igu e .

Pa ri s , 1 8 66 . Le s omm eil p rovoou é c l les ét a ts a n a lo

P aris, 1 8 8 9
'

gu es . . Tlz erap eu t igu e S ugg es t i ve s on ,

Al éc/za n is me, et c P aris, . 1 891 .

L I EG O I S . D e la s ugges t ion byp n ot iou e da n s s es rapp ort s

a vec le d roit civil et lo dr oit crim i n el P a ri s , 1 8 8 4 . .

D e la s ugges t ion et da s o mn a mb u lis m e da n s le ur

ra pport s a vec la j u ris
p r u den ce et la m édecin e léga le .

P a ris, 1 888 .

L U T I ER ET H AV AA S . H yp n ot is me et lzyp n ot is ées . La
s ugges t ion cr i m in elle . P ari s , 1 88 7 .

L UY S . L epon s cli n iq u es s ur les p ri n cip a ux p /i én omen es dc

’
l lty p n ot is me da n s leu r rapport s a vec la p a t/zolog ie
m en t a le . P a ri s , 1 8 90 .

L EH M A N N D ie H yp n os e L iep s ic , 1 8 9 1
. . .

M AA C K Z u r E i nf ii lz r u n g i n da s S t u di u m d es H yp n o
.

t is m us u n d t ieris clz en M ag n et is m u s B erlin, 1 8 8 8 . .

M O LL D er Ifypn ot is m u s . B e rlin ,
1 8 90 L ondon , 1 891 .

M O R S E LLI I i mag n et is m e . a n i m a le, la fa s ci n a z ion e e g li

pn ot ici
s ta t i i . T orino, 1 886 .

M Y E R S (A T ) . . Tb e li fe his t ory o f a ca s e f
o double or

m u lt ip lex p ers on a li ty L ondon , 1 8 8 6 . .

N I C O LL H yp n ot ic S ugg es t ion
. L ondon , 1 8 9 1 . .

O SG O O D Hyp n ot ic S ugg es tion

. B o s ton, 1 8 9 1 . .

I
P TR E S . L econ s ,
cli n iq u es s ur
’
l Afi/s terie ct
’
l Hyp n ot is me .

P aris , 1 891 .

P R EYE R . D er H yp n ot is m us . V i enna , 1 8 90 .
 APPEN D IX . 2 69

RA FFA E L E L a s ugges t ion e t erapeu t ica N aple s 1 8 8 7

. .
,
.

RIC H E R E tu des clin iq u es s u r la g a n d by s t erie ou Izy s téro

. r
’

épilep s ie . P ari s , 1 885 .

RIC H ET .
’
L Izom me et
’
l in t ellzgen ce . P ari s , 1 8 84 .

RO U S . Hyp n ot is me ct res
p on s a bilit e
'

. M ontpelli er,
1 88 7 .

’
R O U X FR E I S S I N E N G L Izy n ot is me da n s p rt s a vec
p s es ra
p o
°
.

le droi t , et c . M ars e i lle s , 1 887 .

S ALLIS . D er t ieris cb e
M ag n et is m us un d s ein e G en es e
!
.

L e ip s i g, 1 8 8 7 (I b er lzyp n ot is clz e S ugg es t ion en deren .

I/Ves en , deren K li n is clze u n d S t raf rec/z t lic/ze B edeu t u ng .

B e lin r , 1 88 7 .

S C H L EI S N E R Ifyp n ot is men s .
f
s a m un ds f a rlzge B etydn in g .

K jOb en havn , 1 8 8 8 .

S C H R E N C K N O TZ I N G -
. E in B eit rag z ur t b erap eut is clz en
Verwert un g des I Iyp n ot is m u s L eip s i g , 1 8 8 5 . .

S ICA
’ ’
RD Con t rib u t ion ct l ét ude de l Izypn ot zlsme et de la
‘
.

s ugg es t ion . M ontp e lli e r, 1 886 .

TA N Z I . S u lla cu ra s ugg es t iva del morfi n s mo

i . N apl es ,
1 889 .

T HOM AS
L es p roces dc s orcellerie cl la
. s ugg es t ion Izyp n ot iou e
N anc y, 1 8 8 7 .

’
T O U R ETT E . L byp n ot is me et les ét a ts a n a log ues on
p oin t
dc vue m éd ico lég a l P ari s , 1 8 8 7
-
. .

TU C K EY . P sy cb o Tb erap eu t ics -
. L o n don , 1 8 91 . Tb c
Va lu e f
o IIyp n ot is m in Cb ron ic A lcolt olis m . L ondon ,
1 8 92 .

TU K E ,
H AC K . S leep -
Wa lking and I b p n ot is m . L ondon ,
1 8 84 .

V AN EED EN . D e p sy cb is clze gen ees wy s e, et c . A m s terd am ,

1 888 .

V A N R EN T E R G H E M . Hyp n ot is me e s ugges t ie in de g en ees

leu n dzge p r a b t zjb . A m s te rd am , 887
II et lzyp n ot is m e
1 .

en t zjn e Z oe as s ing
p i n de g en ees b u n de A m s te r dam ,
.

1 887 .
 T H E ELE M EN T S OF HYPN O T I SM .

UND EED E N d l
'

VAN R EN TER OH EM VA NC l z n z oue.

c py s c t o

t lzerap ze s ugges t ive fon dée d A ms t erda m A m s t erd am ,.

1 889 .

’
V E RD U Co
. n t r ib u t o a llo s t u dio dell i
p n ot is m o com e a g en t e

ter ap eut ico, n elle n evros i . M i l an , 1 888 .

’
VO ISI N . D e la t /zerap eu t igu e s ugges t ive clz ez les a lién es .

P ari s , 1 8 86 . D er t ra it emen t p a r la s ugg es t ion byp n o

t iou e . P ari s , 1 88 7 .

D ATE