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/S hypnotism to be part and
parcel of medical practice?
Judging from zt'hat some of
the doctors say, it is so useful an
aid to medicine that zve may expect
to see it in the near future
packed away hi every neatly mono
grammed black leather case that
accompanies a frock coat.
Judging from what others of the
doctors say, it> is all one with
quackery, with foolery, with fak-
Dr. Q. J. Fitzgibbon.
Dr. C. Kenz.
Dr. C. C. Kenyon.
Dr. F. "W. D'Evelyn.
Dr. George F. Shiels. "\
It is only the effort to reduce results to a scien
tific causation that has attracted so much atten
tion to the psychical condition of hypnosis. That
this power should have not only a # significance
but utility is not an illogical conclusion, arid any
Hypnotism will never take the place of
an anesthetic. I have not taken much In
terest in it because I do no»think It is of
any' benefit' In therapeutics, except In
cases of nervousness or hysteria. . The
immense amount of time it takes to treat
by hypnotic influence is one thing against
it, and its limitations are another.
Dr. J. "W. Thorn.
Hypnotism exists and has always done
bo. It is coeval with man and the evolu
tion of the higher animal forms, as l\ is
rot either in its presence or phenomena
eciely confined to the former. The weird
influence of the Hindoo fakir o\'er the
eerpent of the field, or in turn, the subtle
fascination of the reptile over Its para
lyzed prey, are in fact based upon the
same principle as the experiments of a
Paracelsus or a Charcot— viz., the elimina
tion and concentration of a force or in
fluence which pervades life, creating an
atmosphere of reflexodism— as palpable as
It is universal.
;It is! a 'very dangerous force, and I do
net approve of its use cither by physicians
or. any one else. When put to -legitimate
purpose . it Is not of • any., great''"* benefit
either, in medicine; or surgery.. It" could
not possibly take the place of an-anes
thetic, ¦ although It has ; been substituted
for it in mild 'operations -where the pain
would not, even ' were \ the .patient con
scious, De very severe.
[stsrlng Intently': at their reflection- In a
i mirror. These cases surely are paralleled:
?by a large and not unfamiliar : class,. who
so persistently see "self '%— ever-reflected
self— that they finally, rest in the calm and
peaceful- hypnosis — that -amidst all- mun
dane phenomena they are ever IT. Would
it not be cruel to awake them?
The use. of hypnotism Is riot a matter of
indifference and demands the same -pre
cautions as would '.!¦ be : employed in the
therapeusis of any potent agent. It is in
teresting to. note a certain phase of auto-
Infection— of a consolatory- and flattering
'character— not'infrequently found in will
ingly hypnotized patients, viz., a power to
produce the : hypnotic- state simply by
¦^-•y/v-T" r :.~.~ ¦?:<:*;.: j, ¦"••'* •¦:¦ ¦ ••¦¦•¦•¦-¦¦< ¦ ... ¦
the; '"weak-minded", that are amenable;
¦on' theicontrary, .the mentally strong — pro^
• ' vlded -they ¦ are -passive— often" afford the
most profound 'results.- ?; ';'
. i Children iare '¦¦ of ten beneficially treated,
not <by\ the method . of , direct suggestion,
whichin children is apt to produce a feel
•Ing 'of .awe j or ' fear, akin I to 'that begotten
by. the; mention of a bogyman, but by con
centration of the > mind upon some ' phy
sical "exercise which throws Into- activity
the set ; bf organs— contrary to those eni-'
ployed in produclpg the 1 morbid phe
nomena. ' .. , , - . . .
In • true organic . , disease Its
power would essentially be lim-
Hed"to the modification of cer-.
tain symptoms . associated
therewith, e. g.jhraln, sleepless
ness," fear. '¦ All persons are not
equally.; susceptible,- nor must
it be concluded that it is "only
Hypnotism has been success
fully employed;as a '''/medicinal
agent," but its field, probably
for the reason above stated, Is
at present limited.' If we should
define a class of maladies, in
which j it .has • proved and will
likely prove most valuable, we
should say. It- will , be- that of
functional ¦ nervous diseases.' • ' J
f all „".-£ should j probably be at
tributed to. our faulty, interpre
tation rather than to > lack -of
functional'activlty upon part of
the force or bower. • ' ' ; . '¦'.'•*•
I have used hypnotism a great deal In
my. practice, and yet I consider Its use
very limited, almost entirely to nervous
and hysterlcalpatlents, and I do not think
it' possible for it to ever take the place
of an anesthetic because of the length of
time it requires, - and also because some
are not susceptible to its influence.' No
one knows what type of person is the
most susceptible, as opposites in charac
teristics and temperament prove both sus
ceptible and resistant. »I have used hyp
notism on nearly, a hundred patients, but
it only after all supplemented In a smaller
degree medicine. \lt cannot touch organic
trouble, and the length of time consumed
in' hypnotizing a patient is a great draw
back.; I do not thlnkthe morphine' habit
can be cured by it; ••"',. . ,' ,--C-' :
Dr. A. A. D'Ancona.
The salaries of lawmakers In many
parts of Europe seem trifling, according to
American standards. In- London, for in
*stance, there are 150 members in the upper
and 250 in the lower branch. The former
get no pay at all and the latter but*$300
a And if any session lasts lonser
than four months they are paid at the rate
of $2 GO a day additional. The Parliament
of Holland. comprises 150 members in two
-houses.. Members of the Upper House re
ceive 54 a day and of the second body $300
a year and mileage. Parliament of
Holland costs $300,000 a year.
The most ; scantily paid of \ any of the
regularly salaried lawmakers are those
of Austria. There are two legislative
bodies for Aastria, one meeting in Vienna
and -one in : Budapest. The total cost is
$SOO,000 a year. An Austrian law provides
that the members receive 10 florins.' of J2 a
THE most expensive Parliament la
Europe is that of France, which
costs $1,500,000 a year. The French
people are very well represented.
There are 300 Senators and 5S4 Deputies, a
total in excess of £00. Each 'receives a sal
ary of S1S00 a year.
In the United States the ninety Senators
and 3G0 Congressmen are paid $2,500,000 In
salaries.
The members of the British Parliament
serve without salary. The incidental ex
penses of this body last "year were but
$260,000. The German Reichstag, with its
two branches, costs the voters on an aver
age S1C0.C00 a year.
Russia has no Parliament in the Amer
ican or French sense, ao that this item is
entirely saved. The legislators In the
Italian Parliament receive no salaries, but
have free transportation on railroads. The
cost of the Italian Parliament last year,
nevertheless, was $420,000., ' ' : /,"/•'; . •
LAWMAKERS AND
THEIR PAY.
The evil that could be done with the
aid of hypnotism Is practically unllmlte-i
and the good eo very limited that on the
whole it should better be frowned upon
by all, including the medical profession.
I have never tried to hypnotize any one,
though I have seen something of It. It is
not to be depended on and there Is very
little to recommend it.
Its use is so limited, almost entirely to
hysterical patients, and it might assist in
nervous trouble. It has no curative qual
ities, and I do not think it has made much
progress or headway.
I do not favor hypnotism. It is a bad
agent in the hands of unprincipled per
sons, and I think the majority of physi
cians in good standing disapprove of It.
I know there are some good physicians
¦who favor its use, but they are the ex
ception that prove the rule to the con
trary.
Hypnotism! Why, I really never tried
it, and have not even seen much of it, so
my opinion on It would not amount to
anything. Of course, there Is such a
thing, but I always feel like classing it
with the work of mediums and clairvoy
ants. It is so associated In my mind,
though some physicians approve of it. I
do not think the majority favor it. Hys
terical patients are about the only class
benefited by it.
Dr. Louis Bazet
In some of the Eastern cities of
our own United States it is being
used in the medical colleges Tlnd in
the hospitals. The San Francisco
colleges and hospitals have not as
yet adopted 1 it, although some of
our physicians are using it in Their
individual work. What somt of
tlie representative doctors think of I
the zvhole thing is here given,
i
Judging from what all of them
say, its use, if it have any, is
greatest in the curing of nervous
diseases. . ,.
In Russia a law has been passed
making it a criminal offense to hyp
notize or to be an accomplice, aider
or abettor in hypnotism. Itsad
lisability is being questioned in
France, and the questioning may
end with its being made illegal
there.
ery. It is not reputable enough- to
be considered by any physician.
It is, already used to a great extent in
Germany,' but physicians are divided in
their opinions, some disapproving strong
ly of it. while others find it a great aid in
the practice of medicine.
Suggestion is a great aid, to. physicians,
but its,, drawback is the length of time re
quired; Some people are very slow" to
come under Its Influence. '
It* repeated use does not weaken the
Intellect as some suppose; on the contrary
in ' the two hypnosis schools of France
they claim It strengthens one mentally,
f I have used hypnotism to advantage in
my own family, curing, after a few treat
ments, my little boy of biting his finger
nails. Now any one who has a child with
this habit, that sometimes clings through
life, will realize how almost r wonderful
euch a sudden cure Is. .
, >To my mind Christian Science Is nothing
more^than mild hypnotism. The diseases
that I they ! cure can always be cured -. by
hypnotism'. But neither Christian Science
nor hypnotism can cure organic trouble or
malignant 'diseases..-* _ _
It could not, perhaps, cure an organic
disease, but it. would be anv assistance In
the treatrasnt.
Of course, anything in" excess -- Is bad,
medicine of any kind or morphine, but
hypnotism . cannot possibly hurt the pa
tient 4nd really strengthens him mentally.
I -'havexured cocaine. and morphine fiends
and also the.- alcohol habit, and have used
it to advantage In la grippe and accouche
ment, while' I find it of great value in
nervous trouble. ". . .
It 13 surprising the number of peoplo
who have absolutely nothing the matter
with them and yet think that they are
seriously sick. Nothing a physician can
say to the contrary will disabuse their
minds of the idea. For this class of pa
tients hypnotism is a "very good thing;
outside of such it is of little use. For
genuine sickness or ailments, such as con
stitute the great majority of every phy
slclan's practice. It is practically useless.
I favor hypnotism to,sqme extent, .but
Its 'reach is so limited that It really
amounts to little or nothing In therapeu
tics. It can never take the place of an
anesthetic. It is good In imaginary dis
eases, and may assist in functional trou
bles, L~ut could never be of the slightest
use in organic diseases.
less dpos some good In cases of morphine
and alcoholic habit, but with few great
exceptions its benefits are only temporary,
and as any one with ordinary intellect and
perseverance can learn to hypnotize there
is practically no way of controlling Its
use. The charlatan can use it as well as
theohyslclan.
It Is a terrible thing to subject children
to treatment* under hypnotic influence or
"suggestion" either for their ailmenta or
behavior. Each one of us Is endowed with
a free will, and we 'are responsible for our
own actions, and I do not believe any one
should take the Individuality from an
other.
I approve of it neither In science nor
as a parlor pastime.
not think u can re£ch such, but in func
tional complaints and nervousness I have,
had very good results.
In my own opinion It cannot hurt tha
patient mentally or physically and is per
manent In Its good results.
I had one case — a little boy— whose
mother wa3 heartbroken that her son
should be a thief and a liar. This boy was
hypnotized and I commenced treatment,
which after a few repetitions resulted in
the reformation of this child with crim
inal tendencies. JHls Improvement was no
ticeable at # -er one treatment, and after
five or six he was a changed boy, obedi
ent, honest and considerate. Imagine his
mother's satisfaction at this metamorpho
sis!
MAGAznvff -SECTION
It is claimed the British army surgeons
In India have used It In amputations, but
those are the only operations of that na
ture reported. For the few good things
It can be used there are many bad ones,
and the evil far outweighs the good.
It is certainly very Interesting as a
psychological phenomenon. .1 have even
seen Charcot, the celebrated hypnotist of
Paris, make patients change (or apparent
ly do so) complaints. But I object strong
ly to the subservience of a person's in
dividuality, even though it is for that per
son's immediate Dhyslcal benefit. It doubt-
There are so few things in which It can
be used with efficacy. I really care very
little for it, and outside of hysterical pa
tients do not think It will ever be used
by physicians to any extent.
Dr. Beatrice M. Hinckle.
I consider hypnotism of great benefit
and have used it frequently. I use It
wherever practicable In nervous and func
tional trouble, but have also found It of
great assistance In ac
couchement cases. - 1 have
' never treated a patient for
the morphine ' habit except
tonce, a woman at the Jail
who was suffering torture,
and she was soon quieted
by the hanmotle treatment.
I have been' able to hyp
notize patients quite read
ily, usually In a few min
utes, although some require
I considerable time and pa
,--'.; tlence. I do not use it at all
in organic trouble, for I do
day.
THE USE OF HYPNOTISM
IN MEDICINE
SUNDAY
CALL
