64 HYPNOTISM AND ALLIED PHENOMENA. 



hypnotiser, obeying every request of the operator, though in 

 a state of perfect aneesthesia. In the sa.me way Mr. Hewetson 

 removed a cyst of the size of a horse bean from the side of 

 the nose of a young woman who was perfectly anaesthetised 

 and breathing deeply, and who, on coming round by order, 

 protested " that the operation had not been commenced." 



Mr. Turner then extracted two teeth from a man with 

 equal success, after which Dr. Bramwell explained how his 

 patients had been completely cured of drunkenness by hyp- 

 notic suggestion. To prove this to those present, and to 

 show the interesting psychological results, the man was 

 hypnotised, and in that state he was shown a glass of water ; 

 he was told by Dr. Bramwell that it was " bad beer." He was 

 then told to awake, and the glass of water offered him by Dr. 

 Bramwell. He put it to his lips, and at once spat out the 

 " offensive liquid." 



Mr. T. S. Carter next extracted a very difficult impacted 

 stump from a railway navvy as successfully as the previous 

 case. Dr. Bramwell described how this man had been com- 

 pletely cured of very obstinate facial neuralgia by hypnotism, 

 which had been produced by working in a wet cutting. On 

 the third day of hypnotism the neuralgia had entirely dis- 

 appeared (now some weeks ago) and had not returned. The 

 man had obtained refreshing hypnotic sleep at nights, being 

 put to sleep by his daughter through a note from Dr. Bram- 

 well or by a telegram, both methods succeeding perfectly. 



The facts as recorded may be taken as establishing the 

 existence of hypnotism and of hypnotic suggestion. The 

 divergent opinions of practitioners are, however, very hard to 

 reconcile. 



I Dr. Moll denies that any hysteria or weakness of any kind 

 in the physique of a patieut leads to his being more readily 

 hypnotised. Professor Wetterstrand says it depends more on 

 character than temperament, and that the most impression- 

 able ages are from 3 to 15, fit subjects after the age of 30 

 being rare. Dr. Sherman Bigg maintains that no man of 

 average capacity can be hypnotised against his will, and that 

 even when hypnotised he can restrict the hypnotiser's 

 influence. Professor Bernheim believes that the suggested 

 effects exist only in the idea of the patient ; that if it is sug- 

 gested that he cannot see a certain object he continues to see 

 it, but imagines he does not, and acts accordingly. He is of 

 opinion that the number of persons who can be readily in- 

 fluenced is very limited, and yet at a demonstration given in 

 Paris he elicited confessions of imaginary crimes, weeping, 

 laughter, dumbness and powerlessness at will from persons 

 who had not been previously hypnotised, and who, to all ap- 

 pearance, were in full possession of their senses, playing on 

 their nervous system as upon an instrument. 



