HYPNOTISM. 13 



and that he himself had had no opportunity of investigating the phe- 

 nomena personally. 



Dr. Workman in connection with the paper, called attention 

 to the kindred subjects of dual personality, catalepsy, and the 

 influence of the imagination in creating visions and appari- 

 tions. Those alternative states of consciousness, in which the 

 person seemed to pass through two different modes of exist- 

 ence, were too well confirmed by numerous well attested cases 

 to admit of doubt. 



In catalepsy there seemed to be no intervening state of 

 consciousness during the attack. The person, after the fit, 

 took up, as it were, the thread of existence where it had sud- 

 denly stopped, as in the case of a lady who when playing upon 

 the piano, was seized by catalepsy, and when she recovered, 

 continued at the same note where she had left off. The power- 

 ful influence of the imagination was well known. He referred 

 to a recent instance in the case of a girl about 1 3 years who 

 when taking care of sheep saw the Madonna and child. Her 

 experience was confirmed by all the people of the district, who 

 also saw the Madonna and Bambino. This could be accounted 

 for by the state of expectancy influenced by a strong effort of 

 the imagination. 



Dr. Cannififsaid it was a question whether hypnotism should 

 be considered a science. Every science had a counterfeit : was 

 not this a counterfeit science ? He had yet to learn whether 

 hypnotism had been of any benefit to mankind. As to the 

 alleged cases of cure, he thought that they could be referred to 

 the influence of the imagination. 



Mr. Brodie thought that no one could be brought under the 

 influence of hypnotism unless he was in a diseased state. 



Prof. Wright considered that the claims of hypnotism to the 

 rank of a science were now well established. They were 

 recognized by some of the most eminent men of the day. 

 Many important cures had been undoubtedly effected by it. It 



