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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 315 



tive subjects ; that such also re-act to the physical effect of drugs 

 when applied at a distance ; and that even a certain degree of 

 •transfer of mental states is possible in a few subjects.' The school 

 •of Nancy recognize in all hypnotic states various forms of sugges- 

 tibility ; they regard the phenomena as purely psychical in origin ; 

 refuse to admit any supernatural powers or super-physical effects, 

 such as those of the magnet ; and explain all such points as due to 

 more or less unconscious suggestion. Dr. Hiickel proposes to show 

 that the latter position is capable of accounting for all the observed 

 facts, as well as the flaws in the conclusions and methods of the 

 Paris experimenters. In the first place, all the effects claimed as 

 of physical origin have been obtained by direct suggestion. This 

 shows, at least, that the latter is as powerful an agent> as the for- 

 mer. Moreover, the same manipulations have not produced the 

 same results at Paris and elsewhere. Some comprehension by the 

 subject of what is to result seems indispensable. But the impor- 

 tant point remains of explaining the Paris results on the suggestion 

 hypothesis. The keynote here is " unconscious suggestion " on 

 the part of the operators, and shrewd anticipation on the part 

 ■ of the subjects. Take the alleged action of metals as an in- 

 stance. In several cases gold alone brought about the desired 

 effect. The most precious of the metals is, by a very natural anal- 

 ogy, regarded as the most efficacious, and this same preference will be 

 •quite general. How little specific influence the gold has, is shown 

 by the fact that gold believed to be copper had no effect, while 

 copper believed to be gold worked quire as well as the genuine 

 metal. 



When attention is directed to the patient's arm, it is not sur- 

 prising that she should expect something to occur with the arm, 

 and, if previously it has been rendered insensitive, it becomes so 

 now. When attention is directed to the other arm, the phenome- 

 non is " transferred." Another very vital influence is contagion. 

 One subject sees the other, or hears of her actions, and exhibits the 

 same results. An esprit de corps is thus formed, and this applies 

 especially to the dozen subjects with whom Charcot has done al- 

 most all his work. It is almost impossible to realize how stringent 

 the conditions must be to rule out unconscious suggestion. One's 

 expression; tone of voice; manner; choice of words; evidence of 

 interest, of surprise, of satisfaction, — any of these, entirely uncon- 

 sciously given, may vitiate an entire experiment. A good case is 

 that of a patient seated for three-quarters of an hour in close prox- 

 imity to a magnet (unknown to herself) without exhibiting any 

 signs of being affected by it, but re-acting promptly when informed 

 •of its presence. This must suffice to indicate the line of criticism of 

 this most valuable pamphlet. It gives a surprising glimpse into 

 the subtleness of psychic impressions, and gives an importance to 

 the term " suggestion " not previously realized. One may take as 

 the motto of the Nancy school the saying that another writer prefixes 

 to his work on hypnotism, — " Possunt quia posse videntur." 



In a subject that is comparatively new and unusually open to 

 misunderstanding, general expositions and addresses will naturally 

 find a public. To this class belongs the pamphlet by Dr. SalHs (2), 

 with a_ convenient scheme of classifying the phenomena as motor 

 (those that affect the muscles, such as rigidity, paralyses, contrac- 

 tions, and the like), as sensory (affecting the senses, such as anses- 

 thesia, special and general, suggested blindness, deafness, etc.), and 

 vegetative (affecting organs normally removed from voluntary con- 

 trol, such as the formation of scars and blisters by imaginary burns, 

 the slowing of the heart-beat, the oozing of blood through the 

 skin). In addition to this exposition, the legal and curative effects 

 are well described, and the pamphlet adds another to the many 

 convenient summaries already extant. The point of view is that of 

 the Nancy school throughout. 



The essay of Dr. Forel (3), the eminent alienist and naturalist, 

 is more general than its title would suggest. In order to acquaint 

 the legal profession with the aspects of hypnotism of especial im- 

 port to them, a general exposition is necessary. This is lucidly 

 sketched with many forcible distinctions. Dr. Forel is a stanch 

 :'>dherent of the Nancy school, having derived his experience from 

 Dr. Bernheim himself. He insists upon the close relation between 

 hypnotic and mere normal states. When we ordinarily go to sleep, 



- ' ? These last three points would not be indorsed by all the adherents of the Paris 

 school. 



we assume an accustomed attitude, in an accustomed place : all this 

 is auto-suggestion. We suggest sleep to ourselves, and, unless 

 distractions refuse to allow us the necessary concentration of mind, 

 we follow the suggestion. Education, too, is largely a matter of 

 suggestion skilfully applied. The educator's tact is the impres- 

 siveness of his suggestions. Some persons more readily subject 

 themselves to the direction of others ; they are the weak of will, 

 that follow : while others seem Napoleon-like, born to command ; 

 their very manner enforces obedience. 



The dangers of suggested crime in hypnotic conditions are just 

 so much greater as the suggestions are more readily carried out. 

 This is aserious problem, with, which the law counts will soon he 

 found to busy themselves. Especially in post-hypnotic suggestions, 

 when the patient fully believes himself acting from his own mo- 

 tives, and sternly denies any possibility of suggestion, is the dan- 

 ger difficult to meet. The condition seems to demonstrate the 

 truth of Spinosa's dictum, that the illusion of free will is merely 

 the ignorance of the motives of our actions. Dr. Forel partly re- 

 moves the danger by suggesting that none other but himself can 

 hypnotize the subject ; but even this is not a full guaranty. The 

 topic IS not yet in a satisfactory condition. 



The pamphlet by Dr. Krafft-Ebbing (4) illustrates another mode 

 of studying hypnotism : it is by a close observation of the phenom- 

 ena in a single case. The patient has a remarkable history of hysteria, 

 and has led an adventurous and irregular life. The right side of her 

 body is insensitive, and she readily falls into the hypnotic condition 

 by suggestion, or even of her own accord. Her control over invol- 

 untary functions is especially remarkable. If a characteristic shape, 

 such as a letter of the alphabet, a pair of scissors, a glass cylinder, 

 be held against the skin with the suggestion that it is red-hot, a burn 

 and scar are formed in the shape of the object applied. The healing 

 of this scar can be decidedly hastened by suggestion, and it can even 

 be made to transfer itself to the symmetrically situated spot on the 

 other side of her person. This is, of course, an extreme case. She 

 responds to the action of a magnet (by violent contractions); but as 

 this power is shared by any object in contact with a magnet, and 

 only when the magnet is in the hands of Dr. Krafft-Ebbing, sug- 

 gestion (perhaps by temperature changes) is the obvious explana- 

 tion. The action of drugs at a distance failed entirely in her case. 

 She easily accepts fantastic negative hallucinations, — such as that 

 only the head and arms of a spectator are visible, the appearance 

 causing great consternation, — as well as foieign personalities, 

 changing her attitude and even her handwriting to suit the sug- 

 gested character. Her time-estimates are strikingly exact. She 

 will sleep an exact number of hours suggested, and so on. In 

 brief, we have here a morbidly sensitive subject, and a typical case 

 of the kind of hypnosis liable to accompany pronounced hystero- 

 epilepsy. 



The special study of the therapeutic aspects of hypnotism by the 

 Freiherr von Schrenck-Notzing (5) gives one an admirable idea of 

 the extensive activity in these studies. It is mainly devoted to a 

 rhunie oi recent contributions. France and Germany are natu- 

 rally most extensively noticed ; but Belgium, Holland, Austria, 

 Italy, Spain, England and America, Greece, Hungary, Poland, 

 Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, are all repre- 

 sented. There is a special review of hypnotism in France, and 

 one in Spain, and a hospital for the cure of disease by hypnotism 

 has been opened at Amsterdam. Much space is devoted to statistics 

 of cures by hypnotism, the large percentage of successful treatments 

 leaving little doubt of its therapeutic value. Its influence is most 

 marked upon nervous diseases, though by no means restricted to 

 such. The author is careful to caution against a too free use of 

 hypnotism, and insists upon its restriction to professional special- 

 ists. 



The part that the travelling mesmerist plays in the progress of 

 hypnotism is altogether a dangerous one, and such public exhibi- 

 tions have been prohibited in the chief countries of Europe. One 

 point in their favor, however, is that they have so often served to 

 arouse interest in the phenomena, and thus promote their scientific 

 consideration. Dr. Hering's lecture (6) is a case in point. Its 

 object is simply to satisfy local curiosity in the matter, — a laudable 

 object, but very imperfectly carried out. His facts lack order, and 

 the uncertain is jumbled together with the well-ascertained. No 



