HYPNOTISM AND ITS PHENOMENA. 63. 



other phenomena always present in hypnotic subjects (especially in 

 hystero-epileptics) ; and since my experience of such is limited only 

 to those persons, who have come under the charge of physicians, I 

 shall leave to the apostles of animal-magnetism to explain the spiri- 

 tual relations which they ostentatiously assume to exist between them- 

 selves and those to whom they communicate the fluidic force from 

 their over-charged and hypermagnetic souls. 



I have chosen Dr. Braid's word, Hypnotism, in preference to som- 

 nabulism as expressing more exactly the condition, and nothing more, 

 which we wish to consider ; and further prefer it to Charcot's word 

 of " lethargy," applied to the state, since in our language this word 

 has a meaning hardly applicable to what we wish to express. 



Perhaps there is no subject about which have hung more awe-, 

 inspiring ideas and morbid curiosity than about this of hypnotism — 

 or if we would rather somnabulism, mesmerism, aut alter ; and 

 there is no scientific subject at the present time which presents more 

 physiological difficulties or pathological interest than the hypnotic 

 phenomena, attendant upon certain — to use the mildest term — 

 functional maladies. It would be foi'eign to the purpose of this paper 

 for me to enter into any lengthy historical account of the many 

 fanciful ideas, which have grown up around our subject ; nor would 

 it be very edifying to re-count the confused mass of credulity, char- 

 latanry, and science, which has in the past, and in many quarters 

 does still form part of the conception associated with the term 

 hypnotism. Still it may be interesting to note that I have found in 

 an edition of G-alen that magnets, incantations, &c, are spoken of 

 as therapeutic agents in mental affections ; and I may further remark 

 that Charcot has become so convinced that the New Testament de- 

 moniacs were persons afflicted with no- other than epileptic and 

 • hystero-epileptic maladies, that, having witnessed so frequently 

 amongst his own patients paroxysms similar to the recorded ones, he 

 has actually had sketches made illustrative of these scriptural 

 demoniacs. But within the present century we see an outgrowth 

 from these pathological conditions, which have hypnotism as a 

 phenomenon, in that pseudo-science termed variously animal-magne- 

 tism, biology, mesmerism, &c. It would seem as if there have been 

 too many persons so filled with love for the extraordinary that when 

 they encounter certain facts apparently inexplicable, instead of en- 

 deavouring calmly to search out causes prefer to rest in supernatural 



