1030 The American Naturalist. (November, 
Prof. Delboeuf admits that signatures to wills, etc., may be secured and 
attempts on chastity made easier by hypnotic suggestion. 
Dr. Liébeault’s articles in reply adduce no new arguments and 
wholly fail to meet the points raised by Delboeuf. He merely empha- 
sizes the power of suggestion and the helplessness of the subject. The 
single case which he quotes as conclusive is of no value. Dr. X. and 
himself successfully suggested theft to a working man; some years 
later he was convicted of numerous petty thefts and imprisoned. After 
his release he told Dr. Liébeault, while hypnotized, that his second 
series of thefts had been committed in obedience to a second suggestion 
from Dr. X. The total lack of evidence for the man’s previous hon- 
esty and of confirmation of his story, taken in conjunction with Lié- 
beault’s obvious predisposition to accept this view of the case, robs it 
of the interest it would otherwise have had. 
Two cases of death in the hypnotic state are reported. One was a 
patient of Bernheim’s; the autopsy showed that death was due to a 
pulmonary embolism with which the hypnosis could have had nothing 
to do. The other is the sensational case in Hungary of which a brief 
account appeared at the time in the American papers. Frl. Elsa Sol- 
omon, living in the neighborhood of Buda-Pesth, had suffered from 
hysterical attacks for several years, but had found considerable relief 
during the last 18 months of her life in hypnotic treatment at the 
hands of her physician. A man named Neukomm, described as a 
“ specialist in well-digging,” happened to be visiting at her father’s 
house and hypnotized her for experimental purposes. She was found 
to be possessed of clairvoyant powers. On Sept. 17, 1894, Neukomm 
hypnotized her, much against her will, as she was feeling badly, and 
told her to visit in spirit his brother, ill at Werschetz, and describe his 
condition. This she professed todo. He then asked what would be 
the outcome of the illness. She replied, with difficulty, “ Prepare for 
the worst,” and immediately fell from her chair with a cry. Her heart 
was still beating, and an injection of ether was given, but she died in a 
few seconds. A medico-judicial commission appointed by the Govern- 
ment reported that her death was due to cerebral anaemia, and refused 
to inculpate Neukomm. As he continued experimenting, the Hungar- 
ian Government issued an edict restricting the practice of hypnotism to 
regular physicians, and requiring that the patient in every case sign an 
order, before witnesses, asking to be hypnotized. The hypnotization 
must also be in presence of witnesses. 
Casimir de Krauz contributes six admirably impartial articles upon 
the experiments conducted by Dr. Ochorowicz and others with Eusapia 
