CRIMINAL HYPNOTISTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 156, 2 July 1892, Page 11

CRIMINAL HYPNOTISTS.

Men Who Abuse Their Strange

Powers.

MALTREATMENT OF '^SUBJECTS."

XV, E. S. Jfalefl, United States Vice Causal at Ai&oy, Says tho Evil* of Hypnotism Are Great sad the Benefits Few and small.: ;' ':::.;';" : , "_ tCopyrigM, 1893, by American Press Association.] 0 NOTHING does the adage that there is nothing newunder the sun apply with greater force than to the present scientific fad of hypnotism. That people could be put. into a trance or artificial sleep has been known for centuries. In the east as far bai)k as 600 B. C. l^feirs have practiced the samei tricks as are being tried today by..-the physicians of Europe and America; Bjoth Hindoo and .Chinese writers of that time referred to, these curious psychological experiments in, very much the same -manner as the daily papers do to Dr. Charcob at the present time. According to Dr. Bjornstrom, a leading Swedish physician and author, there is a sect in Egypt that has practiced hypnotism for forty centuries. And to cap the climax an enthusiasSio New York theosaphist claims that the deep sleep into which Adam was thrown at the time of Eve's creation, was merely a case of mesmeric-sleep. Hypnotism made no great impression upon the European mind until the beginning of the Eighteenth century, when in the province of Dauphine, France, the entire population went crazy on the subject. At one time not less than 10,060 people of that district imagined that they were prophets, ■ directly inspired from -heaven. From that time on there has been an uninterrupted line of hypnotizers and hypnotized, amateur and professional, genuine and fraudulent. Only in the latter part of the Eighteenth century was there any attempt made to explain the phenomena from a scientific standpoint. Before that time they were regarded as the manifestations of good spirits or of devils. In 1778, for example, a famous ex-monk known as* Father Gassner established a spiritual sanitarium' at Regensburg, where he' is said to have drawn around him 10,000. His treatment was simplicity itself. Ho would mesmerize his patient until the latter went into convulsions. This showed conclusively diabolic possession and was considered almost miraculous by his followers. By restoring the patient to consciousness he was believed to have exorcised the devil and effected a cure.

This curious field was first brought into the highest prominence, by the celebrated Swiss physician, Dr. iTriedrich Mesmer. A strange combination oi discoverer and quack, of brilliant intellectual powers and deficient mos&l qualities, he kept Europe in a tnrmbil from about 1770 to 1795. The mere fact that the words mesmerize and mesmerism, coined in bis honor, have endured the \:e&v and team of more than a century bears witness to the power of the man's personality. The expressions anilrtal magnetism and personal niagnefcism were bis creations, and are as much in vogue today as in hia luxufiousparlors on the Place Yendome. He seems to lave known P. T. Baraum's great principle that "human nature loves to be humbugged and will pay for for the few scientific ti-uths which he apprehended were so weighted down with charlatanry and mummery of the idlest kind as to escape, the attention of the scientific world of his time. Though denounced by such men as Franklin, Lavoisierand Bailly, andin after years neglected and forgotten by the people whose idol he once was, he did a great work for the race despite the dishonest surroundings under wMch it was conducted, for after all modern hypnotism is nothing more or less than mesmerism. In creating the new name scientists have only beaten about thebnsh.

Mesmer "was followed by the notorious impostor Oagliostrp, by P'Eslon, Marais and last and greatest, the Marquis de Puysegur. The last named had a strong scientific bentrand early called attention to mesmeric features which heretofore had been overlooked. He was undoubted'^* the first to give careful study to those phenomena which for lack of better words we sum up and indicate by such clumsy terms as somnambulism, clairvoyance, clairaudience, mind reading, thought transference, will control and the like.

Since his time, comparatively little new and original work has been done in this field of research, but an immense amount has been accomplished in studying details, ascertaining conditions and classifying phenomena. It will probably surprise the

arpNOTiziHa a (<subjkct."

reader to know that over 300 large volumes have b^en written upon the subject by scientifio men of .high standing, and that the. work goes steadily on. Among the more eminent investigators may be mentioned Dr. Janies Braid, Dr. Hack Take and Dri Ireland, of England; the late Dr. George N. Beard, Dr. Grimes and Dr. William P. Hammond, of the United States; Baron yon EeicibenbHch, Dr. Preyer and Professor Weinhoia; of Germany; Professor Hansen, of Denmark: Dr. Bjornstrom, of, Sweden; Professor Asam, Dr. ;Brocai Dr. Liebault, Professor Eiiohet and laefe in point of time, bat one^ of the greatest in.talent, Professor Oharcoi, the neurologist,^ of France.

How largely European thought is turned toward tho subject.is shown by the facts that there are two sdhoftls and a half dozen Bodetias* devoted eicoltisively to its study, a scientific jonrrial published monthly in Paris upon its progress, and at least fifty prominent physiokflß and scientists who fere making it a special field of investigation. Sitlce 1885 forty-six books have been written upon it.flb that hypnotism can be truly s said to' faiive'quite a goodly literature of its own. As America has oau.ght; the contagion of research, it is mora than probable that the nest decade will see tie fi^urea intotioned largely in*

YThen a person is hypnotized he may t>e in any one of three v states—the cataleptic, the lethargic or the somnambulistic. In the first the body is immobile and apparently dead, bat the nrasoular sense, vision and especially hearing retain their powars in part, if not in whole. In the lethargic state there is complete insensibffity of the skin and external tissues. t ,Tbo; third or somnambulistic is the one made familiar by lecturers and charlatans. -There is insensibility to pain, 'but- a quickening of the senses to a high degree and ajwnwrVabk sharpening of the powers of the mind. It is claimed by several leading hypaotizersof Europe that the science can be utilized as a means of moral education. Dr. Durand, Professor Liebatdt and Dr. Berillon are enthusiasts regawJing tbas idea, and have appealed by speech and writing for its official adoption by tJbe French government.

While the benefits from hypnotism thns fax haye been few and'small, the evils have been many and great. Ita sleeplike state is not a normal sleep, bringing health and strength to the slumberer, but a morbid condition bordering upon, disease. It irritates the entire nervous organization and temporarily if not organically weakens the system. This drawback is serious enough. ;. ■

Darker andmore terrible effects lie in the suppression of the subject's will for the time being and the substitution therefor of the operator's. In this regard it opens avenues to crime and criminals such as never have /been equalesd- heretofore. Already so many discreditable actions, not to rise a stronger word,haVe:been committed in Europe by means of::hypn«tesm, that in Italy, Austro-Huugary, parts'of Switzerland, Copenhagen and other municipalities laws have been enacted-pro-hibiting its public practice by any except physicians. So on the other hand the police, without any' statute on the subject; have treated traveling mesmerists as disorderly characters. Thus Donato, who is now performing in the United States, was lately expelled from Italy and HanSen, another hypnotist, from Austria, and notified never to return under penalty of arrest, fine and imprisonment. This Donato (whose real name, by tie way, is Dhont) hypnotized an, Italian artillery officer, who immediately became half

crazy. From time to time he would go into somnambulism at the sight of a bright object. He would follow carriage lamps, and unless prevented would wiUk.toward locomotive or.steamer ligiits.', "X

An -architectural student was mesmerized by staring at' his • compasses, after which it, was impossible, for, him to. draw, without going to sleep. :,

4- young girl of Milan, of lieauty and high character, was hypnotized- and" impressed with the notion, that she TC^iral'ried to a man she had never seen but once, and then in th« darkness. She went crazy and died in a hospital. :• '.-' , . . Another young girl (of Paris, this tone) was pot under a similar spoil and was , ruined. Shoiiaally entered the Saltpettiexe hospital, where,; after a long and .painful remedy, what Was left of" h&r former seX was pronounced cored.

In New York a hypnotised person was made to believe that he had taken slow poison. He fell sick and wasted away to a shadow. Not until theattending physician discovered the true»ature; of: hallucination and rehypnotized tlie subject was there any symptom of convalescence.

In Turin, after a series of hypnotic lectures and public experiments, a large proportion of those who attended were taken sick with headache, insomnia and other nervous ailments. A few, of those who were of a hysterical temperament remained ill for a long time. . . ': t'..\ i :.;>' \

In the foregoing cases the hypnotizing was done with no evil intent. ;: But there are hundreds of recorded instances where it was done with intent of the. most evil resort. Colchester,' Foster, Mansfield, Purdy and other mesmerists claimed that they could ruin any womaiywho once allowed herself to be put into a trance. This assertion has been confirmed by ©very trance medium, arid even ordinary medium, in the business. How many unhappy girls and women owe their first misstep to these arts it is impossible to say, but the number is legion.- Aa army of miscreants misuse hypnotism to obtain money from their victims. They are constantly exposed by third parties, but seldom lose their power over their dupes on account of the mesmerized condition of the latter.;' ■ ; ■

Lower still in the depths of sin are those who call themselves "massage magnetizers," "massage hypnotists," or those who advertise "electric baths*!' ''njassagej baths," "magnetic baths" and "magneijjj^ treatment." There is no reason for theiir" existence, unless it be in a correctional or penal institution. Lastly there are. the* artists, professors or fakirs, who give public exhibitions of the hypnotic process. Some of these are honest and Upright;, others are unscrupulous and mercenary wretches. All of them however are to be carefully avoided by. sensible people. They are to be avoided even, more by young boys and girls than-by grown folks, if any one desires to see the marvels of hypnotism let hiir ot her go to their own family physician, ajid. either, he sor some other member of tJiaftiaoble profressiotfwill satisfy curiosity without injury to body, brains, mind or morals.

In taking interest in hypnotics in any wa3 r therefore, it is well to bear in mind Punch's advice to young men—don't.

A tazy, Xhougb. Shrewd. Follow.

Tulkinson—-a barrister and bachelor combined, by ■'the way—is a. very systematic man. The ; other day he had Mb house fitted with, electrical and giving instructions to his servant Joseph, he said: .■" ■ ■-< ■ .J. ."■■■■

"Kfow I want you to understand, Joseph, that when I ring once ihat means for you, aad when I riiig twice that means for Maggie, the housemaid."

Joseph, who is the laziest ■wretch that ever accepted wages; ho did .toot earn, bowed respectfully and withdrew* A little later the bell rang* Joseph never moved. Presently it rang again, rand according to inatraoiaonß Maggie oaflae hurrying to her master', Who watf'yery angry. _ . ~ ; . ' ~j :. / "Why <Hdu't that raeoal, Joseph, op|ae when I rang for him?" said the Barrister bachelor disgustedly. "Why, sir," answered Maggie, ."Joseph is busy in the- office reading your newspaper. When he heard the first ring he said to me, 'Now, Maggie, wait until he rings the secondjime* and £he# iteßiU>sj#>tt.b.e Wffiaw/ \