EXTRAORDINARY HYPNOTIC TREATMENT.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXVI, Issue 3450, 27 October 1915, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY HYPNOTIC TREATMENT.

DR. VOISIN TRANSFORMS A CRIMINAL.

By hypnotism.) a wild, vicious, criminal, i hysterical creature has been changed into a good woman.

By suggestion good ideas were conveyed to her subconsciousness and finally conquered* the* evil habits that had been acquired from bad surroundings and «arly misfortunes. The once-abandoned girl of the gutters is now an excellent, devoted nurse in a Paris hospital.

Her name is Jeanne Sonere, and the miracle of science has been wrought by Dr.' Auguste Voisin, of the Salpetriere Hospital. The case is considered by doctors and psychologists to be the most remarkable on record. ■•■ , .

Jeanne Sonere was born of the lowest class of parents in the ragpicking quarter of Paris, where the people live in plaster huts or shacks made of packing boxes and other refuse. It is a lower life than that of the animals. She saw little in her childhood but wickedness and brutality. She went from bad to worse, and finally found herself in-, carcerated in the Salpetriere, which is a combination of prison and hospital. She was in a deplorable con-dition—-a criminal lunatic, filthy, with a life history of crime.

. She was at that time so violent, that she could only be kept quiet by a straitjacket and an incessant cold v douche on her head. While Dr. Voisin was, with her she raved and spat at him like a wild animal. But he persisted, and kept his'face near hers just in front of her. She tried to avoid the gaze of his eyes as an animal-would do, but) the doctor pereisted, tirelessly following her eyes with his. Finally his persistency won, and she fell alj once into a deep sleep and then passed into a somnambulistic state. The experiment was repeated day after day. She became sane while in the hypnotic condition, but still raved while awake and showed all her evil tendencies. ' HOW THEY MADE A WOMAN x TIDY. Then, another stage was reached. She commenced to accept hypnot'ie suggestion, and would obey trivial orders given her while asleep. 'For instance, she would obey an order to make her room tidy. She obeyed suggestions given her about her own personal cleanliness and dress and regarding her general behaviour.

At last,,while in the hypnotic condition, she was taught to feel regret for her past life and to form resolutions for reform. Gradually she not only expressed these ideas in the hypnotic Btate but in her awakened condition. In the end she was made fully conscious of moral right conduct and what it meant tc lead a good, pure, sane life.

She seemed as eager to do right after her transformation as she had been to do wrong before her better self was evoked. She took a pride in doing right for right's sake. She commenced to study and educate herself, and finally took the nurse's course of training and became a very skilful and successful nurse, particularly noted for her sympathy and earnestness.

In fact, she now displays qualities as marked on the moral side as she had; upon the'depraved side, and is a shining example of all that is good and fine. Her face has become sweet and intelligent, though always a little serious, as if she were constantly conscious of the terrible fate from which she was saved.

This case is important, because the hypnotic experiment has been carried out ii a much more useful direction thaft'that followed in the

majority of cases on record. Id many cases of hypnotic experiment doctors have suggested to their subjects to commit minor crimes, saying, "Go and! steal Dr. So-and-So's handkerchief," or, "Go and strangle the cat," and the patients have obeyed. This must have left its influence for evil oh the patients aa strongly as the suggestions of Dr. Voisin for good on Jeanne Sonere.-* "Popular Science Sittings."