SOME EXPERIMENTS IN HYPNOSIS.

SOME EXPERIMENTS IN HYPNOSIS.

402 THE COLOUR OF THE HAIR IN OVARIAN DERMOIDS. numbers of cows have died, and possibly their milk is mixed with cows’ and buffalo milk for consumpt...

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402

THE COLOUR OF THE HAIR IN OVARIAN DERMOIDS.

numbers of cows have died, and possibly their milk is mixed with cows’ and buffalo milk for consumption. With the facts as stated above I hold that Egypt must definitely be added to the localities in which Malta fever occurs. I am, Sirs, yours faithfully, LLEWELLYN PHILLIPS, PHILT.IPS, Physician, Kasr-el-Aini Hospital, Cairo, and Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Egyptian Government

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the difficulty of arousing the subject. This is a danger that sometimes occurs and is important to recognise. After being hypnotised some subjects preserve the disposition

sleep spontaneously ; some are hardly awakened when they fall to sleep again in the same hypnotic sleep. In other cases they fall asleep during the day. This occurred during my early experience of hypnotism, but experience taught me that it practically need never occur if one takes School of Medicine. It care to repress this auto-hypnotisation by suggestion. Cairo, Jan. 12th, 1906. is sufficient to state to the subject during sleep that when once awakened he will be completely awake and will not be able to go to sleep again spontaneously during the day. SOME EXPERIMENTS IN HYPNOSIS. As to the after-effects I can only agree with Dr. Ash’s To the Editors of THE LANCET. experience that in no case did I notice anything which SIRS,—Dr. Edwin Ash’s article in THE LANCET of would lead me to suspect any mental condition supervening Jan. 27th, p. 216, under the above heading is interest- on the hypnosis. Doubtless inoffensive hallucinations proing in many respects but there are some items that voked at long intervals, whether hypnotic or post-hypnotic, demand criticism and others not difficult to explain. It trouble the mind momentarily in the same way as do is gratifying, however, to note that the phenomena of dreams, but the equilibrium is quickly re-establisbed as soon hypnotism are now being clinically tested by various as the hallucinatory dream has disappeared. I should not like medical men in this country and it is to be hoped to say, however, that in unskilful hands and that with that the therapeutical benefit which this so-called occult certain delicate brains predisposed to mental alienation science is capable of conferring on the human subject will serious harm from inopportune and awkward hallucinating be more universally adopted than hitherto. There is no experiments could not result. I can only speak from my doubt that if stage exhibitions were prohibited by law own experience which now totals a large number of cases in more medical men would be willing to inquire into its nature general practice. and the manner of its use and would no longer regard it as I am, Sirs, yours faithfully, one of the curiosities of science. Surveying briefly Dr. Ash’s JOHN R. O’BRIEN, M.D. Brux., L.R.C.P. Irel., &c. article I shall begin by taking the early parts of his stateNorth Kensington, W., Jan. 26th, 1906. ments. He says: "The fact that the termhypnosis’ implies either sleep or some condition resembing sleep is likely to be a source of difficulty to the unpractised operator." This statement is correct if we limit the term hypnosis to sleep or THE COLOUR OF THE HAIR IN OVARIAN some condition resembling sleep. Such a view, however, is DERMOIDS. entirely inaccurate. To define hypnosis as sleep or a conTo t&e Editors of THE LANCET. dition resembling it is to give a narrow definition to the term and to overlook the phenomena which suggestion may SIRS,—I have been for some years interested in the colour bring about independently of sleep. Hypnosis may be and character of the hair found in ovarian dermoids and I defined as the induction of a peculiar psychical condition am anxious, with the help of the columns of THE LANCET, The facts, which increases the susceptibility to suggestion. It is true to collect further information on this point. that suggestion reaches its maximum in deep sleep, but it i as far as I have been able to collect them, suggest the not absolutely necessary that sleep should occur to bring about generalisation that for the most part there are two colour beneficial results. Here is one of my own cases which I quote types in the hair found in ovarian dermoids in European in point. A young woman, aged 19 years, was suffering from women, one dark and one pale, corresponding, I venture to severe supraorbital neuralgia of ten days’ duration. I suggest suggest, to two primitive races, a pale northern and a dark sleep; she says that she cannot sleep. I tell her, however, southern race. This must not be taken too rigidly, as that sleep is not necessary to cure her ; drowsiness is suffi- cases occur in which the colour of the hair is intercient. She says that she feels very drowsy. It is impossible mediate between these two extremes and from the long to get her beyond this stage. After three or four séances of and intimate fusion of types we should at fir.-t sight drowsiness the neuralgia disappeared ; she is now free from expect this intermediate character to be the rule instead of the exception, but we must remember, on the other recurrence three months. Experiments with Subject 1 -In Dr. Ash’s reference here hand, that modern views of the continuity of the germ he says that catalepsy can be most readily induced by plasm may throw light on this point. Further, inasmuch as directing the subject’s attention to any part by gently the follicular or germinal epithelial cells, in which dermoid stroking it. Although this is true in many cases it does not structures originate, are not somatic in origin, that is, are occur in all. Catalepsy can be induced more readily in all not the direct descendants of the body epithelium of the subjects by fixing the attitude of the limb in the patient’s patient or host, the frequent want of correspondence in colour brain by simply lifting the limb up and retaining it in posi- between the dermoid hair and the hair of the body of the tion for a very short period. The position given to the limb individual is what we should expect. Whereas, on the other by the operator is accepted by the patient’s brain like an hand, if this follicular epithelium is simply regarded as imagined suggestion. The cerebral spontaneity is more somatic in origin, and on the same level as the epithelium of likely to be suppressed by an attitude of the limb than by the individual’s skin, then the discrepancy in the result of stroking. In pathological conditions, owing to suppression their function is difficult to explain. I am aware that Blandof cerebral spontaneity, we sometimes observe this cataleptic Sutton remarks on the capriciousness of the colour of condition, as in typhoid fever. Further on in his article dermoid hair. In spite of this statement, however, I feel Dr. Ash says : "Most authors say that drowsiness alone sure that a larger collection of observations bearing on constitutes the first stage," and then he says, "Surely such this easily observed and easily recorded phenomenon would an admission is absurd." This reasoning is neither sound be valuable, not only in filling up certain gaps in pathonor accurate. My case of supraorbital neuralgia disproves logical knowledge, but also as bearing on the larger subject this reasoning of absurdity. Here was a young woman cured of heredity. of neuralgia although she was only a drowsy subject. Surely I venture, therefore, to appeal through your columns to this is hypnotic influence although of light shade, yet it medical men and veterinary surgeons in England and abroad to record in THE LANCET, or if more convenient to forward proves beneficial in some of these cases. Experiment with Subject 6.-In allusion to this part of his to me, information on the following points : 1. Observations article Dr. Ash says that he takes it that certain forms of on the colour of the hair in ovarian dermoids in the negro headache or neuralgia can be relieved. I have had a great races, together with a record of the age, race, and hair type number of cases of headache and neuralgia which have been of the individual. A small portion of the dermoid hair It is easy to understand the after washing in ether, together with the hair of the indicured entirely by hypnosis. ratiorcecle of the cure in these cases. Pain makes the patient vidual, can be readily transmitted by post and would afford think of his trouble, and thinking of it he exaggerates it ; valuable information as to negro characters on microscopical hypnotism, which distracts his attention, acts in a contrary examination. 2. Observations on the colour of dermoid hair way upon the pain-it diminishes it by making him think no and that of the individual in women of European and other races. 3. Observations (with the hair) from more of it. Experinaent with Subject S.-Here was a case where there dermoids in elderly women, bearing on the question of the to go to