The teacher of the future, duly educated in anthropology, will lay aside the rod, and will find in the scientific application of his hands the means of overcoming acquired or even hereditary evils; and special asylums will be established, in which the most degenerate youth may be restored to honor, not by cerebral treatment alone, but by all the appliances of industry, music, religion, and love, which have already reformed so many youthful criminals at Lancaster, Ohio, and given them to society as good citizens.
The method of direct operation on the brain, which was introduced by my discovery in 1841, is that with which I am more familiar, but the mesmeric method has long been known, and the modification of this, which might be called the imaginative method, has been made familiar during the last fifty years under the popular name of psychology, and sometimes under the absurd name of electro-biology.
This method is simply that of assuming control of the subject when he is in the passive state, and making him believe anything he is told, as, for example, that a handkerchief is a snake, that a piece of money is burning hot, or that he is a king, a hero, an orator, an auctioneer, or anything else suggested by the fancy of the operator, which is at once carried into personation by the subject. This is a familiar, popular exhibition, which never fails to attract and amuse, but has unfortunately not been applied to its philanthropic uses in healing disease and elevating the character. If disease can be overcome by making the subject believe a glass of pure water a powerful restorative medicine, or by believing himself marvellously well and vigorous; or if his vicious or indolent habits can be overcome by making him for a time believe himself a religious saint or an energetic business man,—such experiments should be made a powerful adjunct in education, and in the reformation of criminals; and this application has recently been made in France, which has the honor of leading in this important philanthropy.
The passive state required may be produced by fixing the gaze intently for a few minutes upon some object near the eyes which requires them to be turned inward, or by gazing at the eyes of the operator. The operator tells him if his eyes are shut that he cannot open them, or that he cannot lift his foot, or cannot step across a certain mark, and he seems unable to do so, but does readily whatever his operator suggests, and believes himself to be whatever his operator says—experiments which have been made a source of infinite amusement to public audiences.
For example, about forty-five years ago a Mr. Keeley was making such exhibitions in Louisville, and found an old lawyer named Dozier a good subject. He informed Mr. Dozier on the platform that he was Mr. Polk, President of the United States, whereupon he attempted to assume a corresponding dignity. Then, bringing up Mr. Geo. D. Prentice, the witty editor of the Louisville Journal, he informed the quasi-President Polk that this was his wife, Mrs. Polk, just arrived, whereupon an amusingly cordial reception of the quasi-wife occurred.
The utilization of these principles by the French is shown in the following translation from the German.
HYPNOTISM AND EDUCATION.
BY EDGAR BERILLON.
[Translated from the German in Sphinx, for the Journal of Man.]
The careful study which the school of the medical faculty of Nancy has devoted to the phenomena of suggestion, and their actual progress in that department, present the question whether the time has not arrived for teachers to participate in this scientific movement.
The numerous observations by Dr. August Voisin of the Salpetriere have positively proved in his own practice not only the curability of mental diseases, but the great assistance which may be given to moral culture, so that we might successfully introduce hypnotism in educational schools. Dr. Voisin with great ease cured his first patient in the trial of hypnotic suggestion—a girl by the name of Johanna Schaaf, who was not only a thief, but dissolute, lazy, and unclean. He transformed her into an honest industrious, neat, and obedient person. For several years she could not be induced to read a line. Under the control of Dr. Voisin she was made to read several pages of a moral work, which she repeated before the class. Then with great facility he roused her feelings of sympathy, which appeared to have become extinct. This cure was so thorough that she has since been appointed a nurse in the hospital, and has given complete satisfaction, showing herself quite conscientious.
Many other experiments were made quite satisfactorily, and similar results were produced in his city practice. In one case, by hypnotic suggestion treatment Dr. Voisin transformed the character of a quarrelsome woman, making her a mild affectionate wife to her husband. Voisin’s experiments related principally to adults, but Dr. Liebeault of Nancy made experiments with children, of which he has mentioned two cases. Once a child was brought to his clinic with great suffering from a nervous affection, but would not submit to a hypnotic treatment till her little brother present offered himself, not being afraid. When he was put to sleep his mother told the physician that the boy in school was always in the lower grades, without making any progress. While in the sleep he was strongly impressed for diligence and zeal, and the subsequent result was perfect; within six weeks he became an example of diligence and perseverance, and soon got promoted. The second case was that of a young idiot. He was incapable of intellectual culture, and could not be taught reading or arithmetic. Dr. Liebeault submitted him to many hypnotic sittings, making a very great effort to rouse his attention, though he seemed to have no capacity for being instructed. Finally he succeeded so well that after two months he could read, and could cipher in the four rules of arithmetic. A great number of similar cases were treated by Dr. Dumont at Nancy with decided success.
In one of his clinics Prof. Bernheim maintained that all children are receptive of hypnotic suggestion or transference of thought, and even more so when they enter the age of reasoning. Not only in sleep, but also in the waking condition, they may be affected; and the school of Nancy deserves great credit for presenting this important matter to the world in its true light.
One of the signs of the hypnotic sleep or state is the automatic condition of the individual. In consequence of having for the time an enfeebled will, the individual will yield to all impressions upon it; and this weakness of will may take place in a wakeful state, when, if there is no opposition, the individual will accept all assurances in good faith. In case there is no exertion of influence by others, the subject will act by his or her own imagination. Such auto-suggestion is the result of a tendency to imitation which seems to be developed in children particularly, and develops in the waking state in undisciplined minds or in a fatigued and passive state.
These important principles and facts render it the duty of every educator to study the efficacy of suggestion and imitation in children. The experiments made thus far, authorize us to establish the following rules for practice:
If we have to deal with children of lazy, unintelligent, and indifferent character, we should confine ourselves to practicing verbal suggestion in their waking state, and to be effective it would be best to follow the experiments at Nancy, especially of Dr. Liebeault, and make great effort to gain the implicit confidence of the child. Seat it by itself on a chair, place your hand on its forehead, and enforce the suggestions by a mild voice and patient manner, but with firm determination.
When, however, our treatment is to ameliorate the future destiny of the children,—when their faculty of observation is deficient, when they have no diligence whatever, and are full of vicious, headstrong, evil inclinations, it is our opinion that by all means we should apply hypnotism fully to these degenerate creatures. The suggestions in the hypnotic sleep are of greater efficacy, more durable and profound, and probably in many cases it will be necessary to repeat these procedures frequently, until the imperfect intellectual faculties are developed, and the evil inclinations suppressed. Thus may we guide these young souls to a better and purer future.
In conclusion, I do not hesitate to assert the importance of hypnotism, in spite of all objections in its application to the mental and physical faculties of healthy persons. Its application as an educational method will be of vast importance to sick and depraved subjects.
The train of thought in the above essay, which Dr. Berillon has published in the September number of his Revue de l’Hypnotisme, inspired the contents of a lecture presented at the Scientific Congress at Nancy (August, 1886), out of which arose a discussion in which Dr. Liebault observed that the facts mentioned by Dr. Berillon are entirely true. “My long practice,” said he, “has permitted me to gather a great number of other cases, which will sustain the doctrines of the speaker. I have never seen a child continue entirely unreceptive of suggestion treatment. In the persons, children, and adults, with whom I have experimented, counting by thousands, I have never observed the least injurious consequences whatever.”
The report of the discussion given us above in Sphinx shows that these important suggestions met with only one unfriendly criticism, and that of little force. M. Desjardins, Esq., suggested that it was highly important that other honorable gentlemen, like Dr. Liebault, Dr. Voisin, and Dr. Dumont, should be officially appointed to carry on such experiments. He expressed his desire that the Congress should recommend that hypnotic suggestion for the purpose of moral improvement should be tried upon the worst class of pupils in the public schools. The suggestion was seconded with energy by Dr. Leclerc, who expressed his surprise that any one should object. It may be said to have met with the general approbation of the Congress.
The Public Ledger of Philadelphia published last year the following sketch of the progress of the marvellous in France: