Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1909 — Growing Use of Hypnotism. [ARTICLE]

Growing Use of Hypnotism.

Few persons outside the medical profession have any idea of the extraordinary things that are being done by hypnotism today—not by charlatans and showmen, whose exhibitions are generally frauds, the socalled subjects having learned their parts perfectly. In New York City alone 20,000 cases of genuine hypnotism are performed every year, and not for show purposes either. In fact, it would be difficult to witness the hypnotism of a person for any legitimate purpose, and many legitimate purposes there are nowadays. It is asserted that operations are performed the aid of hypnotism instead of the more dangerous anesthesia; teeth are filled or pulled without pain by the same easy method. “Incorribles,” especially children, are cured by mental suggestion through hypnotism. Alcoholics and drug habitues find first relief and then complete cure by the same marvelous means. Nervous prostration and a host of other mental ailments are said to be cured or alleviated. Strangest of all, perhaps, artists now have their models hypnotized in order that the same pose may be maintained for hour's at a time—impossible were the mrodel conscious of the effort, A well dressed stranger presents himself at a farm house and tells of the loss of a valuable diamond pin in the road and solicits the aid of the children to help find it. No pin is found but before leaving the stranger gives his name and address and leaves an offer of a reward of SIOO for the find and return of the pin. A few days later a tramp appears at the house and asks them for something to eat at the same time telling of finding a handsome pin down the road. The farmer eagerly purchases the pin at a good price expecting to secure the SIOO reward for it. But when he writes to the address of the first stranger no reply comes and in time he discovers that he is "buncoed" and that the pin he has purchased at a fancy price is simply a worthless piece of glass in a gilt setting, worth probably ten cents a dozen.