e patient as if in devout prayer, and his countenance assumes a
devout expression; clench his fist, and anger is depicted in his
features.

The third stage is that of somnambulism. The skin is now insensible to
pain, but excessive keenness is manifested in the sight, hearing, smell,
and muscular sense. Here the impostor can play off his pretended
clairvoyance or second sight; for the subject will discover objects
hidden from sight by the sense of smell and other senses affected with
abnormal power. The somnambulist will now exhibit the utmost sensibility
to suggestions made to him by the hypnotizer, so that he seems to be
almost entirely controlled by the influence of the latter's will. This
is what chiefly favored the early theory that a mesmeric fluid emanated
from the mesmerizer by means of which he could act in his subject as he
pleased. The experiment by suggestions seems to succeed best with
hysterical patients, which fact confirms the morbid character of the
hypnotic trance.

V. FIELD FOR A SCIENTIST.

If any distinguished scientist or Doctor who can afford it wishes to
make a special study of hypnotism, which is still so imperfectly
understood, he may render a valuable service to humanity, and in
particular to the science of medicine. But if any ordinary physician
asked my advice about devoting attention to this pursuit. I would
emphatically tell him, "Leave it alone: you are not likely to derive
real benefit from it, and you are very likely to inspire your clients
with distrust of you when they see you deal with matters which have
deserved a bad name on account of the charlatanism and the superstitious
abuses usually connected with them." This is not my opinion alone, but
also that of distinguished writers on the subject.

VI. OBJECTIONS TO HYPNOTISM.

When there is question of hypnotic seances or exhibitions such as are
designed to feed the morbid cravings of the public for what is
mysterious and sensational, I would call special attention to the
following objections against such practices.

1. Medical authorities maintain that it requires at least as much
knowledge of therapeutics to use hypnotism safely as it does for the
general practice of medicine, and requires of a physician who engages in
it a more thorough mastery of his profession than many other branches of
the healing art, and therefore that it is as objectionable to allow
non-professionals to deal with hypnotism as it would be to allow m