edical
practice promiscuously to all persons without a Doctor's diploma. In
fact, in Russia, Prussia, and Denmark none but licensed physicians can
lawfully practise hypnotism. Aside from a variety of accidents which may
result to the subject hypnotized from the ignorance of physiology in the
hypnotizer, there is this general injury sustained, that even strong
subjects frequently experimented upon contract a disposition to be
readily thrown into any of the three morbid states of the mesmeric
trance. All these states are real diseases and are allied to hysteria,
epilepsy, and a whole family of nervous troubles, any one of which is
sufficient to make a patient very miserable for life, and even to lead
him to an early grave.

2. The moralist has still stronger objections against the use of
hypnotism, except when it is used as a means to most important results.
He maintains that one of the greatest evils that can befall a man is the
weakening of his will-power; this leaves him a victim to the cravings of
his lower appetites. Now the frequent surrender of one's will to the
control of another is said (very reasonably, it would seem) to bring on
a weakening of the will or self-control. We see this exemplified in the
habitual drunkard. He loses will-power to such an extent that he can
scarcely keep his most solemn promises or withstand the slightest
temptations. There is a very serious question asked by the moralist upon
another resemblance of an hypnotic subject to a drunkard. He asks
whether any man has a right for the amusement perhaps of the curious
lookers-on to forfeit for awhile his manhood, or the highest privilege
of his manhood--his powers of intellect and free-will. He admits that we
do so daily in our sleep. But then he argues that sleep is a necessity
of our nature directly intended by the Creator, a normal part of human
life. Besides it is a necessary means for the renewal of our strength,
and on the plea of necessity the moralist may admit the use of hypnotism
when it is needed for the cure of bodily diseases. But for the mere
amusement of spectators he maintains that it is wrong for a man thus to
resign his human dignity, as it would be wrong for him to get drunk for
the amusement of lookers-on. Still, in this latter case the evil would
be greater, for in drunkenness there is contained a lower degradation,
inasmuch as the baser passions are then left without all control, and
are apt to become exceedingly vile in