The committee are of opinion that, as a therapeutic agent, hypnotism is frequently effective in relieving pain, procuring sleep, and alleviating many func tional ailments. As to its permanent efficacy in the treatment of drunkenness, the evidence before the committee is encouraging, but not conclusive." The Encyclopedia Brit. title "Hypnotism" by W. McDougal treats the "dangers of hypnotism" as follows: "Like all powerful agencies, chloroform or mor phia, dynamite or strong electric currents, hypnotic suggestion can only be safely used by those who have special' knowledge and experience, and, like them, is liable to abuse. There is little doubt that, If a subject is repeatedly hypnotized and made to entertain all kinds of absurd delusions and to carry out very frequently post-hypnotic suggestions, he may be liable to some ill-defined harm; also, that an unprincipled hypnotiler might secure an undue influence over a naturalk weak subject.
"But there is no ground for the belief that hyp notic treatment, applied with good intentions and reasonable care and judgment, does or can produce deleterious effects, such as weakening of the will or liability to fall spontaneously into All physicians of large experience in hypnotic practice are in agreement in respect to this point. But some difference of opinion exists as to the possibility of deliberately inducing a subject to commit improper or criminal actions during hypnosis or by post-hyp notic suggestion. There is, however, no doubt that subjects retain even in deep hypnosis a very con siderable power of resistance to any suggestion that is repugnant to their moral nature; and it has been shown that, on some cases in which a sub ject in hypnosis is made to perform some ostensibly criminal action, such as firing an unloaded pistol at a bystander or putting poison in a cup for him to drink, he is aware, however obscurely, of the un real nature of the situation. Nevertheless it must be adnditted that a person lacking in moral senti ments might be induced to commit actions from which in the normal state he would abstain, if only from fear of punishment ; and it is probable that a skillful and evil-intentioned operator could in some cases so deceive a well-disposed subject as to lead him into wrong-doing. The proper pre caution against such dangers is legislative regula tion of the practice of hypnotism such as is al ready enforced in some countries." See also Tuckey, Hypnotism and Suggestion (1907); Bramwell, Hyp notism (1906), with bibliography; Moll, Hypnotism ; Forel, Hypnotism (from the German).
Dr. Grashey, of Munich, thus defined hypnotic in fluence and suggestion.
"Suggestion means to suggest to somebody a cer tain thought, to persuade him that a certain idea transferred is his own. Suggestions play a great
role in the intellectual life of men, and especially in education. Children have no independent judg ment and rapidly adopt the thoughts suggested to them by their parents, teachers, and friends. But suggestive effect is due not merely to words, but also to example. A person can be *suggested to go to sleep. Stich a sleep, induced by suggestion, is called hypnosis, and the inducement of hypnosis is called hypnotism. The person who hypnotizes an other is called a hypnotizer. Hypnosis, or sleep in duced by suggestion, has the peculiarity that the subject remains in mental rapport with the hypno tizer, who can suggest or transfer thoughts to the hypnotized person, and then the latter can offer less resistance than in a wakeful state. Hypnosis has also the peculiarity that it can be produced easier and easier as the operation is repeated . . . Ac cording to my conception the grown man can be held devoid of his free will irresponsible then only when the action is exclusively or predominantly the product of abnormal or diseased factors, abnormal or diseased illusions, abnormal or diseased feelings, disposition, and will impulses . • . lf, however, as it is generally assured, the suggestibility increases with every new production of hypnosis, the will power, as against the will of the hypnotizer, de creases by degrees, and the interference with the freedom of the subject will Increase as well as the reatriction of the power of will . . . And thus we see a hpynotizer attain finally such power over his subject that a single word, a single look, may put him to steep . . . Not only In regard to the time of going to sleep, of the beginning of hypnosis, is the person hypnotized dependent upon the hypnotlz er, but aiso in regard to thoughts and feelings. A thought which is slightly opposed durbig the first condition of hypnosis in a iese decree than in the normal condition will meet with less opposition as the hypnotizing progress is continued ; sentiments and dispositions which were but slightly indicated during the operation will grow, become stron ger and more intense as the process is repeated. "Again a hypnotizer who has gained a certain power over an individual by a repetition of notic procedures can suggest successfully a thought or a, sentiment which in the commencement would hardly have been received, id thus the hypnotized individual faits Into a condition ion of eubserviency in ideas and sentiments at the cost of hie own free dom of viii;" 14 Med. Leg. J. 159-162.