Hypnotic therapeutics : illustrated by cases : with an appendix on table-moving and spirit-rapping / by James Braid.

  • Braid, James, 1795?-1860.
Date:
[1853]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hypnotic therapeutics : illustrated by cases : with an appendix on table-moving and spirit-rapping / by James Braid. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    16/48 (page 14)
    tt)0 bowels, tlie tendency to void urine, exciting the secretion of milk il^. the nurse by directing the attention of the subject to the mammaB, or talldng within her hearing about her child; and the same of other functions, according to the mental direction and ideas suggested to the mind of the patient by words spoken aloud in his hearing, or otherwise. There is evidently an: immediate increased determinar tion of blood, and of increased sensibility, to whatever organ or func- tion, or part, the mind of the patient is directed under such circum- stances, especially if he is fully persuaded in his own mind, and ex- pects such exciting results. Let any one only reflect for a moment on the physiological phenomena of blushing. In this case the capil- lary circulation of the cheeks, or of the whole face and neck in some subjects, immediately assumes such a I'emarkable change as to paint the cheeks, face, and neck of a scarlet hue, even in those who have a pale complexion generally, from red globules crowding through vessels which, in their ordinary condition, admit chiefly the colour- less part of the blood, or red globules in single file only. All this * I'emarkable physical change is entirely due to mental emotion, and yet it is efl^ected with a rapidity which could scarcely be equalled by the application to the parts so afiPected of the most violent mecha- nical or chemical stimuli. Again, pallor from mental emotion is the reverse of blushing, and is equally prompt in its response. Where, then, is the difficulty m comprehending why a dommant expectant idea in the mind of a patient should be adequate to pro- duce effects equally ])otent on other parts of the body, and on special oi'gans, when strongly concentrated on such organs or parts ? Upon the same principle, weakened muscles may be permanently energised by being called into strong or cataleptiform action during the general excitement; or they may be improved by being kept limber, and an inordinate quantity of blood forced to circulate through them, whilst the other muscles are kept ligid. To manage this with precision and due advantage, however, professional skill is i*equisite in the operator, to enable him to determine what the indication of cure is, and to what exteip^t |t-should be carried in each particular case.'' !i-,Mv).t Y''^'-Y'^'''''''''''^'''''''i ' '<■• II'•;ni->vTfe* • •• From the impossibility of fixing the mental attention of an idiot for any length of time, 1 have never been able to hypnotise any de- cidedly idiotic patiept,—which I consider to be an important fact, and one which is strongly confirmatory of .njy .theory of the nature and cause of the hypnotic condition. ' • In ordinary practice we aim, by different means, at attaining the sajne ends as those pointed out as producible by my hypnotic pro- 1 Undoubtedly non-professional persons might he trained to act under the special direction of medical men, as to the mode and extent of management in each particular case. But, from the length of time required for prolonging the processes in some cases, this could not be accorded personally by medical men generally. Until assistants are trained, therefore, for the purpose, hyp- notism never can be applied in general practice so much as it otherwise would be.