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

  • James Braid
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.

    27/48 (page 25)
    in the pan of the water-closet of the success of my experunent. On being aroused from the sleep, this patient had no idea of what had happened, but he complained of a very bitter taste in his month.; When this gentleman called upon me next afternoon, he told me that the bitter taste which he complained of when he awoke out of his sleep the previous day, had been so disagreeable, that.when he got home he tried to wash it out of his mouth, but could not do so. Every morsel of food or moutlifnl of drink was disgustingly bitter, both at tea and supper, notwithstanding he had tried to get rid of it by repeatedly washing his mouth. On awaking in the morning the bitter taste remained the same, his breakfast being as bitter and unpalatable as his tea and supper had been. He again tried to wash it away by assiduous gargling, but without effect, and the bitter taste never ceased, to haunt him until some time about noon, ■*when his attention had become withdrawn from it through some cause of excitement which he met with in town. I shall now give a case in which a disgusting odour had made a painful and lasting impression on a person in the waking condition, and. which was speedily removed by hypnotism, after all other means resorted to had failed. Mrs —■.—, the mother of a large family, and at the time in question in perfect health, in July lb49 had gone to the house of a deceased friend when the body was in a state of advanced decomposition. She felt distressingly affected by the disr gusting odour, and for several days thereafter she never could enjoy a moment's pleasure for this disgusting odour, which haunted her night and day when awaken, notwithstanding she had tried all sorts of fragrant scents, salvolatile, snuft^ etc., and had even burnt lucifer matches and tobacco under her nostrils, but still the disgusting odour was as potent and persistent as ever. I hypnotised this patient, and, by audible and muscular suggestion, I led her mind to dwell on the idea of inhahug fragrant scents, and in five minutes I aroused her with this impression on her mind, when she expressed her delight with tlie fragrance with which slie wasmow siirrounded and feasted.' She had no return of the disgusting odour, not even wdien on several occasions she tried, by an effort of .attention, to recal it. Fourteen months after,, however, I hypnotised this patient in the presence of several scientific friends, whom I had previously told that I should endeavour'to recal this idea and impression in the sleep, and carry it into the waking condition. The patient.had no idea of my intentions, but after she had been in the sleep a short time, by applying one; finger to her nose and sniffing; whilst with the other hand 1 corru- gated her brows, drawing them, downwards over the root of the iiose,, the patient began to snitf,, and speedily expressed.dier, disgust with- the smell of putrid meat— that old smell come back again. On arousing her with this mental impression, and asking her iiow she folt, she replied, that old smell has come back again. Having then hnd the full manifestation, I wished to exhibit,.for she expjicjfly de^crijje.cj the peculiarj^^9i^U,.^^.j!^Q9^i;t,,.]^ imijrjedi^ltely hypnotise^