Dr. William A. Hammond, of New York, who, it will be remembered, performed some rather remarkable experiments with cocaine not so very long ago, has found a new outlet for his indefatigable activity in investigating the interesting subject of hypnotism. Dr. Hammond tried the effects of cocaine upon himself; but to demonstrate the power of hypnotism required a coadjutor, whom he found in a young man of good health and good character. He first began his experiments in this direction, according to an interesting story in the New York Herald, some half-dozen years ago, before a society composed of members of the medical and legal professions. So remarkable were the results obtained, that the society refused to publish a report of the proceedings, for fear, it is stated, "of being laughed at." But now that recent experiments in hypnotism have been made in France, Dr. Hammond is so anxious that the public should know his share in the pursuit of this peculiar knowledge, that he ventures to break the long silence imposed upon him, and to describe the method by which he made this young man, of good health and good character, an unconscious criminal. This he did, not only on the memorable occasion in question, but has since often repeated the feat, "with very little effort," he says, before select audiences at his own office. He therefore speaks upon the subject with something of the authority due an original investigator of scientific truth.
The condition of hypnotism—which Dr. Hammond prefers, as he says, to call syggignoscism, "(we venture to add that most people will prefer the usual and easier word)—is in reality, we are told, "a condition of automatism in which acts are performed without the conscious willing of the subject." In other words, it is the old mesmerism of the travelling professor and conjurer, reduced to a basis of scientific terms. These well-known tricks were repeated with greater variety and power in Dr. Hammond's experiments. The conclusions to be deduced from them are stated by him as follows:—
All these facts go to show that there is something in an animal's organization, besides its brain, which is capable of carrying on the functions of life. In hypnotism there is an apparent cutting off of certain portions of the brain; the basal ganglia—all that mass of gray matter at the base of the brain—may be able to act, but the higher portions of the brain appear to be impaired, so as to give rise to very curious phenomena. We are all conscious of our existence. We are all conscious of our identity. In cases of hypnotism the consciousness seems to be so altered that the individual is not aware of his identity. It is a condition of double consciousness.
