Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Hypnotism / by Francis R. Cruise. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![There were to be seen many phases of disease—chest affections, heart diseases, dyspepsia in all its phases, uterine ailments, diseases of the nervous system, ataxy, paralysis agitans, writer's cramp, neuralgia, hysteria—men and women of all ages, and many children. His procedure was as follows :—He placed the patients in turn in an easy reclining chair, with their backs to the light, questioned them closely as to their symptoms and sufferings, with a naivete quite astonishing to anyone accustomed to separate sexes and ages, and forthwith hypnotised them. His method is to make the sub- ject stare at two of his fingers, which he places a few inches from their eyes, and as soon as the eyes begin to water, and the pupils to dilate, he suggests sleep in an emphatic manner, and then closes their eyelids, gently pressing the eyeballs. In nearly every case, sooner or later, the patients passed into sleep, of very various degrees, no doubt; but to all he suggested verbally that on awakening their symptoms would be improved, at the same time rubbing strongly the seat of disease. In ten minutes or less he awakened them by fanning the face ; and when they were aroused, mostly very cold and disposed to rigor, all stated that their symptoms, whatever they may have been, were improved, and they went their way, returning in one or more days as he directed. I had the opportunity of closely interrogating these patients, and found all had the same story to tell—namely, that after Dr. Liebault's course of treatment—short or long as he required—they were either cured or relieved. Many of the cases were quite incurable, and relief only was possible; in others the cure was averred to be complete and lasting. Such was M. Liebault's clinique. It would be impossible to conceive anything more free from the faintest attempt at deception or clap-trap of any kind. The rooms were very plain, the doctor the impersonation of simple truth, and the patients for the most part of a humble c]ass—the least likely to expend their time unless satisfied with the value received. A few remarks seem needful here. As I stated, nearly all succumbed to hypnosis—fully 75 per cent. A few proved to be not hypnotisable. The cases in which I saw M. Liebault fail were women and children. In these instances it seemed impossible to fix the gaze, attention, and consent. Whenever these points were attainable the patient slept. As I observed already, the degree of hypnosis was variable. M. Liebault classifies it into six stages,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22304083_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
