Each of these is a disease in itself, and thus it is seen at once that a
treatment which employs diseases as its means of cure must be of a
dangerous kind. After the patient has been hypnotized by any of the
various processes--the chief are mesmeric passes of the hypnotizer's
hands, his eyes fixed into the eyes of his subject, or the latter's on
an object so held as to strain his eyes--the first stage of hypnotism is
obtained, that of lethargy. In the lethargic state, the subject appears
to be sunk in a deep sleep; his body is perfectly helpless; the limbs
hang down slackly, and when raised fall heavily into the same position.
In this condition all the striated or voluntary muscles react on
mechanical excitement. Without an accurate knowledge of anatomy, much
harm may be done by the experiment.
The second stage is that of catalepsy, certainly not a healthy condition
to be in. Its grand feature is a plastic immobility by which the subject
maintains all the attitudes given to his body and limbs, but with this
peculiarity, that the limbs and features act in unison. Join the hands
of the patient as if in devout prayer, and his countenance assumes a
devout expression; clench his fist, and anger is depicted in his
features.
The third stage is that of somnambulism. The skin is now insensible to
pain, but excessive keenness is manifested in the sight, hearing, smell,
and muscular sense. Here the impostor can play off his pretended
clairvoyance or second sight; for the subject will discover objects
hidden from sight by the sense of smell and other senses affected with
abnormal power. The somnambulist will now exhibit the utmost sensibility
to suggestions made to him by the hypnotizer, so that he seems to be
almost entirely controlled by the influence of the latter's will. This
is what chiefly favored the early theory that a mesmeric fluid emanated
from the mesmerizer by means of which he could act in his subject as he
pleased. The experiment by suggestions seems to succeed best with
hysterical patients, which fact confirms the morbid character of the
hypnotic trance.