In the pretty little hall of the Boulevard des Italiens, at Paris, a
striking exhibition of simulated hypnotism is given every evening.
This entertainment, which has met with much success, was devised by
Mr. Melies, director of the establishment, which was founded many
years ago by the celebrated prestidigitator whose popular name (Robert
Houdin) it still bears. This performance carries instruction with it,
for it shows how easily the most surprising phenomena of the
pathologic state can be imitated. To this effect, several exhibitions
are given every evening.
Mr. Harmington, a convinced disciple of Mesmer, asks for a subject,
and finds one in the hall. A young artist named Marius presents
himself. Mr. Harmington makes him perform all sorts of extravagant
acts, accompanied with a continuous round of pantomimes that are
rendered the more striking by the supposed state of somnipathy of the
subject. At the moment at which Marius is finishing his most
extraordinary exercises, a policeman suddenly breaks in upon the stage
in order to execute the recent orders relative to hypnotism. But he
himself is subjugated by Mr. Harmington and thrown down by the
vibrations of which the encephalus of this terrible magnetizer is the
center. When the curtain falls, the representative of authority is
struggling against the catalepsy that is overcoming him.
All the phenomena of induced sleep are successively simulated with
much naturalness by Mr. Jules David, who plays the part of Marius in
this pleasing little performance.
At a certain moment, after skillfully simulated passes made by the
magnetizer, Mr. David suddenly becomes as rigid as a stick of wood,
and falls in pivoting on his heels (Fig. 1). Did not Mr. Harmington
run to his assistance, he would inevitably crack his skull upon the
floor, but the magnetizer stands just behind him in order to receive
him in his arms. Then he lifts him, and places him upon two chairs
just as he would do with a simple board. He places the head of the
subject upon the seat of one of the chairs and the heels upon that of
the other. Mr. David then remains in a state of perfect immobility.
Not a muscle is seen to relax, and not a motion betrays the
persistence of life in him. The simulation is perfect.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--CATALEPTIC RIGIDITY.]
In order to complete the astonishment of the spectators, Mr.
Harmington seats himself triumphantly upon the abdomen of the subject
and slowly raises his feet and holds them suspended in the air to show
that it is the subject only that supports him, without the need of
any other point of support than the two chairs (Fig. 2).
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--EXPERIMENT ON THE SAME SUBJECT.]
Usually, there are plenty of persons ingenuous enough to think that
Mr. David is actually in a cataleptic sleep, one of the characters of
which is cadaveric rigidity.
As Mr. David's neck is entirely bare, it is not possible to suppose
that the simulator of catalepsy wears an iron corset concealed beneath
his clothing. He has performed a feat of strength and skill rendered
easy by the exercise that he has given to the muscles occupying the
_colliciæ_ of his vertebral column. This part of the muscular system
is greatly developed in the weakest and least hardy persons. In fact,
in order that man may keep a vertical position and execute an infinite
multitude of motions in which stability is involved, nature has had to
give him a large number of different organs. The muscles of the back
are arranged upon several superposed layers, the vertebral column is
doubly recurved in order that it may have more strength, and, finally,
rachidion nerves issue from each vertebra in order to regulate the
contraction of each muscular fasciculus according to the requirements
of equilibrium. The trick is so easy that we have seen youths
belonging to the Ligue d'Education Physique immediately imitate Mr.
David after seeing him operate but once.
For the sake of those who would like to perform it, we shall add that
Mr. David takes care to bend his body in the form of an arch in such a
way that the convexity shall be beneath. As Mr. Harmington never fails
to place himself in the center of the line that joins Mr. David's head
and heels, his weight is divided into two parts, that is to say, 88
pounds on each side of the point of support. The result is that the
stress necessary is less than that of a strong man of the Halle
lifting a bag of wheat to his shoulder or of an athlete supporting a
human pyramid. The force of contraction of the muscular fibers brought
into play in this experiment is much greater than is commonly
believed. In his lectures on physiology, Milne-Edwards cites some
facts that prove that it may exceed 600 pounds per square inch of
section.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--THE PERFORATE ARM.]
The experiment on cadaveric rigidity is followed by others in
insensibility. Mr. David, without wincing, allows a poignard to be
thrust into his arm, which Mr. Harmington has previously
"cataleptized" (Fig. 3). This trick is performed by means of a blade
divided into two parts that are connected by a semicircle. This
process is well known to prestidigitators, but it might be executed in
a genuine manner. In fact, on replacing the poignard by one of the
gold needles used by physicians for acupuncture, it would be possible
to dispense with prestidigitation. Under such conditions it is
possible to transpierce a person's arm. The pain is supportable, and
consists in the sensation of a prick produced in the passage of the
needle through the skin. As for the muscular flesh, that is of itself
perfectly insensible. The needle, upon the necessary antiseptic
precautions being taken, may traverse the veins and arteries with
impunity, provided that it is not allowed to remain long enough to
bring about the formation of a clot of coagulated blood (Fig. 4).
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--AN ARM TRANSPIERCED BY A NEEDLE.]
We think it of interest to add that it is necessary that the
experiment be performed by a practitioner if one desires to
demonstrate upon himself a very curious physiological fact that has
been known from the remotest antiquity. It has been employed for
several thousand years in Chinese medicine, for opening a passage for
the bad spirits that produce diseases. For some years past a much more
serious use has been made of it in European medicine for introducing
electric currents into the interior of the organism. In this case the
perimeter of the needle is insulated, and the electricity flows into
the organism through the point. We have several times had these
operations performed upon ourselves, and this permits us to assert
that the above mentioned facts are absolutely true.--_La Nature._
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