Hypnotism as an aid to crime has been variously discust in
France from both the medical and the legal side, with the
general conclusion that legislation is needed to cover the most
palpable employment of it. The fact that a hypnotized subject
can take and execute a criminal suggestion made by another,
and yet be really innocent of any immoral intent, is beyond
all doubt; and this fact has led observers to the conclusion
that the blame must rest upon the giver of the suggestion. An
additional precaution which the true originator of the crime
might take would be to give a suggestion forbidding the subject
to reveal to any one the name of the suggester or the fact of
the suggestion. On the contrary, he was to say and feel that the
act was committed of his own accord. This complicated the legal
aspect of the question very seriously; but further experiments
have shown that the instigator of the crime would not be so
entirely safe, after all. M. Jules Liegeois, who has studied
most carefully the legal aspects of hypnotism, suggested to a
lady subject that she take a pistol and shoot a certain Mr. O.
She acted out the suggestion perfectly, not knowing that the
load was a blank cartridge. When again hypnotized, she admitted
the crime and defended her action. Another gentleman now gave
her the suggestions (1) that when the instigator of the crime
enters the room she should go to sleep for two minutes; (2) on
awakening, she should fix her eyes upon the man constantly until
allowed to desist; (3) she should then stand in front of him and
attempt to conceal him. When M. Liegeois entered the room, she
fell asleep, and did all that was asked of her, thus revealing
the instigator, tho told by him not to do so. Professor Bernheim
induced a subject to steal, and forbade him to mention that
he had been told to do it. The patient said he stole because
the idea occurred to him, but, when told to go up to the true
criminal and say, “Please sing me the ‘Marseillaise,’” he did
so. It seems, then, that the subject will do nothing that he has
been categorically forbidden to do, but that he will succumb to
an indirect mode of revealing the true instigator of the crime.
This certainly aids the courts, but it is a question how far
it will be of service when the true criminal is not present,
and whether additional suggestions in the first instance will
not considerably interfere with the reliability of later
testimony. Its further development will be watched with great
interest by all students of the scientific aspects of mental
phenomena.--_Science._
(1473)