Braid’s First Lectures on Hypnotism
Copyright (c) Donald Robertson, 2010. All rights reserved.
This newspaper report, by an anonymous journalist, vividly describes a group demonstration by James Braid, the Scottish surgeon who discovered hypnotism. Braid had recently witnessed a series of stage shows by Charles Lafontaine, a flamboyant Swiss Mesmerist. Although Braid was impressed by the physical and psychological responses of Lafontaine’s subjects, he rejected the theory that they were influenced by a supernatural power known as “animal magnetism”, and attempted to prove instead that Mesmerism achieved its results by natural means, involving focused attention upon a fixed point which could potentially induce a state of heightened suggestibility he termed “neurohypnotism”, or “hypnotism” for short.
Although Braid attempted to replicate the phenomena of Mesmeric “clairvoyance” in this demonstration, he soon concluded that “clairvoyance”, which referred in part to the ability to see objects through closed eyelids, might be an illusion due to a heightening of the normal senses, or the eyes being imperfectly closed. Hence, in Observations on Trance (1850) he subsequently writes, “I believe the great cause of opposition which has been offered to the acceptance of the truth of the genuine phenomena of hypnotism and Mesmerism, has arisen from the extravagance of the Mesmerists, who have contended for the reality of clairvoyance in some of their patients, such as seeing through opaque bodies, and investing them with gifts and graces of omniscience, omnipresence, Mesmeric intuition, and universal knowledge – pretensions alike a mockery of the human understanding, as they are opposed to all the known laws of physical science.”
Mr. Braid’s Lecture on Animal Magnetism
The Manchester Courier, Saturday, December 11th 1841
Mr. Braid delivered his third public lecture in explanation and illustration of the phenomena attributed to animal magnetism, on Wednesday evening [8th December 1841], in the theatre of the Mechanics’ Institution. In this lecture Mr. Braid undertook to show the effects of his important discovery, by establishing its power of producing sleep, insensibility to pain, the cataleptiform state, somnambulism, and clairvoyance, upon a number of patients who would walk, hold conversation, not as required, and even name what was held before them whilst their eyelids were closed. Mr. Braid commenced his lecture with some details of his visit to M. Lafontaine’s conversazione, which first led him to investigate the subject, and of his first experiments in private. He then gave a more detailed statement than on former occasions of his views as to the cause of the phenomena. Having concluded his lecture Mr. Braid proceeded to illustrate it by experiments on his own patients, mostly females, all of which were attended with the most satisfactory results. A gentleman asked if Mr. Braid could not produce the same effects on strangers.
Mr. Braid said: Certainly — I am willing to take any number of ladies and gentlemen who may prove it themselves.
An instantaneous rush of candidates almost immediately crowded the stage, and out of these fourteen were arranged in a line standing before the audience. To nine of these Mr. Braid affixed a cork, which projected from the centre of the forehead; the remainder he directed to look up t a point on the ceiling of the theatre. They were directed to preserve a steady gaze, and as far as possible to abstract their minds from everything going on around them. These persons we believe were all strangers to Mr. Braid, and none of them had submitted to the operation before. Two of the young men were affected by the operation in less than thirty seconds, and their arms were raised in a state of catalepsy. A third gentleman, Mr. Cope, soon afterward became apparently somnolent, and his arms being raised were rendered cataleptic. It is a singular fact that this gentleman on stepping down to submit himself f to the operation said, “Seeing is not believing,” and Mr. Braid being now informed of the expression, mentioned it to the audience. Mr. Cope, who was now in the state called clairvoyance, and had walked across the stage, heard what took place, and immediately replied, “but I believe now.” — Mr. Braid: You do believe there b reality in it now then? — Mr. Cope: Yes, a fearful reality. Some of Mr. Cope’s personal acquaintances here spoke to him, and he a t once recognised their voices. He was asked if he wished to be released from the influences, and he answered “not at present — I should wish to be tested first with the pin.” He heard the whisper of friends at a distance, and said he thought his sense of hearing was very acute, for the noise about him was very painful to him. The noise to which Mr. Cope alluded was the mirth of the audience, which had been awakened by the grotesque figure of a mechanic dressed in his corduroys, with a somewhat dirty face, who had now become somnolent and was walking about with his arms raised in the cataleptiform state. This man, who seemed to be a sensible well-informed mechanic, was allowed to go into the deeper stages of the catalepsy, and though able to walk about and answer questions, his hands were cold and arms stretched out in such a state of rigidity, that we have reason to believe a 50lb weight might have been suspended from them without weighing them down.
By this time the experiments had succeeded on about ten of the fourteen patients, and they were in a state of somnambulism, answering the voice of everyone who thought proper to call them. The scene was a most extraordinary and interesting one, and the theatre rung with the plaudits of the company. Whilst the patients were thus walking about with closed eyes, it is a singular fact that they never came in contact, and Mr. Braid called attention in particular to the care yet ease with which they turned round, making one heel a sort of pivot on which the body could wheel about with safety. Great numbers of the audience examined and tested them, and amongst others Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Buck, engineers; Mr. Alderman Shuttleworth; Mr. Holland, surgeon; Dr. Radford, and Mr. Day.
M. Lafontaine, who had entered the theatre, and taken a seat on the front benches, along with Mr. Lynill, was also asked to test some of the patients, but he declined.
Attention was called during the proceedings to a gentleman sitting in the gallery, who had been experimenting on himself, and fallen into a complete state of somnolency. When roused from it by Mr. Braid, amidst the laughter of the audience, he looked a little disconcerted, but seemed none the worse.
Mr. Braid here called attention to one of the patients who, though somnolent, had his eyelids unclosed. Mr. Braid observed that though he was apparently in the same state, so far as his eyes were concerned, as usual, yet the muscle which usually closes the eye, had become spasmodically contracted, and did not act. [Braid appears to have been something of an eye specialist in his medical practice.]
A gentleman asked if Mr. Braid could render one part of the body sensible, while another was cataleptic? He replied in the affirmative, and the mechanic we have before alluded to had one arm rendered quite supple, by means apparently of a gentle tap on the elbow, to rouse the circulation of the blood. When afterwards released from the state altogether, which was done almost in a moment by a blast directed from a small pair of bellows directed at the eyes, he described his sensations, and was sensible of everything going on around him. He said that one of the sensations was a tingling or pricking similar to that produced in the hands or feet after remaining in one position, or “going to sleep”, as it was called. [The reporter means the familiar sensation called "pins and needles".]
Mr Cope having been tested by the pricking of pins on the forehead and palms of his hands, was now aroused, and on being asked to describe his sensations, said:–
Ladies and gentleman, I can much better endure the applause with which you have now welcomed me forward, than I could your noise and merriment whilst in a state of somnolency, or clairvoyance. I could not then hear the slightest noise without pain, and I make this remark in the hope that it will induce you to observe more silence during other experiments. The sensation I felt from that noise, arising, I suppose, from an increased and stimulated sense of hearing, was so dreadful that I felt as though my whole frame would be seriously convulsed. When I first went down to submit myself voluntarily to Mr. Braid’s directions I did not at first surrender my mind, and was sensible to all that was going on; which shows the necessity, as he says, of abstracting the attention and mind from everything. I recollect afterwards, that just as I was becoming sleepy Mr. Braid touched my arm with his glass baton, and that partly roused me, but I soon afterwards was unable to resist the influence, and closed my eyes. I was then seized with a powerful wish to be at rest, and undisturbed. After a few minutes I became more sensible to light, though my eyelids were closed, I could not, however, see anything before me, though it is possible I might afterwards, as the sense of light seemed to become gradually more intense. When the gentlemen tested me with pins I did not feel pain; the sensation was as though some thick, blunt instrument had been thrust against my hands and forehead. As to the state of rigidity in which my arms were, that is attended with a peculiar sensation. If I had been asked if I could move my arms I think I should have said “Yes.” The rigidity seemed to arise more from an absence of will to move my arms than anything else. I was asked once to move my arms, but I did not feel as though I could not; I felt as though I could not rouse my will to try to do it. During the whole time I felt no unpleasantness, except from the noise – rather the contrary. (Applause.)
Mr. Braid said this gentleman had explained his sensations so clearly that he should like him to be “magnetised” on M. Lafontaine’s principle, with the manipulations [i.e., the Mesmeric passes], in order that he might say if there was any difference of feeling between the two states.
Mr. Cope consented, and was in a state of clairvoyance again in a few minutes. On being afterwards roused he stated that his feelings were precisely the same as before; proving, as Mr. Braid observed, that “animal” magnetism, so-called, was a mistaken notion and that its effects could be produced without animal contact better than with. Were it otherwise, indeed, he should have been surprised; for he could not believe that the Almighty would ever have placed an accountable being so under the influence of others, as to render them incapable of resisting an influence which might be exerted for the worst of purposes, even with their consent. (Applause.) It might be said that the same objections applied to these [Braid's] operations, but he would submit that in these cases that the patient would be responsible for the first act. [In hypnotism, the subject first voluntarily consents to follow the initial instructions for the induction technique.] (Applause.) He expressed his conviction that the influences now exhibited might be produced by any person upon himself, either in a light or dark room; but he cautioned the public of the danger, which he felt assured if pursued without the superintendence of a person who thoroughly understood it, and even then if allowed to go too far, would end in death. As a proof of the danger, he said he had been told that one of M. Lafontaine’s patients was twelve hours in being roused from catalepsy one night after he left the lecture room. So singular was the fact, that it depended when a person went to beu____ the position in which he placed his eyes, whether he would sleep the sleep that refreshes, or close his eyes in the sleep everlasting. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Braid continued his experiments to a late hour, varying the mode, sometimes getting the patients to look upwards, and sometimes sidewards, and always with the same effect; but we are compelled for want of space to limit our notice. We should think that during the evening not less than twenty persons were rendered somnolent and cataleptic.
A girl who was placed in a state of clairvoyance created much interest, being able to hear and follow the tick of a watch held at five or six feet distance from her, even in the partial silence which could be obtained in a large and crowded lecture room. Though her eyes were closed she could also distinguish articles held before her by the company and tell their names. Amongst others she named a pencil case, a watch, a glove, a piece of glass, etc.
One of the directors, at the close of the proceedings, propose that they should return Mr. Braid their most sincere thanks for the lecture he had so kindly given, and the extraordinary phenomena they had witnessed in his experiments.
The proposal was assented to, and carried by acclamation.
A gentleman asked if any good could be produced by the experiments Mr. Braid had exhibited? Mr. Braid replied that all the advantages of the discovery had not yet probably been ascertained, but one important result had been attained certainly, and he mentioned an instance in his surgery where a person previously deaf had been enabled to hear.
On Thursday evening, M. Lafontaine delivered another lecture at the Athenaeum, maintaining the views which he had formerly promulgated, to the effect that in the act of mesmerising a kind of magnetic fluid passed from the hands and body of the operator, and enveloped the subject, and that this caused the peculiar phenomena exhibited. He performed some experiments, one on the French girl who travels with him, and she was thrown into a frightful state of convulsion, from which she was obliged to be released. Some of the company were afterwards invited to sit down; one gentleman offered himself, but no effect was produced on him. M. Lafontaine did not controvert the theory put forward by Mr. Braid, and on being asked his opinion of it, deferred giving it till some future period.