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it would be difficult to find a subject lending itself more readily to caricature.
This fact has kept many a person from studying hypnosis. A number of pretty
songs depicting hypnotism from a humorous point of view is to be found in Korb's
well-known Song-book for German Physicians and Scientists.
In art, also, hypnotism has played a certain part. Charcot and Richer in their
work, Les Demoniaques dans l'Art, have given illustrations depicting attacks
of hysteria, and considering
HISTORY OF HYPNOTISM. 33
the close connection between hysteria and hypnosis maintained by those authors,
it is not surprising to find them attempting to establish a similar connection
between art and grand hypnotisme. I may here mention that in the Paris Salon,
not long since, a picture was exhibited by Brouillet called "Une Lecon
clinique a la Salpetriere "; and I will take this opportunity of calling
to mind. that when mesmerism flourished, it was made use of in illustrative
art, but more particularly for satirical purposes. K. F. H. Marx mentions in
his treatise on the connection of illustrative art with the art of healing,
a
work by Chodowiecki entitled, A Magnetic Manipulation, and
a satirical sketch of Mesmer's magnetism by Fr. Sergent. Of a somewhat different
nature is the connection between hypnosis and art, as recently discussed by
Rochas and Otto Schultze, with whom Schrenck-Notzing and Lcewenfeld agree to
some extent. The three last-mentioned inquirers, writing in reference to the
exhibitions given by the "sleep-dancer" Magdeleine, give prominence
to the question as to how far the power of expressing the emotions during hypnosis
may be utilized for artistic purposes.
Certainly all the references to hypnotism and the numerous works on it, mentioned
in the last paragraph, demonstrate the general nature of the interest which
has been brought to bear on the question; and it may not be superfluous to draw
attention to the fact that hypnotism has not remained without influence on our
daily speech. When we say that a man seems "hypnotized," we mean that
his whole interest is so concentrated on one point that he neglects every other
important question. Similarly we employ the word "suggestion" to describe
the means by which one person may exercise undue influence over another.
We thus see how hypnotism has gained in significance, how it has gradually developed
itself out of animal magnetism, and what an important branch of modern science
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