James Braid’s writings, although they were discussed in detail in Littre and Robin’s “Lexicon,” were not at all the cause of Dr. Philips’ first books, who therefore came more independently to the study of the same phenomena.  Braid’s theories became known to him later by the observations made upon them in Beraud’s “Elements of Physiology” and in Littre’s notes in the translation of Mueller’s “Handbook of Physiology;” and he then wrote a second brochure, in which he gave in his allegiance to braidism.  His principal effort was directed to withdrawing the veil of mystery from the occurrences, and by a natural explanation relegating them to the realm of the known.  The trance caused by regarding fixedly a gleaming point produces in the brain, in his opinion, an accumulation of a peculiar nervous power, which he calls “electrodynamism.”  If this is directed in a skillful manner by the operator upon certain points, it manifests itself in certain situations and actions that we call hypnotic.  Beyond this somewhat questionable theory, both books contained a detailed description of some of the most important phenomena; but with the practical meaning of the phenomena, and especially with their therapeutic value, the author concerned himself but slightly.  Just on account of this pathological side, however, a certain attention has been paid to hypnotism up to the present time.

In the year 1847 two surgeons in Poictiers, Drs. Ribaut and Kiaros, employed hypnotism with great success in order to make an operation painless.  “This long and horrible work,” says a journal of the day, “was much more like a demonstration in a dissecting room than an operation performed upon a living being.”  Although this operation produced such an excitement, yet it was twelve years later before decisive and positive official intelligence was given of these facts by Broca, Follin, Velpeau, and Guerinau.  But these accounts, as well as the excellent little book by Dr. Azam, shared the fate of their predecessors.  They were looked upon by students with distrust, and by the disciples of Mesmer with scornful contempt.

The work of Demarquay and Giraud Teulon showed considerable advance in this direction.  The authors, indeed, fell back upon the theory of James Braid, which they called stillborn, and of which they said, “Elle est restee accrochee en route;” but they did not satisfy themselves with a simple statement of facts, as did Gigot Suard in his work that appeared about the same time.  Through systematic experiments they tried to find out where the line of hypnotic phenomena intersected the line of the realm of the known.  They justly recognized that hypnotism and hysteria have many points of likeness, and in this way were the precursors of the present Parisian school.  They say that from magnetic sleep to the hypnotic condition an iron chain can be easily formed from the very same organic elements that we find in historical conditions.