The old mesmerists attempted to fix on certain signs as indicative of susceptibility to magnetic influence. Any lack in this respect was explained on various grounds. Dechambre tells us how Prince Henry, the brother of Frederick the Great, once came to Paris and attended the seances given by a French officer who indulged in magnetism. Mesmer appeared on the scene and proposed to magnetize the prince, but the latter "no more slept than he did at Friedberg or at Breslau. He did not even experience any of those sensations which magnetization is supposed to induce." Of course the ill-success of the experiment was finally attributed to the countervailing influence of " royal blood."

Nationality (Ewald), or local surroundings (Brugia), have no influence upon susceptibility to hypnotism. Forel in Zurich, Renterghem in Amsterdam, and Wetterstrand in Stockholm, have shown that Teutonic peoples are as easy to hypnotize as Latin. Besides, Braid's experiences in London show nearly the same thing; on one occasion in London, he was able to hypnotize sixteen out of the eighteen persons he experimented on. Recently it has been pointed out in many quarters that Russians are more easily hypnotized than any other people. At all events the fact remains that susceptibility to hypnosis is not a special characteristic of the Latin races. It is also to be noted that Ringier and Terrien have shown that rural populations are easily hypnotizable.

With regard to age, infants under three years of age can hardly be hypnotized at all, and even up to six years of age children can only be hypnotized with difficulty. Although children are otherwise easily influenced, their thoughts are so readily distracted that they cannot fix their minds on a prescribed picture, such as that of hypnosis. Old age is by no means refractory to hypnosis. According to the experiences of the Nancy school, with which mine agree, older persons more often remember, after hypnosis, all that has happened than do younger ones. Sex has no particular influence; it is a mistake to suppose that women are better adapted than men; though Lcewenfeld may possibly be right in stating that deep hypnosis is more easily induced in woman than in man.

Besides this, individual observers (Bremaud, Maack) mention some points which may be favourable or unfavourable. Bremaud, for example, mentions alcohol as favourable, Maack as unfavourable. But universal conclusions should not be drawn from a few isolated observations. For the same reason I question the accuracy, of some of Ringier's statements, though the rest of his remarks are of great practical value. According to him hypnosis is less easily induced in winter than in summer, because cold is supposed to be unfavourable; thus persons who were easily hypnotized in summer became refractory in winter.

The frequency with which an attempt should be made on the same person is of considerable importance. While, according to Hahnle, only one person in ten proves susceptible on the first attempt, the proportion increases with the frequency of the sittings. This is not to be wondered at, from the excitement shown by many people in the beginning. And as it is most important to hypnosis that the attention should not be distracted, many people are first of all obliged to learn to concentrate their thoughts. I doubt whether continued attempts render everybody hypnotizable, though some earnest investigators hold such to be the case. I have myself made forty or more attempts with some persons without obtaining hypnosis. Perhaps by even longer continued efforts a result would have been obtained, as indeed has happened to me many times even after forty vain attempts. Any one may possibly win the big prize in the lottery provided he lives long enough and keeps on buying fresh tickets. In other cases the exact opposite occurs, and the oftener the attempt is made, the less successful it is; by a process of auto-suggestion a person persuades himself that he is not hypnotizable. There are cases in which we get evanescent symptoms of hypnosis.

Similarly, there are people who at first willingly submit to hypnotic experiments, but later on become intentionally refractory and thereby exclude the possibility of being hypnotized, i Besides these subjective conditions there are some objective ones. Thus, for example, disturbing noises at the first experiment have power to prevent hypnosis: they draw off the attention, and thus interfere with the mental state necessary for hypnosis. When once hypnosis has been induced, noises are less disturbing in subsequent experiments. Further, the environment of the subject must be considered. Any sign of mistrust on the part of lookers-on may easily spoil the experiment; and it is well that the subject should live, as it were, in an atmosphere of suggestion. It is well known that many persons can be speedily hypnotized when the above conditions are fulfilled, and that, as a rule, such precautions enhance the possibility of hypnotizing new subjects. Again, the susceptibility of a whole town or populace may be influenced to a remarkable degree by the manner in which the hypnotizer presents himself to the general public. This, in itself, accounts for the great variations in susceptibility to hypnosis which have shown themselves at different times and places.

It is, consequently, not surprising that on one occasion ten persons, one after the other, are hypnotized, while on another occasion ten other persons all prove refractory.

Experience and a knowledge of the mental conditions of mankind are indispensable for the hypnotizer, for he has to gauge each individual subject and work upon his susceptibilities. In this respect practice naturally plays an important part. Practice and a gift for observation enable the right stress to be laid at the right moment either on fixed attention or on the closing of the eyes. The experienced experimenter knows how to judge whether it is best in any particular case to attain his aim by speaking, or whether, as sometimes happens, speech would be a hindrance, and the chief stress would be best laid on mesmeric passes, etc. A person who is easily hypnotized can be hypnotized by any one, but one who is hypnotized with difficulty can only be thrown into hypnosis by a good experimenter. The factors which play a part in inducing the hypnosis cannot always be recognized at once. It sometimes happens that a person A. can be hypnotized by B., while he remains refractory to the efforts of C. On the other hand, it may happen that D. can be influenced by C, but not by B. This shows that the influence of one person over another depends on the individuality of both.