Braid now set to work to investigate the symptomatology of hypnosis, and in 1843 published his Neurypnology, a treatise on the subject. He was acquainted with the cataleptic phenomena and certain suggestions, and used hypnotism therapeutically; in particular, he used it to perform painless surgical operations, just as mesmerism had been made use of in former times. Compared with his earlier works, Braid's later writings show great progress; in them he lays far greater emphasis on the psychical significance of hypnosis than had been his wont. In this connection I may mention his work entitled Magic, Witchcrafts Animal Magnetism, Hypnotism, and Electro-Biology, a third edition of which appeared in 1852. In the result we see Braidism, as the state investigated by him. is sometimes called, occasionally used for therapeutic purposes, but more particularly for the performance of painless surgical operations. Among those who used hypnotism in surgery, the following deserve to be mentioned: - Loysel, Fontan, and Toswel in London; Joly, Ribaud, Kiaro (according to Max Dessoir), Varges, and Herzog. The last-named had acquired his knowledge of animal magnetism from Colonel Bruce-Bey, of Stockholm, who had long resided in the East. Yet in spite of these individual efforts, and although distinguished men of science like the well-known physiologist Carpenter, as well as Laycock, James Simpson, Mayo, and others, confirmed the facts, hypnotism found no general acceptance either in medicine or in any other branch of science.

It remained an isolated phenomenon.

The doctrine of animal magnetism was not, however, entirely forgotten: in lay circles, at least, it retained many permanent adherents. This was particularly the case in England, for Carl Scholl tells us that, somewhere about 1852, his attention was drawn to the meeting-places of mesmerists by bills and notices posted at the street corners. One Haddock, by name, acquired a certain amount of distinction among English mesmerists by reason of a book which he wrote on the phenomena of vital magnetism. This work was translated into German by Merkel, who, in a preface, advised his readers to send either their autograph or a lock of their hair to Haddock, who would then be able to put them en rapport with Emma, the clairvoyante. Dr. George Barth, also, was a well-known London magnetizer. A similar state of affairs obtained on the Continent. In Paris the doctrine of animal magnetism continued to flourish extensively in lay circles. Scholl, whose writings have already been mentioned, describes the public sessions of one of the societies of mesmerists.

In Germany also a few individual adherents of the old doctrine were always to be found, and from time to time some magnetizer appeared there in public - as, for example, the French magnetizer, Laurent, who, with Miss Prudence, the lady upon whom he operated, created a certain amount of excitement in Wiesbaden in 1850.

In America, meanwhile, animal magnetism had gained adherents; New Orleans was, for a long time, its chief centre. Kiernan has collected a number of historical notes treating of the position of American psychiatry in respect to animal magnetism. In his book on the Treatment of Insanity, which appeared in 1846, Gait, of Virginia, expresses very sceptical views as to the value of animal magnetism in the treatment of mental disease; and Brigham states that in 1841 he experimented on five patients, but without success. Mitchell also, whose reports are more detailed, found only one-seventh of the persons experimented on responsive to mesmeric manipulation. No serious case was cured, though it was found that temporary improvement could be obtained in some nervous states. In 1843, Estes, of Columbus, Miss., and others made similar experiments.

A few years later than Braid, Grimes appeared in North America, and, independently of Braid, obtained like results. The states produced by Grimes were called electro-biological. Among his adherents Dods and Stone must be mentioned. Electro-biology was introduced into Europe by Darling and a French physician named Durand de Gros. The latter had lived in America, where he wrote under the pseudonym Philips. He returned to Europe in 1853.

Braid's discovery was first made known in Bordeaux by Azam, in 1859. Encouraged by Bazin and mocked at by others, Azam made some hypnotic experiments; he communicated the results to Broca, in Paris. The latter discussed hypnotism before the Acadimie des Sciences. It was soon made use of to perform painless operations; Velpeau, Follin, and Gudrineau in particular made experiments. Other physicians, Demarquay and Giraud-Teulon, as well as Berend in Berlin, Pincus in Glogau, and Heyfelder in St. Petersburg, showed the slight value of hypnotism for surgery. In consequence of this it found no acceptance in medicine at that time. The experiments of Lasegue in 1865, when he obtained cataleptic phenomena by closing the eyes, aroused no particular interest. In the following years we only find here and there, especially in some English scientific works, brief notices of hypnotism or mesmerism, as in Thomas Watson's Lectures (1875), in Tanner's Practice of Medicine (1875), and in Quain's Dictionary of Medicine, in which Bastian wrote on Hypnosis, and urged the need for further investigation (Felkin).

Meanwhile, Liebeault, who later removed to Nancy, had made himself familiar with the phenomena of hypnotism and animal magnetism. The last he endeavoured to refute, and he became the real founder of the therapeutics of suggestion. His book published in 1866 (Du Sommeil, etc.), which is even to-day very well worth reading, contains his ideas; it remained little known, and the author was much laughed at.

Suggestion had undoubtedly been applied before Liebeault's time, in the waking as well as in the hypnotic condition. We find in the literature of mesmerism many indications that the followers of animal magnetism frequently regarded speech as the bearer of magnetism; for example, Ennemoser and Szapary. As Bramwell very properly reminds us, there is frequent reference in Braid's writings to the great influence of verbal suggestion. It was, however, Liebeault who first utilized suggestion methodically. It must not be forgotten also that it was through Liebeault, as we shall see, that Bernheim was induced to turn to the study of hypnotic suggestion, while through Bernheim the attention of many other investigators was called to hypnosis. The later historical development of hypnosis begins with Liebeault. That some earlier writers, however, knew much that he more fully worked out cannot be doubted.