Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/397

 ALCOHOLIC HYPNOTISM.

Of all diseases which have the most numerous incidental and indirect evil effects, none perhaps is more conspicuous than alcoholism. It weakens the normal resistance of the body to most diseases. We used to hear a well-known Paris surgeon say to the students : " Gentlemen, this man has been a drinker, which complicates his chances of recovery."

But alcoholism is a still greater evil on its sociological side. The police-court platitude, " Ten dollars or thirty days," is most often pronounced upon the poor. If the unfortunate wife struggles to furnish the ten dollars, it signifies taking from her- self and children their very life blood. If her husband is imprisoned, she loses his support for thirty days; this means less food and raiment, where already there may be criminal deprivation; in either dilemma the innocent mother and children almost forfeit the rights of existence.

But alcoholism also develops criminal tendencies in certain individuals, which they seem to be unconscious of. We refer to criminal acts committed in a condition of alcoholic hypnotism or somnambulism.

Somnambulism may be one of the deeper stages of hypno- tism ; it may be regarded as auto-hypnotism, where the subject is acting out his dreams.

Somnambulism may be defined as the condition of an indi- vidual who seems to act in a normal manner, who performs acts relatively complex, but has no knowledge of what he does, or at least does not preserve any memory of it. As everyone knows, this state is met with either under color of an accident in some sort of idiopathic condition, as natural somnambulism, or one is under the influence of hypnotism or hypnotic somnambulism.

Alcoholic somnambulism is important from the legal point of view. That alcoJiol, in certain quantities, can produce at least a fleeting oblivion, an eclipse of memory, is a fact demonstrated by dail}' experience. Everyone has heard it said, if he has not

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