LES ÉMOTIONS CHEZ LES SUJETS EN ÉTAT D'HYPNOTISME. ÉTUDE DE PSYCHOLOGIE EXPERIMENTALE FAITES A L'AIDE DE SUBSTANCES MEDICAMENTEUSES OU TOXIQUES IMPRESSIONNANT A DISTANCE LES RÉSEAUX NERVEUX PÉRIPHÉRIQUES.
Paris: Librairie j.-b. Baillière et fils, 1887. First edition. 8vo., half-title, [1] advert, 106 pp., 3 - 8 adverts, with 7 leaves of plates. Original printed wrappers, with an advert on the rear wrapper. The front wrapper is edge chipped and detached with no loss of text; the rear wrapper is lacking the upper left corner with a slight loss of the advert text and chipping at the blank fore edge and the joint at the spine. Normal waving to the mounts of the stock on which the plates are mounted has allowed occasional light dusting to the blank margins; plates separated from text. Wrapper faults aside, this is a very good and unopened copy. Stamped on the front wrapper and title page " Hommage des Editeurs." Item #52775
Jules Bernard Luys (1828 - 1897) obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1857, having conducted extensive research on the anatomy, pathology and functions of the nervous system; in 1862, he occupied the positions of head of department in Salpétrière, and then later at Charity. "An Anatomopathologist of development, his research was focused on the nervous system and the brain. Anxious to represent his findings as precisely as possible, he chose not to use traditional drawings or engravings but instead photography to display and capture his research...The photographs were taken in collaboration with George Luys (1870 - 1953), his son who was also a doctor." Denis Canguilhem. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY, p. 878.
In this work on hypnotism, "Luys, a highly respected French neurologist who practiced at the Salpêtrière and the Charité, discusses the transmission of states of emotion from one hypnotized person to another... the principal subject for his experiments was a somnambulist he calls 'Esther.' One of the interesting outcomes of his experimentation was his development of a unique version of the notion of doubling of the personality." Crabtree, Adam. ANIMAL MAGNETISM, EARLY HYPNOTISM, AND PHYSICAL RESEARCH, 1766 - 1925. No. 1178.
The photographic images are carbon prints executed by Lemercier.
Price: $1,250.00