James Braid: Scottish Inventor of Hypnotism

James Braid was born in Fife, in Scotland, in the year 1795. He is said to be the first person to discover the subject of hypnotism. From 1812-1814 he attended Edinburgh University. He set up his own private neurosurgeon practice, in Dumfries, in 1825. However in 1828 he was influenced by one of his patients to move his business to Manchester, in England. He worked at his business there until his death in 1860.

He was also famous for his successful operations regarding various deformities such as, club foot. This condition is an inversion of the foot, the patient appears to walk on their ankles. By 1841 Baird had operated on 262 patients with the condition. He had also operated on 700 cases of Starbismus, a condition where the eyes are not level in proportion to one another. Also 23 cases of curvature of the spine. Hypnotism was commonly known as mesmerism at this time. James Braid became interested in the subject after witnessing Charles Lafontaine's display of mesmerism in 1841. Braid examined the subjects of the Frenchman's mesmerism, and concluded they were indeed under a trance like state. As a result of what he had seen he proceeded to give a series of lectures on the subject deciding that he had found the perfect phenomena.

In his first publication regarding the subject he brought the name of Hypnosis into his writings. He said that during the hypnotic process the patients brain would be in a strange state, and there would be a lack of mobility to the nervous system. He thought of it as people sleeping, but it was not the normal sleeping, but an entranced state of sleep. The patients attention would be focused on a shiny metal object that would move from side to side in front of their eyes. He regarded the over movement of the eye muscles, and constant fixation on the object to be the cause of the hypnosis.

He married Margaret Mason (or Meason) in 1813, and they had two children, a son and a daughter. His son also became a surgeon. James Braid died in 1860 after only a few hours of illness. The cause of his death may have been apoplexia, which is an old name for hemorrhaging, or stroke. Some reports are that he died of heart disease. Whatever the reason this man was a true pioneer, and famous inventor originally born in Scotland.

The James Braid Society was introduced in 1997 recognizing the ability to use hypnosis as a form of therapeutic treatment. The society members meet every month in London to discuss the values of hypnotism.

Source: Wikipedia