Hypnosis can aid surgery & speed recovery

James Braid, surgeon
 and hypnotist

Of course hypnosis has been used as a surgical aid since the mid 19th century and was pioneered by people like the Scots surgeon James Braid. The advent of modern anaesthetics generally put a stop to most hypnosis in a surgical setting, anaesthesia was generally much faster to deliver than hypnosis. Another famous Scot who used mesmerism (after Anton Mesmer) was James Esdaile. He was a surgeon working in India and used  hypnosis to provide pain relief (analgesia) for his Indian patients. Esdaile encountered many problems when attempting to use his techniques on the European patients though; prejudice meant many felt the technique was only suitable for the lower Indian orders.


Choloroform for most patients provided the next step forward in pain control and hypnosis was for the most part pushed to the margins. However every few years a news story arises as it does today of hypnosis being used successfully in a surgical setting. The Daily Mail today has a story about surgeons in Belgium using the technique in thyroid and breast cancer operations to good effect. The complete story is here.


I think Braid would be pleased that his work still had value 150 years after his death.