Death by hypnosis: An 1894 Hungarian case and its European reverberations

American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Oct 2006 by Wickramasekera, Ian II

Lafferton, E. (2006). Death by hypnosis: An 1894 Hungarian case and its European reverberations. Endeavour, 30(2), 65-70. This article presents an interesting historical incident which occurred in Hungary during 1894 where a person was said to die through the effects of hypnotic trance. The author provides a fascinating analysis of the historical and contextual forces which shaped the case and the way it excited an enormous amount of international attention concerning the possible dangers of hypnosis.

I found the article very enjoyable to meditate upon for a while in view of the work we do today in trying to properly address peoples' misconceptions of hypnosis. It also raises older long term questions about how harmful the noicebo effect can actually be. Address for reprints: Dr. Emese Lafferton Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH, United Kingdom. Email address: el260@cam.ac.uk.