Dr. James Esdaile - A Hypnosis Pioneer

James Esdaile (1808 - 1859) was a Scottish medical doctor that was stationed in Hoogly, India with the British East India Company during the 19th Century.  While there, he performed over 300 major surgical operations including amputations using hypnotic techniques.  Not only was he renown for painless surgeries, but his post-operative work helped reduced shock among his patients and improved recovery rates.  His work came to the attention of British-Indian authorities that convened a panel of seven officials to investigate the wide-spread claims of Esdaile's painless surgeries.  The investigators validated the claims and Esdaile went on to practice his form of hypnotic medical arts at a hospital in Calcutta.

Esdaile's work is critical to modern hypnosis as it laid the ground work for hypnotic processes in contemporary medical procedures.  Today, thousands of patients that cannot tolerate anesthesia and many mothers who prefer to deliver their children naturally are able to take advantage of medical hypnosis as an alternative to narcotics.  

​You can learn more about Dr. Esdaile's interesting career here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Esdaile.

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