James Richard Cocke
Encyclopedia
James Richard Cocke who had been blind
since infancy, was an American physician, homeopath
, and a pioneer hypnotherapist
.
He moved to Boston
around 1885.
He was considered to be "highly educated"; and, despite his total blindness, "was able to go around the city at will", and "could play a piano with much skill":
Miss Harrington, aged 23, was a medical student, and had been acting as Cocke’s amanuensis
.
They had only been married for about seven weeks at the time of Cocke’s suicide in April 1900.
in June 1892, "having completed the full course of study [including performing dissections], with an average percentage of 96 for the three years". He was the first blind person to do so.
He was a member of the Medico-Legal Society of New York.
Although he studied homeopathy for a time, he made his mark as a student of hypnotism
, and as a successful hypnotherapist.
He wrote an important text-book on hypnotism in 1894.
The coroner’s verdict was suicide.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
since infancy, was an American physician, homeopath
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, and a pioneer hypnotherapist
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.The word "hypnosis" is an abbreviation of James Braid's term "neuro-hypnotism", meaning "sleep of the nervous system"....
.
Early life
He was born in the South of the United States, and had been totally blind since he was an infant. His sight had been completely destroyed when acid was accidentally applied to his eyes when he was just three weeks old.He moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
around 1885.
He was considered to be "highly educated"; and, despite his total blindness, "was able to go around the city at will", and "could play a piano with much skill":
- "Dr. James P.[sic] Cocke of Boston, though blind, is one of the most enthusiastic bicycle riders. He rides a duplicate with Mrs. Cocke."
Marriages
Once he had moved to Boston, he married a Mrs. Green of Springfield, Massachusetts:- "They did not live long together, and at a subsequent court trial it was proved that before getting a divorce Cocke married a Miss Townsend of Hartford, Conn. His second wife left him, and in the resulting litigation Cocke lost all his money, his standing as a physician, and came so near losing his mind that he was confined for a time in a city institution in Boston Harbor. Four months ago [viz., December 1899] he returned to the city [of Boston] and married a Miss Carlotta Harrington of Ohio…"
Miss Harrington, aged 23, was a medical student, and had been acting as Cocke’s amanuensis
Amanuensis
Amanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour...
.
They had only been married for about seven weeks at the time of Cocke’s suicide in April 1900.
Medical career
Having moved to Boston around 1885, he graduated M.D. from Boston UniversityBoston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
in June 1892, "having completed the full course of study [including performing dissections], with an average percentage of 96 for the three years". He was the first blind person to do so.
He was a member of the Medico-Legal Society of New York.
Although he studied homeopathy for a time, he made his mark as a student of hypnotism
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, and as a successful hypnotherapist.
He wrote an important text-book on hypnotism in 1894.
Death
He was found dead by his wife on 12 April 1900, with a pistol placed in his mouth and a bullet in the back of his head.The coroner’s verdict was suicide.
Works
- Cocke, J.R., Blind Leaders of the Blind: The Romance of a Blind Lawyer, Lee and Shepard, (Boston), 1896.
- Cocke, J.R., Hypnotism: How it is Done; Its Uses and Dangers, Arena Publishing Co., (Boston), 1894.
- Cocke, J.R., "Methods of Inducing Hypnotism", Current Literature, Vol.17, No.5, (May 1895), pp.443-444.
- Cocke, J.R., "The Power of the Mind as a Remedial Agent in the Cure of Disease", The Arena, Vol.9, No.6, (May 1894), pp.746-757.
- Cocke, J.R., "The Practical Application of Hypnotism in Modern Medicine", The Arena, Vol.9, No.1, (December 1893), pp.73-80.