James Richard Cocke
James Richard Cocke, who had been blind since infancy, was an American physician, homeopath, and a pioneer hypnotherapist.
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 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":
Marriages
Once he had moved to Boston, he married a Mrs. Green of Springfield, Massachusetts: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.
Medical career
Having moved to Boston around 1885, he graduated M.D. from Boston University in June 1892, "having completed the full course of study, 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.
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.