donn@sdchema.UUCP (06/05/83)
Not to give this subject any more respect than it deserves, but one of
the earlier responses reminded me of my favorite hiccup cure. The cure
mentioned before involved staring at someone else's eyes, or your own
eyes reflected in a mirror, until everything seems to blur. My cure is
very similar, but more general: I just stare at an unchanging scene
(like a wall or a ceiling) until my eyes start to undergo retinal
fatigue, then I start breathing slowly and evenly. Usually the hiccups
go away immediately, or after a few breaths. The reason I like this
one is that it is fast and it requires no equipment like paper bags or
water glasses or mirrors. This cure is a sort of auto-suggestion; it
puts you in a light trance, then tells you that your hiccups are going
away, and when you eventually start believing it, it happens...
Be careful to keep believing in the world while you disbelieve in your
hiccups, or else you may find yourself in a sticky situation (pace
Bishop Berkeley).
Donn Seeley UCSD Chemistry Dept. RRCF ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdchema!donn
(619) 452-4016 sdamos!donn@nprdc