Objective This research note aimed to analyze the scientific productivity trends 2015–2019, focusing on the top 30 universities in Europe and United States and on the top 30 private companies—as classified in the SCImago Institutions Ranking. Our hypothesis is that private companies are gaining an increasingly prominent role in the research field, while academia is losing its predominance. Results From 2015 to 2019, all universities in Europe and the United States lost positions in the scientific production ranking, while private companies gained positions. These trends seem to be driven mainly by the scientific productivity sub-indicator “Innovation”. These data suggest that the role private companies will play in the future will not be limited to support research economically or influence it from “outside”. Private companies have taken a path that may lead them to directly control all stages of production/communication of knowledge, including research—a role once bestowed on universities. Our data, although preliminary, seem to suggest that, at present, academia risks losing its predominance in the research field. This scenario deserves attention because of the threats it may pose to the independence of research and its role in supporting human equity and sustainable health for all.

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The origin of hypnosis can be dated back to ancient philosophies and medicines. Incubation had been used in ancient Egypt and Greece for some three millennia with the same indications of modern hypnosis and was well-known by both Hippocrates and Parmenides. Then, it was dismantled by Christian hagiographic propaganda in 4-5th century AC and buried to the oblivion. Again, the birth of the new sciences in 17th century was the result of a compromise with Church, forcing them to limit their field of interest in the Cartesian res extensa only, leading to consciousness and mind-body relationship being neglected for political-religious will, rather than scientific grounds, and to Hippocrates’ teaching being betrayed. As a result, the history of hypnosis was marked by its outstanding results paralleled by misunderstanding and prejudicial refusal, a fact endowed with deep epistemological implications.

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