PHYSIOLOGY OF MIND-READING. 47 1 



instruction, a certain grade of skill as muscle-readers, provided, of 

 course, good subjects were experimented with. It is estimated that 

 about one in five or ten persons can be put into the mesmeric trance 

 by the ordinaiy processes ; and, under extraordinary circumstances, 

 while under great excitement, and by different causes, every one is 

 liable to be thrown into certain stages or forms of trance ; the ca- 

 pacity for the trance-state is not exceptional ; it is not the peculiar 

 property of a few individuals it belongs to the human race ; similarly 

 with the capacity for muscle-reading. The age at which this delicacy 

 of touch is most marked is an inquiry of interest ; experience, up to 

 date, would show that the very young or the very old are not good 

 muscle-readers. I have never known of one under fifteen years of 

 age to study this subject; although it is conceivable that bright 

 children, younger than that age, might have sufficient power of 

 attention to acquire the art, certainly if they had good instruction 

 in it. 



In these mind-reading experiments, as indeed in all similar or 

 allied experiments with living human beings, there are six sources of 

 error, all of which must be absolutely guarded against if the results 

 are to have any precise and authoritative value in science. 



1. The involuntary and unconscious action of brain and muscle, 

 including trance, in which the subject becomes a pure automaton. 1 

 have used the phrase " involuntary life " to cover all these phenomena 

 of the system that appear independently of the will. The majority 

 of those who studied the subject of mind-reading even physicians 

 and physiologists failed through want of a proper understanding or 

 appreciation of this side of physiology. 



2. Chance and coincidences. Neglect of this source of error was 

 the main cause of the unfortunate results of the wire and chain experi- 

 ments with mind-readers. 



3. Intentional deception on the part of the subject. 



4. Unintentional deception on the part of the subject. 



5. Collusion of confederates. To guard against all the above sources 

 of error it is necessary for the experimenter himself to use deception. 



6. Unintentional assistance of audience or bystanders. 



"When the muscle-reader performs before an enthusiastic audience, 

 he is likely to be loudly applauded after each success; and, if the ex- 

 citement be great, the applause, with shuffling and rustling, may begin 

 before he reaches the right locality, while he is approaching it ; when, 

 on the other hand, he is far away from the locality, the audience will 

 inform him by ominous silence. The performance thus becomes like 

 the hide-and-seek games of children, where they cry " Warm ! " as the 

 blindfolded operator approaches the hidden object; "Hot!" as he 

 comes close to it; and "Cold!" when he wanders far from it. Some 

 of the apparent successes with the wire-test may be thus explained. 



In regard to all the public exhibitions of muscle-readers, it should 



