proceedings: anthropological society 155 



THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 465th regular meeting of the Anthropological Society of Wash- 

 ington, was held in the National Museum at 4.30 p.m., January 21, 

 1913, the president, Mr. George R, Stetson, in the chair. 



Dr. Tom A. Williams read a paper on The dream in the life of the mind. 

 Dr. Williams said trance, vision, ecstasj^ and disease delirium are closely 

 allied to the dream state. The psychopathology of them all illuminates 

 formerly uncomprehended diseases. In a dream (illustrated by a case) 

 mental perturbation may crystallize, as it were, and lead to rampageous 

 behavior. On the contrary dreams may be teleologically beneficial; as 

 where a vision saved a young woman from suicide, as was the case also 

 with Benvenuto Cellini. 



They are more often a mere reproduction of former experiences more 

 or less significant and more so in psychopathic individuals, such as in a 

 young hysteric who dreamed of falling down wells, assassinations and 

 death, all painful experiences of her childhood. 



Dream-thought, apparently confused, is really significant of the mental 

 trend of the individual, when properly analysed and interpreted. One 

 dreams all the time, but recollects only that dreamed within seven 

 minutes of waking. The form of dream can be determined by external 

 stimuli. This is demonstrated in spite of its contradiction by some psy- 

 chopathologists. 



There was no discussion. The meeting then adjourned. 



Wm. H. Babcock, Secretary. 



A special meeting of the Anthropological Society of Washington was 

 held on February 4, 1913 at 4.30 p.m. in the National Museum, the 

 president, Mr. George R. Stetson, in the chair. 



Dr. Clark Wissler, Curator of the Department of Anthropology 

 in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, read a paper on 

 The doctrine of evolution and anthropology. An attempt was made to 

 distinguish between cultural phenomena on one hand and biological 

 on the other. Especially to make clear that cultural phenomena are 

 not inherited, tho the instinct to develop culture, or to invent, is most 

 certainly inborn. It was suggested that the historical attitude of pres- 

 ent-day anthropology should be taken as expressing the cultural point 

 of view. Culture itself seems to be associated with habit complexes or 

 constructs of 'the mind and not to be in any way innate or inborn, but 

 to be an external affair, preserved and carried on entirely by learning. 

 Cultures develop and have an evolution of their own, but since they are 

 not inherited they cannot be considered parts of a biological develop- 

 ment. 



The psycho-physical mechanism of man is biological and innate and 

 constitutes man's equipment for the production of cultures. Anthro- 

 pology holds that the mechanism is general in so far as it is not limited to 

 any particular culture, and that it enables the individual to practise 

 any culture he may meet, tho not necessarily to equal degrees. 



X 



