572 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



defect. The normal range of about 2 : 1 in such processes is thus 

 indefinitely extended. 



In other mental diseases these questions scarcely apply. Thus we 

 do not speak of a characteristic psychomotor retardation or acceleration 

 in general paralysis, arteriosclerosis, or dementia prwcox. Only in the 

 case of immediate drug intoxication has a stimulating effect been at- 

 tributed to such poisons as alcohol, morphine and cocaine. Experi- 

 mentally, the effect of alcohol seems to be to remove inhibitions, so that 

 there is greater freedom of motor response. Many premature and false 

 reactions occur. Morphine and cocaine are too dangerous for experi- 

 ment, though both may be taken with the idea of temporarily stimula- 

 ting the mental powers. The former does appear to bring about a cer- 

 tain facilitation of the thought processes, its effects being in some ways 

 opposite to those of alcohol. 



The range of normal variation is so great that few abnormalities 

 in the association experiment can be attributed to pathological condi- 

 tions except with knowledge of the subject's normal reaction. The 

 rather stable character of the association type through normal life 

 makes its fluctuations through the psychoses of considerable signifi- 

 cance ; but the individual differences there are of very doubtful interpre- 

 tation. It is scarcely evident that there are features of themselves 

 characteristic for different psychoses except in dementia precox, where 

 irrelevancies, neologisms and stereotypies are frequent in the presence 

 of good appreciation of the experiment. " Narrowing of mental hori- 

 zon," according to Kent and Eosanoff, is prominent in grave neural 

 disorders such as epilepsy or general paralysis. Nothing approaching 

 specific alterations has been observed in other psychoses. It is certain 

 that normal performance is not incompatible with severe manic-de- 

 pressive states; and the marked tendency to unusual associations — the 

 prime feature of the psychoses in general — occurs also in personalities 

 that are distinctly better than the normal average. 



There is no clinical entity among the psychoses in which memory is 

 improved, though the hysterical liy per amnesias furnish particular in- 

 stances of it, as the corresponding amnesias do of memory gaps. 

 Memory defect is a special characteristic of mental disease accompany- 

 ing the coarser brain lesions, as general paralysis, arteriosclerosis, or 

 senile dementia. It is most prominent in the last named, and also 

 more especially associated with recent experiences. The loss in general 

 paralysis is rather generalized over the entire memory field, and in 

 arteriosclerosis it tends to be " patchy," so to speak, losing and retain- 

 ing here and there, though not with systematic amnesia in the hysterical 

 sense. The most prodigious memory defects are seen in a psychosis 

 of usually alcoholic origin, the Korsakoff syndrome, where, in spite of 

 good understanding, all impressions are immediately lost; indefinite 



