346 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



upon the skin are more satisfactory than those on other parts of 

 the body, partly because their results are more manifest and part- 

 ly because they are attended with less discomfort to the patient. 

 They belong to two types : (1) those in which the modifications 

 induced are chiefly vasomotor — redness, swelling, exudation of 

 blood, etc. — but greater than one can usually produce by an act 

 of will ; and (2) those in which there is visible change in the 

 tissue. It is quite possible that the latter are due in large part 

 to vasomotor modifications, but we can not at present prove that 

 such is the case. In connection with these experimental cases I 

 shall introduce a few parallels derived from other sources to show 

 their absolute identity of type. 



The first case which I shall quote is reported by Dr. Biggs, 

 of Lima, and is recorded by Mr. F. W. H. Myers in the Proceed- 

 ings of the Society for Psychical Research, vol. vii, page 339. In 

 three cases Dr. Biggs produced a red cross upon the skin by sug- 

 gestion. His own account of the first of these cases, slightly 

 abbreviated, is given as follows in a letter dated October 18, 1885 : 



" I put her into a magnetic or mesmeric sleep by laying my 

 hand on her head for about a minute. I then said, ' Maria, do 

 you hear me ? ' ' Yes.' * Are you thoroughly magnetized ? ' 

 *Yes.' *Now listen attentively: a cross is going to appear on 

 your right forearm and remain there until I tell it to go away. 

 Here is where it is to appear.' (I then described a cross with my 

 forefinger on the inner side of her right forearm.) ' Have you 

 understood what I have said to you ? ' ' Yes.' I then awakened 

 her by two or three up-passes; for the next two or three days 

 she seemed sulky and out of sorts, would now and then rub her 

 right arm, over the place where the cross was to appear; when 

 asked why she did this, she said there was an itching and she 

 could not help scratching the place, although there was nothing 

 to be seen that could cause the irritation. I then magnetized her 

 as before, and asked, ' Do you recollect what I told you the oth«er 

 day about the cross that is to appear upon your arm ? ' ' Yes.' 

 ' Will it appear ? ' ' Yes.' ' When ? ' ' In a few days.' ' Well, 

 it must come out in three days; do you understand ?' 'Yes.' 

 By the time ^.ppointed a dusky red cross, four or five inches 

 long and about three inches wide, made its appearance. At first 

 we pretended not to notice this, although we could often see 

 the lower part of it when her sleeve was partly rolled up in 

 some of her duties in and about the house ; she was our house- 

 maid. It was only at intervals, when thrown into the mag- 

 netic sleep, that we could get a full view of the cross ; never a 

 word had been said to her about the cross in her waking mo- 

 ments, for some time, several weeks, until one day I pretended to 

 have caught sight of the strange mark on her arm, and said: 



