30 Mr. J. N. Langley [March 14, 



consciousness. Sometimes tliis is called an "unconscious idea," 

 which would be convenient enough but that " idea " is generally taken 

 to imply consciousness. It is an act of unconscious cerebration. 



Eeflex actions in which an unconscious cerebration forms part of 

 the chain occur to all of us. Some time ago, whilst walking up and 

 down the laboratory at Cambridge thinking intently on the result of 

 an experiment, I noticed that the pipe which I had been smoking had 

 gone out. Making up my mind to light it again, I walked to the 

 place where the matches were kept, which happened to be close to 

 a water-tap. As I went I began thinking again of my experiment. 

 In a moment or two I was disturbed by a rush of cold water over my 

 hand. I found that I had turned the water-tap, and let the stream of 

 water run full into the bowl of my pipe. This was a reflex action 

 from the cerebral cortex. The sight of the tap had given rise to what 

 for this once I will call an unconscious idea, which had led to the 

 somewhat complex movements of turning the tap and collecting the 

 water in the pipe-bowl. 



The central nervous system consists, then, of a vast number of 

 nerve centres, each of which can be set in activity by an appropriate 

 nerve impulse reaching it either by a peripheral nerve or from some 

 other nerve centre. The action of these nerve centres is normally 

 controlled by the will. 



Here, at last, we come to mesmerism; the primary point in 

 mesmerism is the paralysis of the will ; the nervous system is then 

 out of the control of the subject, whether animal or man, and by 

 appropriate stimulation, any one or more of his nerve centres can 

 be set in activity. I shall consider first the behaviour of the lower 

 animals when mesmerised : in these the phenomena, as far as at 

 present observed, are much simpler than they are in man. If a frog 

 be turned over on its back, it at once regains its normal position ; 

 if, however, it be prevented from doing so, and its struggles are 

 for a short time gently suppressed, it becomes hypnotised. Then, 

 although it be left at liberty to regain its normal position, it will not 

 attempt to do so. Apart from the movements it makes in breathing, 

 it lies motionless. If it has been held for a short time only, the 

 hypnotic state does not last long, usually from one to five or ten 

 minutes ; but, if the movements it makes, say at the end of one minute, 

 of five minutes, and so on, are suppressed, it will not infrequently 

 happen that the frog will then stay without farther movement for a 

 considerable time, sometimes even for many hours. During the first 

 part of this time a slight pinch, a sudden flash of light, or a loud 

 noise, will usually cause it to turn over and sit up in its normal 

 manner. For a moment or two it looks a little dull and confused, but 

 rapidly regains its normal activity. During the latter part of this 

 time it responds less and less to external stimuli. Reflex actions are 

 less readily obtained, or may not be produced at all by stimuli 

 ordinarily effective. Within certain limits, the longer the frog 

 remains hypnotised, the more marked becomes its general insensi- 



