1884.] on the Physiological Aspect of Mesmerism, 35 



the cells accompanying inhibition have been produced, the easier 

 they are to reproduce. Those who have often been mesmerised may 

 fall again into this condition at any moment, if the idea crosses their 

 minds that they are expected to be mesmerised. 



Thus if a sensitive subject be told that the day after to-morrow at 

 half-past nine he will be mesmerised, nothing more need be done ; the 

 day after to-morrow at half-past nine he will remember it, and in so 

 doing will mesmerise himself. 



An instance sent by M. Eicher to Dr. Hake Tuke, presents, it 

 seems to me, an example of inhibition from the cortex which is of a 

 somewhat different class, and more allied to that which occurs in birds 

 and lower mammals. A patient was suspected of stealing some 

 photographs from the hospital, a charge which she indignantly denied. 

 One morning M. Richer found this patient with her hand in the drawer 

 containing the photographs, having already transferred some of them 

 to her pocket. There she remained motionless. She had been mes- 

 merised by the sound of a gong struck in an adjoining ward. Here, 

 probably, the changes in the cortex accompanying the emotion which 

 was aroused by the sudden sound at the moment when she was 

 committing the theft, produced a widespread inhibition — she was 

 instantaneously mesmerised. 



I will show you the method of mesmerising which is, perhaps, on 

 the whole, most effective ; it is very nearly that described by Braid. 

 I have not time to attempt a mesmeric experiment to-night, it is the 

 method only which I wish to show you. With one hand a bright object, 

 such as this facetted piece of glass, is held thus, eight to twelve inches 

 from the subject, so that there is a considerable convergence of the 

 eyes, and rather above the level of the eyes, so that he is obliged to look 

 upwards. The subject is told to look steadily at the piece of glass, 

 and to keep his whole attention fixed upon it. This position is kept 

 up for five to ten minutes ; during this time the pupils will probably 

 dilate considerably, often assuming a slight rhythmic contraction and 

 dilation ; when this is the case the free hand is moved slowly from 

 the object towards the eyes. If the subject is sensitive, the eyes will 

 usually close with a vibratory motion. In some cases the subject is 

 then unable to open them, and the usual mesmeric phenomena can be 

 obtained. If when the operator brings his hand near the eyes of the 

 subject, the subject instead of closing them follows the movements 

 of the fingers, the whole proceeding is repeated, but the subject is told 

 to close his eyes when the fingers are brought near them, but to keep 

 them fixed in the same direction as before, and to continue to think 

 of the object and that only. The operator then for some minutes 

 makes " passes," bringing his warm hands over and close to the face 

 of the subject in one direction. When the subject is inclined to pass 

 into the cataleptic state, an indication of his condition may be obtained 

 by gently raising his arm ; if he is beginning to be mesmerised, the 

 arm remains in the position in which it is placed. If the arm 

 falls, the mesmeric state may not infrequently be hastened on by 



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