320 



ness, then the tir&t and weaker impulse will not be felt if the 

 subsequent stronger impulse is not too far removed, from it. By 

 regulating the distance between the two impulses one can determine 

 tiie retrograde destructive influence of the stronger impulse. In 

 experiments made with people of various ages it became clear that 

 there are strong individual difïerences. 



These tests are excellently suitable to demonstrate the retrograde 

 influence of strong impulses, but there are so many soui'ces of errors 

 that I shall give up the description of the individual differences. 



A much better method consists herein that the. observation of a 

 weak electric im|>ulse on one hand, which is noticed regularly, 

 disappears when it is followed by a strong electric impulse on the 

 other hand. 



After the description of the tests and the communication of the 

 results 1 shall communicate the results of the examination of the 

 subjects on whom the various methods of investigation had been 

 ap[)lied. 



Fifty-three persons were examined viz. J 4 normals, 9 neurotics, 

 13 melancholies, and 17 with intellectual defects. This pi-eliminary 

 communication would become too extensive if 1 were to give a 

 more detailed description of the subjects. 1 want oidy to state that 

 in the group of the neuroses there were 4 sufferers from hystery 

 and 5 from psychasthenia, while the latter also exhibited hysterical 

 stigmata. The melancholies were obstiucted and depressed and some 

 of them had micromanias which were not present in others. Among 

 the sufferers fi-om dementia there were patients with senile dementia, 

 dem. paralytica, dem. praecox and dem. epileptica. The intensity of 

 the dementia was strongly varying, but in no case was it so great 

 that it caused any difficulty in this fairly long investigation. 



In accordance with the aim of the research, to acquire more 

 knowledge concerning the influence of a depression of consciousness 

 on the various psychical functions, it is sufficient for the present to 

 communicate the differences which ap|)ear in the various groups of 

 subjects in which there was a very large difference in the grades 

 of consciousness. 



Esthesiometer. 



The attentiveness of the melancholies and especially of the patients 

 with dementia is considerably worse than of normals and of the 

 neurotics. 



The good achie\ements of the neurotics pi-ove that the narrowed 



