758 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 



verted functioning of the organs of the body, and even, in its dele- 

 terious effect, upon organic pathological processes; its influence 

 for good, in the dissipation of these same manifestations and per- 

 versions through faith-cures, fads, modern therapeutic suggestion 

 in its various forms and mental hygiene. The lack of precise know- 

 ledge of the psychology of these states and of the modus operandi 

 of the therapeutic agency employed has given rise to all sorts of 

 pseudo-scientific therapeutic systems (including the misuse of 

 drugs), and to the growth of dogmas, philosophies, and religions. 

 The hopeless muddling of even the educated medical mind in this 

 field of abnormal psychology is made manifest by a casual perusal 

 of the standard text-books on medicine as well as the latest mono- 

 graphs on mental therapeutics. In the laws of dissociation, weak- 

 ened synthesis, and automatism, abnormal psychology offers a 

 basis upon which to support an intelligible explanation of these 

 perplexing phenomena slight as is our knowledge of the de- 

 tails of these processes. Thus in the automatic activity of subcon- 

 scious fixed ideas we have a demonstrated casual factor in many 

 so-called hysterical- phenomena (attacks, tics, anesthesias, etc.); 

 and in the nervous radiations from these subconscious automat- 

 isms down through the lower nervous centres we find the origin 

 of various disturbances of the body, as when subconscious, or par- 

 tially subconscious, emotional states excite cardiac, vaso-motor, 

 secretory, and other visceral derangements. 



Hysteria 



The study of abnormal psychology has completely revolution- 

 ized our conception of that remarkable disease, hysteria, as much 

 so as the discovery of germs has altered the surgical conception of 

 inflammation. We understand to-day that it is not only a disease 

 of the mind, but more precisely that fundamentally it is a split- 

 ting of the personality with or without a doubling of consciousness 

 and automatism. We are still, however, entirely in the dark regard- 

 ing the modus operandi of many of its manifestations. The exact 

 mechanism, for instance, by which such phenomena as contractures, 

 epileptiform seizures, and vaso-motor disturbances are brought 

 about, though recognized as dissociated automatism, remains a pro- 

 blem for the future. 



Character 



Another problem which must be approached along these same 

 lines is the modification of character which occurs in diseased 

 conditions like hysteria, particularly that special type known as 

 disintegrated multiple personality, and in certain psychoses like 



