948 Dynamic Theory. 



&c. And it appears that in this case the sense of touch alone was suf- 

 ficient to start such trains of association. It shows the intimate mix- 

 ture of stimuli from different senses in the same train of associations, 

 that the motor action of F. in writing his letter included looking it over 

 after he had written it, although he certainly did not see it objectively. 

 It is such a case as that pointed out on page 688 (fig. 371), where an 

 organ formed at d by the united action of several stimuli setting up 

 motor action at f and g, is restimulated by a single stimulation, and 

 gives off the same motor action, which, in this case of F. , included the 

 motion of the head, lips, &c., just as it had happened in former move- 

 ments directed by the same brain organ. The same is probably true of 

 the case of writing with the water. The touch impression being differ- 

 ent when the water was used, it would stimulate the same train that un- 

 der the usual conditions would direct an inquiry with the eyes. In the 

 case of the screen, too, no doubt its presence was detected ( as in the 

 case of the blind) by the touch sense of the change in the air next the 

 face, and this impression conveyed to the brain centers would work, as 

 in the ordinary habitual circumstances, to raise the unconscious convic- 

 tion of inability to write under such conditions, and thus defeat the 

 formation of the unconscious will to attempt it. In the case of the 

 singing, too, no doubt it was the new touch impression ( heat ) of the 

 sun's ra} r s, and not sight that touched off the organs. 



This whole abnormal state of F. is explained on the supposition that 

 the injury at the side of the head extended far enough inward to involve 

 the corpora quadrigemina and the optic thalamus, or parts of them, 

 rendering them liable at those periodical seasons, to functional failure, 

 perhaps from want of blood, something in the nature of a partial coma. 

 ( See page 743. ) The parietal portion of the cerebrum affected at the 

 same time, must have contained organs having an influence upon the 

 conduct, since while they were off duty there was no restraint to the im- 

 pulse for taking and secreting things. 



Writing is performed by hypnotized subjects in much the same way 

 as it was done by F. Mr. Braid's subjects would write with mechanical 

 accuracy with a screen between their eyes and the paper, and he had 

 one subject who would put the final touches on a whole sheet of note 

 paper by going back over it to cross the t's, dot the i's, &c. If the pa- 

 per with the writing on it were removed, the marks would come in the 

 proper relative positions on the blank sheet below. Sometimes he would 

 feel for tne corner of the paper with his left hand, and so be guided in 

 taking a fresh start. 



Cases of . double personality are now known to be not so very rare. 

 The case of Mary Reynolds, which I give in some detail, will serve as a 

 sample of this sort of phenomena. This account I have abridged from 



