IX.] ANIMAL AUTOMATISM. 225 



an incessant movement of the eyeballs, and a chewing 

 motion of the jaws. The eyes are wide open, and 

 their pupils dilated. If the man happens to be in a 

 place to which he is accustomed, he walks about as 

 usual ; but, if he is in a new place, or if obstacles are 

 intentionally placed in his way, he stumbles gently 

 against them, stops, and then, feeling over the objects 

 with his hands, passes on one side of them. He offers 

 no resistance to any change of direction which may 

 be impressed upon him, or to the forcible acceleration 

 or retardation of his movements. He eats, drinks, 

 smokes, walks about, dresses and undresses himself, 

 rises and goes to bed at the accustomed hours. 

 Nevertheless, pins may be run into his body, or 

 strong electric shocks sent through it, without causing 

 the least indication of pain ; no odorous substance, 

 pleasant or unpleasant, makes the least impression ; 

 he eats and drinks with avidity whatever is offered, 

 and takes asafoetida, or vinegar, or quinine, as readily 

 as water ; no noise affects him ; and light influences 

 him only under certain conditions. Dr. Mesnet re- 

 marks, that the sense of touch alone seems to persist, 

 and indeed to be more acute and delicate than in the 

 normal state ; and it is by means of the nerves 

 of touch, almost exclusively, that his organism is 

 brought into relation with the external world. Here 

 a difficulty arises. It is clear from the facts detailed, 

 that the nervous apparatus by which, in the normal 

 state, sensations of touch are excited, is that by 

 which external influences determine the movements 

 of the body, in the abnormal state. But does the 



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