October 16, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



577 



•Crete words, the former by words whicli desig- 

 nate more abstract ideas. Besides these, there 

 may be in rarer cases a complete absence of 

 images, a vague feeling of knowing a name or 

 word, or a feeling of the meaning of a word. 

 Abstract ideas are essentially constituted by 

 verbal images. 



(5) E. Gley : Study of some conditions favor- 

 ing hypnotism of animals. (Pp. 70-78.) De- 

 scribes experiments with young and with en- 

 feebled frogs, and infers : (1) that there is greater 

 danger in hypnotizing children than older per- 

 sons ; (2) that the ideas of the Nancy school 

 must be modified by admitting somatic as well 

 as psychic influences in producing hypnosis. 



(6) Van Biervliet : Measurement of illusions 

 of weight. (Pp. 79-86.) Shows that when we 

 know the volume of an object, by sight or touch, 

 we estimate not its absolute weight, but its den- 

 sity; and concludes, as against Flournoy and 

 others, that this proves the existence of the 

 much -disputed ' sense of innervation.*' 



B. Studies from the Psychological Laboratory 

 of Paris. 



(1) BiNET and Courtier : The capillary cir- 

 culation of the hand; its relation to respiration and 

 to mental processes. (Pp. 87-167.) An important 

 study, very carefully and thoroughly conducted. 

 After describing their method and the various 

 sources of error which must be eliminated or 

 allowed for, the authors discuss the influences 

 exerted by various psychical phenomena — state 

 of repose, sensory stimulation, mental calcula- 

 tion and the emotional state which accompanies 

 it — upon the capillary circulation, the arterial 

 circulation and the respiration. These influ- 

 ences are very marked, but vary greatly in dif- 

 ferent individuals. In some the vaso-motor 

 reaction is strong and quick ; in others it is 

 slow, weak or even wanting. In some it is 

 absolutely regular; in others there is constant 

 capillary activity and irregularity even in re- 

 pose. In some the various mental processes 

 modify most strongly the respiration (more 

 rapid, shallow, regular, with suppression of ex- 

 piratory pause); in others the heart (increased 

 rapidity, diminished force of propulsion); in 

 others the vaso-motor system, either arterial (in- 

 crease of tension, often vaso-constrictibn, greater 

 clearness of respiratory undulations) or capillary 



(disappearance of respiratory undulations, less 

 amplitude of pulsations, change in form of pul- 

 sation, vaso-constriction). The influence of 

 emotion has as yet been little studied, but the 

 fact that in case of a sudden shock of surprise 

 the emotion is at its height almost uniformly 

 before the vaso-motor reaction has begun, shows 

 that Lange gave too great prominence to vaso- 

 motor phenomena in the mechanism of emotion. 



(2) V. Henri : Experiments in the localization 

 of tactile sensations. (Pp. 168-192.) A study by 

 various methods, and with a record of intro- 

 spective observations, of the accuracy of. tactile 

 localization. Certain prominent parts of the 

 bodily surface — folds of skin, protuberances of 

 bone, joints, etc. — are selected by most subjects 

 as points-de-repere, with reference to which 

 other localizations are made. The direction of 

 error is usually toward the point-de-repere made 

 use of; the degree of error is less, the more 

 points-de-rep5re there are near the point 

 touched, and the more characteristic the qual- 

 ity of the contact. The least distance at which 

 two simultaneously stimulated points of the 

 skin can be distinguished as two, is not a meas- 

 ure of accuracy in localization. Quality of con- 

 tact and movement of part touched are essential 

 factors in localization. 



(3) P. XiLLiEZ : Continuity in the immediate 

 memory for figures and numbers in auditory series. 

 (Pp. 193-200.) Not all series of numbers are 

 equally easy to memorize. The size of the dif- 

 ferences between the successive numbers of the 

 series has much influence. There is a tendency, 

 especially marked in children, to diminish the 

 size of these intervals, an approach toward con- 

 tinuity, especially ascending continuity, in the 

 series. 



(4) BiNET and Courtier : Graphic Investiga- 

 ion of Music. (Pp. 201-222.) Describes a regis- 

 tering apparatus for recording variations in 

 force, rate, intervals, form, combinations and 

 successions of notes and other details of a per- 

 formance. Besides its value to the musician, 

 the apparatus is admirably adapted to the psy- 

 chological study of complex voluntary move- 

 ments. 



(5) BiNET : Fear in Children. (Pp. 223-254.) 

 Discusses, as a result of actual observations, the 

 various objects and circumstances which excite 



