THE EMOTIONS 461 



Jently, the pulse marks 100-120 strokes a minutes. The arteries of the 

 neck are full and pulsating, the veins are swollen, the saliva flows. The 

 fit lasts only a few hours, and ends suddenly with a sleep of from 8 to 

 12 hours, on waking from which the patient has entirely forgotten what 

 has happened." * 



In these (outwardly) causeless emotional conditions the 

 particular paths which are explosive are discharged by any 

 and every incoming sensation. Just as, w hen we are seasick, 

 every smell, every taste, every sound, every sight, every 

 movement, every sensible experience Avhatever, augments 

 our nausea, so the morbid terror or anger is increased by 

 each and every sensation which stirs up the nerve-centres. 

 Absolute quiet is the only treatment for the time. It 

 seems impossible not to admit that in all this the bodily 

 condition takes the lead, and that the mental emotion fol- 

 lows. The intellect may, in fact, be so little affected as to 

 play the cold-blooded spectator all the while, and note the 

 absence of a real object for the emotion. f 



A few words from Henle may close my reply to this first 

 objection : 



" Does it not seem as if the excitations of the bodily nerves met the 

 ideas half way, in order to raise the latter to the height of emotions ? 

 [Note how justly this expresses our theory !] That they do so is proved 

 by the cases in which particular nerves, when specially irritable, share 

 in the emotion and determine its quality. When one is suffering from 

 an open wound, any grievous or horrid spectacle will cause pain in the 



* Lange, op. cit. p. 61. 



f I am inclined to think that in some hysteriform conditions of grief, 

 rage, etc., the visceral disturbances are less strong than those Avhich go to 

 outward expression. We have then a tremendous verbal display with a 

 hollow inside. Whilst the bystanders are wrung with compassion, or 

 pale with alarm, the subject all the while lets himself go, but feels bis insin- 

 cerity, and wonders how long he can keep up the performance. The attacks 

 are often surprisingly st ddeu in their onset. The treatment here is to in- 

 timidate the patient by a stronger will. Take out your temper, if he takes 

 out his — "Nay, if thou'lt mouth, I'll rant as well as thou." These are the 

 cases of apparently great bodily manifestation with comparatively little 

 real subjective emotion, which may be used to throw discredit on the the- 

 orj' advanced in the text. — It is probable that the visceral manifestations in 

 these cases are quite disproportionately slight, compared with those of the 

 vocal organs. The subject's state is somewhat similar to that of an actor 

 who does not feel his part. 



