1895.] Psychology. 1029 
her. Case (2) is told, while hypnotized, that when she falls asleep she 
is to dream aloud; her dreams are invariably repetitions of her friend’s 
death-scene. Case (4) confesses to an insane desire to drink, of which 
her normal self is wholly unconscious, and Janet, upon tracing the 
history of the case, ascribes this to the fact that in her earlier convul- 
sive attacks, the suggestion to drink was constantly given her by the 
presence of her drunken father. Case (3) hypnotized, has no memory 
of dreams which could cause her annoying trouble, but her hand, in 
automatic writing, tells of nightmares utterly unknown to her, during 
which micturition takes place. From these cases Janet draws the in- 
ference that in all a fixed idea exists subconsciously, producing in the 
upper consciousness effects analogous to those produced in the first case 
by a conscious fixed idea. 
Prof. Pitres reports a case presenting analogous features. L. G., 
aged 37, became subject to hysterical convulsions in consequence of a 
runaway accident in which she and her child were thrown from a cart, 
The recurrence of this experience in the form of a dream or nightmare 
was the basis of her crisis. By hypnotic suggestion Prof. Pitres 
abolished its more terrifying features and diminished the violence of 
her attacks, but was unable to affect her sensory symptoms, pains, etc. 
While experimenting with another end in view, he made her dream 
that a certain surgeon performed an operation upon her; next day 
upon seeing the surgeon she had a, to her, inexplicable feeling of 
aversion for him, and, at the same time, felt a pain in the part upon 
‘which the imaginary operation had been performed. It would seem 
that the sight of the surgeon awakened into subconscious life the dream 
and its consequences. Acting on this hint, Prof. Pitres suggested dreams 
in which sundry doctors cured her pains, and so obtained results which 
he could not get by direct suggestion. 
From the medico-legal point of view, the possibility of criminal sug- 
gestion is discussed by Prof. Delboeuf, of Leyden, and Dr. Liébeault, 
of Nancy. Prof. Delboeuf recants at length the affirmative view which 
he has expressed in his earlier works. Laboratory experiments are 
worthless ; the patient is always more or less influenced by the sugges- 
tions of the environment as well as by the command of the hypnotizer, 
and is consequently fully aware that the whole performance is a mere 
comedy. We are all subject to criminal auto-suggestions in our 
dreams, and we know how little mischief actually results from them ; 
the danger from hypnotic suggestions is no greater; it will never be 
as great as that of evil communications and corrupt example. Yet 
