332 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
forearm which the experimenter has lightly touched while the subject’s 
eyes are closed. Fifteen trials are suggested and the points of stimulus 
and location are transferred to a diagram in the student’s notebook for 
comparison and study. 
Such being the general plan of the specific experiment, one of the 
experimenters w T as greatly surprised and somewhat disconcerted to note 
that at every point of his team-mate’s arm which the pencil touched, 
there soon appeared a pronounced welt or wheal. 
The experiment had been in progress several minutes before my atten- 
tion was called to these results. Ten or more wheals, standing up like 
discs and resembling insect stings figured the area which had been 
selected for purposes of the experiment. With care not to make the 
ease any more conspicuous than necessary, a few simple facts were deter- 
mined at this time: (1) The pressure of stimulus and location had been 
uniformly and normally light, (2) the subject, whom we may designate 
as Miss. M., was aware of this sensitiveness to touch but had never 
regarded it as, unusual. (.Later, however, Miss M. asserted that as a 
young girl she, was the recipient of much sympathy because of the un- 
usual ridges or marks which were left on her body after moderate par- 
ental chastisement.) (3) The subject was not aware of any physiological 
conditions which had been or which might be regarded as a sufficient 
explanation of these wheals. (4) There was not itching or special irri- 
tation in the affected spots. Beyond these introductory questions, no 
further efforts were made in the general laboratory exercise to determine 
more definitely the origin and development of the wheals. 
(2) The progress of this case was followed in several succeeding ex- 
periments, under conditions favorable to the discovery of further details 
through tests and by the information furnished by the subject itself. At 
no time was Miss M. prejudiced by an undue estimate of the abnor- 
mality or gravity of the case. Her attitude was that of an interested 
observer in the experiments which were made. 
At the first meeting in the laboratory, several days after the discovery 
of the disorder, careful observations were made (1) to corroborate the 
earlier results by making the markings recur upon light tactual stimulus, 
(2) to note accurately the length of time which elapsed between the 
stimulus 'and the appearance of the wheals, (3) to determine the duration 
of the wheals and ridges, (4) "to note more specifically any peculiarities 
in' size, form, elevation of the wheals dub to the ' character of the instru- 
ment used in giving the stimulus or to bh&iiges iti' the pressure of the 
stimulus; ' ■ ’ 1 ■■ ■ 
