It is further possible to generate by suggeslion the idea of a paralysis of one of the extremities. These isolated paralyses have a great resemblance to the psychical paralyses arising without hypnosis, such as Russell Reynolds described in 1869 as "paralysis dependent on idea," and Erb later on as "paralysis by imagination." Charcot's pupils have tried to find objective symptoms of these paralyses that depend on suggestion. It cannot be doubted that such objective changes may occur through a particular association of symptoms; this hypothesis is supported by Krafft-Ebing also. We must, however, recognize that this is not the rule. According to Lober, Gilles de la Tourette, and Richer, the clinical characteristics of these paralyses are marked by the absolute loss of motor power and sensation, increase of the tendon reflexes, ankle clonus, at times wrist clonus, complete loss of muscular sense - t.e., of the ability to control perfectly the action of the muscles and to be certain of the position of the limbs, - changed electrical excitability, and vasomotor disturbances; these last are particularly said to show themselves by a bright flush of the skin on slight stimulation. Vogt also found that the sensory and motor phenomena were not altogether unconnected.

When investigating the nature of a case of anaesthesia of the arm produced by suggestion, he observed that the limb had lost all power motion. But directly the patient was firmly impressed with the idea that he could move his arm, there was return of the power of movement, and of sensation as well. Paralysis produced by suggestion may be of hypnotic or posthypnotic origin. Besides these paralyses in which the muscles are completely relaxed, other paralyses, in which the muscles are persistently contracted, can be induced by suggestion.

1 It is not my intention to employ expressions other than those generally understood; hence my use of the word "will" here and in some ether places. From a strictly psychological point of view it would possibly be more correct to use "arbitrary volition" or "wish."

With these subjects who are deprived of will, besides the movements described above, complicated movements, or even performances (if I may be allowed the expression), also take place by suggestion. I say to the subject, "You will spin round three times," or, "You must lift that thing off the table; you must go and do it; you cannot help it." The subject does as he is told.

The suggestion itself is made in different ways. The main point, and all turns upon this, is that the subject should thoroughly understand what the experimenter wishes. Each of the organs of sense is a door of entrance for suggestion. The most common is naturally our habitual means of communication - speech (verbal suggestion) - by means of which we tell the subject what we wish. But it is very important, and often much more effective than words alone, that the experimenter should perform the movement which the subject is intended to execute. Professional magnetizers in particular habitually induce movements by imitation.

Imitation appears particularly in a hypnotic state which certain authors (Bremaud, Morselli, Tanzi) have studied, and which Descourtis calls fascination or captation. I have shown (p. 35) in the third experiment a case of this kind. A professional magnetizer, Donato, has demonstrated this state completely; and Morselli and others have on this account called this form of hypnosis Donatism. As I saw in Paris, Donato uses a particular process to bring about this state. This process aims at a primary forced contracture of all the muscles of the body, in order, by this means, to limit the voluntary movements as much as possible. In this case the eyes of the hypnotist and the subject are firmly fixed on one another from the beginning. The subject finally follows every movement of the experimenter. If he goes backward, the subject follows; if he comes forward the subject does the same. In the same way the latter imitates every movement of the experimenter - only on the condition, however, that he knows he is intended to do so; that is the main point. We saw in the third case that fascination may be a primary form of hypnosis. But it can also be originated secondarily from other hypnotic states; and this is more usual.

When the experimenter has hypnotized the subject in some other way, and has made him open his eyes, he can fix his own steadily on them, and thus induce the same phenomena. A variety of this fascination is to fix the eyes of the subject on some other object - for example, on the finger of the experimenter. In this case the fascinated person follows every movement made by the experimenter.

But imitation plays an important role in hypnosis, as well as fascination. This results from the fact that the sight of a movement arouses a much more vivid picture of it in the hypnotized person than does a mere command.

Verbal suggestion is also made easier by other gestures. In order to compel some one to kneel down, an energetic movement of the hand accompanying the verbal suggestion is very effective, as in the third experiment. With this fact is connected one of the phenomena which magnetizers are fond of demonstrating - namely, the drawing of the subject after the experimenter, who makes movements with his hand which show the subject that he is intended to approach. The experimenter can also repel the subject in the same way. This succeeds in particular by means of movements of the hand, indicating that he is to go away. It is not at all necessary, in this case, that the subject should see the movements of the experimenter; it is sufficient that he should divine them either from a noise or a current of air; thus the hypnotic obeys the experimenter even when he has his back turned towards him. Upon suggestion also depend the attraction and repulsion of single limbs of the subject, which happen in the same way through the hypnotic's perception of the experimenter's gestures. Without uttering a word the experimenter can make the subject raise and drop his hand merely by gesticulating with his own; he can also obtain many effects by a glance only.