It is not necessary to look steadily in the eyes of the hypnotic, as in fascination. The operator looks at the subject's leg - it at once becomes powerless to move. The hypnotic is going away - the experimenter suddenly looks at a spot on the floor, and he stands chained to the spot.

We all know the effect which may be produced by a look, even when the person looked at is not hypnotized. A tutor will look fixedly at a pupil whom he suspects of lying in the hope of producing an effect. The look with which a tamer of wild beasts fixes his animals may be included here, in spite of the many fabulous statements which have been made about it; also the fixed gaze by means of which a serpent renders its prey incapable of moving. I may further remind my readers of the "fascinating gaze," and the "evil eye" by means of which an evil influence was supposed to be exercised. In Southern Europe, as well as among the Jews of Northern Africa, the "dread of the evil eye is strongly marked. Various symbols here serve as a protection against it (Fitzner). In Italy people who believe in the evil eye hold their hands in a particular position when they fear its effects, as I have often had the opportunity of observing. During my residence in Palestine I was frequently able to verify that the belief in the evil eye is still widely spread among Mohammedans and Christians (Preyer, Einszler). Siegfried has collected various passages from the Bible and the Talmud which prove a belief in the evil eye.

Not only articulate speech and gestures, but music also has a suggestive effect. Mesmer long ago recognized the influence of music, and used a then newly-invented instrument, the bell-harmonica, to obtain the necessary effect. If dance music is played, the subject will dance, following the rhythm; and when the dance is changed to another, he alters his step to correspond. I shall have occasion to refer to the influence of music again later on.

The muscular sense which keeps us informed of the position of our limbs, and by means of which "catalepsy by suggestion "1 is induced, requires particular consideration as a way of entrance for suggestion. It is also to be found in other states than hypnosis - for example, in some cases of typhoid (Bern-heim) - and frequently occurs in hypnosis. I lift the arm of a hypnotic, hold it in the air, then let it go; the arm remains as I placed it, although I say nothing. Why does this happen ? Because the subject believes that the arm must remain thus. Another person lets his arm fall; I raise it again, and say at the same time, "Your arm keeps still"; this happens; but only because the person now knows that this is intended, while he did not understand the simple raising of the arm. Let us return to the first subject. I raise the arm again, saying at the same time, "Now the arm falls down," which, in fact, happens; but only because the person believes that he is to let it fall. The legs, head, trunk, and so forth can be put into different postures and maintained there in the same way; the muscular sense here suffices to transmit the suggestion.

The inclination of the subject to maintain cataleptic positions is so great that Heidenhain considered the hypnotic state to be a catalepsy artificially produced. Catalepsy by suggestion has nothing whatever to do with physical changes in the muscles.

The main point for the attainment of catalepsy is that the subject should accept the idea of the corresponding attitude. Consequently the idea must be allowed to act for a considerable time before the desired result can be obtained. Words answer the purpose as well as other signs; many persons can only be thrown into catalepsy when the experimenter insists on the attitude required being maintained for some time.

The mesmeric passes (p. 34) which we have already become acquainted with as a method of producing hypnosis, here deserve especial mention. These mesmeric passes can be used locally in hypnosis - for example, over an arm, in order to make it cataleptic. Cataleptic attitudes which cannot be produced by verbal suggestion may often be obtained in this way. As far as I have been able to study these phenomena,1 it is unnecessary in their case to imagine an especial force as an explanation; according to my view, the efficiency of the mesmeric passes results from the fact that by means of them the whole attention of the subject is directed to his arm for a long time. By this means the idea has time to take root. Let any one allow his arm or his leg to be mesmerized in this fashion and he will find that his whole attention is directed to this part of his body, and much more forcibly than if the attention was concentrated on the limb in any other manner. From this it follows that contractions often only appear when the mesmeric passes have drawn the attention for some time to the part of the body concerned. Passes with contact act in exactly the same way as passes without contact.

In any case it must be remembered that the effect only appears when the individual has an idea of what is intended to follow. That centrifugal passes call up contractions, and centripetal ones dissipate them, has often been averred; but here we have to do with unintentional suggestions. I have as often been able to do the same thing with centripetal passes as with centrifugal.

1 As the most different views exist as to what "catalepsy" means, I remark here that, for the sake of brevity, I shall so name any state in which voluntary movements disappear and the limbs remain as they are placed by the experimenter - without having regard to the length of time which elapses before the limbs move freely again, or fall from their own weight.

We thus see in what manner suggestion affects the voluntary muscles. It is often observed that muscular activity aroused by suggestion has a tendency to persist. Thus a certain state of contraction is continued for a long period - there is, in fact, a contracture; or a long-continued movement may set in; or, finally, when the muscles are relaxed, a contraction of them can only be obtained with difficulty or not at all. Sometimes when the particular muscular activity has been primarily aroused by suggestion, the experimenter cannot at once counteract the effect of a primary suggestion by a second.