Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-11-03
Curious Mental Phenomena.

Dr. Carpenter is ucllNcIlng course OF lee
lures in Manchester, England, on the physiol-
ogy of the nervous system. In his fifth lee
ture the doctor related some curious instances
of alteration of mind. He spoke of very
learned professor, some years ago, at Aber-
deem DR. Robert Hamilton, whose ESSAY on
the national debt of England largely contribu-
ted to the abolition of the sinking fund In
public this man was a shadow. He pulled Of
his hat to his own wife inthe streets, and apol-
ogized for not having the pleasure of her ac-
quaintance. He went to one Of his classes
early in the morning, with one of his wife's
white stockings on one leg and black one on
the other. He often spent the whole time Of
the class in moving from the table the hats,
which his students as constantly returned.-
He sometimes invited his students to call on
him and then fined them if they called. He
ran against cow, and then begged her par
don, called her madam, hoping she had not
been hurt. He would run against posts, and
chide them for not getting out of the way
Yet If any one was with him at the time, his
conversation would be perfectly logical. An
other instance of absence of mind was quoted
In the case of Scotch clergyman, who was
invited to party in Edinburgh, at time
when it was usual to mix devotion with social
intercourse. He was requested to conduct the
services before the company broke up and
he therefore knelt down and began to pray in
an appropriate manner. But soon he appar-
emily forgot where he was, and he continued
his prayer as if in the quietude of his own
chamber. He made reflections, in the prayer,
on the mode in which he had spent the even
ing, and on the individuals present with him
at the party. When he had concluded his
prayer he rose up, took off his coat and waist
coat, and was about to proceed to further ex-
tremities, when his friends stopped him.
More familiar instances Of absence of mind
were mentioned as occurring to more than one
gentleman, who have been known to 90 up
stairs to dress for an evening party and have
actually undressed and got into bed, while
their wltes, perhaps, were waiting for them
below ! After giving other cases Of spontane-
Gus mental abstraction, the lecturer spoke of
the case of induced reverie, commonly known
under the absurd name Of electrobioogy.-
All the essential phenomena of this state had
been shown to him (several years before 'elec-
troblology was brought before the public) by
Mr.. Braid, in the person Of a gentleman well
known in Manchester, man of high intelli-
gence, and utterly incapable of deceiving, who
has the power of spontaneous abstraction in a
very remarkable degree, and who, when fix
ing his attention for very few seconds upon
any object, loses so entirely his voluntary con-
troll, that he is completely at the mercy Of ex-
ternal suggestions, as his whole mind is for
the time possessed with whatever idea NAV be
communicated to him by another. This he
(Dr. Carpenter) considered to be the essential
character of this state of mind-a condition in
which the power Of the will over the current
of thought is entirely suspended, while the
sensorium is more open to extravagant ex-
pressions than it is in ordinary reverie but
otherwise the two states are essentially the
same.