, 1885-06-19
osLusioNs OF THE SENSES
Production OF HanuoInations OF sight.
Hearing. Taste and smen-Narcoti.nn.

Production OF HanucInation. OF sight.
Hearing. Taste and smeli-Narcotl,m.
~. Louis Ciobc.Democratl
The senses of sight, hearing, taste
and smell are all subject to false i'm
pressions, termed Authorizations, which
are provoked after the same model
AS those of the general n of
touch. In fact the special senses"
are, all Of them, merely notifications OF
the general one. The nerves of special
sense are different from those Of touch
in that when they are irritated they
give sensations each after its own special
kind. Thus, when a gentle electrical
current is passed through the ears, a
musical tone is heard; when through the
tongue, an impression OF taste is per
ceiyed in the neighborhood of the eye,
flashes Of light are seen; through the
upper part of the nose, an odor is appar-
emily produced. This applies to the
nerves themselves. The same effect
is produced when the nerve
centers in the brain, with which
these organs of sense are connected, are
irritated, Every one who has received
a severe blow on the head, OF has a gen
eral jarring OF the brain from a fall.
knows all about the halluoination of
SIGHT which is thus produced. Seeing
stars" thus caused is a good example OF
such a false impression made upon the
sight center by mechanical violence.
But mechanical injuries are not neces-
sary to the production Of Authorizations
Of the senses. They are easily brought
about by irritating the sense centers by
poisonous substances brought TO bear
upon them through the blood Some
times a pretty exact idea Of the sub
stances which caused them can be
formed from the character of the false
impressions themselves. Such notions
as these. that the person is being pur-
sued by the police, that there is an at
tempt to give him poison; that demons
are trying to carry him off, that yermin
of all kinds, lizards, serpents and the
like, are crawling about him, at once
suggests that there is acute poisoning by
alcohol-or delirium tremens at the bot
tom of the trouble.
IL is an old established fact that when
an individual became intoxicated with
the national drink of the Welsh,
metheglin or mead, a liquor prepared
by the fermentation of Il mixture Of
honey and water, he was generally pos
sessed of the idea Of bees buZzing ahOit
his head and ears-a hallucination of
both sight and hearing. Irving relates
in his Astoria, that on one occasion
the Lewis and CLARK explorers wished to
give the Indians u suitable entertain
nent, but having nothing in the shape
OF 'fire-watern to give them except alec
hol, made a mixture of this with watsr
and honey from a bee-tree. This was a
fair imitation of 'hydromel, and gave
much satisfaction to their savage guests.
After repeatedly imbibing, these sons
Of nature began in good earnest to fight
the bees which seemed to chem TO be
gathering in countless numbers about
their heads, although, in reality. there
were none there-a repetition Of civil
led men experience with this sednc
tive intoxicant.
Indian hemp, or hasheesh, induces a
curious condition in most people which
car be called n hallucination Of the
time sense. Minutes seem prolonged
TO a wonderful degree, and hours seem
sometimes to have the duration of cen
turtles The sense Of sight is generally
affected in n characteristic way by this
remarkable drug. Visions. mostly of
an agreeable kind, especially with gor-
geous displays of color, are frequent;
but time and space seem wonderfully
prolonged under its influence, The de
lirium product by belladonna, strand
mum Crimson weed'), and henbane in
poisonous quantities, is remarkable for
the disturbance of sight which go along
with it. The visions seen seem to be OF
a pleasant nature, for there are usually
laughter and good humor in the spoken
words.