New-York tribune., 1908-01-26
TWENTY-THREE FOR YOU
Learn Hop That Mystic Number
Got q ReDutQtiOn.

prejudice prODaDlN cream Ol- III LiiC mo-
place the number plays important part in the
operation of our memory. In book published
a few years ago by DR.. Swoboda on "The Perio-
dicitv CT the Human Organism in which the
famous Vienna psychologist gives an account OF
some wonderful laws discovered by him IN the
domain of psychology, attention is for the first
time called to the Importance of this NUMBER
in the mental reproduction Of received impress
sions For many years Swoboda had MADE the
observation that airs heard by him at concert
or the opera, which he could not recall imme-
diately after their execution, would, a few days
later while walking. at work, or in conversation
suddenly turn up in his memory. and that lhese
spontaneous recollections as rule occurred on
the second day following the musical impression
Continued observations resulted in establishing
the fact that the recollections not always came
exactly after two days or forty-eight hours but
two hours earlier hence after forty-six hours;
that r. for instance, he recalled song after
four davs the recollection would occur by four
hours earlier than on the day of the perception:
If after six days by six hours; il after ten days.
by ten hours earlier. etc Finally ne maze Ihe
important discovery that the shortest time 1or
the recolleCtions to arise in his memory was
tHenty-three hours. This interval OF twenty
three hours was soon confirmed by other observ-
ers and this not only with regard TO muslcaI
recolleCtions but to all kinds of reproductions
such as pictures, moods, aches. etc once tnls
tyventy-three hour period was established as the
smallest interval of recolections, Swoboda could
formulate the law by which this phenomenon
was governed in the following proposition: Re-
membranes return periodically and mechani-
caIIy after number of hours. which IN all
cases is a multiple of twenty-three. such as two
times t,yenty-three four times twenty-three. SIX
times twenty three, etc. Now. IT, as SHOWN
above voluntary recollections arise every sue
ceeding day by hour earlier. 1t follows that
after twenty-four times twenty-three hourS-
that is after twenty-three days-they must
occur at exactly the same hour at which the
resnective perception had been made AS
matter of fact. Swoboda succeeded in proving
the existence Of the period Of twenty-three Gays
duration In the last discovery the researches
Of the nsvchologist coincide with the interesting
observations made by medical man Dr-
F1iess proved in his patients the periodicity OF
tvran+v-tbree davs. rnanifesting in various dis
eases Thus. constitutional diseases such as
epilepsv piles. gout, etc. make themselves peI
ticularv conspicuous on the critical days CORE
spending TO said period Also in Infectious as
eases these days are important playing as II
were into the hands OF the baciii- Apoplectlc
seizures the sUrest messengers or death, llke-
,.-isa occur on these critical days. But not only
neurological processes of every description are
governed by this period, the phases OF norHial
human OeNelOpIneItl, SLS III az tcSt4''A4e'
learning to talk, etc, are also oepehueHt 5 u5oIi
periodical terms. Even in the animal klnsdolh
the twenty three days period seems 10 RUE su-
prefne Thus Fliess found that the dates IN
which famous racehorSeS run badly were apart
from each other by multiple Of twenty three
days and Swoboda's researches ylelded the 1uf
ther surprising result that, counted from man
birth every tWenty-thrd day OF his life Is
critical one-that is TO say that on such days ne
Is liable TO be subject to all kinds Of minor de
rangements. such colds. nose bleedinss'
cutaneous eruptions. etc. as well as 10 psychlc
depressions. rapid mental fatigue, etc IN snort
10 all those phenomena which taken together
constitute the idea of illness. st the expiration
of the twenty three days periods, therefofe' lhe
organism both body and soul, possesses less
power of resistance. At that time we should not
perform any severe operation, should not under
take anything particularly difficult, as, for IN
stance. passing an examination. making an I'M
portant speech; nor should we expose ourselves
To aDy danger Incidentally besides the twenty
three days period DIR. FIeiss also discovered one
Of twentyeight days. which, manifestlng itsell as
IL does ure-erniuentiy in the female sex, he calls
the feminine period while the interval OF twen-
ty-three days which is characteristic or the
stronger sex, he designates as the masculine
period. But owing 10 the principle OF ol-SeHu
itv II often ha opens that the twenty eight DAYS
period is also met with in men. and wee versa
fhe tWenty-tFlree days period in women
The discovery of this periodlcity throws
new light upon the mysterious domain oi dream
life Although il is not possible to explain an
dreams by one principle, still Swobodas s d1ScoN-
cries do nos leave any doubt as to the Iact
that the contents Of our dreams are IN great
measure formed out OF the remembranCes fall
ms, que In accordance with the law or perlo-
dicjtv If we further consider that during sleep
our intellect does not assert its contfolllIS
power we can easily explain the frequently
very bizarre combination OF mental pictures
created in our dreams. Out of the abundance
Of instructive illustrations given by Swoboda'
the following, picked out at random may alSo
serve TO explain the would-be prophetic dreams:
A Vienna physician one night dreamed tnat
he was called to a sick child. In his dream ne
sees distinctly the house OF the chiid Ialniy.
-ha ilrn
dav he is actually called TO the child. The
prophetical nature Of this dream mas It's eA.
planation in the following facts: On January "
The physician had paid q VISIT 70 the IaInily'
in the night from March q to 2S he had the
dream therefore after 3x28 days. In this case
we have a feminine interval in a male indiVld-
nal From his last visit started for both the
nhvsician and the child's mother one and the
me period. After 3X28 days came TO both the
recolIection of this visit. only each party inter-
preted it differently. In the physician II caused
TO arise the presentirnent or anticipation that
he would be called, and to the mother IL sue-
gested the idea or strengthened her in her reso-
luton to send for him. II must be added that
the child was not ailing at ALL that the physi-
clan was only sent for to examine II again.
hence without any apparent necessity.
.'One morning at breakfast" relates Swoboda,
81 pick up a newspaper. and perusing 1t, am
struck by the headline, An Accident on TN, ,ns
shortly before awakening dreamed that was
on the sea, that my vessel collided win an
other steamer, which caused it to SINK ana lhat
I made vain efforts to save myself from GROWN
ing Here the dream ended" Was this
a prophetic dream? few moments later oWo.
boda recollected having read weeks oetore OF
the loss of a vessel near Marseles. He got the
date of the newspaper account: 1T was exactly
46 (2><23) days previous to his dream. From
this we see how cautious we shouid De III
the assumption of prophetic dreams
An interesting practical application or tne
law Of periodicity, in particular that OF the %
Cor better. 2X23) hour interval. can be mace
with regard TO memory. If we want TO learn
something by heart for certain occasion s'cn
as a song. a speech. II is evidently or the great
est advantage to choose the time of memorizing
- = 4 nn..ra Tho craarta nenus recnIlections 10