DR. E. E. SOUTHARD, Boston: Are all these somatic explanations of
metaphysics?
DR. WILLIAMS: Largely.
DR. SMITH ELY JELLIFFE, New York: I recall a note in one of Dr. Jones'
papers in which he says "that in the future our reason will be used to
explain things. Heretofore it has been used to explain them away."
DR. TOM A. WILLIAMS, Washington, D. C.: I am not prepared to make any
predictions about a thousand years from now, that is in the air. I mention
not the levels at all, nor do I speak of "decerebrate metaphysics." Nor do I
speak of metaphysics at all unless one would imply that what I have called
supernatural explanations needs must be metaphysical. I do not speak of
cerebral functions per se. I was simply speaking of states of feelings.
The source and origin I did not go into. I simply made an attempt to imply
that such states of feeling were responsible for the discomfort and feeling
of inadequacy of the patient, and as Dr. Jelliffe has well repeated that the
victim attempts to rationalize this in supernatural fashion and that this
may be not at all dependent upon the notion of the supernatural universe he
has imbibed as a child. It is a construing of natural means for getting out
of a difficulty.
Dr. L. E. Emerson, Boston, read a paper entitled "The Psycho-Analytic
Treatment of Hystero-Epilepsy."[*]
[*] Reserved for publication.