I. Odometer (we will suppose armed with shell-lac) held over three
sovereigns heaped loosely together to form the Od-subject; the odometer
suspended from the right forefinger of a competent person of the male
sex. _Result_—Longitudinal oscillations.
II. Let the experimenter, continuing experiment I., take with
his unengaged hand the hand of a person of the opposite sex.
_Result_—Transverse oscillations of the odometer.
III. Then, the experiment being continued, let a person of the sex of
the experimenter take and hold the unengaged hand of the second party.
_Result_—Longitudinal oscillations of the odometer.
IV. Repeat experiment I., and, the longitudinal oscillations being
established, touch the forefinger which is engaged in the odometer with
the forefinger of your other hand. _Result_—The oscillations become
transverse.
V. Repeat experiment I., and, the longitudinal oscillations being
established, bring the thumb of the same hand into contact with the
finger implicated in the odometer. _Result_—The oscillations become
transverse.
VI. Then, continuing experiment V., let a person of the same sex take
and hold your unengaged hand. _Result_—The oscillations become again
longitudinal.
VII. Experiment I. being repeated, take and hold in your disengaged
hand two or three sovereigns. _Result_—The oscillations become
transverse.
VIII. Continuing experiment VII., let a person of the same sex take and
hold your hand which holds the sovereigns. _Result_—The oscillations
become longitudinal.
IX. If the odometer be attached to the thumb instead of to the
forefinger, it oscillates longitudinally; but on approaching the thumb
so as to touch the forefinger, the oscillations become of course
transverse.
X. Repeat experiment I., but let the Od-subject be a double row
of five sovereigns, each disposed longitudinally from you, and
hold the odometer over the middle of the double row of sovereigns.
_Result_—Longitudinal oscillations, but the excursions are inordinately
long. Still, on touching the forefinger with the thumb, the
oscillations become either transverse, or the odometer moves in an
ellipse, of which the long axis corresponds with the axis of the double
line of sovereigns.
XI. Dispose ten sovereigns longitudinally from you in two parallel
rows, an inch and a half apart, and hold the odometer over the middle
of the interval. _Result_—Longitudinal oscillations.
XII. Modify experiment XI. by holding the odometer not midway, but
nearer one of the rows of sovereigns. _Result_—Oblique oscillations.
XIII. Dispose ten sovereigns heaped in a short longitudinal group, and
hold the odometer over the table half an inch to one side of the middle
of the heap. _Result_—Transverse oscillations.
From the latter experiments and their modifications, it became evident
that the magnitude and shape of the Od-subject have each a direct
influence on the result. A greater force of attraction evidently exists
towards the greater mass.
XIV. Odometer held over the northward pole of a magnetic needle
contained in a compass-box under glass. _Result_—Rotatory motion in the
direction of the hands of a watch.
XV. Odometer held over the southward pole. _Result_—Rotatory motion in
the direction contrary to the motion of the hands of a watch.
XVI. Repeat experiments XIV. and XV., with the difference of touching
the forefinger implicated in the odometer with the thumb of the same
hand. _Results_—The rotatory motions observed in the two experiments
referred to become exactly reversed.
XVII. Hold the odometer over the centre of the needle.
_Result_—Oscillations at right angles, or transverse, to the axis of
the needle.
XVIII. Hold the odometer over, and half an inch to one side of, the
centre of the needle. _Result_—Oscillations parallel to the axis of the
needle.
XIX. Repeat experiment XIV. Then, during its continuance, place a pile
of three sovereigns on the compass-box, in front of the northward
pole of the needle, and about an inch from it. _Result_—Direction of
original rotatory motion reversed.
Then follow experiments with results exactly parallel to the preceding,
having the greatest physiological interest.
XX. Hold the odometer over the tip of the forefinger of your disengaged
hand. _Result_—Rotatory motion in the direction of the hands of a watch.
XXI. Hold the odometer over the thumb of your disengaged hand.
_Result_—Rotatory motion against that of the hands of a watch.
XXII. Hold up the forefinger and thumb of the disengaged hand, their
points being at two and a half inches apart. Hold the odometer in the
centre of a line which would join the points of the finger and thumb.
_Result_—Oscillations transverse to the line indicated.
XXIII. Modify the preceding experiment by holding the odometer half
an inch to one side of, and over, the middle of the line indicated.
_Result_—Oscillations parallel to the said line.
XXIV. Modify experiment XXIII. by approximating the ends of the
forefinger and thumb of the disengaged hand, so that they touch.
_Result_—The odometer no longer moves.
XXV. Forefinger and thumb of the disengaged hand held upwards and
apart, sustaining a short file longwise between them. Odometer then
held over the last joint of the finger. _Result_—Odometer stationary.
Odometer then held over the last joint of the thumb. _Result_—Odometer
stationary.
XXVI. Odometer held over the northward pole of the magnetic needle, and
its consequent rotatory motion in the direction of that of the hands
of a watch established. Then advance the finger or the thumb of the
other hand towards the odometer. (The odometer should be held in these
experiments half an inch above, and a little wide of, or before, the
apex of the needle.) The finger, or the thumb, is then to be brought
as near to the odometer as is consistent with not touching it in its
rotation. _Result_—Direction of the rotation reversed. Then join the
finger and thumb, and hold the two thus brought into contact in the
same proximity to the odometer. _Result_—The rotation returns to the
former direction; that is, to the direction of the motion of the hands
of a watch.
XXVII. Odometer held over the radial (or thumb) edge of the wrist.
_Result_—The same as when held over thumb. Odometer held over the
little-finger edge of the wrist. _Result_—The same as when held over
either of the fingers. This difference in result extends a third the
length of the fore-arm, over the middle of which the odometer becomes
stationary.
XXVIII. A portion of rock-crystal five inches long, about two wide
and deep, placed on the table with its long axis transverse to the
operator. Glass odometer held over the middle of the upper plain
surface. _Result_—Oscillations parallel to the axis of the crystal.
Position of the crystal shifted, so as to make its axis point _from_
the operator. _Result_—Oscillations as before parallel to the axis of
the crystal, but longitudinal to the operator. Then the thumb applied
to the forefinger. _Result_—Transverse oscillations.
XXIX. Glass odometer held suspended over one apex of the crystal.
_Result_—Rotatory motion in the direction of the hands of a watch.
Odometer held over the opposite end. _Result_—Rotation in the direction
contrary to that of the hands of a watch.
XXX. The last experiment repeated. The forefinger of the operator’s
unengaged hand brought near to the odometer in each of its two
varieties. _Result_—The previous rotatory motion reversed. Then the
point of the thumb brought into contact with the odometer finger.
_Result_—The original rotatory motion re-established.
I will add in reference to the first and simplest experiments, that the
interposition of several folds of silk between the Od-subject and the
odometer renders the motions of the latter less brisk.
The development which I have thus given to the few, isolated, and
long-hoarded experiments of Herr Caspari, was not so simple an
affair as it may seem to be. For several days I was in doubt as to
the genuineness of the results, so capricious and contradictory were
they. It was only when I had discovered, first, the reversing effect
of touching the odometer finger with the thumb of the same hand, and,
secondly, that approaching the thumb towards the odometer finger, or
even allowing the other fingers of the odometer hand to close upon
the ball of the thumb, has the same effect with bringing the point
of the thumb into contact with the odometer finger, that I succeeded
in obtaining unvarying results. The interest of these experiments is
unquestionably very considerable. They open a new vein of research, and
establish a new bond of connexion between physical and physiological
science, which cannot fail to promote the advancement of both. They
contribute a mass of objective and physical evidence to give support
and substantiality to the subjective results of Von Reichenbach’s
experiments. They tend to prove the existence of some universal force,
such as that to which he has given theoretical form and consistence
under the designation of Od. And such a universal force, what other can
we deem it to be than the long-vilipended influence of Mesmer, rendered
bright and transparent and palatable by passing through the filter of
science?