made

IfinthesamesubjectandbythesamemethodIhave

invisibleapersonorathingwhichisbeforehiseyes,Ihave

notproducedaparalysisoftheeye.Thepatientseesall
theobjectsexceptingonlytheonewhichhasbeensuggested
tohimasinvisible.Ihaveobliteratedasensorialimagefrom
hismind.Ihaveneutralizedorrenderednegative,theperception
ofthisimage.Icallsuchaphenomenon,anegativehallucination.
Inbothcases,thepsychicalorpsychosensorialphenomenon
isofthesameorder.Inbothcases,Ihavecalledforthahallucination.
Besides,inallthecomplexhallucinations,suchasareartificially
realizedandspontaneouslydeveloped,thetwophenomena
coexist alunaticbelieveshimselfinprison,seeshiscell,the
jailer,thechainwhichbindshim.Thesearesensorialperceptions
:

createdinhisbrain.Ontheotherhand,hedoesnotsee

therealobjectsbeforehim.Heneitherseesnorhears
thepeopleabouthim.Thesearerealsensorialperceptions
effaced.

Willanyonesay,thatofthesetwoordersofphenomena,the
firstaloneconstituteshallucination,andnotthesecond?For
anillegitimatebutauthorizeduseofawordwhichexistsinour
language(examples negativepressure,negativevalue,negative
quantity,etc.),theexpression,negativehallucination,seemsto
:

meperfectlywellchosentoexpressthepsychicalmechanismof
thephenomenonconnectedwiththatwhichcausespositivehallucination.
Ihaveshownelsewhere,thatsuggestiveamaurosisaswellas
hystericalamaurosisisnotasystematicparalysisbutapurely
psychicalamaurosis aneutralizationoftheobjectperceivedby
theimagination.Itisanegativehallucination.Thisamaurosis
hasnoorganicsubstratum,noanatomicallocalization.Thesubject
;

seesbymeansofhisretinaandbymeansofhisbrain.The
firstreceivestheimpression

thesecond,bymeansofthecortical

visualcentre,perceivesit.Butthesubjectswhoareamaurotic

bysuggestion,orwhoarehysterical,unconsciouslyneutralizethis
visualimagebytheirimagination.Oculoshabentetnonvident.

Theyseewiththeirmaterialeyes,theydonotseewiththeir
minds'eyes.Theamaurosisisonlyanegativeillusion.

whomIhadsuggested

Ihaveremarkedthatofthesubjectsto

duringsleepaninabilitytoseemeuponwaking,someappearednottoseemeatall,but
othersbeganbylookingatme,asifthe

memoryofthesuggestedideanolongerexisted thenthe
memorybeingrevived,theirexpressionchangedsuddenlyand
;

theybecomeinertasfarasIwasconcerned.Ihaddisappeared
theynolongersawme,and,lateron,whentheeffectofthesuggestion
;

hadwornoff,theybelievedandassuredmethatthey

hadnotseenmeevenimmediatelyafterwaking.

Mychefdeclinique,M.Ganzinotty,wishedtoexperimentin
ordertodeterminewhetherthissuggestedunilateralamaurosis

wasrealorfeigned.HemadeuseofStoeber'sapparatus(of
whichIshallspeaklater),whichisintendedtobaffleany
attemptatdeception.Hestatedthattheindicationsgiven

bythepatientwerefalse.Hewasinclinedtobelievethere
wassimulation.Iexplainedtohim,thatastheamaurosiswas
purelypsychical,thatis,imaginary,itcouldnotobeyoptical
laws.

Lateron,Iwasabletodemonstratethematterexperimentally,

inregardtotheunilateralamaurosisofhysteria,whichacts

exactlylikesuggestedamaurosis.Thefollowingisanobservation

whichIhavemadeuponalargenumberofhystericalcases
inmyservice.Thepatientshadcompletesensitivosensorial
hemianaesthesiaofoneside,letussaytheleftside,includinga
completeamaurosisonthisside.
Now,therighteyebeingclosed,afterhavingprovedthatthe
patientsseenothingwiththeleft,andaretotallyblind,itis
easytoassureone'sselfthatthisblindnessispurelypsychical.
Forthispurpose,IuseDr.Stoeber'sapparatus,amodificationof

Apairof

Snellen's,whichthwartsanysimulationofamaurosis.

spectaclesinwhichoneglassisredandtheothergreen,isput

onthepatient'snose,andheismadetoreadsixlettersona
blackframe,alternatelycoveredbysquaresofredandgreen
glass.Lookingatthemwithbotheyesopen,allsixletters
canberead.Lookingatthemwithoneeyeonly,theother
beingclosed,onlythreecanberead:thosecoveredbytheglass
correspondingincolortothespectacleglassthroughwhichthe
eyeislooking theletterscoveredbyredglassiftheeyeis
lookingthroughtheredglassinthespectacle,andgreenletters
iftheeyeisonthesideofthegreenglass.Thisoccursbecause
greenandredmixedmakeblack.Ifwelookatgreenthrough
;

red,Weseeblack.