CONTENTS.

PART I.

SKETCHES OF CERTAIN OPINIONS, ANCIENT AND MODERN,

WHICH HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINED ON THE SUBJECT OF

APPARITIONS.

Page

3

15

18

25

31

CHAP. I. The Opinions entertained regarding the Credibility

of Ghost-Stories,

II. The Referenceof Apparitions to Hallucinations, &c.

III. The Opinions entertained that a Ghost was a ma-

terial Product, sui Generis,

IV. The Opinions entertained that Ghosts were exter-

nal Ideas, or Astral Spirits,

V. The Opinions entertained that Ghosts were attri.

butable to Fancy or Imagination,

VI. The Opinions which attribute the supposed In-

fluence of Fancy to the direct Operations of the

Soul,

VII. The Notions entertained that Ideas, by their Ac-

tion on the Nerves, gave rise to Spectral Im-

pressions,

VIII. The Opinions that Spectral Impressions were the

Result of a false Judgment of the Intellect,

IX. The Devil supposed to be a Cause of Ghosts,

38

46

48

PART II.

THE PARTICULAR MORBID AFFECTIONS WITH WHICH THE

PRODUCTION OF PHANTASMS IS OFTEN CONNECTED.

CHAP. I. The Pathology of Spectral Illusions,

61

II. Spectral Illusions resulting from the highly-excit-

ed States of particular Temperaments,

72

b

Page

CHAP. III. Spectral Illusions arising from the Hysteric Tem-

perament,

81

IV. Spectral Illusions occurring from Plethora ; for in-

stance, from the Neglect of accustomed periodi.

cal Blood-letting,

86

V. The Spectral Illusions which occasionally occur as

Hectic Symptoms,

91

VI. Spectral Illusions from Febrile and Inflammatory

Affections,

94

VII. Spectral Illusions arising from Inflammation of

the Brain,

99

VIII. Spectral Illusions arising from a highly-excited

State of Nervous Irritability acting generally

on the System,

112

IX. The Spectral Illusions of Hypochondriacks, 117

X. Certain less frequent Morbid Sources of Spectral

Illusions,

119

PART III.

PROOFS THAT THE OBJECTS OF SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS ARE

FREQUENTLY SUGGESTED BY THE FANTASTIC IMAGERY

OF SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF.

CHAP. I. Explanation of the Mode in which the Ideas which

are suggested by various Popular Superstitions

become recalled in a highly-vivified State, so as

to constitute the Imagery of Spectral Illusions, 125

II. Remarks on the Apparitions of Good Spirits, re-

corded in Popular Narratives,

138

III. General Remarks on the Apparitions connected

with Demonology,

160

IV. General Remarks on the Apparitions of Departed

Spirits,

191

PART IV.

AN ATTEMPT TO INVESTIGATE THE MENTAL LAWS WHICH

GIVE RISE TO SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS.

CHAP. I. General Object of the Investigation which follows, 241

II. Indications afforded by Mental Excitements, that

Organs of Sensation are the Medium through

which past Feelings are renovated,

244

Page

CHAP. III. The various Degrees of Excitement, of which

Ideas, or the renovated Feelings of the Mind,

are susceptible,

258

IV. An Inquiry into those Laws of Mental Conscious-

ness which give rise to the Illusions of Dreams, 272

V. Phantasms may arise from Ideas of which the

Mind might otherwise have been either con-

scious or unconscious,

282

VI. The Effect of Morbific Excitements of the Mind

when heightened by the vivifying Influence of

Hope and Fear,

295

VII. The Illusions which Hope and Fear are capable of

exciting independently of the Co-operation of

Morbific Causes,

305

VIII. Mental Excitements distinguished as partial or

general,

311

IX. General Mental Excitements considered as the

Result of Morbific Causes co-operating with

moral Agents,

315

X. The frequent Effect of general Morbific Excite-

ments in rendering the Mind unconscious either

of pleasurable or painful Feelings,

319

XI. The Influence of any prevailing moral Disposition

may be so increased by a Morbific Excitement,

as to be productive of Spectral Impressions of a

corresponding Character,

323

XII. When moral Agents which exert a pleasurable In-

fluence are heightened in their Effects by the

Co-operation of Morbific Excitements of a si-

milar pleasurable Quality, the Mind may be

rendered totally unconscious of opposite or pain.

ful Feelings,

340

XIII. When moral Agents which exert a painful In-

fluence are heightened in their Effects by the

Co-operation of Morbific Excitements of a simi.

lar painful Quality, the Mind may be rendered

totally unconscious of opposite or pleasurable

Feelings,

347

XIV. Proofs that, during intense Excitements of the

Mind, no less than during Syncope and Sleep,

the Causes which exclusively act upon Organs

of Sensation eventually extend their vivifying

Influence to the Renovation of past Feelings, 353

XV. When Morbific Causes of Mental Excitement ex-

ert to their utmost Extent their stimulating

Page

Powers, they often change the Quality of their

Action, as from Pleasure to Pain, or from Pain

to Pleasure,

361

CHAP. XVI. When Causes act acutely upon Organs of Sensa-

tion, and are unremittingly prolonged, they oc-

casionally change the Quality of their Action ;

as, for instance, from Pain to Pleasure. Ideas

likewise partake of this Change of Excitement, 367

SUMMARY OF THE COMPARATIVE DEGREES OF FAINTNESS,

VIVIDNESS, OR INTENSITY SUBSISTING BETWEEN SENSA-

TIONS AND IDEAS, DURING THEIR VARIOUS EXCITEMENTS

AND DEPRESSIONS.

Introduction,

391

CHAP. I. The various Excitements and Depressions connect-

ed with the Sleeping and Dreaming States, 393

II. The Order of Phenomena observable in extreme

Mental Excitements, when Sensations and Ideas

are conjointly rendered more vivid,

409

III, The Images of Spectral Impressions differ from

those of Dreams in being much more vivid, 429

NOTES,

441

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

FORMULA (contained in a Tabular View) of the various compa-

rative Degrees of Faintness, Vividness, or Intensity, supposed
to subsist between Sensations and Ideas, when conjointly excited

or depressed, -to face page 392.
Wood Cut of Grotesque Carvings over the Door of the Cheetham

Library, Manchester,-illustrative of the Demonology of the
Middle Ages,--to face page 172.

PART I.

SKETCHES OF CERTAIN OPINIONS,

ANCIENT AND MODERN,

WHICH HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINED ON THE SUBJECT OF

APPARITIONS.