Schlussantrieb. Superficially then, we had in this experiment a condition of depression apparently associated with the subject's just having been aroused from sleep, which, under the keying-up influence of the experiment (often very noticeable, even in normal individuals) gradually "swings over" into a condition in which the mood, at least, is rather hypomanic. The final series of this experiment are also not dissimilar from those obtained from manic cases. The most reasonable interpretation of this case would seem to be that it is a manic-depressive condition which, owing to factors in the patient's make-up, is dominated by impulsive ideas. The depression is not secondary to the fixed ideas, but it is the fixed ideas which are secondary to the depression. This is further evidenced by the fact that the content of the patient's depressive ideas has recently changed somewhat and become more typical of what is ordinarily seen. The striking evidence of a motor retardation which these experiments afford throws an interesting sidelight on the fundamental character of the depressive symptoms. CASE II. Market gardener, 65, some heredity. As a boy he was quiet and retiring, of a rather "artistic " temperament, learned well at school. Leaving school at 18 on account of illness, he went into business, his occupation being neither eventful nor exacting. The first attack occurred at 42, without cause, showing depression and inadequacy. It was mild and did not interrupt his work. During the next 16 years there were some half dozen similar attacks, which seemed to be followed by hypomanic states. Then attacks of three or four months began to occur every winter, characterized by depression, inadequacy, tendency to worry, and restlessness. These were also followed by slight exhilarations. The patient was admitted in the attack previous to the present, which was the sixteenth. At this time involution symptoms began to appear in exaggerated apprehensiveness and a restlessness occasionally "breaking through" the retardation. He was discharged very much improved after some six weeks, and got along fairly well at home for about a year, when he again became depressed, with delusions, suspiciousness and restlessness, and was readmitted two months later. He was entirely clear about his surroundings, but showed much inadequacy and self-accusation. The regular experiment was performed twice. In interpreting the records it must be borne in mind that the subject does better 32L with the left hand than with the right. The upper continuous and dotted lines are thus those of the left hand. The curves are as above. The most striking point in these records is the difference between the first and the second experiments. The first experiment shows little abnormal in the shape of its curves, and its absolute rate is far beyond the limits of probable error above that of the second, which also shows marked evidence of intraserial warming As there could hardly have been such changes in superficial co-operativeness, the most natural indication is a change in the patient's condition. No such change can be traced in the clinical notes made independently of the experiments, though it was noted by the writer that the depression did seem somewhat deeper at the time of the second experiment. It would seem, then, that whatever the change in the patient's condition may have been, it was not one which was likely to be apparent to ordinary observation. The clinical notes speak of the patient's condition as fluctuating a good deal from day to day, but give no indication that this was one of his poorer days. Very shortly after these experiments the patient left the hospital on a visit, and appeared very well for the first few days. at home. Then delusional ideas began to return, coupled with restlessness and apprehension, which resulted in his return to the hospital some three and one-half months subsequently. Eight months later, a little over a year after the first two experiments, a third experiment was performed, whose results were very characteristic. The depression was deeper than at either of the two previous experiments. On being questioned a little when he came to the laboratory, his answers were very long in coming, but when they did arrive they were quick, sharp, and decisive. He was constantly fidgeting about, and showed very strikingly that the retardation was specifically one of the time of the outward reaction to the impulse, and not a matter of the absence or absolute feebleness of the impulses themselves. He denied feeling blue, but said he felt "bad." During the course of the experiment his general motor activity increased, and it was noted that he answered questions more promptly, and began a series of tapping sooner after the signal was given. Toward the end of the experiment he also spoke spontaneously. It was evident to ordinary observation that there was markedly less retardation at the end of the experiment than at the beginning. The curves are as below. The simple curves for the right and left hands show little of significance. There is a tendency to reversal, which, however, is not maintained after the second interval. The undistinctive character of these curves, however, is due wholly to the fact that the progressive overcoming of the retardation already noted clinically, produces so great a variation in the individual series that in simply taking the average for the intervals the progressive changes are masked. The number of taps in each of the five individual series with the right and left hands is as follows: Right hand NUMBER OF TAPS IN 30 SECONDS. 99 93 62 82 81 The characteristic in both hands is a relatively high rate in the first series, which drops to a minimum in the second, and then increases to the end. In each hand a low initial performance seems to be broken through by special influences at the beginning, after which the retardation again asserts itself, only to be overcome by the activities of the test. If we compare the relationship of the right and left hands in this experiment to their relationship in the other two experiments, there is evident a marked transference phenomenon, i. e., undue favoring of the following hand. The left hand here averages half as fast again as the right, while in the previous experiments it was only slightly more rapid. The series in this experiment show a wider variation in rate than occurs in any other experiment the writer has made. This variation is related in a rather significant way to the fatigue phenomena which the successive series show. The course of the f's through the successive series is plotted in the same way as for Case I. The f's begin low but at once mount very high, showing a great amount of reversal and then a gradual tendency to decrease to the end. Thus at the beginning of the experiment, at the period of greatest retardation, there was within the individual series no response to the warming-up influences at all, the first series running 19-16-14-15-15-14, f .79. Later, when the retardation is more overcome, we do find this response to intraserial warming up, obtaining such series as the fifth, with the right hand, running 14-15-18-18-18-16, f 1.22. Finally, the retardation is so far overcome that the best efforts |