warm sensation where the wires touch the cranium, and a feeling as of a
motion through the brain, entering at one point and going out at another.
There are also sparks of fire seen under the closed eyelids, an
unpleasant taste in the mouth, and a sensation of smell; that is all."

"But the mental sensations ?" said Henry. "I should think they must be
very peculiar, the sense of forgetting in spite of one's self, for I
suppose the patient's mind is fixed on the very thoughts which the intent
of the operation is to extirpate."

"Peculiar? Oh no, not at all peculiar," replied the doctor. "There are
abundant analogies for it in our daily experience. From the accounts of
patients I infer that it is not different from one's sensations in
falling asleep while thinking of something. You know that we find
ourselves forgetting preceding links in the train of thought, and in
turning back to recall what went before, what came after is meanwhile
forgotten, the clue is lost, and we yield to a pleasing bewilderment
which is presently itself forgotten in sleep. The next morning we may or
may not recall the matter. The only difference is that after the deep
sleep which always follows the application of my process we never recall
it, that is, if the operation has been successful. It seems to involve no
more interference with the continuity of the normal physical and mental
functions than does an afternoon's nap."

"But the after-effects!" persisted Henry. "Patients must surely feel that
they have forgotten something, even if they do not know what it is. They
must feel that there is something gone out of their minds. I should think
this sensation would leave them in a painfully bewildered state."

"There seems to be a feeling of slight confusion," said the doctor; "but