Excerpt from Memoirs of my Nervous Illness, by Daniel Paul Schreber

I have dealt in detail with my hallucinations in Appendix IV of my Memoirs, and I refer to it at this juncture. From the medical specialist's report I notice with some satisfaction that he himself attributes a certain reality to my hallucinations, in so far as he apparently does not doubt that the “voices” described in my Memoirs are in fact perceived by me. The only difference of opinion then is whether the subjective sensation of hearing voices is cause only by pathological functioning of my own nerves, or whether some external cause acts on them, in other words whether the sound of voices is, so to speak, a trick on the part of my own nerves, or whether some being outside my body speaks into me in the form of voices. Equally the question may be raised concerning “grimacing”, the pulling of faces, closing of my eyes, etc., whether it is only a pathological state of my nerves causing muscular contractions or whether there is some external stimulus acting on my body. In essence it is one assertion versus another. Mere rationalism will naturally deny from the start that divine miracles are the cause. But happily rationalism, in Goethe's words, “What cannot be accounted for, does not count”, is almost nowhere in science the guiding principle. I who cannot prove the miracles but only wish to put other people in a frame of mind to believe in the possibility of supernatural influences in connection with my person, I would be satisfied if the medical specialist were to affirm that in my case these phenomena have a characteristic and distinct stamp hitherto unknown in scientific experience. I presume that hallucinations of the kind described have never previously been observed except in my case, particularly the incessant talking of voices which cannot be silenced by any mental distraction, is something totally unheard of, as are the muscular contractions against the patient's will (as even the medical expert admits) which force him to shut his eyes, to utter bellowing noises, markedly accelerate his breathing even while at rest, etc. I would also like to see this assumption confirmed in a definite medical statement, unless it can be shown to be incorrect. It would be of particular value to me if the medical expert could also confirm that closing of my eyes – against my will – occurs regularly and immediately as soon as I am silent after taking part in a loud conversation, in other words when I indulge in thinking nothing.