5/14/2014 CABINET // The Influencing Machine

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ISSUE14DOUBLESSUMMER2004
TheInfluencingMachine
CHRISTOPHERTURNER

In1919,VictorTausk,adiscipleofSigmundFreud,committedsuicideby
simultaneouslyhangingandshootinghimself.Ihavenomelancholy,he
wroteinhissuicidenote,whichwasaddressedtoFreud.Mysuicideisthe
healthiest,mostdecentdeedofmyunsuccessfullife.Hisessay,Onthe
originoftheInfluencingMachineinSchizophrenia,whichhassince
becomeaclassicinpsychiatricliterature,hadjustbeenpublished.
Inthearticle,Tauskdescribedtheelaboratemechanicaldevicesthat
paranoidschizophrenicsinventintheirimaginationstoexplainawaytheir
mentaldisintegration.Astheboundariesbetweentheschizophrenicsmind
andtheworldbreakdown,theyoftenfeelthemselvespersecutedby
machinesofamysticalnature,whichsupposedlyworkbymeansofradio
waves,telepathy,xrays,invisiblewires,orothermysteriousforces.The
machinesarebelievedtobeoperatedbyenemiesasinstrumentsoftorture
andmindcontrol,andtheoperatorsarethoughttobeabletoimplantand
removeideasandfeelings,andinflictpain,fromadistance.
InfluencingMachinesaredescribedbytheirtroubledinventorsascomplex
structures,constructedofboxes,cranks,levers,wheels,buttons,wires,
batteriesandthelike.Sometimesthesedevicesarethoughttobetheir
doubles,unconsciousprojectionsoftheirfragmentedbodilyexperience.
Patientswilltypicallyinvokeallthepowersknowntotechnologytoexplain
theirobscureworkings.Nevertheless,theyalwaystranscendattemptsat
givingacoherentaccountoftheirfunction:Allthediscoveriesofmankind,
Tauskasserts,areregardedasinadequatetoexplainthemarvelouspowers
ofthismachine.
Tausktookhistermfromanapparentlymagicaldeviceinventedin1706by
FrancisHauksbee,astudentofIsaacNewton.HisInfluenceMachinewasa
spinningglassglobe,whichcrackedlikelightningwhentouched,
transmittinganelectricalsparkandemittingagreenishneonlightwhen
rubbedamysteriousluminositywhichwascalledtheglowoflife.These
apparentlysupernaturaleffectswerecausedbytheintroductionofstatic
electricityintoavacuumitworkedliketheshimmeringvacuumtubeofthe
modernTV.Itspsychologicalincarnationhadsimilarlymesmerizingeffects:
Theinfluencingmachine,Tauskwrote,makesthepatientsseepictures.
Whenthisisthecase,themachineisgenerallyamagiclanternor
cinematograph.Thepicturesareseenonasingleplane,onwallsor
windowpanesunliketypicalvisualhallucinations,theyarenotthree
dimensional.
ThepsychiatristHansPrinzhornbegancollectingforhisfamousMuseumof
PathologicalArtthesameyearthatTauskpublishedhisessay(withinayear
Prinzhornhadacquiredfortyfivehundredworks,whicharecurrentlyhoused
inthePsychiatricUniversityHospitalinHeidelberg,Germany).Oneofthese
imagesillustratesanInfluencingMachineinstrikinglygraphicform.The
artistwasJakobMohr,afarmerandhawkersufferingfromparanoid
schizophrenia,andhispictureshowssomeoneholdingasmallboxwhich
resemblesanoldfashionedcameraandtransmitssomethinglikestaticatits
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5/14/2014 CABINET // The Influencing Machine
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victim.Thestructuralworkingsofthecontraptionareexplainedina
palimpsestofscribblednotes,whichPrinzhorncalledwordsalad.The
operator,whoisthoughttobethepsychiatrist(hewearsheadphonesso
thathecanlisteninonMohrsthoughts),aimsaradiationtubeathis
subjectthatemitselectricwavesandrendershimahypnoticslave.The
machinesenergyflowstwowaysitisamagnetaswellasagun:Waves
arepulledoutofme,Mohrscrawled,throughthepositiveelectrical
fluorescentattractionoftheorganicpositivepoleastheremotehypnotizer
throughtheearth.TheappliancesmalevolentpoweroverMohris
illustratedbyaseriesofchildishlydrawnarrowsandwavytentacleswhich
unitebothmeninapainfullookingspasmofelectricity.
***
JamesTillyMatthew's"airloom,"early19thcentury.CourtesyLibraryofthe
CollegeofPhysiciansofPhiladelphia.
ExactlyahundredyearsbeforeMohrdrewhissketch,thefirstrecorded
clinicaldescriptionofanInfluencingMachinewaspublishedin1810byJohn
Haslam,theapothecaryatBethlemHospital(otherwiseknownasBedlam)in
London.Hisbook,IllustrationsofMadness,extensivelyquotedoneofhis
patientsdescriptionsofhispersecutoryfantasies.JamesTillyMatthews,a
Welshteabrokerandarchitect,hadembarkedonahopelesslyoptimisticsolo
missiontobrokerpeacebetweenBritainandpostRevolutionaryFrance,only
tobethrownintojailbytheJacobins.Hewasreleasedthreeyearslaterasa
dangerousmadmanandreturnedtoEnglandin1796.Onhisarrival,he
noisilyinterruptedasessionintheHouseofParliament,accusingthe
governmentoftraitorousvenalityandthePrimeMinisterofbeingundera
spell,amerepuppetofFrenchspies.Hewasdeclaredinsaneanda
publicmenace,andwasonceagainincarcerated,thoughhisfamilysought
hisreleaseandpersuadedseveralexpertstotestifytohissanity.Haslam
counteredwithhisbook,whichdocumentedMatthewssbizarreconspiracy
theoryinenoughdetailtoembarrasshisprofessionalsupporters,perhaps
explainingthebookssneeringandunsympathetictone.Hispatient
remainedinmanacles(Haslamwasdismissedin1816,accusedof
maltreatinghisinmates).
5/14/2014 CABINET // The Influencing Machine
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Matthews,whosignedhimselfJames,Absolute,Sole,Supreme,Sacred,
OmniImperious,ArchGrand,ArchSovereignArchEmperor,thought
Frenchagentshadplacedamagnetinhisbrainandweremanipulatinghis
mind,andthoseofotherimportantfigures,withwavesofanimalmagnetism
emittedfromanInfluencingMachine,whichhetermedanairloom.From
theirhideoutinLondonWall,heclaimedthegangofsevencontrolledhim
fromadistance,usingtheirsinistermachinetocarryoutahorriblelitanyof
tortures:footcurving,lethargymaking,sparkexploding,kneenailing,
burningout,eyescrewing,sightstopping,roofstringing,vitaltearing,fibre
ripping,etc.Inhissleephewasplaguedbydreamworkings,asthegang
actedoutgruesomeperformanceswithpuppetswhichwereprojected
straightontotheretinaofhismind.
HaslamreproducedoneofMatthewsssketchesoftheairloomthoughtto
bethefirstpicturebyamentalpatientevertobepublishedwhichshows
theartistbeingstruckbyrays,hisarmsoutstretchedasthoughhewere
screamingoperaticallyorreceivingthestigmata,ashefallsunderthe
mesmericspellemittedbythemachine.Matthewsdepictshimselfinthe
throesofsuddendeathsqueezingorlobstercrackinganyonewantingto
understandwhatthismightfeellikeisaskedtoimaginethemselvesbeing
throttledbyalargepairoflobstercrackers,withteeth,whichshouldpierce
aswellaspresshimthrougheveryparticlewithinandwithouthe
experiencesthewholestress,torture,driving,oppressing,andcrushall
together.
BilltheKing,ortheMiddleMan(whohasneverbeenobservedtosmile),
sitsatthecontrolsofthediabolicalinstrumentandisshownoperatingits
levers,tubes,andpianofortekeystosadisticeffect.Therestofthe
villainousgangareshownlyingarounditinpromiscuousintercourseand
filthyvenality.Theairloomresemblesalargeorgan,cappedbyawindmill
orwhirligig,andisfuelledbyseveralbarrelsofdisgustinggases(effluviaof
dogsstinkinghumanbreathputrideffluvia,etc.).Itistheproductofthe
industrialrevolution,abizarremechanicalloomwhichproducesstringsof
spermaticanimalseminalrays.TheartistRodDickinsongaveMatthewss
fearstangibleformwhenherecreatedthebulkyairloominaNewcastle
galleryin2002.
***
5/14/2014 CABINET // The Influencing Machine
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JakobMohr,Beweisse[Proofs],ca.1910.CourtesyPrinzhornCollection,
UniversityofHeidelberg.
Inhisessay,VictorTausktellstheunhappytaleofMissNatalijaA.toshed
newlightonthisschizophrenicdelusionandtoexplaintheoriginsofthe
extraordinaryphenomenonofthesecuriousandfictionalmindcontrolling
machines.NatalijaA.wasathirtyoneyearoldformerphilosophystudent
whohadbeendeafformanyyears(shecommunicatedsolelybywriting),
andwhowashauntedbytheimageofherowndouble.Shefeltthatshehad
beencontrolledforsixandahalfyearsbyanelectricalmachinewhichshe
saidwasmanufacturedinBerlin,thoughitsusewasillegalandprohibitedby
thepolice.Themachineresembledherineveryway.
Herdoppelgngerlookedsomethingliketheoutstretchedfigureona
sarcophagusthetorsoliftedofflikethelidofacoffin,andwaslinedwith
velvetorsilk,torevealtheinnerworkingsofthemachine,whichconsisted
ofbatteriessupposedtorepresenttheinternalorgans.Freud,referringto
thecaseofNatalijaA.,madeareferencetoEgyptianmummies,amodeof
burialthatrepresentsthecomfortingreturntothemothersbody.Inother
words,theInfluencingMachineintowhichNatalijaA.withdrewrepresents
herparanoidattempttorebuildafragmentedworld.
NatalijaA.thoughtthattheuncannydevicewhichmanipulatedherworked
bytelepathyandwasoperatedbyarejectedsuitor,ajealouscollege
professorwhenhestruckthemachineshefeltthepain,whenhestroked
itsgenitalsshefeltthesexualsensations.Shebelievedthatanulceronher
nosefirstappearedonherdouble,andthat,asTauskputit,thosewho
handlethemachineproduceaslimysubstanceinhernose,disgusting
smells,dreams,thoughts,feelings,andtheyalsodisturbherwhilesheis
thinking,readingorwriting.Infact,shefeltthatallherfamilyandfriends
wereundertheinfluenceofsimilarmachines,anexactsimulacrumofher
world,connectedtoitlikeaseriesofvoodoodolls.
TauskthoughtthatallInfluencingMachineswereperhapsoncethedoubles
oftheirvictims,narcissisticprojectionsconjuredupbytheirinventors.The
machine,whichseemstototallycontrolthepatient,wastheembodimentof
theschizophrenicsownsenseofalienationfromhisorherbodyandamad
attempttoforestallit.InthecourseofhisanalysisofNatalijaA.,Tausk
5/14/2014 CABINET // The Influencing Machine
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2004CabinetMagazine
attempttoforestallit.InthecourseofhisanalysisofNatalijaA.,Tausk
noticedhowthemachineceasedtoresembleher.Herdoublewasbecoming
flatandindistinctinherdescriptionsofit,sheddingitshumanattributesasit
becamepurelymechanical.
Atwhatpointdoesthisslippagebetweenananthropomorphicdoubleanda
complexmachineoccur?HannsSachs,Freudscolleagueandbiographer,
respondedtoTausksessayinanarticlewhichaskedpreciselythisquestion.
Modernmachines,Sachswrote,likethemechanicalloom,thesteam
hammer,andthelocomotive,replaceman,requiringhimtoonlyplaythe
roleofthemastermindincontrol.Moderncontraptionsintroducedanew,
estrangedrelationshiptotechnologytheywereoperatedremotely,andin
turncontrolledthemenwhooperatedthembyturningtheminto
automatons.Sachsthoughtthatschizophrenicdevicesreflectedcommon
anxietiesabouttheMachineAge,andperhapsthefantasyoriginateswith
theindustrialrevolutionMatthewssmechanicalairloom,forexample,
representsaparanoiacsdistortionofthesecontemporaryfears.
NatalijaA.helpedTausktoseethatthisevolutionaryprocesswastypical
thattheschizophrenicsmachineswerenotmerelyindecipherablefictions,
buttangentialrepresentationsofthemselves.However,mechanically
complicated,Tauskbelieved,theseconfabulationswereoncethepatients
doubles,whowouldinevitablyalwaysbecomelostovertimeinthecogsand
wheelsoftheInfluencingMachine.
Tauskspatientbrokeoffheranalysisbeforeheranalystcouldgettothe
bottomofthematter.Usually,Tauskwrote,thepatientsuspectsthatitis
theirphysicianwhooperatesthedevicethatpersecutesthem.But,inthis
case,NatalijaA.thoughtthathetoohadfallenvictimtothehostileforcesof
themachine,andthatshecouldnolongertrusthim.
ChristopherTurneriswritingabook,AdventuresintheOrgasmatron:
HowtheSexualRevolutioncametoAmerica,tobepublishedbyFarrar,
StrausandGiroux.HeiscurrentlyavisitingscholaratColumbiaUniversity.
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