"Last year there was prominent in Berlin a still more remarkable example of this kind of bodily control by will power; a miner named Paul Diebel who similarly was able to thrust knives into his body, to cut himself without bleeding and even to allow arrows to be shot into his chest without apparent harm. One of Diebel's tricks which attracted great attention was an apparent ability to bleed at will from his skin, as well as to prevent bleeding.

"One theory held by physiologists is that the living cells which make up the nerves and which ordinarily are in contact with each other so that nerve messages can pass, withdraw a little at their points of contact so that the nerve path is broken. The diagrams of the Hindu fakir on this page illustrate the process. Apparently an effort of the will sometimes can accomplish this breaking of the nerve circuits, much as can be done by drugs like cocaine, which are used as anesthetics. In both instances the nerve break means, that no messages of pain or other sensations can pass to the brain. Control of the will over the flow of blood is equally well established by scientific evidence. Dr. A. S. Hyman, of New York City, has published accounts of three patients who were able by efforts of their will completely to stop the pulse in the wrist; the pulse which a physician usually feels when he wishes to count the rate of the heartbeat. An East Indian physician, Dr. Vasant G. Rele, has described similarly and at length the characteristics of an Indian holy man whose abilities In similar directions were examined by a committee of physicians in Bombay.

"This Yogi was able, the physicians found, to stop the pulse beat in either arm for more than two minutes. The pulse in his temple on either side could be stopped similarly. Even the heart of this man stopped beating for six seconds by the physician's watch, when ordered to do so by the owner's will.

"What happens in the case of the Yogis, fakirs and others who can control bleeding or pulse beats is, the scientists believe, that these nerves, not ordinarily subject to control by the mind, are trained by long practice and efforts of the will to respond to voluntary orders.

[paragraph continues] Much the same thing happens when people train the muscles of their scalps to obey orders from nerves now feeble and unused, so that these people can move their ears a little as man's animal ancestors used to do.

"Even life and death may be affected by the will. Major H. E. Smith, Assistant Police Commissioner of the Gold Coast Colony, in Africa, recently reported an instance in which a highly intelligent native willed himself to die as a result of a quarrel and supposed witchcraft. Even on his body alter death physicians could discover no reason for death or even for illness.