In the same way, there is a great difference in the response of the fingers to weight—­a great difference in the ability to distinguish the difference of the weight of objects.  It has been found that some people can distinguish differences in weight down to very small fractions of an ounce.  Fine distinctions in the differences in temperature have also been noticed.

The sense of touch, and its development has meant much for Man.  It is the one sense in which Man surpasses the animals in the matter of degree and acuteness.  The animal may have a keener smell, taste, hearing and sight, but its sense of Touch is far beneath that of Man.  Anaxagoras is quoted as saying that “if the animals had hands and fingers, they would be like men.”

In developing the sense of Touch, the student must remember that Attention is the key to success.  The greater the amount of Attention the greater the degree of development possible in the case of any sense.  When the Attention is concentrated upon any particular sense, the latter becomes quickened and more acute, and repeated exercise, under the stimulus of Attention, will work wonders in the case of any particular sense.  And on the other hand, the sense of touch may be almost, or completely inhibited, by firmly fixing the Attention upon something else.  As an extreme proof of this latter fact, the student is asked to remember the fact that men have been known to suffer excruciating torture, apparently without feeling, owing to the mind being intently riveted upon some idea or thought.  As Wyld has said, “The martyr borne above sensuous impressions, is not only able to endure tortures, but is able to endure and quench them.  The pinching and cutting of the flesh only added energy to the death song of the American Indian, and even the slave under the lash is sustained by the indignant sense of his wrongs.”

In the cases of persons engaged in occupations requiring a fine degree of Touch, the development is marvelous.  The engraver passes his hand over the plate, and is able to distinguish the slightest imperfection.  And the handler of cloth and fabrics is able to distinguish the finest differences, simply by the sense of touch.  Wool sorters also exercise a wonderfully high degree of fineness of touch.  And the blind are able to make up for the loss of sight by their greatly increased sense of Touch, cases being recorded where the blind have been able to distinguish color by the different “feel” of the material.

The sense of Taste is closely allied to that of Touch—­in fact some authorities have considered Taste as a very highly developed sense of Touch in certain surfaces of the body, the tongue notably.  It will be remembered that the tongue has the finest sense of Touch, and it also has the sense of Taste developed to perfection.  In Taste and Touch the object must be brought in direct contact with the organ of sense, which is not the case in Smell, Hearing, or Sight.  And, be it remembered,