Die Physiologie und Psychologie des Lachens und des Komischen. Ein Beitrag zur experimentellen Psychologie für Naturforscher, Philosophen und gebildete Laien.

This compact treatise invites listeners into the early days of experimental psychology, where the mystery of laughter is examined through both the body’s nervous responses and the mind’s fleeting sensations. Written by a physician working in a 19th‑century psychiatric clinic, the author blends his clinical experience with a genuine curiosity about why we find things funny, offering a scholarly yet approachable perspective for natural scientists, philosophers, and educated laypeople alike.

The book surveys the physiological triggers of mirth—muscle contractions, breath changes, and neural activity—while simultaneously probing the psychological mechanisms that turn a simple stimulus into a burst of amusement. Drawing on the emerging methods of Wilhelm Wundt, it introduces simple experiments and nascent statistical ideas, showing how careful observation can begin to map the contours of the comic. Listeners will appreciate the historical flavor of a work that strives to unite the physical and mental realms in the pursuit of understanding one of humanity’s most universal expressions.