Mentality and Self-Consciousness 75 



partments. It cannot take place by dielectric 

 polarization along the spirazines because the im- 

 pulses would immediately pass outwardly through 

 the side-chains and be absorbed by the surround- 

 ing tissues. Mere tubular passages containing 

 salt solutions cannot, however, constitute the seat 

 of self-consciousness. Neither can the seat of 

 self-consciousness be in the cell-bodies of the sen- 

 sory neurons because the cell-bodies of some of 

 these sensory neurons are entirely separate from 

 the nerve-fibers and can be completely removed 

 without interfering with the passage of afferent 

 impulses. Although the cell-bodies of the motor 

 neurons are usually arranged directly in the paths 

 of the nerve-fibers, yet there is no indication that 

 they take any active part in the generation of 

 impulses and probably serve only as nutrient 

 centers. 



The only remaining structures in which self- 

 consciousness could originate are the sensory and 

 motor end-organs and the synapses, including the 

 dendritic fibrils of the cerebral cortex. These 

 terminal arborizations are so finely divided that 

 many of them are undoubtedly beyond the range 

 of microscopic vision, and the terminal knobs or 

 plates of sensory and motor nerves which stand 

 out so prominently in stained preparations under 

 the microscope are probably only coagulation- 



