24 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



inward in its unconscious forms without ceasing to be soul on 

 that account. But this position, which is also unquestioningly 

 accepted by Spitta, seems but a begging of the whole question. 

 If there is a psychical activity apart from my consciousness how 

 do I know that it is the activity of my soul ? Might we not 

 with equal reasonableness take the position of the savage that 

 some spirit visited us in dreams ? 



So long as we do not know the conditions which enable the 

 physical stimuli resulting from external and internal physiologi- 

 cal irritation to appear in consciousness, we can only say that 

 since these processes are uninterrupted there may be even 

 during deep sleep some feeble and imperfect consciousness. That 

 such is the case is rendered probable by the fact that even very 

 vivid and painful dreams vanish on awaking in case their con- 

 tent has no direct connection with the present. A fact which 

 has been variously interpreted is that one can readily determiue 

 to awaken at a given hour and rarely fail in so doing if the im- 

 portance is sufficiently realized. Perhaps one awakens too soon 

 or is somewhat restless, in other cases the sleep is profound. I 

 have observed in such cases that upon accidental awaking early 

 in the night a certain burden is always upon the mind, i.e. 

 a consciousness of an obligation which may require some time 

 to clear up sufficiently to produce a concept of that which is to 

 be done. This is true of the early part of the night ; later, as 

 the hour approaches, the association with the purpose to rise is 

 often more close. Many times the writer has plunged out of 

 bed in a condition of stupor requiring some minutes to gain a 

 concept of the reason for the act and the place in which he was. 

 These phenomena we interpret as indicating an enduring effect 

 exerted by the waking will on the sleeping associational 

 processes. If one dreams, this impress is nearly always present 

 in one form or other. It sometimes happens that in dream the 

 obligation is fulfilled and the pressure is thus relieved and one 

 fails to awaken at the proper time or awakes with the feeling 

 that the purpose for which he was to rise is accomplished. 



It must be insisted that the fact that no dream was recalled 

 is no proof that one has not dreamed. As an illustration of 



