34 ORGANIC BEHAVIOUR 
complete consciousness of ourselves, and the similarly com- 
plete consciousness which we infer to exist in many animals, 
has been evolved out of such a rudimentary consciousness. 
We may, on this view, suppose that every nervous action of a 
certain intensity or character is accompanied by some amount 
of consciousness which we may, in a way, compare to the light 
emitted when a combustion previously giving rise to invisible 
heat waxes fiercer. We may thus infer that when the brain- 
less frog is stirred by some stimulus to a reflex act, the spinal 
cord is lit up by a momentary flash of consciousness coming 
out of the darkness and dying away into darkness again ; and 
we may perhaps infer that such a passing consciousness is the 
better developed the larger the portion of the cord involved 
in the reflex act and the more complex the movement. But 
such a momentary flash, even if we admit its existence, is 
something very different from consciousness as ordinarily 
understood, is far removed from intelligence, and cannot be 
appealed to as explaining the ‘ choice’ spoken of above.” * 
These sentences indicate with sufficient clearness the 
distinction, more than once hinted at in the foregoing pages, 
between consciousness as an accompaniment, and conscious- 
ness as a guiding influence. We shall have more to say in 
this connection in subsequent chapters. The experiment with 
the frog shows, at any rate, that reflex actions, of a distinctly 
purposive nature, may be carried out when the centres, which 
are believed to exercise conscious control and guidance have 
been destroyed. It is said that in man, when, owing to 
injuries of the spine, the connection between the brain and 
the lower part of the spinal cord have been severed, tickling 
of the foot causes withdrawal of the limb without directly 
affecting the consciousness of the patient. But-in all such 
cases we are dealing with a maimed creature. The living frog 
or man, healthy and intact, is, presumably in the one case, 
certainly in the other, conscious of these reflex actions, and 
can exercise some amount of guidance and control over them. 
In man this is unquestionably the case. But granting that 
* “A Text-book on Physiology,” 5th edit., part iii., pp. 911, 912. 
