SUBCONSCIOUSNESS 129 



the floating, effortless feeling to which the term of 

 " subconsciousness " has of recent years been 

 applied. This may, apparently, arise in a diffused 

 or in a localized form may produce a mood in the 

 body as a whole, or may influence the behaviour 

 of single organs. We are subconscious when not 

 very deeply asleep, when indulging in day-dreams, 

 when under the influence of an intoxicant or a 

 violent passion ; and there is reason to believe 

 that impressions received, or emotions experi- 

 enced, in this condition are registered by us 

 separately from those which affect us in our 

 conscious states. The existence of a localized 

 subconsciousness of a feeling that is experienced 

 by an organ, or limb of the body may be hard to 

 believe ; but it is suggested by many very curious 

 phenomena in cases of hypnotism and anaesthesia. 

 From these vague states of subconsciousness the 

 concentrated and definite feeling of consciousness, 

 or awareness, is developed. This is primarily a 

 state of observation in which we mark the im- 

 pressions, memories, and emotions which affect 

 us : by a further development it becomes a state 

 of introspection in which we take note of the 

 actions of our various organs in response to stimuli ; 

 finally, by a still more elaborate outgrowth, it 

 blossoms into a realization of self as a whole, into 

 self-consciousness the introspective observation 

 of ourselves, under the influence of the various 

 stimuli that are upon us. So are we not only 

 aware of our impressions, memories, and emotions, 

 but are aware that we are aware of them : we 

 know that we are tempted, and we know that we 

 fall. This extraordinary faculty is localized in 

 the brain. When consciousness is acute the brain 

 arrogates to itself functions that are ordinarily 

 deputed to local nerve systems, such as the per- 

 formance of those accomplishments that are 



