152 A. T. SCHOFIELD, ESQ.^ M.D., ETC.^ ON 



understand by the word " mind " and what is known of itst 

 relations to the body ; the second pointing out in brief the 

 practical bearing of this knowledge on disease. 



Our ego, or personality, as defined by Herbert Spencer, is 

 " the permanent nexus, which is never itself in a state of 

 consciousness, but which holds states of consciousness to- 

 gether." I think, however, we all feel, that though the 

 conscious mind would fain arrogate the personality to itself, 

 that personality holds a great deal more than mere " states of 

 consciousness " together. 



It is true that what is generally called Mind, whether by 

 materialists or spiritualists, has hitherto been limited to 

 conscious mind. 



All writers on psychology take the ground that mind is. 

 consciousness. To talk of unconscious mind is said to be a 

 contradiction in terms, and even the unconscious action of 

 the brain, which is now universally acknowledged, was con- 

 sidered, as late as 187(), a most objectionable doctrine. Why 

 the whole region of mind should be limited to consciousness 

 I could never myself understand, although it is plain that 

 the only mental processes we can fully trace are confined to 

 those of which we are conscious. To grasp, however, the 

 relation of soul and body and the scope of mental thera- 

 jieutics it is necessary to take a wider view — one, indeed, 

 which has long been before me, but which I have not hitherto 

 ventured to formulate, until I recently came across some 

 thoughts, on entirely original lines, ably expressed by the 

 learned professor of Physics in Dublin, which seemed to 

 endorse those suggestions which I have already laid before 

 this Society.* 



By mind, therefore, I think we should understand an ex- 

 ternal directing force that everywhere acts on matter, organic 

 and inorganic. In the organic kingdom this mind is called 

 "life " ; for to me life is practically synonymous with mind — 

 if by life we mean the power that purposively directs the 



* Since this paper was written I have seen in the Pall Mall Magazine 

 for last year, in a paper by Mr. Zangwill, the following remarkable 

 corroboiMtion of the argument of this pap' r. What we are pleased to 

 call our minds is made up of two parts, our consciousness and our sub 

 consciousness ; the latter is immeasurably the vaster portion. It is a 

 tossing ocean of thoughts which feeds the narrow little fountain of 

 consciousness. 



