156 A. T. SCHOFIELDj ESQ., M.D., ETC., ON 



the action of the lowest cell, but it can use unconsciously the 

 highest cortical centres of thought that are ordinarily worked 

 by the conscious mind. If the conscious mind gives the 

 cortex some work to do, such as solving a problem, recalling 

 a sound, a name, or a place, meanwhile occupying itself 

 completely in some other way, the sub-conscious mind Avill 

 step in and do the work and give the answer in a surprising 

 ■way — as 0. W. Holmes says, " Oin^ unconscious mind delivers 

 the result at the doors of our consciousness just like a prepaid 

 parcel " ; or, on the other hand, it will work alone in forming 

 impulses and recalling memories. This, however, requires 

 time : for a man may try to recall a name and look in a directory 

 for it ; but thougli under his eye he fails to recognize it, for 

 his unconscious mind has not yet had time to find it in his 

 brain. Five minutes after he has closed the book he remem- 

 bers the name, which he could not do though he actually saw 

 it with his eye. (Carpenter.) That is to say, the visual 

 impression on the brain, though conscious, fails to recall the 

 mental record of the name, which the unconscious mind 

 succeeds in a few minutes in doing. The other day, leaving 

 home for Brighton, I was stopped at the door by a suggestion 

 from my unconscious mind that I had not much money in my 

 purse ; I looked and found only a few shillings. I had pre- 

 viously opened my purse often that day, and the sight of these 

 shillings was unconsciously registered in m}'' cortex, and 

 somehow this fact was presented by my lower to my higher 

 or conscious mind at the door. How often in a similar way 

 impulses and fancies of unconscious origin direct our steps 

 and even save our lives. It is probable that the sul)- 

 conscious mind is ever working in the cortical region in 

 the Avay of deepening impressions and memories. It has 

 been well said in Germany, that skating is learned in 

 summer, and swimming in Avinter. That is to say, that the 

 man who has learned to skate one winter will begin the 

 next winter a very much better skater than he left off: the 

 movement and the impressions connected with skating 

 having been deepened by the unconscious mind during the 

 summer, and the same Avitli the swimming. 



But it will do more tlian this. Of all the thousands of 

 impressions tiiat are being received in the cortex, from 

 various parts of the body, and from our special senses, but 

 very few are even noticed by the conscious mind, though all 

 are registered sub-consciously. We hear a slang expression, 

 or a new song ; we do not notice it particularly, but the sub- 



