172 A. T. PCHOFIELDj ESQ., M.D., ETC., ON 



A. E. Sansom, Esq., M.D., writes : — 



I listened -with great interest to Dr. Schofield's paper, but at 

 the close I did not think that I could add anything of value to the 

 discussion. After consideration, however, of the essay itself and 

 the opinions of the various speakers, I venture to make a few 

 remarks from the point of view of a student of the ars medendi. 

 Dr. Schofield's is an argumentative paper. When he defines Mind 

 as " an external force that everywhere acts on matter, organic 

 and inorganic " he states a proposition that is not likely to be 

 univei'sally accepted even by members of his own (my own) 

 profession. Many, myself included, who are prepared in questions 

 of the origin of matter and force to dispense with ordinary 

 scientific methods would go with Dr. Schofield, who, when he 

 further states his position, regards Mind as the universal directing 

 agent and mover of matter, simply expresses his belief in an 

 Omniscient and Omnipotent Originator. Other scientific observers, 

 however, might say that the expression of Dr. Schofield was but a 

 " petitii principii" — it was begging the whole question that he 

 professed to argue. 



I believe that Dr. Schofield will agree with me in the view that 

 we should, as men of science, push the investigation of the 

 relations of Mind and Body to the most extreme limit possible. It 

 is our duty to pursue the scientific method with all our powers, 

 just as it is our duty to do what our hand findeth to do with all 

 our might. Let us see what explanation we can get of the 

 phenomena of what Dr. Schofield calls the unconscious and the 

 snb-conscious mind as distinguished fi'om the conscious mind. 

 We have instances of the unconscious mind in the phenomena of 

 deep sleep, coma, and trance; and of the sub-conscious mind in 

 dreams, certain conditions of epilepsy, and disorders of the brain, 

 and so-called hypnotism, mesmerism, etc. To bring forward the 

 arguments which lead up to the conclusion would be too lengthy a' 

 process ; but it seems to me that for the disposing cause of all 

 these phenomena we must look to the circulation of the blood. 

 " From the heart are the issues of life " and " the Blood is the 

 life." The heart may be regarded as one with the vessels which 

 convey the nutrient stream to the various parts of the body 

 and with those which return the current polluted by waste 

 products. 



In the case of sleep the Will is the first disponent. It is no 

 unmeaning phrase that is often used to the child, "Try to go to 



