Mental diseasesA text-book of psychiatry for medical students and practitioners . / i t\\ \ I d 3 —E 1 1 Consciousness. V \ V// j Unconsciousness Fig. 6.—Graphic representation of mind. Consciousness exists in all degrees; its stream may be saidto flow in different directions, so that a fringe of consciousnessis sometimes spoken of, below the margin, limen, or thresholdof which is postulated Subconsciousness, in which mentalfunctions of a dim kind occur fading into the realm of Uncon-sciousness (Fig. 6). Here the mind may be said to be in abey-ance, yet the mechanism is such that the springs o
Mental diseasesA text-book of psychiatry for medical students and practitioners . / i t\\ \ I d 3 —E 1 1 Consciousness. V \ V// j Unconsciousness Fig. 6.—Graphic representation of mind. Consciousness exists in all degrees; its stream may be saidto flow in different directions, so that a fringe of consciousnessis sometimes spoken of, below the margin, limen, or thresholdof which is postulated Subconsciousness, in which mentalfunctions of a dim kind occur fading into the realm of Uncon-sciousness (Fig. 6). Here the mind may be said to be in abey-ance, yet the mechanism is such that the springs of mentalaction exist in the lower nervous connexions in which thereis no breach of continuity from the lower to the higher. Sub-conscious mental activities have in recent times attractedmuch attention, especially in the investigation of Dreams,Hysteria and other allied conditions, in which probably thesubconscious elements of mind are the principal seat ofdisorder. It may, indeed, be postulated that there is aconstant flux of subconscious sensations, ideas and feelings c. 18 MENTAL DISEASES to the field of consciousness and vice versa in every day life, andthat subconscious manifestations reveal the essential mentalconstitution of the person. Disorders of Consciousness. — Stupor and Coma,whether due to toxins from within, or artificially induced bydrugs or anaesthetics such as Chloroform or Ether, consist ofdifferent degrees of loss or clouding of consciousness, with adistinction peculiar to each, dependent on more or less completedissociation. Dissociation may also lead to a division of theunity of consciousness into two or more states. Thus arise casesof Double- or Split-consciousness, the one personality conversingwith the other personality, which not infrequently happensin Insanity and Delirium, or the normal state may alternatewith a delusional state with entirely different memories, asin Somnambulism or Trance, and in some cases of Epilepsyand Hysteria. Disorder of
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