The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-03-08

Morbid Action Of the Mind.

Tho Edinburgh RepieD has the following /.
There can DO found no moro curious chap.
tor in the history Of tho human BODY aud
mind, than that which relates to the pbe.
nomenon of morbid attention directed to
its different organs. The powcr of ibHu.
encing any particular portion of the animal
economy by the concentration of our at
teniion upon il, is so marvellous that we
wonder the method Of its action has not
been more thoroughly Investigated than it
appears to huve been. Ii would seem as
though the mind possessed tho powor OF
cdAying the functions of distant parts Of
tho body, and of exciting sensations quite
independently OF any act of volitiun. The
nero uct of attention to any particular or.
gan over which NO possess no muscular CON
troll, Is sutiicion: to produce some alteration
OF ito functions. Thus. We may will thut u
spot In the skin shall itch, and it will itch.
it wo can only localizo our attention upon
tho point sufficiently; by directing our
| thoughts TO tho heart it rapidly boats, by
soliciting the lower intestine il 10 quickly
brought into action. There is scarcely an
organ of tho body that is not Liable to bo
interfered with by simply concentrating the
attention upon il. Whole regions of super
| fetal nerves, such as those of tho skin in the
neck, may DO exalted in their action TO the
highest degree by tho nero expectation oi
being l;ckled there. This nervous attention
may become so persistent as to cause actual
disease. Wo have q familiar instance in
dyspepsia. where the patient is forever
thinking of his stomach, and at last discussed
function degcuorates into diseased organ.
ization, and hc falls. into the condition of u
helpless hypochondriac. But # AN attitude
| loE s..A Il.
animal functions 10 thus capable of produ
cling disease in them, what effect has il upOr
the mind itself? Sir Henry Holland hat
remarked that it appears to DO condition
OF our wonderful existence, that while W,
can snfely uso our faculties in exploring
every part of outward nature, that we can
not sustain those powers when directed in
ward to the source and centre of their oppr
atons--in Uthet words, the mind, when
persists for any longth of time in undIyElni
itself, scorpion-like stings and destroys ii
own action. That VIC can rs readily injur
our brains as our stomachs by pertlnaciousl,
directing our attention to tancied DISEASE
in them, can not DO doubted, and that mer
perversiOn of ordinary modes Of thought
such as may exist in mind only functional
oisorderGd, may be fxed by tho action o
morbid attention, SO as to constitute perma
nont alteration. is equally certain. Hcnce
as Doctor Winslow says, Tho extrome dan
ger of not exercising like Trustworthy sen
inels, q watchfu! supervision and active
controlling influence over every thought, anC
the owl that arises from not keeping in I
state of strict subordipation tho munta
emotions. Tho fearful mischief from neg
lcctlng by resolute mental efforts to bsttl,
with the erratic suggestions OF an undui,
excited and fighty imagination, to keep IL
oboyauco. and even to stranglc, in the
birth, unhealthy impressions struggling t.
fix and engraft themselves upon tho oasil,
moulded, plastic, and yielding fancy, canno
DO ovor- estimated or exaggerated" Ans
lot it not be supposed tha, this is noodles
advice. or that ills a rare thing 10 find rca
son struggling manfully with the prompting
of insanity Bishop Butler tolls US that HI
was all his life struggling against dovilisl
suggestions, and nothing but the sternes
watchiulness has enabled him to beat dow
thoughts that otherwise would hayo mad
dened him. His case is but an example o
that of thousands of persons with whom VI
come in contact every day, who under
calm exterior conceal conflicts between tn
reason and tho frat promptiugs Of insanit
Cf tho most terrible kind.