The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-03-26
The Minds Influence on the Body.

1t was q remark of John Hunter
that "there is not q natural action Of
the body, whether voluntarily or in
voluntarily, that may not be infiuenc-
ed by the peculiar state of the mind
at the time;" but the idea was by no
means original with him. The in
fiuence of the mind over the body,
for good or evil, had been recognized
long before this day. An old Eng
lish physician, several centuries ear
lier, had laid it down as a rule in
therapeutics that if the sick man is to
be cured she must be of good cheer,
and have sure hope that his physic-'
ian can help him." And much fur
ther back in the history of medicine
Galen had taught that confidence
and hope do more good than physic;"
and wonderful stories of the healing
power of faith were also told by the
Greek writers hundreds of years be-
fore Galen was. born. It is related of
one AxiOchus, for instance, that when
he had been given up by the doc
tors and was at the very gates OF the
grave he was restored to health by
the mere sight of Hippocrates. Para
CELSIUS, indeed, insisted that it was
the sight of medicine effected all his
cures. Physicians in all ages have
recognized this principle, and it has
been generally acknowledged that
the practitioner who inspires
most confidence will, other things
being equal, be the most successful:
The metlicatrig ndt,Ude, which is
often the best of physicians, finds
hope most powerful ally, while, on
the other hand, its worst enemies
are fear and depression of spirit.
DIR. Tuke in his "IllustratiOn of the
Influence of the Mind upon the
Body in Health and Disease" gives
many striking instances of this men,
tai agency in all its varied manifest
ations. Books have been written OH
the subject before, and vast amount
of matter bearing upon it is scattered
through physiOlOgal and medical
literature; but he has culled from all
whatever was most curious and inter-
esting, and given to the heterogeneous
mass of facts an orderly and philO-
sophical arrangement.
One of the points that he has dis
cussed is the influence, of mental
labor on length of life. He shows
that study seldom induces paralysis,
while passion is q frequent cause OF it,
and also of sudden death in disease
of the heart. Natural philosophers,
as class, attain to great longev.
ity. Poets are at the other end Of
the scale; those who, like Words
worth, were of contemplativc turn
of mind, living longer than those
who, like Byron and Burns, were
occupied with themes that excited
intense feeling.
How the Imagination may cheat
the senses has been often illustrated.
Every one has heard of the old lady
who was very sensitive to stove
heated air, and was made sick by the
sight of a stove in church, though
there was no fire i'm it. Soon after
the discovery of potassium, Davy
was showing the new metal to DIR.
Pearson, who, taking a piece in his
fingers exclaimed, "How heavy!"
and was only undeceived when he
saw it float on water. The reader
can doubtless recall instances I'm
which his own fancy has made q fool
ofhim.
In like manner the muscular system
is affected by imagination. A bread
pill will often cause vomiting or pur-
ging as effectively as the drug the pa
tient suppOses he has swallowed. In
deed. there seems to bealm0st no linn
IL to the influence of the mind over
the body in this way. Disease may
be developed or cured, and the quack
and charlatan know how to make the
imagination of their dupcs work in
either direction, as may suit their
purpose.
Even hydrophobia may be brought
on by fear. Chomel reports the case
of French physician who assisted
i'm the dissection of several hydrOphO-
bic patients and became apprehensive
that he had been inoculated with the
virus. He lost his appetite. was
sleepless, and when he attempted to
drink was seized with spasms OF the
pharnyx. In this condition he wan
dered three days about the streets III
q state of despair. AT length, how
ever, his friends convinced him that
his malady had its seat I'm his imagin-
alton. But other cases have not ter
minated so favorably. The Memoirs
of the Royal Society of Montpelier re-
cord the history Of two brothers
bitten by a mad dog, ono of whom
went to Holland and did not return
for ten years. On his arrival, learn
ing that his brother had died OF hy.
drOphobia, he was attacked with all
the symptoms II That disease and