The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-05-08

morning and The Rev. s. K. Vim at night.
In the afternoon sabbath.scbool meeting
was addressed by Rev. Alfred Jones and
Mr.J. D. TX. Sleight.
Extraordinary Enfauence OF the Mime
over the Body.
fChicago Times.l
In January. Charles f. Taylor. N. D., de-
iiyered before the Academy OF Sciences, IN
New York. a lecture on " BODILY Cobai-
.tions as Related to Mental States I" HE
wastes very little time IN preliminary dis-
cuSsions. Of psycho biological relations, out
proceeds at once to the relation OF large
number OF cases in which serious and ap-
parently chronic diseases: sometimes OF .
most alarming character, were Produced
EsoteIy by The operations Of the mind. The
first given is very curious, because II
shows an instance in which q man came
tohayea broken leg set, and which proved
| to be a case in which the bone had not
heen broken at. ALL The patient was
crossing the street one day when he fell.
and. as he supposed, broke bis thigh-bone.
PHYSICIANS OF eminence were called, who
bandaGet the leg and splintered it, but they
could obtain no union Of the. fracture.
AN examination by Taylor proved: that
there meyer had been; a. fractlre;;;t ana yet
there was almost every possible symptom
OF one. The leg swung limp and useless
when the patient stood erect with the ard
os crutch; and when examined sby ray
lor it was resistless to every motion; Inc
muscles were attenuated and soft-there
was, in brief, every, evidence of:a 1 ira
tire except that there were no signs.
of union or OF calus at the point OF the
alleged breaking. 1t was concluded that
there had been DO fracture, and the sur
.prising changes in the leg were purely men
tai in their origin. The man thought he
had broken his leg, and hcnceforward. ne
carried if, held if, and thought OF it pre-
eisely "a he would have done had it been
in reality broken. The situation was eX-
plained to him; he let go, go to speak, OF
mis- leg with his mind. In three days he
could walk on it, and in very brief time
he was entirely restored to health. -
II there be something singular and al-
most incredible in the fact that all the symp-
TOMS save the fracture, of a broken leg can
be produced by a belief that it is broken,
there is matter equally astonishing IN an
other case in which the paralysis OF the leg
of young lady: was found to be mental in
its origin, and which was treated and cured
from This standpoint. She had not been
able to move the, limb for years until her
attention was drawn from it, and
then it was found that she could
move it without great difficulty. An
other very remarkable case given was
that Of a young woman WHO, 1or three
wears, had suffered from painful affec-
ton OF the shoulder, whose result had been
to elevate the affected shoulder, and to so
firmly fix the arm on that side that 1t
could not he moved for distance OF more
than three or four inches. She was very
baggard, was worn out, aud her suferlngs
were very intense. Every possible phase
OF medical treatment was tried, but with
out producing the smallest mitigation in
any direction. Concluding that it must be
mental, Taylor managed to make her
mind let 81 go Der, affected arm. and
shoulder by fixing itron The other arm. AS
soon a. this was done the affected arm and
shoulder could be moved, With the result
that within week she had entirely regained
control of the stiffened muscles and the
rigid, Joint. iral these cases the diseased
condition was proved to, come from volt
ton, because as soon as the mind left them
their character changed at once, and when
the mind was wcaued fro9 dwelling ON
them recovery invariably followed.
. 1t Yoald be OF interest TO give these IN
stances more in detail. Enough, however,
under discussiOn-to show how marvellous
.ly potent is the mind upon the body when
It can produce paralysis, diseases OF the
shouIder.aud all the symptoms OF broken
leg, when there is no physical cause what
eyer for any S2such ailment. 1t is worth
noticing in this connection that the same
paper explains from the same standpoint
Che mystery attending cases OF people who
baye been supposed to live for: months or
longer without food or sleep. He admits
that there are cases in which persons who
are thorough reliable state and believe that
tney are living without food Or Sleep, The
expIapation offered is in view OF the infer
ence OF the cases related OF the, influence
OF the mind upon the. bodily condition.
Where these people, who, are apparently
jliYing without sleep or food, are not
impostoiS, they, both eat and sleep with
out knowing it. They take food from
time !. to time, they sleep. but as
their mental condition. is one in which
they firmly believe they neither eat nor
sleep, the fact Of their doing these things
makes no impression on them. ".They, state
not what is true, but what they feel to be
true" II Is thought that what applies to
these eases as explanatory will also apply |
to and explain. those Of many bed-lidden
people who are found here and there in
every community, more especially ia the |
older towns OF the eastern and other States.
. It is, scarcely necessary to say that these
Investigators are Of the highest importance |
in pathological researches. They bring into
prominence a new class OF causes in the,
producing OF diseases, and, as conse-
quence, new and successful methods Of
dealing with ailments which have hitherto
baf1ed treatment.
Betting on Sure Thing.
Virginia fNev.) Chronicle.]
= A tough-losklng citizen walked into one