The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-04-07
NUMBER II.
Health And Education.
4 DISTINGUISHED PHYSICIAN on THE RELA-
TONS OF MIND AND BODY.

/ The amount Of physical disease that's de
I pendent on mental influence i LARGELY he
vond any accepted present conception of it.
| am almost afraid II express what | know
on this point. lest | should appear 70 be put
/ ting forward what l. speculative, instead of
what i real And vet I may venture to-~ay
I that a good fourth Of the deaths of adults
who die in their prime from what are called
natural diseases, are due TO diseased coudi-
lions of the body that have been induced by
mental influences.
The actual and immediate cause 81 the
( demise. the killing blow. may he outside the
/ body, may be independent OF the body. may
be very subtle and seemingly very slight.
| may admit OF no correct scientific exposition
at this present stage of science, may be some
unknown or obscure meteorological inhu-
euce: and vet the conditions leading MP To
the point when slight causes take eitC,
mag all the while have been in steady
progress, and may all the while have been
mental-mental from the first in the persons
affected.
Impressions trayersing the senses into the
organ OF the mind afford the most striking
illustrations of physical arrangements and
of degeneration from mental action in which
the mental and the physical most intimately
blend
Let me explain by one example.
4 little boy was once brought 10 me by
medical friend, under the following painful
circumstances The boy was the son of "a
carpenter, and his father sent him occasion
ally to n neighborng timber yard to give
orders for wood. The keeper Of the timber
ward, Il modified type OF Mr.. Quilp. had
morbid delight IN frightening children.
He had brought a large, ugly and savage
dog, and he tied the dog closely up in a
recess in the passage leading 10 the timber
yard. The little boy | speak of, knowing
nothing OF this new ami terrible impOrtI-
ton was proceeding as usual, down to the
yard when the dog flew out at him. The
dog could not reach the boy but the little
fellow SO atfrighted that he stood
motiOnles= Tor two or three minutes, and
at last fell to the earth. lie was picked up
by some kind passer-by and taken home.
and from that momement was stricken bv
the fatal disease called diabetes, of which
in time, he died. In this instance there
was the direct physico-mental shock follow
ed by physical change, IN line. There was
the metaphysical vibration of fear trans
mitted by sight and sound into the body;
there was the nervous engendercd in the
body there was the resultant in a modif-
cation of chemical action, 10y which, in con-
tinu6us new conditions, part of the food
taken into the body was changed into
glucose or grape-sugari and on the formal
ton of this sugar III excess there followed a
new series Of other organic changes, ending
in destruction of the unity Of functions
which makes up what we call life. | need
scarcely say that the illustration above
supplied is one III which mental impress
sion, made through the mind upon the body, I
was exceptionally severe Il its physical
effects But such severe effects have to be
seen before the great and primary truths /
they teach can he recognized.
| was myself many years in practice "a I
physician before | fully recognized these /,
physical changes wrought through the win (
dows of the mind. It l. true / had read of .
those who were almost bechilled to Jelly bv I
the act Of fear, but then looked upon such .
sayings as mere flights of poetic genius, and .
in medical literature proper | discovered no
clue for guidance in this beat otobservation.
At last such facts As the one | have stated .
arrested my attention, and since it has been
50 arrested | have been daily STUDYING the
subject with increasing interest. / could .
fill this essay and many essays with details .
of observed phenomena of physical disease
from mental action
Indeed, IN SO many forms do the mental
impressions tell on the bodily organization,
that mental health in education becomes
new branch Of science which all persons
should begin to learn. By the assistance of
this learning our successors will formulate
a new world of thought, and will in no small
degree fashion, physically new world of
women and men, having the garb of their
souls structurally finer, stronger and more
of life, from whom shall come
new evolution Of species, and new living
earth,
! had intended to touch on education As it
should be modified according To seasons of
the year, and on one or two other equally
important topics; but my time il up, and |
therefore content myself with offering, as
the essence of my discourse, the following
First-To secure health through education,
it is requisite that a more systematic and
scientific study of the psychology of the
subject should be undertaken, and that class
should be divided in regard to the mental
lptitudes of the scholar
Second-PaIents should expect teachers
10 exercise fair and discriminating
judgment as to the particular ca
pacItles Of children under their care and
should be influenced by such judgment in
the direction OF educational work. The
teacher should become, in short, like e sec
md parent to a scholar
Third-Muchg greater care should be taken
IN observing the influence Of physical pecul-
arities Of the body and hereditcs on educa-
-ional progress while the influence Of edu-
cation on such peculiarities and heredtie-
should be carefully learned and determined.
BY this means two useful purposes would be
secured education would be made 30 con-
luce to physical health, and physical health
10 education
tourIh-AIi extreme competitive strains
in learning should be discountenanced as eff
forts calculated 10 defeat their own object,
and to produce mental as well a. physical
Fifth-In school work, the Swiss system
Of teaching should be more closely follOwed;
that Is to say, very quick and precOcious
children should be directed rather than
forced and encouraged, while dull and feeble
children should receive the chief attention
and care of the teacher.
Standardization should be so carried
out as to make the whole Of the life of men
and women a continued process Of learning,
varied, at different aces according TO the
the changing Capacities, faculties and apti-
tudes fer the different subjects included un-
der the head Of knowledge useful and uni
yersal.
Every good housewife knows that an iron
kettle used for heating water, that holds
lime IN solution, will, in a short time, be
come coated with that substance. This be
ing a poor conductor of heat, it will, of
course, take longer time TO heat the water
than when the kettle was new. Copper or
TIN vessels 90 not become coated with lime.
The reason is that iron has an affinity for
lime, which the other metals have not. But
this affinity can be overcome by coating thc
inner surface Of the vessel with a compound
Of fannie acid and iron, which is insoluble
in water and will not precipitate lime This
IS easily done. Take a new a-kettle and
put a handful of oak bark into it, fill it with
water, and keep it boiling for three or four
hours, filling it up from time 70 time a. the
water boils away. The itan viii get let
black coat Of tanuate Of iron and will be
proof against lime. Care must be taken that
The kettle does not boil dry and become
heated TO redness. A heat little leIow that
point will destroy the coating If the lime
can be fully removed from an old tea-kettlc.
It can be coated in the same manner As
new one, but will require longer time, and