New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-24
THE FAITH CURE.
OPINIONS OF EMINENT PHYSICIANS,

been cured of ongStanding complaints by the ahoht
ment OF oil and by prayer The subject has gwen rise u
considerable discussion In religious and other euces
AZ 10 the genuine character of such cures from heu
cal standpoint, the opinions Of several weh-kno"n
physicians OF the city have been obtained Iher posi-
tion is tolerant while the time positive cures
Of this kind regarded by them as essentially new
but as a sort OF periodic manifestation Oh ePecu'i
phenomena Of human nature The diseases so cured arc
placed under the general classification OF hysera' vi
nervous arrangement, producing complaints "hose
symptoms take the form OF various diseases Ihere u
90 record, they say OF an organic complaint ever
been cured through prayer or by anointmeht.
Dr W A. Hammond, who has given much attention
to these at his home in West ffyourth-
ST. He has pubshed number OF articles on miracles
and faith cures the last Of which, in The InfeThda'
Reriec has been translated into Spanish and Italian
Faith cures of all kinds he said are In direct pro
portion TO the ignorance and consequent credu OF 'he
reone Int the number of these miracles is decreasing
as our knowledge Of natural laws s increased He mad
read the recent article in THE TRIBUNE describing the
faith of Mr. Simpson. with much interest IL was
he said manifestation of the same kind as other al
legged cures containing when sted down, nothing es-
peciay remarkable. faith cure could be enected Dy
any man, whether q thoroughgoing soeuDdrel or the
most religious man who had lived. The faith ala
not consist in It necessarily belief IN super
natural power. 1t was simply confidence In the per
son or Of eecting the result he related ARE
cent incident of lady deyOut Roman Catholic, VINO
aupied 10 him for some Lourdes water, by which 80
many miracles have been said TO have been performed
OF late years, and which she knew him to have she
was suffering from contraction OF the muscles OF the
neck so her head twisted To one side and she
could not move IT, but she confident that the Lourdes
water would cure her. He gave her some of the water
N vial labelled Aqua Crotones," saying 1t wasjust
s good as the Loures but she returned several days
after no better from its application. He then gave her
some Croton water labelled "Lourdes. Feast OF the
Anuunciaton" In few hours she came back rejoicing
and Cugy cured by the application OF what she be-
lieYed TO be Lourdes water.
How do you account for the fact, doctor. that the
cures of Mr.. Simpson embrace 80 wide variety OF
diseases I" asked the reporter
alt is easy TO understand. nOn-prOfesslonal man
cannot recognize all diseases and assign them their
proper names Even the best physicians frequently
deceived Hysteria, found in women so often, arising
from the troubles they most subject to, Stimulates all
diseases such as paralysis stomach troubles, ague. and
even cancer aud consumption. But consumption often
passes away OF itsef, as VIC now know consunptiye
will exreripnee relief at every change OF treatment very
few persons can tell when they have cancer egue has
been shown contTosble by the WILL and scores OF limbs
might have been restored through proper treatment
for hysiea, which Is 40 more than nervous derange
Inepf of the systcm There Catholic priest
IN Jersey city who cures paralysis or claims to cure It,
by laying on hands ~, -
curesi"
led 10 the preparation OF the NEST nHuseOus mixtures,
such as c0bwcb and vennin 10 effect such cures; liquors
drank from human shns ETC. ana the DeeycTs IN tLese
Mary Higher Power II may be inst as well in many
cases the cure body or effect any relief
from PAM that they should do It, but the people
become acquainted with these things the less effective
Will be such means and the less frequent Will such mira
e. become. AZ they were genuine IL would Do as easy
to effect q that would Danish al doubt man Las
six fugers-inany and women are so deforned-let
the sii-r uous dnger be removed by faith prayer and
aDoiutnent and 10 physician would then doubt fur
Dr. Allen McLane Hamilton, Of 40 East Thirty-third-
ST. has treated this subject quite thoroughly in
work the causes OF nervous ana brain troubles He
stated tao reporter That tic article giving account
IN the line of his study. There nothing novel III
Mr. simpsons achievements, as such cures had been
practised with more less result the days OF
BHaahs aT1m U NV ogS md sproneb tSc o Pr
by his miraculous cures they called. He would
t on err tnat he made was able 70 pro luce such
emotion among them able to influence those
cases OF hystcria among the number before min.
do net doubt that many, II not ALL Of the instances
OF Mr. Simpsons cures are genuine he knows
and believes. There is sORething AKIN 10 what IS popu
lnily known IA magnetism IN the results, Though do
not believe in human magnetism or VIII influence
have gwen considerable study to and my conclusions
arc that magnetism 80 called 10 FORM OI nervousness
a result Of IT, have been able 10 put myself partly in
that state, or "a sort of dual condition, that
derstand now certain Qau,HtS ma! DC ahtcteL ENely
physician OF such patients and he anybody
else when able to produce another that eNpCcjaEt
attention. may produce these curious results. Now
there cases OF nervous blindness that may be TEN
pOrary fully restored by the influence eXcrted on the
patient through TINS eApectant attention But II IS as
likely to be done by appealing 10 the devil as by anOin
10 enable Inn to sympathize and create confidence in
this class o. patients who usually go from one physician
IAN into the hands OF Quacks who understand ts natural
law better than many OF the most learned In the profes
sion or becoming devoted TO glOn the impulse
pectancy reused and the patient nds the required aid
There nothing new or Tor the saEAe reason remark
able ia MI simpsons work, but It's results are werth
DR. Snizka of East Fiftieth-st who was a prominent
witness ia the Guieau trial. is leading authority
brain aud nervous arrangements. One Of the
beers of Mr.. simpsons church who had been
urrd Of n,
TRIHUN account that sue fOr some time under Dr.
remembrance of sucr person he thought that he
shond be likely TO remember her as opium cases are not
sncere in his professions but in that case he is afflicted
with kind of religious monOmania. Faith are
frequently made in functional diseases, but there us
record OF organic disease beng cured by faith
Organic troubles may De perhaps favOraDy Dfuencedby
It, that the manifestations OF the maady would be
temporarily suspended, but this to very slight extent
fifteen or twenty years and then they die away and no
one hears OF them again for that time. The only real
need OF medical aid with the idea that they can obtain
what they require through faith Cagostro the great
many quaoks and better men since that time"
you think, Doctor said the reporter that all faith
AS rule, hystera apes every conceivable disease
psr1ns ihe nn.co e. % nv w e9 over me
dor Know mich about these cures of Mr. snnson
the character frequent IN the history OF the med
Jacques great charlatan in PARIS, who claimed
paraly sis by command: The nervous affections he
probably did help but not the organic paralysis
one daY an old French Marshal 10 him for aid,
and Jacques ordered BIN TO drop his crutcnes the
Marshal dropped too. That AMEND to lis mir2e-
ulous career. Will wager that every one of these
whose cases are mentioned is IN encmic
dillon, her blood thin and stomach out OF order.
rhey get in the morning and stand before the glass
with hands above their heads arranging the hair and
checking what little natural flow OF blood there ia 10 he
head. eating ttc or nothing for several hours instead
taking warm nOuitshnentas they should before
getting up. such don't require medicine; their
troubles are the ougOwth Oh nervous arrangement and
resemble various diseases They want rest OF mind and
that il often produced In what is called fat Ia cures
The nerves quoted the body resumes its normal cOnd
tiOn and the patient IS TO all appearances We'll"
cases of malaria. there frequent by
prayer aud anOintment, Mr. Simpson claiuIS said the