The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-11-25
even to the extent of change in its seonstit-

even to the extent of a change in its constit
uents
Expectation mas powerful influence up
on processes of muscular movements Ia
voluntary movements may be induced il
persons who are susceptible to peculiar i'm
pressions TO take place a: certain times, an'
the impression may become so well establish
ed that usually voluntary movements are
disturbed from the fear Of such inV0l
untary movements becoming uneon.
trollable. The hypochon dfiae and hys-
terical sufferer, whose ailments are half real
and half imaginary. by the same suscep-
tibility of mind which in the first place in
duced the disturbance, can, il properly ex-
cited, be made to allure il away, without
the consciousness of the sufferer As to the
important part he himself plays in the treat
ment.
An explicit confidence is the great pre-
requisite TO the cure. The mesmerizer pos
sesses no special power over the subject only
so far as he can control his will. The mind
of the fully mesmerized person seems to be
alive only upon the point of expectation
and attention. During the bypOlized state
the muscular power may be wonderfully in
creased, and weak delicate persons often
perform feats of strength that are incredible
This is the result of an increased stimulus TO
the muscles. In the ordinary way We call
into service only portion of the muscular
fibers, but when hypolized the mind IS con-
centrated upon the act and the result is Oft
en- astonishing. The same effect may be
produced under some forms OF excitement.
Just here We find reasonable explanation
for remarkable cures of long standing paral-
ysis. The poor sufferer having become
bedridden and despairing OF ever having the
use of his limbs restored, falls into the
hands of religious enthusiast, who, by his
confidence in prayer abstracts the mind of
the sufferer from all other thoughts and by
the stimulus thus produced upon the ner-
yous system a cure is often affected. Ii is
to be remembered, however, that faith cures
have never taken place when the tissue is
diseased The deeayed lungs and gangren-
ed limb have never been made whole. The
mind has no control over that which can
not be affected by the action Of the nervous
system. Fatal wounds though OF linger-
Garfield are never cured by faith. When
limb is amputated no amount Of faith can
produce another in its stead.
To further show the effect of the mind
upon tie body, the case OF Louisa LateaS.
peas ant giTl, during protracted illness re-
ceiyed thssacrament, after which she became
rapidly eonyalescent. From the time she
received the sacrament her mind led TO the
constant contemplation of the tragedy sug-
gested by the sacrament. Shortly she dis-
covered a spot on her left side that would
discharge blood on each successive Friday
In the course of few months similar spots
established themselves on each hand and
ON the upper surface of each foot. About
the same time fits of ecstacy began to occur
every Friday between eight and nine in the
morning. and ending about six in the even
ing. This case clearly shows that the mind |
may produce pathological as well as a
physiological process.
The mind strongly directed to any part Of |
the body increases its yasculariiy. The /
mind strongly directed away from any part /
of the body lessons its sensibility. The ac- +
tiyity ofthe cerebral functions during deep /
intellectual operations excludes impressions 4
upon the sensory nerves.
Emotions may excite the sensory ganglia /
to induce vascular changes in certain parts I
of the body by exciting the sensitive nerves /
at their periphelial terminations +.
Confluence, Pa. November p, 1855.