Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-16
VAIN SUPERsTITIoNs.

lev. DIR. Munhall, the evangelist, is at
tracing very much attention in San Fran
cisco. His latest utterance from the pull
pit has brought the San Francisco doctors
to the fore. The minister asserted in
recent sermon that man is built on the
seven-day plan; that he is seven DAYS
work. In illustration, he declared " A
man i'll of typhoid fever, if ne survive till
The seventh day of his sickness and tides
over that day, there is no danger of his
dying until the fourteenth day. If he
Lasts through the fourteenth day he is good
sill the twenty-frst, and so on But if he
lasts till the forty-ninth day (the seven
times seventh day. he will get well, for
man Is seven days work" OF course
this was intended to fortify the doctrine of
Sunday rest-six days for labor and one for
God and rest. While the doctrine is an
essential Of Christian faith, there is physi
cal reason sustaining its beneficial charac-
ter; indeed, the necessity is for periodicitv
OF rest and change from ordinary voca-
sion. Sunday, aside from its Biblical forti
fication, IS wise physical economy. Every
man VINO rests one day in seven is the bet
ter for 1t, and accompanies more in the
round of the year than he who labors
without such cessation. But the idea of
the mystical in the number seven as re-
lated to mans being is a bit of supersti
ton. Just as much evidence can be adj
duced in support of the mysticism of the
number nine. The illustration cited.
that Of typhoid fever and the period
Icity of its critical stages, was
not happy one. Ague of one
kind has the periodicity Of every other
day IN some cases, or every third day in
other cases, as distinguishing feature.
The San Francisco doctors take issue with
DIR. Munhall, and pooh pooh his statement.
1t looks fine on paper, says DR.. Murphy,
but Is not borne out by experience. DR..
McNutt ridicules the idea of the seven
say periods in typhoid fever. Drs. Dennis
Chaigneau, Stanton, Mclean, Kirkpatrick,
Fisk. 0llino, ard other physicians, smiled
broadly, or holly denied the truth of DR..
MunhalPs theory. 1t is to be said for it,
however, that it is popular delusion.
The reverend speaker reflected popular
superstition, and to that extent his illus
tration was forcible, and had its due effect,
but 1t ought not to be permitted to 90
abroad as q fact in medical science. A
man may die of typhoid fever in any of
its stages and at any time after its COM
mencement, and patients do succumb, and
crises occur in the disease irrespective
OF any particular number of days of fever
continuance. There are a great MANY of
these superstitions afloat, and there is reli
ance placed upon them that leads to neg
ieet eliminating in loss of life There is
no illness in which it will do to calculate
upon safety between supposed periodic
crises. This is the testimony of medical
men and nurses CT experience, and we
who are without the circle of technical
medical knowledge, ought to accept it and
not trust to old-womanish superstitions and
charms. Certainly DR.. Munhall would not
Intentionally mislead, and now that it is
called to his attention by skilled medical
men, he will not continue in announcing
belief in superstitions regarding disease,
that, however harmlessly intended in cita-
ton to illustrate point in doctrine, may
lead the ignorant into fatal reliance upon
broken reeds.