The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1886-08-11
SELECTED.
False impress sions.

False Impressions.
Some parents and others often enhance
| the suffering of children. by giving them
! FALSE impressions aS 30 the magnitude OF
! the suffering they must experience at the
! hands of the dentist This makes chill
! drcn and sometimes even grown persons,
1 50 tmid they are unwilling to submit to
| having the most trilng dental operation
performed But few persons have the
least appreciation of the amount of trou-
! bic and discomfort they cause by giving
| these impressions
Every one who has paid any attention
. to the action of the mind. or has observed
its operations in everyday life. is well
aware of the power of the Imagination 30
produce or increase suffering.
The great influence this faculty has ON
the bodily functions. either in the produc-
tion or relief of disease, has long been
recognized by medical men. Says Il writ
rr, in speaking ON tbs subject: while
ON the one hand, the happy effects of II
Well--groundcd confidence are daily
brought nndcr the observation of the
medical practitioner in the recovery of
patients under the most favorable circum-
stances one the other, the dircful conSc-
puencc> of this inStrumcntalitv are strong
~ exhibited during the prevalence of
some epidemic diseases These are known
To affect individuals in proportion To the
degree of apprehension that prevails;
whereas medical men and others. who I'm.
der these circumstances ara not 50 liable
10 he influenced by the tcrror> of AN cN-
cited Imagination, are much les likely to
he affected by the disease, or. II they are
attacked. the tcrmin ,ton i favorable in
most cases. In many Instances. again,
and especially after accidents and opera
tions, though the circumstances appear
to he most favorable for recovery, yet, if
the mordic of the patients be 50 influence
ed as to make them apprehcnd an uniav-
orablc termination, how frequently docs
ii occur that these representations are
verified by the result. Predictions of the
occurrence of disease or death ut GER
tain period. by the hold they obtain on
the patients Imagination, occasionally
bring about their own fultilmcnt. II is
said, that in the Sandwich Islands there
is n sect who assume the power of pray
iug people to death; Whoever incurS
their displeaSurc, receives notice that tho
homicide litany is about to commence,
and such are the effects of the maglna-
ton. that the very notice is sufficient to
produce the effect.
The culprt placed in the prisoners box
for trial. buoycd with the hope that the
sharp and ingenious argument of his
counsel will convince the jury he is limo
cent sits with composurc, and frequently
with indifference; but when the verdict
i. IL, /, Int h.,t,
is gone. mark the effect often produced on
his physical energies. Though IL power
full man, he is at once shorn of his
strength. his form trcmblcs; and under
all the dreadful ideas which an excited
Imagination now suggests, he Is over
come. and in despair, falls PROSTATE at
the feet of justice, aS If stricken by
thundrrbolt. Why this remarkable
change? There is no bodily disease thus
suddenly developed The mans physical
organs are as healthy as before 1t is
the mind--the action of the mind on the
body-which thus derangeS and unncrveS
| it.
\ large portion of our happiness or
misery is dependent ON the workings of
! the imagination. This faculty may be so
! trained as to be Il source of constant pleas
ure. or so directed and perverted as to
make Us continually miserable. 1t has
| been said that some die thousand deaths
| in fearing one. SO also of every pain or
| evil They may be indefinitely increased
| by fearing them-by anticipating them
| by allowing the Imagination To dwell on
them. and to draw horrid pictures of suf-
| fering his is specially 80 of euiierin%s
experienced in dental operations, and
still more particularly WHEN the patients
are children. When dental operation Is
| 10 he performed, instead of telling the
patient of the suffering that will be re-
lieved by it, the short time it will take.
and really small positive pain it will in
hict, the patient listens To oyerwrought
tales. and allows his Imagination to gluat
over it, compares it to thousand horrid
things, and talks to Others about it, till
/ the imagination is stimulated 50 that he
suffers thousand times more i'll the anti.
cipqtioH than Is ever realized from the az
tual operations of the dentist.
1t is n common practice with most per-
sons, when speaking of their own cases,
to use the most exaggerated Statements
statements even bordering ON absolute
falSchood, as to the severity of the pain
inflicted ON them by dental operations.
| How often do mothers, even in the pres
ence of their children, tell of the torture.
the cruel, dreadful torture--alnost As bad
aS death itself which they have had IL
undergo at the dentists Ladies' will he
come eloquent, tragically eloquent. oven
their terrible descriptions They will vi,
with each other in telling their expert
cncc AS if each We're seeking tn make uui
the most awful case possible. They hav,
been filed and sawed, bored, scrapcd
punched, their mouths have been stretch
ed and torn, their gums laCcratcd and cut
their teeth and nerves torn out, their jaw
broken, and a thousand other things hay,
been Lonesome real but more manufac
turcd for the occasion. They will exhaust
the dictionary in looking for hard word,
to express the terrible suilrrugs endurct
at the hands of the dentist.
Reader do you say this l. an oNcrdraNl
statement? presume YOU may be ahl,
to recall instances where you have hear,
NEARLY the same language used and per
haps, too, you may recollcct some occa
sions on which your own tongue was al
lowed full play in describing Your .faHcie
in the same direction, and that, too, il
the presence of children.
There is pain experienced by the patien
in dental operations; nor do we wish par
ents or dentists to conceal this fact frcr
children. We do not object 10 their bein