The Portland daily press., 1886-10-15
THE PROOF WANTING.
Rumored Cure of Cataract by the
Mind Cure and Other Remedies.
To the Editor of the Press:

About fifty years ago, the medical world
was startled by the bold assertion, that the
dreaded cataract of the eye could be, and
had been actually cured by electricity. Six
years ago, the same claim was made, and an
electromagnetic specialist in New York city
permitted certain lay journals to print the
same news, that so many years before had
for short time excited our predecessors in
the healing art. This was to the effect that
three cataracts which had been diagnosticat-
ed by as many well known eye-surgeons in
New York had been cured by electricity, and
that the same surgeons had acknowledged
the fact as true. The craze, however, did
not long continue, for the patients were
hunted up, and several well known special
lists in eye diseases confirmed the fact, that
the cataracts in all of these patients who had
been cured, were still visible within the eye,
and that the improvement in vision under
the use Of electricity had been but transitory
and deceptive. Within a short time the
electro-therapeutist came forward publicly,
acknowledged that he had been misled
by the assertions of the patients, and that
the cataractS still remained within the eyes
as they had been before they were submitted
to the action of electricity.
Within few days have heard that cat
aracts observed by competent oculists have
been cured by the mind cure, and | trust,
that, considering the interest which the sub
ject has attracted here, as elsewhere, L may
be pardoned for publicly offering a few re-
marks on so extraordinary an assertion.
1t is difficult to tell whether Boston or our
city is the more credulous in regard to that
ancient treatment known as the mind cure :;
ancient, for, as | understand, 1t was prac-
ticed ages ago under similar manifestations
Leaving aside its undeniable cure of mental
disease, such as pain in various parts OF the
body, neuralgia, headache, ETC., Qor there
can be no doubt that a large majority of
these cases are purely the result of imagina-
ton, or of diseased brain, for which at
present we have no name and cannot of
course call it insanity we are now loudly
summoned to witness its wonderful cures of
visible disease
| believe that no one claims that the mind
cure can set broken limb vr reduce disl0
cation or remove without an operation tu
NOR not of the phantom sort, OF. generally
geleye any Visible diseases similar ay to , tne
seriously told that diseases OF the eye can
thus be healed, and that the oculist might as
well throw aside his speciality, and chiefly of
all his instruments, because the operation
for the extraction of the cataract is about to
become extinct In other words, we are as
sured that the mind cure has cured cataracts,
or at least, restored sight to patients who
had been told that they had cataracts
In all extraordinary cures there is nothing
so difficult as to pin the assertor down to
actual facts, yet with cataract there ought
not to be any doubts. A cataract is visible
to any competent observer, lying as it does
when ripe being plainly visible as white or
grayish opacity occupying the once black pu-
pill of the eye. Therefore if it were once re-
moved by operation, or by the mind cure, the
.lxro 10 l,Oh 1txnI bod
the patients friends would see that the
opacity had disappeared. Unfortunately,
however, for credulOuS persons, there is an
other disease of the eye which to the uniniti-
ated is so plainly visible that they also call
this cataract, whilst in point of fact, it is
nothing but whitish opacity of the cornea
or outside of the eye, and is quite amenable
to treatment.
If now, competent physicians have been
known to refer to specialists in diseases of
this nature, assuming them to be cataracts,
when they were simply opacities of the cor
nea, what can we expect of the lalty who
are, despite attempts at instruction, as igno-
rant of tie structure of the eye, and of the
nature and seat of genuine cataract as
any aboriginal savage. Andn if the mind
cure has removed these opacities, we see that
it is no great thing, for many, people outgrow
them, and others are removed by the simplest
treatment.
But it is replied that cases of cataract cured
by the mind cure were examined by oculists
who vouched as to their nature. Yet if we
ask who are the men, we get no name of rep
utation,
Some of the most renowned oculists of the
day, and those who are most likely to certl-
fly to the presence of cataract, are nothing
but wandering opticians. In my own expe-
rience they have said, when unable to fit
glasses, "Oh, guess so and so has got cat
aract," the word being used to indicate any
opacity, within or without the eye. Thus
In how, ,lncc oan fc hot xuoc in hn
air after long hours of study, or if the light is
bad, or il the stomach is disordered, are often
called cataractS. So too with other minor
troubles in the eye
Can anyone believe that if any eye surgeon
of good standing had ever seen a case of cat
aract cured by any means simpler than an
operation, he would hesitate to master that
art for his own advantage, even if he had no
philanthropy? Or had such men seen cases
really relieved by the mind cure would they
not gladly acknowledge the superiority cf
mind over the knife?
Another point from which to study the al
legged cures Of the cataract is the spontaneous
disappearance of genuine cdtdrdctS, record
ed in the eye journals. Thus, at the 1850
meeting of the finest eye surgeons in the
world one of the members reported three
cases in which cataract had spontaneously
disappeared, while further cases We're related
by other members. Now, if the mind cure
eases are correct they are completely put in
to the shade by nature herself.
| would here warn any afflicted person
frem permitting a cataractous eye to be
treated by the rubbing, cupping, or massage
process, because it is dangerous, as L can
personally testify, having lately removed an
eye which had been thus brutally treated.
1t is useless to pursue the subject further.
| have called it up to assert that those who
say their cataracts have been removed by the
mind cure have either been deceived by ig-
norant persons in regard to the existence of
such disease, or by the mind physicians for
the purpose of magnifying their cures, or
physicians themselves have made an erro--
neous diagnosis. believe that no cataract
has ever been removed by the mind cure SO
that the patient could see, and to those who
assert the contrary my reply is, LET us see
the patient, and the physician who diagnoS-
tcated the cataract"
Finally looking at the topic from the hui
name side; why hold out false hopes to cat
aIactous patients. when in the mind cure, or
in any form of medicine there is no hope? Is
it not far better to conceal from them so long
as possible the real nature of their affiictiOn
in the hope, sincere though by no means i'll
that without ever being aware of
the existence of cataract they may enjoy
good sight, in one eye at least, to the end Of
fhpir IiVae9 Rpenpntful1V