The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-22
GENUINE FAITH CURES.
Cases in Which Physicians Stimulate
Patients Imagination.

from tle NetU YORK Sun.
Physicians have their faith cure as we'll
as christian scientists aud they report quite
as remarkable imaginary effects as is
related by the professors and healers of the
mind cure schools. DIR. Ward of St Louis
gives happy illustration Of the power of
the imagination to heal disease unaided by
the use of medicine in the case of an ignor-
ant and credulous fever patient, who was
cured simply by the use of the fever
them ometer. This small glass instrument,
which all physicians use, is cleansed
and disinfected with carbolic acid, which
leaves slight taste even after it is washed
thoroughly. When DR.. Ward placed this
simple instrument under the patients
tongue for the first time he exclaimed:
There amt much taste to it, doctor, but l
suppose it is terrible powerful" Seeing
that the fellow believed the thermometer to
be some effective medicine or conjuration,
he humored his strange fancy as to the
occult virtue of the instrument, and gave
him no medicine. After the first treatment
the fever abated, and with each subsequent
application OF the remedy the patient was
considerably improved, until finally he was
cured simply by faith and fever Their
mometer.
One of the visiting physicians of the
Manhattan hospital reports a case similar
in purport to the one just quoted. A lady
who has been a chronic invalid for many
years suffers from insomnia, to relieve
which hypodermic injections of morphine
are given her each night on retiring-at
least she supposes them TO be of
morphine but in reality only clear
cold water is inserted. Expert
ments have been made frequently
which lead to singular results. If the
water is not inserted as usual the patient
becomes dull and hstless, exhausted, aud
extremely nervous and irritable, and spends
tho night tossing on her couch in wakeful-
mess or fitful broken slumbers. If, on the
other hand tho accustomed operation is
performed, her eyes brighten, the express
sion of suffering leaves her face, her counte-
nance grows animated and cheerful, and
after little pleasant chat she drops into a
sweet, sound sleep like a tired child
DR.. Clinton, also of the Manhattan hos
pital, reports case of a man sick with in
Illumination of the stomach. When first
entering the hospital he took morphine at
night because of wakefulness from real
pain. Seeing that the patient was liable to
remain in the hospital for some time, and
fearing the long-continUed use of the NOR
phine would engender habit of taking it
continually, the doctor discontinued the use
of it. The patient was restless, nervous
and wakeful, and finally the expedient of
giving him dose of water rendered bitter
with quinine was resorted to. The man
presently fell into a sound slumber, and has
been enjoying a comfortable nights rest
ever since, through faith in his sleeping po-
tion. Salt and water are frequently given
for bromide with beneficial effect and in
numerous diseases water rendered slightly
bitter or distasteful Is very frequently used
with most satisfactory results.
Another physician In a hospital gives an
instance of q man suffering, or imagining
that he suffered, from a severe pain in his
side. The physician becoming convinced
that no serious difficulty existed, placed a
simple surgeons adhesive plaster unmedi-
Gated, on the side, and the pain was quieted
Immediately. 'Sick people frequently
suffer slightly from insomnia, and If they
lie awake one hour at night are apt to fancy
they have not slept at all; so we have some
simple preparation of water seasoned with
some harmless drug prepared for them, and
they go to sleep from faith in the medicine,
which quiets their nerves simply because
they think so. Then there are patients
with headaches and all manner of real or
faucied pain who really do not need medi-
cine, but insist on having it, and so they
get the water decoction to relieve them.
quent hospital remedy, and so are several
other harmless doses with which hospital
cranIs are relieved from suffering"
The doctors all agree that a woman is far
less gullible and easily deceived than a man
with bogus remedies. "Simple examina-
ton with a stethoscope has benefited many
men," the doctor added, land fever Their
lnometers have wrought more cures on
ignorant men than the one reported by DR..
e L. 49,. g.. Il
woman with such treatment or with ad-
minstering water remedies If a woman
has a pain she knows she's got it, and she
understands, too, what effect the medicine
should have, and il it doesn't follow within
the expected time, she knows she has taken
medicine that has no strength, and she just
makes it lively for the man who gave it to
her Hysterical patients are an exception
to this rule, however, for the disease, being
more than half imaginary and purely
functional, any kind of remedy which
they believe helps them usually does make
them better"
Doesn't that rather tend to prove the
theory of the faith healersp
Eyes and no, both. Every doctor under
stands the power Of mind over matter, and
Acknowledges the moral element Of every
disease: but to say that faith can cure
man or woman who has any real disease is
as much nonsense as to say that faith will
satisfy a hungry man as well as his dinner
In functional difficulties the mind has much
control over the disease, but if these func-
tional difficulties arise from organic disease,
the mind has nothing to do with it, A man
falls and breaks his arm. His mind or will
may exert Itself TO such an extent that the
pain will be quieted TO certain degree, but
the arm is broken just the same, and so a
man or woman may believe that they have
no pain or disease under the peculiar mes
meric influence of the faith healers, but II
that person have q cancerous stomach,
diseased liver, enlarged heart, or congesped
brain, faith doesn't heal 1t.
''Faith cannot restore the diseased tissues
of the body or mend the broken bones. IL
there is no such thing as pain why do not
the faith healers submit themselves to the
surgeons knife in vivlsection in the inter
ests of science, for, of course, they would
not be- hurt if they only fancied they were
not, and if an artery we're severed they
could command the hemorrhage to cease,
and it would obey. Oh, yes, the faith cure
Is all very we'll for hypochondriacs aud ner-
yous people with faDcied ailments but If l
had a throat like the Emperor Fredericks,
ia rather have one breathing tube than all
the faith in North America, unless l really
wanted to join the angels.
"At the same time no physician likes 70
treat patient who has no faith or conh-
dence in him. II man has, for instance,
n bad case Of typhoid fever, and is very
much frightened over it, he has TO bear the
main of the disease and the pain OF the fear
at the same time II, OH the other hand,