Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-01
MIND AND MEDICINE.
The Respective Values of Mental AID
Materia Medica Therapeutics
Discussed.
Dr.. Pratt Tells a Lot of Embryo Physi.
clans What He Thinks Of
Christian Science.

a subject carefully avoided heretofore
by medical practitioners was taken up by
DR.. z. Il. Pratt. the valedictorian for the
faculty of the Homeopathic Medical col
lege, OF Chicago, at the graduation exer-
cises. He chose for his subject, mental
Therapeutics" theme which trenches
upon faith healing, or Christion science.
The speaker had been known TO listen
with g willing ear to the arguments of
the faith cars people, and a certain
amount OF nneasiness was felt by the
faculty. He spoke to the graduates of
the equipments with which they had been
supplied in the art of healing. "Your
college," said he, "has taught you anet-
omy, physiology and chemistry; it has
instructed you in pathology and dag
nosis; it has given you the recognized
principles and appliances of surgery; it
has scnooled you n paliatives to be en-
ployed when necessary, and familiarized
you with the only truly scientific law of
drug action now known: 'Similia simii-
ibus curantur.' As college it has done
its best to fit you thoroughly for your
calling.
"But drugs and medicines are not syn
onomous terms. Medicine means any
thing that will prevent, cure or alleviate
human suffering. You may often require
all the assistance that earth and he-
treasures can lend you; you will always
need all the forces Of heaven you may be
able te enlist to accom- plish your work.
"The sick and suffering are eve"y-
where, crowded into sanitariums, con-
gregating in cities, bathing in medicinal
springs, climbing mountains, chasing
the world over in their vain effort to es-
cape sickness in themselves.
''Are all the resources of curative medi-
cine at Your command? Are you fair
enough, free enough, and honest enough
to employ whatever force or agency or
line Of treatment the case demands?
''The body is material, and the animal,
vegetable, and mineral Kingdoms all
contribute TO its formation. But that is
not all. The material body is the battle
ground of the spiritual forces. Besides
its struggles with the things of time and
sense, it feels the strain of the contend
ing elements of the spirit"
DR.. Pratt then proceeded to instaD ce
the action Of the mind III It's effects upon
bodily processes: fear upon the excre-
tiOns, love upon the action of the heart,
and then declared that the real healer of
the body must be able to turn the cur
rent of thought in the patient in the
right channel.
"Lf mental processes CAP Destroy
said the valediotOrian, "they can also
build up; if they can become disordered
and work bodily mischief they can also
be readiusted into such harmonious
action as shall serve the purposes of
bodily repair.
"Do not give undue prominence to the
action of the mind over matter. The
great subject of mental therapeutics is
still in an exceedingly chaotic state, for a
very good reason. It has been handled
chiefly by spiritual quaeks. You must
not expect too much of mental sci
ence. It may do wonders in the proven
ton of disease. It will undoubtedly
render valuable assistance to many forms
of physical healing, but mental therapeu-
tics can never become adequate to the
entire demand for remedial measures
in sickness until a tree can live without
roots or an animal without food"