Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-22
CURE FOR RHEUMATISM.
1t May be Called the New Electric Car
Remedy.

"The other day." writes a reader to the
Boston Herald, 'a sensible lady at the South
End told me that riding in the electric cars
had cured her of rheumatism, and had cured
another lady Also"
The ordinary electrician, il not the ordinary
man who Is not an electrician, might smile in
creduously at the above and say: pure
Imagination" Perhaps it is and then again
perhaps it is not. To begin with, the imagina-
ton rs naturally excited by mystery, which is
only another name for lack Of knowledge-for
lgnorace. in fact. Now, if we see an effec
without knowing the cause we might guess for
year W ithout CUES sing correctly. Hence the
imagination is excited. Cases have been
known where bread pills have effected cures OF
stomach troubles. Why? No doubt because
the patient believed they contained some
potent drug. In dealing with hypnotic cases
French physicians found that steel magnets
seemed to have peculiar effect upon the sub
Jects. One OF the experimenters, more skep-
tical than others of his brethren, had a mag
net made Of wood and fixed SO as to resemble
steel magnet, and found that it had equally
as potent effects the steel magnet on sub
iects.
AN ENGLISH OPINION
London physician not long since went to
for the cure of diseases. From there he went
to Amsterdam on the same business. In his
report Of what he observed he says: zone is
asked whether treatment by suggestion has
power over all forms of disease?" Over som @
1t has none. 1t cannot reconstruct what dis
ease has destroyed nor stay the course of small
pox. dlphtheria or other acute maladies II
frequently acts like magic on rheumatism, on
paralysis or hysteria. Stripped of scientific
explanation hypnotism may be said to be pc
culiar abnormal or unhealthy condition Of the
mind, in which fancies or ideas that are sug-
gested become agents for changing ones alb
normal condition Gas disease isl by substituting
another for 1t Gas hypnotism, or faith in the
| potency of the unknown isl. How far this NAV
account for the cures related by the correspond
ent above quoted it is not easy to determine.
1t Is notorious that many people who ride In
electric cars claim that they can feel the elec-
| trio current whenever the car starts up. In
| duction Is phenomenon in electricity where
conducting body that is located close to O
wire carrying an electric current becomes
MAGSErIzED BY THE CURRENT.
This may be likened to the heat that is given
of by stove being taken up by a piece Of
metal near it. but not in contact Air is a very
poor conductor of electricity and SO is wood
seat cushions, &c., and electricians will tell US
that even by process analogous to induction
no one can be affected by the electric current
! in a street car. What then, Ia it that make,
the surfaces of the bodies of people in electric
cars tingle as If some disturbing influence hac
| taken possession of them through the capillary
nerves2 These same people will tell US tha
| they do not feel this peculiar sensa
ton while riding in cars drawn by
horses. Here the matter becomes in
| volved-paradoxicaL Are there unseen in
| fuences, acting in the all-pervading ether
which make healing impressions on the body
| through the mind? If We admit this we mus
J also admit that faith cure, mesmerism ant
other things which we regard humbugs have
basis OF reality. However, rheumatism is al
affection that ought to have q cheap and popu
lar remedy, for the reason that SO many are
afflicted by ii. II the electric cars will fill tn.
| bill, then the sooner their use becomes uni
versal the better it will be for the afflicted; anc
II they viii cure rheumatism why not tooth
| ache, earache, neuralgia, headache and al
other aches, including stomachache? II all thi
can be ealizsd from the electric cars what I
double blessing will they be to humanity ans
what boon to the stock holders Truly we ar,
| entering upon a new era in our electrical in
dustries and-our therapeutica