St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-12-04
Imaginary Diseases.

III u DTtll1 lhhNh 'H''''
Won don't two thirds realize it. Don't
suspect you will till I'm took THIS IS
one of the remarks Of Ephram' the al
legged invalid in an amusing story IN the
November number OF the Century Maya
zine. Ephraim thought that he haa
,,os+ nj the ills described in the Book OF
Seven Hundred Ailments" which nc kept
near by for constant reference But
Zendy. as is indicated, was two'thirds
skeptical about Ephraim's troubles ana
replied that be couldn't lie awake nights
and had no appetite after meals over
uo,t,s what's done it. Yesterday you
cleaned lamp chimney, and day before
YOU wound the old clock
The story recalls that of the "Arousine
Of Mrs. Potter" which was published
some time ago. Mrs. Potter was bed
ridden until the skeptical remark OF
neighbor fred her up and out OF bed ana
then she turned to and outdld the wnole
surrounding country on great oin''''
for a company OF thrcshcrs. And a SIM
lar story was that OF a man VINO wasSo-
inc overland to California and had car
r;ed with him whole bundles otimagnary
complaints, among them Floating k'o'
new But one day the lcaderoi theco'r-
panv. worn out with his whining TOOK
him over the Hill rom the camp and IN
formed him that he had concluded to re-
Teye him of his sickly existence, anddre"
ont his revolver to end all his ills and
aches then and there The man was III
stantly restored TO health; his KIDNEY
took hold ofits iastcnngs and he went
back to the camp sound as gold dollar
The frequentappcaronceoi these stores
and their popularity are an indication o.
a prevalence of opinion that there is
large amount Of imaginary sickness
abroad in the land. While it is true That
real disease is one of the most dismal
facts Of our existence, yet the hotderIand
Of gloomy imagination which icsaround
our actual aches and pains is large re-
piop. and we are always in danger OF
straying into it. Like Ephraim, itiscasy
TO think that our "livcrs are palptatne
too fast" and that we are "beaphg IuI
o( invisible phenomenons, millions o
which are plotting and planning inside.
In fact. medical scieuce has been so busy
peopling everything which we eat OF
drink with bacteria, baccll and othe
traitors to our existence, that ima9lna
ton would have to be e.proot to es
care the infection. The rise OF Chrlstia
science with its denial OF disease has bee
nossible because belief in disease has bee
overdone. One extreme begets anothe
Floods of patent medicines and armies
charatans have met with success becau'
they have had a wordoI heated lmagIni
ton upon which to work. And mar
faith healcrs have been sowing and rea
ing in the same field; not that hea'i'
through faith is incredible, Tor 1t IS
scriptural belief, but that the deliv'
ances are often from imaginary Ills. |
arou.ing of new emotion sets the v
tim OF a morbid mental condition ir
1t may be the enthusiasm OF hope or t
fire OF anger, but the effect is the san
Everything that Ephraim ate gave h
trouble until he was snubbed by neiI
Dor on a wedding day and then he, =;
the door knob off the door" before
feast was over.
The bicycle has been hailed as aresto
of health to women. Its action IS tN
fold. 1t furnishes fine exercise IN
omen air, and it is such an attract
that some women prefer morning
to a visit from their physician n
Alice Freeman Palmer once told aChici
audience that many young women
older women would have better hcaIt
they did more work. The science wi
is increasing our alarms over "invs
phenomeuons" must give us much w
TO do or we shall all be in dangerot
dering off into the border land OF ma
arv disease