The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-02
MIND RULES BODY GREATLY.
Instances Even in the Work OF
Christian Science.

From the Medical Record
Every physician is well aware of the
potent influence for good or i'll that the
mind exerts over the body in, sickness.
In health, too. the effect of mental sug-
gestion is powerful with many persons to
an extraordinary degree. Upon this no.
torious psychological fact the Christian
Scientists and faith cures of all kinds
base their treatment, and In virtue of some
indisputable cures brought about by these
means have been able so long to gull the
public into the belief that their healing
powers are effective in any case of dis
ease or injury. Patent medicines ana
quacks owe their success to precisely ideh-
IDEAL reasons. If an individual has faith
In a medicine or in a treatment, he as
suredly will derive more benefit from that
medicine or treatment than If he were
skeptical as to its merits. There can De
little doubt that the sympathetic physl-
sian Us the one best calculated TO lead
his patient to recovery. Again, in many
diseases the good that may be wroughs
to the sufferer by the agency of mental
suggestion is undeniable.
Prof ]. M. Baldwin, referring to this
fact in connection with insomnia, says.
I'm experimenting upon the possibility OF
suggesting sleep to another, I have founo
certain strong reactive' influences upon my
own mental condition. Such an eftore
which involves the picturing of another as
asleep is a strong auto-suggestion OF
sleep, taking effect i'm my own case ll
about FIVE minutes If the conditions DO
kept constant. The more clearly the pa
TENTS sleep is pictured the stronger be-
comes the subjective feeling of droWsl-
ness Ar unfailing cure for insomnia
speaking for myself, is the persistent ell
fort to put some one else asleep by mar"
thinking of the end in view, with con-
tlnued gentle movement, such as stroklnS
the other with the hand.
DIR. L. C. Spitzka of New York has re-
Gently given some remarkable instances
of the power of mental suggestion. no
cites the well-known fact that the NOR
talty from wounds and diseases In de-
feated army compared with victorious
army is as to 3, and even as to 2. lie
also refers to the incontrovertible fact
that persons in robust health have peeh
known to die apparently of starvation az
ter being without food for from three |"
five days.
Dr. Spitzka is of the opinion that these
individuals did not die of actual starVa-
tion but from the physical effects OF nun
ger The proof of this contention Hes ln
the fact that persons have been known
to fast of their own free will for more
than forty days without injuring then
constitutions to any appreciate extehl.
Many examples establishing the truth OK
this statement might be given, but u WIZ
be sufficient to quote one from DR.. SPITE
ka's paper. He says: I'm the grave
forms, of hysteria, when loss of sensatlon
occurs in exactly one-hah Of the body you
can lay a piece of tinted paper on the SEN
sitiye side: then suggesting Il to be
mustard plaster. red area will appear
on the corresponding unsensitlve SIDE.
Blisters of such a character that scars
have permanently remained from them
have been produced In similar cases by
the same method"
The medical profession, IL appears more
than likel. have not as yet wholly appre-
eiated the advantages to be d<rived from
the employment of mental suggestion