The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-14
LITERATURE AS AN ANODYNE.
Efficacy of Books i'm Relieving Pain
Deathbed Reading.

London Spectator.
That was an interesting story told the
other day by Mr.. Choate about James Rus
sell Lowell. When Lowell was lying on
his couch waiting for death he was visited
by Oliver Wendell Holmes, who asked his
brother poet how he was. Lowell replied
that he had forgotten all his bodily pains.
for he was deep in Rob Roy" The story
is not only a testimony to Scott; it is a
testimony to literature as the most power
full anodyne we know. We may well throw
physic TO the dogs when we can stir the
pulses of our declining frame by the words
of the great masters of human thought and
emotion. The particular kline of book
which cheers and consoles a human spirit
In times of bodily weakness varies a great
deal. Tennyson called on his death bed for
"Cymbeline;' George Eliot was found,
when dying. with the limitation in her
hand: Whewell. the omniscient, preferred
in the same circumstances to read Mans
field Park" But all testified, like Lowell.
TO the power of literature to ease the dis
tresS of the body.
Modern science has taught us more and
more than many of the ills OF the body,
however they may be caused-and their
roots lie deep-can often be more thor
oughly treated by mental and moral means
than by mere material devices. To rally
the moral and mental forces of the torpid
nature, to call forth latent moral energy.
to make the mind supreme over the body
this is the great aim of medical science in
many. If not in all, cases. Even when no
chance exists of curing a disease and moth
ing but alienation of suffering is possible,
then IL is still the object of the wise ply
stefan to rouse the inner mind forces and
rely on them, rather than TO treat the pa
tient as though he were a mere bundle OF
tissues and bodily organs cunningly put
together. Whatever of quackerey there
may have been In the development of heal
ing by suggestion. or in so-called mind
cures (and doubtless there has been much).
still the central idea Of the mind cure has
forced itself on the reason and Imagination
of the doctor, and has persuaded him TO
modify his practice and abandon practical
materialism for the doctrine that man is
at bottom a soul.
This, we suppose, is the reason for the
power of literature on the sickbed in lead
ing men 10 forget their pain and live in an
other world than that which seems TO sur
round them. Medicine cannot effect this.
We. administer drugs faithfully, but the
patient groans and losses the night long.
Even the most sympathetic nurse too often
hrds all power of soothing useless. Every
conscious moment brings up images OF
misery and of dread. What is needed is
that the patient should be taken out Of the
actual into an ideal world. where his i'm
agination may be stirred and aroused into
new relationship with his surroundings. IT
is vain TO enter on the question whether
mental surroundings born OF the unseen are
real: the point is that they are real TO him.
He is caught up into the third heaven or
celight. and sees and hears that which can
rot be uttered. There are few Of us who
have not enjoyed this experience in the
midst of an illness which seemed 10 envelop
us in horrors black as night. What a
sweet sensation II was to emerge from this
Dit of despair for a time and 70 sit. as IL
were, in the light OF day, taken away from
ourselves and borne into some idea. land.
Even the pain and distress of the illness
itself can almost be excused for the tenn
porary relief. just as We can put up with
thirst fer the sake OF the cooling liquid
which follows.
The book OF fine imagination destroys the
spell Of disease so that It may place Us