Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1904-08-12
Club Notes.

greatly interested in one of your re-
cent lectures regarding the effect of the
mind upon the body, and the effect of
cheerfulness and the will in curing
disease. | will not undertake to an
swer your sons question as to what
makes the heart beat faster when one
is scared" but will be pleased to read
the reply from yourself and others.
Will give some of my personal expert
ence in regard to the effect of the
mind over the body in the battle OF
Gettysburg, Pa, July 2, 1868. l was
severely wounded by minnie ball
crashing through the bone of the left
knee, lacerating muscles and tendons.
In this condition l lay on the ground
without surgical attention for twenty
two (22) days before arriving at the
David's Island, New York, hospital,
where I received treatment from the
best army surgeons (Dr. Priestly and
others). Being so long without surgical
attention, my wounds were so much
inflamed and congested that pallia-
tive treatment to merely keep me alive
was about all that could be done.
After eight months treatment my
wound was pronounced hopeless-in-
durable, and they would send me back
home, as l could never be of any serv-
ice again in the southern army. These
learned surgeons, supposed to know
all that human skill and science could
learn about the human body, all with
one accord did not hesitate to say that
l would never walk on that leg. While
I stood trembling on one foot; sup
ported by two crutches. my lame leg
suspended by bandage from my
neck, ignorant of the physiology of
man, not knowing the Importance OF
the parts lacerated and destroyed, in
total Ignorance of the restorative pow
ers of nature, in the face of all this
evidence against me, I boldly asserted
my belief that I would again walk on
that crippled leg. They sent me out
on litter, two years more of suffer-
ing in southern hospitals, with hard
and poor treatment. At the end OF
% months from the time was wound
| ed, the last splinter OF fractured bone
came out. Then the wound was
healed. The limb, even then. perished
away and was crooked and useless.
ing and stretching on the muscles and
in less than two years had it down
so l could walk on my toes with the
help of a walking cane, and in an
other year l had left the cane That
was about 35 years ago. My left leg
| is still about one inch short, but I
make the difference in my hips, so that
l do not limp. and people seeing me
walk the streets would not suspect
that anything had ever been the mat
| ter with my legs-that is case
of the effect of the mind over the body.
| For OF the soul the body form doth
take, for soul is the form and doth
the body make" (Science of Healthy
When was quite young man went
from the rocky hills of Georgia to the
rich swamp lands of Mississippi. Had
never had a chill, and was rather in
clined to laugh at my friends shaking
with swamp chills. They told me
would have them after awhile So in
about two years l began to have the
shakes. When l first took them, or
rather they took me. the people were
very kind, gave me nice hot tea,
wrapped me up in big soft feathef
bed with hot rocks to my feet ana
back, but finally it became necessary
to change boarding houses At the
new place was treated quite different
ly. A hard cold bed. no fire, hot teas
or any comforts whatever 1t made
me real angry, which cured me of the
chills and fever, and my health WAS
splendid as long as remained in tn 1t
part of the country. That was case
of anger stimulating and bringing
about reaction in the system which all
the chill tonics and specifics had failed
to do.
| once had friend If met him
downtown and had chat with him.
he would tell me all his troubles. do
mestic and financial. | would be sure
to go home with a sick headache-thatt
was case of sympathy. 4
The ignoramus knows that these
things exist, but 1t remains for science
to explain them and tell us "why ones
heart beats so much faster when one
is scared" Sincerely yours.
H. T. J.