The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-18
HOW FANCY HAS CURED.
REMARKABLY Instances OF Recovery from
Disease by influence OF Imagination.

Rema abb Instances OF Recovery from
Disease by influence Of Imagination.
From the London Daily Erpress.
The number Of cases In which fancy has
been the only drug reallyMsed ID overwhelming.
Il ID not by any means only the prescripuoh
Of the quack, for many physicians Of the
highest repute use IL In another guise. inc
late Sir william Gull. for instance. one OF the
greatest physicians Of the nineteenth cen
fury, and one Of those in attendance on ue
King when, as Prince Of Wales. his Majesty
had typhoid fever, used frequently to give his
patients nothing but burnt sugar and water
and with that very simple remedy ne maze
some remarkable cures. Tor ne knew the
value Of fancy" In the cure OF disease. =.
Pure distilled water. acting on the fancy.
once cured disease when every other means
Of cure had failed. The case Ia recorded In the
Lancet. and is that OF 4 woman OF ffty-eight
who had pains everywhere, and was supposed to
have disease Of every organ. AT last she
was assured there was one remedy which
would cure her, but 1t would have to be ad-
ministered by an experienced nurse. ana az
certain hours to be scrupulously adhered TO-
A tablespoonful Of pure distilled water was
given to her at intervals OF Ave hours resu-
larly as the clock struck. Within three
weeks every one Of her pains had vanished:
There are many instances recorded py
physicians where not even distilled water
was required to effect a signal cure. Into
the out-patient department OF one oil the large
London hospitals q girl In the last stage Oh
emaciation was one day led by her mother.
The elder woman explained that her daugh-
ter was suffering from contraction OF tne
gullet, which prevented her swallowing.
The doctor looked at the girl. Il can cure
that contraction in half an hour. he said. 30
firmly did he impress the value Of what he
was doing on the girls mind that within
that time she was sent into one OF the WARDS
for a good square meal. and she enjoyed
large plateful OF boiled mutton. potatoes
and turnips, followed by an equally generous
helping of pudding.
To think that a woman should lie on her
back suffering apparently from inouraole
paralysis Of the spine for two years. and that
preparations should be made for getting
her into a home for incurables while she was
within a couple Of hours OF q perfect cure
merely through the influence Of her fancy,
seems to the economist a terrible waste OF
time and to the sympathetic cruel phase
OF nature. Yet such a case Is recorded, ana
when certain remedies which acted only on
the fancy" Of the woman were administered
she got up and walked about and went home
by omnibus entirely cured.
One would hardly think that severe rheu-
matism could be cured by the splitting OF a
kettle Of boiling water acting on the fancy.
Yet DR.. Buckley records such case. A
doctor was summoned to see a lady suffering
in this way. He thought that vapor bath
would do her good. He got tea kettle and
filed it with water. Then he attached piece
OF pipe to the spout. which he put under the
bed-clothes, put a spirit lamp under the ket-
tie and proceeded to boil the water.
Unfortunately he had filled the kettle
too full, and Instead Of the steam only reach
ing the patient, the water boiled over into
-. fax Dr. forchad the fiant'S
log. You have scalded me-" she cried. and
she Jumped out of bed. To her amazement.
her rheumatism was cured.
A remarkable example Of how fancy
can cure q disease produced by exactly that
same cause was recorded by physician at
Zurich A patient went to him one day and told
him that two years before he had had pneu-
mopia. which had left him with headache from
which he had never been free for single
day. He explained that the physician who
had attended him had told him that he would
always have a headache. as he had inherited
It from his father. o,,
the physician. He gave the man remedy
and Impressed on him the fact that his head,
ache wyd be oSqes P %Sen the pRyssa
saw the man four months later he learned
that he had never since had a headache.
eirI az a ' patient. She suffered acute agony
from nervous dyspepsia. Every remedy rem ey
known to science was gwen 70 neI, put SHe
remained as III at the end Of all the dosing
as she had been before. She was engaged
to be married to man whom she loved very
dearly: iii =, .h,. .o ,st rarr,ed y said
the doctor, unless you are cured, ana TINS
medicine which l am going to, give you is
the thing which believe will cure YOU:
took the medicine-was i a little distilled
waterNsn Sars in very little while she was
One would scarcely suppose that such
a thing as warts could be cured by the effect
OF fancy" Yet a famous physician In Hevre
case boy whose hand was covered with
these ugly growths had the part well washed
with blue water IF this does not cure the
warts" said the doctor In effect, u shall have
to use yellow water. and that will burn you
The boy went home. his fancy. deeply
moved by the suffering which would result
II he were subjected TO the more severe treat
ment. In week all the warts but two or
Striking as all these cases are. there are
others to which reference was made at the
citation. Certain women apparently. suffer
Ing from internal tumors were put under
chloroform, taken into the operating room
and an incision made, but nothing was re.
moved. In other words, the remainder of
the operation was not proceeded with. Yet
these patients were all cured
Even more striking was that Of woman
who, having been put under the influence
Of chloroform and taken In the room. was
removed without anything at all being done
to her. She believed she had been operated
upon. and she got perfectly we'll. as vivid
way in which fancy can cure"