The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-04

nies that there is ever any physical i disorder to diagnose or that the phys ical senses, without which diagnosis is
 impossible, are in any sense trust
 worthy MT. Carol Norton, chief pro- pagandist of Eddyism, some time ago
 was challenged by MT. w. A. Purring-
 ton of New York city to furnish proofs which had been publicly offered in the form of regular medical confrma-
 tion," in the cases of "ilYcurable can-
 cer, of an epileptic child, of cof1sump- ton of the lungs in the second stage of the disease, of typhoid fever and of | Valvular disease of the heart" After a months delay and some prodding MT. Norton finally came to MT. Purrine- toms office, but the medical informa- | tion," writes the latter, consisted in l each case of brief statement of con- elusionss signed by a Christian Scien- tist. Of these signers one was said to have studied in homeopathic and an- other in a regular medical college, No facts were set forth upon which the conclusions were based, no names were connected with the certificates that
 would carry any weight with the gen:
 eral medical profession or any body of
 trained investigators. It is not meant ] by this to cast the least reflection un-
 on the honesty, sincerity and good re- pute of the signers. Doubtless they are excellent persons, but their names are unknown in the field of accurate inyes- 1 tigation."
 | However, after all strictures have
 been made there remains a large body of unquestionable cures wrought l through a principle which "sectarian
 science" to borrow phrase of Prof James, has been slow to acknowledge and which Christian Sciencep has
 more or less willingly employed. This principle is the law of what is known as suggestive therapeutics" whereby | the idea of health, made to possess and dominate the mind, tends to express | itself in health of the body It makes
 very little difference apparently how ! or with what accompaniments a sug- , gestio1 comes thus to control one's consciousness the only indispensable factor being the succumbing of the mlnd in spirit of unquestionlng be- lief. Famous healers of the past like Prince Hohenlohe and Father Matthew. and Joseph Gassner of the Catholic priesthood, Protestant faith-curers like the late Dr. Cullis of Boston, Dr. A. R. simpson of New York, and the late Alex. Dowie of Chicago, Indian medi- cine men and Hindu magicians, Mor- mons, Spiritualists and Theosophlsts all have to their credit undoubted cures without the use of ordinary means. Roman Catholic shrines like those in Montreal and at Lourdes in France are annually the scenes of cures to which scores of deposited crutches and canes bear witness. Dr. Moll of Berlin ia authority for the statement that fifty or sixty patients annually are sent rom the great French hospital of the Salpetriere to Lourdes to be treated when every other resource has been exhausted.
 Dr. James M. Buckley of New York a careful scrutinizer of evidence who has given prolonged study to this field concludes that all these different faith healers sometimes cure paralysis convulsions, cancers, trmors. enjnal diseases, those peculiar to women. and relieve or cure chronic cases freouent- ", especially rheumatism, sciatica. nauralgla and similar flaaladies. They succeed in some forms of acute dis- ease"
 Personally have no doubt that the secret of these cures can best be iden- tlfied in connection with the phenome- ma of hynotism In hypnotism we find the power Of suggestion at it's height all competing and inhibiting thoughts being laid at rest and the idea sug- gested by the operator having absolute
 sway over the mind of the subject. The power of such an idea over the bodv would almost baffle belief were moi cases authenticated beyond all doubt Dr. Carpenter in his Mental Physiology gives the famous instance of Louise Lateau, which, he says 'has under gone a scrutiny so careful on the part of medical men determined to find out the deceit if such could exist. that there seems no adequate reason for doubting its genuineness. This young Belgian peasant had been the subject of an eXhausting illness, from which she recovered rapidly after receiving the sacrament; a circumstance which obviously made strong impression oh her mind. Soon afterward blood be- gan to issue every Friday from a spot in her left side; in the course of few months similar bleeding spots estab- lished themselves on the front and back of each hand and on the upper surface of each foot, while a circle of small spots formed on the forehead; and the hemorrhage from these re- cured every Friday, sometimes to considerable amount. About the same time fits of 'ectasy' began to recur, commencing every Friday between 8 and a. nl., and ending about D. rn., interrupting her in conversation, in prayer, or in manual occupation" She remembered afterward every detail of her experience while in ecstasy. She had beheld tn crucifixion of Christ and "minutly described the cross and the vestments, the wounds, and the crown of thorns about the head of the Saviour. This mysterious power of the mind over the body represented here in autosuggestion can be evoked by the