The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-24
EFFECT OF IMAGINATION.
How superstitlous People Are Affected
 by Simplest of Remedies.
From London Answers.

From London Answers.
 Superstition is by no means dead even in ultra-civilized England. One Sunday, a few months ago, an interesting proof of this fact was seen in the parish church of Sutcombe, in North Devon. A wom- an who suffered from epilepsy sat in the porch as the congregation came out from morning service, and thirty married men, who at her request had attended church, passed her one by one.
 As they passed, each dropped a penny in her lap. The thirtieth took the pen nies and gave the woman a half crown, which was to be made into a ring for her to wear.
 Vain superstition. you exclaiml Yet an- other woman, also a martyr to epileptic fits, who went through the same cere- mony at the same place nineteen years ago, has never since suffered
 Devonshire is the home of the faith cure. For instance to cure thrush, com plaint of children, the Eighth Psalm is read three times, three days week, for three weeks, over the sufferers head. Another cure for thrush Is to catch a duckllng and place It's head with open bill inside the mouth of the afflicted child.
 The extraordinary effect which imag- ination exercises over human health or disease Is familiar to the medical profes- sion, and no doubt that Is why the faith cure Is so often efficacious. Where the illness Is merely an effect of imagina- tion as is very frequently the case, it Is only natural that the imagination must be used to effect a cure. Some time ago a case of the kind was recorded in the Lancet. An elderly woman was brought Into the hospital suffering terribly She
 
 was supposed to be suffering from a com plication of disorders. She was terribly thin and looked wretched
 The doctor who examined her said that there was little actual disease: yet he did not either laugh or roughly tell her that she was shamming He said very gravely that there was only one remedy which would cure her. It must be administered with the greatest care as to quantity and at certain hours to be observed most carefully. One tablespoonful of distilled water was given to the poor woman every five hours. Within three weeks she was as well as she had ever been in her life
 A famous Hungarian doctor, who died six years ago, was wonderful hand at curing nervous diseases. and he very rare ly used any medicines, A wealthy French can came to him complaining of desper- ate indigestion, which gave him constant pain and deprived him of sleep. The doc tor examined him. found that the source of his malady was nerves and ordered him to sup each night on two raw eggs, each seasoned with 47 grains of salt and then to walk 2010 steps up and down his room, keeping all the windows wide open and taking long breath at every third step Absurd nonsense as the prescrip- ton sounds, 1t worked charm. The man was go busy weighing his salt and count ing his steps that he forgot his nerves and was soon sleeping like a top.
 A Manchester man who suffered agonles from earache, and always kept remedy at hand, awoke one night in a spasm of pain and reused his wife. She told him that the bottle of lotion was on table near by. He got up and without striking a match found 1t, and rubbed some on his face. This very soon allayed the pain and he was able to go to sleep again. When his wife awoke in the morning she gave scream. What have you done. John? Your face Is all black" Much puzzled, the man rose and went to the glass. Then the mystery became clear. Ills face was covered with ink. He had mistaken the bottle in the dark ness and cured his earache with ink
 Here is another case even more start ling. Howard Merrman, a negro mes senger of the treasury department at Washington, lost the power of speech through paralysis of the vocal cords. He went to colored practitioner, who told him that the next eclipse of the moon would cure him. There was an eclipse about six weeks later. and Merriman went out to watch It. By the time the moon had passed out of the earth's shadow the man was able to speak as well as ha ever had done in his life.
 
 The Man Who Didn't Want office.