Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-02-08
Mental Hygiene
The Principles That Underlie
All Forms of Mental Therapeu-
tics Pain Not an Unmixed
Evil - 1t Is Natures Signal.
Hygienie Thoughts.
By II. ADDINGTON BRUCE
Copvriobt 1000 NV American Press
Copyright 1909. by American Press
Association.


IA movement has spread amaZ-
"a ingly of late years. 1t IS not
only the central feature of
Christian Science, Mental Science and
the so called New Thought: it has also
been taken up by clergymen of ortho-
dOX religious denominations, and among
medical men there is steadily grow
ease by mental methods. Every phase
of the movcment-from the ultra re-
ligious type found in Christian Science
to the ultra scientific type represented
by Pierre Janet. Morton Prince and
other Observation-Disclosures features
peculiar to itself, but at bottom all Of
them rest on two great principles.
These are the power Of faith and the
power Of suggestion. The former has
long been recognized as Of incalculable
Importance in the cure of disease. But
the influence Of suggestion has been
appreciated only within modern times,
and 1t in turn depends for its efficacy
on the power of faith. Whatever the
method by which the beneficial sug
gestions are given. their success de-
ponds rnon the belief In the mind Of
the patient that they are likely to bring
about the desired result. or, as DIR. FL
wood Worcester puts It. curative
suggestion is an effect obtained through
the conviction that 1t is about to take
place.
OF course. however. f"ith and sug-
gestion are not enough if the disease
Is of such Il character as to require
physical rather than psychical meth
ods Of treatment. as in the case OF a
broken limb or a malignant growth.
Nor will they always avail unless the
suggestionist has at least enough
scientific training to diagnose the ma
ture of the malady he Is called upon
to treat. Otherwise he is as likely as
not to make harmful instead Of bene-
fetal suggestions. 1t Is because these
requirements have been so largely ig-
norcd that mental therapeutics is still
to a LARGE extent a ''hit or miss" sys-
TEN Of treating diseases. Many Of its
practitioners have gone on the princi
pie shat nothing is needed but faith
and that suggestion will cure a case
Of tuberculosis as 1t will nervous
headache.
Fortunately there are signs that a
more rational point Of view is being
reached In the acknowledgements
clinics established at Emmanuel
church. Boston, every patient IS re-
Qured to submit to II thorough eX-
animation by competent physicians
and if found suffering from some dis
ease which does not lend itself TO
treatment by mental means is candid
ly Informed of that fact and advised
as to the best course to pursue in
order to obtain Il cure. This is en-
tirCly as II should be. Much precious
time viii hc saved patients who may
happen to rcqurc immediate surgical
or medical attention, and, on the other
hand. tine viii be gained for the treat
mcnt of these in whose cases faith
and Hrg~cation properly applied will
indeed work wonders.
Natures Signal.
If you put your finger on redhot
stove you are certain to receive a
burn. You are also certain to feel a
sudden pain and to withdraw your
finger instantly. If you did not feel
any pain you would not take your
finger away. and the result would be a
deep. extensive injury incapacitating
you for weeks and perhaps having
fatal results. The pain you feel is
natures way Of telegraphng to the
brain news of the catastrophe that
threatens.
This unquestionably IS the real
meaning Of pain, making 1t in many
respects blessing rather than curse.
The only drawback Is that nature
keeps on telegraphing until the trouble
is wholly rectilicd, whether it is a
burn that has to be healed or an in
famed organ which requires the sur
geon's knife before relief can be OBJ
tanned. But if there were no pain, If
the bodily organism were so consti-
tuted as to be without sensation, there
cause death would have free, untram-
meled swing, and before person knew
it he would cease to be alive.
The obvious moral is to pay atten-
ton to natures signal and profit by it.
Many disease-notably cancer and
tuberculosis, for which no absolutely
certain specific remedies have been
found when they are in an advanced
stage-could be arrested If the victim
only paid heed to the little premonito
~ discomforts that attend their onset
Pain always means that something IS
wrong. Quite frequently nature alone
is sufficient to repair the damage done
But 1t Is by no means wise to rely too
implicitly on the unaided powers Of
nature.
Hysienic Thoughts.
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