Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-12-04

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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
tCopyhsht. 1914 A. s. Gray)
RADIANT ENERGY AND DISEASE.
So tenaciously do the legends of our
forefathers cling to us that even yet
1t is the common belief that all our
ills are OF external origin, the result
of some malignant power which takes
possession OF us by capture and can
be overcome only by the introduction
into our bodies ofsthe appropriate an
tagonist in quantity sufficient to neu-
trallze and beat down the nnhealthful
conditions. Every discovery seems to
prove that the. truth is always simple
but because our powers OF observation
are poorly trained and our knowledge
OF the universe is8very slight we go
laundering along, ever seeking some
miracle for the relief of our ills, blind
to the fact that health is simply a mat
ter Of being In accord with the balance
of the universe. The truth of this Is
proved by the fact that in the final
analysis all our diseases are found to
originate in some deficiency, because
we ignore some simple natural re-
quirement which breaks the normal
continuity Of the vital chain binding
every living unit into. a nicely balanced
reciprocating machine.
1.-THE scientific world has come to
believe that the primary sources OF
natural energy by virtue of which the
universe keeps going over immense
periods of time are to be found not In
the great masses Of glowing matter
dotting the heavens, nor in any OF the
relations between energy and matter
In bulk, but in the reactions between
the individual atoms out OF which
bulk is made up" Just so, too, our
health, happiness and efficiency are
the direct products of the natural op-
Grafton Of the individual cells of which
we are composed. And anything
which disturbs the natural relations
between these minute individuals Is
certain to result in some form Of vari-
alton which we usually call III health.
We have noted that variations in
plant growth take place under diner
ent colored lights because plants have
the inherited capacity to develop nor
mally only under white light. But
there has been very little research
work done along these lines for the
purpose of determining why: these
variations occur "a Probably the most
significant facts In this connection are
to be found in the discoveries of DR..
J.. r. Green, who in 1897 showed that
light had an appreciable effect on the
formation and action Of the engines
in plants and that the; red and blue
rays favored the formation Of the
engines, while the green. the indigo
and the Violet. and especially the ultra
violet, rays destroyed thent He allo
made the striking, suggestion that
vegetable structures have power of
absorbing radiant energy which is not
connected with the presence and activ'
ity Of chlorophyll."
We know tuberculosis to be essenti-
ally deficiency disease. the ultimate
result of insufficient food and air and
light. The only known successful
method of controlling the disease con-
sists in supplying the missing factors
by a simple substantial diet and living
out of doors. Prevention, not cure, is
the modern weapon against this
scourge, and prevention consists in
sufficient food, air and light.
If all living things are subject to the
same laws then it would be reasonable
to infer that Doctor Green's hint that
vegetable structures have a power of
absorbing radiant energy which Is not
connected with the presence and activ-
ity of chlorophyll" md ~ have parallel
in the human body, and perhaps we,
too, may have power of absorbing
radiant energy not connected with the
presence and activity Of hemolglobin,
our oxygen carrying substance anal
agous to chlorophyll in the plant. This
appears to be true in a measure, If
satisfactory improvements in tubercu-
lar conditions secured under direct sun
rays are noted.
A method of treatment by means Of
prolonged exposure Of the naked body
to solar rays has been found particu-
larly helpful for tuberculosis of the
bones. joints and ganglia. The new
treatment is called heliotherapy and
has been found not only particularly
helpful in tubercular diseases, but has
also met with marked success in other
diseases. y,5,l,..9s. ..-... .s-..,.
In general sense the healing .vir-
tues of sunlight have been recognized
from the dawn Of human history and
are embodied in a thousand myths and
legends, but the facts have been stead
lastly ignored, while the whole world
s@ Activities Of Women.
All of the post offices In Germany
are now being conducted almost e1-