The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-12-30
THE FORCE BACK OF THE
FLESH.
BY oRIsON SWEET MARDEN.

Author Of Pushing TO the Front" Etc.
Copyright 1914
while in jamaica" London hospital
physician says, Il knew q young lady
who had for many months been confined
to her bed unable to walk a step from
what seemed to be paralysis of the lower
extremities. The trouble did not respond
to any medical treatment. The case
seemed hopeless. One morning, however.
she received sudden news that her IA
vor!te brother had fallen from his horse
and was lying in a very critical condi-
chronic invalid Immediately got up with
out assistance, helped to put the saddle
on her horse, rode TO her brother, and
nursed him night and day for weeks.
She was completely cured. Her trouble
proved to be purely mental. and really
came from mental hysteria.''
Physicians are rapidly discovering that
We are mental creatures; that mind is
the origin and the basis OF everything;
that the body is merely an objectfied ex-
preston OF mind, and that harmony or
discord, health or disease. depend upon
the condition of the mind.
Whatever impairs the mental power
the brain cells, impairs the cell OF life
all through the body. All vicious emo
tons. worry. fear. chronic anxiety.
Jealousy, hatred. revenge. so poison the
cells Of the nervous system as seriously
TO interfere with and impair the processes
in all the bodily organs. Their functions
are impaired. their vitality depleted. Just
here is the origin OF disease-in the i'm
paired cell life. the persistent lowering
Of the vitality OF the Individual cells. the
cutting on of nutrition, the lessening OF
the disease-resisting power of the cells
The disease germs which are lurking in
the body take advantage Of this lowered
vitality and become active. They thrive
upon the pOisons. the broken-down It's
sues that are impaired by vicious
thoughts and emotions and. when the re-
sisting power OF the BODY becomes very
low, these germs increase tremendously
and play terrible havoc, as illustrated in
fever and Inflammation OF the various
organs. bilious attacks. govt rheuma-
tism. neuralgia and many other kinds OF
disease.
As there is a certain amount Of intel
ligence in the cells of every part OF the
body, and as all of the cells which COM
pose the body are so closely related. so
intimately tied together that whatever
how anything that affects the brain cells
would be instantly communicated 10 every
part OF the body As a matter OF fact,
there are departments OF the brain pre-
siding over and corresponding with every
organ and every part of the body. and
when any of these centers arc disturbed.
by sympathy the discord Is Communi-
Gated to 4 corresponding portion OF the
body. When a certain brain center Is
diseased, for INSTANCE. or Is affected by
or some injury to the skull. there is
corresponding loss of physical function.
1t may be loss of speech, loss OF
memory. or of some other faculty or
power
Worry is very insidious. and it spreads
through the brain like 1eaven. Constant
dwelling upon any idea which practically
becomes an obsession tends to destroy
mental balance; but peTpetually to dwell
upon a vicious idea, a worry. hatred, or
revenge idea often ruins the brain cells
beyond repair, SO that the individual
never becomes normal again. A per-
petual, never-lost idea would ultimately
ruin the brain OF a Cicero or a Webster.
The brain Is really the nutritive center
OF life; and whatever disturbs it disturbs
the nutrition of the body by lmpairing
digestion, because the gastric fluids be-
come poor and deficient and so affect
the assimilation OF food. The, transfer
nation OF the nutriment into the various
tissues is imperfect, consequently the
brain cells and all others will be i'm
perfect, and, Of course, will perform cor
respondingly imperfect functions.